Broad completes double-century of ODIs as ICC match referee

Chris Broad has become only the second member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees to complete a double-century of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) when he took the field for the toss in the first final of the three-nation tournament between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Sunday.

The 54-year-old former England opener made his debut on 3 January 2004 in Dunedin in an ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan. And now after eight years, Mr. Broad stands as only the second match referee after Ranjan Madugalle to have officiated in 200 or more ODIs.

In addition to 200 ODIs, Mr. Broad has officiated in 51 Tests, which puts him third on the all-time list behind Madugalle (132) and Clive Lloyd (53), while his 41 T20Is places him in second position after Madugalle (46).

As an opener for England, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Orange Free State, Mr Broad played in 340 first-class matches, including 25 Tests, scoring 50 centuries (including six in Tests). In 34 ODIs, he scored 1,361 at an average of 40 with his only century being against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier in 1988.

Reflecting on his achievement, Mr Broad said: "Obviously, I have an extra reason to be happy today. But at the same time, it is also an indication of the number of ODIs that have been played since I started my career eight years ago (1,180 ODIs have been played since Mr Broad made his debut as an ICC match referee).

"There have been a number of people who have helped me reach the figure of 200, notably my family, friends, my fellow match officials and my colleagues at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). I have been extremely privileged to have these people around me throughout my career."

Mr Broad said his love for his job hasn't lessened, adding his most memorable match as an ICC match referee was the famous ODI at the Wanderers in 2006 when South Africa chased down Australia's total of 434 to win by one wicket with one-ball to spare.

"It was simply an outstanding day of cricket which produced entertainment all through. The players played as hard as they possibly could, gave the utmost respect to their opponents and played the match within the Spirit of the Game.

"I am as passionate and loving of my job as I was on the day of my first game."

Mr Broad said he has not set any targets for himself: "I don't set any targets for myself. I like to see cricket being played in a competitive spirit with fairness and honesty."

In his tribute to Mr Broad, Vince Van Der Bijl, ICC Umpires and Referees Manager and a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1981, said: "This milestone signifies Chris' dedication to the game and match officiating.

"Chris' great passion for cricket and the way it should be played is embodied in his refereeing approach. He has a positive and professional drive that is deeply appreciated by his colleagues as well as the home boards across the globe. His sheer enjoyment in being a match referee is infectious."

Match referees (span) ODIs

Ranjan Madugalle (1993-to date) 265
Chris Broad (2004-to date) 200
Roshan Mahanama (2008–to date) 179
Jeff Crowe (2004–to date) 165
Mike Procter (2002-2008) 162
Clive Lloyd (1992-2007) 133
Raman Subba Row (1992-2001) 119
Cammie Smith (1993-2002) 118
Javagal Srinath (2006-to date) 111
Alan Hurst (2004-2011) 102

Also

Andy Pycroft (2009-to date) 48
David Boon (2011-to date) 11

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Cricket: Pak team for Asia Cup, Misbah retained as captain

LAHORE: Pakistan’s 15-man squad was announced on Saturday for the Asia Cup to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh later this month.

The four-nation event will include defending champions India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan and will run from March 11-22.

Misbah-ul-Haq was retained as captain while Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Adnan
Akmal were dropped from the squad for the tournament.

Pakistan's defeats in the One-Day International and Twenty20 series to England prompted calls for a change in team management and captaincy, but the PCB opted to retain Misbah for the Asia Cup.

Chief selector Iqbal Qasim said opener Nasir Jamshed and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed had been recalled for the tournament.

"We feel that since Nasir has done well in domestic cricket and in the recent Bangladesh Premier League he deserves a chance to play for the national team," Qasim said.

The PCB is also expected to announce the appointment of Australian Dav Whatmore as head coach later on Saturday. Mohsin Khan has been acting as interim coach for the England series.

Squad:
Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema.

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Cricket: Herath dropped from Sri Lanka Asia Cup squad

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's cricket selectors on Saturday left out left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for the upcoming four-nation Asia Cup tournament in Bangladesh.

Herath, part of the Sri Lankan squad for the ongoing triangular one-day series in Australia, was replaced by leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who played his last one-day international in November.

The 14-man squad will be led by Mahela Jayawardene, with all-rounder Angelo Mathews as his deputy.

Sri Lanka will join defending champions India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the 50-overs-a-side tournament, to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka from March 11 to 22.

Sri Lanka, who meet India in their opening match on March 13, also recalled fit-again fast bowler Suranga Lakmal who played his last one-dayer against Pakistan in November.

Pacemen Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara, currently in Australia, also failed to find a place in the Asia Cup squad.

Sri Lanka will clash with Australia in the first of best-of-three finals in Brisbane on Sunday.

World Cup winners India, the third team, were knocked out of the competition following Sri Lanka's victory over Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Sri Lanka squad:
Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Sachithra Senanayake, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal.

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Cricket: Kenya, Uganda meet in WCT20 warm-ups

NAIROBI: Kenya are to host regional rivals Uganda in five matches in their build up for this month's ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates, cricket officials said.

Both Kenya and Uganda will play in Group B at the March 13-24 tournament, which will also involve 14 other Associate and Affliate sides, after which only two teams will advance to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.

Kenya played and lost all three T20 matches against Ireland, who will also compete in the same group in Dubai, when the two teams met in Mombasa last month and the hosts are keen for some victory ahead of the global qualifiers.

"We look forward to competitive matches against a strong Ugandan team that has performed well recently to help our team prepare for the qualifiers," said Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears

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Cricket: South Africa sweep New Zealand ODI series

AUCKLAND: Paceman Marchant de Lange picked up four wickets on his one-day international debut as South Africa completed a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand with a five-wicket victory in the third and final ODI in Auckland on Saturday.

South Africa's bowlers bundled out New Zealand for 206 in 47 overs after the visitors had won the toss and opted to bowl in wet and windy conditions at Eden Park.

Hashim Amla, who made 92 in the last ODI in Napier on Wednesday, continued his impressive form by scoring 76 as South Africa reached their target with 40 deliveries to spare.

The stylish right-hander, who was dropped on 30 by Nathan McCullum off Kyle Mills, added 80 runs for the first wicket with makeshift opener Wayne Parnell (27) and 58 runs with Albie Morkel (41) for the second to anchor the chase.

Amla hit seven sublime boundaries in his knock before he mistimed a pull shot to be caught by New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, giving seamer Kyle Mills his 200th wicket in ODIs.

The visitors, who had also won the preceding three-match Twenty20 series 2-1, lost some wickets after Amla's dismissal but it was not enough for New Zealand to post an unlikely win.

South Africa pacemen Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe pegged New Zealand back with some hostile fast bowling at the start and the hosts struggled for momentum from there on.

The 21-year-old de Lange, who made his Test debut last December against Sri Lanka, also extracted good pace and bounce from the track as New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals to be bundled out with three overs left in their innings.

The 55-run stand between James Franklin (36) and debutant Colin de Grandhomme (36) for the fifth wicket was the only half-century partnership in the New Zealand innings.

De Grandhomme, who hit three sixes and a four in his 36-ball knock, and Kane Williamson were run after some athletic fielding by South Africa while left-arm spinner Robin Peterson lopped off the tail with two wickets at the end.

The three-Test series between the two sides begin in Dunedin on Wednesday. (Reuters)

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New Zealand crumble to South African pace

AUCKLAND: New Zealand crumbled under the withering pace of the South African bowlers and were unable to bat out their 50 overs in the third one-day international at Eden Park on Saturday.

Not even the showers which swept over Auckland throughout the day could save New Zealand as they struggled to 206 all out in the 47th over with the umpires ruling not enough time was lost to reduce the number of balls.

With South Africa holding an unbeatable 2-0 lead going into the final ODI, New Zealand had only pride to play for but found that was not enough to combat the pace of Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Marchant de Lange.

Aided by heavy cloud cover, Tsostobe (one for 36) and Steyn (0-28) softened up the batsmen before De Lange ripped through the middle order to finish with 4-46 from nine overs.

Faced with a barrage of deliveries around 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour, the New Zealand batsmen were not allowed to settle.

Martin Guptill was dismissed cheaply while fellow opener Rob Nicol played cautiously for 12 off 40 deliveries before he was back in the pavilion.

After 19 overs New Zealand were struggling at less than three an over when Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson tried to lift the pace by cracking 13 off a Steyn over.

That forced Steyn out of the attack only to introduce the express deliveries of De Lange, who had McCullum caught by Faf du Plessis for 47 off his second delivery to have New Zealand 74 for three.

The attempt by Williamson and James Franklin to consolidate the innings lifted New Zealand to 105 before Williamson was run out for 22.

Colin de Grandhomme celebrated his first one-day international with a six to get off the mark and blazed away at a run a ball until he was run out by Albie Morkel for 36 and New Zealand were in trouble at 160 for five.

In the 42nd over De Lange claimed two wickets, first removing Franklin for 36, caught at short cover by Hamish Amla, who then moved to first slip where he caught Andrew Ellis two balls later.

In the following De Lange over Amla was at midwicket where he caught Nathan McCullum for 10, leaving spinner Robin Peterson to wrap up the innings with the wickets of Kyle Mills and Michael Bates.

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