A round-up of the fifth day’s action of the ICC World Cricket League Division One in Netherlands

Cricinfo staff07-Jul-2010Ireland eased to their fourth consecutive win in the World Cricket League Division One, beating Canada by five wickets in Amstelveen, to book their place in the tournament final. Canada will take on Kenya on Saturday for the fifth place.The Ireland win was set up by an all-round effort from Kevin O’Brien, who bagged two wickets to limit Canada to 154 and then followed up with an unbeaten 43 to steer his team home. During the Canada innings, O’Brien had been supported by George Dockrell and Andrew White, who bagged two wickets each, and the chase was made easier by way of an unbeaten 63-run stand with John Mooney, who made 44.Ireland saw through two periods of recovery that helped secure their win. The Canadian middle order got starts but the bowlers hit back, and during the chase, Ireland had been struggling at 92 for 5 between O’Brien and Mooney stepped up.Netherlands‘ hopes of reaching the final of a home tournament were dealt a major setback, as Afghanistan beat them comfortably by six wickets in Voorburg. Tom Cooper starred for the hosts with his maiden ODI century, but was short of support from the other end as Netherlands only managed a below-par 202. Cooper struck a patient century, off 155 balls, but seamer Khaliq Dad’s three-wicket haul had kept Netherlands in check.Afghanistan began on a poor note, losing their first two wickets with just eight on the board, but opener Karim Sadiq and wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad led a recovery. Shahzad made a 63-ball 55, and captain Nowroz Mangal consolidated the good work with an unbeaten 67. His knock was an attacking one, coming off 53 balls, laced with 10 fours and a six. He added an unfinished 93 with Asghar Stanikzai, who batted patiently during his 28, to seal victory with 45 balls to spare.Kenya slid to their fourth-successive defeat, falling six runs short in a low-scoring encounter against Scotland in Rotterdam. It was slow going as Scotland, led by Fraser Watts’ fifty, managed 172 for 8 in their 50 overs, but Matthew Parker’s four-wicket haul ensured it was just enough, and earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. Scotland got off to a steady start, with the openers adding 41. However, they were in need of a recovery at 74 for 4, and Watts and Moneeb Iqbal provided that with a stand of 73. Watts hit only two fours in his half-century, and was bowled by Thomas Odoyo shortly after reaching the milestone. The lower order couldn’t accelerate towards the end but managed to bat out their allotment of overs without getting bowled out. Odoyo and James Ngoche were the best bowlers for Kenya, taking three wickets apiece.Lack of solid partnerships at the top left Kenya struggling in their chase. Alex Obanda made 39 but after he was dismissed, bowled by Richie Berrington, Kenya stuttered. Jimmy Kamande and Odoyo added 42 to revive hopes but Ross Lyons removed them both to leave Kenya in trouble at 110 for 7. Two further strikes by Parker made it 115 for 9, but the last-wicket pair of Nelson Odhiambo and Ngoche didn’t give up so easily. They battled till the 49th over before Gordon Drummond clean bowled Odhiambo to seal a close game for Scotland.Today’s victories by Afghanistan and Scotland have set-up a virtual semi-final between the two sides in Rotterdam. Both are tied on three wins each, and the winner will progress to the final while the losing side will take on the Netherlands on Saturday in the third and fourth place play-off.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was pleased with the return of his strike bowler Lasith Malinga who will be central to his plans of ending the Test series against India on a winning note

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Aug-2010Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was pleased with the return of his strike bowler Lasith Malinga who will be central to his plans of ending the Test series against India on a winning note.Sri Lanka go into the match with a 1-0 lead, knowing a win here would not propel them to the top of the rankings. The maximum they can achieve is No. 2 behind India following the ICC’s annual update. Sangakkara called on the ICC to put into place a ‘more relevant and pertinent far-reaching ranking system that the present one’ after his team were deprived of the chance to reach the top during this series.”The motivation is still there to win the Test series that’s the fact that we are concentrating on,” said Sangakkara. “Even we didn’t know about the rankings when the series started. There again has been a call for a revamped system where actually one understands what the rankings are all about and not have things change and alter, deviate in a three-year block or in a week or something like that.””There are five days to go before anything is decided upon; No. 2 or all of this is in the future. We just want to try and win the Test match starting tomorrow. Our focus in on doing that and playing good cricket on the five days putting enough pressure on the Indians and getting 20 wickets of theirs which is not easy to do on any wicket. We’ll think about that and then talk about rankings if everything goes to plan after that,” he said.Sri Lanka’s chances of taking those 20 wickets received a major boost when Malinga was declared fit after recovering from a sore knee. Malinga took seven wickets in a Man-of-the-Match performance in Galle to spearhead Sri Lanka to a ten-wicket victory but was rested for the high-scoring draw at the SSC.”Malinga is back and strong he had a good bowl today. We’ll wait for an update this evening before finalizing our selection for tomorrow,” Sangakkara said. “As long as Malinga is feeling fine and strong, not just physically but more importantly mentally, and if he feels that he is supported whatever happens out there in the middle by the squad, the selectors and the administration, you can get a lot out of the player. Their commitment and their focus also improve when they know that they are backed 100% to do their best on the field.”That goes for any player junior, senior or whoever, not just Lasith. Once they know that the right atmosphere and the right environment is there to concentrate on their cricket they should fully go about their business without any fear of repercussions or even if there is an injury that they will be properly looked after having been injured playing for their country. The mental confidence improves a huge deal, it’s very important for fast bowlers on tracks especially in the subcontinent that they are made to understand that what they are doing is important for their teams and their countries and that they are going to be backed 100% no matter what happens out there,” he said.Following the deadpan SSC track which turned out to be heartbreak for bowlers, Sangakkara looked forward to a more sporting wicket at the P Sara Oval. “A pretty good wicket and it depends how you play on that. Looks can be deceiving in Sri Lanka especially. Let’s have a play on it and see how it goes. As long as the sides keep playing the way they played over the past two Test matches I think there will be a result.”Once you see a wicket like that [the one at the SSC] the attitude you take into it is very important. When we were fielding our attitude was to develop as many chances as possible. We did manage to do that but unfortunately a few of those went abegging and there were a few close shouts as well. We were pretty happy with the way we created chances. The only thing is once you get 640 on the board you are almost compelled to declare. Maybe on a wicket like that next time around it might be prudent to bat into the third day and makes sure the rough created on the last day is used by the team batting first,” he said.Sangakkara said it was a privilege working with the current panel of selectors headed by Aravinda de Silva. “They are very experienced and they also have the right mindset about Sri Lanka cricket and Sri Lanka cricketers. Once you know a player it become easier to handle them. Especially with fast bowlers we must understand that they are going to break down but we also expect full commitment from them when they are fit. They are committed to play 100% for Sri Lanka and if something untoward occurs while playing for the country they are backed and supported 100% beyond that and everything is done to bring them back into the fold. I am great believer in the attitude of Sri Lankan cricketers. They have been fantastic. They work the hardest out of nearly all the world cricketers and it has brought us upto a certain level of competence,” he said.

On another day of fluctuating fortunes, Sri Lanka gained a decisive advantage to leave India facing a stiff task in their attempt to level the series

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya06-Aug-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ajantha Mendis played a gem of an innings to revive the hosts along with Thilan Samaraweera•AFP

On another day of fluctuating fortunes, Sri Lanka gained a decisive advantage to leave India facing a stiff task in their attempt to level the series. After losing six wickets in a dramatic first session, Sri Lanka rebuilt in the second, thanks to Thilan Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis, and set a challenging target on a crumbling pitch. Suraj Randiv carried on the job in the final session with three breakthroughs, including Virender Sehwag, to complete the turnaround.The pressure on India grew with the fluent progress of the Sri Lankan innings even after they had been reduced to 87 for 7. Rarely did Samaraweera or Mendis offer a chance, adapting well to the turn and bounce with solid defence and a steady flow of singles. Just as he had during his century in the first innings, Samaraweera played the ball late, and with skilful use of the wrists, worked the ball around. There were the timely improvisations as well, as he swept, slog-swept, charged out of the crease to find the boundary and soon enough, as the field spread out, showed plenty of confidence in Mendis by rotating the strike.Samaraweera’s solidity and patience almost ruled out the possibility of a wicket at one end. It must rank as one of his finest knocks, in conditions far tougher than what he faced in several of his grinding centuries. His vigil ended when he tried to pull a short ball fine, gloving a catch to MS Dhoni, but only after the scales had tilted.The Indian bowlers were effective as long as the ball remained newish with Pragyan Ojha getting the ball to bite and turn. The spinners had to push the ball through quicker as it grew old and Amit Mishra, especially, was negotiated with ease as he rarely varied his pace, didn’t derive much spin and wasted the extra bounce.The odd occasion where Mendis was in trouble was when the ball popped up in the vacant short-leg area off an inside edge but, for the bulk, he was at ease driving the pitched-up deliveries through the off side, offering the full face when defending and opening up intermittently. Though roughed up by a couple of Ishant Sharma bouncers that struck his fingers, he dispatched his wide deliveries through point and over gully and swept Ojha into the stands.

Smart stats

• The 118-run stand between Thilan Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis is Sri Lanka’s highest for the ninth wicket, and their third century partnership for that wicket. It’s the sixth hundred stand for the ninth wicket against India.

• Sri Lanka were 125 when the ninth wicket pair came together, which is the fourth-lowest score at which the ninth wicket has added 100 or more runs. The lowest was when Asif Iqbal and Intikhab Alam added 190 after Pakistan were reduced to 65 for 8 against England at The Oval in 1973.

• Mendis’ 78 is the highest by a No.10 Sri Lankan batsman in Tests, and the eighth-highest for all teams.

• Virender Sehwag averages 28.73 in the fourth innings, which is only slightly more than half his career average of 54.14. Of the 11 times he has been dismissed without scoring in Tests, five have come in the fourth innings.

• Rahul Dravid’s average of 33.10 in Sri Lanka is his lowest in any Test-playing nation. In 21 innings here he has scored only one hundred. South Africa is the only other country where he averages less than 35 (33.60).

Mendis took the lead once Samaraweera fell, adding more valuable runs to the lead as the seamers struggled with their lengths amid defensive fields. Ishant didn’t bowl a single yorker in his spell and consistently bowled short with two slips and three men behind square in the deep on the off side. Mendis slashed a couple of boundaries and when Ishant pitched on a length, lofted him straight and over extra cover. Mishra finally dislodged Mendis when he drove him straight to an alert Suresh Raina to end the innings.Sri Lanka had seen enough during their batting to realise the importance of a newish ball and immediately opted for the offspinner Randiv to bowl with Lasith Malinga. He found the fizz he needed off his first ball to Sehwag who was beaten when attempting the cut. He played for turn the next ball, it went straight on as he opened the face, and found Mahela Jayawardene, whose celebration reflected the enormity of that wicket in the context of the result. India’s woes compounded when Randiv got one to spit at Rahul Dravid, who dropped one close to his feet only for it to spin back towards the stumps before he could kick it away to end a disappointing series. And shortly before the close, he had M Vijay closing the face to a shortish delivery and guiding it to a perfectly placed Jayawardene at leg slip, who took a low catch.The spinners were expected to play a prominent role on the fourth day but Sri Lanka adopted an attacking approach against them in order to progress to a safe score. Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara cut, swept and stepped out to Ojha but he accounted for them both: surrounded by catchers, Jayawardene was beaten by the turn to be caught at slip and Sangakkara, sensing a boundary when facing a long-hop, pulled one straight to square leg where Raina managed to hold on to a tumbling catch. India surged ahead with the introduction of Mishra into the attack, as he sent back Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene off successive deliveries.Then began the fightback. Malinga chanced his arm in a 38-run stand with Samaraweera, Mendis fought through a wicket-less second session and an hour into the next, and Sri Lanka’s last three wickets had accumulated a potentially decisive 180. In the end, a battling Sachin Tendulkar was left carrying India’s hopes.

Daniel Vettori has said Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, will be the biggest threat for the visitors during the upcoming five-match ODI series in Mirpur

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2010Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has singled out Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan as the biggest threat for the visitors during the upcoming five-match ODI series in Mirpur.”We have seen the Bangladesh team improve”, Vettori said. “Obviously Shakib is probably their best player, so if we can nullify him we know we are going to win. He is a very good player, he has proven himself particularly in these conditions, so he is probably their main player.”Shakib, who is the vice-captain of the Bangladesh one-day team, is currently rated No. 1 in the ICC ranking for allrounders in ODIs. He has played 94 one-dayers, scoring 2465 runs and has picked up 109 wickets. Vettori, who is rated No. 5, said a comparison between him and Shakib was inevitable.”I think we have some similarity, we both bat down the order at the same position and we both bowl left-arm spin,” he said. “And Shakib was captain for a while, so there was some obvious comparison. The key for us hopefully is that we can play a role in our team winning. Obviously you want to try and out-think the opposition as much as you can. And Shakib is probably our main opposition.”Vettori said the absence of opener Tamim Iqbal, who was ruled out of the series due to surgery on his left wrist, was a big blow for Bangladesh. “Iqbal is injured, so that’s a big loss for Bangladesh. He scored a lot of runs at the top of the order. So he will be a loss throughout the series.”Vettori had warned his side against complacency during the series, but was confident of his team’s chances. “We know it’s a tough task. But I think you have to play really well to win every game you have and that’s the way to go.”We are confident as we have got some very good players, particularly our batting line-up with [Jesse] Ryder, [Brendon] McCullum and [Ross] Taylor at the top, [and there are] a lot of expectations on us. We are looking forward to winning the series.”New Zealand’s first warm-up match of the series, a one-dayer against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in Savar scheduled for Friday, has been called off due to incessant rains. Vettori’s side has another one-dayer against the same opponents on October 3, two days before the start of the ODIs.

The drama of the afternoon seemed a world away as Australia dominated most of a morning session, before Ishant stepped in

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2010Six years ago, Australia set India 229 to win a Test match in Chennai. India knocked off 19 before stumps on the fourth day, but an overnight deluge reduced Chepauk to a swamp and deprived what would have been a capacity crowd of a nailbiting climax. At Mohali tomorrow, rain is unlikely to be a factor and this abbreviated series will almost certainly get the result that sets up the Bangalore game as a must-win for one side.Australia are clear favourites, having taken four top-order wickets. VVS Laxman, who averages nearly 50 in the team’s second innings, is struggling with back spasms and will only bat if required, while the tail will need to offer far sterner resistance than they did on the third afternoon.Successful fourth-innings chases of this magnitude are rare, and India have pulled off just two against Australia when the target has been in excess of 200. The only instance on Indian soil came as far back as 46 years ago, when sedate half-centuries from Dilip Sardesai and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, combined with a rather more brisk 30 from Chandu Borde saw them edge past a 254-run target.After some spectacular final-day collapses in the 1990s and the early part of the new millennium, India have been less of a soft touch in recent times. At Chennai in 2008, they famously chased down 387 against England after Sehwag’s blazing 83 on the fourth evening ensured that they could bat normally on the final day. As recently as August, they slumped to 62 for 4 at the P Sara Oval in Colombo before Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina saw them past 257 with a measure of comfort.The drama of the afternoon seemed a world away as Australia dominated most of a morning session in which India were as listless as they had been on the opening day. Then, with the score on 87 – Australia’s unlucky number – it all changed. It was a filthy delivery from Ishant, short and wide, but Watson, who had batted with real purpose for 56, only dragged it on.Ricky Ponting followed, essaying an equally poor pull and Ishant could have had three in the over but for a no-ball referral from Billy Bowden. Michael Clarke was walking off by the time he went up to the TV umpire, and Ishant’s emotions, after a frankly rotten match, boiled over. “When you get excited, run in really fast and are desperate for a wicket, you make these kind of mistakes,” he said after the day’s play. “But you need to control your breath and emotions and try to get a good rhythm. The seniors help when I get excited. He [Bowden] was doing his job and I was doing mine. If he’s given a no-ball, then it’s a no-ball.”Daljit Singh, the curator, suggested that the pitch played quicker on the fourth day as a result of the moisture in it having evaporated after three days of sunshine. Ishant bowled a clever short ball to nail Clarke – “I think there was more bounce compared to the first innings,” he said – and was relieved to be back among the wickets after a string of indifferent performances that he attributed to a minor tweak in his approach to the wicket.”I struggled in Sri Lanka as well because I have shortened my run-up by two steps,” he said. “It’s just two steps, but it’s taking time to find my old rhythm. I’m missing my steps a little bit. I spoke to Zak about it, and a few seniors in my team. The good thing is that I’m still bowling at the same pace that I was getting with my previous run-up.”India’s pursuit of 216 got off to the worst possible start, but having benefited from a terrible decision to get rid of Michael Hussey, the Indians weren’t about to point the finger at the officials after Gautam Gambhir whacked the ball on to his pad and watched bemused as Bowden lifted the crooked finger. “That’s part and parcel of the game,” said Ishant. “No one feels good about that but you can only control what’s in your hands.”Only Tendulkar, hero of the Chennai chase, and MS Dhoni remain of the specialist batsmen and the 161 runs needed will appear a million miles away if either is dismissed early on the final morning. Ben Hilfenhaus, who bowled a fabulous spell to send India into a tailspin before stumps, promised to put Tendulkar “under the pump” and there will be more than a few damaged cuticles in the Indian dressing room after he takes fresh guard tomorrow.
“When four of your best batsmen get out, the mood is a little bit tense,” said Ishant. “But everyone is in a good frame of mind and we believe that whoever is at the crease can do a job for the team. We’ll try our level best.”

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has admitted that his side was outplayed by Bangladesh, after conceding the five-match ODI series 0-3 with one game to go

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2010New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has admitted that his side was outplayed by Bangladesh in conceding the five-match ODI series 0-3 with one game to go. Bangladesh strung three wins on the trot against top opposition for the first time in their history to clinch the series, leaving New Zealand with some serious questions to address ahead of the World Cup on the subcontinent.”Bangladesh have played better cricket than us and deserved the victory,”
Vettori said after the nine-run defeat in the fourth match. “They have shown us how to play in these conditions.”New Zealand began the must-win game well, reducing the hosts to 44 for 3, before Man-of-the-Match Shakib Al Hasan turned the tables with a century, setting a target of 242 in slow and low conditions. Bangladesh’s bowlers kept the chase under control and it was down to Kane Williamson, who became the youngest centurion for New Zealand, to give his side a chance. His effort, however, was not enough to take them past the line.”Kane’s hundred is the positive to take out from this game,” Vettori said. “We should have adapted quicker than we have. We put ourselves in tough positions with the bat. One game left, must win for us. We must restore some pride in the last game.”

Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and South Africa due to a muscle strain

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010Pakistan left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series against South Africa due to a muscle strain. His absence is a blow to Pakistan, who are left with Umar Gul as their lone frontline seamer in their current Test in Dubai.”Riaz has suffered a side strain on the right side and needs four to five weeks for recovery before rehabilitation, so he will return to Pakistan after the first Test,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, told . He added there would be no replacement for Riaz in the squad, and that leaves Mohammad Sami and Sohail Tanvir as possible new-ball partners for Gul in Abu Dhabi for the second Test which starts on November 20.Riaz, 25, had an impressive start to his Test career, with a five-for on debut against England at The Oval earlier in the year. On Friday, he picked up two wickets in South Africa’s first innings but was unable to bowl on the second day of the Test as a result of his injury. Gul and the spin pair of Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal stepped up, however, to bowl out South Africa for 380 after they had dominated the opening day.

Michael Clarke has said sorry for not walking during a dramatic last-over dismissal that swung the second Test further towards England

Peter English at Adelaide06-Dec-2010Michael Clarke has said sorry for not walking during a dramatic last-over dismissal that swung the second Test further towards England. Clarke was 80 when he glanced Kevin Pietersen’s part-time offspin to Alastair Cook at short leg, leaving Australia 137 runs from forcing the tourists to bat again.Clarke took a series of steps towards the dressing room before stopping when he realised the umpire Tony Hill wasn’t going to raise his finger. England immediately referred the decision and the first replay showed Clarke was out.”Just want to apologise for not walking off the ground tonight when I hit the ball,” Clarke tweeted. “I was just so disappointed, my emotions got the best of me.”Michael Hussey, who was at the other end, saw the nick and his first instinct was to turn to Hill. “I just remember looking back at the umpire and yelling no, no, no,” he said. “So I didn’t know what was going on down [Clarke’s] end. By the time I turned around they pretty much referred it straight away and I could tell in Michael’s body language that he thought he was out.”He said Clarke was “pretty distraught” and had not spoken in the dressing room. “It was a real sombre way for us to finish the day because we fought pretty hard and it would have been nice to go in three-down,” Hussey said. “It would have really capped off a great day because he played awesome cricket today. He played like the Michael Clarke we love and have loved watching play over the last few years.”Clarke combined for a 104-run stand with Hussey that gave Australia a chance of saving the game, and they were 4 for 238 at stumps. Now that task has been passed on to Hussey and Marcus North, who is once again under pressure to hold his spot.”If we can draw the match, England will see it as a loss so that’s got to drive us on,” Hussey said. “We’ve certainly been outplayed, no question, but if we can get away with 0-0 it will be a great result for us. We’ve got a bit of hard work to do, with maybe a bit of luck and hopefully some weather to help us along the way.”North has scored 1 and 26 in this series and despite registering a century in Bangalore three matches ago, his hold on his place is loose. “He’ll definitely score runs,” Hussey said. “He’s a champion player, a champion guy to have around the team, and we want him around the team. We’re behind him all the way.”However, Hussey has the main job of navigating through the crisis after reaching 44 not out. “I’d be lying if I said I loved it, but it’s certainly rewarding to come into a pressure situation and get your team into a position to win the match or save the match,” he said. “It gives you a lot of satisfaction. I wish I could come out like Bradman and smash them everywhere, but unfortunately the game doesn’t work that way.”

Rajasthan’s strategy, according to franchise officials, will be to use players such as Rahul Dravid and Shane Warne to attract and mould younger, talented domestic players.

Tariq Engineer10-Jan-2011Faced with a reduced budget of $7.1m at the IPL player auction, the Rajasthan Royals were limited to buying just eight players (of which only two were Indian) and now face another problem – how do they fill out the rest of the squad? The solution, according to franchise officials, will be to use the star power and proven leadership qualities of players such as Rahul Dravid and Shane Warne, and the presence of two current national Twenty20 captains, to attract and mould younger, talented domestic players.Rajasthan were widely considered to have the weakest team on paper in 2008, but their combination of experience and young talent gelled under Shane Warne’s inspired leadership, and they confounded the pundits to lift the trophy in the tournament’s inaugural year. The same blueprint will be in place this time around, which is why Sean Morris, the Rajasthan chief executive, says they honed in on players who have captained their national Twenty20 sides, such as Johan Botha and Paul Collingwood.”We had to be focused and have specific targets,” Morris told ESPNcricinfo. “I think we’ve got the kind of dressing room you would build if you wanted a dream dressing room of leaders. We’ve surpassed our expectations. [There is] lots of talent that we can bring in to the dressing room that is full of international experience, creating a blend of incredible experience with the young, local players.””All these Indian boys can have Dravid as a mentor,” Raghu Iyer, spokesperson for Rajasthan, said. “The strategy is to have a blend of youth and experience. That is what delivered for us in season one. Yusuf [Pathan] was not the star he is now. [Ravindra] Jadeja was not the star he is now. They have all delivered for us and done extremely well.”There is a second incentive the team can offer talented, young players that other franchises might not be able to match – the opportunity to play regularly in the IPL. Over the first three years, a number of domestic players merely sat on the sidelines and watched while the more established players in the squad were picked for matches. They still benefitted from training with and being exposed to international players, but there is no substitute for competitive games.”Our players are going to be playing a lot of cricket for us,” Morris said. “The young Indian players will be looking at all the teams and players and thinking who am I going to compete with and when I am going to play? And they will look at Rajasthan and will be thinking I have a fantastic chance of playing.”The franchise plans to begin augmenting its squad with players from Rajasthan’s Ranji Trophy team, which has had an excellent domestic season, knocking off heavyweights Mumbai and Tamil Nadu on their way to the finals against Baroda. “The domestic players from Rajasthan are going to get a lot of focus,” Iyer, said. “They have done very well this season. There is a loyalty there and talent as well. We need to be riding that wave.”Among the players the franchise is looking at are 18-year-old Deepak Chahar, who made a huge splash on his first-class debut by taking 8 for 10 to dismiss Hyderabad for a Ranji record low-score of 21, and 20-year-old Ashok Menaria, who captained India in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2010, after which he bagged an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rajasthan’s wicketkeeper, Rohit Jhalani, is another player the franchise has its eye on as they failed to pick up a keeper in the auction. In addition, the team is hoping to re-sign players that were part of its development squad for the first three years.Naturally, the franchise is also attempting to sign some of the more prominent domestic players, such as the Mumbai pair of middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane and seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, by offering them the same carrot of regular cricket alongside established stars.”At the end of the day, the domestic players are going to make a lot of difference,” Iyer said. “It [the squad] is going to be lean and mean. Everybody has learnt that.”

Cricket South Africa’s board has passed a vote of no confidence in President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka at a special general meeting on Saturday

Firdose Moonda12-Feb-2011Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) board has passed a vote of no-confidence in president Mtutuzeli Nyoka at a special general meeting on Saturday. The motion was not unanimous but was passed by a majority vote and Nyoka was removed with immediate effect.Nyoka’s ousting is the culmination of an ongoing spat between him and chief executive Gerald Majola, which reached its peak during the bonus scandal. Nyoka was in favour of an external inquiry into the R4.7 million (US$ 671,428) that was paid out to Majola and 39 other CSA staff members after IPL 2 and the Champions Trophy in 2009.CSA initially announced that they would have an external commission evaluate the situation but then moved the investigation internally in order to exhaust its own procedures first. Majola was cleared of all charges of wrongdoing by the internal commission, although it did recognise that he had made an error of judgement, and Nyoka said he accepted the findings.That spat was believed to have caused a “general breakdown” in the relationship between Nyoka and Majola, according to an insider, who also said that it became apparent that there was “only room for one of them” in CSA. Two months after the findings of the internal commission were made public. Nyoka was served with written notification of a motion of no-confidence proposed against him that was signed by all 11 CSA affiliate presidents.Four days after Nyoka received the letter, South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula intervened in the conflict, because the ministry felt it may negatively impact the country’s World Cup campaign. The minister met with the CSA board sans Nyoka, who was unavailable, and reassured the public that the cricket fraternity was not in crisis and the ministry would meet with the board again on February 12, to receive a report on the commission inquiry and the actions of Nyoka.That meeting took place today, again with Nyoka an absent party. He chose not to attend on the advice of his lawyers. The motion of no confidence was passed by the board, with an insider confirming that the split was “more than 8-3.”Nyoka is the second successive CSA president to leave office in this fashion. Norman Arendse, his predecessor, also had a motion of no-confidence tabled against him before he resigned. Vice-president AK Khan will take over as acting President until the next election, which is scheduled for CSA’s AGM in August.