Afghanistan maintained their perfect record in Group A thanks to a superb all-round effort by Samiullah Shenwari that helped them beat Canada by 41 runs at the ICC Global Cricket Academy

Peter Della Penna in Dubai18-Mar-2012
ScorecardSamiullah Shenwari’s 61 off 34 balls boosted Afghanistan to 174•ICC/Thusith Wijedoru

Afghanistan maintained their perfect record in Group A thanks to a superb all-round effort by Samiullah Shenwari that helped them beat Canada by 41 runs at the ICC Global Cricket Academy. While the final margin indicates a comfortable win in the end for Afghanistan, the match could have easily been tilted in Canada’s favour, but fortune seemed to favour the Afghanistan players on the day, none more so than Shenwari.Afghanistan got off to a rollicking start thanks to Karim Sadiq, who toyed with Canada legspinner Junaid Siddiqui in the second over to hit a string of boundaries: a late cut to third man, a cut through point and a straight drive through mid-on. Sadiq’s aggressiveness almost got the best of him off the fifth ball of the over when he tried to drive down the ground again on 17 and sent a sharp return chance which Siddiqui could not hang onto.Sadiq plundered another 19 runs after the drop, including a six over square leg that put a charge into the hundreds of flag-waving Afghan supporters in attendance, before Zahid Hussain spun Canada back into the match with three wickets in four balls. The left-arm spinner induced a leading edge from Sadiq that went to Jimmy Hansra at cover. Shabir Noori crossed while the ball was in the air and was on strike for the next ball, which he scooped to Hiral Patel on the boundary at long-on.After Mohammad Shahzad nudged a single to prevent a hat-trick, Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal danced down the pitch first ball and was beaten in the flight. Rustam Bhatti fumbled badly behind the stumps, but Mangal had given up and Bhatti recovered to scoop up the ball and dislodge the bails to make it 53 for 3 four balls into the eighth over.Shahzad was joined by Shenwari and the pair took a few overs to settle before Shenwari decided it was time to have a go. With the score at 70 on the last ball of the 12th and Shenwari on 6, he slogged Harvir Baidwan back towards Patel on the long-on boundary. Patel misjudged the ball badly, running in five yards before watching in horror as it sailed over his head and landed just over the rope for six.”Those chances you have to take,” Canada captain Rizwan Cheema told ESPNcricinfo after the game. “If you miss one it will always hurt you. He came in just a little bit. If we took that catch it would be a different story.””I was just thinking God help me,” Shenwari said, describing his mindset while the ball was in the air. “He didn’t [catch it]. I wanted to take my chance and be positive.”Shenwari could not have been more positive, cracking 49 runs off his next 20 deliveries with only one dot ball in that stretch. He showed his class in the 14th over with identical boundaries off back-to-back deliveries, stroking Baidwan wristily through midwicket. He brought up his half-century in 31 balls, and his stand with Shahzad produced 80 for Afghanistan, setting a solid platform for the bowlers to defend. The only time luck went against him was when he was run out for 61 in the final over trying to pinch an extra run and get back on strike off a wide.Canada did not shrivel in the face of the target of 175. After the early setback of losing both openers, Siddiqui led an audacious assault that began by slogging Sadiq over midwicket for six, part of a 17-run fourth over. Against Izatullah Dawlatzai in the fifth, Siddiqui pulled a short ball for four and when Dawlatzai responded by pitching it up, Siddiqui was ready to drive him through the covers to the rope. After five overs, Canada stood tall at 53 for 2.Three balls later, Shenwari began to put his stamp on the second innings with his legspin, cutting Canada back down to size. He tempted Siddiqui with a flighted delivery on the stumps and the batsman couldn’t resist one more heave. It brought about his demise for 21. Nitish Kumar continued to soldier on and had Jimmy Hansra provide brief support as they took the score to 73 after 9 overs, but Shenwari struck again to start the 10th. Hansra played back when he should have been on the front foot and was trapped in front for 6.Canada’s last threat was a potential blinder from Cheema, but he lasted just four balls before holing out to the safe hands of Mohammad Nabi at mid-on in the 11th. Tyson Gordon tried to sweep a full toss from Shenwari and was struck on the toe for another leg before and Baidwan made it two in two when he tamely pulled Shenwari to deep midwicket.Canada had thrown their best punches to start the chase but were now out on their feet at 87 for 7. The rest of the innings meandered with the result a foregone conclusion. Kumar provided some resistance before slashing to third man for 38 and Canada eventually finished on 133 for 9.Afghanistan remains in pole position in Group A with 10 points while Canada sits on six points, and is suddenly under some pressure to hang onto the third and last playoff spot, with Nepal breathing down their neck. Canada and Nepal square off on the final day of group matches, on Tuesday, in a match that could decide who takes third.

New Zealand’s on-field misery matched the Wellington weather as South Africa sauntered to 246 for 2 after rain accounted for almost four hours of play for the second consecutive day

Andrew Fernando24-Mar-2012
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJP Duminy, playing his first Test in two years, showed skill in picking gaps in the field•AFP

New Zealand’s on-field misery matched Wellington’s weather, as South Africa continued their domination via an unbeaten 140-run partnership that took them to 246 for 2. Alviro Petersen went to stumps four short of a third Test hundred, while JP Duminy was on 76. Not even a furious tailwind from the Vance End, nor heavy cloud cover, could conjure a breakthrough for New Zealand, after rain accounted for almost four hours of play first up. Seven overs into the second session, evening gloom set in to end a frustrating day for the hosts, who are quickly running out of time to affect a series-levelling win.Alviro Petersen had been obdurate on the first day, as he fought to make his first substantial contribution of the tour, but adopted a brighter approach early on the second with a fifty beckoning. Chris Martin’s fourth ball was slapped through midwicket, before an edge from an attempted cover drive brought up the milestone. Positivity paying off, he continued in the assured vein, missing few chances to pierce the field when New Zealand erred.Duminy eased to his half-century too, crisp cover-drives characterising his first Test innings in two years as South Africa’s third-wicket stand swelled beyond 100. Adept at finding gaps in the field, Duminy matched his lively partner for pace and outlook. An inside edge over the stumps and a top-edged hook that took him past 50 were the only bumps in an otherwise uncomplicated innings.Ross Taylor might have rued not placing a third slip when second-slip Martin Guptill dived over, then palmed two edges off Petersen, but in between the chances, the New Zealand bowlers rarely looked like taking wickets in the wind. Martin swung the ball modestly early on, but could not maintain the movement for long, while Mark Gillespie’s gun-barrel straight deliveries were navigated without complaint. Daniel Vettori battled the northerly for much of the day, darting balls in to keep his end secure rather than attacking with flight. But even he could not help being unsettled by the gusts, as he regularly offered long hops the batsmen happily dispatched square.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Albie Morkel, the Chennai Super Kings allrounder, has returned to South Africa to attend the funeral of Louis Vorster who died after being shot during an armed robbery in Gauteng

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2012Albie Morkel, the Chennai Super Kings allrounder, has returned to South Africa to attend the funeral of Louis Vorster who died after being shot during an armed robbery in Gauteng on Tuesday. Morkel is expected to return later in the tournament, though no date has been specified.”Albie Morkel has travelled back to South Africa first thing this morning after hearing of the death of a very close friend at Johannesburg overnight,” Stephen Fleming, the Super Kings coach said. “He goes with our best wishes and sympathies. He will take further part in the IPL, but we are not sure when that is. So on behalf of CSK, we extend our sympathies to Albie and obviously look forward to getting him back as soon as we can.”Ahead of their match against Pune Warriors, Super Kings could have selection issues following the poor form of opener M Vijay, who has scored 31 runs in five matches.”The [pre-match] discussion will certainly revolve around players who have not been doing what they are expected to do,” Fleming said. “We would like a player to be consistent with his performance. The coach’s job is not easy one. It is up to me to [get] Vijay [back] to his usual form.”One of Vijay’s possible replacements, Abhinav Mukund, is recovering from an ankle injury sustained during training before the start of the tournament. “He [Abhinav] is pretty much close to 100%. He is pretty much into the selection discussion. We have good cricketers in the team like [Anirudha] Srikkanth and Wriddhiman Saha, and it is a matter of a balancing act.”Super Kings had another injury scare in the previous match when captain MS Dhoni seemingly did damage to his hamstring. However, Fleming said that Dhoni has received adequate treatment and should be available for the Warriors match. “I think Dhoni is fine. He has been having treatment for the hamstring injury sustained in the last game. We expect him to play his full part in the [Warriors] game.”Super Kings are playing Warriors in their sixth match of the season in Chennai. They have lost three matches, including a loss to Warriors in Pune.

Kane Williamson continued his impressive form with another century as Gloucestershire secured a crushing win over Leicestershire

13-May-2012
ScorecardKane Williamson’s career-best one-day score of 112 led Gloucestershire to a thumping 164-run win over Leicestershire at Bristol. The New Zealander top-scored in a total of 294 for 6, receiving excellent support from Benny Howell, who made 88 and shared in a third-wicket stand of 152.In reply Leicestershire, who had won the toss, could manage only 130 as Chris Dent picked up four for 43 with his offspin and seamer Graeme McCarter 3 for 15. Robert Taylor top scored with 29 not out.Williamson walked to the wicket with Gloucestershire 44 for 2 in the seventh over. By the time he was dismissed the scoreboard read 269 for 5 and he had faced 92 balls, hitting eight fours, in beating his previous best one-day score of 108.Howell, who is hoping for a Gloucestershire contract after being employed on a match-by-match basis, excelled for the third successive CB40 game, following up scores of 72 not out against the Netherlands and 45 not out against Middlesex with another fluent innings.The former Hampshire player faced 82 deliveries and blasted nine fours and a six before being the victim of a leg-side stumping by Ned Eckersley off Taylor.Leicestershire’s fielding was sluggish and their bowlers had a tendency to drop short, a failing punished relentlessly by Williamson and Howell. Alex Gidman and Ian Cockbain made brisk contributions to a positive Gloucestershire batting display.Leicestershire made the worst possible start to their reply as, without a run on the board, Josh Cobb was caught at short midwicket off Ian Saxelby. It was 33 for 2 when Greg Smith was bowled by Will Gidman, a wicket that brought captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to the crease.He could only watch as Jacques du Toit and Matt Boyce departed in quick succession to leave their team 55 for 4 in the 15th over and already well behind the required run rate. The game was as good as over by the time Jon Batty stumped Wayne White off Dent to make it 65 for 5 in the 19th over.Sarwan himself could only struggle to 18 off 33 balls, without hitting a boundary, in a dismal Leicestershire performance. It was 74 for 6 when he was out and, despite Taylor’s late rally, Gloucestershire were soon to make it four points from their first three Group A games.

Warwickshire went top of Group C as they crushed a weakened Derbyshire by 105 runs in a one-sided match.

04-Jun-2012
ScorecardWarwickshire went top of Group C as they crushed a weakened Derbyshire by 105 runs in a one-sided match.Derbyshire’s chances of chasing down Warwickshire’s 242 for 6 vanished in the first five overs when Chris Woakes and Chris Wright reduced them to 25 for 4, before Steffan Piolet claimed his best one-day figures of 4 for 31 as the home side were skittled for 137 in 32.1 overs.Tim Ambrose anchored the Bears innings with an unbeaten 77 from 92 balls and shared stands of 90 in 17 overs with Darren Maddy and 76 in eight with former Derbyshire skipper Rikki Clarke, who provided late acceleration with 48 from 29 balls.Derbyshire went into the match without attacking New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill who has a broken finger and three front-line bowlers, and the game was over as a contest once Woakes and Wright had blown away the top order.Woakes, who took 3 for 46, struck twice in his opening over before Wright removed Wayne Madsen with an unplayable lifter, leaving Piolet to cash in with only Jon Clare offering any real resistance with 57 from 54 balls.With their own hopes of reaching the semi-finals damaged by two defeats in the opening three games, Derbyshire rested pace bowlers Tony Palladino and Tim Groenewald along with spinner David Wainwright.Mark Turner bowled well on a slow surface to remove both openers and when a direct hit accounted for captain Jim Troughton, the visitors had some rebuilding to do at 66 for 3 in the 14th over.But Ambrose and Maddy worked the ball around to establish a platform for Clarke who opened his shoulders to drive and pull three sixes before he holed out to long on to give Alex Hughes his first wicket for Derbyshire.Derbyshire’s reply began disastrously when Chesney Hughes played on and Wes Durston was caught behind first ball and the slide continued with Madsen edging to second slip and Dan Redfern falling to a loose drive.Piolet then demolished the lower order to reduce the home side to 86 for 7 and only some defiant blows by Clare gave the innings a measure of respectability. He pulled Woakes into the car park to reach his half century and was last out when he sliced Wright to third man to give Warwickshire their second victory over Derbyshire in the competition.

Through Alastair Cook’s 20th Test hundred, a chanceless innings, it was England who ended the opening day in control on a healthy 267 for 3

The Report by Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook batted throughout the opening day of the series to lay a solid foundation•Getty Images

Much has been made of the fact this is only a three-Test series, a contest that will determine the No. 1 team in the world – and one thing it means is that the early advantage becomes even more crucial. Through Alastair Cook’s 20th Test hundred, a chanceless innings, it was England who ended the opening day in control on a healthy 267 for 3, as they aim to consolidate their top ranking.Cook’s hundred, which came from 222 balls, made him the third England batsman this year to reach the 20 Test century mark following Kevin Pietersen at Colombo and Andrew Strauss at Lord’s. It is a close race between the trio to become England’s leading century-maker, overtaking the 22 scored by Geoff Boycott, Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey, but there is little doubt that Cook, who is still only 27, should finish his career at the top of that list.This innings ended an 11-month gap between Test hundreds for Cook, whose previous was the mammoth 294 against India at Edgbaston. He has since twice fallen for 94 – the hundreds have instead come in one-day cricket and he has often looked in wonderful touch – so it was timely to get the century count ticking over again. He played some delightful drives, with one back-foot punch through mid-off against Dale Steyn standing out, and also collected a six when he hooked Steyn during the first session.Cook and Jonathan Trott added 170 for the second wicket as England confidently overcame the loss of Strauss to the fourth ball of the series. The pair, who have previously added stands of 392, 251 and 173, encapsulate the methodical, pragmatic and calculated cricket that has taken England to the top of the rankings. They are not the most flamboyant No. 1 team in history – South Africa, if they are to overtake them, wouldn’t be either – but they have found a formula that, especially at home, is becoming mighty difficult to unpick.That gameplan revolves around grinding opposition down; when bowling first that comes in terms of drying up runs and when batting first it means digging in for the long haul with the top three laying foundations for a more expansive middle order. It was far from revolutionary – in fact it is ‘old fashioned’ Test cricket – but it has proved a revelation in recent years.What was impressive about England here was the way they responded to the early loss of Strauss. It was the third time the captain has fallen in the first over a Test and this was the team’s most confident reply. The last time he faced South Africa, at Johannesburg, he was out first ball and it precipitated a poor England performance. This early departure brought back memories of Brisbane 2010, when he carved the third ball to Michael Hussey at gully and England fumbled to a total of 260 although ultimately, and famously, saved the game.Significant credit must go to Graeme Smith and some shrewd captaincy. Even before this innings Morne Morkel had an impressive record against Strauss, who he had removed six times in Test cricket – often from around the wicket – and he started with that line of attack straight away. Morkel’s second delivery was miles down the leg side but the radar was soon adjusted although Steve Davis, the umpire, did not give the decision and it required a review from Smith. It proved his second smart decision in less than an over, with the ball shown to be hitting middle and leg.

Smart stats

• Alastair Cook’s century is his 20th in Tests and second against South Africa after the 118 in Durban. Four batsmen including Andrew Strauss are ahead of Cook on the list of England batsmen with the most Test centuries.

• Cook’s strike rate of 40.28 is his third-lowest for a three-figure knock. His lowest such strike rate is 37.63 during his 105 against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2006.

• The 170-run stand between Cook and Jonathan Trott is the seventh-highest second-wicket partnership for England against South Africa overall and the second-highest since South Africa’s readmission.

• Strauss was dismissed by Morne Morkel for the seventh time in Tests. Only Shane Warne has dismissed Strauss more often (8 times).

• Strauss was dismissed for a duck for the 15th time in his career. Only Michael Atherton (20) has more ducks among England top-order (innings between 1-7) batsmen.

• It is the eighth time that Cook and Strauss have had a zero-run partnership. Only Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya have featured in more such partnerships (10).

Trott, however, calmly drove his first delivery through mid-on while Cook was given too many deliveries he could leave, especially by Morkel from round the wicket. Steyn was held back from the new ball as Vernon Philander partnered Morkel and there was swing on offer, which caused the batsmen a few nervous moments without creating a chance.Having been billed as a battle of the bowling attacks, South Africa’s five-pronged unit were on the whole disappointing. The visitors had been bullish that their limited preparation would not be a factor heading into the match but Steyn, who wasn’t handed the new ball, Morkel and Jacques Kallis looked short of a decent workout. There was also a suggestion that Steyn may not be fully fit as he spent time off the field having his ankle strapped.Imran Tahir, the legspinner, did not pose a huge threat and the batsmen could sit on him while waiting for the bad ball. Both Cook and Trott were quick to latch onto anything short, with midwicket being especially profitable for Cook. It was Morkel who provided the breakthrough when he managed to pitch the ball a touch fuller and found Trott’s outside edge from a rare loose drive after South Africa had gone wicketless during the afternoon session.The day’s play then developed an extra edge as Pietersen, in a week where he has never been far from the headlines, entered the fray. Morkel tried for a yorker first ball and gifted Pietersen a full toss to open his account but he played carefully to reach 3 off 20 deliveries before stepping across his stumps and flicking Philander over mid-on.A crunching pull off Steyn was the most dismissive shot of the day, closely followed by a straight drive off Kallis, and an attempted scoop against JP Duminy suggested he felt ready to expand. But Kallis had his revenge when Pietersen gloved a bouncer to AB de Villiers two balls before the 80-over mark. It was England’s poorest piece of cricket in the day, as it gave South Africa hope of making late inroads, but Cook and Ian Bell negotiated the new ball to complete a very satisfactory start for the hosts.

Abdur Rehman, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, is set to join Somerset for the latter part of the season subject to being granted a visa

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2012Abdur Rehman, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, is set to join Somerset for the latter part of the season subject to being granted a visa. If the move is confirmed he will provide cover for George Dockrell who is due to be on international duty with Ireland.Rehman has become a key part of Pakistan’s Test attack, forming a spin partnership with Saeed Ajmal, and took 19 wickets in the whitewash against England earlier this year. The current Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo is his 17th but he is not part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 set-up which should make him available for the remainder of the English season.”Contracts have been signed with Rehman and a no objection certificate has been sent to us by the Pakistan Cricket Board,” director of cricket Brian Rose told Somerset’s website. “It just remains for Abdur to sort out a visa and, once that is done, we hope he will be with us in time for our championship game with Warwickshire at Taunton, starting on July 18.””We looked at other possible targets, but he was always high on the list,” he added. “He has an excellent first-class record, with a bowling average not dissimilar to Murali Kartik’s. Rehman also bats reasonably well, going in around number eight, so that was also a plus point when it came to signing him.”The other positive is that he is not currently in Pakistan’s T20 side, so once he joins us he should be available for the remainder of our season.”Somerset have tried and failed to secure the services of a host of overseas players this season including Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Roelof van der Merwe and Faf du Plessis. They currently have the South Africa pair of Richard Levi and Albie Morkel for the Friends Life t20. Somerset will be crossing their fingers about Rehman as a number of players have struggled to obtain visas this season.