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A pair of consolation matches between the second and third place teams from each group at the USACA T20 National Championship were canceled after players from all four teams decided they did not want to play the games.

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill16-Aug-2014A pair of consolation matches between the second and third place teams from each group at the USACA T20 National Championship were cancelled after players from all four teams decided they did not want to play the games.Originally the tournament schedule called for quarter-finals and semi-finals on the final day, but persistent rain in south Florida had caused a series of interruptions at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. USACA tournament officials decided to remove those games from the schedule and instead play a final immediately after group play due to the threat of imminent rain on the final day of the tournament.”Based on what we have seen for the past two days, this scenario was discussed at the team managers meeting yesterday and all the managers agreed to it,” Owen Grey, USACA T20 National Championship director, told ESPNcricinfo. “We were hoping to get in semi-finals and the teams would like to do it but, at the same time, we had an agreement that, based on the weather projection, we might only play a final.”The two consolation games would have featured South West against Atlantic and North West against North East. However, all four teams decided to opt out of the matches and instead sat to watch the tournament final or drove back to the team hotel. In particular, players from the two second place teams in each group, South West Region in Group A and North West Region in Group B, felt aggrieved that they were denied a chance to play in semi-finals for a chance to make the tournament final.”In yesterday’s meeting after most of the round-robin games were washed out, they wanted to look at the weather today and then after the first round decide if they want to have the semi-finals or not,” said South West captain Mehul Dave. “It was pretty disappointing because personally I still thought it was a possibility to have semi-finals and then have finals. That way the top two teams in both the groups have a fair chance for the title again.””We came a long way spending our own money to participate in this tournament and win the title. Of course there is a lot of talent in the South West Region which they wanted an opportunity to show. But with rain and 10-over games, we didn’t get an opportunity to show. It’s very disappointing that we didn’t get a semi-final to play for.”

Sri Lanka Cricket’s executive committee has recommended that the national selection panel be increased to five selectors, including two full-time selectors, when the sports minister names a new panel

Andrew Fernando22-Jan-2013Sri Lanka Cricket’s executive committee has recommended that the national selection panel be increased to five selectors, including two full-time selectors, when the sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage names a new panel at the end of the month. Sri Lanka’s present panel consists of three part-time selectors, with at least one usually accompanying the team for each series.”We thought [we should] create a greater diversity of opinion, it would be better to increase the number of selectors to five,” SLC CEO Ajit Jayasekara said. “At the moment the selectors have their own source of income, and having two full-time selectors should improve the selection process as well.”The new panel will likely be appointed for a period of a year, and one of their initial tasks will be to choose a new captain for the ODI and Test teams, after Mahela Jayawardene’s resignation from the post.Aluthgamage has spoken out in favour of a split captaincy after Sri Lanka’s 3-0 loss to Australia in the Test series. Aluthgamage has also expressed desire to build a distinct team for each format, and he may appoint a panel that shares his vision for the team. Under the sports law, the minister must also approve each selection before the team is finalised.”Whether or not to have a split captaincy is ultimately the selectors decision,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.SLC has forwarded the names of 11 candidates to the minister, from among whom the new selection panel will be appointed. Sri Lanka’s sports law dictates that the sports minister must appoint the selection panel.Current selectors, Ashantha de Mel, Don Anurasiri and Hemantha Wickremeratne are all on the SLC’s list, which also includes former players Hashan Tillakaratne and Mahes Goonatilleke.

Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga has joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the last stage of the Caribbean Premier League

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Aug-2013Lasith Malinga has joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the last stage of the Caribbean Premier League. Malinga will replace Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, who will leave after the league stages to play for Pakistan on their Zimbabwe tour, which starts on August 23.The Barbados Tridents have also made a change to their squad, signing Azhar Mahmood to replace Umar Akmal. The allrounder is a sought-after player in most major domestic T20 leagues around the world. He is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket, with 213 wickets from 188 games, behind Alfonso Thomas, Malinga and Dirk Nannes.Malinga, one of the most lethal fast bowlers in the shorter formats, is the third Sri Lankan to play in the CPL. Muttiah Muralitharan is part of the Jamaica Tallawahs while Mahela Jaywardene is set to join the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel from Thursday. Malinga will be the fourth overseas player for Guyana, who had earlier signed the New Zealand pair of Martin Guptill and James Franklin along with Hafeez in the original squad.The Antigua Hawksbills have confirmed Orlando Peters as a replacement for injured South Africa batsman Justin Kemp. Kemp was ruled out after suffering an injury to his right gluteal muscle.The contest for the top four places will intensify as the CPL enters its last week. Guyana play Jamaica in an away match at Sabina Park in the first of the two matches on Thursday. They have won three of their five matches so far and are second on the points table behind leaders Barbados, who have played an extra game. In the second match, Antigua Hawksbills, placed fourth in the league, will take on St Lucia Zouks.

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.

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.

Former Real Madrid and Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder believes he should have beaten Lionel Messi to the 2010 Ballon d'Or back in 2010.

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Lionel Messi won 2010 Ballon d'OrSneijder finished in fourth in standingsBelieves he should've won the awardGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Sneijder had an incredible season in 2009–10, helping Jose Mourinho's Inter win the Champions League, Coppa Italia, and Serie A. After that, Sneijder's Netherlands lost to Spain in the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa. Conversely, Messi won the La Liga title in that season, and ultimately, his second Ballon d'Or. The Dutchman has now revealed that he should have had his name on the highly coveted individual award ahead of the Argentine.

AdvertisementWHAT SNEIJDER SAID

“It was a little unfair that I didn’t win the 2010 Ballon d’Or and Messi did“, Sneijder said in an interview with Egyptian channel Alhayah TV, via . "But, I’m not a guy who cries about that. The Ballon d’Or is an individual award, and I prefer to win collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, I would choose the Champions League I won, I’m very happy with that title. We deserved to win in the 2010 final against Spain, but they were incredible and beat us. Reaching the final was a wonderful achievement that I dreamed of and I’m still heartbroken to have lost.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

In the final voting list for the 2010 trophy, Sneijder came in fourth place. Messi received 22% of the vote, more than his Barcelona colleagues Andres Iniesta (17%) and Xavi (16%), while the Dutchman received 14%. Sneijder, who hung up his boots back in 2019, still appears upset over Messi's victory, although acknowledges that his biggest career regret is losing to Spain in South Africa.

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WHAT NEXT FOR SNEIJDER?

The Dutchman has now retired and is currently involved with FC Utrecht in an unannounced role. The player called it quits on the field in 2019, playing his final season with Qatari side Al-Gharfah.

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.

Derbyshire set up an East Midland’s derby in the quarter-finals of the Royal London Cup. Their victory over Gloucestershire saw them sneak into the top four of Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2014Derbyshire set up an East Midland’s derby in the quarter-finals of the Royal London Cup.Their victory over Gloucestershire saw them sneak into the top four of Group A and they will now face their nearest rivals at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.Derbyshire faced a must-win final group match and comfortably saw off Gloucestershire to qualify for the knockout stages and bring some much-needed goodwill to an otherwise difficult season.Gloucestershire’s defeat saw them sacrifice the chance of a home tie but they had already qualified for the quarter-finals and will now play Kent at Canterbury.Yorkshire were also easy winners on the final night of qualifying. Their comfortable victory over Hampshire saw them top Group A and earned them a home quarter-final against Durham on Thursday.The final tie sees Essex play Warwickshire at Chelsmford in a repeat of the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, where Essex will be out for revenge.Royal London Cup Quarter-finals
Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire, Tuesday August 26, 14.00
Yorkshire v Durham, Thursday August 28 10.30
Essex v Warwickshire, Thursday August 28, 14.00
Kent v Gloucestershire, Friday August 29, 14.00*All quarter-finals have a reserve day

Gareth Batty led Surrey to their first Championship victory since he was appointed captain by taking 6 for 83 to secure a dramatic eight-run victory over Middlesex

Tim Wigmore at The Oval18-Aug-2012
ScorecardGareth Batty took six second-innings wickets including the crucial final strike•Getty ImagesGareth Batty led Surrey to their first Championship victory since he was appointed captain by taking 6 for 83 to secure a dramatic eight-run victory over Middlesex which improved their chances of avoiding relegation in a deeply traumatic season.When Batty trapped Toby Roland-Jones lbw, it concluded the second nerve-shredding derby between the two teams in the Championship this season, following Middlesex’s three-run win at Lord’s in April. Batty said: “For everything that’s gone on this season, it was a must win. I dread to thank what would have happened if we hadn’t won.”Batty admitted the pressure had been on him and Murali Kartik to respond to the spinning pitch that had been prepared and by combining for 16 wickets in the match they certainty did that. He singled out Kartik for a “magnificent” display after he bowled 44 overs unchanged on the final day while conceding under two an over for his three wickets. Given the success of their two spinners in home conditions, Surrey will regret only having one more Championship game at The Oval this season.After Middlesex were nine wickets down with 57 runs required, Surrey might have anticipated their victory would arrive with minimal drama. But Tim Murtagh and Roland-Jones displayed sufficient confidence in their batting abilities to avoid the temptation to slog, and sensibly accumulated singles. In total, they added 48 runs from 29.1 overs to follow on from their last-wicket stand of 44 in the first innings.Surrey’s appeals were understandably becoming increasingly desperate, as even taking the second new ball initially failed to break their stand, before Batty’s match-ending intervention.The morning provided few signs of the later drama. In the first hour and a half, the spin twins claimed six wickets, and there could have been several more given the number of vociferous leg-before appeals, and the amount of time the ball whistled past the edge. From the moment Kartik claimed Sam Robson caught at slip to the sixth ball of the day, a delivery that turned and bounced sharply, the morning’s tone was set.With the ball fizzing off the surface, sharp turn and few loose deliveries, Middlesex, save for Dawid Malan, were rendered virtually strokeless, allowing the spinners to establish a rhythm.Batty was rewarded for posting a leg slip to his own bowling, with both nightwatchman Tom Smith and Neil Dexter sharply caught there by Kartik attempting to work the ball to leg. Even more unusually, Andrew Balbirnie was out to Kartik in what could only be described as a case of ‘chest before wicket’, as he fell over missing an attempted sweep.After’s Malan’s neatly-compiled innings of 31 was ended by a brilliant one-handed catch off Kartik’s bowling, Middlesex were 101 for 7 and still required another 153 for victory. Given that Surrey had taken seven wickets for 58 going back to the dismissal of Chris Rogers just before the close of play on Friday, few gave them much hope.However, Steven Crook does not appear to be a man weighed down by prosaic reality. Sensing that cautious batting had allowed Surrey to crowd batsmen with close fielders Crook counter-attacked, though remaining positive rather than reckless. An early slog-sweep for six off Kartik indicated that he would eschew meek submission, with Crook’s intent also visible in his running between the wickets.Although there was still significant turn as the ball got older the bounce, crucial in several of the morning wickets, became less pronounced. In Adam Rossington, who was much less positive, Crook had a partner of real solidity. Amongst an enterprising innings that contained nine fours to go with his six, Crook’s sweeping and cutting were particularly impressive.If Surrey thought their first Championship win since the opening game of the season would arrive before members resorted to nail-biting, they were mistaken. As the threat offered by the spinners diminished, Batty turned to Jade Dernbach’s reverse swing, albeit a few overs later than many would have.In the second over of his spell, Dernbach deceived Crook on 67 with a slower-ball yorker, showing his one-day skills can be effective in first-class cricket too. It ended a partnership of 96, which was eroding the target at an increasingly uncomfortable rate. But as is often the case, the other man involved in a large stand lost concentration almost immediately after: Rossington edged Kartik to slip just two balls later, leaving Middlesex’s final pair requiring 57 runs for victory.After withstanding the remainder of Dernbach’s dangerous spell of reverse swing, Middlesex came closer than anyone imagined, but ultimately Surrey’s spin twins prevailed.

Fast bowler Hamid Hassan was the Man of the Match as Afghanistan beat Canada by nine wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2011
ScorecardAfghanistan closed out their one-sided Intercontinental Cup match against Canada in King City, winning by nine wickets despite losing the entire second day to rain. Having begun the final day on 176 for 7, Harvir Baidwan and Khurram Chohan added 52 for the seventh wicket before Chohan was caught behind for 24 off Mohammad Nabi. The innings folded three runs later for 231, with Baidwan, who made a painstaking 50 from 151 balls, last out, giving Canada a lead of 68.Led by Karim Sadiq’s run-a-ball 37, Afghanistan chased the target down in just 11.3 overs for the loss of Noor Ali Zadran’s wicket. Hamid Hassan picked up three more wickets in Canada’s second innings, giving him match figures of 10 for 85 and earning him Man-of-the-Match honours.