Archive for the ‘Cricket’ Category

Kane Williamson: Earned the plaudits after helping to salvage a draw for New Zealand

Kane Williamson admitted he faced his toughest situation in Test cricket yet after scoring an unbeaten century to deny South Africa on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old scored 102 not out from 228 balls in New Zealand’s 200-6 as the third and final Test in Wellington ended in a draw.

Set 389 to win, Williamson was the only frontline batsman to pass 20 as he ground his way to his second Test century, and shared in valuable tail-end partnerships with Kruger van Wyk and Doug Bracewell to snare an unlikely draw.

When asked if the situation was the toughest he had faced in any of his 12 Test matches to date, Williamson replied: “Yeah without doubt.

“In terms of New Zealand cricket history, it will go down as one of the more gutsier innings and one of the more gutsy fighting efforts on the last day against this sort of attack.”Brendon McCullum Quotes of the week

“Just the situation that we were in, not having a sniff and having to bat out a draw is sometimes an interesting situation to play.

“It was nice to show some fight take it to the end and compete.”

Williamson, who survived a number of dropped catches, felt the intensity and also South Africa’s frustration levels increased the longer he stayed at the crease.

“Yeah at times they were very competitive which is to be expected, they want to win the Test match obviously,” he added when asked if the chatter had increased throughout the day.

Momentum

“It comes and goes a little bit as you start getting under way and gathering a little bit of momentum – opposition sides don’t tend to say as much.

“I think on a wicket like that it was always going to be tough to take wickets so when chances go down its obviously frustrating.”

While his innings did not stop his side losing the series 1-0, it earned the praise of New Zealand vice-captain Brendon McCullum.

He said: “I’m not quite sure that Kane has realised what he has done just yet.

“In terms of New Zealand cricket history, it will go down as one of the more gutsier innings and one of the more gutsy fighting efforts on the last day against this sort of attack.

“It took a pretty special innings from one person and some supporting acts from others to be able to keep them at bay.

“There was never a let up in that bowling attack and they continued to come at you and never made it easy… they gave it their best shot but couldn’t get past Kane.”

Given life

Aside from two dropped catches, Williamson was also given a life when television replays were inconclusive as to whether Alviro Petersen had taken a catch at point when he was on seven.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith said afterwards that the decision was part of the game and his side would live with it, while praising Williamson for his innings.

“That decision went against us. But there’s no point crying over spilt milk. Kane played well after that,” he said.

“He stood his ground terrifically. We gave him everything. People will talk about the chances he had but that’s done, it’s part of batting and the sport.

“We threw a lot at him and he stood his ground. He was very calm. It was a terrific knock in the end.”

Michael Clarke: Could sign for Pune Warriors

Australia captain Michael Clarke has confirmed that he is in talks to appear in the Indian Premier League for the first time.

On the eve of flying out to join Australia’s tour of the West Indies, the 30-year-old said that discussions with Pune Warriors are ongoing.

“That opportunity has been presented to my management company and I,” he told reporters. “Right now they’re discussing it. We will continue to talk about that and make a decision in due course.

“But my focus right now is to make sure I get back and play some good cricket for Australia.”

Clarke missed the ODIs in the Caribbean due to a hamstring injury, but the right-hander believes the break will do him good ahead of a busy schedule.

After the three-Test series against West Indies, Clarke would then join up with Pune before Australia travel to England for an ODI series.

Positive

“There’s no doubt (the break has) been a positive for my body: not picked up a bat or a ball, improved strength, opportunity to strengthen back,” he said.

“Touch wood, my body has been pretty good. I’ve played almost 10 years of international cricket and my body has held up pretty well.

“It’s just now about monitoring the amount of cricket we’re playing. I’m feeling really good. It’s been a big couple of weeks of rehab and treatment with my physio.

“I had a fitness test on Friday. Alex (Kountouris) flew up from Melbourne and I passed all of that. It’s really positive and I’ve got seven days before our tour game starts so I’ve still got a bit of time when I get to the Caribbean.”

James Anderson: Took three wickets but admitted the day belonged to Jayawardene

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James Anderson paid tribute to Mahela Jayawardene after the Sri Lanka skipper held England up on the opening day of the first Test in Galle.

Anderson ended the day with 3-56 after helping England reduce the hosts to 15-3 and 67-4, but Jayawardene remained defiant on 168 not out as Sri Lanka recovered to 289-8 at stumps.

The Lancashire seamer became the sixth Englishman to pass 250 Test wickets but he admitted Jayawardene stole the show.

“I thought Mahela played unbelievably well, one of the best Test innings I’ve ever seen,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

“But the guys are still pretty upbeat. We would have taken 280 odd for eight this morning.

“We knew it was going to be a pretty good pitch. But it is something we have done really well, in the last few years, when we lose the toss we don’t get down on ourselves and expect them to just get a lot of runs.

“We try to impose ourselves on the game, and we did that this morning.”

Half-chances

Jayawardene was dropped four times – twice by Anderson and twice too, more culpably, by Monty Panesar.

Anderson said: “The one off Swanny [Graeme Swann], I just got a fingertip to. If you want to count that as a catch, you can.

“But you have to take the half-chances. Two or three of them went down – which is frustrating, because the bowlers work so hard to get wickets.”

A typically modest Jayawardene said the match situation helped him to build his innings.

“In the first session, I had to just dig deep purely because we lost early wickets,” he said. “I just had to hang around rather than playing my shots.

“Then when we lost some (more) wickets, I had a licence to play a few shots – so different circumstances probably helped my innings.

“It’s a beautiful wicket. But I think James bowled pretty well and put a lot of pressure on us. Three hundred is not too bad after where we were.

“We just need to bowl really well now to keep their good batting line-up under control.”

Shane Watson: ‘Big stepping stone’

This week’s Twenty20 series against West Indies is crucial to Australia’s preparation for the World Twenty20 later this year according to Shane Watson.

The new-look Australia will be led by George Bailey in the two-match series after his surprise promotion to the captaincy earlier this year.

But after the series, which begins in St Lucia on Tuesday, Australia are scheduled to play only three more Twenty20s against Pakistan before the tournament begins on September 18.

Bailey had not even played for Australia before captaining them to a 1-1 series draw against India last month.

And, with a much-changed team in his control, he has little time to prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

“This is very important. For us to continue to develop the team, especially with George in charge,” said Watson.

“We have to try and find our roles in the teams, how we’re going to play, how we’re are going to balance the whole team in general. This will definitely be a big stepping stone heading into that Twenty20 World Cup.”Shane Watson Quotes of the week

Crashed

“We have to try and find our roles in the teams, how we’re going to play, how we’re are going to balance the whole team in general.

“This will definitely be a big stepping stone heading into that Twenty20 World Cup.”

Australia’s current teething problems were evident during the five-match one-day international series, which the tourists’ levelled with a 30-run win in St Lucia yesterday.

Consistency was a major issue, highlighted even in yesterday’s success, when Windies skipper Darren Sammy almost pulled off an unlikely win with a whirlwind 84 off 50 balls after his side had crashed to 118 for seven.

“We need to execute our skills that little bit better,” Watson continued. “That’s something we need to work on. We’re at a stage where we look like we’re cruising okay and then things change quite quickly.

“It’s happened since I’ve come back into this Australian team over the last 10 games. It’s something we certainly need to work on.

“This is a learning curve for all of us. There’s been a turnover in players. We are still trying to find the balance of what we need to win games. “Shane Watson Quotes of the week

“This is a learning curve for all of us. There’s been a turnover in players. We are still trying to find the balance of what we need to win games.”

Closely-fought

Australia hold a 3-2 win-loss record against West Indies in Twenty20 internationals, the last of which saw Australia claim a six-wicket win at St Lucia during the 2010 World Twenty20.

And after a closely-fought ODI series, Watson is expecting little to change:

“They’ve got a very good T20 side,” he said. “The way they can hit the ball and their skills and a lot of their guys play in the IPL. I think it’s going to continue to be a great series.”

West Indies have recalled all-rounder Dwayne Smith for the series as well as left-arm medium-pacer Krishmar Santokie, the leading wicket-taker in the recent Caribbean T20, Fidel Edwards, Garey Mathurin and Nkrumah Bonner.

Adrian Barath, Tino Best, Kemar Roach and Devendra Bishoo miss out from the ODI squad.

Australia could give a debut to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill after Matthew Wade’s heavy collision with team-mate Ben Hilfenhaus in the field yesterday.

Shane Watson: Key T20 series coming up for Aussies

Shane Watson has admitted this week’s Twenty20 series against West Indies will be “very important” to Australia’s plans ahead of the World Twenty20 later this year.

A new-look Australia will be led by George Bailey after his surprise promotion to the captaincy earlier this year. Bailey had not even played for Australia before captaining them to a 1-1 series draw against India last month and, with a much-changed team in his control, has little time to prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

After this week’s two-match series, which begins in St Lucia on Tuesday, Australia are scheduled to play only three more Twenty20s against Pakistan before the tournament begins on September 18.

“This is very important. For us to continue to develop the team, especially with George in charge we have to try and find our roles in the teams, how we’re going to play, how we’re are going to balance the whole team in general,” Watson said.

“This will definitely be a big stepping stone heading into that Twenty20 World Cup.”

The teething problems in the current Australia team were evident during the five-match one-day international series, which the tourists’ levelled with a 30-run win in St Lucia on Sunday. Consistency was a major problem, highlighted even in that success, when Windies skipper Darren Sammy almost pulled off an unlikely win with a whirlwind 84 off 50 balls after his side had crashed to 118 for seven.

Missing ingredient

“We need to execute our skills that little bit better,” Watson said. “That’s something we need to work on. We’re at a stage where we look like we’re cruising okay and then things change quite quickly. It’s happened since I’ve come back into this Australian team over the last 10 games. It’s something we certainly need to work on.

“This is a learning curve for all of us. There’s been a turnover in players. We are still trying to find the balance of what we need to win games.”

Australia hold a 3-2 win-loss record against West Indies in Twenty20 internationals, the last of which saw Australia claim a six-wicket win at St Lucia during the 2010 World Twenty20.

And after a closely-fought ODI series, Watson is expecting little to change: “They’ve got a very good T20 side. The way they can hit the ball and their skills and a lot of their guys play in the IPL. I think it’s going to continue to be a great series.”

West Indies have recalled all-rounder Dwayne Smith for the series as well as left-arm medium-pacer Krishmar Santokie, the leading wicket-taker in the recent Caribbean T20, Fidel Edwards, Garey Mathurin and Nkrumah Bonner.

Adrian Barath, Tino Best, Kemar Roach and Devendra Bishoo miss out from the ODI squad.

Australia could give a debut to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill after Matthew Wade’s heavy collision with team-mate Ben Hilfenhaus in the field on Sunday.

Chris Cairns: Concerned that his reputation was in tatters

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been awarded £90,000 in libel damages over an accusation of match-fixing.

The 41-year-old had sued Lalit Modi, ex-chairman of Twenty20 franchise the Indian Premier League (IPL), over an ‘unequivocal allegation’ on Twitter in January 2010.

The judge at London’s High Court said that Modi had ‘singularly failed’ to provide any reliable evidence that Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot- fixing, or even that there were strong grounds for suspicion that he was.

“I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”Chris Cairns Quotes of the week

“It is obvious that an allegation that a professional cricketer is a match-fixer goes to the core attributes of his personality and, if true, entirely destroys his reputation for integrity,” said Mr Justice Bean.

“The allegation is not as serious as one of involvement in terrorism or sexual offences (to take two examples from recent cases). But it is otherwise as serious an allegation as anyone could make against a professional sportsman.”

Apology

Modi’s tweet was picked up by cricket website cricinfo, who withdrew its report, paid damages and apologised after Cairns complained.

However, Modi declined to apologise and pleaded justification, maintaining that the charge was true.

Cairns, who achieved the rare feat of taking 200 Test wickets and scoring 3,000 runs, said in a statement: “Today’s verdict lifts a dark cloud that has been over me for the past two years. I feel mixed emotions.

“Firstly, sadness that I should ever have had to put myself, my friends and my family through this because of one man’s misdirected allegations.

“But I also feel great joy because my past career has come through unscathed and remains intact and because I had the courage to stand up in the highest court to defend my name.

“Lastly, I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”

The judge ordered Modi to pay £400,000 on account of costs to Cairns’ solicitors within 28 days, while granting Modi permission to appeal over the amount of damages but refused permission on the question of liability.

Chris Cairns: Concerned that his reputation was in tatters

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been awarded £90,000 in libel damages over an accusation of match-fixing.

The 41-year-old had sued Lalit Modi, ex-chairman of Twenty20 franchise the Indian Premier League (IPL), over an ‘unequivocal allegation’ on Twitter in January 2010.

The judge at London’s High Court said that Modi had ‘singularly failed’ to provide any reliable evidence that Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot- fixing, or even that there were strong grounds for suspicion that he was.

“I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”Chris Cairns Quotes of the week

“It is obvious that an allegation that a professional cricketer is a match-fixer goes to the core attributes of his personality and, if true, entirely destroys his reputation for integrity,” said Mr Justice Bean.

“The allegation is not as serious as one of involvement in terrorism or sexual offences (to take two examples from recent cases). But it is otherwise as serious an allegation as anyone could make against a professional sportsman.”

Apology

Modi’s tweet was picked up by cricket website cricinfo, who withdrew its report, paid damages and apologised after Cairns complained.

However, Modi declined to apologise and pleaded justification, maintaining that the charge was true.

Cairns, who achieved the rare feat of taking 200 Test wickets and scoring 3,000 runs, said in a statement: “Today’s verdict lifts a dark cloud that has been over me for the past two years. I feel mixed emotions.

“Firstly, sadness that I should ever have had to put myself, my friends and my family through this because of one man’s misdirected allegations.

“But I also feel great joy because my past career has come through unscathed and remains intact and because I had the courage to stand up in the highest court to defend my name.

“Lastly, I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”

The judge ordered Modi to pay £400,000 on account of costs to Cairns’ solicitors within 28 days, while granting Modi permission to appeal over the amount of damages but refused permission on the question of liability.

Chris Cairns: Concerned that his reputation was in tatters

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been awarded £90,000 in libel damages over an accusation of match-fixing.

The 41-year-old had sued Lalit Modi, ex-chairman of Twenty20 franchise the Indian Premier League (IPL), over an ‘unequivocal allegation’ on Twitter in January 2010.

The judge at London’s High Court said that Modi had ‘singularly failed’ to provide any reliable evidence that Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot- fixing, or even that there were strong grounds for suspicion that he was.

“I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”Chris Cairns Quotes of the week

“It is obvious that an allegation that a professional cricketer is a match-fixer goes to the core attributes of his personality and, if true, entirely destroys his reputation for integrity,” said Mr Justice Bean.

“The allegation is not as serious as one of involvement in terrorism or sexual offences (to take two examples from recent cases). But it is otherwise as serious an allegation as anyone could make against a professional sportsman.”

Apology

Modi’s tweet was picked up by cricket website cricinfo, who withdrew its report, paid damages and apologised after Cairns complained.

However, Modi declined to apologise and pleaded justification, maintaining that the charge was true.

Cairns, who achieved the rare feat of taking 200 Test wickets and scoring 3,000 runs, said in a statement: “Today’s verdict lifts a dark cloud that has been over me for the past two years. I feel mixed emotions.

“Firstly, sadness that I should ever have had to put myself, my friends and my family through this because of one man’s misdirected allegations.

“But I also feel great joy because my past career has come through unscathed and remains intact and because I had the courage to stand up in the highest court to defend my name.

“Lastly, I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high.”

The judge ordered Modi to pay £400,000 on account of costs to Cairns’ solicitors within 28 days, while granting Modi permission to appeal over the amount of damages but refused permission on the question of liability.