India need hunger to win: Kumble

MUMBAI: India can bounce back in the ongoing four-Test series in England if they get their "hunger and intent back", former captain and leg-spin great Anil Kumble said.The tourists, struggling with form and fitness problems, currently trail 2-0 in the series and will lose their number-one Test ranking if they suffer one more defeat.Injuries to key players Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh also added to their woes in the last two Tests at Lord's and Trent Bridge.Hard-hitting opener Sehwag is now set to return for the last two matches, while Gambhir and Zaheer are expected to be fit for the third Test starting at Edgbaston on August 10."I am hoping Zaheer, and everyone else in the squad, will be 100 per cent fit. Sehwag will help for obvious reasons, so I am confident this team can bounce back," Kumble wrote in the Hindu newspaper."They (India) are capable of winning the next Test, but they have to get that hunger and intent back."The 10-day break, as well as the fact that Sehwag and Gambhir are coming in, will definitely help because the batting will look more settled.However off-spinner Harbhajan and all-rounder Yuvraj were Wednesday ruled out for the rest of the Test series.Kumble, the world's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests with 619 scalps behind Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708), said India had the ability to strike back."The desperation and hunger which has been the hallmark of this team was missing in the last two Tests. They will have to get that hunger back. If that comes in, the rest of it falls in place because the ability is there," he wrote."The way we lost hurt more than the loss itself. These are the same players who have taken Indian cricket to such great heights, and they realise what the issues are.India lost the first Test by 196 runs and the second by 319 runs.Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also said Sehwag's return would be a big boost for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team."Sehwag joins the team and even if he fails in the two-day warm-up game (starting at Northampton on Friday) he must play in the next Test," Gavaskar wrote in the same paper."He can lift this team up and can just be the tonic this team needs. Yes, India are two down but a hurricane start from the Delhi dasher (Sehwag) can help turn it around.Sehwag, known for dominating bowling with his brilliant strokeplay, has scored 7,694 runs in 87 Tests with 22 centuries. AGENCIES

Read More

Bopara replaces injured Trott in England squad for 3rd test

LONDON: Ravi Bopara has replaced the injured Jonathan Trott in England's squad for the third test against India starting on Wednesday at Edgbaston.Trott, who injured his shoulder while fielding in the second test, was still undergoing rehabilitation, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement on Saturday.Right-handed batsman Bopara, 26, has played 10 test matches, the last coming against Australia in August 2009.  The 13-man squad also included medium pacer Steven Finn as cover for Chris Tremlett, who missed the second test with back spasms."Chris Tremlett is recovering well from the back spasms and, although we are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of Wednesday, we felt it was prudent to include an extra seam bowler at this stage, meaning Steven Finn comes into the squad," national selector Geoff Miller said.England currently lead the four-match series 2-0 against number one-ranked test side India.Squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett.AGENCIES

Read More

Vishvakarma spins Nepal to win over Ireland

Afghanistan, Nepal, PNG, Scotland and USA registered wins on the seventh day of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Derry.On a day when rains affected all but one game, plenty of action was witnessed as the jostling for the final six spots to qualify for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup to be held next year in Australia heated up.Hosts Ireland featured in another last over finish, this time against Nepal at the Bready Cricket Club. Nepal batted first and was restricted to 187 for seven in 46 overs as rains forced reduction in the number of overs. Ireland skipper George Dockrell picked up 3-15 even as Sagar Pun made 50 off 100 balls with three boundaries and a six.In the chase, the home team lost early wickets, but Dockrell (55: 86b, 3x4) and Adam Coughlan (48:86b, 1x4) added 107 runs for the fifth wicket.Once the partnership was broken, the chase fell apart. Nepal?s left-arm spinner Rahul Vishvakarma picked up four wickets in the final over to bowl out Ireland for 175 and earned his side a 10-run win.Dockrell?s all-round effort earned him the Man of the Match award, but the skipper was a disappointed man: ?We bowled well to restrict them, but they got a few runs towards the end which helped them a lot. The match was in the balance and we seemed to be getting close. But we lost wickets towards the end. We still have two more games to end the tournament well.At Eglinton Cricket Club, yet another captain led from the front, this time of PNG, Christopher Kent in the only match of the day not to be affected by rain. But Kent had plenty to cheer about as he single-handedly batted his side to a four-wicket win over Canada. Canada led by the youngest player at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Nitish Kumar (150: 126b, 14x4, 3x6) posted 261 for nine in 50 overs. The target was a stiff one, but Kent batted well to end unbeaten at 166 off 131 balls with 21 boundaries and two sixes. Kent anchored the innings well as the others offered him good support to help PNG overhaul the score in 49.4 overs with four wickets to spare. relieved Kent won the Man of the Match award: ?There was not too much pressure. I was just thinking of playing every ball on its merit. I wanted to bat right through the innings. Two more good days and our dream could well be true.?Scotland continued to roll out another good performance in the tournament, this time against Namibia at the Bready 2 ground. Scotland batted first and posted 180 for nine in a contest reduced to 43-overs-a-side.Namibia kept pace for a while, but was finally bowled out for 140 in 39.5 overs to hand Scotland a 40-run win. Ross McLean earned Man of the Match award for his handy 35 and a spell of 3-12: ?We should have got a few more runs. It looked close for a while. But we dried up the runs and the asking rate kept rising. They lost wickets at regular intervals. It is a credit to the team that we have been playing well. The focus of the team is to take one match at a time.?After waiting for a major part of the day for the skies to clear up, Afghanistan produced one of its most impressive performances of the tournament at the Limavady Cricket Club.In a match reduced to 24-overs-a-side, Kenya posted 154 for five in 24 overs thanks to Rahul Vishram who top-scored with 59 off 40 balls with five boundaries and two sixes.Afghanistan had one eye on its own run-rate and the possibility of late showers as it knocked off the runs in just 18.4 overs with nine wickets to spare. The stars of the win were Javed Ahmadi (86 n.o.: 51b, 6x4, 5x6) and Hashmatullah Shaidi (63 n.o.: 58b, 7x4) who shared an unbeaten 138 run stand for the second wicet.Ahmadi?s whirlwind knock won him the Man of the Match award. The opener was only too glad to have played a part in the team?s win: ?I was keeping an eye out for the Duckworth-Lewis par score. We had to be ahead of the rate at all times. Once we were ahead at the end of the five overs, I just played normal cricket and we got home. I will always play according to the requirement of the side.?USA got the better of Vanuatu at the Drummond Cricket Club. Vanuatu batted first and posted 128 for eight in 32 overs. Jelany Chilia with 29 was the top-scorer for Vanuatu. In its chase, USA was being powered home by Steven Taylor (33 n.o.) and skipper Greg Sewdial (27 n.o.) when played was halted by rains.

USA was declared winners by the Duckworth-Lewis Method as it was ahead of Vanuatu at that stage by 42 runs.Taylor was named Man of the Match yet again in the tournament. The swashbuckling opener was happy to have played a part in the team's win: ?In the last three games I had not done well. I was glad to have made a contribution to the side's win again. The side is gelling well now and we are looking good as a combination right now.?Score summaries (Day Seven):At Bready Cricket Club: Nepal U19 187 for seven, 46 overs (Pun 50, Vishvakarma 38; Dockrell 3-15, Getkate 2-14) Ireland U19 175 all out, 46 overs (Dockrell 55, Coughlan 48; Vishvakarma 4-28, A Karn 2-25) Nepal U19 won by 12 runs At Eglinton Cricket Club: Canada U19 261 for nine, 50 overs (Pathan 35, Shah 39, Kumar 150; Amini 2-28, Bau 2-35, Vanua 2-45) PNG U19 264 for six, 49.4 overs (Kent 166 n.o.; Aulakh 2-36) PNG U19 won by four wicketsAt Bready 2: Scotland U19 180 for nine, 43 overs (McLean 35, Cross 33, Coleman 30; S Baard 4-28, van Vuuren 3-22 Namibia U19 140 all out, 39.5 overs (Myburgh 43, P Groenewald 28; McLean 3-12, Bailwal 2-13, Page 2-33 Scotland U19 won by 40 runsAt Limavady Cricket Club: Kenya U19 154 for five, 24 overs (Vishram 59, J Ochieng 30; Shirzai 2-33) Afghanistan U19 155 for 1, 18.4 overs (Ahmadi 86, Shaidi 63) Afghanistan U19 won by nine wicketsAt Drummond Cricket Club: Vanuatu U19 128 for eight, 32 overs (Chilia 29, Tari 23 n.o.; Shahid 2-16) USA U19 118 for two, 22 overs (Taylor 33 n.o., Sewdial 28 n.o.) USA U19 won by 42 runs (via Duckworth-Lewis Method)

Read More

Zaheer needs surgery, to miss rest of tour

Indian seamer Zaheer Khan needs surgery for ankle and hamstring problems and has been ruled out for the remainder of the England series, the BCCI said on Sunday.Left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh will replace Zaheer for the remaining two tests, a Twenty20 and five one-day internationals.Zaheer, 32, would need up to four months to fully recover, the BCCI said in a statement.The left-arm paceman, who missed India's full tour of West Indies due to the ankle problem, had to leave the field on the first day of the series at Lord's and subsequently missed the second test at Trent Bridge."Zaheer Khan is suffering from a recurrent right hamstring strain and a right ankle impingement," BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said. "He will require a surgery for his ankle, followed by intensive rehabilitation for both the ankle and hamstring."He will need at least 14-16 weeks to recover completely."India's leading seamer had been named in the squad for the limited overs series but was ruled out after only managing to bowl three overs in a tour game against Northamptonshire.Replacement RP Singh has not played for India in any form of cricket since September 2009, with his last test match being against South Africa in April 2008."The all-India senior selection committee has picked RP Singh as his replacement in the Indian squads for the test series, and the T20 international and ODI series," Srinivasan said. "RP Singh will join the team at the earliest."India have been grappling with injuries during the tour and missed their top opening batsman Virender Sehwag in both tests because of a shoulder injury.Sehwag's regular opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, missed the second test with a bruised arm which forcing a batting order reshuffle.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Yuvraj Singh have also been ruled out for the rest of the tour after suffering injuries during the second test at Trent Bridge.Left-hander Yuvraj fractured his index finger after he was hit by a short-pitched delivery from England seamer Tim Bresnan while Harbhajan suffered an abdominal muscle strain in the same match.India, the ODI world champions, trail England 2-0 with two more tests left in the four-match series.

Read More

Taylor declares for Zimbabwe, sets target of 375

HARARE: Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor declared at the tea break Sunday, setting Bangladesh a target of 375 runs to win the one-off Test at Harare Sports Club here on Sunday.Taylor declared just after he scored his maiden Test century, an undefeated 105 which included nine fours and proved to be a real game of two halves -- he needed 117 balls to achieve his half century and another 53 balls to reach the 100 mark.After a steady partnership with former skipper Tatenda Taibu, who struck 59, Taylor's innings has put the hosts within sight of making a winning return to test cricket after an enforced six year absence.Zimbabwe, opening the day on 92-4, closed their innings on 291-5, a lead over Bangladesh of 374. From a precarious position at the start of the day, Zimbabwe lost only one wicket in two sessions, enabling Taylor to take this rather bold decision.Taibu's contribution was immense in the circumstances and Craig Ervine also came good with 35 not out, which probably saved his place in the team.Shakib Al Hassan persisted with spin in the main through the day but they were getting little turn and bounce. The wicket has remained in good condition for a fourth day.Zimbabwe's previous declaration was in 2005, also against Bangladesh at Harare by Taibu, who on that day scored 153, his best in Tests.

Read More

Dilshan boosts Sri Lanka with maiden T20 ton

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a maiden Twenty20 century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 198-3 in the opening match against Australia on Saturday.The Sri Lankan captain scored a 57-ball 104 not out, smashing five sixes and 12 fours in a superb display of hard and clean hitting in the day-night match at the Pallekele International Stadium.Dilshan needed 16 runs to complete his hundred in the last over bowled by paceman Mitchell Johnson, but struck two sixes and as many fours. His second fifty came off just 16 deliveries.The Sri Lankan captain and Jeevan Mendis (29 not out off 19 balls) plundered 104 runs in the last 7.3 overs to help their team set a stiff target.Dilshan, who also added 52 for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (30), went for big shots after 15 overs, hitting four boundaries in an over from seamer John Hastings and then two sixes and as many fours off Shane Watson.Sangakkara was batting confidently before driving Watson straight to skipper Cameron White at mid-wicket. He hit four boundaries in his 22-ball knock.Fast bowlers Brett Lee, Johnson and Watson each took one wicket.The second and final Twenty20 game will be played at the same venue on Monday

Read More

Zimbabwe looking for win on return to Test cricket

HARARE: Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor and former skipper Tatenda Taibu gave the hosts a great chance of making a winning return to Test cricket after an enforced six- year absence here on Sunday against Bangladesh.Taylor and Taibu put on an unbeaten fifth wicket partnership of 96 to leave them on 188-4 at lunch - an overall lead of 271.Taylor, unbeaten on 46, and Taibu, who recorded his 10th half century in Test cricket and is 53 not out had lifted the hosts from a precarious looking 92-4 overnight to a much healthier position on the fourth day.Taylor looked well set for his second half century of the match, having scored 71 in the first innings, as Bangladesh's spinners failed to test the batsmen.

Read More

Dravid recalled to Indian ODI/T20 squad against England

NEW DELHI: Rahul Dravid was Saturday recalled to the Indian squad for next month's one-day series against England, but the injured Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were left out.Middle-order batsman Dravid played his last one-dayer in September 2009, but got the selectors' nod following his impressive performances in the ongoing four-Test series in England.The 38-year-old, who has scored 10,765 runs in 339 one-day internationals including 12 centuries, is the most successful Indian batsman on the tour with two hundreds in the opening two Tests.India will play a one-off Twenty20 match against England at Old Trafford on August 31 before the five-match one-day series starts at Chester-le-Street on September 3.Off-spinner Harbhajan (abdominal strain) and all-rounder Yuvraj (finger injury) were not part of the limited-overs squad, to be led by World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The duo have already been ruled out of the remaining two Tests of the four-match series due to injuries, suffered during the second Test at Trent Bridge.The Indian cricket board on Wednesday said in a statement that Yuvraj's injury could take around four weeks to mend, while Harbhajan was likely to recover in three weeks' time.They were replaced by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and middle-order batsman Virat Kohli. India currently trail 2-0 in the Test series.Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, paceman Vinay Kumar and wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, who are not part of the Test squad, returned for one-dayers.India twenty20 and one-day squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Parthiv Patel.

Read More

Plan to read Indian cricket captain Dhoni’s mind

NEW DELHI: Consecutive success is the feature of a best leader, which leader makes use of his which qualities that ensures him successes; an Indian organization has vowed reading the mind of Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni in this context.Institute of Management in the Indian eastern state Jharkhand has chosen Indian cricket team captain Dhoni’s mind for study. Neuro-management director said that Dhoni under pressure excels displaying his best talents and keeping cool. This is all because of his mental training, which on comprehending could be applied to the new players, he said.For this purpose, Dhoni would be made to sit before the computer, different movies would be shown to him and his mind would be read for which an invitation has been sent to him, said the neuro-management director.

Read More

Bangladesh hold steady against Zimbabwean attack

HARARE: Bangladesh battled their way to 200-5 in their first innings against Zimbabwe in a one-off Test at Harare Sports Club at lunch on Saturday.This left them still 170 runs adrift of the hosts first innings total on Zimbabwe's return to the test arena after a six year enforced absence.Honours were even in the first session. Bangladesh added 98 to their overnight score of 102-3, but for the loss of two more wickets.Mahmudullah didn't last long as on 13 he was caught at square leg by Tino Mawoyo off Brian Vitori, to give the test debutant his third wicket.Mohammad Ashraful resumed on 34 and took his score to 73 - his eighth Test half-century - before edging to wicketkeeper and former captain Tatenda Taibu off Elton Chigumbura after spending four hours and 18 minutes at the crease.However, the hosts attack were unable to make any further inroads into the tourists batting order as Shakib Al-Haasan repelled their best efforts and was unbeaten on 40 at the break.

Read More

Australia, Sri Lanka to play first T20

PALLEKELE: The first match of the T20 series between Australia and Sri Lanka will be played today (Saturday). This is the first time a T20 match is being played at Pallekele and it is expected that the fast wicket will assist the bowlers.Australia will be captained by Cameron White who took over as skipper following the retirement of Michael Clarke from T20 cricket.Australia is on a losing streak in T20 matches and has lost in its last four outings.

Read More

A 4-0 whitewash against India is possible: Swann

England spinner Graeme Swann feels a 4-0 whitewash is possible in the Test series against World No.1 India.'I'd like to think that it's possible to win 4-0. A lot of things have to go in our favour, but if they do, it'll be a nice thing to aim for. We're the only team who can win it 4-0,' Swann was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.'The way we've played in the first two games, they've not been perfect performances and we've still won them very well. If we can iron out those areas and do everything else right, we're going to be a very difficult team to beat,' he said.Asked about his unimpressive form in the series, Swann said: 'It's easy to make the excuse that I was hit on the hand. But I just had one of those days. I got out of bed the wrong side that morning. Rahul Dravid has played me very well this series. But I don't think they needed to play me particularly well at Trent Bridge, I bowled so badly.With turning tracks expected at Edgbaston and the Oval, Swann declared himself fully fit after an X-ray on his left hand.'I'm looking forward to Edgbaston, because it did turn a little bit last year,' Swann said. 'Hopefully it will spin, because then you turn up to the ground in the morning knowing you're going to play a more active role. Turning up knowing you are a bit-part player does not always fit well with someone who likes to be the centre of attention.Recalling farcical run out of Ian Bell, who was later recalled by the Indian team, Swann said: 'It was a very strange atmosphere. Belly had taken off his pads. He thought he was out. Then rumours came upstairs that they were talking about whether to ask him back in. So people were saying 'put your pads on', and someone else was saying 'no, don't bother'. It was bizarre, really.'But what happened in the end was the right thing. India could have upheld the appeal, but it would have put a very bitter taste on the series. We don't want it descending into the sort of scenes we had at the end of last year. We really didn't like the Pakistan team by the end of the series, and they didn't like us. But so far this year, the atmosphere between the two teams has been exceptional,' he said.

Read More

Zimbabwe get upper hand against Bangladesh

HARARE: A second Test century from Hamilton Masakadza and the late dismissal of dangerous Bangladesh batsman Shahriar Nafeez gave Zimbabwe the upper hand on the second day of their one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club on Friday.Zimbabwe, who had been 264 for two overnight, were all out for 370 in their first innings before Bangladesh replied with a 107-3 at stumps to leave them 263 in arrears at the close of play with seven wickets remaining.Masakadza (104) clawed his way to a second Test century 10 years after his first -- as he put on 142 for the third wicket with skipper Brendan Taylor, who made 71.It was Taylor's fourth Test half century, but once he was out, Zimbabwe lost their remaining seven wickets for just 66 runs.Bangladesh started their fightback by snatching four wickets in the 30 minutes before lunch. After capturing both Masakadza and Taylor with a double breakthrough, seamer Robiul Islam had changed the tone of the game with Craig Ervine (six) and Elton Chigumbura (five) were bundled out in short order as lunchtime approached.After the break Brian Vitori, Kyle Jarvis, Raymond Price and Christopher Mpofu were all quickly disposed of with only former skipper Tatenda Taibu, with 23, offering real resistance. Rubel Hossain and captain Shakib Al Hassan took three wickets each.In reply, Bangladesh lost both openers by the time they had reached 36.Left-armer Brian Vitori marked his Test debut by dismissing Imrul Kayes (four) and and flamboyant Tamim Iqbal (15).Shahriar Nafeez and Mohammad Ashraful (34 not out) then launched a Bangladesh recovery, putting on 66 for the third wicket before Nafeez was bowled by off-spinner Price off his legs for 50 as the shadows lengthened. It was his fifth Test half-century and he hit six fours.

Read More

Bangladesh struggling against Zimbabwe

HARARE: Debutant Brian Vitori claimed two quick wickets to turn the tide back in Zimbabwe's favour at tea on the second day of their one-off Test match against Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club.After starting the day looking comfortable on 264 for two in their first innings, Zimbabwe lost eight wickets in quick succession around lunch.They were 326 for six at the lunch break, and were eventually all out for 370 in mid-afternoon.However, Bangladesh lost two early wickets of their own to slip to 38 for two just before the tea break.
Both openers, Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, were caught off the bowling of Vitori after scoring only 15 and four runs respectively, leaving the tourists still 334 runs behind their hosts with eight wickets remaining. Earlier, in Zimbabwe's first Test after six years in exile, Hamilton Masakadza scored 104, his second Test century.He resumed after ending day one on 88 not out, and toiled for his runs before completing his century in 235 balls.His hundred included eight fours and one six and was his first ton since his debut against the West Indies on the same ground 10 years ago.Shortly after he fell to a catch at first slip by Imral Keyes when trying to drive Rabiul Islam for 104 to end a partnership of 142 for the third wicket with Brendan Taylor.Vusi Sibanda made 78 while Taylor, in an unusually subdued mood, made his fourth Test half-century before being dismissed for 71. Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain took three wickets apiece for Bangladesh.

Read More

Bangladesh hit back after Mazakadze century

HARARE: Hamilton Mazakadze completed his second Test century but Bangladesh struck back with four wickets on the second morning to turn the tide in their one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club here Friday.From an overnight 264 for the loss of only two wickets and looking set for a big score, the home side struggled for runs against a Bangladesh attack that found a better line than on the opening day.With runs at a premium, Zimbabwe could only manage a further 62 in the two hours to reach 326 for six at the lunch break. The star of the morning for Zimbabwe, playing their first Test after six years in exile, was Mazakadza.Resuming on 88, he toiled for his runs but finally went through to his century off 235 balls. It included eight fours and one six and was his first ton since his debut against the West Indies on the same ground 10 years ago.Shortly after he fell to a catch at first slip by Imral Keyes when trying to drive Rabiul Islam for 104 to end a partnership of 142 for the third wicket with Brendan Taylor.That was the signal for a collapse that saw four wickets going down for 22 runs in last half-hour of the session.Craig Ervine scored only six and Elton Chigumbura made five before falling victim to spinners Shakib Al Hassan and Rubel Hossain. In between Taylor notched up his fourth half-century in Test cricket before trying to cut Islam and nicking to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim for 71.Raymond Price, the beginning of the tail, will resume after lunch with Tatenda Taibu, who is on three with the likely target 400 suddenly appearing a long way off

Read More

Zimbabwe’s impressive batting on Test return

HARARE: Zimbabwe marked their return from a six-year exile by racking up an impressive 264 for two against Bangladesh on the first day of a one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday All four of Zimbabwe's top batsmen made runs with Hamilton Masakadza finishing the day unbeaten on 88 with seven fours and a six as he closes in on a second Test century. Masakadza made his first century 10 years ago on his debut at the age of 17, scoring 119 against West Indies on this same ground.New skipper Brendan Taylor was also undefeated on Thursday, having made a steady 40 off 108 balls.Debutant opener Tinotenda Mawoyo made 43 while Vusi Sibanda smashed 78, with seven fours and one six, as the two put on 102 for the first wicket.After losing the toss, and being put into bat on a greenish wicket by Bangladesh captain Shakib al Hassan, Zimbabwe constructed a foundation for what could be a winning score. Zimbabwe's batsmen mixed caution with aggression, allowing few chances especially after a scare in the second over of the day when Sibanda was very nearly run out. Bangladesh, already defeated by a Zimbabwe X1 in a three-day tour match at the weekend, looked shell-shocked by the day's end.Only 21-year-old medium-pacer Rubel Hossain got wickets and finished with two for 58 off 18 overs. Mawoyo was the first to fall, caught by Mahmudullah at deep backward point with Sibanda the second to go, midway through the afternoon session, when he edged a short ball to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim.Despite the return of Test cricket, the match only attracted fewer than 1,000 people.But the performance of the Zimbabwe had International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat feeling optimistic over the team's future in the five-day game

Read More

Zimbabwe consolidate flying start against Bangladesh

HARARE: Zimbabwe continued their domination of Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club here Thursday on their return to Test cricket after a six year absence.At tea they had moved from 102-1 at lunch to 191-2 and were looking extremely comfortable against an attack that was lacking lustre.Vusi Sibanda scored 78, including a six and seven fours, before being caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim off Rubel Hossain, the only wicket-taker of the day so far.This brought in new captain Brendan Taylor to join Hamilton Masakadza who was on 56 at the break with two sixes against his name. Taylor made a cautious five runs.Masakadza scored a century (119) against West Indies on his Test debut at the age of 17 in 2001. He lost form last year and was left out of Zimbabwe's World Cup squad but was showing a return to style and power.Bangladesh were struggling to make any inroads as Zimbabwe's batsmen looked secure.Sibanda was dropped at 60 but it was a sharp opportunity.Although greenish, the wicket was offering little by way of lateral movement to the seamers. Shakib al Hassan won the toss and put Zimbabwe in to bat in a decision that failed to have the desired result for the tourists.

Read More

Zimbabwe off to flying start on Test return

HARARE: Zimbabwe were 102 for one at lunch on the opening day of their one off Test against Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club here on Thursday Tinotenda Mawoyo and Vusi Sibanda got the hosts off to a flying start on their return to Test cricket after a six year absence. The only blip came in the last over of the session when Mawoyo, on his Test debut, fell to Rubel Hossain trying a cut and he was caught at deep point by Mahmududullah. He scored 43 with five boundaries and until this mistake he was never in trouble against a modest attack. Sibanda will continue after lunch on 50, his highest score in Tests. Zimbabwe can be well pleased with this performance, especially as it was achieved on a greenish wicket and after being put in by Shakib al Hassan after he won the toss. Neither opener made any mistakes before the dismissal of Mawoyo, except for a scare in the first few minutes when they escaped a narrow run out of Sibanda. Although this was Mawoyo's first Test innings and only Sibanda's fourth they had the look of seasoned batsmen at this level. Zimbabwe have a strong looking batting line-up to come and will be looking for a large opening total by the close of play. Bangladesh are desperate for breakthroughs in the next session, otherwise the match could appear to be slipping away from them.

Read More

ICC One Day Leaque

In October 2010, the ICC Board approved the recommendations from the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC). These recommendations seek to give exciting content and context for international cricket within the Future Tours Programme after 2012 and also to consider future ICC events.In a series of recommendations, the ICC Board agreed that the should also consist of a One-Day International league, the first to run from April 2011 until April 2014, culminating in the crowning of an ODI league champion. This would run separate to the ICC Cricket World Cup.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "Restructuring international cricket is a significant strategic challenge and one that must be dealt with. We have now agreed in principle to exciting and far-reaching proposals to tackle this most important issue.Achieving balance and unanimous agreement is not easy but we have responded well to a strategic priority to restructure international cricket. The proposals, especially introducing more meaningful context, means we now have the potential to follow international cricket that is even more exciting.Further details of the one-day league, including a fixture list, will be announced in due course

Read More

ICC Test Championship

In October 2010, the ICC Board approved the recommendations from the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC). These recommendations seek to give exciting content and context for international cricket within the Future Tours Programme after 2012 and also to consider future ICC events.The Board agreed that the should consist of a Test league to provide context for all Test matches and that the league would determine the top four teams to qualify for an ICC Test play-off.It also agreed that the play-off should be held once every four years to determine the Test champion team with a request to hold the first such play-off in 2013.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “Restructuring international cricket is a significant strategic challenge and one that must be dealt with. We have now agreed in principle to exciting and far-reaching proposals to tackle this most important issue.Achieving balance and unanimous agreement is not easy but we have responded well to a strategic priority to restructure international cricket. The proposals, especially introducing more meaningful context, means we now have the potential to follow international cricket that is even more exciting.

Read More