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A sizzling counterattack by New Zealand captain Ross Taylor produced a high-speed century that was the spark that led to an improved display from the visitors on the opening day of the second Test against India

The Report by Sharda Ugra31-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoss Taylor got to his hundred at over a run a ball•Associated PressA sizzling counterattack by New Zealand captain Ross Taylor produced a high-speed century that sparked an improved display from the visitors on the opening day of the second Test against India. At stumps, New Zealand, who had elected to bat, were 328 for 6. Led by Taylor’s incandescent 113, New Zealand’s batsmen had, in the course of a single day, scored more runs than they had in both innings in Hyderabad.Play was stopped due to bad light and eventually called off for the day about half an hour before the scheduled close, the umpires offering light to the batsman after Umesh Yadav bowled half of his first over with the second new ball. Kruger van Wyk and Doug Bracewell strode off, van Vyk batting on a deftly engineered 63 and Bracwell on 30. The two had found themselves at the crease after Taylor’s departure, and within an hour had put on 82 for the seventh wicket.Taylor’s seventh Test century formed the bulk of the New Zealand batting effort. It was buffeted by two fifties, one by Martin Guptill at the top of the order which ended in dismay and the other by keeper van Wyk. It ensured that New Zealand could dismiss the innings and 115-run defeat in Hyderabad as a nightmare that need not be repeated.After the departure of New Zealand’s top three batsmen before lunch, Taylor let his aggression and intent take over. It was a fearless innings, the runs scored both robustly and in fine style. Taylor slog swept Ashwin for six before the lunch interval and when he returned, cranked the scoring up a gear. The India bowlers were hit all around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, with lusty slog sweeps, crisp straight drives and spanking shots through cover. New Zealand, or rather Taylor, was scoring at nearly seven runs an over in the hour after lunch. The hardworking Ojha was punished with four boundaries in his second over after lunch, Zaheer for two including a disdainful straight drive in his second spell, Ashwin was guided fine down to the boundary past leg slip. Taylor got to his century in 99 balls, cutting Ojha to the point boundary and two balls later, hit him down the ground for his second six over long-off.For a captain who had a miserable first Test – losing the toss, dropping catches in slip and scoring nine in two innings – Taylor’s innings on Friday was a more just exhibition of his batting abilities. On New Zealand’s miserable tour of the West Indies in July, it was Taylor who had scored the sole New Zealand century, in the fourth ODI in St Kitts. New Zealand’s previous Test century had come six months ago from Kane Williamson in a drawn Test against South Africa in Wellington.Taylor’s innings lit up the Bangalore crowd that grew through the day; his aggressive mode of batting had also been welcomed at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, when he had played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. The reception he received after his hundred against India, also, didn’t lack in either enthusiasm or warmth.Smart stats

Ross Taylor’s century is his seventh in Tests and his third against India. He is one among five New Zealand batsmen to score three Test centuries against India.

Taylor’s strike rate of 88.97 during his knock of 113 is his second-highest for a fifty-plus score. It is also the fifth-highest strike rate for a visiting batsman in India (centuries only).

The 107-run stand between Taylor and Daniel Flynn is the fourth-highest fourth-wicket stand for New Zealand against India. It is, however, their highest fourth-wicket stand in India.

The 82-run stand between Kruger van Wyk and Doug Bracewell is the fifth-highest seventh-wicket stand for New Zealand in India.

Pragyan Ojha, who picked up 4 for 90, became the first specialist Indian spinner to open the bowling in a Test. The last Indian spinner (non-regular spinner) to do so was ML Jaisimha in 1969.

New Zealand’s run-rate at the end of 80 overs (3.95) is the fourth-highest for a visiting team in Tests in India. The highest (80-over run-rate) is Australia’s 4.28 in Nagpur in 2004 followed by Sri Lanka’s 4.11 in Mumbai (Brabourne) in 2009.

It was vital for New Zealand that their batting continued forcefully, after Martin Guptill had shaken off the early dismissal of Brendon McCullum in the morning. Guptill played the aggressor in his 63-run second-wicket stand with Kane Williamson. After being troubled by Ojha and dropped off Zaheer on 17, Guptill found his groove, his innings resolute in judgement and positive in strokeplay. He struck three boundaries off Yadav in a single over and two off Zaheer, including a cracking backfoot drive through extra cover. Less than half an hour before lunch though, Ojha pulled in the fielders, tossed one up and lured Guptill. It was the perfect bait: the ball didn’t turn, Guptill’s intended shot on the on-side ended up in Gautam Gambhir’s hands at midwicket. Despite India’s slow bowling tradition, Ojha was the first specialist India spinner to open the bowling in a Test match, and took four of the six New Zealand wickets to fall today.Taylor, who owned the second session, was out in the fifth over after tea, forced to sweep against Ojha with the off side plugged. The ball was tossed up and Ojha hit Taylor in front of off and middle. His innings of 113 off 127 balls had slowed down only at the fall of Daniel Flynn’s wicket, bringing to an end New Zealand’s biggest partnership on this tour: 107 runs for the fourth wicket. Flynn had hung on gamely over an hour for 33, but for the third time in three innings, was leg before trying to sweep Ashwin. The loss of James Franklin – he hit a full toss from Ojha to a diving Suresh Raina at midwicket – had New Zealand stuttering at 215 for 5.But inspired by Taylor’s bold batsmanship, the undefeated 82-run seventh-wicket partnership between van Wyk and Bracewell added 32 runs in five overs following the captain’s departure. Van Wyk’s was an innings almost patented by chirpy, pocket-sized keepers; he was only 12 when Taylor was out and took charge, happy to have the quicker bowlers bowling at one end. Zaheer Khan was guided past slips, van Wyk taking 13 off the 16 balls he faced off him, and the quick-but-struggling Yadav went for 14 runs in six balls, including two fours an over. The partnership took New Zealand past 300, but they will be sobered by the knowledge that in the previous Test held in Bangalore in 2010, Australia had scored over 400 in their first innings and still lost.

West Indies Women avoided a whitewash against England but took their full 20 overs to chase down 140 at Arundel.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2012
ScorecardJuliana Nero held her nerve to get West Indies Women over the line•Getty ImagesWest Indies Women avoided a whitewash against England but took their full 20 overs to chase down 140 at Arundel. England had been a class apart in the opening four matches of the series but this victory sees West Indies travel to the World T20 with confidence.Deandra Dottin was the star with the bat for West Indies, clearing the ropes five times in a brutal innings of 62 from just 34 balls. But she was bowled with 17 still required from 20 balls. A tight over and another wicket from Danni Wyatt saw 11 needed from 12 balls and six from the final over. Juliana Nero kept her cool to guide West Indies over the line.England tinkered with their batting order with Tammy Beaumont and Wyatt opening the batting. But again it was Sarah Taylor at No. 3 that led the innings with 34 from 30 balls. Katherine Brunt also made a valuable contribution, top scoring with 35 but England’s 139 for 7 proved not enough as they lost their first fixture in 21 matches.”We were just undone by an unbelievable innings by Deandra Dottin, credit to her for a match winning performance,” England’s captain, Charlotte Edwards, conceded. “But we’ll be taking a huge amount of positives from the series; there have been key contributions from a lot of our players over the five matches which is always good with World Cups ahead. We’re going to Sri Lanka with confidence and are really looking forward to the next few weeks.”

CSA’s board is set for an overhaul after the current administration agreed to accept all the recommendations of the Nicholson Committee in principal.

Firdose Moonda30-Mar-2012CSA’s board is set for an overhaul after the current administration agreed to accept all the recommendations of the Nicholson Committee in principal. The board appointed a committee of eight people, four of them independent, at their quarterly meeting on March 30 to “lead discussions regarding the restructure”. They also agreed to approach the Chairperson of the Bar Council to appoint an advocate to preside over suspended chief executive Gerald Majola’s disciplinary hearing.The Nicholson commission was set up by sports minister Fikile Mbalula to investigate CSA’s handling of the bonus scandal, which centred on an amount of R4.7 million (US$611,000) paid to 40 staff, including Majola, in unauthorised bonuses after the 2009 IPL. In addition to dealing with the Majola matter, Nicholson recommended that the current structure of 24 board members be sliced in half and only 12 people sit on the board. Nicholson also suggested that three-quarters of the board, nine members, be independent directors, for better governance.Throughout the almost 20-month scandal, CSA have said they are committed to improving their governance but this is the first step in that direction. CSA Acting President Willie Basson called the restructure a “matter of urgency” and said he hoped the plans for the new board will be put in place by the next annual meeting in September. “The key approach has been to make principled decision with a sense of urgency and at the same time acting in the best interests of CSA,” Basson said.Basson is one of four board representatives on the committee. The other three are Archie Pretorius, Chris Nenzani, president of Border cricket president and Vuyo Ntswahlana, president of Eastern Province. The four independent members have all been involved in cricket over their careers: former convenor of selectors Rushdie Magiet; Shawn Christiansen, a former Western Province cricketer who works for the country’s labour dispute resolution body, the CCMA; former South African team manager Alan Jordaan; and Ashwin Desai, a sociologist who has worked on CSA committees previously.The restructure has already been given the thumbs up from the South African Cricketers’ Association who said they “want the administration of the game in the best hands”.The board did not announce any date for Majola’s hearing but stressed that the issue is at the top of their priority list. Majola has been suspended for as long as it takes to conduct the disciplinary the process.

As per allnigeriasoccer.com, a contract claim has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving yet-to-be-seen starlet Tobi Omole.

The Lowdown: Nuno blown away…

Since the Nigerian-born defender signed for Spurs’ academy from north London rivals Arsenal in 2020, the 22-year-old has been making waves behind the scenes, according to reports.

Football Insider claimed in October that ex-Lilywhites manager Nuno Espirito Santo had been blown away by the centre-back at Hotspur Way, apparently taking a liking to Omole and regarding him as capable of winning a new deal.

New Spurs boss Antonio Conte is yet to hand the player his senior debut after Nuno only selected Omole for the bench against Crystal Palace last September though, so Spurs fans are still waiting to see him in action for the first time.

Regardless, he appears to have now done enough at N17 to earn a new deal.

The Latest: Omole offer made…

As per allnigeriasoccer.com, Omole has now been offered a new contract at the club with Conte selecting him for Spurs’ main Premier League squad over the remainder of 2021/2022.

The Italian has called him up to countless training sessions with the first team despite not playing him yet with Omole now doing enough to earn possible fresh terms.

The Verdict: Exciting news…

Tottenham insider John Wenham, who regularly breaks news on his Lilywhites Rose account, certainly rates the youngster after what he’s seen.

Speaking to Football Insider, the club source claimed that Omole is on his list of prospects to watch at Spurs and has also called him a ‘top young talent’ at the end of last year.

Among Spurs’ growing crop of talented youngsters coming out of N17, Omole could also be one to keep an eye on.

In other news: Agent offers Tottenham out-of-window chance to sign £220,000-per-weel star! Find out more here.

As Shaun Marsh basked in the glow of a century for Australia on Test debut, he admitted that as a precocious teenager he had taken for granted the amount of application required of a Test cricketer

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele10-Sep-2011As Shaun Marsh basked in the glow of a chanceless and near-nerveless century for Australia on Test debut, he admitted that as a precocious teenager he had taken for granted the amount of application required of a Test cricketer.In 2003, when he was 19, Marsh cracked 119 for Western Australia against Steve Waugh’s New South Wales in Newcastle, and assumed that all the garlands and overseas trips of an international career would soon follow without any great obvious effort. Instead it took another eight years and plenty of hard lessons before Marsh could finally debut, and his appreciation was clear in glistening eyes.”Definitely, there’s no doubt about that [I thought it would come easily],” Marsh said. “I probably took it for granted, playing at a young age for WA. I just thought it was going to happen, playing a lot of junior cricket growing up. I didn’t know, didn’t realise how hard it was to play first-class cricket and I’m glad I did work hard enough and turned it around.”It’s very surreal at the moment. A very proud day, I still can’t believe it really, just to be even playing Test cricket, to be given an opportunity and to go there and get a hundred in my first innings was, you dream of that sort of stuff and I’m so happy.”I was [intent on a long stay], I just wanted to stay out there for as long as I could. They bowled pretty well yesterday and especially early I couldn’t get away. I knew if I could just keep sticking to my guns I could hopefully get on top later in the day. It was just an amazing feeling, to be out there playing a Test match for your country is just something I’ve dreamt of my whole life and I can’t believe it really.”Batting at No. 3 in place of the absent Ricky Ponting, Marsh walked out to the crease with a simple objective: bat as long as he could. In the end he was there for seven hours, perhaps the most significant 420 minutes of his cricket life. He spent most of it with his fellow West Australian Michael Hussey, who crafted his own innings of substance with a meticulous 142.”It was just amazing, I said yesterday when I went out there, I wanted to stay out there for as long as I could,” Marsh said. “What you dream of doing is playing Test cricket, and just having that chance was so surreal. I had a lot of fun out there.”It was tough out there early, they bowled very well, and we had to respect that. I knew if I could just hang in there I could get over the line. I really enjoyed batting with Huss as well, especially today. To be out there with him when we both scored our hundreds was a very special day. He’s a good man and he’s certainly helped me out a fair bit since I’ve been playing international cricket.”Every ball of Marsh’s innings was worried over by his father Geoff in the stands, and Shaun spoke of how emotional their reunion had been when the younger man was finally out. Tom Moody, the coach who gave Marsh the hard word to be serious about his cricket, was also valued company.”It was pretty emotional to be honest with you,” Marsh said. “[Dad] was very happy I could see and it was very emotional for him and I was trying to hold it back in, out there with Huss … just crazy really. I spoke with Tom before this Test and what Tom’s done for me the last three years, to have him and my dad here was pretty special.”Marsh’s efforts make him close to a certainty for the third Test in Colombo, despite Ponting’s return, but the man himself was not daring to look beyond the next two days, when rain may threaten Australia’s push for a series victory.”It’s out of my control,” Marsh said. “All I’m worried about is playing this Test, that’s all I can control and I’m loving every bit of it. We’ve got two days left and all I’m focusing on is trying to win this Test.”I’m not too sure what Pup [Michael Clarke] is going to do, I think he’s got a few ideas, whether we bat on for a little longer and try to push for that 270-280 lead or he declares straight away we’ll just have to wait and see.”[The weather] is not great at the moment, but we just have to wait and see, we can’t worry about the weather. We’ve just got to worry about what we can do, and if we go out there and play some good cricket and get ourselves in a winning position that’s all we can worry about.”

Virat Kohli has urged his team to put aside the injury-enforced departure of AB de Villiers and get their Champions League T20 campaign on track after the opening defeat to Warriors

Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore28-Sep-2011Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, has urged his team to put aside the injury-enforced departure of AB de Villiers and get their Champions League T20 campaign on track after the opening defeat to Warriors.”Every game is important when you only have four games,” Kohli said on Wednesday. “Tomorrow’s game (against Kolkata Knight Riders) is important, AB not being in the team is a huge loss. I’ll probably have to take more responsibility now, we should just take it as a challenge.”The Knight Riders are staring elimination after defeats in their first two matches, but Kohli expected a tough match on Thursday. “I was surprised KKR lost two games in a row, they are a full-strength side when all the players are fit and in form,” he said. “They are an explosive side, if you let them go they can hurt you badly. It will be important to put them under pressure from ball one.”The Royal Challengers were in charge of their opening encounter against Warriors before a late surge gave the South African side a last-ball victory. Kohli said the team had learnt from that defeat. “In a T20 game, unless a team needs 15 or 16 runs an over in the end, you haven’t really won the game, and the key is to not get relaxed,” he said. “One or two 15-run overs can turn the game. The Warriors did that against us, we were cruising till 10 overs of the chase, a few good overs here and there cost us the game. They batted really well, Johan Botha came and smashed a few, Ashwell Prince batted well, and in the end Nicky Boje and Wayne Parnell contributed, so you never know who’s going to do what in a T20, so you can never relax.”The senior bowlers Daniel Vettori and Dirk Nannes bowled out early against Warriors, leaving the inexperienced local pair of Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind to deal with the pressure of bowling the final two overs. Kohli said the Royal Challengers didn’t have designated death-overs specialists. “Unless you have someone like [Lasith] Malinga in the side you can never rely on anyone bowling the death overs, you can’t pre-plan it,” he said. “So I guess we just go with the situation of the game, I think Aravind bowled a brilliant last over, just one slower ball that fell short, other than that he bowled a brilliant last over.”With a majority of the games in the CLT20 going into the final over, Kohli said the close defeat had some positives as well. “It’s all about learning, all these bowlers if they become experienced in the last overs, and if they come out successful in those, that will really help in high-pressure games going forward.”

Australia’s stand-in captain Ricky Ponting has said he is still worth his place in the ODI team despite a run of four consecutive single-digit scores to begin the triangular series

Daniel Brettig at the SCG17-Feb-2012Australia’s stand-in captain Ricky Ponting has said he is still worth his place in the ODI team despite a run of four consecutive single-digit scores to begin the triangular series. Following an outstanding Test series against India, Ponting has struggled for touch in the limited-overs matches, and is now saddled with the extra responsibility of captaincy while Michael Clarke recovers from a hamstring strain.Despite his poor run and horrid night for the hosts against Sri Lanka at the SCG, Ponting said he was still an important component of the team as one of the senior players from whom a transitional squad must learn.”I think I am, but you’d better ask the selectors what they think about that,” Ponting said. “My last four games have not been what they would have liked, but I guess if the selectors were thinking that way already then they probably wouldn’t have picked me for the start of the series.”There are still a few senior players around the side and they made it clear to the younger guys at the start of the summer that it was vital they gain a little bit of experience around them. But saying that, it’s not just reputation that going to get you picked. You have to score runs, that’s what it’s all about. I know that as well as anyone.”When asked whether or not he was entering another extended difficult patch, having waited 33 Test innings between centuries prior to the New Year’s match against India in Sydney, a look of exasperation flashed across Ponting’s face as he considered the possibility.”Hopefully I’m not starting again with that,” he said. “I can’t run away from what’s happened. It’s been four single-figure scores in four games. If I look at the way I’ve trained in the last few weeks, yesterday is the best session I’ve had in a long time.”I felt as sharp as I have all summer, but I’ve got to find a way to get some runs. If I’m out cheaply we’re 2 for 20-odd and we’ve been that in just about every game we’ve played.”Ponting’s team rounded off a poor night by confirming that Clarke would not be fit in time for Sunday’s match against India in Brisbane. The Tasmania captain, George Bailey, has been pulled out of a Sheffield Shield fixture against Queensland in Hobart in order to join the squad as batting cover.Mickey Arthur, the coach and selector, said Bailey’s inclusion was necessary after Mitchell Marsh was forced out of the squad by back stress fractures, and to ensure Clarke was given adequate time to recover.”While it is not ideal having to take George away from the Sheffield Shield match currently underway in Hobart, we feel it is important we have sufficient batting cover in our squad,” Arthur said. “This selection is reward for George’s excellent form with Tasmania this season and recognition that the National Selection Panel consider him the next batsman in line for Australian one-day selection.”The Victoria left-arm spinner Jon Holland is being kept with the squad alongside Xavier Doherty, following the latter’s struggle with back spasms leading into the Sydney ODI.

England’s bowlers fought their way through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007 and finish a comprehensive win

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Jul-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outJames Anderson helped England avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007•Getty ImagesEngland’s bowlers fought through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007 – when India saved the Test – and completed a comprehensive win 28.3 overs before the scheduled close of a gruelling final-day scrap.India’s four big hopes survived 93, 113, 56 and 68 deliveries, which meant England had to work for wickets and also that they never let those batsmen feel they were in. James Anderson took out Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, although it could be argued that he struck the knockout blows after Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett had softened the batsmen up.Although there were two dropped catches and two controversial not-out lbw decisions, it all went down in a manner suggesting England had scripted it thus. They wouldn’t have budgeted for the strongest resistance to come from Suresh Raina, who proved he belonged with a fighting 78, but by the final session Anderson was in red-hot form. He completed his 11th five-for by breaking through that final piece of Indian fight with a beautiful inswinger from round the stumps. Initially Anderson had fed off the immense pressure created by Tremlett and Broad, and Graeme Swann contributed by accounting for one of the best players of spin today, Gautam Gambhir.It was just as well that England finished India off and avoided what would have become a major controversy had India hung on with one wicket in hand. The dreaded scenario of disagreement between Hawk-Eye and the umpire occurred twice in potentially crucial circumstances. Broad had comprehensive cases for lbw against Tendulkar and Raina, and would have successfully challenged the original not-out decisions had DRS been available for lbws. Those two decisions cost England a potentially decisive 15.4 overs.Smart stats

England have improved on their excellent record at Lord’s in recent Tests. In 23 Tests between 1984 and 1999, they won four and lost 11 out of 23 Tests. In 24 Tests since 2000, they have won 13 and lost just three.

India suffered their 11th defeat in 16 Tests at Lord’s. The 11 defeats is the most at a particular venue for India.

James Anderson dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the sixth time in five Tests. In 223 balls, Anderson has conceded 114 runs and picked up Tendulkar six times.

Anderson’s five-wicket haul is his 11th in Tests and 3rd at Lord’s. His previous five-wicket haul at Lord’s also came against India in 2007.

Stuart Broad’s match figures of 7 for 94 are his best in Tests surpassing his previous best of 6 for 87 against South Africa in Durban in 2009.

Rahul Dravid, in the course of his 36, surpassed Brian Lara to become the highest run-getter in the fourth innings in Tests.

Tendulkar’s strike-rate of 17.64 is fourth on the list of lowest strike-rates for a score between 10 and 49 in Tests since 2000.

Kevin Pietersen’s seventh match award puts him joint-third on the list of England players with the most match awards in Tests.

Broad would have wondered what more he needed to do to get a wicket. He had two catches dropped off him in the first innings, and in today’s morning session, after Anderson had drawn Dravid into a rare loose shot outside off, he regularly beat Laxman’s bat in a five-over spell, often proving to be too good to take the edge.While Andrew Strauss’s catching at slip and his defensive in-and-out fields in the first session could be argued against, his bowling changes worked like a charm. About 20 minutes before lunch he brought on Anderson, who began with a long hop that Laxman pulled straight to short midwicket.Laxman’s dismissal brought together India’s walking wounded, Gambhir and Tendulkar. They hung in bravely, Gambhir for 56 balls with a painful elbow and Tendulkar for 68 with a viral infection. Whatever the debate around DRS be, the umpires had a great match, and it was evident in Gambhir’s lbw, in the over after Laxman’s dismissal. The Swann arm ball had hit the pad a microsecond before it hit the bat. Asad Rauf sent Gambhir on his way.From the injured man the burden transferred to the ill man, Tendulkar, who began positively but went into a shell after lunch. That Raina looked more comfortable than Tendulkar during their 17.4-over partnership told a story. While Tendulkar was solid in defence, he let the bowlers bowl to a perfect rhythm, and the odd one was bound to be too good.After surviving that Broad shout, Tendulkar played 40 balls for one run. Once again Anderson came back and struck immediately. He had Tendulkar dropped by Strauss, but produced an inswinger similar to Broad’s two balls later, and Tendulkar was plumb. This was the sixth time in the match that an Englishman had taken a wicket in the first over of a new spell.In the lead-up to tea, with England easing the pressure as they built up to the new ball, Raina and MS Dhoni gave India hope. Raina showed character in how he avoided bouncers and reached a half-century that will only do him good. With the new ball, though, England were back on course. The ball started jagging around again, and a shaken-up Dhoni finally edged an outswinger from Tremlett.A cold, ruthless demolition of the tail followed. Harbhajan Singh refused to back away, but England worked him over with precise short deliveries. Praveen Kumar didn’t stand much of a chance. Raina got a gem from Anderson, coming in from round the stumps, then leaving him, and taking the edge. Broad deservedly ended the match with a plumb lbw; the last four had fallen for 18 runs.Scenes of elation followed for the home side and the biggest Monday crowd at Lord’s. England will feel relief too at having finished off the job, and not only because they righted what happened in 2007. Had India drawn this, they would have had positives to look at; now they have injured bodies and a series deficit.

Cricket Kenya has announced that it will begin an extensive recruitment campaign focussing on all levels of cricket in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011Cricket Kenya has announced an extensive recruitment campaign focussing on all levels of cricket in the country in the aftermath of a wretched World Cup campaign. The news came less than 24 hours after coach Eldine Baptiste stood down.Apart from hunting for replacement for Baptiste, CK will also look to employ more coaches at elite, regional and development levels and a full-time finance manager.”This will be a major step forward for cricket in Kenya,” Tom Sears, CK’s chief executive said. “To ensure we have a structure in place that creates opportunities for Kenyans to play cricket at every level, ensure we provide meaningful competition at all levels and identify those talented players who have the potential to represent their provinces and ultimately Kenya in the future.”In addition the recruitment of a full-time finance manager will help us ensure we can maximise the return on the investments we make in the game, implement best practices both nationally and regionally and make the funds we have go further.”The new positions that have been created include a Head of Elite Development, who will co-ordinate talent identification, elite coaching and national teams’ programmes, further elite level coaches who will focus on specialist coaching at all levels and in what is a first, regional provincial managers in Nairobi, Rift Valley and Coast to work on the development of the game at the grassroots level.”The emphasis is on a stronger coaching structure and creating clear pathways for both players and coaches to progress,” Sears said. “We need more people playing the game and we need to make sure the players with the necessary talent receive the support they require to succeed.”

Plays of the day from the 1st day of the 5th Test between Australia and England at Sydney

Andrew Miller and Peter English at the SCG03-Jan-2011Boundary-free Watson
The opener Shane Watson delivered a fine demonstration of leaving during his uncharacteristically patient 45. Watson usually aims to attack but he settled in and batted through the first session for a boundary-free 19. After the break he started to wind up, hitting his first four, a flick in front of square, in the second over back. His pace increased but when he reached 45 he departed to an edge off Tim Bresnan and walked with his 11th score between 34 and 62 in 14 Test innings against England.Hungry eyes
This is an important Test for Phillip Hughes, who can prevent Simon Katich’s return from injury with a big score. Hughes looked his most composed of the series as he played straight and mostly avoided wild slashes outside off while creeping to 31. Chris Tremlett had four balls left before lunch when he delivered one outside off and Hughes was finally tempted, with the edge racing to Paul Collingwood at third slip. Hughes walked off slowly, dipping his head and tapping his bat against his helmet as he left. It was a disappointing end after such hard work.Khawaja’s cool arrival
The timing of Hughes’ dismissal meant Usman Khawaja had precisely forty minutes in which to visualize his first ball in Test cricket. To judge by the trio of offerings he served up in the final three balls of Tremlett’s interrupted over, he used the time as wisely as any old pro. Tremlett’s first ball was on the pads; Khawaja tucked a comfortable two to get himself off the mark. The second ball was short again but outside off this time, and Khawaja rocked back to play Australia’s most assured pull stroke since Michael Hussey’s epic at the WACA. The third ball, however, was arguably the best of the lot – a fuller length, nipping away, to which Khawaja shouldered arms with the flourish of a left-handed Ricky Ponting. Throughout his innings of 37, he looked thoroughly at home at Test level – more so, arguably, than most of his top-order colleagues.Home captain’s curse
Ricky Ponting spent the first four Tests struggling for a significant contribution and Michael Clarke suffered the same fate on his opening day as captain. Clarke entered under gloomy skies in the afternoon and arrived not long before a rain break. When the teams returned he started by playing straight, but changed his method when Bresnan dropped a short ball just outside off. It was too close to cut but Clarke had a go, finding James Anderson in the gully. He walked off with 4, taking his tally for the series to 152 in eight bats.Bresnan bundled
Bresnan was once again England’s unsung hero with the ball. Though his first five overs went for a relatively costly 22, he returned to his parsimonious best later on in the afternoon, to shut down an end and force two vital breakthroughs either side of the rain delay, as first Watson edged low to Andrew Strauss at slip, before Anderson in the gully made a fizzing chance off Clarke look simple. Before Bresnan could take his rightful place in the celebratory huddle, however, he was tap-tackled by the in-rushing Kevin Pietersen, leaving both men in a tangled heap on the turf, and Matt Prior doubled up with laughter.New caps
Clarke’s first day as Test captain began with Shane Warne and Mark Taylor being asked to present the caps to Australia’s two debutants. Warne handed one to Michael Beer, the left-arm spinner, who the legspinner had tipped to be part of the Perth squad a week before the selectors named him. Beer, who now plays with Western Australia, used to represent St Kilda, Warne’s old Melbourne club. Khawaja received his baggy green from Taylor, the former New South Wales left-hander, who started his career at the SCG against West Indies in 1988-89. Clarke, looking smart in his captain’s blazer, then won the toss and batted.