Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Test captain, has said the team’s 10-wicket win over New Zealand in Hamilton has given his side a lot of confidence

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2011Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Test captain, has said the team’s 10-wicket win over New Zealand in Hamilton has given his side a lot of confidence and that they will be looking for another win in the second Test at Wellington, rather than seeking to protect their 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.”Cricket is so fast nowadays that you rarely see a drawn Test match, unless the wicket is really flat,” Misbah told . “Our best policy for the upcoming match at Wellington will be to go for a win, rather than just consolidate our one-nil lead. I want my team to perform well, play good cricket and look to wrap up the series two-nil.”Misbah expects the Wellington pitch to be a sporting one that will lend itself to a result. With New Zealand obviously intent on evening the series, he says Pakistan will have to be careful not to let their advantage slip. “Our opponents, no doubt, will push us hard, as they will be going into the second Test on the back of a heavy defeat. They will be looking to level the series. We need to be wary of the fact that New Zealand will come hard at us. We will need to work even harder and ensure that we are even more focused in Wellington.”At the same time, Misbah also believes his side has room to improve. In the first Test, three batsmen made half-centuries, including Misbah, but were unable to convert them into big scores. “If you look at our batting in the first Test, a lot of us got starts and nobody went on to score a hundred,” Misbah said. “What I would like to see is for our batsmen, myself included, to ensure that we make full use of our good starts, and ensure that we bat for long periods. If a similar situation to Hamilton presents itself, we should ensure that we earn a bigger lead than 92. I really want our batsmen to make sure that the good starts are not wasted.”Pakistan have cycled through four Test captains over the last 12 months, including Misbah, who was surprisingly recalled to lead the side for the South Africa series in the UAE, but he appears to have brought a level of stability to the team in the midst of the spot-fixing crisis. “Credit to all of the team for the fantastic way in which they have responded to me. I am hardly having to say anything to the side and everybody knows their role in the team. I’m seeing a great degree of professionalism and responsibility from all of the players, which is fantastic, and makes my job a lot easier. I’m seeing the right response from the players at the right time.”Misbah is particularly pleased with how the younger members of the squad have responded to the challenge of coming together and performing. “It is very important for senior and experienced players like myself to set a good example for the youngsters. However, it makes my life so much easier and it’s very satisfying when I am given such a responsible and committed group. It is also heartening to listen to inputs from the younger boys in the squad in group discussions, and they deserve credit for the responsibility and application they are showing.”He also expressed his support for the Umpire Decision Referral System (UDRS), saying it should be used all over the world rather than being selectively implemented, as it is now. “I think the UDRS should be made compulsory in all international cricket, as I feel it’s of help to the umpires as well as to the cricketers.”The second Test match against New Zealand starts in Wellington on Saturday. The Test will be followed by six ODIs.

Pakistan bowling allrounder Yasir Arafat has been signed up by South African franchise Dolphins for the Pro20 competition as their overseas player

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2011Pakistan bowling allrounder Yasir Arafat has been signed up by South African franchise Dolphins for the Pro20 competition as their overseas player. Arafat has been an experienced campaigner in Pakistan’s domestic circuit and has also been part of the national side in three Tests, 11 ODIs and seven Twenty20 internationals.”We are excited to have Yasir join our ranks and look forward to the value that he will add. Yasir will be playing his first match for the Dolphins today [February 4} in their Standard Bank Pro20 in East London”, Jesse Challan, the CEO of the Kwazulu Natal Cricket Union, said in a release.

Graeme Smith is ready to “leave it all there” when he captains South Africa for the last time in an ODI tournament, starting on Thursday against the West Indies in Delhi

Firdose Moonda in Delhi23-Feb-2011Graeme Smith is ready to “leave it all out there” when he captains South Africa for the last time in an ODI tournament, starting on Thursday against the West Indies in Delhi. “I feel I am best prepared going into this tournament as I have been throughout my career. I am just excited to be able to lead the guys.”So ready is he that he almost left it all out there when a reporter persisted in asking if Smith thought the team would be able to drop the chokers tag, given their record under pressure. When Smith said that there is a “luck element” in tournaments such as this, the journalist went on to ask if South Africa’s nerves often undid any luck that the team may have secured. Smith sneered in reply. “So you have been out in the middle, you will understand that?”Silence.No one on the outside can really understand the unique kind of pressure that has weighed South Africa down, or how stoically they’ve had to deny that it’s had any effect on them. Every few years, when questions like the one above get asked, we get a small glimpse into the burden of underachievement South Africa cricketers carry. It’s why each tournament, for them, seems bigger and more important than the previous one and why this one is “the biggest tournament” for this group of players to date.”A lot of the guys who are here for the first time have definitely said that,” Smith said. “The expectation, the energy around India and before we left, the things that were going on around the group, especially compared to the other World Cups, this is a lot bigger.”The heightened importance of this tournament may stem from the fact that South Africa have brought their most dynamic line-up to a major competition, especially in the bowling department. “It’s the most variety that we have ever had,” Smith said. “We now have pace, we have bounce, we have left-armers, we have got a few spin options.” The variation means that South Africa hope they will be “a lot harder to prepare against” because their starting XI is going to be more elastic than it has been in the past. “Tactically we have got our ideas about how we would like to set up in this tournament. We have covered every base there and we are really excited to get going.”South Africa have been training in India for just over two weeks and although that time has allowed the squad to settle in, there is still an element of uncertainty going into their first game in the World Cup. The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium is hosting its first match after a 14-month ban it incurred in December 2009 for having a dangerous pitch. It has been since relaid, with a surface that promises even bounce, but Smith said neither side knows what to expect from it. “It’s an unknown factor for all of us. But I think you can see they have made a really big effort out here.”It’s also the first time Smith will use the Umpire Decision Review System in a one-day international and it may prove tricky when the team is in the field because “with our bowlers, every decision is out,” Smith said. “I’ll have to trust AB also because I am not always going to be in a position to really judge the lines and where the ball has pitched.”What’s not a first is coming up against the West Indies in the opening match of a World Cup. The last time that happened, South Africa were put to the sword by a blustering innings from Chris Gayle. Smith is wary of not allowing the same kind of flamboyant performance to undo South Africa again. “They have guys who on their day can really punish you and take the game away from you. That’s why in Cup competitions, they are a very dangerous opponent to come up against.”The West Indies struggle with consistency, as Smith noted, and often fall away in a four- or five-match series, but playing them in a one-off match is as much a competition as playing anyone else. Their strategy is based on a certain casual yet colourful flair. In many ways, on their day, they are side that leaves it all there. To see them come against a South African captain who hopes to do the same promises an explosion.

The Mohali pitch is expected to be quite flat, and fast bowlers are likely to be more effective on it than spinners

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mohali27-Mar-2011There are no match tickets available. There are no hotel rooms vacant for the thousands flocking to Chandigarh from all over the world. The premiers of both India and Pakistan will be there to watch their men contest the second semi-finals of the World Cup. Add to those certainties one other: the Mohali pitch is bound to be batsmen-friendly. If sources are to be believed, then the fast bowlers will be more effective than spinners. “It is a good batting wicket. I don’t think it will turn much,” a Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) official said.History suggests that captains prefer to bat first on calling the coin right and both MS Dhoni and Shahid Afridi will do well to follow convention. It is better to bat first because the wicket tends to lose pace as the match goes on. But if there is heavy dew things could change. “A 280-plus total would be really difficult to chase,” the source said. Over the last five years, in the nine matches played at the ground the 300-run mark has been breached only twice. Incidentally, on the first occasion, Pakistan successfully chased India’s 321 in a day-night game, with Younis Khan’s 117 overshadowing Sachin Tendulkar’s 99.In the past five years, seven out of the nine matches have been won by the side batting first. Also, there were seven day-night matches with five won by the side batting first and only two by the chasing side. Wednesday’s semi-final would be the first match to be played under lights since November 2009 in Mohali.Of the 137 wickets taken in those nine matches, fast bowlers accounted for 105, while the spinners claimed just 29. Even though the seamers have predominantly controlled affairs here, slow bowlers like Harbhajan Singh, who relies on bounce, have always got good purchase from the Mohali pitch. At the same time the hard clay in the pitch tends to make the ball skid rather than spin, so a spinner like Afridi would do well to push the ball rather than spin it.Another talking point in the build-up to the match has been the dew. Over the last few days there has been heavy dew with the outfield being really wet till 10 pm. The curator will be taking measures like not watering the ground two days before the match and cutting the outfield really low but it would be difficult to eliminate the dew entirely. An essential factor for the dew to not spoil the evening would be the presence of the wind during the first half of the day. If it is windy during the day the dew will not be heavy, otherwise it will play affect team strategies.

Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has forecast the selection of distinct “specialist” squads for tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Daniel Brettig13-May-2011Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has forecast the selection of distinct “specialist” squads for tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa. The size of the task confronting Australia and its new captain Michael Clarke is placed into context by the fact that this is the first time since 1969-70 that the national side has been asked to make back-to-back overseas Test tours without a significant break or home summer in between.To alleviate the difficulties, Chappell expected a substantial variation in the squads picked for the two series, to help Clarke best adapt his resources to contrasting conditions. As in 1969-70, when the team led by Bill Lawry travelled through India and enjoyed a series victory before venturing to South Africa and being crushed 4-0 in as many Tests, the Australians must make the sharp adjustments from slow subcontinental pitches to fast African tracks. That tour sowed the seeds for Lawry’s eventual sacking as captain, a fate Clarke will be keen to avoid.”If you want to look at it in that light it is [daunting], yes, but if you want to look at it as an opportunity for us to get better, I think it’s a great opportunity,” Chappell told . “There’ll be different challenges on each tour; much like 1969-70 there will be very different conditions on the two parts of the tour so it will be a challenge.”The success of the last Australian tour to South Africa in 2009 may result in a recall for a role-player like the Victorian allrounder Andrew McDonald, who bowled thriftily in partnership with the pace attack during those matches, while in Sri Lanka the spin of Michael Beer, Steve Smith and perhaps Jason Krejza will be employed.”The good news for this generation is they won’t have to go back-to-back from one set of conditions to the other; the Champions League will intervene, so the opportunity will be there to pick specialist groups for the two tours,” said Chappell. “Sri Lanka’s likely to suit spin bowling, South Africa’s likely to suit fast bowling, so the balance of the two groups is likely to be different. It’s an opportunity for experienced players and for budding players to gain some great experience and some great learning about what international cricket is about.”Chappell admitted there were few great players immediately available to the Australian team, and suggested the national selectors would have to make the best of it until a new generation, spearheaded by the likes of the teenaged fast bowler Pat Cummins, was ready for national duty.”If you can find some outstanding matchwinning players, that’s great, but if you haven’t got them available you do the best you can with the combinations you can put together and that’s the challenge for us over the next few years,” said Chappell. “We can see we’ve got some potential champions on the horizon, but it’s going to take time for them to get to the point where they’re going to be ready to play for Australia, so in the meantime you’re looking for the best combinations you can get.”Casting his eye across to India and the coaching role he once held, Chappell said Gary Kirsten’s replacement, the former England coach Duncan Fletcher, was as prepared as anyone could be for the role.”I think it’s an interesting appointment; he’s a very experienced coach, I think he’ll bring a lot to the job,” said Chappell. “Coaching at that level is a challenge in any environment, we know how fanatical India is about the game of cricket with the population and the media population, that brings with it different challenges. Duncan’s been a proven coach and has experienced India from the other side, so if anyone can be ready for it he’ll be as ready as anyone.”

A disciplined performance in the field and an explosive 35 off 19 balls from Brad Hodge helped Kochi Tuskers overcome Kolkata Knight Riders in the last match at the Nehru stadium

The Bulletin by Firdose Moonda05-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan opened up late, but Kochi’s bowlers held their nerve to finish on the winning side•AFP

A disciplined performance in the field and an explosive 35 off 19 balls from Brad Hodge helped Kochi Tuskers overcome Kolkata Knight Riders in the last match at the Nehru Stadium this IPL season.Hodge’s last over blitz, in which he took 21 runs off countryman Brett Lee, proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Kochi defended 156 by 17 runs. In the chase, RP Singh and Sreesanth failed to get the same kind of movement that Brett Lee extracted early in the Kochi innings. Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan didn’t have to take many risks early on as there were many poor deliveries that were smacked to the boundary. In the first three overs, the bulk of the short and wide ones came from RP Singh.R Vinay Kumar and Prasanth Parameswaran pulled back the chase before it raged out of control with a selection of back of a length deliveries that proved difficult to get away. Although they kept the boundaries down, they didn’t trouble the batsmen much and failed to get a breakthrough until after the halfway stage, when Kolkata were well set. Kallis was the senior partner and easily outscored Morgan in that phase. Seven times in the first ten overs Kallis stole the strike at the end of the over.Just as Kallis looked as though he had grown roots, Raiphi Gomez rattled Kolkata with a double strike in his second over. He bowled Kallis with a legcutter and had Gautam Gambhir caught in the covers off consecutive balls, which left Morgan to assume the senior role. Manoj Tiwary could not last long, and Yusuf Pathan was expected to counterattack, but he and Morgan were frustrated by Gomez’s variations and Parameswaran’s accurate fuller deliveries. Sreesanth let the noose loosen, giving Morgan back-to-back boundaries but Vinay Kumar was on hand to tighten it. Confusions between Morgan and Yusuf mounted in Vinay’s last over, and Morgan was run out when both batsmen ended up at the wicketkeeper’s end.It brought Brett Lee to the crease, in poetic justice for the last over he bowled, which went for 21. There were 25 to get off the last over of Kolkata’s innings. Lee was run-out and the task proved too steep.Kochi’s innings was anchored by a third-wicket partnership between Mahela Jayawardene and Michael Klinger before being given momentum at the death by Hodge. It didn’t look as though Kochi would get over the 150-run mark, especially after the way things started. Lee’s first over was a whole bag of peaches. He got impressive away movement and started the innings with a maiden.Some success seemed inevitable after the start Kolkata got and it came from Jaidev Unadkat, although he hardly deserved it. He banged one in, too short and too wide outside off that Brendon McCullum chased and his fine edge nestled in Kallis’ hands at slip.Parthiv Patel came in at No. 3 and opened his account with two stunning boundaries. He looked energetic and confident in his strokeplay and dealt with Unadkat’s bouncer and the introduction of spin, in the form of Iqbal Abdulla, with relative ease. Surprisingly, it was the short ball that undid him, when he charged down the track and miscued a pull shot to midwicket.The stage was set for Jayawardene to play an innings of authority and, with Klinger at the other end, he did exactly that. They played creative cricket, managing a boundary off five of the seven overs they were together for and pushed each other to take singles before Klinger holed out. When Abdulla got the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja for eight, Kochi were being pegged back and some impetus was needed.The floodgates were opened with Jayawardene’s six over long leg at the start of the 17th over and Kochi put on 54 runs in the final four overs, with Hodge’s fireworks yielding almost half of those.