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Kent have lost two of their senior batsmen after Martin van Jarsveeld announced his departure to Leicestershire and Joe Denly signed for Middlesex

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2011Kent have lost two of their senior batsmen after Martin van Jarsveeld announced his departure to Leicestershire and Joe Denly signed for Middlesex, while director of cricket Paul Farbrace is also leaving the club.Denly, who has played nine one-day internationals and five Twenty20s for England, has taken a two-year deal with Middlesex as he looks to revive a career that has stalled since losing his England place prior to the World Twenty20 in 2010. He came through the Kent youth system, made his debut in 2005 and has scored nearly 5000 first-class runsHe struggled for much of the 2011 season, but finished the summer strongly with a career-best 199 against Derbyshire in the penultimate Championship match and also scored a Twenty20 hundred against the Indians at Canterbury.”A large part of me is very sad to be leaving Kent,” Denly said. “As a local lad who’s come through the system I expected to play my whole career here. This is an important stage of my career, however, and I’m really excited about the move to Middlesex, who are a club on the up as shown by their recent promotion to Division One of the Championship.”I’m committed to becoming the best player I can possibly be and firmly believe that the environment at Middlesex will help me achieve that and one day resurrect my prospects at international level. I’d like to thank everyone at Kent, particularly my captain Rob Key, for the support I’ve received over the last eight years – and who knows what the future holds, I’d certainly never rule out a return to the club one day.”The loss of van Jaarsveld, meanwhile, leaves another huge hole for cash-strapped Kent to fill before the 2012 season after he was released with one year remaining on his contract. He has played for Kent since 2005 and been a consistent scorer with more than 8000 first-class runs, although his returns in 2011 were down with 755 Championship runs at 30.20 and no hundreds.In previous years van Jaarsveld had been linked with moves to Division One, but joining Leicestershire sees him given the role of reviving the four-day fortunes of the side that finished bottom of Division Two by a huge margin.”I would like to thank everyone at Kent for the opportunity I have been given,” he said. “I have poured everything I have had into trying to score runs and win games for the county during this time, but now it is time for a new challenge which I hope will reignite my passion for the game and allow me to recapture my best form.”Graham Johnson, the Kent chairman of cricket, said they had tried hard to keep both players. “We are sad to see both players leave the club. They have contributed a great deal both on and off the field.””Martin approached the Club at the end of the season with a desire to be released from contract and after much consideration the club decided to agree to that request. Joe developed through the Kent system, indeed he was the first ‘product’ of the Kent Cricket Academy. The Club had hoped to keep him, but he decided it was time for a fresh challenge.”Kent face a difficult off-season of rebuilding after Farbrace also stepped down as the club’s director of cricket. He returned to Kent in 2009 having been Sri Lanka’s assistant coach – where he was caught up in the Lahore attack on the team bus – and had previously worked for the county as academy director.Kent had another tough season in 2011 as they finished eighth in Division Two of the County Championship, didn’t qualify for the knockout stage of the CB40 and fell at the quarter-final stage of the Friends Life t20 despite scoring 203 against Leicestershire.”It has been a privilege to be director of cricket,” Farbrace said. I have enjoyed working with the group of players and wish them well. I am now looking forward to the future and I will always have good memories of my time at Kent.”The chairman of Kent, George Kennedy, added: “I thank Paul for all of his hard work for the club. I am personally extremely sorry to see him leave, and wish him well as he moves on. It has been a challenging period for the Club and Paul has worked with great commitment to deliver results.”

Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled for the two-match series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled to the South Africa Test squad for the two-match series against Australia. Legspinner Imran Tahir and allrounder Vernon Philander also got their first call-ups to the Test squad.Rudolph came in for opener Alviro Petersen. Also missing were seaming allrounders Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren who were both in the squad for South Africa’s last Test, in January against India. Graeme Smith will lead the 14-member squad, and AB de Villiers, who missed the limited-overs leg of the series with a hand fracture sustained during the Champions League, will be his deputy if he clears a fitness examination ahead of the first Test from November 9.Rudolph went into a self-imposed exile in 2007 when he signed a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire with the aim of developing himself into a more complete cricketer. His recall was widely expected following an impressive return to South African domestic cricket. He scored four centuries and made more than 900 first-class runs last season, before leading a successful South Africa A tour to Zimbabwe. This year, he came into the South African season after scoring centuries for Yorkshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the County Championship. He has since been prolific in the SuperSport Series, where he leads the run-charts with 568 runs from six innings, including a match tally of 297 against Lions in his most recent outing.”Jacques [Rudolph] will open the batting with Graeme Smith,” selection convener Andrew Hudson said. “His experience and current form make him an asset to South Africa and at the age of 30 he has plenty of good years of cricket ahead of him. Jacques has underlined once again the importance of good domestic form and the fact that it is the gateway to national selection.”Petersen might consider his axing harsh, as the Lions captain also started the season well. In four matches so far, he has scored 369 runs, including a knock of 186 against the Dolphins in the first match of the SuperSport Series campaign. He spent the winter at Glamorgam, where he passed the 2000 runs mark and felt he had done enough to keep his place in the Test side. He will get a chance to stake his claim for a recall when he leads the South Africa A side in a four-day tour game against the Australians from November 1. JP Duminy and Philander feature in both squads, while Parnell and McLaren were also included in the A team.”The A side must be seen as a mix of players challenging for places in the South Africa squad as well as others we have identified as having the potential for the future and whom we now need to test at a higher level than franchise cricket,” Hudson said. “We have to explore our options for the future.”Philander previously played for South Africa in seven ODIs and the same number of T20s between 2007 and 2008. He has performed consistently in the first-class competition for the last two seasons. In the 2010-11 season, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker with 35 wickets at an average of 16.11. He is unlikely to play, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the squad, but has been earmarked as a possibility for the future. While he is not an express paceman, he has become noted for his variations, much like Tsotsobe.Someone who is expected to play is Tahir. The Pakistani-born legspinner became eligible for South Africa in January and was immediately selected for their ODI squad to play India. He made his debut at the World Cup but was initially selected for South Africa’s Test squad to play England in the 2009-10 season, when he had not yet qualified. He has been talked up as the missing piece in South Africa’s attack, which has not had an attacking spinner since Paul Adams.Tahir’s anticipated inclusion was thought to be the final nail in Harris’ coffin, after the left-arm spinner was labelled nothing more than a holding bowler. However, Harris has fought back with impressive showings in his first two SuperSport Series games. His 13 wickets have come at an average of 15.38. On a spin-friendly Newlands pitch, South Africa could field two frontline spinners in a Test match – a rarity for the country that traditionally relies on pace.South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo TsotsobeSouth Africa A squad: Alviro Petersen (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Stiaan van Zyl

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, and fast bowler Mohammad Asif have been found guilty of two offences – conspiracy to accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court01-Nov-2011The jury in the spot-fixing trial has found Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif guilty, by a unanimous verdict, on the charge of ‘conspiracy to cheat’ and guilty by a 10-2 majority decision on the charge of ‘conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments’.The sentences will be pronounced by the judge, Justice Cooke, on Wednesday and Thursday; both players will remain on bail until then. The convictions – reached by the jury of the Southwark Crown Court in London after 16 hours and 56 minutes of debate – carry jail terms – a maximum prison sentence for the acceptance of corrupt payments is seven years in jail, while ‘conspiracy to cheat’ carries a maximum two-year sentence.On a historic day for cricket, the world also learnt that Mohammad Amir, the teenage Pakistani fast bowler, had pleaded guilty to the same two charges before the trial began; he will now be given a “Newton Hearing” to decide the quantum of punishment, during which there will be no jury officially present, although they have been given permission to sit in and watch if they wish.It also emerged that the ACSU was set to investigate more matches on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010, when the incidents central to this case took place.This particular case focussed on the Lord’s Test in August 2010, when Butt and Asif conspired with Majeed, Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls during England’s innings. They were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Majeed was filmed revealing when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers, footage which was played to the jury early in the trial.The verdicts were handed in almost four weeks after the trial started, on October 4. Butt, wearing a velvet jacket and shirt without a tie, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out and stared at the jury stony-faced. An hour earlier, in a bitter twist of fate, his wife Gul Hassan was understood to have given birth to a second son back in Pakistan. Asif, wearing a grey winter coat in the dock, was equally unmoved and neither player said a word or made any obvious facial expression.The jury were unable to reach a verdict on the “accepting corrupt payments” charge against Asif, and Justice Cooke immediately retired them to deliberate some more in case they could reach a verdict on that fourth charge, which they did after more than three hours.The unambiguous nature of the verdict was welcomed by the Metropolitan Police. “All I want to say that this is cheating pure and simple,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Horne. “They let down everyone that bought a ticket and they let down children when they were role models to those very children who are playing such a special game. I think we all look forward to this game being played in its truest spirit as we go forward from these types of issues. I also acknowledge the role that investigative journalism has played in this case.”Sally Walsh, Senior Lawyer in the Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif deliberately and knowingly perverted the course of a cricket match for financial gain… This prosecution shows that match fixing is not just unsportsmanlike but is a serious criminal act.”People who had paid good money to see a professional and exciting game of cricket on the famous ground at Lord’s had no idea that what they were watching was not a true game but one where part of the game had been pre-determined for cash…the jury has decided after hearing all the evidence that what happened on the crease that day was criminal in the true sense of the word.”The players have already been punished by the ICC after a disciplinary hearing in Doha, Qatar, earlier this year. Each was banned from the sport for at least five years. Butt received a further suspended five-year ban and Asif was handed a further two-year suspended sanction.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said after the London verdicts were announced that the jury’s decisions, as well as Mohammad Amir’s own guilty plea, will “have no impact” on the length of the suspensions its own tribunal handed out.All three players have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Pakistan extended their impressive run in Test cricket since the spot-fixing scandal deprived them of three first-choice players, securing a series win over Sri Lanka on a rare rain-hit day in Sharjah

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran07-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rangana Herath dismissed Azhar Ali but couldn’t make any more breakthroughs•AFP

Pakistan extended their impressive run in Test cricket since the spot-fixing scandal deprived them of three first-choice players, securing a series win over Sri Lanka on a rare rain-hit day in Sharjah. Fittingly, Misbah-ul Haq, the man who took over as captain and provided a backbone to a team that was in disarray last year, remained unbeaten to ensure there were no implosions and confirm the draw.The result extends Sri Lanka’s winless streak to 14 Tests, again highlighting their struggle to come to terms with the loss of Muttiah Muralitharan. They betrayed a lack of killer instinct by batting on the final day of this must-win Test, despite a three-hour rain delay. They were 237 ahead by stumps on the fourth day, a sufficiently large lead in a match where the run-rate had been around two-and-a-half over the first four days, but they weren’t confident enough to declare at the start of play when 67.2 overs remained. Instead of going all out for a victory, they inexplicably batted out four overs before calling an end to their innings.Pakistan needed a high-octane start if they were to make a serious tilt at the target of 255 in 61 overs. Their openers began briskly, with Mohammad Hafeez slashing a couple of fours past point early on. Pakistan were 20 for 0 midway through the fifth over, but their momentum was taken away by a direct hit from substitute Lahiru Thirimanne at midwicket, which caught Hafeez short.Taufeeq Umar and the usually watchful Azhar Ali decided to shut shop, and Pakistan focused on playing out the overs for a draw. With the Sri Lanka spinners getting some turn, Pakistan scratched out six runs in an 11-over spell. Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv kept the batsmen on a leash, and Sri Lanka employed a clutch of close-in fielders as they hunted for quick wickets.Sri Lanka’s strikes came from contrasting deliveries. A ripper from Herath accounted for Azhar, trapped lbw after the ball drifted in before curling sharply away, while Younis Khan was dismissed by a pedestrian length delivery that he punched to the mid-on fielder.Still, Taufeeq firmly resisted and Misbah showed off his defensive mastery once again to drain Sri Lanka’s hopes. Their 15-over blockade nearly put the match to bed, but Sri Lanka perked up when Taufeeq irresponsibly slapped a short Randiv ball to Kumar Sangakkara at point. The spinners persevered and should have had another breakthrough when Asad Shafiq nicked to the keeper but the umpire failed to spot it.It was comfortable for Pakistan in the end, with Shafiq and Misbah stonewalling 16 overs in the fading light. Misbah even shared a light-hearted moment with Sangakkara as the match wound down, jokingly imitating a left-hand batsman. With Pakistan winning their first series over a better-ranked team since they beat India at home in 2005-06, Misbah could well afford to smile.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has admitted that his board could have taken “a more strategic decision” in implementing the Test championship and a ten-team World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2011Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has admitted that his board could have taken “a more strategic decision” in implementing the Test championship and a ten-team World Cup. He said the Test Championship is on track for 2017, while the ICC, as a whole, would benefit from fewer weak member boards and independent directorship. He also revealed that there was a threatened elite breakaway of India, Australia, South Africa and England over the Future Tours Programme.”We got the balance incorrect [on the Test championship and ten-team World Cup]. There was a strategic choice that had to be made, it was an investment to be made and the leadership chose not to do it,” Lorgat told the Abu Dhabi-based . “It will happen eventually. I hope it doesn’t happen when it’s too late. It’s a new cycle. There’s absolutely no reason why it would not be in the schedule of events. We missed a golden opportunity in 2013 because Test cricket was starting to go on an upward trend.”While Lorgat conceded that the commercialisation of the cricket played some role in the decisions, he said it was not solely based on broadcast rights and profits. “The broadcaster [ESPN STAR Sports*] is but one party to the discussion,” he said. “It’s a board decision.”He said the ICC have not under-prioritised Test cricket, but that, on occasion, specific member boards are guilty of doing that. “There was a two-Test series in South Africa recently. People were desperate for a third Test. That is an example where it [the boards] has not leaned towards Tests,” he said referring to last month’s series between South Africa and Australia that was drawn 1-1.During that series, players such as Graeme Smith had voiced their disappointment at missing the chance of participating in a Test championship and Lorgat sympathised with them. “We have some seriously good players at the moment, shining in Tests. The chances of them being around in 2017 is zero. That is a particular disappointment.”To avoid such setbacks in future, Lorgat said he hoped the ICC’s leadership would form a strong enough collective to make decisions in the “best interests of the game”. Currently, the BCCI is a dominant presence, but Lorgat’s worry is that other member boards have not shown a strong enough hand. “What concerns me is the weakness of other boards. They need to find ways and means of generating revenue, of sustaining the game. They cannot operate on a dependency mentality.”India’ reluctance and ultimately refusal to use DRS is an example of what Lorgat called weak leadership by other members. “It’s up to others to stand firm, to have the courage of their convictions, to show leadership, to oppose that process. That’s more a reflection of weak leadership on other boards.”If the dissenting voice cannot come from within, Lorgat suggested that it may have to be from outside. He described his ideal vision of an ICC board as one that would have some form of independent directorship so that “there’s at least a balance of debate or a voice spoken without self-interest”.He indicated that an external hand, coupled with stronger member boards would help prevent problems such as the one that occurred during the drafting of the most recent FTP. Lorgat said he led the movement to reach a solution after the threatened elite breakaway. “There was a risk of that [a breakaway]. The initial drafts were leaning in favour of that. It was not agreed to. It was a role I led from the front.”Fortunately, we’ve got a better balance in the FTP. That is a reflection on the leadership of each of the boards. So whether you are Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka, you’ve got to have the right people leading your cricket, because you require stronger leadership in view of the challenges such countries face.”*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad

Brydon Coverdale30-Jan-2012Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad. Wade has been named in Australia’s side for the first three ODIs of the upcoming tri-series while Brad Haddin rests following a long period of cricket.Strong performances from Wade in those matches could build pressure on Haddin, 34, who has had a difficult few months with the bat and behind the stumps. The coach Mickey Arthur wants Haddin to still be around for the 2013 Ashes but Wade, 24, is also viewed as a potential Test player and averages 40.16 in first-class cricket.Last time the Australians played Tests in the West Indies they were forced to fly Luke Ronchi in mid-tour as a standby player for Haddin, who in his debut Test series broke a finger, but battled on and played all three Tests. Inverarity said a backup gloveman was desirable for this year’s Caribbean trip, which included three Tests in April.”The West Indies is a pretty difficult place to get to from Australia, so at this stage and it will depend on the budget, but we’re keen to have two keepers there throughout the West Indies tour,” Inverarity said. “If a keeper breaks his hand it would probably be five days to a week before a replacement could get organised, get there, recover from jetlag and be ready to play.”If you’ve got one wicketkeeper in the West Indies and two days before a Test he breaks his hand and cannot keep, what do you do?”With Tim Paine still out due to a long-term finger injury, Wade is the logical choice as the next in line behind Haddin, although Peter Nevill of New South Wales is also pushing his case. Wade might even open the batting in the ODIs in February, as no obvious opening partner for David Warner was named in the squad with Shane Watson still injured and Shaun Marsh dropped.Inverarity said it remained to be seen whether Haddin would return for the later stages of the one-day series against Sri Lanka and India or whether he would be better off taking a longer break. He said it was up to Haddin, who will captain the Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka this Friday, whether he would play any Sheffield Shield cricket in the meantime, after a lean few months with the bat in Test cricket.”That’s up to Brad. He won’t be playing the next Shield match because being a Canberra lad he’s captaining the side for the Prime Minister’s XI,” Inverarity said. “The Shield match starts the next day. I think that’s a good opportunity for Brad to be able to put his feet up for a bit. I think an essential part of preparation is refreshment and the opportunity to take it easy for a time and get mentally refreshed.”It provides a terrific opportunity for Matthew Wade. We hope Matthew Wade keeps and bats brilliantly and then we have two keepers at the level, because you never know when a wicketkeeper is going to break down. We’re all for developing Matthew Wade and Brad Haddin both together.”

A round-up of the third day’s play from the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy Elite League

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2012A collective bowling effort led by left-arm spinner Gajendra Singh put Rajasthan on top against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, securing a major first-innings lead and giving his team an excellent shot at an outright victory. Gajendra picked up four wickets in Hyderabad’s capitulation in response to Rajasthan’s 421. Only captain Dwaraka Ravi Teja (67) and Arjun Yadav (42) provided any significant resistance, as their team was skittled out for 144, conceding a lead of 277. Sumit Mathur picked up two wickets, so did legspinner Vivek Yadav, supporting Gajendra.Hyderabad, however, responded strongly in their second innings after following on. Ravi Teja hit his second half-century of the match and Akshath Reddy was unbeaten on 77; the opening pair were undefeated at stumps with the score on 138 without loss, the deficit brought down to 139.Tamil Nadu retained control of their quarter-final contest against Maharashtra at Chepauk, despite a better effort from the latter on the field and with the bat.TN had gained a first-innings lead on the second day and consolidated their advantage on the third, but the Maharashtra bowlers were able to bowl the hosts out for 415. Starting at 259 for 3, the TN middle order got starts but was unable to push on. S Badrinath made 49, K Vasudevadas contributed 36 and Yo Mahesh chipped in with a valuable 59 down the order. Seamer Samad Fallah and left-arm spinner Akhay Darekar picked up three wickets each, but TN built a significant lead of 183.In their response, the Maharashtra openers, Harshad Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana, both of whom had batted solidly in the first innings, put on an unbeaten 90-run stand in 29 overs. They reduced the deficit to 93 but, barring a dramatic TN collapse, Maharashtra’s chances of going through to the semis are negligible.Haryana, who surprised many by qualifying for the quarter-finals, knocked out Karnataka from the Ranji Trophy after registering an outright victory. Read the full report here.Mumbai all but sealed their place in the semis by virtually shutting out Madhya Pradesh in Indore, thanks to a maiden first-class century from Ankeet Chavan. Read the full report here.

Was the media at fault for talk of a rift in the Indian team, as MS Dhoni has claimed? ESPNcricinfo has transcripts of the relevant press conferences to let you decide

Sidharth Monga26-Feb-2012MS Dhoni has said the India dressing-room has had a good laugh at the reports of a rift•AFP

MS Dhoni has blamed the media for quoting him selectively to Virender Sehwag, to elicit replies that suggested a grave communication gap in the team. He said no such problem existed, and there was no need to straighten it out. He did, though, say it created an awkward situation because it was possible Sehwag might have actually believed what the press told him. He hadn’t, Dhoni added.However, a reading of the transcripts (below) of the two press conferences in question confirm a variance in statements between the captain and his deputy.”You must have asked him something,” Dhoni said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “Why don’t you ask yourself the same question?”You have the press conference on tape. It will be interesting if you watch the whole press conference. You will get the answer yourself of what exactly I said. And what exactly I meant. Often what’s important is, you can’t see just that particular answer. Maybe the build-up from the first question as to what you are answering [is important]. Often we don’t answer because the first part of the first question that we answer is actually an answer of the second question or the third question. If you see the whole press conference, it will offer a valid point as to what was said.”Dhoni said the dressing-room had had a good laugh at the reports. Asked if he was happy with the communication flow within the team, Dhoni said, “Yeah, yeah. It has always been there. It is not this series or last series. It has been perfect. And we enjoy it actually when things like this happened. It’s the talk of the dressing room. We try to get the positives out of it. It’s half an hour of good talk in the dressing room, because that’s the best we can get out of it.”Reproduced below are excerpts from the two said press conferences with all relevant questions and the build-up that led to Dhoni and Sehwag saying what they did.The first one is, from February 19, after India had lost to Australia. This is MS Dhoni answering questions.Q: MS, you mentioned that the top order needs to perform, but we are in the second stage of this tournament. Do you reckon the best XI should be playing now? Or do you want to continue…
Dhoni: You have to see what the best XI is. If you talk about the best XI being the players who have scored runs in the tournament then also we may find it difficult to feature the XI. Or if you talk about the number of games we have played or the experienced guys have played, so it’s about everyone going. Everybody needs to contribute. Gautam has done well, he needs to keep on going because he is among the senior guys who will be batting up the order. Then you have Virat who has done well, Rohit who is getting his chances and then Raina also. So we need to contribute as a unit, and that’s what should be the key. You want to field a very good fielding side also. We have seen in these close games that you can’t really afford to score always 20 more runs just because your fielding is not good enough on the big field. We have to be careful and hopefully it will be sorted out.Q: Is this series more about bringing something home after a disastrous Test series or is it about building a team for the 2015 World Cup?
Dhoni: It should be both because you want to do well. As I said you know the opposition team played well, they outplayed you but at the end of the day you feel bad, in the sense if you are not winning games you feel bad. We want to get a bit of both. You want the youngsters to play the games but of course we need to get into the finals first because it’s important to get into the finals. Then it’s a three match series in the finals. You have to be consistent in two games to win the tournament. But you want to see these youngsters, they will be coming here again and again. Maybe for the next World Cup also. They should know how you need to play in these situations or conditions against a bowling attack that is world class, so overall you want to get the best for the side.Q: Coming back to what you say, will there be a scenario – we are at the business end of the tournament, you haven’t made the final yet – will there be a scenario where you play all three – Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir?
Dhoni: That may happen. It will affect our fielding in a big way, which means there will be more pressure on the batsmen to score those extra 20 runs, but if the middle order does not perform consistently well you may have to go with the experienced guys at the top of the order, and let the scoring do, you know, from the bottom-most batsmen. In the sense, 5, 6 and 7.[A break, and then this question.]Q: You spoke about the fielding in the case you play all the three seniors. Is it really – suppose if Viru [who didn’t play that day] plays instead of either Rohit or Raina, is it worth 20 extra runs in the field?
Dhoni: Definitely. Because people often talk about that one run, but that one run that you save, it changes the strike and if the next ball, the batsman plays a big shot – a six or a four, it can have a big impact. If you see, the last few games that we played, we got two or three run outs and that really had a big impact.Also, what we need to see, it’s not only these three players that we are talking about. We also have quite a few other players who are slow on the field. It will just add on to that and we will be left with just two or three really good fielders. It’s not that these fielders are bad but for this environment and these conditions and big outfields, they are slightly on the slower side. They will be exploited. Once the ball goes to them, the Australians or the Sri Lankans will try to exploit the doubles or three runs. It means it will put more pressure on their body because the throwing needs to be good and the diving needs to be good, so they will be under constant pressure. So ultimately it will be a pressure game.This was reported as it was, and two days later Virender Sehwag took questions.Q: Do you agree with Dhoni when he says that you, Sachin and Gambhir can’t be played together in the same XI because you are slow fielders?
Sehwag: I don’t think so, we played together in the World Cup and we won games. Just because we want to give chances to youngsters and it’s good for every team, just keep rotating players and they will get good … and they will be fresh for next game, so that’s what I think.[A break, and then this question.]Q: Were you surprised when you heard that Dhoni came out and said if you three play together, you will concede 20 runs more. And did you have a chat with him?
Sehwag: No we didn’t know that. I didn’t know what he said and what’s going on in media. But we decided, we had a meeting, he chatted with everyone, with Gautam and myself and Tendulkar. He explained that he wanted to give chances to youngsters, so youngsters can play all the matches here, and the next World Cup is also here, so they’ll get to know the idea of how the wickets behave in Australia, so when they come for next World Cup, so they will prepare themselves.Q: The thrust of Dhoni’s argument the other night was that top three batsmen – you, Gautam and Sachin – could concede 20 runs extra. Good fielders but slow fielders.
Sehwag: We are same for the last 10 years. Nothing has changed.Q: Even if you concede 20 runs extra, Sehwag plays a big knock, you win the match single-handedly. These youngsters are saving 20 runs, but aren’t scoring…
Sehwag: You have to ask Dhoni again. What he told us is, he has to give chances to youngsters. They will come here and play the next World Cup. That’s what he told us.Q: Will you have a chat with him?
Sehwag: Why should I have a chat with him? When he has said he is the captain, he is the leader, if he and coach thinks we should give breaks to the top order, that’s fine, I am okay with that. I don’t have any issues with that.[A break again.]Q: Do you feel you, Tendulkar and Gambhir are liabilities in the field?
Sehwag: Have you seen my catch?Q: You said that the reason given to you three separately was they wanted to give the youngsters more chances. Now, you come to know through us that the other night another reason was given. Will you now have a chat with him?
Sehwag: I am available for all the matches. It depends on the captain and the coach what XI they will pick. If they give me the reason that we want to give chances to youngsters and you take a break, I am happy with that.*07:54 GMT, Feb 26: This article’s introduction has been changed

One of England’s oldest surviving cricketers Neil McCorkell has celebrated his 100th birthday

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2012One of England’s oldest surviving cricketers has celebrated his 100th birthday. Neil McCorkell, who played for Hampshire between 1932 and 1951, currently lives in South Africa, where he emigrated at the end of his county career.McCorkell never played Test cricket but did make an appearance for an England XI captained by Lord Tennyson on an unofficial tour to India in 1937. A wicketkeeper who claimed 532 catches and 185 stumpings in first-class cricket, McCorkell averaged 25.60 with the bat, with 17 centuries and a high score of 203 from 396 appearances.He made his Hampshire debut against Somerset in the summer of 1932 and quickly became a regular in the side, scoring more than 1,000 runs in a season on nine separate occasions. Two former Hampshire players have lived to the age of 100: EA English and GO Deane – but neither had as successful a career as McCorkell.The oldest surviving Test cricketer is currently Norman Gordon, who played five times for South Africa in the late 1930s, including an appearance in the Timeless Test. He turned 100 in August 2011.

Based on the evidence of two days in Barbados, the adjustment to life on Caribbean pitches will take rather more time for Australia’s batsmen than it has for the bowlers

Daniel Brettig in Barbados03-Apr-2012
ScorecardNathan Lyon showed he was a quick learner by improving on his first innings display•Getty Images

Based on the evidence of two days in Barbados, the adjustment to life on Caribbean pitches will take rather more time for Australia’s batsmen than it has for the bowlers.Michael Clarke’s top six stuttered notably in their first longer form examination on a bone-dry surface at the Three Ws Oval, before the fast and slow men showed they were adapting swiftly to the demands of the region by routing the WICB President’s XI.It was a source of some interest that the two batsmen not expected to play in the first Test, Peter Forrest and Peter Nevill, offered the most accomplished innings, while Clarke and Ricky Ponting stayed only briefly.Ed Cowan and Shane Watson had been accounted for on the first evening, while David Warner, Michael Hussey and Matthew Wade will play at Kensington Oval after being rested here.The spin of Ryan Austin and Nkrumah Bonner posed numerous problems, an omen for the West Indies’ likely tweaker Devendra Bishoo, and from 81 for 2 the visitors subsided to 214 for 9 in reply to 201 when Clarke declared. Bonner’s leg breaks are not of the same standard as Bishoo’s, which were hidden from Australia’s view during the limited overs matches.That left Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon to carve up the hosts between them for 98 in the afternoon. Lyon’s spell was among the more telling passages of the day, showing how quickly he was capable of learning after an indifferent first innings and likely heading off any claims Michael Beer had on the spin berth.Bowling a little more quickly than on the first day but not lapsing into anything too short or flat, he had the ball spitting treacherously from the surface and nabbed four wickets after Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson had snipped the top off the batting order.Ponting and Clarke had resumed comfortably, and a few crisp strokes in the first half-hour, not least the captain’s punched pull shots from Nelon Pascal, suggested a languid day. However Clarke would then fall victim to a tidy spell from Kevin McLean, who tucked up both batsmen then offered a wider delivery that Clarke swished at and edged behind.The left-armer Delorn Johnson’s action makes little use of his leading arm, but he did not appear to need it in a sturdy stint at the bowling crease that accounted for Ponting, snicking a ball angled across him to depart for 13. The wicketkeeper Nevill demonstrated the compact technique that had served him well over the domestic summer, adding 49 with Forrest in a combination that not so long ago would have been a common sight at a NSW second XI fixture.Nevill’s stay was ended when he tried to cut a leg break from Bonner and touched it on the way through to Baugh, who gathered the chance at the second attempt. Bonner and Austin weaved something of a web around the middle order and tail, varying their degree of turn while maintaining an accurate line on the dustiest of strips.Peter Siddle was lbw to Bonner on the sweep, Harris went the same way propping forward, before James Pattinson and Hilfenhaus succumbed to off breaks from Austin. At the other end Forrest was playing a neat, unhurried innings after negotiating a handful of short balls early on, and with the last man Lyon he took the tourists into the lead.Hilfenhaus wasted little time when the Australians bowled again, finding Kieran Powell very lbw when the ball failed to bounce as he expected. No. 3 Bonner was undone by a lack of pace off the pitch, closing the face of his bat too early and deflecting to backward point where Cowan held an athletic catch.Pattinson rumbled in after tea and removed Devon Smith’s off stump as the batsman played around a fast delivery, and Lyon made a useful start to his stint by coaxing Devon Thomas into a wild dance down the pitch that ended with the stumps being tilted back.Lyon’s fourth over would reap two more wickets, Kyle Corbin miscuing a sweep to Clarke running across from slip, and Dwayne Smith squeezing a catch to short leg when an off-break jumped at him. Hilfenhaus was denied the wicket of Jason Holder when Ponting claimed a low catch but the umpires indicated a bump ball off the bat.Ponting’s visible frustration was assuaged as the final four wickets went down rapidly, Hilfenhaus on a hat-trick when he whirred successive deliveries into the pads of McLean and Johnson, only for Pascal to play and miss at the next. Siddle claimed him, leaving Cowan and Watson to collect 30 of the 86 runs required for victory.