All posts by csb10.top

ScorecardVirat Kohli’s 78 ensured India reached a winning score•Bipin Patel

A century from Joe Denly went in vain as Kent failed to make eight runs off the final over, and lost an exciting match to the Indians by five runs. Riding on Virat Kohli’s vibrant 78, the Indians had managed to set up a challenging target, but Denly, who has played five Twenty20 internationals for England in addition to nine ODIs, drove the chase before he was bowled seven balls from the end.Originally meant to be a 50-over encounter, the match was converted to a 20-over one after rain delayed the start. It was a long Friday for everyone. After the rain had played spoilsport, news poured in that a suspect package was found near the Canterbury West Railway Station and there was a fire in the Marks & Spencer store near the team hotel. The main road leading to the city centre from the St Lawrence county ground had been cut off. Still, the die-hard fans, who had bought tickets months in advance and had waded through the streams of water gushing down from the slope at the ground entrance, did not panic and leave. Instead they stayed put and even enjoyed the bhangra music, performed by the local group Jugnu, who kept the crowd going through the afternoon and evening.And what an evening it was. It belonged entirely to Denly till Munaf Patel’s nail-biting final over. Denly had started on the wrong foot when he charged at RP Singh and tried to hit the third ball of the chase over the bowler’s head. He only succeeded in getting an inside-edge that raced down to the fine-leg boundary. RP Singh followed that up with two wides.When Vinay Kumar came in from the Nackington Road end, Denly flicked him for consecutive boundaries, beating a harried Parthiv Patel at deep square leg. Denly then swept Amit Mishra for a flat six to move quickly into the 40s. When Mishra returned from the Pavilion end, Denly cut him for another easy four.Only R Ashwin managed to keep Denly quiet, with the batsman smartly respecting him once he realised he could take easy runs off the other bowlers. No other Kent batsman managed to cross 17 but that was also because Denly took most of the strike during the two major partnerships in the innings. A 60-run stand for the second wicket with Martin van Jaarsveld helped Kent stay in the race. Denly then combined well with allrounder Darren Stevens in a 73-run stand.Forty-nine runs were needed from the last six overs. That became 37 from the last four. Denly pulled RP Singh for a four and then cleared cow corner with a powerful six. Eighteen were need from 12 deliveries. Denly got to his hundred with a hard-run two off a free hit. But the very next ball, he was caught in two minds as his body was positioned to play the pull but the arc of his bat suggested he wanted to cut it, and he ended up being bowled.Joe Denly’s century was nearly enough to take Kent home•Bipin Patel

Kent needed a further eight runs from the final six deliveries. Munaf, who had been off colour during the Indians’ tour game in Hove, bowled off a slightly shorter run-up but put in more effort. He gave away two singles off the first two balls and then kept Sam Northeast guessing with his lengths off the next two deliveries. Stevens and the Kent fans were growing anxious. Off the fifth ball Stevens charged for a single when Northeast failed to connect. Northeast failed to reach the non-striker’s end, meaning the hosts still needed six off the last ball. Munaf clean bowled Stevens with a yorker and let out a shriek.India had recovered well in their innings after Parthiv Patel was dismissed off the third ball of the match. Rahul Dravid, a former overseas player for Kent, failed to make an impact, falling for 15 when he pulled straight to short midwicket where James Tredwell dived forward brilliantly to complete the catch.Over the last year Kohli has proved that he can bat comfortably in his own space and not let anything distract him. In Hove he had led India towards their target without breaking a sweat in the company of Rohit Sharma. The only difference in Canterbury was Rohit remained largely a bystander throughout their 69-run stand for the third wicket as Kohli doused the Kent bowling with a straight blade, a sharp eye, powerful wrists and good footwork. India had scored just one boundary by the end of the third over when Kohli came in. Immediately he flicked Matt Coles past the fine-leg boundary, then hit over mid-off for two, and improvised the very next ball by hitting over the bowler’s head for another boundary.It was at the same venue that Kohli had made 123 in a Youth Test against the likes of Steven Finn and Adil Rashid back in 2006. Kohli was in a dominant mood today as he clobbered a full toss from Stevens high over deep midwicket. He then pulled offspinner Adam Riley over deep square leg for his second six and, in his next over, cleared his back foot and swatted Riley high over long-off for another six.Sadly Kohli’s innings ended abruptly as he slog-swept Tredwell towards deep midwicket where Denly fumbled, prompting Suresh Raina to call for a second run. Kohli seemed happy with the single but Raina’s desperate calls forced him to respond and even a full-stretched dive could not save him from being run out. A disappointed Kohli let Raina know that there was no need for a rushed extra run. He needn’t have worried. He had helped India to a winning target.

India’s one-day series against England, Nasser Hussain believes, is less about a result and more finding out where their team is headed. “The ODI series is going to be close,” Hussain said in an exclusive interview to ESPNcricinfo. “More than the result India should be interested in what they find out from the series. They are world champions, no one can take that away from them. If they lose 5-0 to England, they will still be world champions. What they need to do is to start to look to the future.”In the Test series earlier in the summer, Hussain said India, “had been sinking in the present … World Cup, World No. 1, IPL, celebration and ah, if we lose in England … You’ve almost got to be ahead of the curve, all the time you’ve got to be ahead of the curve and it takes a very clever man to do that.”India could use the ODI series to find out who the replacements for their best players in the short form are. “I don’t care how good a side are, if you lose the likes of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and the rest, it is going to be a massive blow … they need eventually to have replacements for some of these guys.”They need someone to come through with the ball to replace Zaheer, they need R Ashwin to bowl well and see if he is a replacement for Harbhajan. I think much more than the result, it’s about which of these young lads will put their hands up.”In English conditions, it will move around in day-night games in September, Fletcher will be watching closely and the selectors will be watching closely. Now is the great time for the young lads to show what you can do … it’s very important for the future of India.”He said that while the IPL had helped India’s one-day cricket, the length of the tournament would have an adverse impact on their longer form. “I think they wouldn’t have been world champions if it wasn’t for IPL. I think it has massively helped. Pressure situations, playing in your home country, players whacking the ball out of the ground, the handling of pressure, soaking it up. They’ve had it all in the IPL, and they go out and do it in World Cup, it absolutely helped them. But it is now going to hinder them – as we have seen here – in Test match cricket.”India’s short stay at the No. 1 Test ranking had coincided with the World Cup victory at home, and Hussain said that prolonged periods of sustained multi-format domination will become more and more rare. “It will happen, but it won’t happen every time, every team … The West Indies side of the 1980s and the Australian side of the 1990s and the 2000s dominated both types of the game. It doesn’t mean – as India are finding out now – that just because you are a great side – as India have been – you can’t be a great side in all forms of the game unless they [the team/ players ] grow up together. It’s becoming a bit late now for India because, for example, soon it will be broken up, there are some tired bodies in there.”The Australian side’s success and aura in the 1990s and 2000s,” Hussain said, “took a long time to build … the side grew up together, the Waughs, Warne, Ponting. It took a long time to build. It might come again, there is potential in this England side, but they have won nothing yet in one-day cricket other than the world T20.”

Rahul Dravid has announced his retirement from international limited-overs cricket following the England series. In his announcement, which came hours after he was handed a shock recall to the one-day side for that tour, he said he wanted to retire from the shorter forms and concentrate on Test cricket.Dravid, 38, is the seventh highest run-getter in ODIs, with 10,765 runs in 339 matches, averaging just under 40. He hasn’t been a regular in the Indian one-day side since late 2007 – a couple of months after he reached his career-high ICC ranking of No. 5 – though he made a brief comeback during the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa. He admitted he hadn’t expected a recall for the upcoming England series.”Since I had not been picked for one-day cricket for the last two years, I was obviously a little surprised,” he said after India’s tour match against Northamptonshire. “To be honest, because I had not been picked, I had not informed the selectors or the board of my desire to solely focus on Test cricket.”At the end of this one-day series, I would like to announce my retirement from one-day and Twenty20 cricket and concentrate only on Test cricket. I am committed, as always to give my best to India in this one-day series and obviously the Test series that follows.”In the short term I am committed because now I have been picked for the series, but in the long term I think it is best for me and Indian cricket that I focus on Test cricket.”Dravid recently became the second highest run-getter in Tests, and has had a resurgence in form over the past couple of months, scoring three centuries in five Tests to end a relatively lean run in the last few years.When he started his international career in 1996, he was seen as a batsman more suited to the longer form but he soon adapted to the challenges of one-day cricket. Among the highlights of his ODI career was the 1999 World Cup, where he was the top scorer and put on the then largest partnership in a one-dayer, 318 with Sourav Ganguly. Six months later he bettered that with a 331-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar that is still the biggest in the format.As in his Test career, he routinely fitted into roles the team needed him to, notably in the 2003 World Cup, where in order to accommodate an extra batsman in the side, he took over the wicketkeeping duties. One of the lows of his career was the 2007 World Cup, when under his leadership, India crashed out in the first round.

Group AItaly’s Andy Northcote had an impressive day•ICC/Cricket Europe

Norway overcame Croatia in a tight chase in Port Soif. The Norway bowlers had done well to restrict Croatia to 105 for 4, opener Paul Vujnovich making 48. Norway were in trouble in their reply, struggling at 27 for 3 at one stage, but Shahbazz Butt’s patient 22 (off 45 balls) and Iftikhar Hussain’s aggressive, unbeaten 56, which included five fours and two sixes, took Norway to victory with five balls to spare.Italy cruised to an eight-wicket win over Gibraltar in St Peter Port. Andy Northcote starred in an all-round effort, taking 4 for 14, backed up by seamer Alauddin’s three-for, and making an unbeaten 37 in the chase. His bowling exploits restricted Gibraltar to 81, and his knock steered Italy to victory with more than 10 overs to spare.Austria sealed a tight eight-run win over Guernsey in Castel. Opener Aman Deep’s knock of 40 and Imran Asif’s unbeaten 20, despite a poor effort from the rest of the middle and lower orders, took Austria to a competitive 130. In their response, Guernsey appeared to be progressing smoothly, with Jeremy Frith (39) and GH Smit taking their team to 104 for 3. However, things went awry when they tried to step up the pace, and some quick wickets towards the end meant Guernsey could only manage 122. Lakmal Kasturiarachchige was impressive for Austria, making 25 and taking two wickets.Austria were no match for Norway in St Peter Port, however. The Norway bowling attack comprising Waheed Aamir, Waseem Gill, Shahbaz Butt, Shahid Ahmed and Babar Shahzad skittled out Austria for 64. Only two Austrian batsmen reached double-figures. In their response, nine overs were all it took Norway to complete the win.A combined batting effort helped Gibraltar beat Croatia by seven wickets in Castel. Seamer Ross Harkins bowled economically, conceding just 17 in his four overs and taking two wickets, to keep Croatia to 120. Opener Paul Vujnovich made 34, but his performance was bettered in the Gibraltar reply. Opener David Coram made a run-a-ball 36, adding 41 for the second wicket with Mark Bacarese. Those who followed chipped in with useful knocks to win with an over to spare.Guernsey thumped Italy by 38 runs in Port Soif to take the top spot in the Group A rankings. Opener Tim Ravenscroft smashed 70 in 37 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes, and was supported by captain Stuart Le Prevost in a quickfire 41-run stand. Le Provost made 45 and thanks to some attacking batting down the order, Guernsey were able to surge to 188. Italy opener Andy Northcote made 53 in the chase but amid lack of support from the rest, his team could only rack up 150. Ravenscroft starred with the ball as well, taking 3 for 22.Group BFrance were bowled out for 39 in their eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Denmark in Grainville. Legspinner Bobby Chawla grabbed 4 for 15 while Adnan Musharif top scored for France with 24. In their response, Denmark needed just 6.5 overs to complete the chase.Captain Asif Khan and Imran Chaudhry struck half-centuries to help Germany chase down a target of 139 set by Israel in St Clement. The pair came together at 31 for 3 when Israel, led by Eleizar Samson’s triple-strike, had the upper hand. Khan made an unbeaten 59, while Chaudhry was the more attacking of the two, striking two fours and three sixes in his 60 not out. The win was sealed with 3.1 overs to spare. For Israel, opener Daniel Hyman top-scored with 51 but the knock was in vain.Jersey comfortably upstaged Belgium in St. Martin, winning by eight wickets. Seamer Anthony Hawkins-Kay grabbed 3 for 19 in a collective bowling display to bowl out Belgium for 85. Opener Edward Farley led the way in the chase, making an unbeaten 36, as Jersey sealed the win in the 12th over.Belgium put up a better fight against Germany, but fell short by five runs in St Clement. Though some of their batsmen got starts – Jamie Farmiloe and Shaival Mehta made 31 – they were not able to push on. Syed Shah grabbed three wickets and despite a couple of cameos down the order, Belgium were bowled out in the final over. For Germany, opener Dilshan Rajudeen made 58 and there were useful contributions from the rest to set up a match-winning score.France prevailed in a low-scoring encounter against Israel in St. Saviour. Seamers David Massil and Samson had done well, taking three wickets to bowl out France for 112. Opener Abdul Rehman Quereshi top-scored with 35 and there was limited support from the rest. But the leg-spin of Zika Ali proved too much for Israel: he grabbed 4 for 18, while Quereshi conceded just 12 runs in his four overs and grabbed a wicket. The highest score in the Israel innings was 14, and they folded for 80.Denmark knocked down Jersey by 58 runs in St. Martin. Half-centuries from opener Freddie Klokker and captain Michael Pederson helped Denmark post an imposing 168. Chawla starred again with the ball, taking three wickets as Jersey were kept to 110 for 9 in the chase. Both teams find themselves at the top of the Group B rankings, though Denmark are ahead with a higher net run-rate.

Scorecard
Tim Murtagh and Azhar Mahmood led the way with six-wicket hauls as bowlers dominated a remarkable opening day of Middlesex’s Second Division clash with Kent at Lord’s. Twenty three wickets fell in all as Middlesex replied with 153 after initially putting Kent in to bat on a green pitch and skittling them out for just 87.Then, in a final hour which ended at 8.09pm, Kent slid to an unhappy 46 for 3 in their second innings, and still trail by 20 runs. Umpires Nigel Llong and Steve Garratt will have to give an account of the day’s dramatic events to the England and Wales Cricket Board, as more than 15 wickets fell on the first day, and an ECB pitch officer will also attend on the second day to investigate the surface.Garratt, however, said that overcast conditions in the opening session, in which Kent were reduced to 48 for 7, were as helpful to the Middlesex seamers as the well-grassed surface.The umpires still indicated their concern, though, as Azhar in particular exploited the still seaming conditions throughout a sunny late afternoon.Play began at noon, following the Friends Life t20 match played between the two sides under the new Canterbury floodlights on Saturday evening. Kent narrowly won that game, despite being 21 for 6 after being put in to bat, and after an hour’s play of this Championship match there was grim amusement in the visiting dressing room that they were 22 for 6.Azhar, coming in at No. 8 when James Goodman became the second of three Kent first ball ducks, hit out defiantly with five fours in a 41-ball 32, and the 25 he added with Geraint Jones and the 24 put on with last man Ashley Shaw were precious runs indeed for his side.Kent captain Rob Key was the first to fall to Middlesex’s impressive three-pronged seam attack, bowled by Corey Collymore after half an hour of grim defence. Sam Northeast then went first ball, edging to third slip.Martin van Jaarsveld, fit again after a broken finger, popped up a catch to short leg off Steven Finn, who then had Darren Stevens gloving a lifter down the legside from his first ball to leave Kent 20 for 4. Murtagh, brought on for the 15th over, struck with his second and sixth balls as Joe Denly played on driving and Goodman was leg-before pushing half forward.That was 22 for 6 and, at the same score, Jones was dropped by Neil Dexter at second slip on nought before pulling Finn for six to begin a mini-revival.Jones, Wahab Riaz and Simon Cook all fell victim to Murtagh’s accurate seam and swing. Jones flashed a catch to first slip, Wahab was brilliantly caught by diving wicketkeeper John Simpson and Cook was lbw caught on the crease.Azhar’s late hitting was ended by a scythed catch to third man, and despite the loss of Scott Newman, bowled off a thin inside edge by Shaw for 22, it seemed as if Middlesex were moving into complete control at 76 for 1. But Azhar, in a long spell from the Pavilion End either side of tea, bowled Kent back into the game.He had Dan Housego caught at first slip, Robson taken at the wicket after a composed 40, Dawid Malan caught mis-pulling to mid on and Dexter bowled by one that seemed to keep a little low. Simpson also mishit a pull to mid-wicket and left-arm fast bowler Riaz, his fellow Pakistani, joined in the rout of Middlesex’s lower order by firing a yorker into Jamie Dalrymple’s stumps and having Steven Crook caught by keeper Jones.Murtagh was well held by Van Jaarsveld at second slip, off Shaw, and Azhar then returned to end a bright last wicket stand of 29 between Finn and Collymore by having the West Indian caught at third slip, fending off a short one. When Kent batted again, Key became his side’s fourth first ball duck victim of the day, thin-edging a defensive prod against Finn to the keeper.Northeast top-edged a hook at the England fast bowler to long leg. Van Jaarsveld became the 23rd and final dismissal of a bizarre day when he edged a legcutter from Murtagh to first slip.

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, hailed the team spirit and character his side showed in winning the opening Test against Pakistan by 40 runs to secure their first success in more than two years.It ended a 17-match wait for a Test victory having last won when they overcame England at Sabina Park in 2009, a side who Gibson was bowling coach of at the time, and gave some much-needed respite to the West Indies management after being roundly criticised in the lead-up to match.In a low-scoring encounter at Providence, Gibson felt it was the fight shown by the batsmen that helped them over the line. “The way we batted out the first day and the way we understood how difficult it was going to be showed me that everyone understood what was happening,” he said.”In the past, given the nature of the pitch we would probably have capitulated, but to hang in there and battle all day on the first day was what probably set us up for the fight we showed in the next three days.”A key period in the match was the 48-run stand for the final wicket in West Indies’ second innings where debutant legspinner Devendra Bishoo hung on with Shivnarine Chanderpaul to set Pakistan a target beyond 200.”The contribution from the lower order was exceptional,” Gibson said. “One of the things we have changed in our nets is that ‘everybody is a batsman’. Everyone must be seen to be trying to improve in the batting department. That was a huge difference in the match.”The performance of captain Darren Sammy, who was named Man of the Match after finishing with seven wickets in the game, was another huge positive for Gibson. Sammy’s position at the helm had been questioned by those who doubted he was good enough to hold his place in the side but he answered his critics emphatically.”For Sammy, who was under so much pressure, to perform the way he did was a credit to himself and the way he goes about his work. He’s an honest worker and a hard trier,” Gibson said. “You could not ask for more. Also for Ravi [Rampaul], who has been in and out, to come back into the team was great to see. He is a pleasure to work with and has a thirst for knowledge.”Bishoo came in and did a great job with the ball. He’s a keen, hungry, young cricketer who just wants to get better and do great things for the West Indies,” he added. “He’s an asset to have around. When he didn’t get any wickets for us in the second innings others stepped up and delivered. That is what team is all about.”The contribution of the whole team, was great. Everybody worked hard and we all stuck together. We won the first match so that means we can’t lose the series, but we don’t want to stop there. Winning the series is the goal. It has always been the goal.”Gibson’s next target is to try and back up the victory with another strong performance in the second Test in St Kitts which starts on Friday. He admitted that will be difficult, especially for a side that has struggled desperately for consistency, but hopes they can take confidence from the showing in Guyana.”Long before the Pakistanis arrived we spoke about the belief in the team that we could win the series. We want to win in St Kitts and take the series. Before Sunday’s result it was more than two years since we won a Test match and a series. You will have to go back a long time since the West Indies last won back-to-back Test matches.”The team will feed off this win and we will enjoy it. In international sport you have to enjoy your success, especially in our case where our last victory was more than two years ago.”

ScorecardLancashire revived their hopes of qualifying for the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a dramatic last-over win against Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford.Chasing a revised target of 147 from 27 overs, Chris Read looked to be guiding the visitors to victory with a half-century as his side needed just 20 from the final four overs.But England bowler Sajid Mahmood returned with a stunning spell to claim two crucial wickets. Spinner Stephen Parry then took two more in the final over as the Lightning won by four runs on Duckworth/Lewis after bowling Nottinghamshire out for 142.After Lancashire made 145 for 8 from their 27 overs, Nottinghamshire started their reply badly.Mahmood struck with his third ball as he bowled Rikki Wessels for a duck. Hogg claimed the wicket of Akhil Patel, who was caught at point by Steven Croft without scoring.And Adam Voges became the third Outlaw to go for a duck when he edged Mahmood to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross. Hogg then bowled Ben Phillips, leaving Nottinghamshire 24 for four.Alistair Brown kept them in the game with 22 off 23 balls before he was bowled by Simon Kerrigan. Read and former Lancashire player Steven Mullaney looked to have put their side in control, putting on 48 for the sixth wicket.And even when Mullaney was caught by Luke Procter off Farveez Maharoof’s bowling for 22, the Outlaws needed just 46 to win from eight overs.But Mahmood changed the game. He returned to bowl a wicket maiden, with Sam Wood lofting him to Croft for eight. And in his next over he bowled Read for 59 to leave Nottinghamshire needing eight off the final over. Parry then had Paul Franks caught by Paul Horton and wrapped up the Lightning’s second win in five games by bowling Andre Adams off the penultimate ball.Earlier Croft’s 41 from 40 balls was the backbone of the Lightning innings. After rain reduced the game to 30 overs, Stephen Moore was first to go, caught by Wessels off Darren Pattinson for four.Franks then bowled Karl Brown for six before a heavy downpour reduced the game to 27 overs.Croft and Horton upped the rate after the break, putting on 50 in 52 balls. Wood, however, bowled Horton for 37 then trapped Maharoof lbw next ball.Adams returned to the attack to trap Croft lbw in the 20th over and two more wickets in successive balls saw Lancashire reduced to 125 for seven as first Mahmood was run out after a direct hit from Mullaney and then Cross was caught at backward point by Pattinson off Adams for 21. Procter was run out in the penultimate over for 5.

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict on a petition challenging BCCI secretary N Srinivasan’s right to hold a position in the board while also holding a stake in an IPL franchise. The petition, filed by former board president AC Muthiah, questioned the motives behind the board amending their regulations in order to allow Srinivasan to have a dual role of board member and part-owner of Chennai Super Kings.Justice JM Panchal dismissed the petition, while Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra allowed it, holding that a BCCI officer bearer cannot have a stake in an IPL franchise. The split verdict means the petition has been referred to the chief justice for allocating it to a larger bench.The BCCI had amended clause 6.2.4 of the regulations for players, team officials, umpires and administrators in September 2008, shortly after the first season of the IPL. Before the amendment the clause read: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the board.” After the change, it read: “No administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI, excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”Muthiah’s argument was that the exclusion of IPL and Twenty20 events was made specifically to benefit Srinivasan. In September 2010, Mishra had suggested Srinivasan resign from his position in the board .”You introduce an amendment where the IPL will be an exception. You are a prominent industrialist holding a key position in the board and have a stake in the bidding,” Mishra had told Srinivasan. “In order to avoid suspicion and be above board, you should have got your membership suspended.”Our nagging question is: can you continue in a dual capacity? That is the core issue.”Following those statements, Mishra allowed Muthiah’s petition on April 28, 2011, but Panchal’s decision to dismiss it means the amendment to the BCCI regulations will stand for the time being.

Asoka de Silva’s future on the elite panel of umpires is in serious doubt after he was overlooked for the World Cup quarter-finals. de Silva was not even given a role as fourth official in any of the four games, and was the only one of the 12 members of the ICC’s elite panel who has been excluded.Five men from the back-up group, the ICC’s international panel, have been rewarded with quarter-final positions, including third-umpire roles for Richard Kettleborough and Kumar Dharmasena. Asad Rauf, the Pakistani official, was the only elite-panel umpire besides de Silva who won’t have an on-field or TV role, and he will be the reserve umpire for the Australia-India game.The move is a major blow for de Silva, who has had a poor tournament and captured headlines for the wrong reasons when he gave Ireland’s Gary Wilson lbw against West Indies. The decision was challenged by Wilson and replays showed the ball struck his pad outside off stump while he was playing a shot, but de Silva did not overturn his decision.de Silva was subsequently removed from duties in the important matches between England-West Indies and India-West Indies games, and instead was given roles in matches involving the Associates. The only other umpire used during the group stages who has not been given a job in the quarter-finals was the Indian Amiesh Saheba, who is on the international panel.Pakistan v West Indies, Mirpur, March 23
On field umpires: Billy Bowden and Steve Davis
Third umpire: Daryl Harper
Fourth umpire: Bruce Oxenford
Match referee: Chris Broad
India v Australia, Ahmedabad, March 24
On field umpires: Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould
Third umpire: Richard Kettleborough
Fourth umpire: Asad Rauf
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle
South Africa v New Zealand, Mirpur, March 25
On field umpires: Aleem Dar and Rod Tucker
Third umpire: Kumar Dharmasena
Fourth umpire: Nigel Llong
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama
Sri Lanka v England, Colombo, March 26
On field umpires: Billy Doctrove and Simon Taufel
Third umpire: Tony Hill
Fourth umpire: Shavir Tarapore
Match referee: Jeff Crowe

Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh vice-captain, has said that his side was satisfied with their nine-wicket win against Canada in their first World Cup warm-up game. “Winning is a habit and our main target was to win the game first,” Tamim told the . “We did well in the 2007 World Cup because we went into the tournament after winning some games. So, it’s nice that we began with a win.”Bangladesh inserted Canada and skittled them out for 112, with five of the seven bowlers used, getting among the wickets. While Bangladesh’s strongest suit – their spinners – turned in a strong show, their seamers also impressed, with Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain sharing four wickets. “Our planning was to give everybody a chance in the practice match. It was nice to see that the pacers executed the plans, especially Shafiul impressed everybody. The way he dismissed John Davison [with a slower delivery] was really fantastic. But still it can be much better.”Ashish Bagai, the Canada captain, rued his side’s poor batting. “I think it was not the good bowling by the Bangladesh pace bowlers, but our poor shot selection that caused the early damage,” he said. “And definitely Bangladesh’s main strength is their spin bowlers. The score was not good enough. The wicket was little bit low, but still we could have managed 220-225 runs.”Tamim led the small chase in style, smashing ten boundaries in his 69 from 50 deliveries before falling seven runs away from victory. He is crucial at the top of the order for Bangladesh, so crucial that he said they plan to take the batting Powerplay early if he gets going. But he was disappointed by his dismissal. “I always go for big shots which was not good,” he said. “It was rubbish, the way I was dismissed. Actually there was some pain in my hips.”The decision to bowl did not give Bangladesh a chance to try out their bowlers under lights, and Tamim’s charge ensured the other batsmen missed out on some practice, but he maintained that the main focus was on winning. “Spin bowling is our main strength, and the dew factor could be an issue if we bowl in the second session. We are happy that everything has happened according to our plan, but still we can improve a lot of things before the big challenge on February 19 [the tournament’s opening game, against India].”