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Meaker menaces Sussex in between showers

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Stuart Meaker led a Surrey fightback with three wickets during the two brief spells of play possible on the second day against Sussex

07-Jun-2012
ScorecardJoe Gatting’s wicket was one of four to fall in only six overs of play on day two•Getty Images

Stuart Meaker led a Surrey fightback with three wickets during the two brief spells of play possible on the second day of their Championship match against Sussex. Surrey, who had been bowled out for 124 on day one, took four wickets for nine runs in the six overs that were possible on Thursday to reduce Sussex to 90 for 6 before rain washed out play.The 23-year-old fast bowler, who could add to his two England ODI caps in the series against Australia later this month, struck with the first ball of the day when Sussex captain Mike Yardy could only fend a well-directed bouncer into the hands of Mark Ramprakash at gully.In his next over Meaker ripped out Joe Gatting’s off stump with a ball of full length before a shower forced the players off after just 2.2 overs. They returned 40 minutes later when Surrey took two more wickets to further undermine Sussex’s vulnerable-looking middle order.Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik got in on the act by dismissing Luke Wright for 1 as he pushed forward to a ball which turned. Wicketkeeper Steven Davies, who had only just returned to the ground after being released by England when Matt Prior passed a fitness test at Edgbaston, took the catch. But it was Meaker’s morning and he had reduced Sussex to 87 for 6 when he pinned Ben Brown leg before with an inswinger, giving him figures of 3 for 3 from three overs when the rain returned, leaving Luke Wells unbeaten on 38 and Naveed Arif yet to score.With rain setting in during the afternoon, umpires Peter Willey and Neil Hartley called off play at 2.30pm, although with the game well advanced and a better forecast there is still every chance of a positive result with two days to go.

Punam Raut, Sabbhineni Meghana, Sneh Rana star as Railways lift Women's Senior One Day Trophy

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Jharkhand crumble from 130 for 5 to 167 all out

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2021Fifties from Punam Raut and Sabbhineni Meghana helped Railways lift the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy, their 12th title in the 14 editions of the tournament. Right-arm pacer Meghna Singh and offspinner Sneh Rana routed Jharkhand for 167 to set Railways up for a win in the final in Rajkot, clinching their 12th title in the last 14 editions.Jharkhand were off to a decent start before Ekta Bisht applied the brakes with Niral Rashmi’s wicket. Singh then struck in consecutive deliveries in the seventh over to remove Ritu Kumari and Radhey Sonia to leave them reeling at 30 for 3. It was Indrani Roy and Durga Murmu’s fourth-wicket partnership of 60 runs that then resurrected Jharkhand’s innings.Rana pinned Murmu in front to break the partnership and then returned to have Roy stumped for 49. Jharkhand’s innings never saw a lift following that, except for captain Mani Niharika’s 39 off 59 balls, as Rana, Bisht and Poonam Yadav combined to rattle the lower order, bowling them out for 167 from 130 for 5. Rana finished with three wickets, while Singh and Bisht picked two apiece. Railways lost opener Nuzhat Parween for a duck but a strong second-wicket partnership between Meghana and Raut kept them on course in the chase. Raut, who is coming off an excellent form for India in the recent ODIs against South Africa, followed up her 69 not out in the semi-final against Bengal with a carefully-crafted 59. Meghana, on the other hand, was the aggressor in the partnership, making a 67-ball 53, which included six fours.Ravinder Devyani removed both the set batters, but the rest of the line up had only 43 runs to chase in with 116 balls remaining after Meghana’s dismissal in the 31st over. Rana made easy work of the target with her 22-ball 34 and Mona Meshram chipped in with a 34-ball 19 as the duo remained unbeaten to help Railways cruise to a seven-wicket win.

Middlesex young guns hunt down 216 to give sleepy Radlett a Blast

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Imposing Hampshire target overhauled with two balls to spare in outground thriller

David Hopps15-Jun-2021Middlesex 217 for 7 (Cracknell 77, Simpson 62) beat Hampshire 215 for 6 (Short 48, McManus 47, Weatherley 41) by three wickets with two balls to spareMiddlesex pulled off their second highest T20 chase – by three wickets with two balls to spare – in a memorable match at Radlett which saw the next generation take charge of a county going through a difficult transition, and leave another ailing T20 side, Hampshire, fearing that they don’t seem to be in much of a transition at all.Radlett is about as far away from the ECB’s vision of T20 cricket as it is possible to be. The dream is maximum revenue from large stadia, a football-style atmosphere and a sense of theatre that delights a TV audience. Start an overly loud, alcohol-fuelled chant at Radlett and you may be blackballed from the golf club or become the subject of gossip in the Ladies Circle.It would be interesting to know what Middlesex and England’s limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, who makes no pretence that he shares the ECB’s modernising vision, privately thinks of it when he decamps from Lord’s. Last night, as a setting sun cast a gentle amber light over a fine victory, he might even have been getting to like it.What a game Radlett staged. Professional cricket in England obviously can’t financially survive on small club grounds, but is also about highly entertaining nights like this, fought out before people who care deeply, and even more wonderfully so when two players at the start of their careers come to the fore in such a fashion. Blake Cullen is not about to get a headline for his intelligent and aggressive 1 for 29 in four overs; Joe Cracknell can be assured of plaudits for a brilliant 77 from 42 balls which saw Middlesex home. Both give Middlesex faith that their player development is reaping dividends.Hampshire’s first 200-plus total for three years was eminently chaseable in perfect batting conditions. But patently not by Middlesex, most of their supporters would have suggested. At 30 for 3, with Morgan trudging off, having reached at a very wide one to hole out at deep backward point, a philosophical kind of pessimism had taken hold.But Cracknell, whose threat was illustrated by a 22-ball 50 against Kent, and John Simpson rallied with a stand of 122 from 59 balls. Cracknell possesses a natural belligerence and his youthful optimism began the surge – his innings full of commanding pulls and slog sweeps; Simpson then took over with successive sixes against Liam Dawson’s left-arm spin, never as stylish, but possessing the experience to know what he can get away with.Simpson was stumped at the second attempt, off the leg spin of Mason Crane for 62 from 30 balls. Cracknell, seeking an off-side boundary, where he had rarely ventured, also fell to Crane for 77 from 42. He had been selected ahead of Max Holden which, with due respect to Holden, was a bit of a no-brainer in this format.Crane had carried some threat, as illustrated by his 3 for 35 in three overs. Dawson’s full allocation had gone for 54 and his return to the England T20 squad looked even more like a selection of habit. But Hampshire’s skipper, James Vince, opted logically enough to give the final over to the seam of Brad Wheal with ten needed and Chris Green hammered a successive four and six over deep midwicket to give Middlesex the game.Radlett is an idyllic county ground: a good batting surface, a ground lined by trees and hedges, and a convivial crowd adopting a Country Show attitude to any minor privations in the marquees and the portable toilets. They were allowed not far short of 1,000 spectators which is roughly the same as some of the smaller county grounds, which have stands and things. All to do with pinch points apparently.Hampshire’s 215 for 6 was their first 200-plus score for three years, but it was far from impregnable. Their record since then is as bad as any county in the country and conditions – excellent pitch, fast outfield, short boundaries – was considerably bowler-friendly. They were also without Chris Wood which meant that Kyle Abbott played his first T20 match since turning out in the Lanka Premier League in December.They were on the verge of a colossal Powerplay with 68 garnered from the first five overs and Vince and D’Arcy Short in a blissful world where they could do much as they pleased. With Middlesex lacking five pace bowlers because of injury or (in the case of Tom Helm) recovery from Covid-19, a colossal score looked on the cards.Then came Cullen. Three off the first over; Vince’s head-high hook falling to deep backward square in his next. In his final over, he twice troubled Hampshire’s ex-Middlesex man, James Fuller, twice for pace, the first of them gloved to third man.Cullen, a former England U19, has played for Middlesex since the U10s, and both player and club are beginning to reap the reward of years of endeavour. Pacey, with a strong action, he can reputedly swing the ball in four-day cricket, but here, he adapted intelligently and hit the pitch. The assessment of Middlesex’s director of cricket, Angus Fraser, that he “bowls like a grown man” could not have been more apparent.Green’s night did not begin well. He averages below seven runs an over in a career spanning more than 70 matches, making him beloved of T20 aficionados, and he was also on the back of a five-for against Kent, with four wickets taken in the final over. He was Middlesex’s most expensive bowler, leaking 55 from four overs as his method of pushing it fast and wide across the right-hander brought no dividends.If Middlesex prospered by slog sweeps, Hampshire perished by them, courtesy of the leg spin of Nathan Sowter. Short and Joe Weatherley, the latter after 41 from 22, both fell in such a fashion.Middlesex missed chances in the field, and a succession of shots escaped clawing fingers. The most damaging, in more than one sense, was Sowter’s drop of Dawson, running in from deep backward square, his right ankle sprained in the process. But not damaged enough for him to play a part in Middlesex’s uplifting victory.

Mark Wood backs rotation policy as England eye pink-ball dividend in Ahmedabad

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“When we’re in bubble after bubble and away from family, I think the ECB have made a good decision”

Alan Gardner19-Feb-2021Mark Wood has backed the ECB’s policy of resting and rotating England players throughout their lengthy winter tour of the subcontinent, despite a much-changed side falling to defeat in the second Test in Chennai and subsequent criticism about the handling of Moeen Ali’s departure from the squad.Wood has just completed his period in quarantine after flying out to India, having been rested for the first two Tests of the series, and will reinforce England’s pace-bowling options ahead of the day-night game in Ahmedabad – amid hopes that a more seamer-friendly game at the reconstructed Motera ground can help the tourists bounce back after being thrashed by 317 runs on a turning pitch earlier this week.England are attempting to balance the demands of several months on the road, and life in a succession of bio-secure environments, with a schedule that will see them contest 17 Test matches – including an Ashes series – as well as a T20 World Cup in 2021. Wood said the ECB stance should be seen “as a positive” and suggested it was the best way to get the most out of England’s playing group in the long run.Related

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  • White-ball players can't be told 'don't go' to the IPL – Bairstow

“There’s a lot of cricket this year,” he said. “When you have such a unique position, where we’re in bubble after bubble and time in hotel rooms and away from family, I think the ECB have made a good decision and are looking after players. I know it’s come in for criticism but from my point of view, especially as a multi-format player, when would you get that break or that switch-off, or would you be able to keep performing at the level required, if you’re mentally tired or physically tired?”So it’s good that different people are getting breaks at different points, it allows you to use different players for what’s coming ahead. We’ve got a massive squad and huge depth of talent, so it gives an opportunity for everyone. And you just got to try and take your opportunity when it’s your turn.”Following the defeat at Chepauk, England’s head coach, Chris Silverwood, was prompted to defend an approach that has allowed players such Moeen and Jos Buttler to miss Tests in India despite planning to feature in the IPL.Former players such as Kevin Pietersen have lambasted England for not putting out a full-strength team but Wood, who withdrew from this week’s IPL auction in order to prioritise time with his family, denied any suggestion that Test cricket wasn’t being given the same billing as T20.Mark Wood cranks up the pace in Sri Lanka•SLC

“No I don’t agree with that,” he said. “If things had been different or we didn’t have so much cricket, or there wasn’t these bubbles, I think we would play our best team as much as we could. We have to go down that route because of everything going on and we should maybe see it as a positive, that the ECB are looking after their players in that way. Other nations might follow this, down the track if coronavirus was to keep going.”You look at both sides of the argument. I get why people are saying that but from within the playing group I think it’s seen as a positive. Of course you want to play every game, and you don’t want to be rested and rotated, especially if you’re doing well. But in the long run, the endgame, especially for the multi-format players, is to make sure that everyone’s fresh and raring to go.”Wood agreed that, without breaks, some players could be susceptible to burnout, although he added there was recognition that “we’re very lucky to do this when people are struggling at home”. On the subject of the IPL, Wood admitted to a sense of unfinished business, having played just once for Chennai Super Kings during the 2018 tournament, but said that during a busy year he wanted to put his family and England first.England’s quicks had their first training session at the new, 110,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, and were encouraged by the swing and durability of the pink SG ball; the sight of plenty of grass on the pitch, albeit several days out from the game, led Jofra Archer to tweet simply: “Showtime!”

Archer missed the second Test with an elbow problem, with Olly Stone impressing as the team’s designated pace man. But Wood, who played both Tests in Sri Lanka last month, returns hoping to push for selection in more hospitable conditions: in the one previous day-night Test held in India, the home side’s pace attack shared 19 wickets, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by England.”We have heard that, and the wickets today in the nets were a little bit green and had good pace and carry in them,” Wood said. “I don’t know if that’s anything to go by or if it’s a bit of a trick. As soon as the ball moves, we know how good our seam bowlers can be so we’ve got good depth there, good skills, and two of the best ever [in James Anderson and Stuart Broad]. Hopefully if the ball does move and it is seamer-friendly, we can be very confident going into the game.”Using the momentum I felt I had from Sri Lanka, that last game where I picked up a few wickets and I felt I bowled well, I’ll be trying to just get back in that groove and rhythm. It’ll take a couple of sessions to get back off the long run and feel good again but with this pink ball, it’s a good opportunity in a new stadium to show what I can do. But, you know, as soon as the ball moves, every one of the bowlers is dying to get it in their hands. So I’m not the only one trying to get hold of it.”

CSA Members' Council refuses to appoint new interim board

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This goes against the sports minister’s directive and may result in serious consequences

Firdose Moonda12-Nov-2020Cricket South Africa members’ council – the highest-decision making body within the organisation, which consists of the 14 provincial affiliate presidents – will not appoint the interim board imposed on them by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, leaving the game in administrative limbo. The Members’ Council and the interim board, the two bodies that were due to work together to clean up CSA’s governance structures are now, effectively, at an impasse.In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the members’ council revealed that they have written to Mthethwa to raise “material concerns,” over the interim board and stressed that they “are not prepared” to let the interim board do its work. This decision goes squarely against Mthethwa’s directive and may result in the minister intervening in CSA, as he threatened to last month. Mthethwa has the power to withdraw funding from CSA and to strip them of their status as the governing body of cricket in South Africa.The interim board responded shortly after with a statement of their own, confirming that they have received a letter from the members’ council, which raised concerns about how the interim board was constituted and over conflicts of interests in relation to one member, Haroon Lorgat. While the statement from the interim board did not detail Lorgat’s conflicts, as former CEO of Cricket South Africa, Lorgat would have been in charge during the period under review in the forensic report, which was used to fire his successor Thabang Moroe.The interim board have already begun work and indicated their intention to continue, calling the members’ council position “obstructionist.” In a statement the interim board said, “The current situation is untenable and we are thus dismayed to be in receipt of what we can only describe as an obstructionist, legalistic letter from the Members’ Council while we have tried to put structures in place and hold individuals within CSA to account. We are of the view that the conduct of the Members’ Council is an attempt to stymie the work of our Board.”As a result, a saga that began with Moroe’s suspension in December last year (and subsequent dismissal for financial misconduct in August) and came to a head when the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) asked CSA’s board and executive to stand down in September has entered a new stage of standoff. Now, the members’ council and the minister-appointed interim board are in disagreement over who should clean up the mess in South African cricket, with the members’ council insisting they will “take the necessary steps to ensure that the concerns, which Minister Mthethwa and SASCOC have previously raised, are addressed efficiently and professionally.”The members’ council pointed to their role in convincing the previous CSA board to resign en masse following repeated calls from stakeholders including SASCOC and the South African Cricketers’ Association for them to stand down as evidence that they have the game at heart.”The Members Council embarked on a process last month to facilitate the resignation of the then-incumbent board members of CSA, with the intention of appointing an Interim Board that would work collaboratively with all stakeholders,” the members’ council statement read. “The main objective of the new Interim Board was to work closely with the Members Council and CSA executives, to achieve necessary change within the organisation and to take cricket forward until a new board is elected at the annual general meeting.”However, the members’ council and interim board were unable to form a constructive alliance with the members’ council concerned with |unresolved matters including a “conflict of interest relating to a proposed member of the Interim Board; opposition to outlined roles, responsibilities and reporting lines as outlined in the Memorandum of Incorporation; unprofessional conduct; non-cooperation; and misalignment.” The members’ council believe that if they had continued to work with the interim board they would have “failed to ensure that it acts in the public interest at all times.”The interim board disputes this assertion and said the members’ council have been “unwilling to cooperate,” and have “acted in bad faith and contrary to the consensus it reached with Mthethwa.” The interim board said it is “determined to continue our work in the public interest and in the best interests of cricket in South Africa.”

Tendulkar's finger injury still not healed

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Sachin Tendulkar’s return to the Mumbai Indians squad for today’s match against Deccan Chargers looks uncertain

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2012Sachin Tendulkar’s return to the Mumbai Indians squad for today’s match against Deccan Chargers looks uncertain, after he said on Twitter that the finger injury he sustained in the opening game against Chennai Super Kings did “not look good”.Tendulkar posted a photograph of the injured finger on his right hand and tweeted around noon on Monday.
Tendulkar had to retire hurt on 16 after being struck on the glove by Doug Bollinger in the ninth over of the IPL’s opening game between Mumbai Indians and Super Kings. He then missed Mumbai Indians’ first home game, against Pune Warriors, and if he does not play today his next game could be against Rajasthan Royals on April 11.Just before the start of IPL 2012, Tendulkar had handed over the leadership of the Mumbai Indians to Harbhajan Singh, because he wanted to take a “break from the responsibility of captaincy”. Harbhajan had led Mumbai Indians to the Champions League T20 title last year and was an automatic choice to take over the captaincy.

McKenzie praises 'Guinness' Boucher

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Neil McKenzie played a lot alongside Mark Boucher for South Africa and as rain prevented action against Yorkshire he spoke about his former team-mate

Ivo Tennant at West End11-Jul-2012
ScorecardNeil McKenzie suggested keepers will now consider wearing helmets more often•PA Photos

The rain that stair-rodded down on Southampton prevented anything other than the toss taking place. Hampshire won and will take the field against Yorkshire when play does eventually start in a match in which Neil McKenzie, the former South Africa batsman, will open the innings against Steve Harmison, the former England bowler who is now an honorary Yorkshireman. To confuse matters further, they were once, briefly, team mates at Durham.This, though, was far from McKenzie’s mind in the West End atrium. Like all his countrymen, he has been shocked by the eye injury sustained by Mark Boucher, his friend and colleague since they represented South Africa at Under-19 level.McKenzie was in touch with Boucher after his freak injury at Taunton earlier this week and was told immediately that serious damage had been sustained. “Obviously every wicketkeeper suffers a few injuries but the only one I can remember him having was when he cut himself with a biltong knife,” he said. “Normally he wears sunglasses to keep in and that obviously would have prevented the injury. Each wicketkeeper will now assess whether helmets should be worn all the time in the same way that batsmen do.”These things happen for a reason and we all knew this was going to be Mark’s last tour. How good was he? David Richardson, his predecessor, played in about a third of the number of Tests he has been involved in and he wouldn’t have played for as long as he has and been called ‘Guinness’ after the record book, for no good reason. His catching contributed a great deal to the number of wickets taken by Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini. He was a powerhouse figure at the back.”Mark wanted to play for two more years for Cape Cobras, which would not have affected his family life. I am not sure whether he will want to stay in the game as he is a silent partner in a few business ventures and obviously the most important thing is that he regains his full sight. From the point of the view of the series between England and South Africa, it was already very finely balanced in terms of personnel.”McKenzie, who came to England with South Africa on their last two tours and has played in 58 Tests, will appear for Hampshire until at least early August, depending on how long Michael Carberry takes to recover from a knee injury suffered in net practice. He has never particularly wanted to open the innings, but did so for his country as there were no positions available in the middle order, and will do so now for Hampshire because this, too, is where the vacancy has occurred.”The glory boys can come in at three and four,” he joked. “Giles White, the Hampshire coach, asked me how I viewed this and I am happy not to upset the continuity in the middle order. I have a family in South Africa but will willingly come back next year if I am wanted.”

Our bowlers were clinical – Dravid

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Rajasthan Royals’ captain Rahul Dravid has said his bowlers’ clinical performance was instrumental in their win over Pune Warriors on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2012Rajasthan Royals’ captain Rahul Dravid has said his bowlers’ clinical performance was instrumental in their win over Pune Warriors on Tuesday.”It was a very clinical performance, and hats off to my bowlers who did a fantastic job to restrict Pune to 125,” Dravid said. “It was a good all-round performance by everyone, especially the bowlers who set the game up for us by making us chase only 125. If we had to chase anything over 150 it would have been a tough game.”Good bowlers are the key, irrespective of whether they are fast or slow, they make a big difference and having a good quality bowling attack is really important. We do have some young bowlers in our side and a lot of our young bowlers have learnt a lot from this competition.”Warriors’ batsmen struggled against the pace of Shaun Tait who picked up three for 13. “We use Tait when we need a wicket, he’s our attack and shock bowler. Tait is our enforcer,” Dravid said. “When he is bowling well it makes a big difference to the team. It’s great to have him and Shane Waston performing well. Johan Botha is another critical member of our side; we also got a good spell out of Stuart Binny today, I though he bowled superbly.”We may make plans but I really believe it’s about execution,” he said. “You can make all the plans you want but at the end of the day you’re only as good as your bowlers who execute them, and I’m really happy that in the last couple of games our bowlers have done that.”Dravid said that Royals, who are currently fourth on the points table, behind Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians, needed to win a majority of their remaining matches to secure a berth in the play-offs. “We have four more games to go and we must focus on playing well,” he said. “If you win well it helps the net run rate but I think we must not worry about net run rate at this stage. With a couple of teams in contention it looks like 18 points will be needed [to make the play-offs] but we must not worry about what is needed but just play good cricket.”Dravid, who retired from international cricket in March this year, said that despite his retirement his routine hasn’t changed. “It has not been very different for me as I just quit international cricket and a couple of weeks later I was playing the IPL,” he said. “It has just been a continuation of my career. It will only be in June that I’ll have more time. For me it hasn’t felt any different at all, whatever I had been doing while playing international cricket, I’ve just continued with the same mindset and routine.”

Rawalpindi hand WAPDA first defeat

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A round-up of the action from the third day of the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2011Rawalpindi handed Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) their first loss of the tournament by 108 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Usman Saeed’s unbeaten 111, an extraordinary knock considering no one else on either side went past 36, helped set WAPDA a middling target of 211. But they struggled in the chase from the start and lost half their side for 41 as the Rawalpindi bowlers seized the advantage. The procession of wickets continued and they succumbed for 102. Three bowlers did all the damage. Sadaf Hussain took 4 for 36, Mohammad Ayaz 3 for 25, giving him 8 for 89 for the match, while Haseeb Azam took 2 for 25.Ali Imran starred with ball in the second innings as well as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) romped past Abbottabad by an innings and two runs on the third day at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. PIA declared on their overnight score of 408 for 8, leaving Abbotabad needing 223 to bat again. They got to off to a nightmarish start in their second innings, losing Fawad Khan with just four runs on the board before Imran struck four times to reduce them to 6 for 5. Almar Afridi stood tall amongst the ruins, making an unbeaten 102, and sharing in two big partnerships; 96 with Rameez Ahmed (35) and 110 with Khalid Usman (71), to take their side to the brink of making PIA bat again. But after Usman fell to Najaf Shah, Imran snapped up the last two wickets to end the game and finish with 6 for 41 in the innings and 12 for 89 in the match.Rehan Riaz picked up five wickets as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) thumped Islamabad by an innings and 28 runs inside three days at the Diamond Club Ground. Islamabad began the day on 98 for 4, still trailing by 148 runs and promptly slumped to 124 for 8. Naeem Injum (66) and Nasrullah Khan (27) delayed the inevitable with an 81-run partnership, but the result was never in doubt. It was only a question of whether Islamabad could hold out long enough to make ZTBL bat again. Riaz finished with 5 for 52, while Junaid Nadir picked up another three wickets to end the match with figures of 8 for 71. Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulquarnain Haider took five catches in the innings.Saad Altaf, a left-arm fast bowler, and left-arm spinner Mohammad Ali took five wickets apiece as State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) pressed home their advantage against Faisalabad in Sargodha. The pair combined to dismiss Faisalabd for 153 in the first innings, with Altaf picking up 5 for 84 and Ali 5 for 52, while Naved Latif top scored with 56. SBP chose to enforce the follow on and the two bowlers took three early wickets to have Faisalabad tottering on 34 for 3 before Asif Hussain (43*) and Zeeshan Butt gave them some hope with an unbroken 82-run parternship. They still trail by 87, though, heading into the final day.Sialkot were forced to follow on against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on the third day at the Jinnah Stadium, despite scoring 314. Opener Mohammad Yasin led the way with a painstaking 95 that took six hours and 14 minutes, and Mansoor Amjad made 57, but there were no other substantial contributions. Umaid Asif was the pick of the bowlers, with four wickets, while three other bowlers took two apiece. Trailing by 167, Yasin had to retire hurt on 1 but Majid Jehangir and Faisal Khan made sure there were no more losses, taking their side to 29 at close.Karachi Blues‘ line-up made contributions all through, to help their side gain an 18-run first-innings’ lead against Habib Bank Limited (HBL) at the National Stadium in Karachi. Resuming on 220 for 5, Karachi Blues went on to make 394 as all their middle and lower order got into double figures, without going past 50. Shahid Nazir and Danish Kaneria were the main contributors with the ball, picking up four wickets apiece. HBL’s openers – Shan Masood and Ahmed Shehzad – then began strongly for the second time in this match, putting on 80, albeit at a slow pace, before stumps was called.

Baggy green culture eroded under Clarke – Buchanan

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Former Australia coach John Buchanan has said the baggy green culture within the side seemed to have “disappeared a bit” under the captaincy of Michael Clarke

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2015Former Australia coach John Buchanan has said the baggy green culture within the side seemed to have “disappeared a bit” under the captaincy of Michael Clarke.Buchanan was coach of Australia for the first four years of Clarke’s international career but departed from the role in 2007, four years before Clarke was appointed captain. He said he recalled instances of senior players in the side struggling to instil into a young Clarke what they were trying to achieve with the team culture.”Players like Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and others really tried to make the baggy green culture something special but I could sense it was under threat and under Michael’s captaincy I can sense it has disappeared a bit and that disappointed me,” Buchanan told News Ltd.”I can remember guys like [Matthew] Hayden and [Justin] Langer sitting him down in a corner and trying to get him to understand what we were trying to achieve,” Buchanan said. “There were times when I felt Michael did not understand or did not want to understand.”Buchanan’s comments followed on from some former players criticising Clarke in the wake of his retirement. Hayden said Clarke’s opinions sometimes ruffled feathers within the side, and “I know for a fact that they ruffled mine at times”, while Andrew Symonds questioned whether Clarke had been “a natural leader”.However, Clarke’s former team-mate Ryan Harris, who retired on the eve of the Ashes series, launched a powerful defence of Clarke’s leadership. Interviewed on Melbourne’s radio station, Harris said it was unfair to equate Clarke as a young man with Clarke the mature captain.”He led very well and the guys respected that he was captain,” Harris said. “If there was a problem with something, someone would speak to him. He’d never create an environment where it’s my way or the highway. If something was not right or anyone wants to have an opinion about something, he was very approachable.”One thing that has angered me a bit was John Buchanan, the way he came out and slammed him. What John has to realise is that when he was a 21-year-old, 22-year-old, 23-year-old, whatever he was, he was young. We’ve all been there. We all know how we act at times when we’re younger.”He’s a guy who’s come into a team full of absolute legends, and they took him under their wing. He would have felt pretty special, he was earning good money. But you’re allowed to mature over life. That’s what I would have thought. That’s what I’ve done and that’s what I think Michael Clarke has done. To hear John Buchanan come out, an ex-coach, was very, very disappointing.”

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