Archive for the ‘Cricket’ Category

Former England seamer Ryan Sidebottom insists the time has come for the International Cricket Council to ensure that all forms of technology are available and become universally used throughout Test cricket.

Sidebottom – who took a total of 79 wickets in a 22-match Test career for England – feels series are now being ruined by the failure to introduce every technological aid as standard.

Nations like England, Australia and South Africa have embraced the DRS (Decision Review System) and all the innovations it has brought, such as ‘the Snickometer’, ‘Hot Spot’ and ‘Hawk-Eye’.

However, the cost of the technology has ensured that some cricket-playing nations and their boards have been less quick to take up all such inventions with England’s current series in Sri Lanka – like the previous one against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates – not featuring ‘Hot Spot’.

India and the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) have flatly refused to use the technology at all, but Sidebottom says the game’s authorities now need to step in and make all the technology compulsory worldwide or, failing that, ditch it altogether.

Need for improvement

“I think that you’ve got to use everything now,” the Yorkshire left-armer told Sky Sports. “If the technology is there to use, then why not?

“Why have these airy-fairy ideas when you use one bit there, one bit in another country… it’s ridiculous really, it needs to be sorted out.

“Every team is going to have their own ideas I suppose, but it can fall down – you can lose Test matches because of it.

“If you only have one look at something, one snicko or whatever, it’s going to be difficult, so it needs improving. Either you’re going to use it all, or you’re not going to use it.

“Careers, places in the ICC rankings (are at stake). I think it needs to be sorted out and everything used or not at all.

“The power has got to be down to the umpire at the end of the day, so if he’s got all the technology then use it, if it’s down to him then he’s got to use his own brain and it’s got to be human error if he gets things wrong. But I think guys would just like the consistency.”

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (right) shakes hands with England coach Andy Flower

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene was delighted to see his side claim their first win on home soil since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan.

England were bowled out for 264 in pursuit of a victory target of 340 shortly after tea on day four in Galle.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath stepped into the shoes of Muralitharan with aplomb, finishing with 12 wickets in the match.

And Sri Lanka need only a draw in Colombo next week (April 3-7) to seal a series win over the world’s top-ranked Test side.

“It’s been a tough period for us, but the boys worked really hard to improve as a unit and today we showed a lot of character,” Jaywardene, who set the game up for his team with 180 in the first innings, told Sky Sports.

“England played really well and Trotty’s innings was excellent.

“We had to hang in there and try and get those wickets.”

Ford delighted

“Rangana Herath is a tough little customer. He’s got some subtle variations and has been doing this business for quite a while and I thought his control throughout both innings was really special.”Graham Ford Quotes of the week

Sri Lanka’s South African coach Graham Ford expressed his satisfaction at the victory after the match, telling Sky Sports: “I am highly delighted.

“It was a fantastic Test match, another great advert for Test cricket that see-sawed a heck of a lot.

“At one stage it looked like the powerful England batting line-up was going to do the job, they were starting to control the innings.

“Then things happened pretty quickly and I’m really pleased throughout the four days just how hard our guys fought, they kept fighting the battle and never gave up.

“It was one of those wickets where, if you got in, you started to feel comfortable and Trotty (Jonathan Trott) showed exactly that.

“He and Matt Prior started to really control the innings and it took a bit of freakish fielding to suddenly change things. But at that stage they were controlling the game and possibly the change of the ball, getting the new ball helped as well.”

Praise for Herath

Ford also reserved special praise for Herath and acknowledged that he thought England’s plan to be aggressive against Sri Lanka’s attack had back-fired somewhat.

“Both spinners have worked very hard,” he continued. “Rangana Herath is a tough little customer. He’s got some subtle variations and has been doing this business for quite a while and I thought his control throughout both innings was really special.

“It seemed as though England came out with a game-plan to be pretty positive and I suppose that was to try and unsettle our bowlers.

“With four main bowlers in your line-up it’s always a bit of a strategy to try and unsettle the bowlers and I think that was probably the plan and, fortunately for us, that probably led a to a dismissal or two that really got us in the game.”

However, Ford admitted he was not entirely satisfied with the performance and pinpointed the the top order of Sri Lanka’s batting line-up as an area that needs improvement.

” I believe that (the top order) has been a concern for a bit of time now,” he added. “We’re looking long term and we really want to establish ourselves as a top Test-playing nation and the start of the innings is absolutely crucial.

“We need to look at that area and try to develop a partnership up front that we can rely on and that can set the tone in matches to come.”

Stuart Broad: England all-rounder injured right calf during Galle defeat

Stuart Broad is a doubt for England’s second Test against Sri Lanka.

Broad appeared uncomfortable when he came out to bat on day four of England’s 75-run defeat in the first match in Galle.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed he sustained an injury in his right calf and, with just five days before the next match in Colombo, he faces a fight to be fit.

There were question marks over Broad’s fitness earlier in the tour too, after he tripped over a boundary rope and sprained his ankle before the first tour match.

He was passed fit to play in a two-man seam attack for the first Test, but England would be loathe to risk him again if there is a chance of aggravating his calf problem.

Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn are the replacement seamers in England’s squad and both would come into contention if Broad was ruled out.

Mark Davies: has taken over 250 wickets in his first-class career

Durham have released Mark Davies so the seamer can join Kent.

The 31-year-old has been handed a contract at Canterbury after impressing during a pre-season trial that included travelling to Antigua with the squad.

The Stockton-born bowler came through the academy at Durham and has 253 wickets in his first-class career since his debut in the summer of 2002.

“Being part of Durham CCC for the past 15 years, coming through the academy and into the senior squad, has been a major part of my life and obviously I am sad to leave,” he said.

“But the time was right to set myself a new challenge, and I’m excited about what the future holds at Kent.”

New Kent coach Jimmy Adams is delighted with his latest recruit having also recently signed his fellow West Indian Brendan Nash as the county’s overseas player for the 2012 campaign.

“We are very happy to announce that Mark Davies will be joining the club soon after Brendan Nash’s signing,” he said. “They both arrive as experienced players who will undoubtedly add tremendous value to Kent.”

Graeme Swann: Claimed his 12th five-wicket haul in Test cricket in Galle

Graeme Swann insists he now sees England as favourites to win the first Test in Galle with the tourists having reached 111-2 in their second innings in pursuit of a victory target of 340.

Swann was speaking at the end of a third day in which he claimed his 12th five-wicket haul (6-82) in Test cricket – drawing back level with team-mate James Anderson who reached the landmark in Sri Lanka’s first innings.

However, England also endured their fair share of frustration as the hosts’ final pairing put on 47 runs – all of which came after Stuart Broad had seen what he thought was the last wicket chalked off for a no-ball.

That ensured England were required to chase down 340 rather than 293, but Swann is confident they are up to the task.

Although they lost the wickets of Alastair Cook (14) and Andrew Strauss (27), Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen put on an unbeaten stand of 63 to give the tourists renewed hope by the close.

“I’d say we are (favourites),” Swann told Sky Sports. “We’ve had a good start. We’re 111-2, KP and Trotty are looking very secure at the crease so hopefully they can carry on with their burgeoning partnership.

“It was frustrating after lunch, I thought the first session went more or less to plan as we picked up three wickets.

“After the tenth wicket fell, which turned out to be a no-ball, that was a frustrating half-an-hour then as I thought (Prasanna) Jayawardene batted beautifully after that.

Good pitch

“We went from chasing 285-290 to 330 (sic), so we’re never ones to make things easy for ourselves on the sub-continent and that was the case today.

“It still is a very good pitch and once people get in it’s difficult to shift them, that’s what was so frustrating with numbers 10 and 11 for Sri Lanka today, we just couldn’t get them out for half-an-hour, 40 minutes.

“People are welcome to their opinions (about my form). My personal view is that expectation on me has risen, so I’m quite pleased to be in that situation. But I take the rough with the smooth and I’ve got a very good habit of not listening to people when they say I’m not bowling very well.”Graeme Swann Quotes of the week

“So you think the guys in our team, obviously the batsmen, were all watching that and thinking this is a pitch we can still score runs on.”

Swann went on to admit he was delighted to get back in the wickets after enduring a lean time of late with the ball for his country.

“Obviously I’m over the moon,” he continued. “To get four last night was the best I’ve bowled for England for a while and to get two more this morning, and get a five-for, was nice because Jimmy (Anderson) was quick to point out that he’d overtaken me yesterday! But to be fair he was the first to come up and say it’s 12-all now.

“People are welcome to their opinions (about my form). My personal view is that expectation on me has risen, so I’m quite pleased to be in that situation.

“But I take the rough with the smooth and I’ve got a very good habit of not listening to people when they say I’m not bowling very well.”

But while insisting England are capable of reaching their victory target, Swann did admit that the pitch was still offering lots of help to the spinners.

“In Test match terms it’s heavenly,” he added. “You don’t often get wickets turning at the end of day two and so much on day three and that’s something we’re going to have to counter tomorrow.

“We’ve got some very good players of spin, even though people don’t realise that, and I’m pretty convinced we can chase these down.”

Michael Clarke: Set for IPL debut after joining Pune Warriors

Australia captain Michael Clarke is set to play in the Indian Premier League for the first time after agreeing to join Pune Warriors.

Clarke had previously shunned the lucrative Twenty20 competition to concentrate on playing for his country.

The 30-year-old will miss the opening three weeks of the fifth IPL season to lead Australia in their three-Test series in the West Indies before linking up with the Warriors.

“We are thrilled to have Michael Clarke on board,” said Sushanto Roy, the managing director of Pune’s owners Sahara Adventure Sports Ltd.

“The reigning Australian skipper is one of the world’s best cricketers. His presence in the side, and cricketing proficiency, will boost the prospects of Pune Warriors India in the DLF IPL 2012.”

Discussions

Clarke had revealed he was in discussions with Pune before he flew out to join the Australia team in the Caribbean at the weekend.

The 30-year-old, who retired from international Twenty20 cricket last year, missed the five-match one-day international series against West Indies due to a hamstring injury.

However, after a stunning Australian summer with the bat – in which he led his side to a 4-0 Test series whitewash of India – he is fit again ahead of a busy schedule that will see him travel to England for an ODI series after the IPL.

“Clarke was exceptional in the recent Test series against India, as batsman and captain,” IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said.

“He is a very popular cricketer in India, and followers of the sport are looking forward to his participation.”

Clarke joins a Pune side led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly and also including the likes of Graeme Smith, Yuvraj Singh and Angelo Mathews.

Ian Bell: Hit 52 as England endured a tough day with the bat in Galle

Ian Bell is ready for the scrap on day three of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Galle.

The match is delicately poised after England were dismissed for 193 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 318 before the tourists then hit back, reducing the hosts to 84-5 – a lead of 209 – by stumps.

Bell top scored for England with 52 off 87 balls, including eight fours and a six, and says every run will count on day three.

He told Sky Sports: “Every run is going to be crucial from now.

“Obviously it’s certainly drying up a little bit the wicket, a little bit more spin, but every run – when it comes down to this – every run is crucial so we want to back the bowlers up in the field, dive around for them and then, like I say, put on a bit of a better batting performance and try and knock-off some runs.

“We’re all in one team, we’ll scrap hard together and hopefully come out starting well tomorrow in the first hour and hopefully have a good day for England tomorrow.”

Regarding his half-century, Bell said: “It’s nice to spend a bit of time out in the middle. It’s been a while, so it’s nice to go past 50 but it would have been nice to get a few more.

“But it’s been, I guess, a tough day for us.”

Good wicket

“We’re all in one team, we’ll scrap hard together and hopefully come out starting well tomorrow in the first hour and hopefully have a good day for England tomorrow.”Ian Bell Quotes of the week

In total, 17 wickets fell on day two of the game, but Bell insisted it was a good wicket.

“To be fair I think it’s a good wicket – certainly there’s not a lot of margin for error for the seamers. Our seamers have been outstanding all the way this game, there’s not a lot there for them,” he said.

“The odd bit of spin but yes I think it’s a pretty good wicket to be honest with you.”

He added the tourists had tried to be positive, stating: “I think when you’re playing spin you can’t just sit there and try survive all day, you have to be proactive and we tried to do that.

“It didn’t quite work for us today but we’ll keep going again.

“It’s not been a great winter (for the batting unit), we haven’t really backed up our bowlers, our bowlers have been outstanding all the way through this winter and we haven’t backed them up as a batting unit so we’ll be looking hopefully to get five wickets first thing tomorrow and put in a better effort trying to knock-off or chase a score.”

Rangana Herath: Says the first Test in Galle is delicately poised heading into day three

Rangana Herath believes it is a ’50/50 game’ at Galle after 17 wickets fell on day two of the first Test between Sri Lanka and England.

The slow left-armer took 6-74 off his 19 overs as England were dismissed for 193 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 318.

But England then hit back, reducing the hosts to 84-5 – a lead of 209 – to keep the game delicately poised heading into day three.

Herath told Sky Sports: “I am really happy with the way I bowled but not good news for the team actually because now we have five down.

“So if we can get something like 60, 70 runs tomorrow, we would have a good game.”

50/50

He added: “Now for me it’s a 50/50 game. If we can score another 50, 60 runs tomorrow, maybe 100 plus we would have a good game.

“Always it is not easy to bat (at Galle) on the third or fourth days.

“We know where we are now. What we have to do is forget the past and we have to face the challenge tomorrow.”

As regards his 6-74 – his second best Test figures – Herath added: “I did the right things – follow the basics, just put it into the right area and bowl accurately, that’s it, and vary the pace – that’s what I did in the first innings.”