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Samit Patel, the England and Nottinghamshire allrounder, has been awarded an England increment contract for 2012-13

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2012Samit Patel, the England and Nottinghamshire allrounder, has been awarded an England increment contract for 2012-13. Patel has played three T20 internationals and three Tests in the current contract period, and that has earned him a total of 21 points (five for a Test, and two for a T20 or ODI). Non-contracted players are awarded an increment contract once a player reaches 20 points during the 12-month contract period.”This contract reflects the contribution Samit has made to our T20 and Test teams this winter and we congratulate him on his achievement,” ECB national selector Geoff Miller said.Patel was part of the England squad on their tour of India and made 69 runs in four innings in three Tests. He was left out of the fourth Test in Nagpur. In the two-match Twenty20 series on the tour, he made 24 and 9.

A Zimbabwe government directive that only former international players can be part of the selection panel is set to be amended to allow a minority of non ex-players

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2013Following a week of mudslinging over Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission’s (SRC) new directive governing selection committees, the mandate is set to be amended to include a minority of non ex-players. Initially, the policy said only former internationals could sit on the selection panel of all sports organisations, a suggestion which was greeted with great furore by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) in particular.The revised order will mean most recent convenor of selectors Givemore Makoni could continue as a selector although he will not be able to chair it. It will also allow ZC to appoint a coach who is not a former national player and the new coach can also sit on the selection panel.”The SRC stated that we would consider suggestions from any national sports associations to refine and improve the directive,” David Coltart, Zimbabwe’s minister of education, sport, arts and culture, told ESPNcricinfo. “The principle issue remains binding and the majority of selectors and the chair have to be ex-national players.”Changes to the directive are expected to be announced in the next week and it is due to come into effect on February 1. ZC is the body most likely to appreciate the loosening of the provisio because of the impact it will have on the appointment of a new national coach. Historically, Zimbabwe’s national cricket coach has not been a selector and only advised the panel but in October last year ZC changed that. The coach now acts as a selector as well which meant that if the directive remained as it was originally written, ZC would have had to appoint a former player as the coach because he would also have had to operate as a selector.That would have had the most obvious effect on current assistant coach Stephen Mangongo, who is one of three applicants in line to replace current coach, Alan Butcher. Zimbabwe’s tour to West Indies, which starts next month and ends on March 24, will be Butcher’s last in charge because he has opted not to renew his contract. Mangongo, current batting coach Grant Flower and bowling coach Heath Streak have all put their names in the hat to be appointed to the main job.Mangongo is the only one who has not played for Zimbabwe and the only black African of the three. His exclusion as coach because of the requirement that he would also have had to be a selector was labelled “racist,” by Makoni.Coltart denied any agenda to exclude black Zimbabweans from positions of power in sport. He also appears mindful of the consequences the initial directive could have on those who were denied opportunity to play international sport because of racial prejudices in the past.Makoni, who was set to lose his post on the selection panel, will now also be eligible for it provided he is part of a minority of non ex-players. Zimbabwe’s last three-person selection committee comprised of Makoni, former Test player Wayne James and the late Kevin Curran. Since Curran’s death, James and Butcher have been selectors although Makoni continued to have a casting vote.

Jammu & Kashmir offspinner Parvez Rasool bowled with flight and control to take seven Australian wickets in Chennai

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2013Offspinner Parvez Rasool, with figures of 7 for 45 in Chennai, was doing more than merely welcoming the Australians on their edge-of-seat tour of India. Offspin and Australians do not go well together in any case, but as they stumbled to 241 all out in a rash of shot-making, Rasool was also marking a milestone for cricket in his home state, the politically-troubled Jammu & Kashmir, and raising a toast to his Ranji Trophy coach Bishan Singh Bedi.Bedi’s most memorable advice to him over the past two seasons, Rasool said, came when he was working hard on developing his doosra. Rasool laughs when he talks of it: “Bedi sir said to me, ‘If you bowl the (first one) well, why do you need the doosra?” The word “doosra,” when translated from Urdu, merely means the second one.On a pitch that offered slow turn at the Guru Nanak College ground, Rasool showed control of flight and generated bounce, having Steve Smith caught at short leg and the acting captain Matthew Wade caught in the deep. Smith’s dismissal triggered the slide and the last five Australian wickets fell to Rasool.Australian opener Ed Cowan said Rasool had “held the attack up nicely.” India offspinner R Ashwin sent out his compliments on Twitter: “Well done to parvez rasol. Such a nice lad. So happy for him.”Bedi called Rasool a complete package. “He has a clean action, uses his shoulder well and has a deceptive faster one,” he said. “He is an orthodox offspinner, and is a brilliant all-round cricketer and a very good athlete.”His advice to Rasool this season, he said, had been simple. “I told him to be himself. When batting, hit the bloody thing, when bowling turn the bloody thing.” Rasool finished the Ranji season top of both batting and bowling charts for J&K, with 594 runs, including two centuries, and 33 wickets.Rasool became the first cricketer from his state to be selected in an Indian team to play an international side, when he was picked for India A against England in a warm-up match before the one-day series. Rasool said today that his strength was being able to control his flight. “I was able to bowl to my strengths today and remembered what Bedi sir said to me. Flight is what will make you deceive the batsman first up, don’t worry if you’re hit for six or four, toss the ball up.”Rasool belongs to Bij Behara, a town in the Anantnag district in the south of Kashmir valley. He came through the junior ranks, representing his state from the Under-14s onwards. His father batted for Anantnag district and an elder brother Asif played two T20 matches for J&K in 2009.Rasool took to cricket watching Abdul Qayuum, one of Kashmir’s best known players, rise through the ranks to play for North Zone. “I started my cricket based on what he had done … it is a very big thing for me to bowl against an international team today. Inshallah, if I get another chance, I will do better. I want to tell all the youngsters in my state today that if they work hard, you will get a chance.”

Jahurul Islam has been fined 50% of his Bangladesh Cricket League final match fee after appearing for Dhaka University in a university match without the BCB’s permission

Mohammad Isam27-Feb-2013Jahurul Islam has been fined 50% of his Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) final match fee after he played in a university match without the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) permission. He was also warned that a similar incident in the future will result in an automatic two-match ban.Ahead of the third day of the BCL final held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, he played for Dhaka University in the nearby Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium, in an inter-university indoor cricket tournament. With the final being a day-night match, Jahurul returned to the ground two hours before play started, having played an eight-overs-a-side match. Later on the same day, he was named in the 15-man Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour, returning after almost three years.A day after the final, which Jahurul almost won single-handedly for North Zone, he was summoned by the BCB’s cricket operations committee because he is a contracted player under Grade C.”The BCB disciplinary committee felt that as an experienced cricketer at domestic and international level, Islam should have been more aware of the terms of his engagement with the BCB,” the board said in a statement. “As captain of a side playing in the final of a first-class event, he should have displayed a more responsible attitude, not only to his team-mates, but also to the outcome of the match.”Finally, by playing in an unauthorised capacity, in an unfamiliar format, he had exposed himself unnecessarily to the risk of possible injury, thereby jeopardising the selection process of the Bangladesh Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.”

Former New Zealand cricketer and Northern Districts’ batsman James Marshall announced his retirement from first-class cricket after a 16-year-long career

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2013Former New Zealand cricketer and Northern Districts’ batsman James Marshall announced his retirement from first-class cricket after a 16-year-long career. Marshall, who played for New Zealand between 2005 and 2008, led Northern Districts for the last two seasons of the Ford Trophy.”These are never easy decisions to make, and after 16 years it’s going to be a big change for me,” Marshall said. “But it’s the logical one for myself and my family at this point in my life. Having done a 44-day stint away from home this season, [with] my wife looking after our young son, it was time for me to re-evaluate.”Marshall played seven Tests, 10 ODIs and three T20Is for New Zealand, scoring his only ODI hundred against Ireland in his last limited-overs match. His brother, Hamish, also played for New Zealand between 2000 and 2007.Marshall, who made his first-class debut in 1997-98, became the first batsman to score 6,000 runs for Northern Districts. He is the leading run-scorer for Northern Districts at the one-day level, having scored 3,755 domestic runs. He also holds the record for most first-class appearances by a domestic player for a single province in New Zealand, with 126 appearances for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield.Northern Districts Cricket CEO, Peter Roach was all praise for Marshall and the commitment and longevity he demonstrated at the club.”James is one of the leading players of his generation,” Roach said. ‘We will miss him after such a long and loyal association with Northern Districts and we wish him all the very best in his new career.”

A preview of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013

Kanishkaa Balachandran02-Apr-2013

Big Picture

Two-time finalists and yet, no cup. Royal Challengers Bangalore have choked at the wrong moments and it must be frustrating for their supporters that a team with the likes of Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers – possibly the best T20 batsmen around – haven’t gone all the way. The feeling of unfulfilled promise was evident in 2012, when the team finished a disappointing fifth. They ended level on 17 points with Chennai Super Kings, who finished fourth in the league, but missed the playoffs because of a marginally inferior net run-rate after losing their last match to eighth-placed Deccan Chargers. In all, they won eight and lost seven out of 16 games, and had one washout.The over-dependence on overseas stars and lukewarm showing by the Indian players were the main reasons for their failure to make the playoffs. Gayle was the tournament’s top scorer (733), hit the most sixes (59) and scored 31% of the team’s runs. Virat Kohli, with 364 runs, was second for Royal Challengers. Zaheer Khan and Vinay Kumar failed to contain the runs consistently and the team rarely found the right combination.A significant change ahead of this season is in the leadership. Kohli takes over as captain from Daniel Vettori and it will be an examination of his leadership skills, given he is touted to be India’s next captain. He has the backing of his coach Ray Jennings, who said he saw captaincy material in Kohli three years ago. With Vettori returning from injury – he has missed New Zealand’s recent commitments – it made sense for Royal Challengers to look for a new captain for the long haul.The bowling needed attention after last year’s showing. At the February auction, the team went with the strategy of beefing up their seam reserves, buying seven fast bowlers – four specialists and three allrounders – four of them overseas picks. Their batting hasn’t been tinkered with. Zaheer hasn’t been feeling a million bucks over the last few months, down with fitness issues and dropped for the home Tests against Australia. Royal Challengers will need him to get his form and confidence back to lead the seam attack.

Key players

Royal Challengers’ overseas players are available throughout the tournament. Much will depend on Gayle, de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan to provide electric starts. The expectations on Kohli will also increase.

Big players in

Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik was bought outside the player auction and it could be a wise move by the team, given his experience. It’s his third IPL team, after Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors. He adds to the wealth of spin options, with Muttiah Muralitharan and Vettori in the mix.

Big players out

Dirk Nannes was part of the squad last year but never got a game, due to the paucity of overseas slots. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in T20s, after Alfonso Thomas. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for $600,000, where he is likely to get more opportunities.

Under the radar

It’s ironic that RP Singh should be considered ‘under the radar’, considering that he’s currently third-highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 74 wickets. He was one of the several seamers bought in the auction ($400,000). He last played for India – out of the blue – in 2011 and hasn’t been in contention for a recall. His recent domestic form hasn’t been spectacular either, with five wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20. The coming IPL could spark a revival, if he is given the opportunities.

Availability

De Villiers is likely to miss at least the opening game, due to his wedding. Cheteshwar Pujara is also doubtful for the opening games because of a finger injury sustained during the Australia Tests. S Aravind, the left-arm seamer, is out injured and he has been replaced by his Karnataka team-mate KL Rahul, a right-hand batsman. When Royal Challengers travel to Chennai, the Sri Lankans Muralitharan and Dilshan will be forced to sit out. Vettori, if picked to tour England, could be available only through April.

Yorkshire’s bold decision to tempt Liam Plunkett away from Durham during the winter was widely regarded as a major gamble, but just five weeks into the new season their faith has been rewarded with his best bowling performance in nearly four years.

Myles Hodgson at Edgbaston15-May-2013
ScorecardLiam Plunkett took his first Championship five-wicket haul for his new county•PA Photos

Yorkshire’s bold decision to tempt Liam Plunkett away from Durham during the winter was widely regarded as a major gamble, but just five weeks into the new season their faith has been rewarded with his best bowling performance in nearly four years.Few counties were queuing up to secure the services of a bowler good enough to play nine Tests and 29 one-day internationals for England, most recently in 2011. Indeed his radar had malfunctioned sufficiently for Durham to select him only three times in Championship matches over the past two years.But having battled through the dark times with Durham, he has responded to encouragement from Jason Gillespie, the former Australian Test bowler and Yorkshire’s first team coach, and claimed 5 for 32 to help dismiss Warwickshire, the county champions, for just 128. It was his best return since claiming 6 for 85 against Nottinghamshire in September, 2009 and provided hope that, at 28, his talent may yet be revived.”I felt good at the start of the year against the Universities and took six-for, so it’s nice going in the Championship as well,” Plunkett said. “I went away this winter and did some work in Adelaide and it was just nice to be able to prove to myself that I can take five in an innings. I’ve picked up twos and threes, but to get five makes you confident.”His display ensured Yorkshire dominated an opening day that had the morning session wiped out by rain. Exploiting swing-friendly conditions after winning the toss, Yorkshire seized control early with openers Varun Chopra and Will Porterfield falling to loose shots in difficult conditions.Only Jim Troughton, who carried his bat over three hours to finish unbeaten on 65, showed the necessary application to survive in testing circumstances. His team-mates failed to follow his example and fell to a succession of ill-judged shots with Plunkett claiming three wickets in 18 balls before returning to finish off the innings.”I’m enjoying my game massively,” Plunkett said. “I just felt a bit stale at Durham but being here I feel fresh and I feel in good rhythm. It goes hand in hand for me. When I’m enjoying it things fit in and that’s the way I’m feeling right now.”For someone to come and offer you a contract for three years and put that faith in you has been awesome. To have Dizzy, with everything he has achieved and the way he goes about things, do that is great. He is much more relaxed than I thought and for me that’s what I needed, not to have too many complications but just go out and enjoy your cricket, try and bowl quick and hit the keeper’s gloves and that’s benefitted me so far this year.”For Warwickshire, currently struggling with a casualty list that includes six players, it was a chastening experience. It was their lowest total since being dismissed for 98 against Hampshire in August 2011.

Chris Wright put in a fine display of one-day bowling as Warwickshire notched up their first win of their Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign and dent Sussex’s hopes of a third successive appearance in the knockout stages.

31-May-2013
ScorecardChris Wright transferred his good form with the red ball to one-day cricket at Hove•Getty Images

Chris Wright put in a fine display of one-day bowling as Warwickshire notched up their first win of their Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign and dent Sussex’s hopes of a third successive appearance in the knockout stages.Chasing a target of 158 in 21 overs after rain delayed the start of the until 7.30pm, Sussex were always up against it after losing Chris Nash and Rory Hamilton-Brown in the first five balls of their reply. Both were caught in the deep off top edges in Wright’s first over and Wright returned to the attack in the 18th over to deliver another important blow when he had Mike Yardy taken on the midwicket boundary for 25.On a pitch offering good pace and carry, Wright used the short ball expertly and only conceded 10 runs in his final two overs, which left Sussex needing 17 off the final over. The task proved beyond them when Boyd Rankin removed Matt Machan and Ben Brown with successive balls and they finished eight runs short.Sussex’s chase had been revived by a stand of 73 in 10 overs between Luke Wright and skipper Ed Joyce for the third wicket. Wright led the scoring with 44 off 35 balls and Joyce, who made an century for Ireland against Pakistan in Sunday’s one-day international, gave him good support with 31 before the pair fell in successive overs from offspinner Jeetan Patel.Warwickshire’s total of 157 for 7 had been built around solid contributions from Tim Ambrose, with 40 and Darren Maddy’s 48.The Bears could only score 25 in the first four-over Powerplay and lost two wickets in the process. Will Porterfield was superbly caught one-handed by the diving Chris Jordan at slip and Jordan then had Bears’ skipper Jim Troughton held at backward point off a top edge.Ambrose and Virun Chopra steadied their side with a stand of 51 from 46 balls when Chopra was pinned leg before wicket by Yardy, working the ball to leg.Ambrose hit a six and three fours before slicing Chris Liddle to backward point but by then Maddy was well into his stride. Three previous appearances in the YB40 had yielded just 11 runs but he put his poor form behind him. He struck three sixes, including two in the final over off Liddle, and four fours off just 25 balls before he was caught on the long-off boundary trying to reach 50 from the last ball of the innings.Jordan was the best Sussex bowler with 3 for 27. An out-of-touch Rikki Clarke was bowled off an inside edge and Jordan also removed former Sussex player Stefan Piolet, who sliced a drive and was caught behind.

The day before his countrymen begin their attempt to regain the Ashes, Simon Katich registered his second century of the season to put Lancashire in a strong position

09-Jul-2013
ScorecardSimon Katich had no problem switching back from Twenty20 mode•Getty Images

The day before his countrymen begin their attempt to regain the Ashes, Simon Katich registered his second century of the season to put Lancashire in a strong position on day two of their top-of-the-table Division Two clash against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Katich’s fellow Australian Cameron White made 90 off 198 balls as leaders Northamptonshire were bowled out for 310 in morning with Kyle Hogg the pick of Lancashire’s bowlers in taking 4 for 65.Katich then struck a magnificent 114 not out off 182 deliveries, including 17 fours and one six, as the visitors closed on 262 for 4. They trail the hosts by 48 runs but with six wickets in hand, the momentum is now with them, although Azharullah did his best to keep the hosts in business by taking three wickets.Northamptonshire began the day on 275 for 7, with White resuming on 61 and wicketkeeper David Murphy on 28. Murphy, however, was only able to add two runs to his overnight total before he was trapped lbw by Hogg in the eighth over of the day to break an eighth-wicket stand of 78.Lee Daggett made just a single before he became another lbw victim to Hogg, who then finished Northamptonshire’s innings by forcing White to edge to Lancashire wicketkeeper Gareth Cross.Karl Brown then almost perished without scoring in the third over of Lancashire’s reply as White put down a sharp chance at third slip off David Willey. Luis Reece did not survive, though, as he edged Azharullah to Murphy in the eighth over before the same bowler’s delivery clipped Brown’s off stump to dismiss him for 13 in the penultimate over before lunch.Ashwell Prince helped get Lancashire’s innings back on track with a bright 42 before he smashed Azharullah to Kyle Coetzer at square leg. Katich then went past 50 off 89 deliveries but his next partner, Andrea Agathangelou, had his off stump sent tumbling by Willey’s yorker.Lancashire reached tea on 148 for 4 with the match still poised to go either way although a dominant unbroken stand of 116 between Katich and Luke Procter swung the contest their way.Katich serenely completed his 56th century in first-class cricket off 156 balls by placing a four through point off Daggett. Procter then went on to make a half-century of his own off 107 deliveries and he will resume tomorrow on 62 with his side looking to create a substantial lead.

Kyle Coetzer’s superb half-century allowed Northamptonshire to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the Yorkshire Bank 40 with a tense five-wicket win over Kent

13-Aug-2013
ScorecardKyle Coetzer fell ten runs short of a century and with Northamptonshire still needing 13 to win but they got over the line•Getty Images

Kyle Coetzer’s superb half-century allowed Northamptonshire to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the Yorkshire Bank 40 with a tense five-wicket win over Kent.Steven Crook took 3 for 36 as the Spitfires were restricted to 188 for 7 from their 40 overs, with former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones top-scoring with 46 not out off 52 balls. Coetzer then struck 90 off 115 deliveries as the Steelbacks chased down their target with just two balls to spare, with Cameron White also contributing 65 from 82.The result moves Northants above their opponents up to second in Group A with two games left for both of these sides.Kent won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Rob Key to a three-ball duck in the second over when he needlessly smashed Crook to Matt Spriegel at deep square leg. West Indies international Brendan Nash plundered 34 before he missed his attempted pull off James Middlebrook and was stumped by Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy.Darren Stevens then departed bizarrely as he edged Lee Daggett’s delivery on to Murphy’s right leg and the ball flew to Australia international White at point. Fabian Cowdrey was the next back in the pavilion for the Spitfires when he was bowled by Crook for 13.Crook struck again when his delivery crashed into Sam Northeast’s off stump to dismiss him for 44 before Adam Ball launched Spriegel to David Willey at midwicket. Kent captain James Tredwell then departed as Azharullah’s slower ball clattered into his off stump before Jones survived the final five overs with Matt Coles.Chasing 189, Northants lost Willey in the fourth over when he hammered Coles to Adam Riley at deep square leg before David Sales was trapped lbw by Mitchell Claydon for 7. This reduced the Steelbacks to 32 for 2 but Coetzer did his best to stabilise his side’s innings by completing a half-century off 72 balls.This came as part of a brilliant third-wicket stand of 142 alongside White that led the hosts towards victory with the latter also reaching 50 off 66 deliveries.White eventually departed by slashing Coles to Key at backward point with Coetzer soon following when he was taken by Jones off the bowling of Stevens. Claydon then took out Crook’s middle stump as the hosts wobbled late on but three leg byes in the final over off the same man sealed a vital win.