David Lloyd at Taunton05-Apr-2012
ScorecardCounty Championships cannot be won in the first month of the season but, as Somerset know only too well, you can go a long way towards messing up your title chances by losing too many early matches. Cast as favourites last year, they started that campaign with a couple of thumping defeats, to Warwickshire and Lancashire, and never threatened to make amends.One weather-hit day, limited to 36 overs by morning rain and post-tea bad light, provided insufficient evidence to predict with any degree of certainty how this contest will work out. Indeed, Middlesex in general and Joe Denly in particular should not feel dejected after a battling effort in testing conditions. Put in, they could have crumbled against the new ball but were guided to a far from disastrous 118 for 4 by Denly’s excellent unbeaten 64.What can be said with plenty of conviction though, is that Somerset have signed a belter of a fast bowler in Vernon Philander. And while he is only with the county for a couple of months ahead of South Africa’s tour of England, the 26-year-old should do enough damage during that period to keep Marcus Trescothick’s team firmly in the title hunt.When Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, recruited Philander during the winter the seamer was still ‘promising’. But 51 wickets in seven Tests, at a shade more than 14 runs apiece, has made him a red-hot property – so hot, in fact, that South Africa would prefer him to be wrapped in cotton wool this spring rather than making hay on the county circuit.They have urged Somerset to treat Philander with care and consideration, a request which the county will no doubt honour with the future in mind. But, on the basis of 12 high class overs, which yielded figures of 3 for 21, the bowler has every intention of making each delivery count whenever Trescothick throws him the ball.Despite heavy cloud and damp conditions, three Somerset pace bowlers – Steve Kirby, Craig Meschede and Peter Trego – were kept at bay without huge difficulty. It was a different matter, though, when Philander took centre stage.His third ball had to be played by Sam Robson but resulted in a thin edge behind while a second spell, after tea, saw Dawid Malan pinned lbw and Neil Dexter bowled off stump by one that appeared to keep a little low. But above and beyond that the new recruit asked a question with almost every delivery – against a county he briefly represented in 2008.Denly deserves great credit for denying Philander. He is Middlesex’s one major signing following their promotion as Division Two champions and he looked in terrific touch from the outset.Middlesex have been tipped by many to go straight back down. And maybe that is the way it will work out. But there was enough backbone about their batting to suggest they plan to fight mighty hard to stay where their supporters believe they belong.”People are entitled to their views,” said Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director of cricket. “Yes, I suppose sides who have come up have tended to struggle in the past but I believe we have a squad that can be competitive if we play as well as we can.”

Hamish Marshall led from the front with 66 as Gloucestershire romped to a shock nine-wicket win over Somerset with 5.2 overs to spare in the Friends Life t20 clash at Taunton.

29-Jun-2012
ScorecardHamish Marshall made 66 as Gloucestershire produced a shock win•Getty Images

Hamish Marshall led from the front with 66 as Gloucestershire romped to a shock nine-wicket win over Somerset with 5.2 overs to spare in the Friends Life t20 clash at Taunton.A packed crowd of more than 7,000 saw the hosts fall to their first T20 defeat this season, having been restricted to 140 for 8 after winning the toss, Albie Morkel top-scoring with 33. Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (2 for 20) and Ed Young (1 for 18) bowled their eight overs for a combined total of 38 runs, while Ian Saxelby and James Fuller claimed two wickets each.Marshall and Benny Howell (55 not out) then made the total look even more inadequate, with an opening stand of 115 in 12.1 overs. Marshall raced to a half-century off 35 balls – with seven fours – before pulling a catch to midwicket, having added two sixes. By then the game won.Howell looked equally at ease as the pair scored at will against an off-colour Somerset attack, reaching his 50 off 36 balls, with eight fours and a six.Skipper Marshall had earlier set the tone for Somerset’s unusually poor batting effort by taking a fine running catch to dismiss Richard Levi for seven off the first ball of the second over. Kevin O’Brien holed out to deep square off James Fuller and it was 39 for 3 when Nick Compton was caught behind off an inside edge to give Saxelby a wicket.Jos Buttler was dropped on 1 by wicketkeeper Jon Batty off Liam Norwell, but James Hildreth was caught behind sweeping at Muralitharan to make it 47 for 4. Buttler (23) could not find any fluency and lost his patience to be stumped by Batty advancing to Young after a stand of 33 with Morkel. Arul Suppiah was bowled by the wily Murali and at 83 for 6 Somerset were in deep trouble.Morkel hit two big sixes before lofting a catch to long-off and only a poor 18th over from Fuller, in which he was warned for a beamer and conceded 18 runs, gave the home side even the faintest hope.

Sri Lanka A reached 290 for 8 on the first day of the second unofficial test against South Africa A in Durban

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Dimuth Karunaratne fell short of a century by 17 runs•Manoj Ridimahaliyadda

Sri Lanka A lost eight wickets for 290 runs, led by opening left-hand batsman and captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who made 83, after the first day. Seamer Ryan Mclaren took three middle-order wickets to push the visitors into trouble but a seventh-wicket partnership of 71 runs took them to relative comfort before two more wickets fell by the close.After inserting Sri Lanka to bat, South Africa claimed their first wicket of Dilruwan Perera in the tenth over. Kunaratne, however, hung around to build stands with other top-order batsmen before he became the fifth wicket to fall in the 49th over with the score on 173, falling 17 short of a century.Chamara Silva, who lost his place in the national squad after Sri Lanka’s tour of UAE in November last year, could not make an impact, getting out to offspinner Simon Harmer. A half-century by No. 7 Sachithra Serasinghe, and his partnership for the seventh wicket with Kosala Kulasekara, took Sri Lanka to 276.Ryan Mclaren, who played his last international game for South Africa in 2010, was the top wicket-taker, with three for 32 in 20 overs. Harmer and Pumelela Matshikwe took two wickets each, while seamer Wayne Parnell claimed the opening wicket of the innings.

Rain at Taunton shows cricket isn’t the only thing being punished by the weather

Alex Winter at Taunton08-Aug-2012
ScorecardThe weather has played an evil part in denting the balance sheets of most cricket-related businesses this season but while the counties already know they are in for a dismal financial season there may be a time-lag on the detrimental effects for the sports equipment market. As Somerset and Nottinghamshire trooped on and off the field on day two, one of the England’s few surviving bat manufacturers were cursing a lack of equipment use.Millichamp and Hall have been making cricket bats for over 20 years and their factory, nestled behind the pavilion at Taunton, is an added attraction for spectators with time on their hands.But the weather, more so than a troubled economic climate, could be the biggest threat to their future. Their market is the high-ticket item: handmade bats of the highest quality. They are not set up to sell a £100 bat for the same reason Gucci do not produce a £20 bag. Exclusively is an element to their business model.Even those with money to spend do not need to replace a bat that has not been used – and club matches have been disrupted to an extent that most elderly cricketers describe the season as the worst in living memory. Next year’s sales could be severely hampered by this year’s lack of cricket. And that is a big snag for one of only three or four batmakers left in the United Kingdom.Four highly-skilled staff busied themselves in a rare burst of sunshine, mulling over a plane and a cup of tea – a glamorous glimpse at a lifestyle that they insist becomes more problematic whenever temperatures plunge. And it could get even more difficult should the weather continue to keep their bats in kit bags.For that reason and others, many batmakers have quickly entered and left the market. Highly-publicised names such as Woodworm and Mongoose, offering fat advertising contracts, have jumped onto and drifted from the bat-manufacturing scene.They came with the backing of consortiums of businessmen and high-profile endorsement deals: Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff both used Woodworm kit in their early days.Smaller ventures have come and gone too – a group of bankers who were made redundant decided without success that batmaking would be a nice lifestyle. The market is a tough nut to crack.Millichamp and Hall managed to establish a reputation for high quality and by the end of the 1989 Ashes tour, 11 of the 16 tourists were using their bats, albeit with other manufacturer’s labels. The reputation stuck and today they carve out willows for a great number of international batsmen.Mingling with the stars is also a lure for the would-be batmaker. But the stars and their individual requirements can often add days to signing off the finished product.International cricketers are able to come down to the factory in Taunton for a bespoke fitting service – around £450 to the general public – and this personal touch helps keep those batmakers in Britain: most of the large labels have their 10,000 bats a year made in India – where much smaller wages keep costs down; although India’s rapid growth and the coming of the minimum wage could see that advantage reduced.A small wage element in production costs is a prime reason why clothing is the big winner in the market – a market that Millichamp and Hall have managed to branch into. But again, non-dirty whites don’t need to be replaced.And there were few dirty whites on day two at Taunton where the type of day that is repeated for several seasons could kill county cricket, ensued. It did not rain so consistently as to keep the covers on for that long at any one time. But on and off they went so often that many spectators – of whom there were greater numbers than the first day because of a better forecast – drifted away before the second spell of play at 5.25pm.Only 15.4 overs were bowled but enough happened to suggest there could still be a result. Alfonso Thomas jagged the ball around and got one back into the pads of Michael Lumb. And Steve Kirby moved one away from Alex Hales on a length to entice an edge to second slip.Somerset, shorn here of Nick Compton and Craig Kieswetter, both on England Lions duty, would prefer better conditions for their batsman and Abdur Rehman, the Pakistani spinner they have finally got into the country. Those providing the cricketers with the tools of their trade would also enjoy some sunshine.

The New Zealand batsman Scott Styris will play in the Big Bash League this season as the second international player for the Hobart Hurricanes

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2012The New Zealand batsman Scott Styris will play in the Big Bash League this season as the second international player for the Hobart Hurricanes. Styris, 37, retired from international cricket last year but has remained a useful Twenty20 player in domestic competitions around the world, having played for two IPL franchises, the Sylhet Royals in Bangladesh and this year for Sussex in England’s county competition.The Hurricanes were impressed by his form for Sussex, which included a 37-ball century last month, equalling the third-fastest hundred in T20 history. Styris said he was looking forward to joining the Hurricanes, having not played in Australia’s T20 competition before.”I’m enjoying my involvement in franchise T20 cricket around the world and have always enjoyed the challenge of playing in Australia against Australians,” Styris said. “The prospect of competing in this major Aussie domestic competition excites me greatly.”The England batsman Owais Shah is the other international player on the Hurricanes’ list for this season, and they have now signed 16 men. All teams must finalise their squads of 18 by the end of November, and the Sydney Thunder have added two more to their list with the signings of Usman Khawaja and Chris Rogers.Khawaja was part of the Thunder group last summer but this will be the first exposure to the BBL for Rogers, who was last year overlooked for a deal. Rogers, 34, continues to pile up the runs in county cricket and for Victoria, and the Thunder hope that in addition to his scoring he will be a valuable mentor for the younger players.”Chris is an exceptional batsman with an outstanding first-class record,” Shane Duff, the Thunder coach, said. “He is the type of proven player we lacked last season and he will play an important role in our line-up.”

Nick Compton’s good week continued when he was named the NatWest PCA Player of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2012Nick Compton’s good week continued when he was named the NatWest PCA Player of the Year while Joe Root, who was also called into the Test squad for the tour to India, was named the Young Player of the Year.Compton scored 1494 first-class runs for Somerset during the 2012 season and Root was close to a thousand including a career-best 222 against Hampshire.The overall England player of the year went to Ian Bell while Alastair Cook took the one-day award, a mark of his rise in the format, and Stuart Broad was named Test player.Back on the domestic scene, Warwickshire’s dominance of the County Championship was highlight by five of their players being included in the team of the year. Varun Chopra and Bell were part of the batting line-up while Jeetan Patel, Keith Barker and Chris Wright all made the bowling line-up. NatWest PCA Player of the Year Nick Compton (Somerset)
NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Joe Root (Yorkshire)
ECB Special Award Bill Gordon
England FTI MVP of the summer Ian Bell
Friends Life t20 Player of the Year Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire)
Clydesdale Bank 40 Player of the Year Phil Mustard (Durham)
NatWest ODI Player of the Summer Alastair Cook
Investec Test Player of the Summer Stuart Broad
Sky Sports Sixes League Winner Gary Ballance (Yorkshire)
FTI Team of the Year Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Chris Nash (Sussex), Ian Bell (Warwickshire & England), Steven Croft (Lancashire), Darren Stevens (Kent), Peter Trego (Somerset), Phil Mustard (Durham), Jeetan Patel (Warwickshire), Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Chris Wright (Warwickshire), Graham Onions (Durham)

Anil Kumble, the former India legspinner, has been named head of the BCCI’s Technical Committee, taking over from the former India captain Sourav Ganguly

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2012Anil Kumble, the former India legspinner, has been named head of the BCCI’s Technical Committee, taking over from the former India captain Sourav Ganguly. The other members of the committee include former India players MSK Prasad, Deep Dasgupta and Debasis Mohanty.Kumble is also the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). In December last year, he had resigned as chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. In June, he was a special invitee to the technical committee meeting during which several significant changes were announced in the domestic structure. Dasgupta is currently the Bengal selection committee chairman, while Mohanty was named Orissa coach last year.Daljit Singh has replaced Venkat Sundaram as chairman of the Ground and Pitches Committee. Daljit, the head groundsman at Mohali, has held the chairman post earlier.
The board also constituted a new sub-committee in the Constitution Review panel comprising the BCCI president N Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley, DV Subba Rao and Mohd. Aslam Goni. Last month, the board had decided to amend its constitution at a special general body meeting on September 15.In the Working Committee the cricket associations of Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Tripura, Andhra and the Association of Indian Universities (North) have replaced the Services Sports Promotion Board and the associations of Kerala, Assam, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.The post of director of cricket at NCA, which was held by current selection chairman Sandeep Patil, remains vacant and would be decided by the NCA committee, which has a new chairman in Ranjib Biswal, the Orissa Cricket Association president..

Mukul Dagar handled the Delhi bowling with the precise and heavy tread of a batsman determined to make his mark

The Report by Sharda Ugra in Ghaziabad03-Nov-2012
ScorecardMohammad Kaif’s 91 was a typical Kaif innings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi were left searching for directions in Ghaziabad, one of its much-derided eastern outskirts. The match, packed to bursting with big Delhi names, is in danger of being snatched away by the journeymen of Uttar Pradesh. If medium-pacer Imtiaz Ahmed took out half the Delhi batting on day one of the Ranji Trophy, on day two, Mukul Dagar handled their bowling with the precise and heavy tread of a batsman determined to make his mark.It was a 196-run partnership for the second wicket between Dagar and Mohammad Kaif that ensured that if Delhi want points from this game, they will have to amp up the quality of their cricket so that it matches their reputations. For the better part of two days, the game has belonged to UP and its bling-less cricketers.In north India, the name Dagar is usually associated with the upper echelons of Hindustani classical music. Never with cricketers, let alone rather substantially built left-hand batsmen. For the UP team though, Dagar could be the answer to the question of who could possibly open the innings with Tanmay Srivastava. Delhi-born and -bred, Dagar played Under-19 and limited-overs cricket for Haryana before making his first-class debut for UP in December 2011 against Karnataka.In only his second first-class match, Dagar held off two India bowlers for two sessions in testing conditions and then broke free in the third to record his first Ranji century. Dagar’s 116 was impressive because of the situation, the conditions and the bowling. He showed he has the composure required of opening batsmen, a compact enough technique for the first-class game and the ability to play the ball, not the bowler.In the morning session, Dagar was happy to turn the strike over to Kaif, the senior partner. He went into lunch on 61 off 127 balls but when he returned, it was as if his appetite had only been stoked. With the sun out for the first time, the wicket drying up and the ball becoming somewhat easier to time, the steady, cautious opener defrosted into a nimble-footed shot-maker.All erring width was punished and Dagar raced past Kaif scoring at a run a ball. He went after Ashish Nehra, hitting two boundaries in an over, and lofted Vikas Mishra over midwicket. Ishant Sharma, who replaced Nehra, was hit for a razor-straight drive. Mishra was flicked off the pads as Dagar got into his nineties. If until then, Kaif had been nagging him to convert twos into threes, the sight of his hundred and a slowing outfield had Dagar sprinting for three to complete his century.Kaif’s 91 was a typical Kaif innings: he came in late last evening and bull-headedly hung on. With his inexperienced team-mate at the other end, he took control of the run-scoring this morning. There were nudges, pushes, dabs for singles, tickles to fine leg and drives through cover. There was also a tussle with Ishant that at the end of the day, Kaif could think he had won.It started early with the bowler incensed at having being steered to third man for a boundary. A bouncer that followed didn’t rise to the height a ducking Kaif expected and he was hit on the back of his helmet. There was treatment from the backroom staff not once but twice.Kaif got going again, cutting Ishant for a boundary. About half an hour after Ishant had dented his helmet, he pounced on a short ball from Nehra and pulled it for six.Ishant bowled sporadically through the day in four-over spurts, all flying hair and aggressive follow-through, generating pace and hurrying batsmen. After taking Srivastava’s wicket yesterday, however, he could not break through today until the very end.Heading towards tea, it was left-arm spinner Mishra who struck Kaif on his pads stretching forward to get the first wicket of the day. Sumit Narwal then got one past Dagar, clattering his stumps with one over left before the break.It must be noted that in keeping with the general tone of this contest, of the five UP wickets to fall today, four went to bowlers no one had paid any attention to at the start of this game.