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The effects of the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players on allegations of spot-fixing have had their first off-field fallout, with one team sponsor reported to have withdrawn advertisements featuring Sreesanth

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2013The effects of the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players on allegations of spot-fixing have had their first off-field fallout, with one team sponsor reported to have withdrawn advertisements featuring Sreesanth.Kent R-O Systems, a Delhi-based company that sells water purifiers, has withdrawn its campaigns featuring Sreesanth but has not yet taken a call on their association with the team. “We have taken down the ads with immediate effect since they feature Sreesanth in them. For now, we are just taking off air the ads with players whose names have come up,” Mahesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, Kent R-O Systems, told . “It is just three people who have been named. We have a very respected captain [Rahul Dravid], who also expressed his shock. At the moment nothing has been said about the management or the team as whole being involved, I don’t think team should suffer because of certain individuals.”Supertech Cement, another corporate sponsor, has decided not to review their sponsorship. In a statement, RK Arora, chairman of Supertech said, “It is only three players in individual capacity who have been caught in wrongdoing. The team still stands untouched and it is playing very well and in a professional manner. We have no intention at present to review our sponsorship and have full faith in the franchise. We will continue our support for Rajasthan Royals.”Corporate sponsors of the team, which include companies like Supertech Cement, Nissan and Tata Consultancy Services, are reportedly opting to wait until investigations into allegations are over, before taking a call on sponsorship.Sreesanth was also removed from the advertisement for Kerala Lottery, a state-run lottery, instructed to do so by the state minister for finance, KM Mani.

A round-up of matches from the Caribbean T20 on Wednesday, January 16, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Trinidad and Tobago continued their impressive run in the Caribbean T20, picking up their fifth win in six matches. They beat Barbados comfortably, by five wickets, in St Lucia. For their second straight game, the bowlers bowled economically, with five out of six bowlers used conceding less than six an over. The spinners Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine kept Barbados in check and Rayam Emrit picked up two wickets with his medium-pace. Ashley Nurse was the top-scorer for Barbados, making an unbeaten 24 in 19, but it wasn’t enough, as his team only managed 101 for 6.T&T openers Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis lay a good foundation for the chase with a 45-run opening stand. However, T&T lost their next four wickets for just 32 runs before Denesh Ramdin and Kieron Pollard steadied the ship, and took their team to the brink of victory, which was achieved with 29 balls to spare. They retained their position at the top of the table.
Scorecard
In a game that may not be of much consequence as far as qualifying for the knockouts is concerned, Leeward Islands won their first game of the Caribbean T20, beating Combined Campuses and Colleges by four runs. Spinners Ryan Austin and Akeem Dewar bowled miserly, wicket-taking spells, to limit Leewards to 127. The pair shared six wickets, and had left the opposition tottering at 81 for 8 before a late recovery from Justin Athanaze and Gavin Tonge pushed the score to a competitive one.Leewards managed to make steady inroads during CCC’s chase and at 72 for 5 in the 15th over, the former had the edge. But Sunil Ambris put together 26 for the sixth wicket with Akeem Dewar, who added a further 23 with Jason Holder. Holder also brought the required rate in control, smacking 20 off 8 balls. But Holder was run out off the last ball of the penultimate over with seven needed to win, and there were no runs scored for the next three balls during which Dewar was also dismissed. CCC only managed two off the final three deliveries, and Leewards snuck home.

A round-up of the Regional Super50 matches on February 24, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2013
ScorecardAn unbeaten century from Devon Smith led Windward Islands to a seven-wicket victory over Guyana. Guyana were put in to bat, and after being 18 for 1 came back with a 93-run second-wicket partnership, with opener Trevon Griffith and Leon Johnson scoring fifties. However that was to be the highlight of their innings, as they lost six more wickets for the addition of 87 runs, finishing on 198 for 8.Windwards’ reply started poorly as they lost their first wicket with 11 on the board. Two substantial stands followed though, with the 103-run third-wicket stand between Smith and Keddy Lesporis quashing any chance Guyana had. Smith continued to lead from the front till the end, taking Windwards home in 46.5 overs.
ScorecardTrinidad & Tobago chased down Leeward Islands’ target of 239 to win by three wickets. Leewards were put in to bat, and were under the cosh when they were 58 for 4 after 22.2 overs. Devon Thomas and Jahmar Hamilton scored 81 runs for the fifth wicket to help stabilise the innings. Tonito Willett scored an unbeaten 51 off 38 balls at the end to push Leewards’ score up to 238. Samuel Badree bowled an economical spell of 3 for 23.T&T were able to string some partnerships early on, with Justin Guillen and Kjorn Ottley combining for 77 runs to help keep them on course for their target. Anthony Martin’s 3 for 24 was in vain as Yannick Ottley’s 47 off 60 balls took them to victory in 48.3 overs.
ScorecardRaymon Reifer starred with bat and ball as Combined Campuses and Colleges beat Barbados by 59 runs in Bridgetown. CCC chose to bat first, but were at the mercy of Chris Jordan as he took three wickets up front to have them reeling at 36 for 3. Cousins Floyd and Raymon Reifer combined to put together a 56-run stand for the fourth wicket, before Floyd was dismissed by offspinner Ashley Nurse. No batsman could really capitalise on their starts, as CCC were dismissed for 167 in 49.2 overs. Jordan and Nurse each picked up three wickets in the innings.It was even worse for Barbados – they could not string any partnerships together as they lost wickets regularly. Raymon Reifer was the star of the show as he picked up a career-best 5 for 19, ably supported by Derone Davis’ 3 for 31. Jordan was the only batsman to pass 20 as the team folded, with eight batsman falling in single digits. Barbados were shot out for 94 in the 26th over.

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, has questioned the ICC’s rationale behind using a Super Over in non-knockout matches

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2012Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, has questioned the ICC’s rationale behind using a Super Over in non-knockout matches. New Zealand tied two of their Super Eight matches – against Sri Lanka and West Indies – but subsequently lost both in the Super Over, and the defeat to England meant that they ended at the bottom of their group.”I can’t work out why, in a non-elimination game, you have to have a Super Over. I’ve never worked that out,” Hesson said. “We lost a couple of key moments. You know, we were two runs away from being top of the pool and being top qualifier, so there’s a level of satisfaction there but I think every team that leaves the World Cup without the trophy’s disappointed and we’re no different.”Hesson also criticised the ICC on the issue of a bowler knocking the stumps during his bowling stride. In New Zealand’s match against England, Steven Finn bumped into the stumps thrice. The first ball was a leg-side wide, second was played for a single and the third was hit to the boundary by James Franklin. However, each time the ball was ruled as dead, the bowler getting away without a warning.”I have also never worked out how you can kick the stumps over and get a benefit. If that doesn’t change they [the ICC] have got rocks in their head,” Hesson said. “I’m not sure how they came to that conclusion. Basically we [all coaches and captains] came to a meeting pre-tournament and they told us what was happening. There wasn’t a discussion.”I don’t blame Steven Finn but they’ve made one rule for one person. He also did it once [for a warning] but not twice against Sri Lanka. It would have been interesting to see the response if they had hit a boundary.”

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup matches played on December 7

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2012
Abbottabad won the one-over eliminator
ScorecardAbbottabad Falcons edged out Quetta Bears in a one-over eliminator after forcing a tie with a run out off the last ball when only a single was required. Defending 126, Abbottabad’s bowlers kept Quetta’s scoring rate below six an over for most part of the innings and picked up regular wickets. At the fall of Quetta’s fifth wicket, 49 were required off 38 balls. A quick 31 by Naushad Irshad and an unbeaten 26 by Arun Lal brought Quetta close, but ended up level.Quetta, after choosing to field, had struck regularly to restrict Abbottabad to 126. Left-arm spinner Jalat Khan led the bowling with his maiden T20 five-wicket haul and was ably supported by a tight spell of 4-2-8-2 by Arun Lal. Abbottabad struggled to find momentum and their top-scorer was Yasir Shah, the No. 8 batsman, who scored 26 off 23 balls.The loss has left Quetta at the bottom of the Group A table with no wins from their six matches. ScorecardBahawalpur Stags were inflicted their first loss in the tournament by Faisalabad Wolves as they fell short of the target by 10 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. Bahawalpur chose to field and were set a moderate target of 122, but two run outs early in the innings slowed them down. As the pressure mounted, Bahawalpur started losing wickets – three of them to Ehsan Adil. The ninth wicket pair of Mohammad Talha and Zulqarnain Haider made an attempt towards the target, but fell short.Earlier, Faisalabad batsmen had also found it tough to force the pace. Opener Farrukh Shehzad scored 31, but the next highest scorer was wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman with 15. Kashif Siddiq and Kamran Hussain shared two wickets apiece.
ScorecardNaved Malik scored his second consecutive half-century to help Rawalpindi Rams beat Peshawar Panthers by seven wickets. Chasing 142, Rawalpindi were set into motion with a quick 46-run opening stand between Naved and Awais Zia. Although Peshawar made a couple of more breakthroughs, the run-scoring continued at a good clip, with Naved leading the way with a 42-ball 67 that contained four sixes. Rawalpindi crossed the target in the 18th over to keep their chances for a semi-final berth open.Peshawar lost their opener Mohammad Fayaz in the third over bowled by Sohail Tanvir, and then lost three more batsmen to Hammad Azam. Jamaluddin, who scored 32 off 25 balls, and Akbar Badshah, who scored 29 off 21 balls, pushed the scoring towards the end to take the team to 141.
ScorecardA century-stand for the fourth wicket between Fawad Alam and Khurram Manzoor helped Karachi Dolphins beat Hyderabad Hawks by six wickets in a high-scoring match at the Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore. Chasing 162, Karachi stumbled in the first over as they lost both their openers to the bowling of Rehan Riaz. Hyderabad took further control with another wicket in the fourth over, but Manzoor and Alam came together to stage a recovery and set the chase back on track. The 119-run stand that came off 82 balls took the team within the striking range. Although Manzoor fell with the team nine short of a win, Alam carried on and completed the chase with three balls to spare.Hyderabad Hawks, winless in the competition, chose to bat and the openers scored half-centuries to put up 89 in 11.3 overs to set the platform for a big total. Although none of the other batsmen got into double figures, Azeem Ghumman carried the bat through with an unbeaten 71. Sohail Khan picked up two wickets, but was expensive in his four over spell, giving away 54 runs.
ScorecardProductive knocks in quick time by Saeed Anwar jnr, Gulraiz Sadaf and Naved Yasin steered Multan Tigers to a convincing five-wicket victory with six overs to spare against Islamabad Leopards. After restricting Islamabad to 135 for 4, Mutlan lost two early wickets, but the three batsmen scored quickly, although none of them reached a half-century. At 117 for 5, 20 runs were scored off the final five deliveries of the 14th over to achieve the victory.Islamabad, after choosing to bat, lost openers Junaid Nadir and Umair Khan by the fourth over. Faizan Riaz and Bazid Khan added 43 off 46 deliveries. Bazid scored 41 and Faizan 29, both at a run a ball. Although middle-order batsman Imad Wasim accelerated towards the end of the innings with a knock of 34 off 20 deliveries, Islamabad could only set Multan a target of 136.Multan played more aggressively, as six of Islamabad’s bowlers registered an economy rate of more than 9.50 runs per over for their fifth loss this season.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLahore Lions’ No. 7 Abdul Razzaq smashed two sixes off the last over to take his team to a thrilling penultimate-ball five-wicket against Sailkot Stallions at the Gaddafi Stadium.Chasing 161, Lahore Lions were strong at 147 for 2 in the 19th over before two quick wickets were claimed by left-arm spinner Nayyer Abbas. With 13 runs required in the last over, two singles were taken off the first two deliveries, before Umar Akmal was caught out. New batsman Razzaq hit a six off the first ball he faced, and then took a couple of runs off the penultimate delivery before hitting a six off the last one, which turned out to be a no-ball too. The win helped Lahore Lions keep their unbeaten run in the tournament, and lead the Group A table.The bowler, Naved-ul-Hasan, batting at No. 3, had earlier scored 63 off 41 balls to guide his team to 160 for 5.The openers had given them a quick start but both fell by the first quarter of the innings. Naved and Sohail added 64 in 7.5 overs before Sohail was dismissed, and Naved added another 38 runs with captain Shoaib Malik to help set a target at more than 8 runs per over.In reply, opener Ahmed Shehzad, who is the top run-getter this season so far, and captain Mohammad Hafeez scored half-centuries. They put on 78 runs for the second wicket. Although Hafeez departed in the 14th over, Lahore Lions were in control of their chase before the 19th over.

The West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has conceded the spinner Sunil Narine could face a difficult decision if the selectors want him in the squad for the three Tests against Australia

Brydon Coverdale23-Mar-2012The West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has conceded the spinner Sunil Narine could face a difficult decision if the selectors want him in the squad for the three Tests against Australia. Narine was one of the surprise stars of the IPL auction in February, when he picked up a $700,000 contract to play with the Kolkata Knight Riders.But the IPL coincides with the Test series and Narine’s excellent form in the first three ODIs against Australia makes him a likely candidate for the Test squad. Narine, 23, is yet to make his Test debut but has taken 34 first-class wickets at the remarkable average of 11.88, and the Australians would be pleased if he was not part of the Test series.The issue is complicated by the fact that Narine does not hold a central contract with West Indies, having only established himself as an international prospect in the past few months. Gibson said it would be difficult to stop Narine playing in the IPL if that was his preference, but that discussions were being held to address the clash.”I’m not sure what the board can do because he’s not contracted to the board,” Gibson told reporters in the West Indies. “He’s got a situation that is going to set him up very nicely and as much as we would like to have him playing, six months ago Narine was not in our thoughts. We need to be a little bit careful in how we deal with that situation and that’s what we’re doing at the moment. There’s conversations going on behind the scenes.”West Indies will almost certainly be without Chris Gayle for the entire Australia series after talks between Gayle and the West Indies board failed to reach a resolution this week. The batsman Marlon Samuels is another man who could face a decision between the IPL and Test cricket, having scored a contract with the Pune Warriors.Australia’s opening batsman David Warner said his priority would always be Test cricket ahead of Twenty20 commitments, despite his high value in the shortest format. However, Warner is expected to be one of the highest-paid men in the Cricket Australia contract list this year, having established himself in all three formats, while men like Narine and Samuels don’t have the same kind of security.”My goal as a kid was to get the baggy green and I’m actually here opening the batting,” Warner said. “I’m trying to take my opportunity to cement my place there. I’m 100% Test cricket over IPL any day. These guys have made their choices but at the end of the day they have to make their mind up about what they’re benefiting out of it. If it’s money then it’s money. That’s their choice. Some of them might not even get picked in the Test team so we just don’t know.”

It has emerged that the touring West Indies squad, due to face England in a three-Test series starting in less than two weeks’ time, currently comprises only 11 fit men

George Dobell at Hove05-May-2012It has emerged that the touring West Indies squad, due to face England in a three-Test series starting in less than two weeks’ time, currently comprises only 11 fit men, with three players still to arrive in the UK. Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine and Marlon Samuels have been delayed by visa issues while Fidel Edwards has a “back niggle” and will not play in their three-day match against Sussex, which was due to begin on Saturday but fell victim to the weather.Samuels, who has been playing in the IPL with Pune Warriors, is expected in the country imminently, but Fudadin and Deonarine are in Jamaica trying to resolve their visa issues. “The rules have become more stringent due to the Olympics,” a West Indies spokesman said, “and we’re still working on getting that sorted.” The pair do not have a confirmed arrival date.Under normal circumstances, you might expect a team with just seven days of cricket ahead of a Test series in which they are the overwhelming underdogs to be champing at the bit to gain every chance to acclimatise to their new conditions. But West Indies reacted with an understandably phlegmatic attitude to the abandonment of the first day at Hove, where it was bitterly cold and a far cry from the conditions in they played barely a week ago against Australia in the Caribbean.While it would be premature to dismiss the prospects of a talented but raw West Indies squad, this does not represent the smoothest start to a tour. The original party was only 15 strong and may require strengthening. The team management insist they have yet to think about reinforcements, but it speaks volumes for their current predicament that 50-year-old Richie Richardson, West Indies’ tour manager, admitted he may be obliged to act as 12th man in the current match.The fast bowler Corey Collymore, 34 and currently plying his trade with Middlesex as a Kolpak registration, might represent another local option, though he would surely be reluctant to turn his back on county cricket for a short-term flirtation with the touring squad.The niggle to Edwards may prove the most significant issue. The 30-year-old fast bowler, easily the most experienced member of the tourists’ attack, missed the final Test against Australia due to the same problem and has long been hampered by back problems. He played no cricket in 2010 after undergoing back surgery.”It’s not bad,” Darren Sammy, West Indies’ captain, said. “We came here knowing Fidel would be rested for this game; he was rested for the last match. Come the first Test, everybody will be ready.”Fidel is somebody I know what to expect from. I know what he’s going to give and whenever he plays will be ready. Last time he played a game at Lord’s he was very unlucky – a few catches went down – and I know he’s going to give us 100%, just like all my team-mates. Whether he plays the Lions game or not, I know when that bell rings on the 17th, he will be ready. He’ll be the first one to say ‘give me the ball’. It will be up to Fidel himself to say how he feels, and what the physio recommends.”Barely a drop of rain fell at Hove after 9am on Saturday, but play was abandoned for the day at 1.40pm. It seemed an oddly ambivalent decision.”Everybody wants to get on the park,” Sammy said. “But that’s the weather; we don’t have control over that. We’re not in the Caribbean, where it’s nice and warm. This is England, where it’s going to be cold. So we’ve programmed our minds to get over it. I’m quite used to these conditions, but it’s been a while since we’ve played cricket here. Most of the guys have experience here. It’s England; you know it’s going to be cold, the ball’s going to sting your hands; all that stuff.”Sammy will hope that this tour does not go the way of their disastrous visit in 2009, when West Indies arrived as late replacements for Zimbabwe, lost the first Test inside three days and ended up defeated 2-0 in both the Test and one-day series.

Vikrant Shetty, the UAE offspinning allrounder, has been cleared to bowl at the international level, after undergoing remedial work on his bowling action

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2012Vikrant Shetty, the UAE offspinning allrounder, has been cleared to bowl at the international level, after undergoing remedial work on his bowling action. Shetty worked on his action at the ICC Global Cricket Academy (GCA), under the supervision of head coaches Dayle Hadlee and Mudassar Nazar. Following the remedial action, he was assessed and cleared by his home board, the Emirates Cricket Board.Shetty had been reported for a suspected illegal action during UAE’s Intercontinental Cup clash against Afghanistan in October. Shetty, 27, had made his first-class debut in that match. He was reported at the end of the match by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Buddhi Pradhan, and third umpire Iftikhar Ali.Under this process, as with all bowlers, Shetty’s action will continue to be scrutinised by match officials to ensure it remains legal.

Worcestershire have been granted permission to build a hotel at New Road after a vote by the city council’s planning committee

Alex Winter02-Mar-2012Worcestershire have been granted permission to build a hotel at New Road after a vote by the city council’s planning committee. The £10 million plans include the building of new club offices and spectator facilities.Work is hoped to begin a week after the season ends in September, with the aim of being ready in time for the start of the 2013 season.Hotel chain Premier Inn will build a four-storey, 120-bedroom hotel at the north-east corner of the ground, adjacent to Worcester Bridge. The hotel’s design will be similar to that of the Graeme Hick Pavilion, which was opened in 2009.Premier Inn will fund the £7.5 million hotel with the club aiming to find around £2.5 million in grants and a local enterprise partnership (LEP) loan to avoid applying for a bank loan. The club hope to have their LEP application rubber-stamped soon to provide them with interest-free, long term finance.The development will see the erection of a new club reception area, offices, club shop and meeting rooms, together with hospitality facilities, including 159 executive balcony seats. A new bar and over 500 new seats will also be built for spectators.”The new development will add further facilities, to complement the Graeme Hick Pavilion, making us a 365-day destination and helping to attract investment into the Worcester,” Worcestershire chief executive David Leatherdale said. “I am delighted that local councillors support our vision, and we will now be working hard to deliver a scheme which will benefit the City and County as a whole”Edited by Alan Gardner

A career-best 106 from 109 balls from Surrey’s rookie batsman Jason Roy could not make up for the loss of 71 overs to rain yesterday as a high-scoring County Championship Division Two tussle with Glamorgan ended in stalemate at The Oval

27-May-2011
ScorecardA career-best 106 from 109 balls from Surrey’s rookie batsman Jason Roy could not make up for the loss of 71 overs to rain yesterday as a high-scoring County Championship Division Two tussle with Glamorgan ended in stalemate at The Oval.Resuming at the start of the fourth and final day on 46 without loss, Glamorgan lost Will Bragg when he was bowled by Tim Linley, only for Gareth Rees and Mike Powell to canter along at four runs an over through to lunch and extend their side’s lead to 320 runs.Rees posted a 117-ball half-century with a six over long-on off Chris Schofield and nine overs later Powell progressed to his 50 off 75 deliveries, with a dabbed four to third man off Batty. Glamorgan’s batsmen showed even greater intent in the afternoon session but were overly cautious with their declaration.Rees reverse-swept the first ball of the session for four and lifted a delivery from Rory Hamilton-Brown over midwicket for six on his way to a 162-ball hundred. His stand with Powell added 185 in less than 34 overs, a new record for Glamorgan’s second wicket against Surrey, before he holed out to long-on.Roy, primarily a wicketkeeper but deployed as a declaration bowler, then made further breakthroughs with his maiden scalps in first-class cricket. Ben Wright became his first victim when he edged to Rory Burns then two overs later Mark Wallace drilled to Jade Dernbach at mid-off, leaving Powell unbeaten on 67 and Surrey with a target of 395 off a minimum of 50 overs.Roy and Hamilton-Brown evoked memories of great Brown Cap run-chases in raising a century stand in 15 overs as Roy raced to a 38-ball 50 with 10 fours. Hamilton-Brown was slightly more conservative, reaching his half-century in 52 deliveries.Surrey went into the final session requiring 266 off 31 overs but Hamilton-Brown was stumped for 68 having just brought up the 150 stand with a six over long-on off the bowling of Robert Croft.Nine overs later, Roy dispatched Dean Cosker into the pavilion to reach his maiden first-class hundred off 89 balls – but by then Surrey required 11 an over and had resigned themselves to a drawing the match. The hosts finished with 10 points to Glamorgan’s seven.