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Bowling coach Chaminda Vaas believes that Sri Lanka’s pace quintet can thrive in New Zealand conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Dec-2014Somehow, Sri Lanka snuck them through customs. No part of their convoy was delayed or detained. Not even New Zealand’s biosecurity officers – a more fastidious breed than most – were wise to their transit. As of Tuesday afternoon, all five specimens had arrived intact in Christchurch ahead of the first Test.Though their official names are long and unpronounceable to most in the country, their wrangler, Chaminda Vaas, believes they can thrive in these conditions. They hope to do as well as the other invasive breeds to make New Zealand’s shores. Like the possum or the European rabbit, Sri Lanka’s pace quintet of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera are well-placed to raise hell when set loose, Vaas said.”All five seamers on tour have a lot of ability,” he said. “It’s very rare that we get five guys together who can all bowl 140kph. The conditions in New Zealand are great for quicks, and as a seamer you are overjoyed when you see tracks like what you have here, because you don’t get that in Sri Lanka. The pitches give you swing, and then if you bowl well, you can trap batsmen.”Vaas knows plenty about prospering in New Zealand. Of the nations he played in, he was most efficient in New Zealand, taking 36 wickets at an average of 22.55. Sixteen of those scalps came in 1995, when Vaas led Sri Lanka to their first-ever away series win, and as on that tour, he was largely the sole seam threat through his career. With a core cordon of quicks of roughly equivalent age and ability now having developed, the new group has an opportunity to become the best pace attack Sri Lanka have fielded, he said.”Being a fast bowler is all about learning and adding to your game. We share a lot among the group, and that’s when we develop together. What I try to tell the guys is to think about how you can be better than the other bowlers. That’s not to encourage jealousy or disunity – but to try and help us as a group to raise our standards. You have to be thinking that when someone else gets five wickets, you also want to get five. When you have that mentality and that competition, it’s easier to get wickets on any pitch.”They all have a responsibility to look after themselves, in terms of diet and discipline, because the demands of the international game are high. Their fitness has to be at an optimum level all the time, and their mental approach has to be the same. That’s what they need to do to get the best out of themselves, and the rest is up to their ability and the conditions.”Sri Lanka have been reliant on Rangana Herath’s left-arm spin since Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, but have this year begun to bank on their quicks as well. Their three overseas Test wins in 2014 – in Dubai, Dhaka and Leeds, have all been largely forged by the quicks. With the exception of uncapped Chameera, each of the other fast bowlers have played key roles in Sri Lanka’s recent Test successes.”In England we didn’t have Suranga, and now that he is back, it is a big strength,” Vaas said. “After Lasith Malinga, he is the guy who is in a similar place. His rhythm is excellent, and the other bowlers have something to learn from him.”Control and modest movement have been the Sri Lanka quicks’ hallmarks this year, but Prasad’s inclusion for the Headingley Test injected some hit-the-deck intensity that paid dividends on the fourth afternoon when he claimed four top-order wickets in one spell to set up that victory. No fast bowler in the attack has yet played more than 21 Tests, but Sri Lanka pose a varied threat nonetheless, Vaas said.”Suranga gets swing at pace and is a wicket-taking threat all the time. Eranga is very similar. None of these bowlers are very experienced, which is why it’s imperative that they improve every time they play. Dhammika Prasad has been in the team for a while, but he has only recently been able to play at a stretch because of his injuries. Thankfully he has been able to get his body 100%, and is at a very good fitness level.”They all have minor differences, but in key criteria, they are the same: they all bowl 140, they can all do something with the ball, and they have good control. Dhammika is a little different, because he hits the deck and then gets movement, while Suranga and Eranga move it more in the air.”Chameera, 22, took 3 for 13 in the warm-up match on a Queenstown greentop, but is unlikely to be in the XI on Boxing Day. Described by some coaches as the quickest young bowler in Sri Lanka’s domestic circuit, Vaas believed him to be an outstanding prospect.”He’s very talented and quite raw. Even though he doesn’t have much experience, he bowled very well in the last match. In a year, I trust he will be able to hit that 150kph mark. He just needs to take good care of his body, his rest, his diet and his mental approach.”

Baroda failed to show fight for sustained periods on a wearing fourth-day pitch at Moti Bagh, losing by 182 runs to Uttar Pradesh

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Ambati Rayudu was impressive on a wearing pitch•ESPNcricinfo LtdBaroda failed to show fight for sustained periods on a wearing fourth-day pitch at Moti Bagh, conceding the game by 182 runs to Uttar Pradesh. Baroda were on the back foot coming in to the final day, having lost two wickets for virtually nothing late on the third day after they were set 369. Baroda resisted through a counterattacking stand of 82 for the sixth wicket between Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu, but a reckless shot from Yusuf triggered a collapse.Resuming at 5 for 2, Baroda were fortunate on two occasions in the morning. Abhimanyu Chauhan looked to drive RP Singh through the off side but the umpire failed to pick up the thick edge to the keeper. Shortly after, Chauhan’s partner, Utkarsh Patel went down the track to the spinner and survived a regulation stumping chance. UP struck in the 22nd over when Patel chopped Imtiaz Ahmed onto the off stump. Chauhan himself was bowled by the captain Suresh Raina, leaving UP in further trouble at 73 for 4.Rayudu and Yusuf, however, seemed undeterred by the ball not only turning square but also shooting through low. They charged the spinners and cleared the infield in their positive stand. Rayudu had a close call when he fended off a short ball from RP, with the ball shaving the stump but not dislodging the bails. With this coming after the umpiring howler, it clearly wasn’t RP’s day.Pathan, who scored 42 of his 49 runs off boundaries alone, showed welcome signs of a return to form. He charged Piyush Chawla and launched him high over long-on and when he looked to clear the on side again the following ball, he ended up dragging it onto his stumps.It was the start of the end for Baroda as the left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta ran through the lower order with three wickets in an over. Rayudu was left stranded on 56 and though he was let down by his team-mates in the end, it was a commendable innings from him on a tough pitch.UP claimed their first win while Baroda, having been denied by rain in the first round, were still looking for their first win.

The England seamers, maintaining the fine form that has been a feature of their cricket over the last couple of years, claimed three wickets in the first four overs to gain the early initiative

The Report by George Dobell26-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene’s 30th Test hundred was a vital innings for his side•Getty ImagesA masterful century from Mahela Jayawardene helped Sri Lanka fight back against England on the first day of the first Test in Galle. Jayawardene, unbeaten on 168 at stumps, batted for all but two overs of a hot and humid day to ensure his side were not completely overwhelmed. None of his colleagues made more than 27 and between them, they contributed just 111.Both sides will reflect on a day of missed opportunities. While England – with the notable exception of Monty Panesar – were impressive in the field, Sri Lanka may well come to rue that a series of batsmen played a part in their own downfall. Two of them were run out, one was caught at cover as he attempted a slog-sweep that reeked of inexperience and at least one more was drawn into driving at a delivery he would have been better served leaving well alone. England applied the pressure expertly, but Sri Lanka proved more brittle than expected.England, meanwhile, will regret four missed chances off Jayawardene – the two from Panesar almost comical – and a failure to finish off the innings much earlier. At 191 for 7, a total of 300 should have proved beyond Sri Lanka. Such profligacy could come back to haunt England.If it does, it will be largely thanks to Jayawardene. Only seven men have scored more than his 30 Test centuries, but he would have been frustrated at his colleagues’ failure to take advantage of winning the toss. It should have proved invaluable: on a pitch that is already offering a surprising amount of assistance for the spinners and is expected to deteriorate further.Jayawardene deserved better. With his patience, his shot selection, his concentration and his technique, he provided the perfect example for his team-mates to follow. Three times he came down the wicket to thump sixes over long-on – once off James Anderson and twice off Graeme Swann – though generally he contented himself with waiting for the poor ball and putting it away with clinical precision.England did allow him four moments of fortune, however. When he had 64, Anderson was unable to cling on to a desperately tough chance at first slip off the bowling of Swann (Sri Lanka would have been 138 for 6 had it been taken) before, on 90, Anderson missed a much more straightforward chance off his own bowling.Then came two moments of vintage Panesar. Jayawardene, on 147, pulled directly to him at backward square and Panesar parried the ball for four. Worse was to follow. Panesar dropped a much simpler chance at mid-on off Stuart Broad when the batsman had 152. It provided a reminder of why Panesar, for all his skill as a bowler, has spent so much of his career on the outskirts of the international team.At first it appeared Sri Lanka might be blown away as they lost three wickets in the first four overs. Lahiru Thirimanne became Anderson’s 250th Test wicket in the bowler’s 67th Test – he is just the sixth England bowler to reach the milestone – as he prodded at one angled across him, before Kumar Sangakkara suffered the third first-ball dismissal of his Test career after he was drawn into a loose drive. Broad then took the edge of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s bat with a beauty that bounced and left him off the seam.Thilan Samaraweera was run out backing up after the bowler, Anderson, managed to lay a hand on a fierce return drive from Mahela Jayawardene only to see the ball deflect on to the stumps at the bowler’s end. It was, some might say, an unfortunate end to a promising innings, though Samaraweera was backing up unnecessarily far.Dinesh Chandimal, meanwhile, presented Samit Patel – preferred to Ravi Bopara (whose side strain would have prohibited him from bowling) or Tim Bresnan – with a maiden Test wicket as he miscued an ugly slog-sweep to cover and miscued to cover. It was the shot of a young man who had almost forgotten the art of batting for long periods of time; not surprising, perhaps, when you consider that he has not batted in first-class cricket since the first week of January.Then Suraj Randiv, looking quite comfortable and with a role to fulfil in supporting his captain, was run out by a direct hit from Andrew Strauss. It was a marvellous bit of work from England’s captain, who threw from about point, but it was another piece of sloppy cricket from a Sri Lankan side that has barely had time to draw breath after tours to South Africa, Australia and then Bangladesh. Not that Randiv, perhaps guilty of over enthusiasm, could use that excuse: he has been playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka.With Herath, too, departing to an unnecessary sweep, only Prasanna Jayawardene could consider himself blameless. He fell victim to a wicked reverse-swinging inducker from Anderson.There were concerns that England would miss a third quick, but the polished performance of their frontline bowlers – and the fragility of the Sri Lankan batting – suggested the selectors’ gamble had been vindicated.Anderson, in particular, was excellent. Gaining conventional swing with the new ball and reverse swing with the old, he scarcely bowled a loose ball throughout and, when he took the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene, he drew level with Brian Statham on 252 Test wickets. Only four England bowlers – Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Fred Trueman and Derek Underwood – have more.Patel could also reflect with pleasure on his first day of Test cricket. While both frontline spinners went wicketless, Patel struck twice. He is not the biggest turner of the ball, but he bowls straight with just enough variation to keep the batsmen honest.Perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was the lingering issue of his ankle injury, but Broad appeared to struggle as the day progressed and England will be uncomfortable with the speed that runs were leaked after they claimed the second new ball. While the pitch is far from a minefield, it is highly unlikely to grow any easier and England – fresh from their travails against Pakistan’s spinners in the UAE – may struggle to shake the worry that they have squandered their best chance to take a firm grip on the series.

The lack of “real part-timers” like Jadeja or Yuvraj in the squad is a cause of concern for Dhoni

Abhishek Purohit in Hambantota21-Jul-2012MS Dhoni just hates giving away runs. Even while standing on the boundary to fetch lofted shots during nets, he sprints around as if in a game, straining and stretching to stop everything. He gives the substantial Hambantota outfield a furtive look, as if already calculating how many extra runs it will cost him. Call him defensive, call him pragmatic, but you get an insight into his thinking when at the start of a season, one of his major concerns is what he calls the lack of a “real part-timer” in the Indian squad. He mentioned Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja in that category; neither of them has made the trip to Sri Lanka. Irfan Pathan has, but that is another conundrum for another day.Dhoni acknowledged Irfan’s availability, but instantly proceeded to expound on the problem of the part-timer. “The coming in of Irfan gives us the liberty of playing five specialist bowlers,” Dhoni said. “We can play two spinners along with three fast bowlers as Irfan can do a bit of batting but what also needs to be considered is what kind of a combination we actually want.”We don’t have a real part-timer, in the sense that when Yuvraj was there, he can bowl, even if he is having an off-day, four to five overs, or when Jadeja is there he can bowl four to five overs minimum and you can rotate the bowlers and get the ten overs out of them. But if we play with four bowlers, the catch-22 situation is that the rest of the overs will be bowled by Viru [Sehwag], Rohit [Sharma], [Suresh] Raina. Things can get a little difficult as Sri Lanka is a very experienced side and will see as to this is the bowler who has to be targeted. It is not only them; we have also done it in the past.”What must also be worrying Dhoni, and placing additional value on having a quality part-timer, is the disappointing run of his main bowlers since the World Cup win. Bowling, especially at the death, cost India a place in the Asia Cup final. Since the World Cup, only Canada and Zimbabwe’s attacks have been more expensive in ODIs, and only Zimbabwe have found taking a wicket costlier than India have.Since the World Cup final, Zaheer Khan has managed to play just four ODIs. Zaheer’s five wickets in those four games have cost nearly 40 runs each. As have Umesh Yadav’s 15 wickets from 12 games in the same period. Ashok Dinda has mostly been on the fringes. Irfan’s 13 wickets from eight games at an average below 30 suddenly look even better than they are by comparison. R Ashwin has had the best returns since the World Cup, with 33 wickets in 26 games at an average of 33.12 and an economy-rate of 4.81.Already, Dhoni has been asked whether he will look to rest Zaheer during this series. “It is very important but I don’t think we need to think about it from right the first game because we have to also get him match-fit,” Dhoni said with a knowing smile. “I don’t mean he is unfit, we do a lot of fitness [work], but match fitness is slightly different. The more games he plays, the better he gets. In between, yes, if we have the time and the situation, we would like to give him rest, but we are not thinking about it at the moment.”The batting, as always, poses far fewer worries. Dhoni said India rely a lot on their top three, and a much-fitter looking Virender Sehwag has some work to do. He’s played fewer ODIs than Sachin Tendulkar since the World Cup, and apart from the double-hundred against West Indies in Indore, he has not gone past 30. Of course, we know what will be bothering Dhoni the most. Certainly not the batting.

Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill at Queens Sports Club01-Aug-2013Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo. Entrusted with the new ball, as he had been through most of the IPL by MS Dhoni, Mohit made the first incision for India with the wicket of Sikandar Raza and then returned to remove Malcolm Waller in the batting Powerplay to snap a stubborn middle-order stand.”Yeah, it all feels like a dream,” Mohit said. “But I have worked on my bowling and it is showing. I am ready to do well in whatever opportunity I am going to get. I was just focusing on keeping things simple and sticking to basics. I did not want to try too many things and it worked for me today.”It was that same formula that first brought Mohit success in the Ranji Trophy with Haryana and it also worked a treat at this year’s IPL, where he emerged as one of the most miserly and effective new-ball bowlers of the tournament. It was also noticeable that, during every Indian nets session on this tour, Mohit consistently impressed with his ability to hit a length on or around off stump with almost every delivery.A correct call at the toss by Virat Kohli supplied Mohit with almost ideal conditions this morning and, apart from a single wide probably brought about by nervous excitement, his first over in international cricket was exemplary. He beat Vusi Sibanda’s bat four times in that first over, and it wasn’t until his third that a run was scored off the bat.It was his stock outswinger that brought his maiden wicket, with Raza feathering one behind, and Mohit’s opening six-over spell yielded just 13 runs. After a brief turn in the middle overs, Kohli brought him back for the Powerplay, with a well-set Waller and Elton Chigumbura having taken 11 runs from the first over under the fielding restrictions. Sharma responded to his captain’s call with Waller’s dismissal, also via the outside edge. A battling 80-run stand was broken, and Zimbabwe quickly subsided.”It is difficult to bowl in Powerplays but we work hard in practice sessions,” Mohit explained. “We create match situations during training and bowl a lot and that has helped in matches. And that is why we don’t feel much pressure in matches. Playing under Mahi [Dhoni] and in pressure conditions has taught me a lot. I am just carrying that experience into the international level.”Everyone already knew that Mohit could do a job with the new ball, and such was the ineptitude of Zimbabwe’s batting that his ability to vary his bowling with slower balls – which, again was on prime display in the IPL – and yorkers has not yet been tested. He’s in no rush to add new strings to his bow, however, and given his successes so far that’s understandable.”After coming into the Indian team I have learnt a lot from bowling coach Joe Dawes. It’s just about sticking to the basics and working on your strengths and improving on that. As far as learning new things in bowling, I can do that later and not in match situations. Now I want to focus on the next game and doing well in that as well.”

MS Dhoni, who will captain India for the 50th time in Tests, highlighted the importance of knowing one’s limitations and their strengths

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg17-Dec-2013When he walks out for the toss at the Wanderers on Wednesday, MS Dhoni will have achieved a rare feat: having captained in 50 Tests a team that always plays under the scrutiny and pressure of expectation that the England football team or the All Blacks usually face. Only 32 years old, he often jokes about how he has greyed with the captaincy. There is a reason why no Indian has led in 50 Tests. Rahul Dravid, possibly the best on-field captain India have had, could manage the job for only 25 matches before resigning. Dhoni has obviously done some things right, one of which is that he might not even know that he is going to walk out for a 50th toss in whites.When Dhoni had the seniors – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag gave him some of their best innings – he did the job perfectly for the most part. He knew all he needed to do was make sure they were in a good space and the performances would be delivered. He managed the off-field stuff well, which captains will tell you is equally important, if not more – remember Ian Chappell’s improvisation of a Bill O’Reilly line that even a collie dog can arrange a batting order and make bowling changes? Towards the end of the seniors’ careers, Dhoni perhaps trusted a good thing for too long, but largely he could do his job staying in the shadow and under the radar.Now, though, begins a new challenge for Dhoni. This is the first time he is captaining a side without any of his big guns. Even Gautam Gambhir is missing. India’s six specialist batsmen have a combined experience of 42 Tests, only three of them in South Africa. Dhoni knows he needs to be more proactive without being overbearing.MS Dhoni’s 50th Test as India captain is the beginning of a whole new challenge•BCCI”It will be quite different,” he said on the eve of the match. “When all the seniors were part of the side, you didn’t really have to worry much about how preparation is going because once you have played international cricket for a long time you know your game. At the same time you know how to prepare well in different conditions. Many of them had toured the same venues quite a few times, be it England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand.”But with the new set of players, at times you have to guide them as to what needs to be done, and what are the areas where they need to improve,” Dhoni said. “At the same time not getting too technical is also very important. Because you can’t change your technique in five-six-seven days. What’s important is to know your limitation, and at the same time know your strength.”An ideal scenario would have been a gradual phasing out of the seniors, so that some of them were around to take the new batsmen through their paces in away Tests. However, not for nothing is the India captaincy difficult. There are few ideal scenarios. Now all these young batsmen will have to go through this as newcomers. A newcomer, though, will find what Dhoni says reassuring. He is not imposing demands, he is not going to sit and say things would have been better with Tendulkar or Dravid or Laxman around. He is going to guide newcomers on how to prepare, he is going to leave technical matters to Duncan Fletcher, and he will ask that they give their best on match day.Dhoni is also going to ask his bowlers to pull their weight, a demand sometimes not made because the senior batsmen used to clean up after them. “One of the most crucial things to do is to bowl well, because to win Test matches you have to score runs but at the end of the day we need to take 20 wickets,” he said, when asked of the importance of batting well in the first innings. “So I think it will be very important to bowl in the right areas. [You need to] get used to the conditions really well. Try to hit the top of off stump because that’s the ideal length irrespective of where you are playing. It’s a bit of both, but of course we need to bowl really well. If we start well with that, we will carry off the confidence to other departments.”Dhoni will live with his bowlers not having the pace of Dale Steyn or the bounce of Morne Morkel, but he will want them to hit the top of off with the seam upright more often than not.It’s possible Dhoni doesn’t let things such as legacy play on his mind too much. However, after the last two horror away tours put a downer on his good work as captain, his 50th is almost a fresh start for Dhoni when it comes to leading a Test side.

A round-up of matches on the opening day of the Under-19 Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013Afghanistan Under-19 pulled off a three-wicket victory, after Zia-ur-Rehman’s five-for restricted Sri Lanka Under-19 to 191 for 9. Sri Lanka had made a steady start, with opener Hashan Dumindu scoring 61, but the innings faltered after the first-wicket stand of 64. They lost wickets in clutches, with Rehman jolting the top and lower order while Sharafuddin Ashraf, who took 2 for 30, hurting the middle. Rehman finished with 5 for 33 in ten overs. Afghanistan’s chase also slipped after a steady start: they went from 63 for 0 to 78 for 3 and then limped to 165 for 7. The asking rate was never an issue, though, and the captain Nasir Ahmadzai scored an unbeaten 28, and Ashraf hit 15 off eight balls, to take Afghanistan to victory with 15 balls to spare.Bangladesh Under-19 made short work of Malaysia Under-19 in their opening game of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi, winning by nine wickets and 39.4 overs to spare. Malaysia lasted only 25.2 overs after they chose to bat and were dismissed for 50. Ahmad Tajudin Ismail was their top scorer with 15 and the only batsman to score in double figures. Bangladesh left-arm seamer Abu Haider finished with figures of 8-4-8-5. The Bangladesh top order did not waste time in the chase, achieving the target in 10.2 overs. Opener Shadman Islam was unbeaten on 25 off 26 balls.A hundred from Akhil Herwadkar and rapid half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Ricky Bhui led India Under-19 to a match-winning total against UAE Under-19. After India won the toss, Herwadkar made 101, while Samson scored 65 off 47 balls and Bhui 54 off 38 to amass a score of 320 for 4. UAE’s chase never got going and eventually only two of their batsmen made it into the 20s, and neither of them passed 30. Seamer Deepak Hooda took 4 for 21, while spinners Aamir Gani and Kuldeep Yadav took three and two wickets each for India. UAE were dismissed for 131 in 40.1 overs, giving India victory by 189 runs.Pakistan Under-19 batsmen Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored centuries to sink Nepal Under-19 by 132 runs. Aslam made a run-a-ball 108 while Raza contributed 100, and the innings was given boost by Zafar Gohar, who scored 50 off 26 balls to lead Pakistan to 311 for 6 in 50 overs. Nepal’s openers added 76 but they took 22.4 overs to do so and the asking rate soared. The innings fell away after Amit Shrestha’s 60 and Nepal were restricted to 179 for 7. Pakistan trialled as many as eight bowlers and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam was the best of the lot, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.

Half-centuries from openers Neil Broom and Hamish Rutherford set up Otago’s tight five-wicket win off the final over, against Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2013
ScorecardHalf-centuries from openers Neil Broom and Hamish Rutherford set up Otago’s tight five-wicket win off the final over, against Auckland. The openers put on 104 in 9.2 overs, with Rutherford being the dominant partner, to keep their team in hunt of their target of 191. The middle-order batsmen didn’t hit many boundaries, but kept the scoreboard ticking, and despite a few wickets falling towards the end, the win was achieved comfortably.Auckland also played a dominant first innings to give themselves a strong chance to lift themselves from the lower half of the points table. The innings centred around middle-order batsman Anaru Kitchen’s 39-ball 66. After losing their first wicket off the second ball of the match, opener Lou Vincent and Gareth Hopkins put on 68 in 6.1 overs. The other productive stand, which built the strong total, was that of 89 between Kitchen and Colin de Grandhomme.However, Rutherord’s aggressive knock in Otago’s chase, of 50 off 26 deliveries, shifted the momentum their way. His opening partner, Broom, scored 60 off 40 deliveries, as Otago, with their fifth win this season, regained their position at the top of the points table.

Vijay Zol, Yusuf Pathan and Kedar Jadhav struck half-centuries to take West Zone into the final of the Deodhar Trophy with a comfortable five-wicket win over South Zone in Guwahati

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2013
ScorecardYusuf Pathan’s third consecutive fifty helped West Zone reach the final of the Deodhar Trophy•Associated PressVijay Zol, Yusuf Pathan and Kedar Jadhav struck half-centuries to take West Zone into the final of the Deodhar Trophy with a comfortable five-wicket win over South Zone in Guwahati. West Zone reached their target of 259 with more than eight overs to spare, and will take on North Zone in the final on Wednesday.Zol, who hit the headlines in 2011 with an unbeaten 451 in an Under-19 match, anchored the West Zone reply with a well-compiled 75 off 88 balls – his highest List A score. His 71-run partnership with Rayadu eased some early jitters after West Zone lost Parthiv Patel and Manprit Juneja in consecutive overs with the score at 26 for 2. Once Rayadu was dismissed by B Sudhakar, Zol and Pathan proceeded to shut South Zone out of the match.Pathan played his usual flamboyant game to bring up his third consecutive List-A fifty. He had a reprieve in the 23rd over after a tough chance off an outside edge went down behind the stumps, but he carried on unaffected, bringing up his fifty with a boundary over long-on. With Jadhav chipping in with a brisk 56, a comfortable win was completed.Earlier, fifties from Stuart Binny and Sachin Baby helped South Zone reach 258 for 8 in their 50 overs. The pair added 87 runs for the sixth wicket in 13.1 overs, taking the score past 200 after South Zone were struggling at 143 for 5 in the 34th over. Baby worked hard for his first List-A fifty, hitting just three boundaries in his 58, even as Binny provided a late flourish to the innings.Munaf Patel, playing only his fourth match of this season, picked up 2 for 48 in his 10 overs, while Nayar also picked up two wickets even though he conceded 49 runs in his seven overs. Jaydev Unadkat was the most economical bowler for West conceding 49 runs off his 12 overs and picking up the wicket of the centurion from South’s previous match Baba Aparajith.

The full transcript of the sanctions handed out to Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield by the ECB

22-Jun-2012Danish Kaneria & Mervyn Westfield Sanctions Hearing1.An ECB Cricket Discipline Commission Panel comprising Gerard Elias QC (Chairman), David Gabbitass and Jamie Dalrymple convened at the offices of Sport Resolutions UK on Friday 22nd June 2012 to consider the appropriate sanction applicable to 2 charges found proved in relation to Danish Kaneria and one charge admitted by Mervyn Westfield.GENERAL1.Self evidently, corruption, specifically spot fixing, in cricket or any other sport for that matter, is a cancer that eats at the health and very existence of the game. For the general public, supporting the game and their team within it, there is no merit or motivation to expend time, money or effort to watch a match whose integrity may be in doubt. The consequences of the public’s disengagement from cricket would be catastrophic.2.Furthermore, the game of cricket simply cannot afford to have its reputation tarnished in the eyes of commercial partners. These partners could not and would not link their brand to a sport whose integrity had been so undermined.3.For players who have devoted their entire careers to the pursuit of hard fought and properly competitive sport, to have those genuine achievements called into question by the corrupt actions of a tiny minority, may tend to devalue their worth.4.Accordingly, we have no doubt that this is a cancer which must be rooted out of the game of cricket.5.As a result of this in relation to domestic cricket the ECB and the PCA have introduced programmes of training and education such that in 2012 there are in place for all county cricketers appropriate safeguards in the area of match fixing and corruption. These were not in place in 2009.6.In reaching our conclusions, we have had regard to the authorities placed before us in relation to sanctions imposed for corrupt activity in sport.Danish Kaneria7.We sentence for 2 offences. As we have found, they involve the deliberate corruption of a young and vulnerable player and, we are satisfied, various attempts to involve others in the net of corruption. As a senior international player of repute he plainly betrayed the trust reposed in him in his dealings with fellow team mates and we regard his persistent efforts to recruit spot fixers as being a seriously aggravating factor in his case.8.Significant sums of money doubtless flow from corrupt activities such as those which we have examined this week, and we have no doubt that those involved in making such corrupt financial gains spare no thought either for those they corrupt or for the integrity of the game.9.Kaneria has made no admission, has shown no remorse and sought to cast blame on other plainly innocent persons.10.In all these circumstances, we regard Danish Kaneria as a grave danger to the game of cricket and we must take every appropriate step to protect our game from his corrupt activities. Accordingly, we are unanimously of the view that the only appropriate sanction in relation to both charges is one of suspension for life and that is the sanction we impose. This means from today Danish Kaneria is suspended from any involvement in the playing, organisation or administration of any cricket under the jurisdiction of the ECB.Mervyn Westfield11.For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to indicate that were Westfield to have committed the offence to which he pleaded guilty, in 2012 – when the education and training programmes were in place – on a fully contested basis, we would have imposed a suspension of 9 years. Let no one underestimate the seriousness of failing to perform – or agreeing so to do – on ones merits.12.We bear in mind the fact that his conduct occurred in 2009, that he was targeted and pressurised by a senior team mate. To the ECB’s charge he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is entitled to significant credit for that.13.His evidence to this Panel was the core evidence which has exposed and led to the conviction of Kaneria and we accept that this has taken some courage.14. We bear in mind also all the matters urged upon us by Mark Milliken-Smith QC with regard to his character and we note his stated willingness to assist PCA in any future anti corruption education programme.15.Accordingly, we conclude that the appropriate sanction is:Suspension from involvement in all cricket under the auspices of the ECB for 5 years but we shall, exceptionally, mitigate that penalty by permitting him to participate in club cricket on terms which will be set out in detail in our written ruling* for the last 2 years of that suspension period.This suspension in relation to Westfield is effective from 17th February 2012.*In relation to Mervyn Westfield, the Panel have imposed a suspension of 5 years. For the first 3 years, this suspension applies to any involvement in cricket under ECB jurisdiction at any level including playing, coaching and administration. For the final 2 years, the suspension applies only to cricket in any Team England and First-Class County cricket environment including First-Class County Second Xl, Unicorns or any other team participating in ECB First Xl or Second Xl competitions, Minor County cricket and any involvement in First-Class County Academy or age-group cricket.Gerard Elias QC
David Gabitass
Jamie Dalrymple 22 06 2012