Cricket World

2012-11-14T23:37:00.001-08:00

Battered India hoping for a turnaround in T20 opener

2012-01-31T01:46:00.000-08:00

File photo of Indian team members in Australia - AFP

Their reputation bruised and battered after the humiliating loss in the Test series, India will be desperate to turn their fortunes around and restore some pride in the limited overs matches, starting with the first T20 against Australia here on Wednesday.
The Indians slumped to their lowest ebb in the longer version of the last week when Australia mauled the visitors by a 4-0 margin in the Test series.
The drubbing at the hands of Australia was also the current ODI world champion team's eight straight overseas Test defeat following the series loss by identical margin in England last year.
But with some fresh legs -- Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel, Ravidra Jadeja and Rahul Sharma -- joining the team for the limited overs matches, Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be hoping for lady luck to smile on him in the first of the two T20 matches on Wednesday ahead of the tri-series, featuring hosts Australia and Sri Lanka.
With India's famed batting line-up failing miserably in the Test series, there is a scramble for early berths in opening Twenty20 match at the ANZ Stadium.
There is competition for each spot in the team, especially after the debacle in the Test series.
The opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have time and again failed to give India a good start in the Test series.
To add to it, skipper Dhoni himself has looked a pale shadow of his former self with the bat as well as his leadership qualities.
But though there is little threat to their positions in the playing eleven as of now, the trio knows it better that it is high time for them to perform or make away for youngsters like Manoj Tiwary and Parthiv Patel, who are waiting in the wings for their opportunity.
Talented Rohit Sharma is at last expected to get a match after spending the entire Test series on the sidelines. Apart from Rohit, the middle-order will have Raina, Virat Kohli and Dhoni with Ravindra Jadeja will play the role of an all-rounder.
India's bowling department will be led by Zaheer Khan. He is expected to have Umesh Yadav and Praveen Kumar for company, even as left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan stands with an outside chance because of his batting abilities and experience of playing in Australian conditions.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to spearhead the spin department in Jadeja's company.
But all said and done, one thing that stands against India is their record in T20 format.
India lost three straight games each in the super league stage of the two consecutive T20 World Cups in England and in West Indies in 2009-10 and young batsmen were exposed big time against the short-pitched deliveries.
The Indians were all out on most occasions, despite having a galaxy of batting stas in their ranks.
But thankfully for the Indians, the present Australia T20 squad, under George Bailey, does not have menacing fast bowlers.
There is neither Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus nor Ryan Harris in the team. The only one with some credentials is veteran Brett Lee, who has long retired from Test cricket.
But young James Faulkner is an unknown entity and is said to be a good left-arm fast bowling all-rounder of Tasmania.
Still, Daniel Christian is highly spoken of and Clint McKay has had a few impressive performances in the recent Big Bash League (BBL).
Australia's biggest advantage going into Wednesday's match is that most of their players can fulfill dual roles.
Out-of-form Shaun Marsh will possibly get one last opportunity to show some spark on Wednesday after his repeated faulures in the Test series, which led to his omission from Australia's ODI yeam.
Shaun's brother, the big-hitting Mitchell Marsh, is also expected to play on Wednesday and will provide Bailey with an all-round option.
Teams (from):
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Rahul Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Manoj Tiwary.
Australia: George Bailey (capt), David Warner, Travis Birt, Daniel Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Matthew Wade and Brad Hogg. The match starts at 2.05 pm, IST.

2nd Test: England set target of 145 by Pakistan

2012-01-28T02:03:00.000-08:00

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Abu Dhabi: Recalled spinner Monty Panesar took six wickets as England bowled out Pakistan for 214 in their second innings on Saturday, leaving England only 145 runs to win the second Test and square the series.
Pakistan resumed at 125-4 on Day 4 in foggy conditions but were always kept in check by England spinners on a wicket which has lot of encouragement for slow bowlers.

AP Photo

Panesar removed overnight batsman Asad Shafiq, then Saeed Ajmal, before wrapping up the innings by clean bowling Junaid Khan inside half an hour after lunch.
Earlier, James Anderson took the new ball and claimed the key wicket of Azhar Ali for 68.
In the morning, Ali and Asad Shafiq were pinned down by England's bowlers.
Ali, 46 overnight, waited until the third over before turning Graeme Swann to square leg for two runs to complete his 13th Test half-century.
Shafiq, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Saturday, had to wait for 24 deliveries before he scored his first runs of the day.
Panesar finally broke the 88-run stand when Anderson hold onto a sharp catch at slip to dismiss Shafiq for 43, giving the recalled English off-spinner his fourth wicket of the innings.
Pakistan almost slipped to 160-6 when Australian umpire Steve Davis adjudged Ali lbw off Swann, but TV umpire Billy Bowden overturned the decision as Hawk Eye showed the ball would have turned too much and missed leg stump.
But England did not have to wait too long to get rid of dangerman Ali once they took the second new ball. Anderson banged one in short, which got a faint edge of Ali's bat and flew to wicket-keeper Matt Prior. Ali's 68 included eight fours.
Pakistan soon slipped to 172-7 when Broad won a psychological battle with Adnan Akmal. Just one ball after the pair exchanged words, Akmal tried to drive a wide delivery and was out caught by captain Andrew Strauss.
Pakistan lead the three-match series after winning the first Test by 10 wickets at Dubai last week.

BPL T20 Team Squad-2012

2012-01-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) 20-20 2012: Bangladesh announce all the information about BPL 2012 online. BPL hosted by Bangladesh and all the information coming from the Dhaka. this event Players Auction is on Thursday 19th January 2012. BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) players auction most Expensive Players is Sahid Afridi with in US$ bid ends of BooM bOOm is Price $700000.

BPL T-20 Schedule 2012

Bangladesh Premier League BPL T20 Players Auction 19 January 2012

Here is the players list those are selected in BPL 2012.All the 73 players have seen in BPL 2012.

Players List For BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) 2012

Afridi-Dhaka-700,000
Gayle-Barisal-551,000
Samuels(WI)-Rajshahi-360,000
Pollard-Dhaka-300,000
Shoib Malik-Chittagong-150,000.
D. Bravo(WI)-Chittagong-150,000
Brad Hodge-Barishal-140,000
Jayshuria(S.L)- Khulna-110,000
Sayeed Ajmal-Chittagong-100,000
Muttiah Muralitharan-Chittagong-100,000
Abdul Razzak-Rajshahi 100,000
Tanvir(Pak)-Sylhet-100,000
Naved Ul Hasan(Pak)-Dhaka-100,000
Nasir Jamshed-Chittagong-100
Kamran Akmal(Pak)-Sylhet-100,000
Russel(WI)-Khulna-85,000
Imran Nazir-Dhaka-85,000
Neil o’brien(IRE)-Khulna-80,000
Y. Arafat(pak)-Barishal- 80,000
Trego(Eng)-Sylhet-75,000
Mohammad Sami-Rajshahi-70,000
Malinga(Sri)-60,000
Summy(WI)-Sylhet-55,000
Ahmed Sehzad(Pak)-Barishal-50,000
F. Edwards(WI)-Sylhet-60,000
Hogg(Aus)-Sylhet-50,000
Chigumbura(ZIM) -Rajshahi-50,000
Tahir(S.A-)-Rajshahi-50,000
Stuart MacGill (Aus)- Dhaka-50,000
Hamid Hossian(Afgan)- Barisal-40,000
R. Cheema(Canada)- Rajshahi-25,000
Darren Steven(England) – Dhaka-25,000
Kevin Cooper-Chittagong-25,000
Lendl Simmons-Chittagong-25,000
Syed Rasel to Rajshahi for 20,000
Aftab Ahmed to Dhaka for 20,000
Diman Ghosh to Dhaka for 20,000
Shuvagoto Hom to Sylhet for 80,000
Nadif Chowdury to Sylhet for 30,000
Shohag to Barisal
Arafat Sunny to Chittagong for 50,000
Mosharraf Hossain to Dhaka for 65,000
Nazmul Hossain to Khulna for 35,000
Farhad Hossain to Barisal for 20,000
Shabbir Rehman to Rajshahi for 40,000
Mohminul Hoque to Barisal for 20,000
Faisal Hossain to Chittagong for 20,000
Mehrab Hossain UNSOLD
Rajin Saleh UNSOLD
Asif Ahmed UNSOLD
Mahmudul Hasan UNSOLD
Tusshar Imran UNSOLD
Nazmul Hossain Opu to Barisal for 50,000
Nur Hossain to Sylhet for 20,000
Enamul Hoque Jr. to Chittagon for 55,000
Robiul Islam UNSOLD
Muktar Ali to Rajshahi for 20,000
Al Amin to Barisal for 20,000
Mahbubul Alam UNSOLD
Dollar Mahmud to Khulna for 20,000
Mohammad Sharif UNSOLD
Arafat Salauddin to Sylhet for 20,000
Ziaur Rahman to Chittagong for 40,000
Shamsur Rahman to Chittagong for 45,000
Alauddin Babu to Barisal for 65,000
Enamul Hoque Bijoy to Dhaka for 20,000
Dwayne Smith to Khulna for 50,000
Herschelle Gibbs to Khulna for 100,000
Jerome Taylor to Chittagong for 50,000
Fawad Alam to Rajshahi for 45,000
Shahdat Hossain – Khulna – 30 thousand $
Asif Ahmed Ratul – Rajshahi – 25 thousand $
Kamrul Islam Rabbi – Barisal – 20 thousand $

After this here you see the Teams Are selected fro BPL 2012. The Teams list you see here below. Total six teams participate in BPL 2012 tournament. The BPL has been completed with a total of $6.49 million spent.

Teams List For BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) 2012

1)Chittagong Kings $1.2 million	2)Khulna Royal Bengal $1.1 million	3)DurontoRajshahi $1.07 million
4)Sylhet Royals $1.06 million	5)Dhaka Gladiators 1.05 million	6)Barisal Burner 1.01 million

Now BPL Teams squads with their teams captains and other players here below.

List of Teams Squads For BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) 2012.

1) Chittagong Kings – $1.2 million (SQ Sports) | Caption (Tamim Iqbal)
2) Khulna Royal Bengals – $1.1 million (Orion Group) | Caption (Shakib Al Hasan)
3) DurontoRajshahi – $1.07 million (Digital Auto Care) | Caption (Mushfiqur Rahim)
4) Walton Fighter Sylhet Royals – $1.06 million (Conglomerate led by Walton) | Caption (AlokKapap / Mashraf e Mortaza)
5) Dhaka Gladiators – 1.05 million (Europa Group) | Caption (Mahmudullah Riad / Mohammad Ashraful)
6) Barisal Burners – 1.01 million (Alif Group) | Caption (Shahriar Nafees)

Pakistanis thrash world No 1 in Dubai Test

2012-01-22T02:12:00.000-08:00

DUBAI, Jan 19: Pakistan handed top-ranked England its first test defeat in 13 months with a blowout 10-wicket victory inside three days on Thursday.

Pakistan stubbornly extended its first innings in the morning to 338 for a lead of 146, then before lunch began dismantling England in its second innings for 160 in 58 overs.
Umar Gul’s aggressive bowling for 4-63, coupled with some shocking shot selection by the Englishmen, left Pakistan with only 15 runs to win the opening test of the three-match series, and opener Mohammad Hafeez hit three boundaries in collecting them all.
Offspinner Ajmal, who grabbed a career-best 7-55 in England’s first innings score of 192, added three more wickets to be named man of the match. Abdur Rehman showed England why they should have included left-arm spinner Monty Panesar with 3-37, and narrowly missed a hat trick.—AP

Pakistan v England

2012-01-18T01:47:00.000-08:00

Mohammad Hafeez, whose middle name might be 'Bloody' by the end of this series, celebrates his half-century. Photograph: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

WICKET! Pakistan 176-3 (Hafeez LBW b Swann 88) Swann has struck. Hafeez premeditated a sweep at a full delivery that slipped under his bat and hit him on the toe. It looked a really good shout, and Bruce Oxenford raised the finger. Hafeez decided to review the decision, hoping he had got outside the line. He hadn't, and his fine innings ends 12 short of a century.

56th over: Pakistan 176-2 (Hafeez 88, Younis 24) A maiden from Anderson to Younis, including a big drive at fresh air from the final delivery. For a second I thought he'd nicked it. Anyone got anything to talk about? "There's a certain low-price chain pub over the road from Farringdon tube that opens before rush hour at least," says Elliott Carr-Barnsley. "That would certainly be a 'good' start."

55th over: Pakistan 176-2 (Hafeez 88, Younis 24) Swann's 13th over disappears 13. Younis drives very pleasantly through wide mid-off for four and then Hafeez slog-sweeps mightily for six. Swann is being handled with worrying ease, and looks a bit low on confidence. His Test form hasn't been great in the last 15 months; he averaged a fraction under 40 in the Ashes and a fraction over 40 against India, although he had a good series at home to Sri Lanka.

54th over: Pakistan 163-2 (Hafeez 82, Younis 17) That ball from Anderson definitely reversed a touch, swinging back in to Hafeez. The next delivery is gunbarrel straight and timed supremely through midwicket for four.
"Seems England's bowlers have ignored the Teesra in favour of the Teasmade," teehees Gary Naylor, "as Pakistan's batsmen appear to be having them for breakfast."

53rd over: Pakistan 159-2 (Hafeez 78, Younis 17) Swann replaces Tremlett and is worked for three singles. Younis still doesn't quite look 'in', but he's been there for 47 balls now and that's ominous for England. Meanwhile, Andy Bull has dug out another gem from the Chris Gayle Twitter archive. "It has been a while since I lived in Clerkenwell," says John Atherton, "but in answer to Glenn Cawston's query about pubs, I'd suggest he tries the Smithfield market area, the pubs there also do great meaty breakfasts."

52nd over: Pakistan 156-2 (Hafeez 76, Younis 16) BAH. Younis waves his bat at a wider delivery from Anderson, and the ball flies just short of Strauss at first slip. England have bowled with excellent discipline since lunch, with only 18 runs from nine overs. Meanwhile, here's more from Chris Gayle.
"As the relentless grind of Asian cricket wears on, you can still use Wikipedia, as they helpfully point out, just turn off java-scripting for the site and hey-presto the font of all (internet) knowledge starts to flow again," says Andy Cronk, as 99.94 per cent of journalists breathe an almighty one. "As for the cricket, I stick with my about 200 runs behind, but the pitch seems to have draw written all over it (admittedly spelt as Jazz (whatever that is, I imagine a soft-drink))." Maybe, but England will have a helluva long time to bat – six sessions, maybe more. (And I bet Pakistan get a lot more than 392.) Six sessions is a lot in view of the fact that Saeed Ajmal has built a small village inside their subconscious.

51st over: Pakistan 156-2 (Hafeez 76, Younis 16) A quiet over from Chris Tremlett. Meanwhile, here's Chris Gayle. "Excellent piece from James Marsh, and I think he's absolutely right," says Steve Hudson. "There seems to have been some kind of cosy agreement between the ECB and the Dubai authorities not to create too much of a fuss either way over the human rights issues. It has the potential to fester until the cricket authorities are forced to address it."

50th over: Pakistan 153-2 (Hafeez 75, Younis 14) It's the 50th over and, as predicted by Selve, here comes Jimmy Anderson. His first ball is angled in towards Younis, who again waves around his front pad as the ball slips down the leg side. He gets it right later in the over, whipping a ball off middle stump and through square leg for three. Anderson is hiding the ball in his run-up so that the batsmen don't know which way it isn't reversing. It suggests they are confident that it will, however. "If Broad develops the conundrum, it'll officially become 'The Enforcer Conundrum', which sounds quite like a book by a love child of Robert Ludlum and Dan Brown," says Aatman Chaudhary.

49th over: Pakistan 150-2 (Hafeez 75, Younis 11) Younis is beaten chasing a wider one from Tremlett and then, next ball, is so nearly trapped in front by a fuller, straighter delivery. Since lunch Pakistan have scored 12 from six overs. "Surely it is part of your job to read up on the commentary in previous sessions before you go online," says Peter Kunzil. "Comments like 'Have people been talking about natural length this morning then?' make you look like an idiot – which you are not. This happens too often on OBO. Get your acts together and actually read the OBO from the previous session." As much as I would love to sit around with my feet on the desk marvelling at every word emanating from Bull's fingers, there are myriad other things for a person to do when he or she is not OBOing. We try to read the previous session, of course, but invariably there isn't time. Oh, and I'll have you know I am an idiot.

48th over: Pakistan 149-2 (Hafeez 75, Younis 11) Younis opens the face and steers a wider delivery from Broad to third man for four. Then Hafeez wears a well-directed short ball on the shoulder. "If we follow Copestake's logic and make a Countdown-style conundrum out of Teesra we find it is an anagram of Easter," says Robin Hazlehurst. "The answer is staring us in the face, bowl Easter eggs at them, that'll confuse the wotsits out of them. Or maybe just sprinkle Creme Eggs on the pitch, jelly-baby style in a most elaborate sledge."

47th over: Pakistan 144-2 (Hafeez 75, Younis 6) A disciplined maiden from Tremlett. Matt Prior said last night that it was important England didn't "chase the game", and that's in evidence here. "Umar Gul started to reverse it after 50 overs yesterday, which is later than usual," says Lord Selvey. "But it was there. I'd expect Jimmy to come on round about then." Did he reverse it much? I only remember one or two balls going, although I wasn't paying full attention. I was doing the OBO.

46th over: Pakistan 144-2 (Hafeez 75, Younis 6) This is ~~subcontinental~~ Asian cricket as nature intended. Bloody hard work for the bowlers, basically; the slow, systematic destruction of Hope. Broad mixes his length up a bit in that over, another good one, with a couple of very full deliveries to Younis. Still no sign of reverse swing, though, and you might have better luck waiting for Godot, or for Radiohead to embrace melody again. "You know what else is rather scary?" says Phil Podolsky. "A world without Wikipedia. Today's blackout is not very serious as you can use Google cache; but everyone working in online "content" is royally screwed if it's really gone. Though to give me a proper scare they'll have to take down all the sleepy kittens videos on YT: that's what my working online is really down to. On a related note..." Oh my goodness. That is the most adorable thing I've seen since ~~Andy Bull shaved his beard off~~ I stumbled out of the Curzon Soho at around 8pm on October 22 2001 after watching Amelie for the first time.

45th over: Pakistan 141-2 (Hafeez 72, Younis 6) This is not a typical Pakistan batting line-up: they are cold and methodical, in the image of their impressive captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Tremlett has a biggish shout for LBW against Younis Khan, whose got stuck as he played around his front pad. Bruce Oxenford said not out, and after a bit of thought England decided not to review. Height was an issue, and it might have been sliding down too. Replays show it was just hitting the top of the leg bail, so it would have stayed with the original decision. Oxenford has had a very good game so far. England's tactics are different for each batsman – very straight to Younis early in his innings, and a fifth-stump line to Hafeez. "The idea of a natural length only emerged in the last ten years or so," says Gary Naylor. "Before that, bang-it-in bowlers like Garner and McGrath had yorkers that were unplayable at times and swing bowlers like Wasim and Marshall had horrible skidding bouncers that hurt people. I think natural length may just be a comfort blanket for bowlers who really should be able to be hitting the top of off stump more often than not." Have people been talking about natural length this morning then?

44th over: Pakistan 138-2 (Hafeez 70, Younis 6) Stuart Broad, England's best bowler this morning, will start the session. He starts with a maiden to Younis Khan. England could really do with picking up Younis before he gets his eye in. He averages almost 80 since his recall 14 months ago and, as Nasser Hussain says on Sky, knows how to get huge hundreds. There's also a bit of talk on Sky as to whether the ball will reverse – Bumble reckons maybe not, because the outfield is pretty lush. You have to feel a bit for England's bowlers; this was always going to be seriously hard yakka, and being bowled out for 192 has made it even harder. "England missed a trick not developing some mysterious balls of their own over their break, or having someone work on one in a lab for when they returned," says Ian Copestake. "We could have countered the Teesra with a Conundrum."

SA secure series win

2012-01-18T01:44:00.000-08:00

Faf du Plessis constructed a superb fifty to help South Africa to a four-run victory on the Duckworth/Lewis method and a series win in the third Sunfoil one-day international against Sri Lanka at Chevrolet Park in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
Full Scoring
South Africa, chasing Sri Lanka’s 266 for nine, reached 179 for five after 34 overs before rain began falling.
When rain began falling the hosts held a four-run lead on the Duckworth /Lewis method, enough for them to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series when the match was finally called off an hour and 20 minutes later
South Africa had Du Plessis and his high-class knock of 72 off 74 balls with seven fours to thank for winning the game after they had slipped to 52 for three with Graeme Smith (2), Colin Ingram (13) and Alviro Petersen (17) all departing cheaply.
But Du Plessis, together with JP Duminy (25), steadied the innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 61 with Du Plessis bringing up his third ODI fifty off 55 deliveries.
The duo took the score to 113 before Duminy was controversially run out at the non-striker’s end by Nuwan Kulasekara. Replays seemed to be inconclusive but the third umpire Billy Doctrove felt that Duminy was out to the visible dismay of the Proteas’ changeroom.
Du Plessis, who battled cramps during his innings, was also run out as he failed to beat Angelo Mathews’ throw from the covers to keeper Kumar Sangakkara but Du Plessis had provided the platform for AB de Villiers (39 not out) and Albie Morkel (7 not out) to see their team over the line.
Paceman Lasith Malinga was the stand out performer with the ball for Sri Lanka as he ended with 2-20 off five overs.

India vs Australia 3rd test highlights: Dhoni ‘Guilty and Culprit’

2012-01-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

India vs Australia 3rd test highlights: Dhoni ‘Guilty and Culprit’
After conceding an unassailable lead of 0-3 in ongoing four test match series in Australia, which is seventh straight Test loss, Dhoni has come out to say that, ‘I am the main culprit’.
Rubbing salt to the injury came the news of him getting barred from the last test to be played at Adelaide. Dhoni again pleaded guilty. He had to plea guilty for slow over rate. Now, Virender Sehwag would be leading the team in the Adelaide Test. It is expected that Wridhiman Saha would be replacing MS Dhoni as wicketkeeper.
Regarding the Test loss, what senior ex cricketers were saying from the first loss in Australia, Dhoni has just accepted that. Dhoni said that being the leader of the team it was he to be blamed for a disastrous performance.
Dhoni then picked the team’s batting failure for the slump though he is still defending his senior batsmen. He is happy that Indian bowlers are doing well.
Many cricket experts think that the sword is hanging right over the head of VVS Laxman once considered to be the main tormentor of Australian batsmen. Dhoni is quite straightforward in stating that, ‘we have not put runs on the board’.
Dhoni elaborated that ‘one or two bad innings, it can happen in Test cricket, but overall, this is a bit too long for the batting line up to flop’.
The slow over rate in the Test meant that for Dhoni the Test series is over as he has been handed over one match suspenstion.
Interesting this fine comes in the wake where Indians were found two overs short. Indian team bowled 76 overs in the only innings they could bowl in Perth Test.
There were concessions made for the wickets Indian team took and other interruptions like movement behind sightscreen and injury timeouts, but India were still found short.
Dhoni accepted his guilt, as he was aware of the regulations. He was fined 2/5th of his match fees, and the rest of the team was docked 1/5th each. This was India’s second over-rate offence in the last 12 months. Dhoni had been on notice after Indian team was found short in Barbados in June-July last year.

BPL T20 Players Auction Details

2012-01-18T01:24:00.001-08:00

The preliminary lists of local and foreign players, who will be available for the players' auction of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), has been released yesterday. The players' auction will be held on January 19.
The BPL governing body also informed that the fresh list and a list of Indian players will be announced soon.
LOCAL PLAYERS
Grade A(Base Price $45000)
Mahmudullah Riyad, Abdur Razzak, Nasir Hossain, Junaed Siddiqui, Imrul Kayes, Mashrafi Bin Mortaza.
Grade B(Base Price $30000)
Nazimuddin, Rokibul Hasan, Elias Sunny, Sohrawardi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Forhad Reza, Mohammad Mithun, Jahurul Islam, Sahadat Hossain and Naeem Islam
Grade C(Base price $20000)
Tushar Imran, Nadif Chowdhury, Nazmul Hossain, Farhad Hossain, Shabbir Rahman, Asif Ahmed, Mahmudul Hasan, Rajin Saleh, Mehrab Hossain, Mominul Haque, Faisal Hossain, Aftab Ahmed, Shohag Gazi, Arafat Sunny, Mosharraf Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Opu, Nur Hossain, Enamul Haque, Robiul Islam, Moktar Ali, Syed Rasel, Al-Amin, Mahbubul Alam, Dollar Mahmud, Mohammad Sharif, Arafat Salahuddin, Ziaur Rahman, Dhiman Ghosh, Shuvagoto Hom, Shamsur Rahman, Alauddin Babu, Anamul Haque, Rony Talukder, Nafis Iqbal, Abishek Mitra, Soumya Sarkar, Nasir Uddin Faruque, Mysukur Rahman, Fazle Rabbi, Marshal Ayub, Abul Bashar, Tasamul Haque, Tanvir Haider, Saqlain Sajib, Sanjamul Islam, Shaker Ahmed, Murad Khan, Sahagir Hossain, Kamrul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Taposh Baysha, Shuvashish Roy, Kazi Kamrul, Tazin Ahmed, Abul Hasan, Jubair Ahmed, Ejaj Ahmed, Imtiaz Hossain, Mohammad Sahajada, Sahin Hossain, Ariful Hoque, Mahbubul Karim, Rezaul Karim and Abu Zahed Rahi.
INT'L PLAYERS
Grade A( Base price $100,000)
Chris Gayle, Kerion Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Matt Prior, Abdur Razzaq, Scott Styris, Shoaib Malik, Chaminda Vass, Mutthiah Muralidaran, Dirk Nannes, Herschelle Gibbs, Ajantha Mendis, Azhar Mahmood and Shahid Afridi
Grade B(Base price $50,000)
Suliemann Benn, Lionel Baker, Sanath Jaysuria, Lou Vincent, James Tredwell, Nial O Brien, Dinesh Ramdin, Dinesh Kaneria, Fidel Edwards, Graham Onions, T Kandamby, James Foster, Kamran Akmal, Peter Trego, Rana Naved ul Hasan, Ian Blackwell, Sajid Mahmood, Taufiq Umar, Dwayne Smith, Yasir Arafat, Andre Nel, Hamilton Masakadza, Raza Hasan, Andrew Hall, Elton Chigumbura, Geraint Jones, Gary Keedy and Brad Hodge
Grade C(Base price $30,000)
Nikita Miller, Kevin Cooper, James Tredwell, Bruce Kruger, Hamish Marshall, Andre Adams, Irfan Ahmed, Freddie Klokker, Alexie Kervezee, Darren Ian Steven, Gerrie Snynam, Imran Nazir, Adnan Akmal, James Hilderth, Lendl Simmons, Mohhammad Sami, Chris Scofield, Riki Wessels, Rizwan A Cheema, S Chandrapaul, Tino Best, Jason Roy, Aaron Finch, Joshua Cobb, Nasir Jamshed, Hamid Hassan, Hamish Marshal, Johan Myburgh, Chris Simpson, Sene Ervine, Claude Henderson, Graham Manou, Ryan Campbell, Simon Jones, Scott Borthwick, Thomas Odoyo, Shakib Ali, Jehan Mubarak, Pervez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Silva, Kaushalaya Weeraratne, Nuwan Zoysa, Muhammad Nabi, Khuram Sajid, Yasir Hamid.

Rampant Australia close in on crushing series win over feeble India

2012-01-14T04:39:00.000-08:00

Mitchell Starc, left, celebrates the wicket of Gautam Gambhir. Photograph: Brandon Malone/REUTERS

Australia were in touching distance of a series-clinching win over India after just two days of the third Test in Perth.
David Warner's breathless 180 paved the way for a 208-run first-innings lead that appeared decisive after India limped to 88 for four in their second innings.
It was a familiar top-order failing for India on this tour as they immediately undid any ground made up after their pacemen, led by Umesh Yadav's maiden five-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 369.
The hosts had looked on course for far more after Warner, who blazed the fourth-quickest Test century on the first day, and Ed Cowan built on their quickfire start this morning in a 214-run stand for the opening wicket.
Australia faded thereafter, however, as India took 10 for 155 after Yadav eventually ended the opening stand by bowling Cowan for 74 – the highest score of his fledgling Test career.
Any glimmer of hope India had was quickly extinguished though as their cast of veterans in the top order again folded to tumble towards a defeat as fast-paced as the Waca wicket on which they have looked all at sea.
At one stage defeat inside two days looked a possibility, as they slumped to 51 for four.
The openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were both undone by the pace and bounce, caught behind the wicket off Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle in consecutive overs.
Starc then grabbed the biggest scalp of his three-Test career when he trapped Sachin Tendulkar lbw before the out-of-sorts VVS Laxman offered yet another edge, this time off Ben Hilfenhaus, to Shaun Marsh without scoring.
Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli held out against the Australian attack for the final hour of the day, although with their side still trailing by 120 runs they faced an uphill task to avoid defeat early on the third day.
Warner fell short of a memorable double century after reaching 180 from just 159 balls in a stunning innings that included 20 fours and five sixes.
The left-hander was unable to reproduce his onslaught from the opening day, when he reached triple figures in 69 balls, with a blow to his elbow restricting his normal flow.
He did offer glimpses of his hard hitting, smashing Ishant Sharma back over his head for six, and while he was dropped by Kohli at first slip on 126 he batted through the opening hour with Cowan to seemingly set Australia for a full day's batting.
Those plans were put on hold when Yadav, in his fifth Test, made a triple strike during an impressive spell in the second hour of the day.
Yadav finally ended the opening stand when he squeezed a delivery through Cowan, before quickly sending Marsh and Ricky Ponting on their way.
The 24-year-old found impressive movement off the pitch, highlighted by a searing off-cutter that uprooted Ponting's middle stump.
Warner remained through the session and looked intent on reaching a double century after lunch until he attempted a lusty blow over mid-on; for the first time in his innings he failed to get enough bat on it and was caught in the deep off Sharma.
That prompted a flurry of wickets as India earned reward for their persistence in a afternoon session in which that battled back with seven dismissals.
Zaheer Khan deservedly found the edges of Australia skipper Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin who, after claiming India were mentally weak in the lead-up to the Test, departed to scenes of Zaheer blowing him kisses after he failed to score.
The debutant Vinay Kumar then picked up his first Test scalp when Michael Hussey cut straight to gully, before Yadav completed his five-wicket haul by bowling Siddle and having Ryan Harris caught lobbing up an attempted pull shot.

BPL T20 Franchise,Teams And Players Auction Details

2012-01-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh Premier League short name known as BPL is Twenty 20 Cricket Matches series that is going to be player Scheduled on 10 February 2012.Bangladesh Premier League T20. This Bangladesh Premier League promises to be a great one for the Domestic Cricket of Bangladesh over there and will be result in enhancing the popularity of Cricket In Bangladesh. Bangladesh Premier league(BPL) T20 will consists of World/Top Class players(Highly Ranked In all over the world) and Legends from all over the World. This Bangladesh Premier league(BPL) T20 can be important because it will help the players lead to get International Cricket and abruptly play for Cricket Bangladesh.The T 20-day tournament will consists of six teams that will play each other twice in a round-robin format over 33 matches to be held in Chittagong and Dhaka.
BPL T20 Franchise Auction
As BPL T20 francies auction moved from 5th January 2012 to 10th January 2012 In Dhaka. Companies wishing to bid for a franchise will submit their offers on the Auction Day.Bids will be opened in front of all those present, with the franchises going to the highest bidder.It is also hoped by the organizers that the competition winner will be invited to join the 2012 edition of the Champions League T20.
BPL T20 Cricket Teams Players Auction
The team auction has been moved to 10 of January because as it is a matter of lot of money the interested companies wanted some more time. BCB has confirmed 4 big companies are willing to buy teams in BPL T20 – Bangladesh Premier League.The player auction for BPL T20 have been rescheduled to 18-19 January 2012 instead of 14-15 January 2012. It is believed that both Frances and player auction will be telecast/streaming live on Channel 9 TV on that day.The BPL player auction will be held on 18 and 19 January 2012 at Coxbazar.
From initial 200 foreign player, a list of 100 player will be made for BPL player auction. There will be also 100 local players for auction.
There will be three categories for BPL T20 auction A, B and C for local and foreign player.
A: The minimum rate 1,00,000 dollars
B: The minimum rate 50,000 dollars
C: The minimum rate 25,000 dollars
Pre-auction agreement for involving with Bangladesh Premium League (BPL)
Some outstanding players (From total 45) from different countries who have already signed with BPL T 20 League. here is the list of those Players:

South Africa : Herschel Gibson, Andrew Hall, Peter trego, Claude Henderson
Pakistan : Shoaib Malik, Kamran akamal, Rana navid – ul – Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Imran Najir, Danis Kaneriya,
England : James Foster, Matt A Prior, James Anderson, James Tredwell;
West Indies : Fidel Edwards, Kairan Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Tino Best, Suleman Ben,
Sri Lanka : Angelo kapugedara, Jehana Mubarak, Angelo Silva and Kaushalya weeraratne
New Zealand : Lou Vincent
Ireland: Niel O’Brien

Beside this Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Saurav Ganguly will come In Bangladesh before start-off this league.

Bangladesh Premier League Announced

2012-01-03T01:27:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh Premier League Announced

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will be one of the start attractions of the inaugural BPL.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board have announced that the first edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will get underway on the 9th February 2012, with the tournament final pencilled in for 29th February.
There will be six franchises (Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Sylhet and Rajshahi) in the inaugural edition of the tournament, with each of those being allotted one of the Bangladesh team’s national players as an ‘icon player’. Franchises will be allowed to field five foreign players in each match and will play each other twice in a round-robin format before the semi-finals and final. Most of the matches will be played at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, with the rest at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
The tournament will be organised by Game on Sports Management Company of India, who bought the six-year rights to the tournament name for around $44m earlier this month. Their consultant, former Indian cricketer and commentator Arun Lal, compared the event to the IPL, saying, “We all invested a huge amount of money behind the new version of cricket (IPL) in India despite a lot of fear, risk and acrid criticism from the vested quarters ahead of the event. But it has been turned into the most remunerative business.”
Lal also detailed the number of foreign players likely to be involved, adding, “We have got the tacit consent and commitment from 40 foreign cricketers to date. The number will be increased within a few weeks. We all hope it will be around 100 players.”
Among those rumoured to be involved are Peter Trego, Matt Prior, James Foster and James Tredwell from England; Fidel Edwards and Kieron Pollard from West Indies; Andrew Hall, Herschelle Gibbs and Claude Henderson from South Africa; and Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan from Pakistan.
The franchise auction is expected to take place on 5th January in Dhaka, with the player auction scheduled for the weekend of 14th and 15th of that month. It is also hoped by the organisers that the competition winner will be invited to join the 2012 edition of the Champions League T20.
Icon Players:
Barisal: Shahriar Nafees
Chittagong: Tamim Iqbal
Dhaka: Mohammad Ashraful
Khulna: Shakib Al Hasan
Rajshahi: Mushfiqur Rahim
Sylhet: Alok Kapali

Sehwag 219: fastest 200, highest ODI score

2011-12-31T02:38:00.000-08:00

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Indore: At 5.42pm on Thursday evening, in front of a 40,000-strong crowd at the Holkar Stadium, with a perfectly-placed cut backward of point, Virender Sehwag became only the second batsman in one-day international history to score a double-century in an innings. His phenomenal achievement came in the 3223rd ODI to be played, and came 260 matches after Sachin Tendulkar touched the 200-mark against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24, 2010.
Sehwag - who came into the fourth ODI of the series against West Indies with scores of 22, 26 and 0 in the three previous games - needed 140 deliveries to reach the landmark. His mood from the start of the match, having won the toss and opted to bat, was belligerent and Sehwag never took his foot off the pedal. His fifty came up in 41 balls with a six in the 15th over - his fourth of the innings – and he sped to a 15th ODI century in 69 balls. Sehwag proceeded to cruise past 150 in 112 balls and showed no signs of tiredness.

On 170, he offered a catch to the deep but West Indies captain Darren Sammy dropped an easy catch. That was just the lifeline Sehwag need to reassess the situation; a slew of boundaries and coolly-collected singles took him past 190, and a flick off a rank full toss from Kieron Pollard eased him to 195, in the process raising 8,000 career runs.
Two singles in two balls followed, before Sehwag sent the packed house into raptures by cutting the third ball of the 43rd over, bowled by Andre Russell, to the deep backward point boundary for his 23rd boundary to reach his double-century. Immediately he set off down the pitch in animated celebrations as his India team-mates and the fans stood as one to cheer on a most enthralling century.

Sachin Tendulkar fires record 200 against South Africa

2011-12-31T02:33:00.000-08:00

Second one-day international, Gwalior:
India 401-3 (50 ovs) bt South Africa 248 (42.5 ovs) by 153 runs
Match scorecard

Tendulkar underlined his sensational class with a double century in Gwalior

Sachin Tendulkar created history with the first double century in one-day internationals as India thrashed South Africa by 153 runs in Gwalior.

The 36-year-old hit 25 fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 200 off 147 balls.
It passed the previous best of 194, set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997 and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry last year.
Mahendra Dhoni hit four sixes in 68 from 35 balls in a mammoth 401-3, and South Africa were 248 all out as India took an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Tendulkar, whose previous best one-day knock was the 186 not out he scored against New Zealand in 1999, is already the leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket.
But to have reached such a landmark, with a single in the final over, only serves to underline his class and add to the legacy that already surrounds arguably the finest batsman to have played the game.
His innings, the 46th one-day century of his career, was typified by wristy strokes, trademark boundary shots and, above all, stamina as he batted through the entire innings.
He passed the previous best score in ODIs off 140 deliveries before taking his time over the final six runs, completing his double century with a single off Charl Langeveldt four balls from the end of the innings.
Despite clearly suffering with cramp towards the end, Tendulkar was not to be denied and the packed Gwalior crowd were in raptures as he brought up the record.

Around him, Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni provided able support.
Karthik, who came to the crease in just the fourth over after Virender Sehwag sent a high catch down to Dale Steyn at third man off Wayne Parnell, struck four fours and three sixes on his way to an 85-ball knock of 79.
He departed when he mistimed a pull shot to Herschelle Gibbs at mid-wicket but Yusuf Pathan upped the pace with 36 off 23 balls, including two huge sixes.
However, not even he could match Dhoni's remarkable strokeplay, the India captain providing a staggering display of power hitting with four sixes and seven fours that allowed Tendulkar to calmly build his record-breaking innings at the other end.
When Mark Boucher departed in the 23rd over South Africa were 134-7, and though AB de Villiers struck 13 fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 114, his fifth one-day hundred, the tourists were never in the hunt.
They must now try to avoid a whitewash in the final match of the series in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Several leading former players who were fortunate to witness the innings saluted India's favourite son Tendulkar.

Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi said: "It was a great moment for us and another class act from Tendulkar. Sachin has been a great warrior for us and this innings was a delight to watch."
The former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail, who was Anwar's opening partner, said: "It was a brilliant innings and if you speak to Saeed Anwar, he would be so glad Tendulkar was the one to break his record.
"We all know how talented and how passionate he is about the game, but it's incredible that at the age of 36 he is still going on, he plays the full 50 overs, runs hard and at no point during this knock did he look like he was going to throw his wicket away.
"But the biggest reason he gets all these records is because he respects the game tremendously."
Another former Pakistan captain and top-order batsman Rameez Raja also paid rich tribute to Tendulkar.
"He's been a great ambassador for India and world cricket," Rameez said. "He is a great role model because for someone who has played international cricket for 20-odd years there isn't a single scandal against him.
"It shows the character of the man and he still has the passion and enthusiasm of a 10-year-old."

Shakib becomes No. 1 Test allrounder

2011-12-26T02:20:00.000-08:00

Shakib Al Hasan's fine all-round performance in Mirpur has boosted his ranking © AFP

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Malik-Mirza wedding in doubt as woman says she is cricketer's wife

2011-12-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

Ayesha Siddique alleges that she and Malik (right), pictured here with Mirza (left), married in 2002. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Hyderabad police have questioned Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik ahead of his planned marriage to Indian tennis player Sania Mirza about another woman who claims to be his wife. He has been asked not to leave India while police investigate, spokesman AK Khan said todayon Monday. Malik said police have seized his passport.
Ayesha Siddique alleges that Malik married her in June 2002. She accused him of subjecting her to cruelty and harassment by denying that the wedding took place and by trying to marry another Indian woman.
Police visited the home of Mirza in Hyderabad, the capital of southern Andhra Pradesh state, where Malik was staying, to record his statement. They are investigating complaints of criminal intimidation, cheating, fraud and harassment for dowry against the Pakistani cricketer, a deputy commissioner of police, said. Police also questioned Siddique.
Malik and Mirza later appeared before reporters and said they were going ahead with the 15 April wedding. "I am very upset [by the controversy]," Mirza said. "But we are happy that we are getting married. I have full faith in him. We know what the truth is. It will come out."
Malik said he would stay in India to clear his name. "I am cooperating with the police. I have done nothing wrong," he said. A statement released by his agent Salman Ahmed said that Malik signed a nikahnama (marriage certificate) eight years ago but claimed he was duped.
Malik said he married a woman named Ayesha over the telephone in June 2002 after meeting on the internet. But he believed he had been deceived by another woman claiming to be Ayesha Siddique.
Malik said Siddique would turn down requests to meet, and instead sent photographs. "I was made to believe the girl in the photograph was the one I was speaking to," he said.
"The truth is, I haven't, to this day, met the girl in the photographs Ayesha sent me."
He said when he visited Hyderabad in 2002, he was told she'd gone to Saudi to work, and said her parents told him Siddique had put on weight and wouldn't meet him until she lost weight. He said she avoided him during two more visits to Hyderabad.
Malik said he visited the city several times and was told his 'bride' was away. He said he was astonished when his brother-in-law showed him a photograph in 2005 in which a teacher in Saudi was claiming to be his wife. "I was aghast ... the woman in it was the person I called "apa" [elder sister] while I visited Hyderabad," Malik said. He confronted apa and told her that he didn't ever want to speak to her again, he said.
Malik said he was cheated and: "I was wrongly made to believe that the pictures Ayesha had sent me were of the girl I was marrying."
"I feel terrible about the mess, created by a family that has caused great grief to my own people and the family of my bride-to-be."
Siddique said she has a copy of the nikahnama, signed by Malik and two witnesses, issued by Pakistani authorities in Malik's hometown of Sialkot in June 2002.
Farooq Hasan, a lawyer representing Ayesha Siddique in Pakistan, said in Lahore he will soon be filing a case against Malik in Pakistan's civil and criminal courts.
"We will also try to stop Malik's marriage with Sania Mirza," Hasan said. "If the courts in Pakistan asked, Ayesha Siddique will also travel to Pakistan and appear before the courts. The courts in Pakistan will decide about the authentication of nikahnama."
Malik, who has been banned from representing Pakistan for a year due to infighting within the team during a recent tour of Australia, arrived in Hyderabad last week from Pakistan to work out arrangements for his wedding to Mirza.
Mirza broke off a previous engagement this year before announcing her plans to marry Malik.
The news of the Malik-Mirza wedding plans sparked instant news coverage in the region because neighbouring Pakistan and India are longtime rivals, and have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.

What makes cricket so popular?

2011-12-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

There are other sports like soccer, hockey, basketball, wrestling, Tennis, and so on but it seem that no other sport is as popular than cricket where cricket is played. With so much technical stuff, interference of the climate, time consuming and not cheap either. So why so many people are just crazy about cricket?

Extras

2011-12-17T22:34:00.001-08:00

Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as extras (called "sundries" in Australia) due to errors made by the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways:

No ball: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by (a) using an inappropriate arm action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot outside the return crease. In addition, the bowler has to re-bowl the ball. In limited overs matches, a no ball is called if the bowling team's field setting fails to comply with the restrictions. In shorter formats of the game (20–20, ODI) the free hit rule has been introduced. The ball following a front foot no-ball will be a free-hit for the batsman, whereby he is safe from losing his wicket except for being run-out.
Wide: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman's reach; as with a no ball, a wide must be re-bowled.
Bye: extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way (note that one mark of a good wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a minimum).
Leg bye: extra(s) awarded if the ball hits the batsman's body, but not his bat, while attempting a legitimate shot, and it goes away from the fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way.

When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run (i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to the striker's individual total for which runs must be scored off the bat.

Runs

2011-12-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.
More than one run can be scored from a single hit; but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en route to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary.

West Indian Brian Lara holds the record for highest score in both Tests and first-class cricket.

Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of "overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends, and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs, but all runs are added to the team's total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often heard.
Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e., he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground behind the popping crease), the batsman is run out.
A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia, "five for 224" and 5/224).

Batting

2011-12-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

At any one time, there are two batsmen in the playing area. One takes station at the striker's end to defend the wicket as above and to score runs if possible. His partner, the non-striker, is at the end where the bowler is operating.
Batsmen come in to bat in a batting order, decided by the team captain. The first two batsmen – the "openers" – usually face the hostile bowling from fresh fast bowlers with a new ball. The top batting positions are usually given to the most competent batsmen in the team, and the non-batsmen typically bat last. The pre-announced batting order is not mandatory and when a wicket falls any player who has not yet batted may be sent in next.
If a batsman "retires" (usually due to injury) and cannot return, he is actually "not out" and his retirement does not count as a dismissal, though in effect he has been dismissed because his innings is over. Substitute batsmen are not allowed.
A skilled batsman can use a wide array of "shots" or "strokes" in both defensive and attacking mode. The idea is to hit the ball to best effect with the flat surface of the bat's blade. If the ball touches the side of the bat it is called an "edge". Batsmen do not always seek to hit the ball as hard as possible, and a good player can score runs just by making a deft stroke with a turn of the wrists or by simply "blocking" the ball but directing it away from fielders so that he has time to take a run.
There is a wide variety of shots played in cricket. The batsman's repertoire includes strokes named according to the style of swing and the direction aimed: e.g., "cut", "drive", "hook", "pull".
Note that a batsman does not have to play a shot and can "leave" the ball to go through to the wicketkeeper, providing he thinks it will not hit his wicket. Equally, he does not have to attempt a run when he hits the ball with his bat. He can deliberately use his leg to block the ball and thereby "pad it away" but this is risky because of the leg before wicket rule.
In the event of an injured batsman being fit to bat but not to run, the umpires and the fielding captain may allow another member of the batting side to be a runner. The runner's only task is to run between the wickets instead of the injured batsman. The runner is required to wear and carry exactly the same equipment as the incapacitated batsman. It is possible for both batsmen to have runners.

Fielding

2011-12-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

All eleven players on the fielding side take the field together. One of them is the wicket-keeper aka "keeper" who operates behind the wicket being defended by the batsman on strike. Wicket-keeping is normally a specialist occupation and his primary job is to gather deliveries that the batsman does not hit, so that the batsmen cannot run byes. He wears special gloves (he is the only fielder allowed to do so), a box over the groin, and pads to cover his lower legs. Owing to his position directly behind the striker, the wicket-keeper has a good chance of getting a batsman out caught off a fine edge from the bat. He is the only player who can get a batsman out stumped.
Apart from the one currently bowling, the other nine fielders are tactically deployed by the team captain in chosen positions around the field. These positions are not fixed but they are known by specific and sometimes colourful names such as "slip", "third man", "silly mid on" and "long leg". There are always many unprotected areas.
The captain is the most important member of the fielding side as he determines all the tactics including who should bowl (and how); and he is responsible for "setting the field", though usually in consultation with the bowler.
In all forms of cricket, if a fielder gets injured or becomes ill during a match, a substitute is allowed to field instead of him. The substitute cannot bowl, act as a captain or keep wicket. The substitute leaves the field when the injured player is fit to return.

Bowling

2011-12-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

The bowler reaches his delivery stride by means of a "run-up", although some bowlers with a very slow delivery take no more than a couple of steps before bowling. A fast bowler needs momentum and takes quite a long run-up, running very fast as he does so.

A typical bowling action

The fastest bowlers can deliver the ball at a speed of over 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) and they sometimes rely on sheer speed to try and defeat the batsman, who is forced to react very quickly. Other fast bowlers rely on a mixture of speed and guile. Some fast bowlers make use of the seam of the ball so that it "curves" or "swings" in flight. This type of delivery can deceive a batsman into mistiming his shot so that the ball touches the edge of the bat and can then be "caught behind" by the wicketkeeper or a slip fielder.
At the other end of the bowling scale is the "spinner" who bowls at a relatively slow pace and relies entirely on guile to deceive the batsman. A spinner will often "buy his wicket" by "tossing one up" (in a slower, higher parabolic path) to lure the batsman into making a poor shot. The batsman has to be very wary of such deliveries as they are often "flighted" or spun so that the ball will not behave quite as he expects and he could be "trapped" into getting himself out.
In between the pacemen and the spinners are the "medium pacers" who rely on persistent accuracy to try and contain the rate of scoring and wear down the batsman's concentration.
All bowlers are classified according to their looks or style. The classifications, as with much cricket terminology, can be very confusing. Hence, a bowler could be classified as LF, meaning he is a left arm fast bowler; or as LBG, meaning he is a right arm spin bowler who bowls deliveries that are called a "leg break" and a "Googly".
During the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow straightens illegally then the square-leg umpire may call no-ball: this is known as "throwing" or "chucking", and can be difficult to detect. The current laws allow a bowler to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less.

Team structure

2011-12-17T22:27:00.001-08:00

A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.
A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.

Umpires,overs,innings, and scorers?

2011-12-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg", a position 15–20 metres to the side of the "on strike" batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for example rain or deterioration of the light.

An umpire

Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws of cricket and the spirit of the game.
Off the field, the match details including runs and dismissals are recorded by two official scorers, one representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger to signal that the batsman is out (has been dismissed); he raises both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six runs. The scorers are required by the Laws of cricket to record all runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled. In practice, they accumulate much additional data such as bowling analyses and run rates.

Innings

The innings (ending with 's' in both singular and plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.^[25] In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an innings can end before they all do so.
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine innings").
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out" and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed (i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen "in". This batsman is termed "not out".
An innings can end early for three reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare" the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of time. In each of these cases the team's innings ends with two "not out" batsmen, unless the innings is declared closed at the fall of a wicket and the next batsman has not joined in the play.
In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still "not out" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled.

Overs

Main article: Over (cricket)

The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls") and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end, and the fielding side changes ends while the batsmen do not. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker's end and vice-versa.

What is pitch, wickets and creases?

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At either end of the pitch, 22 yards (20 m) apart, are placed the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side which seeks to accumulate runs. The pitch is 22 yards (20 m) or one chain^[24] in length between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor.

The cricket pitch dimensions

Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm).

Aerial view of the MCG displaying the stadium, ground and pitch

Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the "popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return" creases.

A wicket consists of three stumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two bails.

The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these must be 22 yards (20 m) apart. A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) long with the middle stump placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is parallel to the bowling crease and is 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the wicket. The return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m).
When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery stride" must land within the two return creases while his front foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball".
The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out of h
is ground