Talk about Cricket

where is Zulqarnain Haider?

2010-11-08T10:01:00.002Z

Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has reportedly gone missing and did not arrive with the team at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the deciding ODI against South Africa.

PCB officials refused to comment on the matter or talk about the reasons for his non-arrival. But a cryptic message left as a status update on the player's Facebook page said: "leaving pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game." A TV reporter for Geo, a leading Pakistani news channel, said that he had received a similar text message from Zulqarnain earlier on Monday.

Zulqarnain had hit the winning runs for Pakistan in the fourth ODI, which levelled the series against South Africa 2-2.

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/486103.html

Tigers take 2-0 lead

2010-10-11T11:55:00.001+01:00

Bangladesh won two successive ODIs against a major opposition for the first time in history as they thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets on Monday.

Shahriar Nafees put on 127 runs for the opening stand with Imrul Kayes after the hosts' spinners had dismissed lackluster New Zealand for 173 at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.

Nafees hammered a swashbuckling run-a-ball 73 including 13 fours while Kayes stroked a fine 50 off 83 balls, inclusive of four boundaries. The hosts' spinners had earlier dismissed New Zealand for 173 at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.

Nafees hammered a swashbuckling run-a-ball 73 including 13 fours while Kayes stroked a fine 50 off 83 balls, inclusive of four boundaries, as the Tigers made 177 for 3 in 42.5 overs.

Nafees got himself out trying to up the tempo as he came down the track to drive Nathan McCullum inside out, only to hole out to his brother Brendan in the 25th over. One over later, Kayes gave Nathan his second wicket in a similar fashion, scooping to Grant Elliott.

Raqibul Hasan was unbeaten on 18 and Shakib Al Hasan on 13. Junaid Siddique made 14.

The second game of the five-match series was washed out on Oct 8 while Shakib Al Hasan's match-winning performance on Oct 5 drove the hosts to take a 1-0 lead.

Earlier, Bangladesh's slow bowlers took eight wickets between them to take the match in their grip. The Kiwis were reduced to 101 for 7, before Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor raised the total to give their bowlers something to bowl at.

Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and chose to field, and brought the spinners into the game early, having let the two seamers bowl eight overs between them. Shafiul Islam had removed the dangerous Brendon McCullum in the first over of the match, but Jesse Ryder and BJ Watling built a good foundation.

The introduction of the trio of left-arm spinners put brakes on the New Zealand run-rate. Watling soon fell attempting to hit over mid-on in the 14th over. Ryder also departed soon after, holing out to deep midwicket for 33, to give Suhrawadi Shuvo his first wicket of the match. Grant Elliott was then bowled by a superb Shakib delivery that broke sharply.

Taylor, who eventually remained unbeaten on 62, attempted to rebuild, first with Daniel Vettori (9), and then with Shanan Stewart, both oof whom perished cheaply. But he combined with tailender Mills in an explosive 72-run partnership. He slammed three sixes and two fours to bring up his fifty in 66 deliveries.

After the fielding restrictions came into play in the 37th over, a Rubel Hossain over leaked 17, one from Abdur Razzaq cost 13. Kyle Mills hit two huge straight sixes off Shakib.

Suhrawardy Shuvo was the pick of the bowlers with his incisive, economic spell of 3 for 14 in 10 overs. He was backed up by Shakib with two for 45 and Mahmudullah, 2 for six.

India crashed by Kiwis

2010-08-11T11:34:00.000+01:00

India crashed to a humiliating 200-run defeat in the first match of the triangular ODI series against New Zealand with a pathetic bowling and batting display on Tuesday.

After the Kiwis put up a competitive 288 on the board, riding on skipper Ross Taylor (95) and Scott Styris (89), India suffered an inexplicable batting collapse to bundle out for a paltry 88 in just 29.3 overs, reports PTI.

In what turned out to be a totally lop-sided contest, only three Indian batsmen could score double figures as the Kiwis ripped through the young batting line-up to launch their campaign on a high.

It was a commanding show by the New Zealanders who relied on a 190-run stand for the fourth wicket between Taylor and Styris before Daryl Tuffey (3-34) and Kyle Mills (2-26) and Jacob Oram (2-15) shot out India to complete a convincing win.

Chasing 289 to win, openers Dinesh Karthik (14) and Virender Sehwag (19) made a watchful start but New Zealand struck twice in as many deliveries to get rid of the openers and reduce India to 39 for two in 7.1 overs.

Sehwag was the first to go when he failed to negotiate a short ball aimed at his body by Mills as the ball kissed his glove and landed safely at wicketkeeper Gerath Hopkins' hands.

Karthik then followed suit when he played Tuffey's delivery down the wrong line and missed the ball, which struck on his pads in front of the wicket.

Rohit Sharma (4) then joined Yuvraj Singh (5) but the former was sent packing in the 10th over by Tuffey and two overs later New Zealand dealt India another blow, removing Suresh Raina to leave India tottering at 50-4 in 11.2 overs.

Sharma, brought in to bolster the middle order, ended up giving catching practice to first slip of Tuffey's outside off-stump delivery.

Raina also followed his partner and edged one straight to second slip to award Tuffey his third wicket of the day.

The 32-year-old seamer came to haunt India again in the 14th over when his direct throw found skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni short of wicket as India looked down the barrel at 53-5.

Yuvraj and Ravindra Jadeja tried to stem the rot but Andy Mckay removed the former in the 17th over and eight balls later Praveen Kumar was also sent packing by Jacob Oram as India stared at an impending defeat.

Earlier, New Zealand had a disastrous start, collapsing to 28 for three in 6.5 overs but Taylor (95) and Styris (89) rescued the innings and helped New Zealand to reach 288 in 48.5 overs.

New-ball bowlers Praveen Kumar (3-43) and Ashish Nehra (4-47) shared seven wickets between them to strangle the New Zealand top and lower order and helped India bowl out their rivals inside 300.

The triangular series continues on Aug 13 when New Zealand take on hosts Sri Lanka at the same venue.

Waterboy Yuvraj Singh

2010-08-04T03:33:00.002+01:00

Three youngsters, aged between 24 and 25, were detained by the police for allegedly heckling Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh here on Tuesday.

Yuvraj, who did not figure in the Indian XI, was carrying drinks to the cricketers during a break on the first day of the third Test when the youngsters, seated close to the pavilion, allegedly taunted the player by calling him "Waterboy."

Yuvraj subsequently complained to the Indian team management. Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal said the team would take up the issue with the local authorities.

He said "The crowd was trying to misbehave with the player in question. The police was asked to intervene and the situation was brought under control. Yuvraj was not at fault, he did not try to provoke the crowd at all. I was sitting next to Yuvraj when this happened and I can tell you they were trying to provoke the player."

Mr. Biswal added, "It’s a basic human tendency to react to situations when you are being repeatedly provoked but Yuvraj was quite restrained. The police have taken the spectators out and we will definitely lodge a complaint with the police."

There have also been allegations that Yuvraj pointed a finger at the youngsters in question.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article550005.ece

Pakistan make Yousuf U-turn

2010-08-04T03:31:00.002+01:00

Four months after being banned for damaging team morale, Mohammad Yousuf was recalled to a Pakistan side simply desperate for his experience and batting prowess.

Without Yousuf or Younis Khan in their line-up, the Pakistanis were bowled out for 80 by England to slump to a crushing 354-run defeat on Sunday in the first Test of a four-match series.

It exposed the inability of Pakistan's raw batting line-up to cope with the swinging ball in overcast English conditions and hours after the match ended Yousuf was recalled from the international wilderness.

Yousuf and Younis, Pakistan's two most experienced batsmen, were each given indefinite bans this year for their part in alleged infighting within the team.

Younis had his ban overturned on appeal and made himself available for the tour but was overlooked.

Yousuf, who has scored 7,431 runs in 88 Tests including 24 centuries, did not challenge his ban and retired, but he has since changed his mind.

CHASTENING DEFEAT

New Pakistan captain Salman Butt could do little more than reiterate his faith in the young players after the chastening defeat by England but he must be delighted by the recall of Yousuf.

"Under my captaincy we have won one, lost one," Butt said.

"I can't be that impatient. What do you expect from (the youngsters) - win every game? That will not happen.

"This is the time when you back your players. It is just a matter of putting up a performance, whether it is bowling, fielding, batting. I know they can make a comeback."

Coach Waqar Younis offered a similar upbeat assessment.

"What I have seen over the last two or three months is a big improvement (in the team) Waqar told reporters.

"I want to make a good unit out of them. It might take a few more losses, though."

Matches against South Africa later this year on the featherbed pitches of Abu Dhabi would be better venues for the development of the youngsters.

For now, Pakistan are crying out for Yousuf, who showed on the 2006 England tour that the swinging ball was not to be feared but could be countered through hard work and application.

Butt pointed out that in 2006 Pakistan did not win a Test when Yousuf and Younis were in the team along with the great Inzamam-ul-Haq but they did not then possess such a strong bowling attack.

Mohammad Asif, 18-year-old Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul form a formidable seam unit and with Yousuf back to provide backbone for the batting order, England should face a much sterner test in the next match in Birmingham starting on Friday.

England unchanged for second Pakistan Test

2010-08-04T03:31:00.001+01:00

England named an unchanged 12-man squad on Monday for the second Test against Pakistan following their emphatic 354-run victory in the series opener that concluded on Sunday.

Seamer Tim Bresnan is again included having been called up for the first Test to replace Yorkshire team mate Ajmal Shahzad after he suffered an ankle injury but the same 11 are likely to play at Edgbaston in the match starting on Friday.

Both men bowled eight overs for their County in Sunday's 40-over match against Netherlands but Bresnan retained his place.

"Clearly we were delighted with the performance in the first Test but the key to consistency is building on that success throughout the rest of the series," national selector Geoff Miller said in a statement.

"We saw a number of outstanding performances at Trent Bridge not only with bat and ball but also in the field and the challenge is to maintain those standards over the next three Test matches."

Most capped players in Test cricket

2010-08-04T03:30:00.000+01:00

Sachin Tendulkar - 169
Steve Waugh - 168
Allan Border - 156
Ricky Ponting - 146
Shane Warne - 145

Stumpy' name of 2011 WC mascot ‎

2010-08-04T03:29:00.000+01:00

With 200 days to go before the first ball is bowled in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the event mascot's name was unveiled in a simple but impressive ceremony at P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on Monday ahead of the third Test between Sri Lanka and India.

The mascot, an elephant, has been named 'Stumpy' after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world, according to media reports.

The lucky winner will receive a cricket bat signed by the all-star quartet of India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, all of whom attended the launch to express their excitement about the flagship event.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "This is another milestone in the build-up to our flagship event and it's great to see the game's best players like Mahendra, Kumar, Sachin and Mahela looking forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup with such enthusiasm.

"As the excitement builds over the coming 200 days, we will see Stumpy throughout the cricket world, promoting the event and generating enthusiasm. I'm grateful to the thousands of cricket fans who showed their passion for our great sport and took part in the naming competition. I encourage all fans to start making plans to attend a spectacular event."

Who love IPL?(2)

2010-07-12T23:36:00.000+01:00

BCB select Mashrafe as captain and Sourav Ganguli as batting advisor for england series

2010-07-01T14:42:00.003+01:00

Mashrafe is going to replace Shakib as a captain in England.
Sourav Ganguly will be the batting advisor for the series

please do not be such a drama queen!

2010-06-22T17:46:00.001+01:00

http://www.cricinfo.com/asia2010/content/current/story/464245.html

There is no denying the fact that Bangladesh cricket team lost the match very badly against Pakistan cricket team. But I am totally disagree with you on this point "In affectionate remembrance of ODI cricket, which was killed by Bangladesh at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium".

I am really shocked that you totally blame on Bangladesh cricket team on a large scale. They lost one match in utter humiliation and you only want to blame them for the large flaw inside the ODI system and cricket administration.

Bangladesh cricket team come here from middle of the England tour and has to go back England for the rest of the tour. It is quite challenging for any subcontinent team to go England and play descent cricket because of the weather and lively pitch. Consider the temperature now in England 20C but in SriLanka the temperature is 35C. It is very difficult for any team to adjust quickly.

Now, why this is happening? Because of the busyness of the schedule. There is a fixed time slot for the 'wretched' IPL but there is no time slot available for ASIA cup. Because the top ranking Asian countries do not earn much money from ASIA cup. Cricket schedule is so full now because of the twenty20 cricket. The ICC has no guts to stop this nonsense because of the pressure from corrupted cricket administrators. Even we (audience) also forget what is good or bad. IPL match clearly has no excitement because there is not enough quality players and no nationality involved but we have to accept it as a excitement fiesta because of the thousand line written every day by the journalists. They create a virtual reality that this is best of the best which is actually below par. This fiasco creates a negative impact on the audience and they no longer want to see cricket. But unfortunately this fact is always under the veil.

The main dangerous thing is that the cricket administrators do not want to decrease the total number of matches. On the other hand they are not afraid of changing the game rules. Experiment is not bad but over experiment is not appreciable. Consider the 3rd power play rule. This rule is only created for only team strong batting line up. This rule never gives any advantage to the weak teams which is against the spirit of the game. Excitement is part of the game and we all want some excitement from the game because probably we are dissatisfied of our own life. But we must also accept that not every match will be nail biting finish. If this becomes a common routine then where is the excitement.

So, Mr. Sidharth Monga please do not be such a drama queen! Observe the picture in bigger scale.

Who love IPL?

2010-06-09T11:35:00.000+01:00

Tamim praises coach for encouraging play

2010-06-02T19:48:00.000+01:00

Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal believes team coach Jamie Siddons' commitment to flair play has allowed him to flourish against England.

Tamim was unsure whether his attacking style might need to be modified when he began his Test career, but the left-handed opener has been in fine form over the last few months after being told by Siddons to go with his natural instincts.

The 21-year-old has responded to the Australian's advice with five half-centuries in six Test innings against England, culminating in a rapid second-innings hundred at Lord's last weekend.

"When I started playing Test cricket I was in two minds whether to go slow or go fast -- and originally I decided to go slow," Tamim said on Wednesday.

"It was not working for me. The first 10 Tests were not good -- I think I only got two fifties. The coaches said to play like I do in the ODIs and enjoy my batting -- 'We will not say anything to you'.

"I know the way I bat sometimes looks fantastic, sometimes looks ugly, especially if I try to smash the first ball and get caught in the slips, but I am happy with the way I play my natural game.

"If I don't score, that's fine with me because I want to play like this."

Bangladesh eventually lost the first Test but will have been encouraged by their gutsy display heading into the second Test, which starts at Old Trafford on Friday.

Although they have won just three of 67 Tests, Tamim remains optimistic they can spring a surprise in Manchester.

"Our main strength in bowling is spin, and there was nothing in the wicket at Lord's," he said.

"So we hope Old Trafford will be better for us. We have (captain) Shakib (Al Hasan) -- who is one of the best in the world -- and if he bowls well we can do better."

If Tamim frustrates the opposition along the way, it is unlikely to bother him and neither will he be put off if he encounters any sledging.

"There was some chat (at Lord's)," he said.

"But that was just part of the game -- and anyway I like to talk when I am batting. It happens in every match, and I was loving it."

England cruise against Bangladesh bowling

2010-05-29T10:52:00.000+01:00

England eased to 105 for one at lunch against some undemanding Bangladesh bowling after being asked to bat first on the opening day of the first test at Lord's on Thursday.

Andrew Strauss, returning as captain after taking a break from the game during the away series against the same opponents this year, took 14 balls to get off the mark.

His second scoring stroke was a six over mid-wicket off debutant medium-pacer Robiul Islam and, although his timing was sometimes awry after his slow start to the county season, he was still at the crease at the interval with 40.

Jonathan Trott, whose place is under pressure after he first struggled in his native South Africa and was then tied down by the spinners in Bangladesh, played with authority from the start.

He steered his third delivery for four behind point and moved confidently on to the front foot to drive two further boundaries through the off-side. At lunch he had scored an even half-century with five boundaries.

Alastair Cook, who captained England in Bangladesh in Strauss's absence, struck the first boundary of the day, a confident off-drive to the Pavilion boundary. But he had made only three more when he was lbw to Shahadat Hossain pushing half-forward.

That was to prove Bangladesh's only success of the morning session and, bearing in mind their average of nearly 67 for each test wicket taken abroad, Shakib Al Hasan's decision to field first was clearly defensive and designed to protect his frail batting lineup.

Bangladesh were, at least. boosted by Shakib's presence after his recovery from chicken pox while their leading batsman Tamim Iqbal will bat with taping on his injured left wrist.

Eoin Morgan was given his first test cap for England in recognition of his outstanding one-day form.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-48849120100527

Modi premier league

2010-05-04T13:21:00.000+01:00

We see that in IPL many cricket term changes. How about this changes:

6= Modi maximum

4 = Modi medium

3 = Modi triple

2 = Modi double

1 = Modi minimum

Wide ball = Twitter wide

No ball = Lalit penalty

OUT = Modi Suspended

The Real twenty20 Cricket

2010-04-12T20:48:00.000+01:00

ICICC promises not to repeat 2007 mistakes in T20 WC

2010-04-12T20:45:00.000+01:00

International Cricket Council has learnt from the mistakes it made in the 2007 World Cup and would lower the ticket prices to ensure that the Twenty20 World Championship doesn't prove to be another flop show in the West Indies, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said, reports PTI.

"We have learnt from the 2007 World Cup. Perhaps pricing of the tickets was the fundamental reason (behind low turnout) there. It was not really affordable for them. The Caribbeans are small communities and it was not affordable for them to buy tickets of all matches," Lorgat said.

Spelling out plans to woo the locals for the April 30-May 16 ICC World Twenty20, Lorgat said, "While pricing of the ticket is key, we are also retaining the Caribbean flavour this time."

"Every territory has its own style and culture and we will encourage them to get involved in their own way. I'm hoping they would come out in full swing and there will be a party atmosphere all around," said Lorgat who was in New Delhi on Monday to display the ICC World Twenty20 trophy.

The Twenty20 World Cup begins just five days after the completion of the Indian Premier League III but Lorgat didn't see any harm in that.

"Last year too, IPL preceded the Twenty20 World Cup in England, which was reported as a successful event. I see IPL as great forerunner to Twenty20 World Cup," he said.

Lorgat also took the occasion to reiterate that there would be no separate window for IPL.

"As I have said in the past, I don't envisage a window for IPL, which is a domestic event. It's difficult to incorporate all domestic tournaments. The Future Tours Programme schedules only international cricket. In addition to that, IPL (governing council) has not sought any window," Lorgat explained.

The South African said he expects Twenty20 would open up new market for cricket but not at the cost of the game's two other formats.

"There is no question about Twenty20's popularity. It has taken off beyond expectation but I don't think other formats are not popular.

"Most would acknowledge that in the last 12-18 months, we have seen some fascinating one day matches. When Sachin Tendulkar scored 200, most people were of the view that 50-overs cricket would definitely survive. It's important how we manage the formats," Lorgat said.

Shahid Afridi Pakistan captain named

2010-03-23T18:08:00.000Z

The Pakistan Cricket Board ended weeks of uncertainty, by appointing Shahid Afridi to lead the country's campaign to defend the World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean from the end of next month. Afridi will once again take up the role he was given last year, after Younis Khan stepped away from the format, though he has for now only been handed the role for the duration of the tournament.

"It's a challenge for me and I accept it," Afridi said. "We are going to the West Indies with only one aim and that is to defend our title."

The limit on the tenure appears to be a result of the disciplinary action Afridi has faced since he was found guilty of ball-tampering - biting the ball repeatedly - in an ODI in Perth where he was captain. Until then, Pakistan had settled on Afridi as the Twenty20 captain till the World Cup and potentially as an ODI leader as well. But after that incident Afridi's stock fell considerably.

He was banned by the ICC for two T20Is, which led to Shoaib Malik taking over, albeit reluctantly. Then, the board slapped him with a Rs 3 million ($35,000) fine for the same incident, as well as placing him under probation for six months. Any further breaches, the message is clear, and punishment could be harsher.

The board took the unusual step of announcing a 15-man squad for the tournament without naming a captain earlier this month. Since then, and despite his punishments, Afridi was the clear frontrunner among a limited pool of alternatives. He met the chairman Ijaz Butt once in that period. He is flying in to Lahore today, having collected a presidential award during the day in Karachi.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Salman Butt were thought to be in the running as well, but Afridi's record in the format - he is among the most influential all-round players in the world - and a naturally aggressive streak has made the choice an easier one.

Afridi has already led his country in three T20Is and won all of them, with little outward detriment to his own individual impact. The decision to announce the captain so late does leave open the charge, however, that neither captain nor coach - the recently-appointed Waqar Younis - had any say in the team they will be in charge of in the Caribbean.

Pakistan will be without the services of Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, both banned by the PCB, as well as the injured Sohail Tanvir. Afridi said their absences from the Caribbean campaign were unfortunate. "Rana, Malik and Tanvir could have been in my playing eleven because they had performed well in the past," he said.

http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202010/content/current/story/453170.html

for Pune, Kochi $ 703m

2010-03-21T20:23:00.000Z

The financial might of the IPL was on display again on Sunday when Pune and Kochi became the league's two new franchises, being sold for a value in excess of the original eight franchises combined.

The Sahara Group, the biggest patron of sports in the country, became owners of the Pune franchise after offering a staggering US$370m. The other new franchisee is a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World, which bid US$333.33m for Kochi. There were three other qualified bidders, including Adani Enterprises and VC digital solutions Pvt Ltd (Videocon), who were in the fray to become part of the IPL, which will be heartening for any existing franchise owners looking to offload their stake.

"It only shows there is no recession for the IPL and it is on the upswing," Lalit Modi, the league's commissioner, said after announcing the new franchises in Chennai.

Sahara, who have been sponsoring Indian cricket for the past 15 years, had bid for the same amount for three cities, but ultimately chose Pune over Ahmedabad and Nagpur. "When we considered the cities, in terms of infrastructure and logistics, Pune came first," Abhijit Sarkar, the head of Sahara's corporate communications, said. "Ït is also close to Mumbai - the commercial capital of India - and Aamby Valley (an upmarket township owned by the Sahara group)."

Ajay Shirke, president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and a prominent businessmen from Pune, said he was obviously happy about Pune being rated as the most popular venue at the auction with three out of the five bidders preferring Pune as their home base over the rest of the 11 cities.

"MCA has always maintained that we will support all bids that are made for Pune," Shirke, who was present at the auction venue in Chennai, told Cricinfo. "That only increases Pune's association with cricket manifold.

"What they [the bidders] would have kept in mind was the market of Mumbai and Pune are nearby. Then there are private cities like Lavasa and Aamby Valley, which are about 20 kilometres from the ground."

According to Shirke, the Sahara franchise would have its home ground situated on the outskirts of Pune city, in Gahunje, which is on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The ground construction is already underway with Shapoorji Pallonji being the main contractors.

He was confident that the ground would be ready in time for the IPL's fourth season when Sahara would unveil its team. "The construction work has already started and it should be ready by March 2011," Shirke said.

While Sahara have a long history of sports sponsorship and are a high-profile corporate group, little is known about the winners of the Kochi franchise. It is a consortium with five partners - the Rendezvous group, Parini developers, Anand Shah Estate, Anchor Earth Private Limited and Film Waves. Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor was involved in bringing together the group, but has no stake in the franchise.

In fact, Tharoor clarified to Cricinfo that he had no stake in the Kochi franchise and that his role was limited to encouraging the consortium that bagged the team. "My role consisted only of encouraging and blessing the venture, and steering it to Kerala," he told Cricinfo.

"Tharoor was involved in facilitating and trying to get a team for the state," Modi confirmed. "He is an ardent fan of cricket and he has been trying to get people from Kochi to bid for it. I think his involvement ends there."

Modi said the tournament's organsiers would provide the Kochi franchise a home ground till the Kerala Cricket Association completes construction of its new stadium. "Kerala Cricket Association is in the process of building the infrastructure and as when the stadium is ready teams will play there," he said. "But till the structures are ready, the IPL will provide them with an alternate venue."

Speaking to reporters, Shailendra Gaikwad of Rendezvous World Sport said, "We have closely been following every development within the IPL, right from the inaugural year. Today, I am very happy for our consortium of Rendezvous World Sport and the people of Kochi as we finally have a team to call our own in this amazing city-based sports franchise"

While the huge money offered by the new franchisees shows the health of the IPL, Modi said there were no plans in the near future to further increase the number of teams involved. "We also have no plans to expand further immediately. In fact I don't foresee an expansion in many, many years to come but then you never know."

The IPL will now feature 10 teams and - if the current format is retained - a total of 94 games, from the existing 60. After the first season in 2008, the league has already expanded its reach to other centres such as Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Dharamsala.

The franchise auction process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after the bidders and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses.

Tail-up Tigers Test Series 2010 England Vs Bangladesh

2010-03-21T20:21:00.002Z

Strong tail-end batting got Bangladesh to 419 eventually but the second Test match is far from over as England ended the second day solidly despite a few blows. The visitors were 170 for three at stumps yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

After Nayeem Islam and Shafiul Islam batted purposefully to score maiden half-centuries in the first session, England made sure they were still in the reckoning but struggled to score at a faster rate.

However the heroes on this scorching hot day of few runs and wickets were Nayeem and Shafiul as the Test match progressed to what could be some thrilling three days of cricket.

The two overnight batsmen, who came in late on the first day with the Tigers hoping for a score that would be 350 at best, frustrated the England fieldsmen and then dominated for almost two hours in the morning.

Nayeem farmed the strike for most of the first hour but as England started leaking runs, particularly through gaps in the slip cordon, Shafiul felt confident enough to take on the pacemen. Soon he struck boundaries through the tight off-side field, hitting the likes of Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Tredwell. He got on a roll and reached his half-century off 47 balls with a carved boundary over the covers.

Nayeem at the other end was contented with squirting boundaries through the slip cordon off Tim Bresnan and three overs later, he also reached a first half-century. The two added 74 for the ninth wicket, a record in Bangladesh-England Tests, before Shafiul edged one to Matt Prior who dove in front of the first slip to take the catch off Bresnan.

If England thought they could wrap it up quickly, the Tigers No 11 Rubel Hossain came out and slammed four boundaries in his 22-ball 17 to make sure a healthy first innings.

Shakib brought himself and Abdur Razzak into the attack within an over into the England innings and soon after lunch, Razzak had England captain Alistair Cook caught at mid-wicket for 21.

It would have been a far even worse day for tourists had the Tigers held the only chance they got from opener Jonathan Trott, who ended the day on an unbeaten 64.

He had Ian Bell for company when the day ended but Trott, who took 33 balls to get off the mark, had a reprieve when debutant Jahirul Islam dropped a simple chance at short leg off captain Shakib Al Hasan with England on 41-1.

Thereafter, Trott and Kevin Pietersen, who also had a strong lbw appeal against him turned down, took the visitors to tea safely in a 76-run stand but within minutes, the Tigers were back with two key wickets.

First, Kevin Pietersen was beaten in length by Shakib and toed it to short cover where Imrul Kayes took a simple catch. Seven balls later, Paul Collingwood fell leg-before to Rubel Hossain who used an otherwise futile old ball to good effect.

England soon restored parity with Bell, hitting three confident boundaries in his 25, and Trott reached his second Test fifty. The two have added 64 for the fourth wicket so far, confirming a long hard day for Tigers bowlers on a non-responsive wicket.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=131052

BCB cancels Raqibul's contract

2010-03-19T20:12:00.000Z

The Bangladesh Cricket Board in a meeting on Friday decided to terminate cricketer Raqibul Hassan's current contract, following his letter to quit the game on Mar 10 and subsequent letter on Mar 17 revoking the decision.

The BCB in a statement said: "The Board considers Raqibul's conduct in the whole affair as disruptive to the preparation of the Bangladesh Team ahead of a highly important Test match. It was a serious breach of discipline on part of a contracted player and unbecoming of an international cricketer."

"As such the Board has terminated his contract with immediate effect and he will not be considered for selection in the National Team for three months effective from March 19 to June 19, 2010. However he will be allowed to participate in domestic cricket competitions."

The Board believes that timely punitive measures would discourage other players from taking similar path in future and has decided that very strict actions will be taken against cricketers who break discipline and BCB's Code of Conduct.

Sourav fined $20,000 for slow over rate

2010-03-19T20:03:00.000Z

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly has been fined
$20,000 for slow over rate during the team’s opening match win against defending champions Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Knight Riders were assessed to be three overs behind the required rate at the end of the match. Under the IPL’s code of conduct, match referee Andy Pycroft fined Ganguly.

Knight Riders, who were placed at the bottom last year, stunned Chargers by 11 runs here Friday.

More at : Sourav fined $20,000 for slow over rate http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/sourav-fined-20000-for-slow-over-rate_100334275.html#ixzz0ieesG8SD

IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders

2010-03-19T19:53:00.001Z

Having worked with him at Middlesex, I recognise this as typical Buchanan: he is always looking to challenge received wisdom and shake things up. Sometimes his thinking can be insightful; at other times it just causes problems. In this case, I think it might have been unwise to challenge Ganguly, the Knight Riders’ captain and leading run-scorer last season. He is not known as the “Prince of Kolkata” for nothing.

In 2008, the Knight Riders started spectacularly, when New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum teed off in the opening match in Mumbai. But after that they suffered four consecutive defeats as their batting struggled to reproduce the same level of quality. As for their bowling, it was too reliant on the excellent Umar Gul, who averaged fewer than 16 runs per wicket. Without Gul and Shoaib Akhtar — both ruled out by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s tough stance on the IPL — the Knight Riders must find new ways of getting people out.

Fortunately, two lesser performers of the 2008 season have matured greatly in the past 12 months. Despite attracting a huge $950,000 bid, Ishant Sharma was a disappointment last year, but he has since turned himself into one of the world’s most respected young bowlers. His inswing, delivered from a high action and with canny variations in pace, will present batsmen with an unusual challenge.

Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan mystery spinner, had played just three one-day internationals when he was brought on board last year, which may explain why he was selected for only a single IPL match. Yet since then, he has been a revelation, averaging 23 runs per wicket in Tests and a scarcely credible 13 in one-dayers. Not bad for a bloke whom the Knight Riders signed originally as a replacement.

With McCullum available for the whole season, and Chris Gayle, of the West Indies, hoping to play in the IPL for the first time, Kolkata will have extra, top-order artillery. With openers like these, they are bound to unleash further pyrotechnics from time to time. But their biggest challenge will be to maintain form over the long haul. Their owner, the Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, will expect nothing less.

Key man: Brendon McCullum

Likely starting XI: Brendon McCullum (wk), Chris Gayle, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Cheteshwar Pujara, Debabrata Das, Moises Henriques, Laxmi Shukla, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Ajantha Mendis.

Indian Punters League cashes in on IPL-3

2010-03-19T19:49:00.002Z

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) frenzy catches up with cricket fanatics, action elsewhere (behind closed doors) is churning out big money as well — with some estimates pegging the amount at around Rs 5,000 crore per match.

According to sources, the bookies have changed the way they operate. Given the large number of games being played, the operators are opting for weekly settlement with punters, instead of the daily system preferred earlier.

The settlement cycle also depends on a punter’s credit worthiness. But bookies say that on days when two games are being played it becomes very difficult to find time. So, they opted for a longer settlement cycle.

Betting being illegal in India, most of the bookies are using the confines of their cars, instead of operating from hideouts in buildings, as they are mobile and can evade the police easily. Giving them company are mobile phones, with some meant for outgoing calls only, and laptops to keep track of scores and other developments on the field.

There is more to it. Traditionally, punters used to organise bets on who would win. Now, there are several options: If you go for a ‘session’, you have to put your money on number of runs scored in a session (innings). For example, if a team scores between, say, 150 and 180 runs, the punter will make money. If a team falls short of the 150-run mark, or manages to go past 180, the bookie takes the cash.

The other option is ‘gala’ in bookie-speak. This form of betting typically starts from the 12th over and requires people to predict how many runs would be scored over the next few overs. If, say, someone bets on a team scoring 19 runs in three overs and the batting team manages to score up to 19 runs, the punter makes the money. In case the team scores 20 or more runs, the bookie walks away with the cash.

There is a third variation — ‘khadda’ — where no one is willing to take a bet since the outcome is hard to predict. Here, it is the bookies who are involved and it’s the “insiders” who decide. “This is more of an exception and not the rule as no one wants to lose money,” said a bookie.

The betting odds are decided by a ring of leading bookies who decide the rates, which is then communicated to the others over the phone.

For those looking to play straight, there is the traditional form of betting as well. Bookies said Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders are seen as the hot favourites in IPL-3. As a result, someone betting one rupee on these four teams will get less in return. In contrast, the odds on a Rajasthan Royals win are 1:2.

Similarly, betting on Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist is considered to be less rewarding as these players are seen to be match winners.

Modi planning overseas IPL tournament

2010-03-19T19:49:00.001Z

With the IPL’s return to India being heralded as a huge success IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is already planning to stage another overseas IPL tournament.

Although the idea is still in the planning stages England, America and the Middle East have already been pin pointed as possible locations.

"This is just a proposal at the moment. The idea is to begin with exhibition matches overseas. It all depends on how the British, North American and Middle Eastern TV viewers react to this year's IPL,” Modi told the Times of India.

”Based on that, there could be a short IPL played outside India in the future," he added.

Last years IPL was held in South Africa after Modi decided to move the tournament because it clashed with local elections in India.

Deccan Chargers survived a late assault from Irfan Pathan

2010-03-19T19:47:00.001Z

Deccan were cruising at one stage when Punjab had been reduced to 68-6, but Irfan Pathan raised his team's hopes with a stunning onslaught of 60 from 29 balls. The left-hander, however, fell on the first ball of the final over in which the team needed 19 runs.

Pathan cracked five sixes and three fours in his knock but it didn't prove enough as his team slumped to its third straight defeat in the competition.

Chasing 171, Punjab were set back early in their innings when Manvinder Bisla was run out for a duck, before captain Kumar Sangakkara was sent back by fellow Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas for no score.

Opener Ravi Bopara kept Punjab in the hunt but kept losing wickets at the other end, with Yuvraj Singh falling for four before Mahela Jayawardene and Adrian Barath were sent back cheaply as well.

Vaas' opening spell broke the back of the Punjab batting in which he took two wickets while every other Deccan bowler picked up a wicket each. Andrew Symonds starred for the Chargers with both bat and ball. It was also the first instance that Deccan had beaten Punjab in the IPL in five meetings.

Earlier, the Chargers threw away a cracking start to post 170-7 as the IPL staged its first game at at the Barabati stadium.

Andrew Symonds was the top-scorer with 53 but Deccan failed to build on a perfect launch pad set up by captain Adam Gilchrist, who scored 33 from just 12 balls after Punjab captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bowl.

Gilchrist's wicket was followed by an unfortunate incident for the Chargers, who lost opener VVS Laxman to injury. The batsman got his by a wayward throw while trying to make his ground while taking a run.

Herschelle Gibbs and Symonds, however, kept the Chargers on track for a big total as they cruised to 100-1 at the halfway stage. But Yuvraj Singh's introduction undid their good work as Gibbs fell for 23, before Rohit Sharma was run out in the same over.

Deccan kept losing wickets in the second half as they only managed 70 runs in their next 10 overs.

IPL may get 6 bidders for 2 new teams

2010-03-19T19:42:00.001Z

The base price of $225 million is still a dampener for prospective bidders who have picked up the tender document for bidding for the franchises of two new teams for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL)“Not more than six investors are expected to place their bids for the new teams,” a BCCI source told Business Standard.

The minimum bid price ($225 million) is almost double the figure of the most expensive IPL team — the Mumbai Indians — owned by Mukesh Ambani, who had paid $111.9 million in 2008. There were 16 bidders for the 8 franchises in the first season.

According to sources, Videocon, Jaypee Associates, Sahara, Adani Group and a conglomerate in the construction business from Pune will be placing bids. IPL will be accepting the bids for the two new teams on March 21 at 10 am. The bids will be opened and the winner will be declared at 11 am on the same day.

IPL had invited bids for the franchises for two new teams in February and was supposed to declare the winners on March 7, however, it had to modify its tender norms after it suffered a setback receiving only two bids for the two teams on offer. Most of the prospective bidders who had bought the ITT had raised concerns on the stiff financial terms of the earlier tender.

IPL later made three major changes in the new tender: the $100 million (Rs 460 crore) performance guarantee as stipulated in the first ITT was brought down to $10 million (Rs 46 crore). The amount should be submitted 24 hours before the bid. The winning bidder will have to submit a bank guarantee, which will be 10 per cent of the bid amount, within 48 hours of winning a franchise. In the earlier tender it was 100 per cent of the bid amount.

The most important change was the withdrawal of the networth clause. In the earlier tender it was $1 billion (Rs 4,600 crore). “Essentially, we have gone back to 2008 when bidding for the existing franchises was held. But, since the values have gone up, the performance guarantee has also gone up from $5 million to $10 million,” IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had said.

Test status

2010-02-25T17:03:00.001Z

Sachin Tendulkar breaks ODI world record

2010-02-24T13:22:00.002Z

Tendulkar passed the mark of 194 not out set by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry in August last year and 194 by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997.

The 36-year-old is already the leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket.

Tendulkar's previous best was 186 not out against New Zealand at Hyderabad in November 1999.

India closed on 401-3, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammering 68 off just 35 balls as South Africa's bowlers toiled for no reward.

Highest individual scores in one-day international cricket:

1. 200 not out - Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. South Africa, Gwalior, February 2010

2. 194 not out - Charles Coventry, Zimbabwe vs. Bangladesh, Bulawayo, August 2009

3. 194 - Saeed Anwar, Pakistan vs. India, Chennai, May 1997

4. 189 not out - Viv Richards, West Indies vs. England, Manchester, May 1984

5. 189 - Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka vs. India, Sharjah, October 2000

6. 188 not out - Gary Kirsten, South Africa vs. United Arab Emirates, Rawalpindi, February 1996

7. 186 not out - Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. New Zealand, Hyderabad, November 1999

8. 183 not out - Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India vs. Sri Lanka, Jaipur, October 2005

9. 183 - Sourav Ganguly, India vs. Sri Lanka, Taunton, May 1999

10. 181 not out - Matthew Hayden, Australia vs. New Zealand, Hamilton, February 2007

11. 181 - Viv Richards, West Indies vs. Sri Lanka, Karachi, October 1987.

Tendulkar to attend Ashraful's wedding

2010-02-22T14:39:00.002Z

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar will top the list of invitees when former Bangladeshi skipper Mohammad Ashraful gets married next year, his father has revealed.

“Sachin will be on top of our invitee list when my son decides to marry. Sachin asked my son what should be brought as a family gift but his visit to our home itself will be the biggest gift for us,” The Nation quoted Abdul Matil, as saying.

Although several other players have visited Ashraful’s house, including former Pakistani player Saeed Anwar and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, but Tendulkar’s visit stands out in Matil’s memory.

Speaking over his mobile from Dhaka on Sunday morning, he said, “Former Pakistani player Saeed Anwar visited our house last year when he came to attend some religious function in Bangladesh.”

“Sachin is my son’s favourite cricketer and since childhood he is his idealhero. We are very happy to receive him. Sachin is a very simple, sober and down to earth person,” Ashraful’s father said.

“Some 1000 people flocked him to see Sachin at my house. The people came to know about Sachin’s visit through media and mouth to mouth publicity,” he added.

Matil recounts how Tendulkar relished on Bangladeshi dishes served to him.

“He liked jumbo prawns and Hilsha fish (Ilish) very much. The sweets and fruits of his choice were also served,” he said.
http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/news/2010/01/25/india-bangladesh-test-sachin-in-ashraful-wedding.html

India meet SA to prove ODI superiority

2010-02-22T14:25:00.001Z

After the Test stalemate, a depleted India and a scarred South Africa will begin their battle of ODI supremacy today when the three-match series gets underway at a fortified Sawai Mansingh Stadium here.
The Indian team arrived here yesterday high on morale and low on resource and it would require more than a nip and a tuck to fill the void created by the absence of some of their key players.
The hosts’s bowling unit will lack the firepower of Zaheer Khan after the pace spearhead strained a leg muscle during the Kolkata Test against the Proteas. Zaheer’s absence would sorely be felt not just because he leads the attack but also because he has been virtually India’s bowling captain, mentoring fellow pacers with his elder-brotherly concern.
The spin department would also not be the same without the feisty Harbhajan Singh, who would miss the first two ODIs to attend his sister’s wedding.
The volatile offie, who had just regained his mojo in Kolkata, would have been quite a handful for the South Africans with his bag of tricks and reckless slogging down the order, not to mention of his confrontational approach.
India’s batting also loses some of its formidability because of the absence of left-handed duo of Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, the first is nursing an injury in his left wrist and the second a groin.
Like the recent Test series, here also India has more than just a bunch of personal reputations at stake.
India need to win the three-match ODI series to remain the number two one day side in the world which would entitle them to USD 75,000 from the ICC.
To stave off the South Africans, India would expect the substitute players to come to the party today.
S Sreesanth, Zaheer’s replacement, is expected to share the new ball with Ashish Nehra tomorrow and the Kerala speedster would have to ensure that he is upto the mark. Uttar Pradesh teammates Sudeep Tyagi and Praveen Kumar would vie for the third pacer’s slot tomorrow.
In the slow bowling department, Amit Mishra is almost certain to play tomorrow and he is expected to share the spin burden with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, whose utility in one day cricket has been proven beyond doubt.
In the batting line-up, Gambhir and Yuvraj’s absence could be compensated only if the top order fire in unison.
Irrespective of whether India set a total or chase one, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have to provide the start they are expected of and Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina need to continue the good work.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has fond memories of the venue. In 2005, it was at the same venue that the star stumper-batsman, then with flowing tresses, had hit a devastating unbeaten 245-ball 183 which remains his highest ODI score so far.
Since then, the Indian captain has modelled himself more into a finisher but the crowd would assemble here tomorrow to see glimpse of the old Dhoni.
A product of the same power-hitting school, Baroda all-rounder Yousuf Pathan is also set to make it to the playing XI tomorrow, hoping to continue his red hot form that has won him a recall to the side.
Fortunately for Dhoni, India is not the only team grappling with injuries.
South Africa has already lost their charismatic captain Graeme Smith and even though stop-gap leader Jacques Kallis has an enviable record against India, how much inspiration this burly all-rounder manages to provide remains to be seen.
Prolific top order batsman Hashim Amla has been asked to stay back and fill Smith’s void. Amla may have been a run-machine in the drawn Test series but one day cricket is a different kettle of fish altogether and the bearded batsman might struggle to adjust to the ODI mode.
Their bowling, especially Dale Steyn, looked too hot to handle in the Nagpur Test but was pretty pedestrian in Kolkata. Steyn’s pace, Morne Morkel’s bounce and Wayne Parnell’s angles remain a worry but the Indian line-up is capable enough to blunt them all.

SA to stage Champions League T20

2010-02-22T14:22:00.000Z

South Africa will host the 2010 Champions League T20 tournament in September, Cricket South Africa announced Friday. Twelve teams from seven countries will play in the event from September 10 to 26. The first edition of the tournament, for the leading Twenty20 teams from the participating countries, was played in India last year with New South Wales beating Trinidad and Tobago in the final. CSA are shareholders, with the Indian and Australian boards, in the Champions League. The tournament will be played at the home venues of the two South African qualifiers and a third ground to be decided by CSA. The participants will be three teams from the Indian Premier League, two each from South Africa, Australia and England, and one each from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.

Nafees to lead BCB XI against England

2010-02-22T14:21:00.000Z

Opening batsman Shahriar Nafees Ahmed will lead the BCB XI in the first of the two practice matches against England at the Fatullah stadium on February 23.
]BCB squad: Shahriar Nafees (captain), Alok Kopali, Imtiaz Hossain, Nasir Uddin Faruque, Shahin Hossain (wicketkeeper), Mahmudul Hasan, Shafaq Al Zabir, Tanvir Haider, Ariful Hoque, Alauddin Babu, Tapash Baishya, Shamsur Rahman, Md Sharifullah. Team Management: Minhajul Abedin (coach), Zafrul Ehsan (assistant coach), Fahim Muntasir (manager), Azmal Ahmed (physio).

England in Bangladesh 2010

2010-02-22T14:17:00.001Z

Pakistan recall Alam and Rauf from Australia

2010-01-02T12:47:00.000Z

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recalled players Fawad Alam and Abdul Rauf from Australia to reduce the size of the touring squad, officials said in a statement on Thursday.

Chief selector Iqbal Qasim told Reuters that a request by the team management to send senior batsman Younus Khan to Australia before the second Test in Sydney starting on Sunday had been put on hold.
"The team management had asked us to rush Younus to reinforce the team but after discussing the matter with the board chairman we have decided that a final decision would be taken after the second Test," Qasim said.

Pakistan lost the first Test.

India would benefit from having a specialist bowling coach: Dhoni

2010-01-02T12:45:00.000Z

India would benefit from having a specialist bowling coach, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Friday.

The Indian cricket board sacked Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh as bowling and fielding coaches in October after the country's early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup in England and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

India climbed to the top of the test rankings for the first time in December but the team has struggled to establish supremacy in one-day international cricket.

"To some extent it does hurt not having a bowling coach. If you have a specialist coach he is always interacting with the bowlers and trying to get the best out of them," Dhoni told a news conference on the eve of the team's departure to Bangladesh.
"He (coach Gary Kirsten) has to look after everything: he has to sit and talk to the batsmen, bowlers, fielders, build strategies and look after team building."

The Indian board has recruited former Australian fielding coach Mike Young as fielding consultant but has not decided whether to recruit a specialist bowling coach.

India will start the new year with a triangular one-day series involving Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from Jan. 4 followed by two test matches against Bangladesh.

Batsman Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of the tri-series to save himself for the two tests.

BCB has picked former 'rebel-players'

2009-12-12T11:47:00.001Z

BCB has picked former 'rebel-players' Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, and Dhiman Ghosh, once banned from national play for joining the lucrative but unauthorised ICL, for an upcoming tri-nation series.

It marks BCB's first selection of the top cricketers since the ban was lifted following their departure from the rebel Indian Cricket League.

They are included in a provisional 26-member squad for the series beginning on January 4 in Dhaka, where Bangladesh will square off against India and Sri Lanka.

Warne, Clarke face off in All Star Twenty20

2009-11-22T11:26:00.000Z

Australian spin legend Shane Warne and Michael Clarke are all for a Twenty20 showdown when they lead their respective teams in an All-Star match in Brisbane today.
Warne will captain the Australian Cricketers’ Association All-Star XI, while Clarke, who has recovered from a nagging back problem, will play his first Twenty20 match since being appointed the national T20 captain by leading a KFC-sponsored Australian squad.
‘For what promises to be a fantastic opening to the Australian international season, the National Selection Panel has picked a very exciting team to take on the Johnnie Walker ACA All Stars in the game on Sunday,’ Cricket Australia NSP Chairman Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.
‘In selecting the team we have not considered any of the Test players who have been heavily involved in the recent one-day campaign in India to allow them to prepare for the first Test.
‘The side does however feature Michael Clarke in his first Twenty20 game since being named captain, Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle as these players have not had the same amount of cricket as the other Test players leading into Brisbane,’ he added.
Hilditch said the match would also serve as good preparation for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.
‘While the emphasis will be on entertainment, the NSP sees the game as a great opportunity to continue our preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies next year,’ Hilditch said.
The star-studded ACA All Star team has retired legends like Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath.
‘We are honoured that four legends of the game in Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath have made themselves available and have no doubt they will shine for the All Stars,’ ACA President Darren Lehmann said.
Teams will be allowed 12 players, however, only 11 will bat and 11 are available to bowl.
The KFC sponsored Australian squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Cameron White (vice-captain), George Bailey, Brad Haddin, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner.
The Johnnie Walker ACA All Star Team: Shane Warne (captain), Travis Birt, Lee Carseldine, Adam Gilchrist, Daniel Harris, Matthew Hayden, Jason Krejza, Rhett Lockyear, Graham Manou, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Reardon, Nathan Rimmington.

Dilshan suffers broken nose

2009-11-22T11:25:00.000Z

Sri Lanka’s opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has fractured his nose after colliding with one of his team-mates while playing football following the first Test against India in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Brendon Kuruppu, Sri Lanka’s team manager, confirmed the news upon arrival in Kanpur, the venue for the second Test starting Tuesday. Dilshan had to be rushed to hospital where an X-ray revealed the damage.
However, Dilshan may yet be available for the second Test. ‘The injury was put right by the surgeon before we left for Kanpur and Dilshan is out of danger,’ Kuruppu said. ‘He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow (Sunday).’
This is Dilshan’s second injury on this tour. Prior to the first Test, he sprained his ankle during practice, but recovered in time to score a century.

Latif admits cheating at Multan

2009-11-08T20:56:00.000Z

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif admitted that he faked the catch of Bangladesh batsman Alok Kapali during the third and final Test at Multan six years ago that the visitors lost by one wicket.

His confessional statement was aired on Desh TV, a local private television channel, on Saturday night where the former Pakistan wicketkeeper also explained what prompted him to resort to an act of cheating.

The 41-year-old Pakistani said that he did it intentionally keeping in mind that a defeat against Bangladesh would not be taken sportingly at home especially after the bitter memories of the 1999 loss in the World Cup.

He said that their one-day international loss against Bangladesh during the 1999 World Cup in England raised questions of match fixing and he feared that the defeat at Multan, which was always on the cards, might fuel that allegation again.

Now in Dhaka to attend the Level III coaches education course conducted by the Asian Cricket Council and Cricket Australia in collaboration with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Latif also recalled the incident, which was widely criticised.

“I dived to my right to take a Kapali nick (off an Yasir Ali delivery). The ball dropped from my gloves as I rolled over but quickly picked it up from the ground before claiming it as a clean catch,” said the stumper.

In that Test, Bangladesh were in a strong position to pull off a historic win. After scoring 281 in the first innings they bowled Pakistan out for 175. In their second knock Bangladesh wobbled after Kapali's dismissal on a difficult track. In their second innings, Pakistan rode on an unbeaten 138 from Inzamamul Haq to save the blushes. It was also alleged that the groundsmen cut the outfield grass the night before the start of the fourth day, a clear violation of the game rules, so that the ball could move faster towards the boundary.

An uneasy Latif however did not say anything about other incidents.

Latif was subsequently suspended for next five matches for bringing the game into disrepute. He also stepped down as captain after that three-Test series.

In that series, Bangladesh also played very well in the second Test at Peshawar. But a second innings debacle saw Bangladesh eventually lose the game by nine wickets.

Latif is currently the wicket keeping coach of the Pakistan youth team.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113299

Abdur Razzak taking 15 wickets against Zimbabwe

2009-11-07T21:26:00.000Z

Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 5th ODI highlight

2009-11-07T21:24:00.000Z

Hussey named Australia vice captain for India ODI

2009-10-10T19:40:00.000+01:00

Australia have named Mike Hussey as deputy to skipper Ricky Ponting in their 15-player squad for a one-day series in India starting on Oct. 25.

Hussey's elevation follows a back injury to fellow batsman Michael Clarke, who was forced to withdraw from their Champions Trophy squad in South Africa.

Australia will also miss first choice wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, undergoing rehabilitation after finger surgery, as well as left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken (knee), Cricket Australia said in a statement.

Attacking left-handed opener Shaun Marsh returns to the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.

The World Cup winners enter the seven-match series on a high, having swept to a 6-1 ODI series win against England ahead of the Champions Trophy.

"We're really pleased with the progress the ODI squad has made recently," chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said.

"To reclaim our number one ICC world ranking was recognition of this squad's recent achievements but we recognise we have to continue to improve and to establish a winning culture within this young group of players on tough tours, like this, to India."

The matches will be played in Baroda (Oct. 25), Nagpur (Oct. 28), New Delhi (Oct. 31), Mohali (Nov. 2), Hyderabad (Nov. 5), Guwahati (Nov. 8) and Mumbai (Nov. 11).

Squad:

Ricky Ponting (captain), Mike Hussey (vice captain), Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Adam Voges, Cameron White, James Hopes, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz, Jon Holland, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle.

Major Decisions at adjourned 10th Meeting of BCB Board of Directors

2009-09-17T16:21:00.000+01:00

The BCB Board of Directors convened for their adjourned 10th Meeting today. The following major decisions have been taken at the Meeting:

Khaled Mahmud has been confirmed as Assistant Coach of the Bangladesh National Team.

Bangladesh Bowling Coach Champaka Ramanayake’s contract has been extended until 31 March 2010.

Fielding Coach Mohammad Salah Uddin’s contract will be assessed after Zimbabwe’s Tour of Bangladesh in November 2009.

National Team’s Computer Analyst Nasir Ahmed’s contract has been extended up to 30 June 2010.

The contracts of Age Group Selectors Ehsanul Haque and Sajjad Ahmed extended till 30 June 2010.

The contract with National Team Sponsors Grameenphone will expire on 31 October 2009. As the contract is expiring during an ongoing tour (Zimbabwe’s Tour of Bangladesh), therefore based on mutual understanding the Board has agreed to extend it until 15 November 2009.

The Board approved Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel as the new Hospitality Partners for three from the date of agreement.

Rescheduling of Bangladesh’s Tour of England was approved. According to the new itinerary Bangladesh will reach England on 06 May 2010 to play two 3-day matches, one 4-day match and two Tests before leaving England on 09 June 2010 to participate in the Asia Cup. The team would again return to England on 30 June 2010 to play two practice one-dayers and three ODIs and will depart on 30 July.

Habibul Bashar in EID Tele-film

2009-09-16T11:59:00.002+01:00

Link: http://bangladesherkhela.com/index.p...&editionID=783

England v Ausralia 1st ODI Live Streaming

2009-09-04T17:35:00.001+01:00

Free TV Show from Ustream

Habibul Bashar`s Birthday party

2009-09-02T00:56:00.001+01:00

Former Bangladesh cricket captain Habibul Bashar shelled out over 4000 pounds to bring in chefs from the Amish Indian Restaurant in Chobham, Surrey, to cook for his 37th birthday party in Dubai on Sunday.

According to The Sun, Bashar was so fond of their chicken, lamb and vegetable dishes when he was in England for the World Twenty20 Cup this summer, that he placed a bumper birthday order - including flights, which all cost him 4,270 pounds.

Restaurant manager Amin Ali, 37, said: “He took our card and said he’d be in touch. It’s nice he thought that much of our food.” (ANI)

Highlights Bangladesh v Zimbabwe ODI Series

2009-09-02T00:53:00.001+01:00

Siddons diagnosed with skin cancer

2009-09-02T00:48:00.001+01:00

Champions league draw Live

2009-08-27T14:14:00.000+01:00

Watch live video from VIP Sports on Justin.tv

Free online movies

2009-08-26T15:54:00.001+01:00

Watch live video from ricanbabyboy on Justin.tv

Ashes win

2009-08-24T20:07:00.002+01:00

England's Ashes win is front-page news, August 24, 2009

Shakib stars as Bangladesh defeat Zimbabwe

2009-08-11T17:47:00.001+01:00

Shakib Al Hasan slammed 104 to help propel Bangladesh to a 49-run win over Zimbabwe and establish a 2-0 lead in their best of five One Day International series at the Queen's Sports Club on Tuesday.

Al Hasan's efforts helped his country to their highest ODI score of 320-8 in 50 overs with Zimbabwe totalling 271 all out in 46.1 overs.

Tamim Iqbal's beefy 79 likewise underpinned the tourists before he was run out - with Al Hasan himself suffering a similar fate.

That proved too tough a call for Zimbabwe to match, though half-centuries from Charles Coventry and Sean Williams saw them put up a strong fight.

Coventry found offspinner Naeem Islam to his liking as he slammed two big sixes but the pressure of keeping that going proved too much for both him and Williams.

Elton Chigumbura also weighed in with a defiant 31 but could not save a result for the hosts - beaten by eight wickets in the first match on Sunday - as he was run out at the death.

Shakib began slowly but then found increasing momentum and took full advantage of the batting Powerplay with some spectacular hitting - as well as some less than neat fielding, which saw him dropped twice.

Thereafter he raced on gratefully to bring up his hundred in 63 balls off Ed Rainsford before he was run out as he and Mushfiqur Rahim went for an over-ambitious three.

Mohammad Ashraful, whose weekend ton in Bulawayo helped land the opening ODI, this time could only manage 22 before falling LBW to Chamu Chibhabha

Bangladesh 320-8 in 50 overs

2009-08-11T12:39:00.000+01:00

Bangladesh scored 320-8 in 50 overs against Zimbabwe in the second match of the GrameenPhone Cup ODI Series against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

The star of the show was skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who hit a whirlwind 104 off just 64 balls being he was run out.

He slammed nine fours and four sixes.

Opener Tamim Iqbal hit his second fifty of the five-match series before also being run out for 79 off 105 balls.

Raqibul Hasan (35). Junaed Siddique (27), Mushfiqur Rahim (23 not out) and Mohammad Ashraful (22) were the other batsmen to reach double digits.

Elton Chigumbura bagged 3-59 and Chamu Chibhabha took 1-51.

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh 2009

2009-08-10T19:51:00.002+01:00

Mohammad Ashraful and team-mates are in full voice after their win

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh 2009

2009-08-09T12:43:00.002+01:00

Nazmul Hossain dismisses Chamu Chibhabha, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Bulawayo, August 9, 2009

WI v Bang: 3rd ODI

2009-08-04T15:02:00.004+01:00

Wake up call

2009-08-03T14:42:00.001+01:00

The West Indies romped to a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a Twenty20 match on Sunday after a disciplined bowling performance and four run outs from direct hits in the field.

The home team, weakened throughout the series by the absence of its leading players due to contract wrangles, finally won its first match against Bangladesh on tour after the visitors had swept the preceding test and one-day series.

The West Indies, led by two wickets and two run outs from Darren Sammy, limited Bangladesh to 118-9 off 20 overs at Warner Park.

The hosts lost a wicket on the first ball of its reply but Devon Smith (37 off 27 balls) and Travis Dowlin (37 not out off 37 balls) forged the comfortable path to victory at 119-5 with 19 balls to spare.

Bangladesh, after winning the toss and batting, dipped into early trouble when three wickets fell in five balls with the score at 12.

Medium-pacer Sammy (2-33) led the way as Junaid Siddique (5) and Mohammad Ashraful (0) were dispatched off successive deliveries.

Siddique sliced into the off side from the leading edge, while Ashraful scooped straight to short fine leg. Fast bowler Gavin Tonge added the scalp of Tamim Iqbal (7) next over as the left-hander clipped an ondrive to midwicket.

Captain Shakib-al-Hasan and Naeem Islam revived the visitors in a fourth-wicket stand of 31. But once Shakib was bowled around his back by Nikita Miller's left-arm spin and Naeem was the first of the four run outs, the innings fell away again.

Shakib was bowled around his legs as he missed a sweep while wicketkeeper Devon Thomas easily ran out Naeemafter the batsman sought a single.

Bangladesh slipped to 66-7 as Miller (2-22) added his second scalp as Raqibul was lbw sweeping and Mushfiqur Rahim was run out by Andre Fletcher.

Mahmudullah (21 off 27 balls) guided the lower order but Bangladesh's total was well below par.

Dale Richards chopped Shakib onto his stumps the first ball of West Indies' chase as Bangladesh sniffed a chance.

But left-hander Smith dominated a second wicket stand of 46 with Fletcher to put West Indies on course.

Fletcher (8) fell to Nazmul Hossain and Smith departed to fellow fast bowler Rubel Hossain at 67-3.

But Dowlin, one of the new West Indian players to enhance his reputation in this series, hit five fours, including the winning runs, to seal a satisfying win.

Captain Floyd Reifer added 22 off 20 balls and although he and vice-captain Sammy fell to Ashraful near the end, the victory was never in doubt.

Bangladesh beats WIndies by three wickets

2009-08-01T01:14:00.001+01:00

All-rounder Mahmudullah hit an unbeaten 51 Friday to push Bangladesh to a tense three-wicket victory and a 3-0 series sweep over West Indies in the third and final one-day cricket international.

The right-hander, who earlier took 2-38 with his off-spin, struck two fours and a six off 70 balls as the visitors reached their target of 249-7 with seven balls to spare.

Junaid Siddique contributed 55 while fellow opener Tamim Iqbal (30), Mushfiqur Rahim (31) and Naeem Islam (26) also posted important contributions.

Fast bowler Kemar Roach claimed 4-63 and Darren Sammy, 2-37 to lead the home team.

Earlier, West Indies was bowled out for 248 off 47.4 overs.

Opener Andre Fletcher led with 52 off 42 balls while Sammy (40), captain Floyd Reifer (40) and Travis Dowlin (38).

Mahmudullah, medium pacer Mahbubul Alam (2-42) and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak (2-63) spearheaded the visitors' attack.

"We were all looking forward to this ODI series and we did well," Shakib said after lifting the Digicel Trophy. "We're very happy."

Shakib, named man of the series for his all-round contributions, praised Mahmudullah's match-winning effort.

"It is a team effort. Everyone is chipping in every time and when the team is under pressure, someone is doing the job for the team," Shakib said.

Siddique and Tamim launched Bangladesh's chase in emphatic fashion with an opening stand of 54 off 50 balls.

But West Indies hit back with some crucial scalps.

Tamim blasted five fours and a six off 27 balls before he slapped Sammy straight to mid-off.

Bangladesh soon slipped to 96-3 once David Bernard Jr. claimed Mohammad Ashraful (19) and Roach scalped Raqibul Hasan (5).

Ashraful edged to the wicket-keeper while Raqibul fell to a sensational low catch at extra cover from Reifer.

Siddique and Shakib added 32 for the fourth wicket but the West Indies seized the initiative as both batsmen fell in quick succession to Roach.

Siddique, after hitting six fours off 73 balls, lost his leg stump to a slower ball while Shakib miscued a pull to extra cover at 133-5.

Roach should have added the wicket of Mahmudullah but Sammy floored a tough, low catch at first slip before the 23-year-old had scored.

Mahmudullah made the most of that let-off and in successive partnerships with Mushfiqur and Naeem, steered his side home.

He added 50 with Mushfiqur before the wicket-keeper was harshly ruled out caught down the leg side off Sammy.

Then, Mahudullh and Naeem put on 49 to set up the series sweep. Naeem fell for 26 off 22 balls to give West Indies a sniff but the visitors held on for the historic win.

Earlier, the West Indies was in early peril after winning the toss and batting on a true pitch.

Kieran Powell, a 19-year-old on his debut, fell to the second ball of the match as he was trapped plumb lbw by Mahbubul.

Soon afterwards, it was 10-2 when Devon Smith (4) mowed across the line and was bowled by Mahbubul's new ball mate, Nazmul Hossain.

Fletcher and the in-form Travis Dowlin revived the innings in a third wicket stand of 76 off 72 balls.

The 21-year-old Fletcher brought up his maiden one-day fifty, off 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes. But the right-hander perished soon afterwards as he holed out to long-on off Razzak's left-arm spin.

The innings wobbled again as Dowlin was run out after a mix-up with Reifer and Bernard Jr. fell at 124-5 in the 28th over.

Dowlin hesisted on a single and was undone by Ashraful's throw while Bernard (1) lofted to long-on off Mahmudullah.

Reifer, and Sammy again boosted their team with contrasting innings.

Reifer, scratchily compiled 40 off 79 balls with a six and three fours while Sammy blasted five fours and two sixes off 33 balls.

But they fell within two runs of each other as Bangladesh kept a tight rein.

Reifer clipped an ondrive to midwicket off Mahbubul while Sammy tamely hit a return catch to Razzak at 190-7.

Wicket-keeper Devon Thomas rallied the lower order with a composed, unbeaten 29 off 32 balls with two fours.

Nikita Miller (13) and Kemar Roach (10) helped push the total up to 248.

BCB picks U-19 squad for England tour

2009-06-25T19:46:00.000+01:00

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday picked a 15-member under-19 squad for the tour of England to play against their English counterparts in July.

The Bangladesh U-19 side will play two four-day matches, four one-day matches and two Twenty20 matches against the England U-19 side during the month-long tour.

However, the visitors captained by Mahmudul Hasan will start their tour taking on England U-18 in a two-day warm-up match on July 3-4.

The U-19s boys will leave the country on June 30.

Squad: Mahamudul Hasan (captain), Amit Majunder (vice-captain), Saikat Ali, Asif Ahmed, Shabbir Rahaman, Imamul Hossain, Muminul Hoque Showrab, Mohammed Abul Hasan, Abu Jayed Chowdhury, Alauddin Babu, Shohag Reza, Shaker Ahmed, Anamul Haque Bijoy (wk), Quazi Nurul Hasan (wicketkeeper), and Nur Hossain.
http://cricket.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=26&id=88219#tp88216

Bangladesh go down against Kiwis in the practice match

2009-05-26T22:23:00.000+01:00

The Tigers began their preparation for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup with a four-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the first unofficial warm-up match at Wormsley Cricket Ground in Buckinghamshire, England on Tuesday.

Martin Guptill fired 61 to propel the Kiwis to 147-6 with five overs to spare after Bangladesh were restricted to 146-6 in their stipulated 20 overs.

Guptill was well supported by Peter McGlashan, who made 35. N McCullam was 14 not out as Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah Riad took one wicket each.

Earlier, Bangladesh, who won the toss, made a modest total riding on a 43-run knock from middle-order batsman Raid.

Shakib Al Hasan followed him to make 35, according to TigerCricket.com, the official website of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Left-handed opener Tamim was the third highest scorer with 19 while captain Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafee Bin Mortaza made 17 and 15 respectively.

Naeem Islam was 11 not out while Junaed Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim scored three and one.

Rajasthan Royals made a losing start

2009-04-13T12:34:00.000+01:00

Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals made a losing start to their South African campaign when they lost by 27 runs against the Cape Cobras in an Indian Premier League warm-up match at Newlands Saturday.
Both teams were well below strength, with the Royals fielding only four of the players who won the IPL last year and the Cobras missing most of the men who won the South African Twenty20 final earlier in the season.
‘It’s disappointing to lose but it was a great opportunity for some of the guys to show what they can do,’ said Warne.
‘Everything we wanted to get out of this game we got although the batting was a bit disappointing.’
Opening bowler Amit Singh bowled impressively to take three for 15 as the Cape Cobras made 142 for eight.
The home side were struggling at 34 for four and 65 for five but prospered through some hard hitting by lower order batsmen Richard Levi (36), Vernon Philander (26) and Rory Kleinveldt (23).
Kleinveldt took four for 34 when the Royals batted to clinch the man of the match award.
Royals’ Australian opening batsman Bob Quiney made a hard-hit 34 off 22 balls but the rest of the batting crumbled. Warne’s 21 was the second-highest score.

Twenty20 cricket goes to Everest

2009-04-11T20:51:00.001+01:00

Twenty20 cricket is all set to touch a new high with some British amateurs gearing up to play a fund-raising match at Gorak Shep—just 135 meters below the Everest base camp—on April 21.
The unique cricket match will be played at an altitude of 5,165 meters and the teams will be named after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the mountaineer duo who scaled the 8,848 metre peak for the first time in 1953.
The match, aiming to raise 2,50,000 pounds for UK-based The Himalayan Trust, will be first to be played at such a high altitude, according to Ang Tsering Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
The amateur players, aged between 22 and 36, along with other support staff, will spend nine days at the venue before the match to get acclimatized with the weather and environment there.
They will also carry a plastic-made pitch while the match will be played with a pink ball.

Stanford arrested and charged with massive fraud

2009-02-17T18:35:00.002Z

It has been reported that Allen Stanford has been arrested and charged with fraud by US authorities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission said that they were "alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude".

The ECB reacted to the news with a statement saying it and the West Indies board had "suspended negotiations with Sir Allen Stanford and his financial corporation concerning a new sponsorship deal".

Earlier today the SEC accused Stanford, the head of the Stanford Financial Group, of fraud in the sale of about US$8 billion of high-yielding certificates of deposit held in the firm's bank in Antigua. James M. Davis, a director and chief financial officer of Stanford Group, was also arrested

The SEC said it could not account for the US$8 billion in assets that were housed in the Antigua bank after issuing subpoenas for bank records and to various witnesses. Most of those subpoenaed, including Davis and Stanford, failed to testify or produce documents relating to the assets.

The SEC went on to describe claims by the bank that it paid "significantly" higher returns on its CDs because of the high quality of its investments as "improbable, if not impossible". It is believed that Stanford and Davis's assets have been frozen pending further investigations and that their passports have been confiscated.

The SEC's investigation into Stanford Financial Group comes at a time it is under considerable pressure inside the USA for its inaction regarding the multi-billion Bernard L. Madoff case.

Rise and fall

Feb 25: Stanford reveals his plan for a $20 million Twenty20 match which he calls the “OK Corral” of cricket.
June 11: Stanford signs a five-year $100m deal with the ECB. He lands his helicopter at Lord’s before having his photograph taken with a chest of dollar bills.
Oct 27: The Stanford Super Series gets off to a bad start when he sits the pregnant wife of England wicketkeeper Matt Prior on his knee. Stanford issues apology to the team.
Oct 28: A party for England and the Superstars is cancelled as Stanford avoids a public meeting with Kevin Pietersen’s team.
Oct 29: ECB announce a review of the Stanford deal, three days before the $20m match takes place.
Nov 1: England are thrashed by 10 wickets as the Stanford Superstars team, led by Chris Gayle, become dollar millionaires.
Dec 17: Stanford sacks his board of legends, which included Sir Viv Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers, and closes his office in Antigua. His deal with the ECB looks dead.
Feb 11: Announces the end of his $20m match after one year but confirms the Stanford Quadrangular will take place at Lord’s in May.
Feb 17: Securites and Exchange Commission charge Sir Allen Stanford and three associates with alleged fraud 'of shocking magnitude'.

Dhaka to host inaugural match along with opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cup

2009-02-17T18:29:00.000Z

Dhaka will host the inaugural match and the opening ceremony of the 2011 ICC World Cup on Feb. 19, said a BCB official on Tuesday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board media committee chairman Jalal Younus told bdnews24.com the ICC meeting on Tuesday decided to stage both the inaugural match and opening ceremony on Feb 19, 2011.

It had earlier decided that Bangladesh would organise the opening ceremony of the cricket extravaganza and the co-hosts are now set to stage the inaugural match as well.

Younus said that the opening ceremony would be a one-and-half hour programme and then the inaugural match would take place.

The BCB spokesman informed that BCB senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam and director Shafiqur Rahman Munna attended the ICC meeting in New Delhi.

Representatives of the ICC, including chief executive Haroon Lorgat, also attended the meeting to discuss ongoing plans for the ICC World Cup 2011, which will take place in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in two years' time.

"Among other things, it was decided that subject to final ICC Board approval, the opening ceremony for the event would take place in Bangladesh on 19 February 2011 and the tournament would be shorter than the one that took place in the West Indies in 2007," said ICC press release available here.

The statement also said that the meeting also discussed the issue of safety and security.
http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=26&id=76634&hb=2

Taibu will 'expose corruption' in Zimbabwe

2009-02-12T18:55:00.000Z

Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu, who faces a trial over allegations he assaulted a leading cricket official, has pledged to use his day in court to blow the lid on "corruption" in the game, his lawyer said.

Taibu has been accused of assaulting Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) general manager Esther Lupepe last year. She claims that he grabbed her by the collar and jostled her during a confrontation over outstanding salary and expenses payments.

He was due to appear at Rotten Row magistrates court on Friday, but because he is on tour in Kenya, the trial has been put back, probably until mid-March, according to his lawyer Jonathan Samkange.

Samkange is reported to have stated at an earlier hearing that Taibu would take the opportunity to "expose corruption" in ZC.

The national cricket body, led by controversial chairman Peter Chingoka, were stunned when the magistrate ordered ZC to produce all accounts relating to players for audit.

ZC have protested that this was irrelevant to the legal proceedings.

Taibu, the country's leading run-maker and long-established wicketkeeper, was the spokesman for a striking group of players in 2005 and he declared he would not perform in Zimbabwe colours while Chingoka remained in charge.

He was eventually persuaded to return to the team after pursuing his club career in South Africa and Bangladesh.

Taibu told the earlier court hearing that the assault charge is an attempt to discredit him after he made claims that there had been dubious financial dealings within the national body.

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/taibu-to-expose-corruption-in-zimbabwe-20090207-806p.html

IPL for Shakib

2009-02-10T17:29:00.000Z

Bangladesh and world's top all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan may join the Bangalore Royal Challenge as a replacement for left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL).

Although Shakib was not available to make any comment a sources close to the Bangladesh Cricket Board said that it's matter of time before the official announcement will come from the franchise.

The number one ranked all-rounder in ODIs will be the third Bangladeshi after captain Mohammad Ashraful and his deputy Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to join the IPL if it is officially confirmed.

Razzak played for the Bangalore Royal Challenge as the lone Bangladeshi player in the IPL last year. But the left-arm spinner is now going through a rehabilitation programme after being called for suspect action during the home series against New Zealand in November.

Shakib was one of the four Bangladeshi cricketers who were up in last Friday's IPL auction but much to the surprise of many in-form left-hander failed to entice a buyer along with dashing opener Tamim Iqbal.

Mashrafee, Ashraful get picked for IPL, Sakib left out

2009-02-10T17:27:00.000Z

In the most dramatic bidding for players in the Indian Primer League to date, Bangladesh vice-captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders at a whopping $600,000 in Goa on Friday.
Bidding on Mashrafee had started with a base price of $50,000 but his figures kept climbing steadily with the Kings XI Punjab hot on the heels of the Knight Riders before the Kolkata side roped him for 12 times his starting price.
Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful rode on his luck to win a contract at a time when it seemed the auction was well over. Mumbai Indians snapped him up at his base price $75,000.
Sakib al Hasan, the world’s top ranked all-rounder in ODIs, however, did not get a buyer surprisingly. Also unsold was opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, the other Bangladeshi player on the auction.
Initially there were no bids for Mashrafee either. But just before the hammer went down, Kolkata made a bid for $50,000. It was the start of the most dramatic sale at the auction that lasted nearly half an hour.
Kings XI Punjab entered the race almost immediately and the price started climbing up by $10,000 with every call. The raises were slow and the bidding went on and on and on. Kolkata touched the $500,000 mark first and Punjab went further to $550,000.
To the utter disbelief of everyone present, Kolkata, raised their call to $600,000 and at this point the tug of war between two best-looking film actresses of India Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta for the Bangladesh pacer ended.
Juhi, the co-owner of Knight Riders, was calling for her team accompanied by coach Buchanan while Preity was calling for her King XI side alongside partner Ness Wadia. Preity was clearly frustrated, and later revealed that she was desperate to have Mashrafee on her side.
‘(Masharfee) Murtaza is a great player, an all-rounder and we wanted him. But you win some, you lose some,’ Preity later told reporters.
Mashrafee’s price was a record in the IPL. His price increased by 1100 per cent than his base price. Indian pacer Ishant Sharma held the record previously with $950,000 -575 per cent higher than his base price, also from Knight Riders last year.
...
Like his other team-mates on auction, Masharfee bin Murtaza was also reluctant to speak publicly about his Indian Premier League prospect before the auction in Goa on Friday.
But to the close circle he had revealed at least two facts. The first one was a recent phone call from Shahrukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders and the second was a promise made by Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh.
Last year Mohammad Rafique had claimed to have gotten a call from Shahrukh, which later proved to be a false as the Knight Riders never came up with any offer for him publicly and the Bangladesh spinner went on to join the Indian Cricket League.
Mashrafee was careful to talk about his call from Shahrukh, but everyone close to the all-rounder knew that King Khan had in fact requested him to withdraw his name from the auction.
Shahrukh promised to take him in the squad as a replacement of Pakistani players. But Mashrafee humbly turned down the request and decided to try his luck. He knew for sure that at least Kings XI will be bidding for him as promised by Yuvraj last year.
Unlike Rafique, Mashrafee proved correct in his claims as both Shahrukh’s Knight Riders and Yuvraj’s Kings XI, made an intense bidding for him that lasted nearly 30 minutes and took his price to an astounding $6,00,000

Bad decision

2009-02-10T17:04:00.001Z

What exactly is the definition of "crucial decision"? Choice of Power Play, slog over bowling option, fielding set up.

I believe that it is a very simple solution of a much complex problem. Making a decision in the right time is always difficult job. A person makes a decision according to his plan and judgment and most of the time he is not sure about the success. So, clearly it is like gamble. It is expected that most of the time one will win. However, sometimes bad things happen and this creates negative impact upon his future decision.

Now, in this precarious situation if any person get another four people’s decision and judgment, surely he will be perplexed. How will he makes his decision? coin toss, nepotism? My guess is Ashraful will make the final decision. We all know that Ashraful know all types of cricket shots but he is not a good manager to choose his shots. So does it change anything very much?

It will create rift inside the team. For example, if Ashraful accepts the decision of Mashrafe, then it might create a bad impression on other three’s mind unless Ashraful give a explanation about this. Ashraful might loose his reputation among the junior members of the team because he is less powerful.

So, overall I do not think it is a wise move. The success of this new system again depends upon solely on Ashraful.

Ashraful retains his captaincy

2009-02-10T16:59:00.000Z

Bangladesh will retain Mohammad Ashraful as national captain for a limited overs home series against Pakistan in March and the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.

Ashraful has been under pressure after scoring only 12 runs in three one-day internationals at home against Zimbabwe last month.

A Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman said on Saturday Ashraful's position would be reviewed before a tour of West Indies following the World Cup.

"We have decided to give him more time. He will remain under observation during the period," he said after a board executive meeting.

The spokesman said pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim were potential replacements.

Bangladesh beats Sri Lanka by five wickets

2009-01-14T18:15:00.002Z

All rounder Shakib Al Hasan hit an unbeaten 92 to guide Bangladesh to a comfortable five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Wednesday and a place in the final of their triangular one-day series.

Bangladesh had to win with considerable margin to get a place in the final at the expense of Zimbabwe, and reached the 148-run target with seven overs to spare in a match reduced to 31 overs per side.

Hasan's impressive knock of 92 from 69 balls with 10 fours and two sixes rescued the hosts from early trouble, having slipped to 11-3.

Both openers Junaid Siddique (0) and Tamim Iqbal (9) were run out, while Thilan Thushara had Mushfiqur Rahim (1) caught behind.

Al Hasan and captain Mohammad Ashraful put on 91 runs for the fourth wicket in a stand that turned the course of the match.

Nuwan Kulasekara broke the partnership when Ashraful (26) tried his favorite hook shot and was caught near the boundary by Sanath Jayasuriya. Ajantha Mendis then dismissed Raqibul Hasan (3) cheaply, putting the match back in the balance with Bangladesh on 126-5.

Hasan and Naeem Islam (12) reached the winning target, with Islam hitting a four and then a six off the final two balls, giving Bangladesh a bonus point to overhaul Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will meet again in Friday's final.

Earlier, a strong bowling performance, highlighted by four wickets on debut by 19-year-old seamer Rubel Hossain, justified Bangladesh's decision to send Sri Lanka in to bat after winning the toss.

After the start was delayed by more than three hours by fog, reducing the contest to 31 overs per side, Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya hit a half century but the visitors' innings fell apart late, losing their last five wickets for just 23 runs.

Sri Lanka was in trouble early, stumbling to 4-2 after opening bowler Mashrafe bin Mortaza struck early, trapping opener Upul Tharanga lbw and then bowling Kumar Sangakkara, both for ducks.

But Jayasuriya took up the reins with captain Mahela Jayawardene, adding 71 runs for the third wicket before Islam had the skipper caught at midwicket on 28.

Jayasuriya (54), partnered by Chamara Kapugedara, lifted the score to 95 before being caught and bowled by Mortaza, who returned figures of 3-25 in his allotted seven overs. Jayasuriya's 67th one-day fifty came off 61 balls and included six boundaries.

Sri Lanka lost the next three middle-order wickets for just six runs.

Rookie Hossain, 19, got his first international wicket when he dismissed Angelo Mathews (2), after Jehan Mubarak was run out on 10.

The visitors were reduced to 130-7 when Mahbubul Alam bowled Kapugedera (28).

Hossain then dismissed Nuwan Kulasekara (5), had Thilan Thushara (0) caught behind and took the last wicket of Ajantha Mendis (0) with three balls unused, to end up with 4-33 on his international debut.

Al Hasan inspires Tigers
SkySports

Hasan batting blitz sees Bangladesh stun Sri Lanka
AFP

Bangladesh storm into final
Bangladesh News 24 hours

It was my best innings: Shakib
Bangladesh News 24 hours

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets
The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Zimbabwe 205-9 beat Bangladesh 167 by 38 runs

2009-01-12T19:33:00.000Z

Elton Chigumbura led the way with a vital fifty as Zimbabwe defeated hosts Bangladesh by 38 runs in the first match of the three-team tournament.

Chigumbura hit a patient 64 to steer the tourists to 205-9, while Shakib Al Hasan claimed 3-23 and Naeem Islam took 3-32 for the hosts.

The Tigers slumped to 33-4 before Shakib scored a defiant 52 but the hosts were dismissed for 167.

Bangladesh now have to beat Sri Lanka to stay in contention for a final spot.

Chigumbura's 64 came off 95 deliveries and contained five boundaries, while captain Prosper Utseya claimed 2-22 for the tourists.

The second match of the series between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe takes place in Mirpur on Monday.

ICL to close shop?

2009-01-09T19:07:00.000Z

This could well be biggest development of 2009. The rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) is all set to be wound up, if the rumour mills are anything to go by. The buzz in the Indian cricket circles is that by the second week of January, the first signs of a rapproachment between the ICL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to emerge.

This follows a meeting held in New Delhi between the International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan and vice-president Sharad Pawar with senior ICL officials including its chairman Subhash Chandra. Pawar, a former BCCI president is now leading the talks on behalf both India and also the ICC. The sum total of the discussions is likely to result in ICL being winding up and the ban on the players joining the league being lifted.

Also likely to go is the ban on Zee bidding for TV rights held by the BCCI. But the biggest development is likely to be the fact that ICL will be allowed to buy one team in BCCI's own Indian Premier League (IPL).

ICC on its part too likely to send a list of guidelines for ICL for it be integrated in the mainstream. All said, sources within the ICL and the BCCI claim that a major announcement is likely on January 31 when the ICC executive board meeting sits in Perth.

http://www.cricketnirvana.com/truth-gossip/2009/January/truth-gossip-20090102-2.html

Bangladesh Tri-Series 2008-09

2009-01-08T18:36:00.000Z

1st Match - Bangladesh v Zimbabwe
10 Jan - Mirpur

2nd Match - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
12 Jan - Mirpur

3rd Match - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
14 Jan - Mirpur

Final - TBC v TBC
16 Jan - Mirpur

Ashraful, Mushfiqur handed fines

2009-01-07T20:36:00.000Z

Tigers captain Mohammad Ashraful and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim have both been fined for excessive appealing during the third day's play of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka.

Ashraful has been fined 15 per cent of his match fees while Mushfiqur was docked 50 per cent of his remunerations.

According to an ICC media release, the pair were handed the punishment by match referee Jeff Crowe following hearings which were held in Chittagong on Tuesday after the match. The on field umpires Steve Bucknor and Nigel Llong, third umpire Nadir Shah and fourth umpire Anisur Rahman laid the charges.

Ashraful was found to have breached Level 1.5 of the ICC code of conduct that relates to "excessive appealing" while Mushfiqur was found guilty of a charge under Level 2.5 that deals with "charging or advancing towards the umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing".

The incident happened in the Sri Lanka second innings when an appeal off Mehrab Hossain's bowling was turned down.

During the second Test, the match referee also spoke to Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes following similar conduct.

The players charged, as well as Bangladesh manager Shafiqul Haque, coach Jamie Siddons and the four umpires attended the hearing.

Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh by 465

2009-01-07T20:28:00.000Z

Sri Lanka won the second cricket Test against Bangladesh by 465 runs Tuesday - the fifth-largest winning run margin in Test history - taking the series 2-0 after all-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan claimed four wickets to add to his century in each innings.

Dilshan, who scored 162 and 143 with the bat, took 4-10 in 4.2 overs to help dismiss Bangladesh for 158 after a 92-run sixth-wicket stand between Mushfiqur Rahim (43) and Shakib Al Hasan (46) took the hosts to 144-6 in the unlikely pursuit of 624 to win.

Al Hasan was stumped by Prasanna Jayawardene off Dilshan, who then trapped Mehrab Hossain lbw for 5, had Mashrafe bin Mortaza caught behind for 0 and then bowled Shahadat Hossain for 1 at Chittagong Divisional Stadium.

Earlier, Sri Lanka declared on 447-6 at lunch with Thilan Samaraweera (77) and Chamara Kapugedera (59 not out) scoring half-centuries and add to Dilshan's hundred and Kumar Sangakkara's 54.

Bangladesh had lost both opening batsmen by the time the score was 22. Unorthodox finger spinner Ajantha Mendis had Imrul Kayes caught at first slip by Mahela Jayawardene for five and Tamim Iqbal was caught behind for 17 off Chaminda Vaas.

Mendis dismissed Junaid Siddique lbw for four before having Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful caught behind for seven and ultimately finished with figures of 3-57. Dilhara Fernando then bowled Raqibul Hasan for 10 to leave the hosts at 52-5.

Sri Lanka had resumed the day on 296-4 and Al Hasan made an early breakthrough for Bangladesh, trapping Samaraweera lbw to end his 145-run partnership with Dilshan.

Dilshan then batted with Kapugedara to complete his seventh Test century before being bowled by Enamul Haque for 143. Dilshan's hundred came off 130 balls and included 11 boundaries.

Ashraful took 2-56, while Haque had figures of 2-109.

Sri Lanka won the first Test in Dhaka by 107 runs.

Zimbabwe cricket team arrives in Dhaka

2009-01-04T18:33:00.000Z

A 15-member Zimbabwe National Cricket team, led by 23-year-old all-rounder Prosper Utseya, arrived here on Sunday morning by an Emirates flight.

During their three-week tour to Bangladesh, Zimbabwe will play in the GrameenPhone Tri-nation Cup involving hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Dhaka.

In the Tri-nation Cup, Zimbabwe will play hosts Bangladesh on January 10 and will meet Sri Lanka on January 12, both at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka on Jan 12 while the final match will be held on January 16 at the same venue.

After the tri-nation cup, visiting Zimbabwe will also play a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh on January 19, 21 and 23, all at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, before leaving the city on January 24.

The Zimbabweans will start their Bangladesh campaign with a three-day warm-up match against GP-BCB National Cricket Academy team on January 6 at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra.

The Zimbabwe team already left the capital this (Sunday) afternoon for Bogra where they will have a practice session tomorrow (Monday).

Zimbabwe team: Prosper Utseya (captain), Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Keith Dabengwa, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Forster Mutizwa, Ray Price, Edward Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller and Sean Williams.

News of the assosiate members

2009-01-04T18:31:00.000Z

Read this news from here:
Two up, four down
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/review2008/content/current/story/384413.html

Mortaza's defiance: Bangladesh avoid follow on

2009-01-04T18:23:00.002Z

Mashrafe Mortaza launches the ball into orbit, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Chittagong, 2nd day, January 4, 2009

2nd Day
Bangladesh tailender Mashrafe bin Mortaza hit a remarkable half century on Sunday to steer the hosts away from a follow-on, but Sri Lanka still finished day two of the second Test in a commanding position.

Sri Lanka was bowled out for 384 early Saturday and was in a prime position to enforce the follow-on when Bangladesh slid to 145-9 in reply.

However Mortaza (63) and No. 11 Shahadat Hossain put on 63 runs for the final wicket - of which Hossain contributed just five - to avoid the follow-on.

At stumps, Sri Lanka was 13-0 in its second innings.

Bangladesh started the day promisingly, taking the last four Sri Lanka wickets for only eight runs within 25 of the start of play, but their batting followed the pattern of the first Test, getting starts but being unable to form any good partnerships.

Sri Lanka paceman Chaminda Vaas (2-21) got opener Tamim Iqbal (0) caught behind by Prasanna Jayawardene without a run on the board and then trapped Imrul Kayes (6) lbw. Spinner Ajantha Mendis removed Raqibal Hasan for a duck to have the home side at 33-3.

Junaid Siddique and captain Mohammad Ashraful put on 32 runs for the fourth wicket before Dilhara Fernando bowled Siddique (28).

Bangladesh slumped to 90-6 after Mendis claimed lbw wickets with successive balls, removing Mehrab Hossain (18) and Shakib Al Hasan (0).

Ashraful (45)and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim raised the score to 122 when the captain was caught behind off Muttiah Muralitharan.

After tea, Rahim (21) was next to go, stumped by his counterpart Jayawardene off Mendis. Then Muralitharan had Enamul Haque (4) caught behind and Bangladesh looked condemned to a follow-on.

However Mortaza then took over, with his spirited 63 coming off 89 balls with eight fours and two sixes. He was caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan off Muralitharan trying for another big hit.

It was the first Test half-century for Mortaza, who finished with 3-58 with the ball.

Mendis returned figures of 4-71, and his spin partner Muralitharan took 3-62

Sri Lanka strike back as Bangladesh struggle
Daily Nation, Kenya

Sri Lanka on top in Test despite Mortaza's defiance
AFP

Mortaza believes comeback still possible
CricInfo.com, UK

Sri Lanka leave Test rivals in a spin
CNN International

Bangladesh avoid follow on but Sri Lanka on top
Reuters India, India

Carrom Ball

2009-01-03T16:45:00.001Z

Dilshan leads Sri Lanka

2009-01-03T16:34:00.001Z

1st Day
Tillakratne Dilshan hit an unbeaten 95 to take Sri Lanka to 229-5 at tea on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh here on Saturday.

The middle-order batsman smashed two sixes and 14 fours in his entertaining 81-ball knock to steady the visitors, tottering at 75-4 after skipper Mahela Jayawardene elected to bat.

Dilshan also shared a 119-run stand for the fifth wicket with opener Malinda Warnapura (63) to lead a remarkable fightback by the visitors.

Warnapura hit six fours in his patient 151-ball effort before being trapped leg-before by part-time spinner Mohammad Ashraful.

The Bangladeshi bowlers struggled for most part of the afternoon as they took just one wicket, that of Thilan Samarweera (19), while conceding 163 runs off 30 overs.

Samarweera inside-edged a Shahadat Hossain delivery on to his stumps to squander a good start.

Hossain, however, was severely punished by Dilshan who smashed one six and three fours in one over by the paceman.

Dilshan also enjoyed a slice of luck when he was dropped on 82 off Mehrab Hossain, with Junaid Siddique grassing a catch at first slip.

Earlier paceman Mashrafe Mortaza picked two wickets in his first two overs to make early inroads into the Sri Lankan batting line-up.

Mortaza trapped opener Prasanna Jayawardene leg-before for no score before removing Kumar Sangakkara (five), who played the delivery on to his stumps.

The hosts then earned the big wicket of the Sri Lanka captain when Shakib Al Hasan induced a thin edge which was caught by wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim.

Jayawardene, playing his 100th Test, made 11 off 46 balls with one four.

Twenty20 threatening Bangladesh Test status

2009-01-02T18:00:00.002Z

Bangladesh could find their Test status is removed as other nations look to create space for Twenty20 in the calendar.

Complaints about the Bangladeshis' on-field performances have been a regular theme of the last eight years, but it is financial logic that has now led the leading cricket powers to turn against them.

With a growing number of Twenty20 tournaments competing for space in the calendar, teams like England and Australia are no longer prepared to play loss-making series against a team that has failed to improve since their inaugural Test in November 2000. Bangladesh's overall record now stands at one win (against Zimbabwe) from 58 matches.

"There is no reason why a team should have to play Test matches just because it is a full member of the International Cricket Council," said ICC president David Morgan. "If a team is not gaining anything from the experience, then perhaps it might be better to settle for one-day international status."

Bangladesh's future will be discussed at the ICC executive board meeting in Perth at the end of January. They will receive little support from James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, who told Telegraph Sport this week that he believes Bangladesh are driving down the quality of international cricket at a time when it is especially important to maintain high standards.

"With the growth in the Twenty20 market, it is important to take the clutter out of the game," said Sutherland. "We need to make sure we are playing cricket for quality's sake, not for quantity, and in recent times I'm not sure that the quality has always been there.

"The Bangladesh team that came here this year performed far worse than the previous team, which toured in 2003. It's a difficult balancing act, you want to help them develop, but we lost a lot of money hosting them and I don't think their presence is doing anything for the game."

Even one-day series – such as the one played in Australia in August and September – could become difficult for the Bangladesh Cricket Board to organise in the current climate. England, who are due to host two Tests against the Bangladeshis at the start of the 2010 summer, are especially keen to find some replacements who might be more commercially viable.

Bangladesh may be the seventh-most populous country in the world, but their development system has failed to produce any convincing international players for several years now. They have also been weakened by a spate of recent defections to the Indian Cricket League, including that of former captain Habibul Bashar.

Despite a late rally against Sri Lanka last week, which saw them fall only 107 runs short of a target of 521, Bangladesh's Test side are living on borrowed time.

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/bangladesh/4075107/Twenty20-threatening-Bangladesh-Test-status.html

Twenty20 threatening Bangladesh Test status

2009-01-02T18:00:00.001Z

Bangladesh could find their Test status is removed as other nations look to create space for Twenty20 in the calendar.

Complaints about the Bangladeshis' on-field performances have been a regular theme of the last eight years, but it is financial logic that has now led the leading cricket powers to turn against them.

Despite a late rally against Sri Lanka last week, which saw them fall only 107 runs short of a target of 521, Bangladesh's Test side are living on borrowed time.

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/bangladesh/4075107/Twenty20-threatening-Bangladesh-Test-status.html

South Africa Seals First Test Cricket Series Win in Australia

2009-01-02T17:27:00.000Z

South Africa clinched an historic Test series win in Australia to leave the Baggy Greens facing an uncertain future after years of domination.

Fresh from their series defeat in India, Ricky Ponting's Aussies were expected to return to the routine of smashing opponents around on home turf – notwithstanding the talent of the current South Africa side.

A 2-0 series win against New Zealand had the train back on the rails before the arrival of Graeme Smith's saboteurs, with two gutsy fightbacks by the Proteas in each of the two Tests so far have leaving the hosts with some hard questions before their Ashes tour of England in the summer.

Hashim Amla hit the winning runs on Tuesday as the tourists reached their target of 183 to win by a massive nine wickets.

Captain Smith stroked 75 before falling just before lunch as Neil McKenzie, with 59 not out, and Amla saw South Africa home.

Dale Steyn, who took five wickets in the Aussies' second innings and hit 76 in South Africa's first, was voted man-of-the-match.

Ponting must deal with the reality of becoming the first captain in 16 years to cede a series defeat at home, while question marks hang over the futures of batsmen Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey – giants of their craft currently going through torrid spells.

Where paceman Brett Lee used to provide the support for Glenn McGrath in the attack, he now holds the cutting edge without which his own support bowlers look lacking.

And after Jason Krejza's promising start in India, it now looks like there will be a long, hard search for a replacement capable of hitting half the heights of spin legend Shane Warne.

Ponting said there were few positives to be taken from his side's performances.

"South Africa have outplayed us in all the big moments of these two Test matches," he said.

"There are some positives there for us, but not many. This is a series win for them that's well-deserved."

The sides now travel to Sydney for the third and final Test, with Australia needing to turn their big starts into a win.

They had set South Africa a huge run chase of 414 in the first match in Perth, only to see their opponents whittle it down with little fuss.

And on day two at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground the tourists were 198-7, almost 200 runs behind Australia, before Steyn and rookie Duminy shared an incredible ninth-wicket partnership of 180 to get the Proteas back in the match.

Brave Bangladesh lost 1st test against SriLanka by 107 runs

2008-12-31T17:05:00.004Z

Shakib Al Hasan holds the Man-of-the-Match award , Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Dhaka, 5th day, December 31, 2008

5th Day

Sri Lanka 293 (Samaraweera 90, Vandort 44, Shakib 5-70) and 405 for 6 dec (Mahela Jayawardene 166, Sangakkara 67) beat Bangladesh 178 (Kayes 33, Muralitharan 6-49) and 413 (Ashraful 101, Shakib 96, Muralitharan 4-141) by 107 runs
Bangladesh made a fight of it but Sri Lanka ultimately won the first cricket Test on Wednesday, denying a spirited effort by the host side.Chasing 521 for victory, Bangladesh looked like it had a chance to pull off an extraordinary victory when it moved to 403-6, but lost its last four wickets for just 10 runs, giving Sri Lanka a 107-run win.Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful recorded his fifth Test century and Shakib Al Hasan made 96 to give Bangladesh an outside chance at a rare Test win, while Muttiah Muralitharan took 4-141 to finish with 10 wickets for the match.Resuming at 254-5, Bangladesh's run chase suffered a jolt when Ashraful was trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas in the day's first session.But Shakib Al Hasan took over the chief responsibility from the captain and shared a 111-run stand for the seventh wicket with wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim.Hasan was bowled by Dammika Prasad just four runs of a century, while Rahim (61) was caught by Tilakaratne Dilshan off Muralitharan, with the final two wickets then falling quickly.Ashraful scored his fourth 100 against Sri Lanka since becoming the youngest Test century-scorer at Colombo on his international debut in 2001 at age 17. His innings included 16 boundaries.
Jayawardene praises Bangladesh fight
CricInfo.com, UK
Sri Lanka see off brave Bangladesh by 107 runs
Rediff, India
Sri Lanka repel Bangladesh charge
The Press Association
Ashraful century leads Bangladesh fightback
International Herald Tribune
Bangladesh Fall Short Despite Ashraful Century
Cricket World, UK

Ashraful is on song

2008-12-30T19:06:00.002Z

Mohammad Ashraful takes a run, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Dhaka, 4th day, December 30, 2008
4rd Day
Captain Mohammad Ashraful hit an unbeaten half-century Tuesday to leave Bangladesh needing another 267 runs to beat Sri Lanka on the final day of the first cricket Test with six wickets in hand.

Muttiah Muralitharan claimed three wickets before an unbeaten 74-run sixth-wicket stand between Ashraful (70) and Shakib Al Hasan (34) boosted Bangladesh to 254-5 by stumps on the fourth day. The hosts had been floundering at 150-4 at tea.

Ashraful's eighth Test 50 contained 11 fours in 153 balls, and also ushered him into the 2,000-run club in his 47th match.

Ashraful had become the youngest Test century-scorer against Sri Lanka in Colombo on his international debut in 2001 at age 17.

Earlier, Sri Lanka declared its second innings before lunch at 405-6, anchored by captain Mahela Jayawardene's 166.

Bangladesh's run chase started badly when opener Imrul Kayes was run out for 13.

Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique took the score to 72 in the second session before Iqbal was caught by Jayawardene off Dammika Prasad for 47.

Siddique and Raqibul Hasan's third-wicket stand brought 52 runs until Siddique (37) was also caught by Jayawardene, this time off Muralitharan.

Muralitharan claimed his second wicket when he bowled Hasan for 24. He also dismissed Mehrab Hossain for 23 after tea.

Muralitharan finished the day with figures of 3-85 off 28 overs.

Resuming on 291-4 after a break day Monday for the Bangladesh election, Jayawardene added 37 to his overnight score of 129 before Siddique caught him off Mehrab Hossain. Jayawardene's 24th test century came off 269 balls with 19 boundaries and one six.

Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 47 before he was caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim off Shakib Al Hasan, while Prasanna Jayawardene (3) and Chaminda Vaas (15) were unbeaten when Sri Lanka declared its innings.

Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Mehrab Hossain took two wickets apiece, while Mahbubul Alam and Shakib Al Hasan got one each.

Cricket- Sri Lanka v Bangladesh first test scoreboard Reuters.uk
Sri Lanka declares at 405 takes commanding lead International Herald Tribune
'We need only two wickets' - Dilshan
CricInfo.com
Cricket-Bangladesh (178&)254-5 v S Lanka (293&405-6 dec) - close
Reuters.uk, UK

SriLanka firmly in control

2008-12-27T16:47:00.005Z

Muttiah Muralitharan appeals, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Mirpur, 1st day, December 26, 2008

2nd Day

Sri Lanka's old guard, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, struck back on the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh to put their side firmly in control.

The pair claimed five and two wickets respectively, leaving the hosts on 177 for nine at stumps and continuing a fightback which began as Sri Lanka took their total close to 300 before being bowled out by lunch in Mirpur.

Vaas struck a stubborn 37, supporting Thilan Samaraweera (90) as the pair put on 99 for the seventh wicket to take the tourists to 293, despite figures of five for 70 from Shakib Al Hasan.

Resuming on 172 for six, the hosts began the morning session looking to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings in short order but found Samaraweera and Vaas resolute obstacles.

Vaas cracked the first boundary of the day in just the third over when he cut Shahadat Hossain to the fence before giving Al Hasan the same treatment.

Samaraweera then took over, punishing Mahbubul Alam with consecutive fours as Sri Lanka forged past 200. The 32-year-old then whipped Al Hasan through midwicket for his eighth boundary to bring up his 16th Test fifty from 83 balls.

Mashrafe Mortaza made the breakthrough with the new ball, getting one to move one away from Vaas and a thin edge carried through to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to leave Sri Lanka 270 for seven.

Shakib then removed Dammika Prasad for three and Rangana Herath was run out, before the spinner removed Samaraweera to end the innings.

Bangladesh began their reply confidently, reaching 44 before Tamim Iqbal (17) gloved Muralitharan to Malinda Warnapura at short leg.

It was a steady stream after that, with Imrul Kayes (33) falling to a Vaas short ball and Mohammad Ashraful (12) finding Tillakaratne Dilshan with an uppish drive to give the seamer his second.

Muralitharan then bowled Junaid Siddique for 29 in the last over before tea, going on to complete his haul of five for 48 as the hosts' tail capitulated.

Sri Lanka will want to nab the final wicket quickly on Sunday, and get going with their second inning.

Shakib strikes leave SL in trouble CricInfo.com
Bangladesh loses 9 wickets in run chase eTaiwan News
Bangladesh fold to Muralitharan BBC Sport

Sakib put pressure on Sri Lanka

2008-12-26T18:04:00.003Z

Mohammad Ashraful has a word with Shahadat Hossain, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Mirpur, 1st day, December 26, 2008

1st Day
Shakib Al Hasan and Shahadat Hossain shared five quick wickets to spark Sri Lanka's collapse on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh here on Friday.Left-arm spinner Hasan grabbed 3-43 and seamer Hossain 2-47 as Sri Lanka slipped from a healthy 119-1 to 172-6 at stumps after electing to bat.Thilan Samaraweera was unbeaten on 20 and Chaminda Vaas had yet to open his account when the day's play was called off due to bad light.Sri Lanka were on course for a big total following a 95-run stand for the second wicket between opener Michael Vandort (44) and Kumar Sangakkara (43) before faltering against the spin-pace combination.Hasan started the slide when he had Sangakkara caught by skipper Mohammad Ashraful at mid-wicket. The Sri Lankan hit seven fours, including two in the spinner's one over.Vandort fell two overs later, top-edging a pull off Hossain to be caught by Hasan at mid-wicket. His 124-ball knock contained a six over long-on off Hasan.Hasan then bowled skipper Mahela Jayawardene (three) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (14) to put Sri Lanka under pressure.Hossain's second victim was wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene (three), who was caught by Tamim Iqbal at fine-leg while attepting to pull.Only 12 overs were possible in the morning session after a delayed start due to heavy fog.The hosts denied Sri Lanka a solid start when paceman Mashrafe Mortaza trapped Malinda Warnapura (14) leg-before in the ninth over with a delivery that came in sharply.
Cricket-Sri Lanka v Bangladesh first test scoreboard Reuters.uk
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Mirpur CricInfo.com
Bangladesh claims 6 wickets vs. Sri Lanka eTaiwan News

ECB is more worried about money than Test series

2008-12-23T21:06:00.000Z

So, the news is England is planning to scrap home Test series against Bangladesh after 2010. The question is 'why?' well, the answer is because of the increasing commercial unfeasibility of such contests. Hmm. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, told reporters in Mohali, India this news where cricket gets its most popularity and money. So, money is the main reason to make this decision. There is no wonder about this decision considering the economic meltdown. But Giles Clarke says that "If we are going to have a proper strategy for Test cricket we want to have games like that we have just had in Chennai,". "It showed everybody just what a Test can be. There is a very hard-fought game between Australia and South Africa taking place in Perth at the moment. So, he is more worried about the holiness of test cricket.

But is it the real reason behind this decision? ECB will start its own IPL version Twenty20 English Premier League which is set to launch in 2010. So, in the future English players will be busier? To give them some relief ECB plans to shed some test series. And Bangladesh tour to England is the softest part of the FTP where ECB will throw its axe. Nowadays, ECB is more concerned about money. Surprisingly, a very much conservative ECB agrees the five year Stanford Twenty20 series (summer picnic) for $100 million. Stanford's high-profile relationship with ECB sealed the deal after landing at Lord's in a helicopter, and with a trunk full of $20m in banknotes. But according to a report in the Daily Mail, the inaugural tournament made a loss of more than US$40 million. This December Stanford scraps the deal and ECB in some trouble. So, we can understand their anguish.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman a bright gambler who financed his Oxford education playing backgammon and bridge, a committee member of the Society of Merchant Venturers. And everyone in England is not happy about him. One county chairman said: "Clarke is a clown and a pompous one, and David Collier is a poor chief executive. There is no plan. No strategy. Everything is done off the hoof. Clarke should go."

The sad thing is nowadays cricket is run by merchants not by lovers.

Source:
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/dec/19/giles-clarke-ecb-allen-stanford-cricket-england
2. http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/382556.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
3.http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/379071.html
4.http://content-www.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/current/story/382736.html

Sri Lanka in Bangladesh 2008-09

2008-12-23T20:02:00.004Z

It is boring

Champaka Ramanayake has a word with Bangladesh's fast bowlers, Dhaka, December 19, 2008

Ranatunga sacked

2008-12-23T19:59:00.000Z

Sri Lanka's sports minister Gamini Lokuge has dissolved the interim administration of Sri Lanka Cricket, headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, saying the situation at SLC demanded an immediate change.

The sports secretary, S Liyanagama, will oversee the SLC administration until a decision is taken - within the next week, Lokuge said - on whether to call for elections or to appoint another interim administration.

"Arjuna Ranatunga has not been cooperating with the company or the players," Lokuge was quoted as saying by PTI. "We tried to sort it out but could not and he has been removed."

The immediate issue was the sacking of 16 SLC employees by Ranatunga last week. At the time, SLC officials explained the decision by saying those sacked were holding positions no longer required by the organisation. However, the decision was apparently taken without informing the minister, directly contravening his order that he be consulted on every move.

Ranatunga, appointed to the post in January 2008 after Jayantha Dharmadasa decided to step down, has had a controversial tenure. Perhaps his most controversial decision was negotiating a tour of England by the senior team that would overlap with the second season of the IPL, to which many of the players are contracted. Ranatunga said his cash-strapped board badly needed the US$2 million which the ECB was offering as guarantee money for the tour. After a protracted tussle, the tour was eventually called off with West Indies slotted in to replace Sri Lanka.

He has been a vocal critic of the IPL, once comparing it once to instant noodles, and antagonised the Indian board by stating that India lost the first Test to Sri Lanka in July because they played too much Twenty20 cricket. He also sought tighter control for the national board over player contracts with the IPL.

In September, the SLC broke ranks with the official cricketing establishment by deciding to allow five cricketers and an umpire who had signed up for the unauthorised ICL to play domestic cricket.

Ranatunga met President Mahinda Rajapakse on Tuesday and it was widely speculated that he would be given a ministerial post.

from cricinfo

Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh Cricket Board XI

2008-12-23T19:52:00.000Z

Sri Lanka had a fine batting practice against the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in the drawn three-dayers on Tuesday ahead of the two Tests series starting Dec. 26.

Having resumed on the final day on 36 for two, the visitors went on to make 316 all out in the first innings, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Prasanna Jayawardene striking half centuries at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan ground. After the first day's play was called off due to foggy condition, Bangladesh were skittled out for just 88 on the second day on Monday.

The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur will host the first Test on Dec 26-31.
Pacer Shahadat Hossain removed opener Michael Vandort, who fell without adding to his overnight score of 17. But captain Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera repaired the damage to take their side to 87 for four before the latter fell to pacer Saikat Ali for 19.

Six balls later, Saikat again struck to remove Jayawardene, who made an 88-ball 43, to peg the visitors back. But Dilshan along with Prasanna kept the attack of the local selection at bay for the sixth wicket. They together contributed 158 runs before both batsmen retired to allow other batsmen to have some batting practice.

Dilshan struck 88 off 139 balls studded with seven fours and three sixes, while Prasanna hit a 126-ball 70 that included six fours. Later, Chaminda Vaas (24 not out), Dhamika Prasad (14), Farveez Maharoof (7) and Rangana Herath (0) batted before spinner Raihanuddin Arafat cleaned the tail removing the last three batsmen in a row. Arafat and Shahadat grabbed three wickets each for 37 and 63.
from BDnews 24.com

New national team coach for Zimbabwe Cricket

2008-12-14T22:19:00.001Z

ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) axed national team coach Walter Chawaguta on Thursday, and advertised his job on its website. But Lovemore Banda, the ZC senior manager for communications and media said Chawaguta has not been
fired. "He is free to re-apply if he wishes," Banda said. Chawaguta replaced Robin Brown whose contract was not renewed in August, but the recent drubbing by Sri Lanka in five One Day Internationals has left ZC soul searching. ZC has made it clear that they will not engage a foreign coach. “It is unwarranted and unfortunate for people to disown their own, and all this speculation that ZC are looking at employing a foreign coach is totally unfounded and baseless,” said ZC managing director Ozias Bvute on the ZC website. According the ZC advert, the new coach is expected to lead the team in Test matches-where Zimbabwe is still unable to play, the one day matches and also have five years experience. This means the likes of former seamers Douglas Hondo, Ray Price and Heath Streak can even be considered, as they are locals. ZC flighted two advertisements, one for the senior national team coach and the other for the Zimbabwe A team. Zimbabwe’s next international fixture on the calendar is the opening match of a tri-nation tournament, against Bangladesh, in Dhaka on January 10.

THE ZC ADVERT:

POST 1: NATIONAL TEAM COACH:

1. The Job

• To coach the National Team and coordinate the various activities of the National Team in liaison with the National Team Manager and the other members of the technical staff.

• To plan strategically and prepare the National Cricket Team to play competitively and win
matches in all formats of the game.

• As 1 of the 10 Full Members of the ICC, Zimbabwe will participate in various formats of the
game such as Twenty20, ODIs and Test matches. As such the Coach should be versatile enough to adopt coaching methods to suit the above forms of cricket.

2. The Person:

Candidates must have the following:

• Previously played cricket at least at first class level.
• Be holders of a recognized level 3 coaching certificate and must have coached at senior level for at least 5 years.
• Have good analytical skills.
• Motivate players and be firm and fair
• Good leadership skills and be able to lead both the National Team and the technical staff

from newzimbabwe.com

David Miliband has praised the England cricket team for doing "the right thing"

2008-12-11T18:44:00.000Z

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has praised the England cricket team for doing "the right thing" by returning to India in the wake of terror attacks.Mr Miliband said the decision showed that those who perpetrated the violence "will not win".The team flew home from India part-way through their one-day series in the wake of last month's carnage in Mumbai, which claimed more than 170 lives.But the squad arrived back on Monday for the two-Test series, insisting they wanted to signal support for the country.They have pledged half their fees from tomorrow's opening Test in Chennai - around £35,000 - to victims of the atrocities.Writing on his blog, Mr Miliband said he "applauded" the decision to return."It will be hard to focus on the cricket but it is the right thing to do," he wrote."Because it reaches out to India which has been wronged; because it shows confidence and commitment; and because it says terrorism will not win."

Taibu - facing assault charges.

2008-12-11T18:37:00.001Z

Zimbabwe Cricket has been ordered to open its books following claims by former national captain Tatenda Taibu that assault charges he is facing are a part of a strategy to silence him for questioning the management of funds.Taibu appeared in a Harare court Thursday on charges of assaulting ZC finance manager Esther Lupepe in September over outstanding payments owed to him. Taibu said the charges are meant to embarrass and punish him for his criticism of the board.The court ordered ZC to submit documents showing its payroll, sponsorship deals and grants from the International Cricket Council.The 25-year-old Taibu said he had raised concern over the handling of board funds, dubious employment of staff members and poor remuneration of players just a few days before he was arrested on the 30th of September.

Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, 2008-09

2008-12-11T18:21:00.000Z

Sun 21 - Tue 23 10:00 local, 04:00 GMT	TBC v Sri Lankans Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan Ground, Savar
Fri 26 - Wed 31 10:00 local, 04:00 GMT	1st Test - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur 29th is a rest day for elections
January 2009
Sat 3 - Wed 7 10:00 local, 04:00 GMT	2nd Test - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka Chittagong Divisional Stadium

Mendis to miss Bangladesh Tests

2008-12-11T18:15:00.000Z

Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis has been ruled out of Sri Lanka's forthcoming Test series in Bangladesh because of an ankle injury.The 23-year-old, recently named world cricket's Emerging Player of the Year, suffered the injury in a club match.

Mendis will be replaced by Rangana Herath for the two-match series, which starts in Mirpur on 26 December. But he hopes to play in the triangular one-day series, also involving Zimbabwe, which follows in January.

He took 26 wickets at a cost of only 18 runs each, breaking former England seam bowler Alec Bedser's 62-year-old record for the most victims in a three-match series.

Sri Lanka have won all 10 previous Test meetings with Bangladesh and, despite Mendis's absence, will be confident of extending that run.

Six day test

2008-12-06T19:29:00.000Z

As expected the duration of first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would be six days as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officially released the itineraries for the Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe tours on Friday.

The rest day, which has been shelved by the game's rule-makers since the mid-1990s, will take place on December 29, the day of the national parliamentary election.

It falls on the fourth day of the originally scheduled first Test that begins on December 26.

Sri Lanka will arrive in the capital on December 19 to play two Tests and a tri-nation one-day series that also includes Zimbabwe who will arrive in Dhaka on January 4.

The hectic home schedule will kick-off with a three-day match between Sri Lanka and a local selection which will start on December 21 in BKSP.

Zimbabwe will play their tour opener three-day match against GP-BCB National Cricket Academy from January 6 at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra and they will play three more one-day internationals against the Tigers after the tri-nation series.

On the other hand the national selectors will first announce the Test team for the two-match series against Sri Lanka after the completion of the ninth round of National Cricket League matches.

The Tigers will play the penultimate round of the country's lone first-class competition before another tough challenge against the formidable Lankans and after that the national cricketers will practice in a weeklong camp under the guidance of Jamie Siddons who returns from vacation on January 13.

"We will announce the Test squad after the ninth round matches. There is however hardly any chance to see any changes in the team except if someone got injured," said chief selector Rafiqul Alam yesterday.

There has been talk about uncapped paceman Rubel Hossain and the replacement of left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who has been suspended from international cricket due to his illegal action but Rafiqul ruled out the chances of any newcomers.

"Rubel just returned to action in the last round of the national league and he has to play more cricket in domestic level to get back his rhythm and we are still not thinking about the replacement of Razzak," Rafiqul added.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's planned tour of the West Indies in April has been rescheduled for June and July as both parties have other lucrative commitments during that time.

Spinner Razzak suspended

2008-12-02T17:09:00.001Z

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has been suspended from international cricket for illegal bowling action by the International Cricket Council, Bangladesh cricket team manager Shafiqul Haq Heera told bdnews24.com in South Africa on Monday.

"Razzak has been found guilty of bowling faults and cannot bowl in any form of cricket until his action is corrected," Heera told bdnews24.com correspondent Masud Parvez in the largest South African city.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's newly-elected director Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu told bdnews24.com coach Salahuddin Ahmed would work with Razzak to rectify his 'faulty' action.

The former national captain said they would apply for a reassessment of the bowling action once the spinner modifies his stance.

"At this point, I really don't know the details of the report. But I am confident that I will be able correct whatever faults I have," said a gloomy Razzak in Johannesburg while packing the bag to return home with the rest of the squad.

Razzak travelled to Canberra in November for an independent analysis of his bowling action after he was reported for a suspect bowling action by Daryl Harper and Asoka de Silva during the second and final Test of the two Tests series against New Zealand at home in October.

The analysis report, revealed by the ICC on Monday, showed that the amount of elbow extension in Razzak's bowling action for both his stock delivery and the faster ball exceeded the 15 degree level of tolerance.

The elbow extension ranged from 22 to 28 degrees and averaged 25 degrees while his quicker ball showed results in the 22 to 28-degree range with an average of 24 degrees.

Lipu also said Razzak would not be eligible to bowl even in domestic cricket due to the degrees of his elbow bending, but could play as a batsman.

Umpires Daryl Harper and Asoka de Silva reported that they had concerns over the 26-year-old spinner's faster ball and hence requested the ICC to review his action.

Razzak has taken seven wickets in five test matches and claimed 110 victims in 79 one-day internationals.

Razzak was assessed by Marc Portusa, a member of the ICC panel of human movement specialists, appointed in consultation with the BCB, at the Australian Institute of Sports on Nov. 17.

This is the second time Razzak has been reported for the same offence in his career. The first instance was during an Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo in 2004 in what was only his second one-day international.

South Africa win the 2nd test against

2008-11-29T16:19:00.002Z

South Africa swept aside Bangladesh by an innings and 48 runs in the second Test Friday at SuperSport Park, wrapping up victory more than an hour before the close on the third day of the match.

South Africa was led by centuries from Ashwell Prince, who hit a career-best 162 not out, and Mark Boucher (117) and carved out a first innings lead of 179. They were dismissed shortly before lunch Friday, and then skittled Bangladesh for 131 in their second innings, in 36.4 overs.

Although Bangladesh were competitive for longer periods in the second Test, they put up a poor show in their second innings in the face of fiery fast bowling from the Proteas, with Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and Monde Zondeki each picking up two wickets. The tourists also suffered three run-outs.

Bangladesh showed no stomach for the Proteas' short-pitched bowling, and only four batsmen reached the 20s. Debutante middle-order batsman Raqibul Hasan was the top scorer with 28.

South African opening batsman Neil McKenzie scored a duck when his side batted, but grabbed his second great diving catch in the gully, off Morne Morkel, to send Tamim Iqbal on his way for 20.

Prince was named man of the match and of the series. He scored 59 not out in his only innings in the first Test.

The major breakthrough for the tourists had come via left-arm spinner Shakib al Hasan, who took three wickets in fours balls in his second over of the day, midway through the first session.

Al Hasan finished with 6-99 in the Proteas first innings. He was clubbed for 11 runs in his first over of the day, which included a four and six to midwicket by Prince, but he hit back dramatically in his next over.

Prince surpassed his previous best score of 149, scored against England at Leeds earlier this year, just over an hour into the day's play, but Mark Boucher's dismissal soon afterward set in motion a lower-order collapse.

The South African wicketkeeper prodded an Al Hasan delivery to silly mid-off when he had made 117. He had hit 16 fours and the partnership between he and Prince was broken at 271, compiled in 190 minutes.

Morne Morkel chopped the next ball onto his leg and back onto the stumps to be out for a duck, and two balls later Monde Zondeki was caught behind as Al Hasan's final ball of the over brushed his gloves.

Makhaya Ntini was the third batsman in a row dismissed without scoring, when he drove Shahadat Hossain to mid-off for Mohammad Ashraful to take a diving catch. Dale Steyn, who scored one run, helped Prince add 17 for the last wicket before bottom-edging an attempted hook onto his stumps to give Hossain his second wicket.

Prince's 10th Test century meant he has scored a hundred against all the other test-playing countries except Sri Lanka. The gritty left-hander finished with 23 fours and two sixes.

South Africa won the first Test by an innings and 129 runs at Bloemfontein.