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Mohammad Hafeez’s economical and incisive spell bowled Lahore Lions to a comprehensive victory against Faisalabad Wolves in the final of the Faysal Bank T-20

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez’s economical and incisive spell bowled Lahore Lions to a comprehensive victory against Faisalabad Wolves in the final of the Faysal Bank T-20, and potentially secured them a place in the Champions League T20 next year.Chasing a target of 155, Faisalabad had reached 30 for 1 in the fourth over when the slide began. Asif Ali was first run out, and then Hafeez nipped out three wickets in successive overs to reduce Faisalabad to 56 for 5. The collpase did not cease and Hafeez returned to dismiss Imran Khalid to pick up his fourth wicket. He finished with 4 for 11, and Abdul Razzaq claimed 2 for 19, as Faisalabad were restricted to 121 for 8 in 20 overs.Lahore’s innings had been set up by a fiery start from their openers after they chose to bat. Ahmed Shehzad scored 29 off 18 balls and was first out with the score on 44 in 4.2 overs. Nasir Jamshed carried on, making 42 off 28 balls to lay the platform for a formidable score. The middle-order batsmen, however, could not sustain the momentum and Nos. 3 to 5 got starts but scored at only a run a ball. Lahore had to settle for 154 for 7, but it proved to be 33 too many for Faisalabad.The final was watched by a crowd of 20,000 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with several thousands outside the venue without tickets.

There’s nothing like being picked while in form, and Phillip Hughes is in the one-day form of his life

Brydon Coverdale08-Jan-2013There’s nothing like being picked while in form, and Phillip Hughes is in the one-day form of his life. If Bradman had played 50-over cricket he might have produced the kind of scores that Hughes has in the past two years. Consider this remarkable figure: in 14 of his past 20 one-day innings, Hughes has scored at least a half-century. In that time, a period that stretches back to December 2010, he has averaged 90.28. Among Australians, only Michael Bevan has a higher List A average than Hughes.And yet until now, Hughes has been considered a Test specialist by Australia’s selectors. When he walks out at the MCG on Friday in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, it will be his first limited-overs game for his country. Of course, it’s not easy breaking in to a top order that usually features David Warner, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke. But none of those men, nor Matthew Wade, are part of this ODI squad.It means Australia will likely employ a top three consisting entirely of uncapped men: Hughes, Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja. The selectors are juggling a number of factors – resting some players, keeping Hughes and Khawaja away from the BBL in preparation for the India tour, planning ahead to the 2015 World Cup. Not all of the new men will keep their places, but Hughes hopes he can do enough to remain in the side when others return.”It’s an opportunity for guys coming in now, there’s a few new faces around the squad,” Hughes said. “For those guys resting for the first couple of games, they play that much cricket and I’m sure they’ll come back fresh and bigger and better. It does allow guys now to get that opportunity … now given this opportunity I’m grateful for it and hopefully I can stamp my authority in this format.”My focus has been all three formats. I want to be that complete batsman playing three forms hopefully one day. There’s still work I’ve got to do but for this opportunity to come up I’m grateful for it. I’ve had a fair taste of Test cricket now but never in the short format, so that’s why I’m rapt about getting this chance.”There is nothing about Hughes’ game that suggests he should ever have been considered a Test-only player. Powerful through the off side and naturally aggressive, Hughes bats in a way that should transfer to ODI cricket. His style has helped him score 114, 95 not out and 73 from three of his five Ryobi Cup innings this summer, and he was one of the leading scorers in the Clydesdale Bank 40-over competition last year, playing for Worcestershire.”It’s a format that you’ve got to really attack and that’s probably my natural game,” Hughes said. “The instincts take over and I really like to attack and get on that front foot and take the game forward. I feel like I’ve worked on a number of shots, especially through the leg side, over the last six to 12 months. Hopefully I can take that into this series.”I feel like I’ve come a long way in one-day cricket. I had a stint in county cricket with Worcestershire and I felt like I performed quite well, and at the start of the season for South Australia. There’s work that I had to do and I feel like I’m quite confident in my one-day game now. I’m really grateful for this opportunity and hopefully I can make the most of it.”Although the Australians have not yet confirmed a batting order, the likelihood is that Hughes will open with Finch, although Khawaja is another option, having opened for Queensland with success this season. All three are likely to make their debuts on Friday, while the Queensland bowling allrounder Ben Cutting is also a chance to earn his first ODI cap, in a side that will be captained by George Bailey.

A five-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Hamza Hotak helped Afghanistan A to a commanding nine-wicket victory over Hyderabad and Karachi at the Niaz Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2013
ScorecardA five-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Hamza Hotak helped Afghanistan A clinch a commanding nine-wicket victory over Hyderabad and Karachi at the Niaz Stadium. Hotak destroyed Hyderabad’s middle order as they were bowled out for 112. In reply, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad smashed a 35-ball 58 to help achieve the target in 18.4 overs.After being put in to bat, Hyderabad lost their first wicket without a run being scored. A 29-run stand was then followed by a 30-run stand, which was the highest in the innings. But from 59 for 2 they slipped to 77 for 7, from which they couldn’t recover. Seamers Dawlat Ahmedzai, Izatullah Dawlatzai and spinner Karim Sadiq were the other wicket-takers. For Hyderabad, No. 3 Mohtashim Ali top-scored with 21.Sadiq followed his spell of 1 for 15 with an unbeaten 36, as Afghanistan made light work of the small target.

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2013
Scorecard
Abdur Rehman’s unbeaten 35 dragged Pakistan out of trouble and guided them to victory [file photo]•Getty Images

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley. After choosing to bat, the hosts began well, with captain Stephen Cook and his opening partner Quinton de Kock adding 55 at better than a run a ball. De Kock went on to make a half-century and it seemed, at 170 for 3 in the 32nd over, that the South African side would be able to reach 300. In a final score of 266, de Kock was ultimately the only half-centurion; Temba Bavuma was next to him with 43, and Pakistan were able to give themselves a good shot at a successful chase.Their openers delivered a strong start, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed adding 53 in 9.4 overs. Kamran Akmal then made 47, adding 49 with Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket after Younis Khan had been dismissed for a duck. At 139 for 3 in the 26th over, Pakistan were on track, but they slipped to 189 for 7; two of those four wickets were claimed by legspinner Imran Tahir.But Pakistan’s lower order showed a lot of mettle, and Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul built a stand that revived hopes of victory. Rehman batted patiently to make an unbeaten 35, while Gul at the other end was more attacking, scoring 30 off 34, with four fours and a six. Pakistan were still in trouble when Gul fell with the score on 234, and the hosts were on the brink when they claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the 46th over to make it 242 for 9. But Junaid Khan was reliable company for Rehman, and though the required-rate had touched almost six with just a wicket in hand, the pair guided Pakistan home.In the final over bowled by Lizaad Williams, victory was sealed off the fourth delivery.

Allan Donald knows his main job as head coach is to turn Pune Warriors’ fortunes around after two poor seasons

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2013While Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo will spend the next two months playing with their kids, the other member of South Africa’s coaching staff, Allan Donald, has adopted what looks like a set of problem children. Donald will spend time as head coach of the Pune Warriors squad, who he meets on Thursday, and has been tasked with changing their fortunes.Pune finished IPL5 at the bottom of the table and won only four of their 16 matches. The best they’ve performed in a season is in second-last spot after their maiden run in 2011. Since then, instead of positive results, they have racked up controversies.Their first campaign was nearly aborted because of sponsorship disputes. When it was decided they would play, Sourav Ganguly was picked as their captain and his relationship with the franchise appeared to deteriorate steadily. He was appointed their mentor for the second season.In their playing group was Jesse Ryder, who was going through a personal crisis and travelled with a personal psychologist, and Wayne Parnell and Rahul Sharma, who were involved in a drug raid at a party. In an effort to change things, they bought Michael Clarke to captain them this season but before it could begin, he was ruled out of the tournament with a back problem.Donald admits things have not been easy and knows his main job is to turn that around. “We’ve had two tired years so this season is about finding some confidence,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “In a tournament like the IPL, it’s a difficult thing to understand. How do you gain confidence and momentum?”Last year, we started pretty well and then things backfired massively. It was quite a nightmare. But we’ve looked at a bit of restructuring and I think this is still a great stage to take on a team.” Ganguly is no longer involved and Donald is taking South Africa’s conditioning coach Rob Walter, who was with Delhi Daredevils, with him to try and bring in some of the culture that has made the national team so successful.”We’ve got a good blend of younger players to mix with the leadership group but now we’ve got to get it together,” Donald said. “There’s been a bit of reworking and we seem to have good systems in place so I am looking forward to a better season.”For Donald, the way the team performs is a direct reflection on his ability as a coach, something he wants to develop over the next two months with a view to future endeavours. “Every time challenges get thrown at you, you should take them and this is a massive challenge. It doesn’t get any bigger than the IPL. Ultimately I want to become a head coach and I think this will be step in that direction.”Donald has served as bowling coach to England, New Zealand and South Africa but he has never been the head coach. Bangladesh were interested in him for the main job shortly after he joined Kirsten’s ranks and he turned them down. With Kirsten having made it clear he does not intend to stay involved indefinitely, Donald may be eyeing taking over if the opportunity comes up in the future.He will be one of two South African head coaches at this year’s tournament. The other is Ray Jennings who has been in charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the second season. Shaun Pollock, Jonty Rhodes, and Doug Watson worked at the Mumbai Indians in the past and Kepler Wessels was with Chennai Super Kings in the first season. On face value, Donald has a tougher task than any of his compatriots, especially because he has not had a break.Donald will depart just four days between the end of the South African series against Pakistan and the start of his new job. He could be in India until May 26, should Pune reach the final. Five days after that, South Africa will play Holland in a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy. Even if his stay with the IPL ends with the franchise’s last match on May 18, Donald will only have little more than a week before he has to resume his national duties.His travels will be made easier because his family is accompanying him for a longer period for the first time. His wife and two children will be at the IPL and it will be his daughter’s first visit to India which he said she is very excited about. But before he can make time to show her the sights, he wants to concentrate on mentoring Pune’s young bowlers.Donald identified recent Test debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar as one he would like to mould. “He is not express pace but he is very skilfull. There is a lot to work with there,” Donald said. Others who will hope to benefit from Donald’s experience are Ashok Dinda, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson and someone who has worked with him before, Parnell. “I always enjoy working with talented bowlers and I hope to make able to make some sort of impact.”

Alastair Cook may sleep slightly uncomfortably in Auckland after sticking New Zealand in and seeing them finish on 250 for 1

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland22-Mar-2013Nasser Hussain has never quite lived down putting the Australians in to bat at the Gabba in 2002 and seeing them end the first day on 364 for 2. Alastair Cook may sleep slightly uncomfortably in Auckland after sticking New Zealand in and seeing them finish on 250 for 1.However, bowling first is becoming the norm in New Zealand; this is the seventh time in a row the team winning the toss has put the opposition in. Brendon McCullum has insisted whatever life is on offer will be there early and Cook followed that belief at Eden Park, but there was no more movement or playing-and-missing than any average Test-match opening day.It is often said not to judge a toss decision after the first session, so when New Zealand lunched on 79 for 1 the next two sessions were awaited. Five down would have been passable. One down is close to putting the series out of reach although England, as they have to, retained belief that the situation could quickly change. They can look to the previous Test where New Zealand took 8 for 198 on the second day after just two wickets on the first.”I don’t think it’s a disastrous day of Test cricket for us,” Steven Finn said. “Yes, obviously we’d have liked to take more than one wicket. But they’ve only got 250 runs on the board, and a crazy session – like we’ve had before – can turn the game on its head.”Finn was pointing out the run-rate was kept under three-an-over, but if that is now classed as a success by England it shows how their expectations in this series have changed. The bowling, to be fair, was not awful and a few of the edges through the slips to the short third-man boundaries could have gone to hand. But it never felt as though England were on the verge of creating sizable inroads into New Zealand’s top order.Barring the first innings in Wellington it has not felt that way at any point in the series, and even that innings took a lot of hard work. Throughout the matches, batsmen willing to get their heads down and cut out risks – as Peter Fulton and Kane Williamson did superbly – have been difficult to shift.England will have come into this series wanting to use the height advantage of their quicks to test the techniques of the New Zealand batsmen who were exposed against South Africa’s pace. However, England’s bowlers have not been consistently as threatening as South Africa’s on recent form and the pitches have negated their plans.The lush outfield at Eden Park, which is no mean feat given that rugby was played on it last weekend and that the country is in drought, also hindered England’s attempts to get the ball to reverse – a tactic they have used with great success in the subcontinent and Australia when traditional methods have been unavailable. The only spell of reverse in the series for England came from James Anderson on the third day in Wellington.Finn, though, despite being a modern sportsman and ‘picking out the positives’ from a tough day, did make a valid point about not allowing the scoreboard to race away. That could easily have happened on this ground and looked as though it may occur when Fulton latched onto Monty Panesar during the afternoon session.”At no stage today did we get despondent. To keep them at three-an-over and not too far out of our sights is good,” Finn said. “It’s important we try to wrestle the momentum from New Zealand – because after a day like that, they do have it.”One more day like this for the home side and it will be very difficult for England to win the series.

Essex have signed New Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford to replace Rob Quiney as their overseas player for the remainder of the season.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2013Essex have signed New Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford to replace Rob Quiney as their overseas player for the remainder of the season. Rutherford will become available after New Zealand’s tour of England.Quiney suffered a shoulder injury attempting a catch on the final day of Essex’s defeat to Lancashire at Old Trafford on May 10. He requires an operation and has flown home to Australia. He played in the first four of Essex’s County Championship matches, scoring only one half-century in seven innings.But in Rutherford, a 24-year-old left-hander, Essex have a like-for-like replacement at the top of the order. Rutherford’s weight of runs in domestic cricket in New Zealand earned him a call-up for the Test side against England in March and he made 171 in his first innings in Dunedin. He also struck 126 against England Lions at Grace Road in the second match of the New Zealand tour.New Zealand’s T20 series against England concludes the tour with the final match at The Oval on June 27. Rutherford would therefore become available for Essex’s T20 against Hampshire at Chelmsford a day later.”We are delighted to be signing Hamish and we welcome him to the club,” Essex head coach Paul Grayson said. “The coaching staff and myself look forward to working with him and are pleased that he is joining Essex. He is an attacking opening batsman that will definitely benefit us in both the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition and Friends Life t20 too.”I was very impressed with how he played for New Zealand this winter against England and Hamish comes highly recommended from some good judges in the game, so will be a great acquisition for us I’m sure.”

Australia international Trent Copeland tore through Worcestershire’s batting to put Northamptonshire on the brink of victory after two days

06-Jun-2013
ScorecardTrent Copeland put his team on track for another victory•Getty Images

Australia international Trent Copeland tore through Worcestershire’s batting to put Northamptonshire on the brink of victory after two days.Northamptonshire were bowled out for 314 during the afternoon, giving the Division Two leaders a first innings lead of 118, with Steven Crook hammering 85 off as many balls including three huge sixes. Copeland, who is playing his last match before returning home, then took three wickets for 26 as Worcestershire subsided to 97 for 6 at the close, still 21 runs behind.The hosts began the day on 100 for 4, 96 runs behind their opponents, with Rob Keogh resuming on 26 and Andrew Hall beginning his innings. But Hall was only able to make 10 before Gareth Andrew took a good low catch at third slip to give Alan Richardson his fourth wicket in the seventh over of the day.Keogh was to move on to 44 but was denied a maiden half-century in first-class cricket when he edged Andrew to Moeen Ali at first slip to leave the hosts on 134 for 6.Crook was then given a massive let-off on 6 when he launched Andrew into the air only for Aneesh Kapil to drop a straightforward catch at deep square leg. He was to make Kapil pay for that blunder by blasting a half-century off just 52 balls as he and James Middlebrook added 96 between them for the seventh wicket.The partnership was eventually broken when Middlebrook was sharply caught and bowled by Ali to depart for 39 in the third over after lunch. Crook finally perished when his middle stump was taken out by Chris Russell before Copeland smashed the same bowler to Jack Shantry at mid-on after clattering 31.Russell then ended the hosts’ innings by trapping wicketkeeper David Murphy lbw for 4, leaving David Willey unbeaten on 15 at the other end.Worcestershire lost their captain Daryl Mitchell for just 8 in the penultimate over before tea when he left Crook’s delivery only to see his off stump sent spinning. Matthew Pardoe was then dismissed for 24 when he nudged Willey to Murphy before Copeland pinned Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera lbw for 4.Copeland then repeated the trick on Alexei Kervezee and Kapil was caught leg before by Willey before wicketkeeper Michael Johnson became yet another lbw victim to Copeland. Ali and Andrew then survived the final 10 overs and will resume tomorrow on 29 and 16 respectively with their side surely doomed.

The ICC has defended the performance of the umpires and the DRS after criticism following the Trent Bridge Test between England and Australia

George Dobell16-Jul-2013The ICC has defended the performance of the umpires and the DRS after criticism following the Trent Bridge Test between England and Australia, whilst also admitting to errors in cases involving Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad.The ICC has taken the unusual step of revealing its assessment of the umpires and the DRS analysis from the Test, arguing that the figures vindicate both. Some mitigation was provided for the errors that did occur, the ICC suggesting the “added intensity” of a first Ashes Test had increased pressure on the officials.According to the ICC, the umpires made a total of 72 decisions, which is well above the average (49) for a DRS Test match. The umpiring team, made up of Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus, was assessed to have made seven errors during the match, out of which three were uncorrected decisions and four decisions corrected using the DRS.As such, the correct decision percentage before reviews stood at 90.3% but climbed to 95.8% as a result of the use of the DRS. This represented an increase of 5.5% in correct decisions, which was the average increase from DRS Test matches in 2012-13.The three decisions that were marked as uncorrected errors included one against Trott when a correct lbw decision (not out against the bowling of Mitchell Starc) was overturned. The others involved Broad, both the edge that carried to slip via Brad Haddin’s gloves and a leg-before shout where he did not offer a stroke, but neither but these could be corrected as Australia had no reviews available.”When coupled with the conditions, with reverse swing and spin playing an important role, and the added intensity of the first Ashes Test, it was a difficult match to umpire,” read the ICC statement.The ICC’s chief executive, David Richardson, added: “The umpires did a good job under difficult conditions. This reflects the calibre of umpires Dar, Dharmasena and Erasmus who have consistently performed at a high level. Like the players, umpires can also have good and bad days but we all know that the umpire’s decision, right or wrong, is final and must be accepted.”While the ICC has complete faith in the ability of its umpires, our confidence in technology is also strengthened by the fact that there was an increase in the number of correct decisions in the Trent Bridge Test through the use of the DRS.”Technology was introduced with the objective of eradicating the obvious umpiring errors, and to get as many correct decisions as possible. If it can help increase the correct decisions by 5.5 percent, then it is a good outcome, but we must continue to strive to improve umpiring and the performance of the DRS.”

Pakistan have left out Nasir Jamshed, Taufeeq Umar and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed from the 15-member Test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe, and have included Adnan Akmal and Khurram Manzoor

Umar Farooq06-Aug-2013Pakistan have left out Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Irfan from the 15-member Test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. The other players to miss out from the squad that played in South Africa in February are batsman Haris Sohail, wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, batsman Taufeeq Umar and fast bowler Umar Gul, who is out due to injury. They have been replaced by fast bowlers Wahab Riaz and Rahat Ali, along with batsman Imran Farhat (who was not part of the original Test squad in South Africa), batsman Khurram Manzoor and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal.Pakistan announced their ODI and T20 squads too, selected by a three-man selection committee contracted to the PCB, but without a chief selector. The announcement was made via a press release without any explanations on the reasons for the changes in the squads, though ESPNcricinfo understands that Irfan has been temporarily relieved from the longer-format, while Jamshed has been restricted to the limited-overs squad to allow 27-year-old Manzoor to assume the opening slot. Manzoor last played for Pakistan during their 2010 tour of Australia.

Schedule

• Aug 23 – first T20, Harare

• Aug 24 – second T20, Harare

• Aug 27 – first ODI, Harare

• Aug 29 – second ODI, Harare

• Aug 31 – third ODI, Harare

• Sep 3-7 – first Test, Harare

• Sep 10-14 – second Test, Bulawayo

Irfan’s fitness has been a crucial factor in his cricketing life thus far, with concerns over his ability to bowl long spells. He is the tallest cricketer ever to play Test cricket at 7’1″, and has played for Pakistan since their December 2012 tour of India. He was retained for both limited-overs squads, besides the three fast bowlers – Junaid Khan, Asad Ali and Anwar Ali. Sarfraz Ahmed, who was part of Pakistan’s previous Test squad, lost his spot to Adnan Akmal. Sarfraz was decent behind the stumps, but averaged 13.83 with the bat in three Test matches against South Africa.Wahab Riaz, who played four ODIs during the recent tour of West Indies, managed to take only two wickets and was subsequently dropped from the one-day and T20 squads, with Anwar Ali replacing him in both formats. Peshawar batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who was also part of the squad in the West Indies, has been left out because of his inclusion in the Pakistan Under-23 squad.The selectors also recruited a new batsman, Multan-born Sohaib Maqsood, for the Twenty20 squad. Maqsood finished as one of the leading runs scorers in the President’s One-day Cup, where he scored 427 runs at 71.60. He also scored 402 runs at 50.25 in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, and was the top-scorer for WAPDA in the President’s Trophy, finishing with 618 runs at 41.20. Anwar Ali, who first gained recognition with his swing bowling during the 2006 Under-19 World Cup, has only played one T20 International against Zimbabwe in 2008.Moin Khan, whose appointment as chief selector was ruled out by the Islamabad High Court two weeks ago, has been named team manager for the tour. Fast bowling coach Mohammad Akram has also been asked to continue despite his contract running out in the middle of August.Test squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Khurram Manzoor, Adnan Akmal (wk), Faisal Iqbal, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Rahat Ali, Ehsan AdilODI squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Abdul Rehman, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris SohailT20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail