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After being “thrashed” and “embarrassed” in Ahmedabad according to Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka are now in a must-win situation going into the third ODI to keep the series alive

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Nov-2014Match factsSunday, November 9, 2014
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)Big PictureAkshar Patel’s left-arm spin during the middle overs has been key to India’s success•BCCI”Thrashed” and “embarrassed” were the words Angelo Mathews used to describe Sri Lanka’s abject outing in Motera. He is not a captain who is accustomed to losing this year. Before this tour, Sri Lanka had won 15 of their 20 matches in 2014. Of those, 12 (out of 14) had been away victories. Sri Lanka had hoped to earn small victories on this tour, even if an outright series win seemed far from reach, but so far, they have gleaned only broken spirits and bruised egos.Where to start with the visitors’ problems? The bowling has seemed almost entirely devoid of menace past the first 10 overs. The fielding has been flatter than the pitches they have played on. The batting has sometimes seemed panicked and been lethargic. A little rust was expected before the series, but it’s almost as if Sri Lanka put their best cricket in cryogenic freeze when they visit India. They have never won an ODI bilateral series in the country, nor a Test.Even with several second-string players, India have hardly broken a sweat. Three batsmen have collected hundreds, while bowlers like Ishant Sharma and Akshar Patel have begun making a case for World Cup inclusion. The batting, as usual, is rock-solid in India, but the bowlers have remained admirably effective as well.Beyond the World Cup plans, Virat Kohli has also given a glimpse of the kind of captain he might become. Proactive and instinctive, Kohli’s gambles have paid off so far, with the batting-order reshuffles yielding good dividends and bowling changes regularly bringing wickets. Sri Lanka will have to raise their game substantially to test Kohli and his team.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

India:WWWWL
Sri Lanka:LLWWL
In the spotlightHe may not be a big turner of the ball, but Akshar Patel has not allowed the pressure of international cricket affect his accuracy yet, as he regularly delivers guileful left-arm spin through the middle of the innings. He has taken two wickets in each of the last three matches, and traveled at no more than four an over in them. In this series, the scalps have also been significant ones. He removed Mahela Jayawardene in the first ODI and Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second, just as those batsmen seemed set to play long and important innings.Thisara Perera has had a strange year. In January, the selectors denied him permission to play in the Big Bash League, and questioned his work ethic. In April, he struck the winning runs in Sri Lanka’s World T20 triumph. In May, he was dropped from the ODI team, during the England series. And having left the squad during the South Africa tour, citing mental stress, he became player of the series in the ODI win against Pakistan. A fit and firing Thisara shapes as a major asset for Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign, but now, after two mediocre outings with the ball, pressure has begun building on him again.Teams newsIndia played three spinners in Motera, but may not opt for the same combination again if the track looks unlikely to take less turn. Dhawal Kulkarni is a chance to play, but legspinner Amit Mishra sits in the dressing room awaiting a game as well.India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7Ravindra Jadeja/Dhawal Kulkarni, 8 Akshar Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh YadavSri Lanka may think seriously about playing Nuwan Kulasekara in the XI, though it is not immediately clear at whose expense he might arrive. If the Hyderabad track seems like it will offer less to the spinners, Suraj Randiv may sit out.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Ashan Priyanjan, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Suraj Randiv/ Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Lahiru GamagePitch and conditionsDew is expected to play a role as usual, but otherwise forecasts suggest the weather should not interfere. Another flat deck is expected in Hyderabad.
Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have lost 31 of the 45 ODIs they have played against India, in india Angelo Mathews’ 92 not out took him to the top of the 2014 ODI run-scorers’ list. He has hit 838 runs at 64.46 this year. Shikhar Dhawan needs 45 runs to reach a career tally of 2000Quotes”Rayudu is one of those batsmen who has a different set of skills – to bat the full 50 overs. He can come in the middle order and rotate. It was a great show of temperament, and the character and the class that we know he possesses.””Before this tour we thought we had a lot of time before the English tour, but at this level of cricket you have to face it and be ready at any given time to start playing.”

James Taylor’s century put Nottinghamshire in a position of strength, with the potential to complete a victory despite the threat of showers on the final day

Jon Culley at Derby26-Apr-2013
ScorecardJames Taylor’s 14th first-class century provided the platform for Notts to push for victory•Getty ImagesIf Derbyshire do turn out to be the whipping boys of Division One – not that anyone should wish that upon such well-managed and progressive newcomers – then James Taylor’s century in this match may not be held to be of particular value. On the other hand, if Taylor’s Test career is rebooted sooner rather than later, it could be seen as an important moment.Either way, it has put Nottinghamshire in a position of strength, with the potential to complete a victory here despite the threat of showers on the final day, especially after the fillip of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s wicket late in the afternoon, soon after he had completed his second half-century of the game and when looking absolutely set. With Wayne Madsen gone too, not much batting remains for Derbyshire to clear their arrears, let alone give themselves anything to work with.If there is a batsman with something to prove in the early part of this summer, then it is Taylor, whose rise from pint-sized wreaker of terror among Division Two bowling attacks to Test-class middle-order batsman might have seemed inevitable to some of his admirers but when it came last August suffered a false start.Taylor, who moved to Nottinghamshire the winter before last after scoring freely for Leicestershire, was picked when Ravi Bopara withdrew from the second Test against South Africa. It did not help his cause to find himself unwittingly caught up in the Kevin Pietersen storm, although he will not fall on that or any other excuse to explain his modest performance. It was not seen as good enough to be retained for the winter tours and his absence from the list of names in the England Performance Squad indicated all too clearly that the selectors want to see more.Taylor, for his part, has no quarrel with that assessment. “It was a disappointment,” he said. “I had a taste of Test cricket and it was amazing to get in that England side in the first place but I didn’t deliver the way I wanted to.”But I learned a lot from last season and in some ways it is good to have a setback to kick you up the backside. There is a difference in quality between second and first division. It is definitely a step up, although I don’t think my own performances were a reflection of that.”Sometimes though you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. I know where I stand with England and it is just down to me to score as many runs as I can.”In the event, it was just the mindset that was needed here, on a slow pitch that has rewarded graft. Taylor’s approach was first not to get out, taking his cue from Chanderpaul. From 67 overnight, he scored only 26 more before lunch, without one boundary, negotiating 77 balls against a Derbyshire attack who maintained their discipline and again offered few easy pickings.When his century came – incongruously from a false shot, an edge between first and second slips that brought only his fifth four – it was the slowest of his 14 so far in first-class matches, from 265 balls and 14 minutes short of six hours. He shared a stand of 52 with Stuart Broad but the support he had from Luke Fletcher was equally important in getting him over the line, the bowler sticking by Taylor more than an hour.Broad’s knock was eventful, to say the least. He can bat when he is of a mind but he rode his luck spectacularly as Derbyshire’s fielders somehow managed to drop him three times in the space of five balls before Tim Groenewald at last clung on to a top-edged hook.The stricken Andre Adams batted with a runner in his last appearance before an anticipated five-week lay-off with a torn calf muscle and though he could contribute no more than a swing and a nick Nottinghamshire did finish with a lead of 187. Taylor fell for 112 when, finally taking a risk or two, he skied David Wainwright to mid-off.Derbyshire were soon up against it, losing two wickets for 24 and though Chanderpaul gave them hope in a partnership of 83 with Madsen the departure of both in the space of five overs put Nottinghamshire back on top. Chanderpaul felt he was unlucky to be given out caught behind, claiming the ball brushed his thigh rather than the bat, but the wicket was one that Fletcher deserved. Broad went wicketless and it was Harry Gurney, an improving left-armer, who struck the second decisive blow when Madsen was leg-before. Then Patel had Ross Whiteley taken at slip to leave Derbyshire hoping for a good last morning and a wet afternoon.

This was the second time in a week that Sussex have batted out the final day for a draw in a position of weakness

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's08-Jun-2013
ScorecardLuke Wright’s career-best 187 saved Sussex’s day•Getty ImagesThis was the second time in a week that Sussex have batted out the final day for a draw in a position of weakness. But their effort at Lord’s outdoes their resistance at home against Nottinghamshire for sheer audacity. At no point in this match were Sussex in control until the final evening when, with a lead of 177, they covered the boundary with fielders and dared Middlesex to dream with 20 overs to go.That luxury was afforded to them by some late lusty hitting from Luke Wright, who finished with his first class best of 187. Middlesex had a go – shuffling their pack to give Joe Denly, Neil Dexter and Gareth Berg the 178 chase a good go – but at 50 for 3, they gave called it off, with a deep sense of regret.Wright’s show reel may consist exclusively of limited-overs bashing but when his team needed him most, he has played a patient role with great conviction. Whenever the seamers were too full or Ollie Rayner was too short, we were treated to glimpses of his hitting – each blow increasing Sussex’s lead and adding to Middlesex’s frustration.The armchair view of Wright is that he’s afflicted with a sort of batting Tourette’s syndrome but it’s simply not the case: “It’s not like I’m out there I want to come down and slog it for six,” he says. Since returning from the IPL, where “you’re going in for 15 or 20 balls”, he has been on a training diet of red balls, even when going into one-day matches, and he exploited the elongated conditions to bat for just over nine and a half hours in the match.His first port of call with Ed Joyce was to see off the new ball – taken immediately – and then making parity, which they achieved that when their partnership reached 154. Joyce in particular looked determined; wearing a short ball from James Harris early on, but on 82 he benefited from another drop from Dexter at first slip after he chased a wide ball from Rayner.However, on 98, the edge of his bat was found again – this time Rayner taking a smart catch down to his left at second slip, off the bowling of Harris. It was the second time Joyce had fallen two short of a hundred this season – his previous effort being south of the river against Surrey. Wright made no such mistake.’Most people had written us off’- Wright

A draw from the jaws of defeat
“It feels a bit like a win. Going into the last two days most people would have written us off, and rightly so. But to stop Middlesex getting the win and going above us was big, along with another game we’ve gone unbeaten. They would have thought they were pretty close and I feel for them because they’ve played the better cricket in this game.”

On Test ambitions
“I don’t think you ever completely give up on it but you have to be realistic. There are a lot of young batters who are ahead of me and my game has naturally gone towards one day and Twenty20 cricket. In terms of the ODI side, I’m desperate to get back in and if I keep getting 180s this season then I wouldn’t give up on it. But I have to be realistic about it.”

Fancy a go at 178 from 20 overs?
“Not with that field out! I need a few more people up if I’m honest.”

When Ben Brown played a horrible cut to Adam London at point and Chris Jordan got an inside edge on a ball through to the John Simpson, Wright was joined by Will Beer, with whom he batted for 40 overs in Sussex’s first innings as they stared an innings defeat in the face.Today they seemed much more at ease, despite a Middlesex win still the strong favourite. Beer, who has centuries in club cricket to his name, showed good judgment and footwork as he stuck with Wright, who brought up his first Championship century since July 2011.Curtailing his attacking instincts in both innings, Wright’s 77 in the first stands out like a sore thumb on a card where no other Sussex player passed 25. His effort in the second also came in the aftermath of some poor shots from the top order and goes down as one his best ever as he showed just how “proper” a batsman he can be.That being said, a close lbw shout when he first came to the crease was voided by a no-ball and he was also dropped by Tim Murtagh on 40 – a fairly routine chance at deep square-leg. That was one of five catches that Middlesex put down; Chris Rogers also failed to hold on when he ran back from mid-off to catch a lofted drive that Wright, on 153, didn’t get to the pitch of.He punished them playing a few more shots – including an 11-ball burst in which he scored 24 – which proved to be the difference. Middlesex might have won on points, but it was the Sussex dressing room that harboured the most satisfaction as they remain unbeaten and, more importantly, in pole position.

After his frighteningly fast and swerving 5 for 20 to rout West Indies for 70, Mitchell Starc conveyed his desire to put off surgery on his ankle for as long as possible

Daniel Brettig01-Feb-2013Having bowled as irresistibly as he did against West Indies at the WACA, it’s little wonder that Mitchell Starc is earnestly hoping a bone spur in his ankle will not worsen to the point of requiring surgery during Australia’s manic 2013 schedule.Starc has already chosen to forego this year’s IPL in order to rest after the forthcoming tour of India ahead of the Ashes. Now, after his frighteningly fast and swerving 5 for 20 to rout West Indies for 70, he conveyed his desire to put off surgery for as long as possible. A procedure to clean out the problem would require about three months in recovery – time Starc and Australia simply do not have this year.”It’s a calcification to protect the bone through the force the ankle cops when bowling, but obviously causes a bit of pain,” Starc said in Perth. “You can feel it when you push on it, but it’s not affecting my bowling at the moment. It’s not something I want to go under the knife for and miss up to three months to clean it up, missing the time bowling and having to build yourself up.”Three seasons ago I had two spurs in the same ankle and played two thirds of the season with it, so it’s not an issue we’re all worried about at the moment and I’m happy to play with it.”There have been a few times so far in his young career when Starc has looked unplayable, and this was one such day. Moving the ball at high pace and landing the ball repeatedly on a line and length to discomfort the best batsmen, much of Starc’s bowling seemed wasted on a West Indies batting line-up that has been in Australia little more than a week and warmed up with a festival match on the Manuka Oval featherbed.”There have been days when I’ve bowled a lot worse and taken more wickets,” Starc said. “It all came together today, I felt very smooth and had enough pace but there was enough in the wicket also.”You get that extra bounce and carry in Perth, we wanted to hit the stumps as often as we could and needed to get that fuller length. Sometimes the execution isn’t quite there, but today all the bowlers executed very well.”What we’ve spoken about is shortening the gap between our very good, like today, and our not so good, a bit of which you saw against Sri Lanka. If we can keep winning and closing that gap, we’ll go a long way towards achieving our goals.”West Indies captain Darren Sammy did not concede he had erred by choosing to bat first, instead suggesting his batsmen should have re-adjusted their goals for a decent score once they had witnessed a few overs of the ball zipping around.”It’s disappointing, we know the plans and the goals we had for this tour, obviously it didn’t start the way we wanted, but it’s just the first game of a five-match series,” Sammy said. “We’ve got to come back stronger on Sunday, dust ourselves off and believe we can be successful against them.”We’ve had battles against Australia in the past, the last series at home they similarly won the first game very easily and we came back strongly for the rest of the series. We know we have the ability to bounce back, and that’s what I’m going to tell the boys. Yes it’s going to be hard to wipe what happened from the memory, but we’ve had good games against them and we’ll think about the positive things.”Sammy took one point of solace from the debut of the tall young fast bowler Jason Holder, who extracted steep bounce and some movement though defending a pitiful total.”In spite of what [Glenn] Maxwell was doing, coming hard at him, he kept his cool and bowled in some very good areas,” Sammy said. “That’s a plus for us and hopefully we can have much more runs to defend in the next game.”

Former Australian captain Greg Chappell has rated MS Dhoni’s double-century in Chennai as the best he had seen him bat in Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2013Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has rated MS Dhoni’s double-century in Chennai as his best in Tests. Dhoni’s knock of 224 tilted the scales in India’s favour, according to Chappell, and helped them to a 1-0 lead in the four-match series against Australia.”He has played several memorable knocks in one-day cricket, but this was the best I have seen him play in Test matches,” Chappell told .”I have seen him smack a yorker-length delivery from James Anderson for a six. It requires special talent. His success on a crumbling Chennai track stems from his ability to strike the ball hard on pitches where the ball tends to keep low. Had he scored just 124, the match would still have been in the balance. The manner in which he attacked a tiring Australian attack, shielding the tailenders, truly makes him a match-winner.”This was India’s seventh win in the last 21 Tests, five of which have come against West Indies and New Zealand. India lost eight consecutive overseas Tests, and conceded a series at home to England for the first time in 28 years. Chappell accepted that the Indian team looked average on their tour of Australia last summer but maintained that Dhoni’s captaincy shouldn’t be under doubt.”It is true that the Indian team under Dhoni looked below par during their tour Down Under, but he has answered his critics in the best possible way. In my book he remains the best man to lead India in all forms of the game.”At a time when players all over the world are struggling to cope with their workload, it is amazing how Dhoni manages to play every game with the same intensity. That he has done it successfully now for five years speaks volumes about Dhoni’s fitness, mental strength as well as his commitment. India are lucky to have him.”Although Australia crumbled under Dhoni’s onslaught to eventually lose by eight wickets, a few of their players had impressed. One of them was the debutant Moises Henriques, who scored half-centuries in both innings, finishing with an unbeaten 81 in the second dig to help prevent an innings defeat. In Henriques, Chappell saw the makings of a long-term allrounder.”It was good to see Henriques coming good at last. He has been on the fringe for a while. I hope he can be the allrounder that Australia have been looking for, particularly after a question mark over Shane Watson’s ability to contribute with the ball.”Regardless of the result of the first Test, Chappell felt the series wouldn’t be one-sided.”It will be a close series, but thanks to Dhoni, India do have a significant advantage.”

N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman and sidelined BCCI president, is confident that the Mudgal report on the IPL 2013 spot-fixing saga has nothing incriminating against him

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2014N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman and sidelined BCCI president, is confident that the Mudgal report on the IPL 2013 spot-fixing saga has nothing incriminating against him. The Supreme Court of India had named Srinivasan and three others on Friday in connection with the report, which, the court observed, had suggested several “misdemeanours”.Srinivasan – along with IPL COO Sundar Raman, Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra – was given four days to raise objections with any of the findings of the report pertaining to him, as he thought necessary.”The honourable Supreme Court has not said anything against me. I also do not think there is any evidence against me. If there was anything against my report, the order would have been different,” Srinivasan told the . “You may see the report. Prima facie, there is not stricture or observation against me. I’ve nothing to worry.”When asked by the BCCI lawyer about whether Srinivasan could contest the BCCI election scheduled for November 20, one of the presiding judges, TS Thakur had said, “We cannot give clarity on whether you can contest or not until this matter is disposed of.”Srinivasan said if the Mudgal report had “found evidence” against him, the court would have reacted differently. “Even if there was 10% of evidence against me, the court would have pointed that out,” he said. “I am sure the investigators have not found anything against me.”He also reiterated that he cannot be blamed for what Gurunath – who is also his son-in-law – may or may not have done. “I am not responsible for anything that others do. If Gurunath has done something, you investigate and take action against him. I can’t be held responsible for others’ acts.”

Ian Blackwell took a career-best 7 for 52 with his left-arm spin as Durham secured a 19-run victory against Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2012
ScorecardIan Blackwell took a career-best 7 for 52 with his left-arm spin as Durham secured a 19-run victory against Australia A. The visitors were well placed on 99 without loss chasing 224 but after Ruel Braithwaite made the initial breakthroughs Blackwell, following his crucial innings on the second day, worked his way through the middle order.The openers, Ed Cowan and Liam Davis, resumed with a half-century stand already to their name and made good progress for nine overs until Cowan fell to Braithwaite who then quickly removed Michael Klinger for a duck.Blackwell, who played one Test for England in 2006, then started to make his impression by dislodging Peter Forrest but the key breakthrough came in his next over when Davis, who had made 62, was trapped lbw. Before this game Blackwell had only played second XI cricket since May, yet soon had three wickets to his name when Tom Cooper was caught behind for a duck.George Bailey and Tim Paine momentarily steadied the chase but Blackwell then jolted the innings again with two wickets in two balls. Firstly Bailey was caught by Ben Stokes at slip and Nathan Coulter-Nile was taken at short leg. Mitchell Starc hit the hat-trick ball for four but was bowled from the next delivery he faced against Blackwell, whose seventh wicket was that of Jon Holland.The last-wicket pair, Paine and Alister McDermott, edged Australia A towards their target but the last ball of Mitchell Claydon’s first over back in the attack ended the game when McDermott picked out deep cover.This was Australia A’s last warm-up match before their two-match series against England Lions which begins on August 7 at Old Trafford.

While the West Indian diaspora eagerly awaits this weekend’s T20 series in Lauderhill, Florida, cricket administrators hope that a good spectator turnout would boost cricket in America

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill29-Jun-2012Less than 48 hours before the first ball is bowled, the last available tickets are slowly disappearing as the West Indian diaspora eagerly awaits this weekend’s two-match T20 series against New Zealand at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.While West Indies trained in the middle, ground staff toiled in the background in 90 degree heat on Thursday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on the ground to get it ready for the first match on Saturday afternoon at which 15,000 fans are expected to turn out.The facility looks slightly different in appearance than during the series that took place two years ago between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Portable bleachers (stands) have been brought in and mounted on the grass embankment on the north side of the complex to accommodate the crowds which are expected to dwarf the paltry attendance figures from the pair of Twenty20 international matches at this venue two years ago.The increased interest is validation for people like former West Indies players Lawrence Rowe and Lance Gibbs who now live in the area and have advocated bringing big matches to Florida. On Thursday, Gibbs reminded people that it was against New Zealand that Rowe made a splash on his Test cricket debut in February of 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica. Rowe famously scored a double-century in the first innings and followed it up with 100 not out in the second. A little over 40 years later, the two men are hoping that fans will enjoy the spectacle on offer this weekend at a venue that hasn’t been used much since it was opened in 2007.”There are millions of people from cricketing nations that live in America and Florida has got the most unique type of weather that could accommodate cricket all year round,” Gibbs said Thursday afternoon after observing the West Indies training session at the stadium. “This is the reason why this beautiful place we have here was built.”The plan for the stadium first came about as part of a bid package to get World Cup warm-up fixtures assigned to Florida ahead of the 2007 main event in the Caribbean. The bid fell short and Rowe says that hindered potential exposure for the stadium. This is only the second series between two Full Members since the facility opened five years ago.”I think it’s a learning experience,” Rowe said. “They had missed out on the ’07 World Cup, which really was the main thing and that fell through. Then they had the New Zealanders here [in 2010] and now this. Although the period is long, it’s a giant step towards getting more now because if a good alliance can be built with the West Indies Cricket Board, we can almost be certain that when a series comes to the West Indies again, we could be getting a game or two every time a tour comes to the West Indies, which would really make it viable.”Another by-product of having a viable stadium would be the potential impact it would have on American players and fans. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) pushed for these games to be held in Florida and this weekend will be a litmus test to gauge the kind of interest there is in having a franchise placed in Lauderhill for the start of a domestic Twenty20 professional league they are trying to organise with the USA Cricket Association (USACA) to start next summer.Such a league would ideally give a boost to the bank balances of NZC and USACA, but could also provide development opportunities to local players like Steven Taylor, who was raised in nearby Miramar and is the son of a Jamaican immigrant. Taylor, 18, is one of the USA’s most promising talents and the lone-American born player currently in the USA senior team. This week, he has the opportunity to train with both the West Indies and New Zealand to get a sniff of the big time.”It’s fun to go against these guys because they’re really challenging you when you bowl,” Taylor said after working up a sweat bowling in the nets. The teenager has been trying to soak everything up and has been joined by a few other local players in the training sessions. They’ve been working hard but are doing what they can to keep things light and relaxed at the same time. They’re real fun guys. We had a little competition of who could get hit the farthest. Pollard gave me that one. He hit me on top of the building here.”While several balls crashed into the pavilion on the south end of the field during training, sixes were few and far between two years ago when Sri Lanka and New Zealand played here. To be exact, only four were hit over the course of the two T20 games that were played. The source of the problem was a low and slow pitch in which the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. However, Rowe is optimistic this weekend could be different.A new groundsman, Samuel Plummer, was hired shortly after the 2010 debacle. Plummer has 26 years of experience preparing first-class pitches at Chedwin Park and other venues in Jamaica prior to coming to Lauderhill. Rowe is a keen observer of local cricket and says he’s seen a difference in the standard of the pitch, especially during the last year.”It’s gonna play well,” Rowe said. “I have been closely involved with the groundsman here. He has done a marvellous job. I remember when the New Zealanders came here it got just a little bit above your knees. There was a lot of criticism about it, but this guy has taken it to another level. He’s worked really hard on it. It’s as good as you’ll see a pitch. I think it’s as good as quite a few of the pitches you’ll see in the Caribbean.”The local players who have been playing on the pitch since the ground opened say the pitch is still slow, but not nearly as slow as it was two years ago and they’ve been pleased to get some extra bounce out of it. While Plummer says he thinks teams can score around 170 on the pitch this weekend, somewhere in the 140-150 range is probably more realistic.As long as the fans get their money’s worth – some have plunked down as much as $125 to be in the party stand – that’s all that matters in the end. “I hope that everybody would come out and support it and it would be a big success,” Rowe said. “Hopefully some of the plans that we have for the future would come true.”

A round-up of all the games played in Group A of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers on November 18, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Gareth Berg’s 67 was in vain as Uganda squeaked through by one wicket•ICC/GettyUganda pulled off a surprise victory over Italy to register their first win of the qualifiers in Abu Dhabi. Italy batted first, with the openers putting on a decent stand of 35. Wicketkeeper Andy Northcote was the first to go in the fifth over when he was trapped in front by offspinner Frank Nsubuga. Peter Petricola joined opener Gareth Berg to put on a further 39 runs by the 11th over. A couple of more small partnerships later, Italy were able to reach 148 for 4, with Berg top-scoring with 62 off 34 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. This continued his good run of form, where he had scored 90 off 47 balls in the previous match against USA.In reply, Uganda started rather abjectly, with opener Roger Mukasa falling off just the second ball of the innings. Abram Mutyagaba and Hamza Saleh then put on 33, before Saleh was bowled by Vince Pennazza. Arthur Kyobe came in next and smashed a 15-ball 36, which comprised five sixes, to help Uganda stay on par with the required rate.But they also lost wickets at regular intervals. At 97 for 8 in the 14th over, there was still another 52 required for victory, with about six overs to go. Cameos from Richard Okia (33*) and Charles Waiswa (21) took them close, and Uganda were able to hold their nerve and score the winning runs with just one wicket in hand, and one ball to spare.
ScorecardAn Irfan Ahmed century, combined with Munir Dar’s 4 for 17, helped Hong Kong make it three out of three as they defeated Canada by 53 runs in Abu Dhabi. Canada won the toss and put Hong Kong in to bat, which proved a significant miscalculation as Ahmed and Waqas Barkat flayed Canada’s rather insipid bowling attack to the tune of 102 runs inside of 12 overs. After Barkat fell for 31, wickets began to fall more regularly, with Irfan plundering on to reach a maiden century in any format, finishing with 100 off 53 balls which included four fours and eight sixes. Hong King finished their quota of overs on 168 for 5.Canada’s innings did not start promisingly as their top three were gone with just 44 on the board in the 10th over. None of the batsmen were able to capitalise on their starts, with Jimmy Hansra (26) and Raza-ur-Rehman (23) being the only ones to cross into the twenties. Dar put on a splendid show with the ball, taking 4 for 17, as Canada stumbled to 115 for 8. This now means that Canada has lost both their opening matches, making qualification an uphill battle from here on.

Luke Butterworth’s four wickets rolled Western Australia for 176 before Tasmania battled to 5 for 142 at stumps on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011
Mitchell Johnson had to leave the field after he slipped in his delivery stride•Getty ImagesLuke Butterworth’s four wickets rolled Western Australia for 176 before Tasmania battled to 5 for 142 at stumps on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground.Mitchell Johnson was forced to leave the field with a rolled ankle while Ricky Ponting could make only 33 on an eventful day in the west. The Tigers captain, George Bailey, was dropped twice on his way to compiling an unbeaten 49.The Warriors never quite recovered from being reduced to 3 for 41 as Butterworth cut through the top order in a manner reminiscent of his success in Tasmania’s Shield-winning 2010-11 season. He pinned Liam Davis lbw before Marcus Harris and Marcus North edged deliveries angled across them.Butterworth later accounted for Adam Voges, the only WA batsman to make a score of any great substance, before the innings petered out.Tasmania’s reply was kept in check by the WA seam bowler Michael Hogan, who started off by having Ed Cowan caught in the slips then adding the wickets of Nick Kruger and James Faulkner.Johnson, who tipped the young paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile out of the WA XI for reasons of team balance, was dismissed cheaply and then bowled indifferently before he slipped in his delivery stride and walked gingerly from the field without finishing his seventh over.Ponting looked in good touch, but failed to go on from his start, squeezing a catch off bat and pad to short leg from the bowling of the left-arm spinner Michael Beer.