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A round-up of the action from the second day of the first round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2011Group AParas Dogra scored his maiden first-class double-century to carry Himachal Pradesh to 531 against Tripura in Agartala. Dogra, who had smacked 26 boundaries in his innings, was eventually picked up for 205 by Timir Chanda – one of the new-ball bowlers eight wickets. Chanda’s 8 for 133, too, was his best effort in first-class cricket. Dogra apart, Sridharan Sriram and Rishi Dhawan scored half-centuries on day two, to bolster Himachal’s total. Tripura openers, Rajib Saha and Subhrajit Roy, were steady. They put on 81, before Saha was snagged just prior to stumps.Ranjit Paradkar and Shalabh Shrivastava produced their best first-class performances to carry Vidarbha to a massive 557 for 7 against Kerala, in Nagpur. Shrivastava added 20 runs to his overnight score of 84, to complete his maiden first-class century, while Paradkar finished unbeaten on 178. The only Kerala bowler to have much of an impact was left-arm spinner Padmanabhan Prasanth, who finished with his maiden five-for. Vidarbha declared with seven overs to spare in the day, which Kerala’s openers Abhishek Hegde and VA Jagadeesh successfully batted out.Andhra Pradesh finished day two with a 155-run lead over Services in Delhi. Services did well to knock over the three remaining Andhra wickets quickly in the morning, to keep them to 219. New-ball bowlers Suraj Yadav and Nishan Singh finished with four wickets apiece. However, a woeful collapse followed, to hand Andhra firm control over the match. The Andhra bowlers, led by Syed Sahabuddin who took a five-for, shot out Services for 95 as none of their batsmen managed more than Soumyaranjan Swain’s 37. In their second innings Andhra lost Manoj Sai cheaply, but with their big first-innings’ lead, they still held the edge at stumps.Group BMaharashtra’s lower order contributed valuable runs to carry their team to 443 against Goa in Porvorim. Maharashtra resumed on 286 for 4, with Ankit Bawne and Rohit Motwani batting on 60 and 68 respectively. Bawne fell early and Motwani was bowled by Sher Yadav nine short of a century, but the lower order did not cave in. Kedar Jadhav and Shrikant Mundhe made scores in the 40s and Akshya Darekar made 29 not out to give Maharashtra an impressive total. New-ball bowler Robin D’Souza was the pick for Goa, taking 5 for 94 – his maiden first-class five-for. Goa’s openers were very cautious in their approach. Maharashtra, however, managed a couple of breakthroughs to leave Goa 48 for 2 at stumps.Hyderabad kicked on from 129 for 1 to 373 for 7 against Jharkhand in Uppal. The first half of the day’s play was washed out, and on resumption Jharkhand struck two quick blows. However, an 88-run stand Bavanaka Sandeep and Arjun Yadav put them back on track. Then Syed Quadri took charge, batting with the lower order, to carry Hyderabad past 350. He went to stumps unbeaten on 77. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was the pick of the Jharkhand bowlers, taking 3 for 126 in a marathon 52-over spell.No play was possible on the second day of the Jammu & Kashmir v Assam match in Srinagar.

The ICC’s chief executives’ committee has unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all international matches

Sharda Ugra in Hong Kong27-Jun-2011The ICC chief executives’ committee (CEC) has unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all Tests and one-day internationals. The mandatory terms and conditions for the DRS that have been recommended to the executive board for approval consist of infra-red cameras and audio-tracking devices. The ball-tracking technology has been removed from the ICC’s original compulsory list of DRS technologies.This means India will, for the first time since 2008, be agreeable to using the DRS in a bilateral series when it tours England in July.However, the DRS used in the England-India series will be without ball-tracking technology. For example, if the ball pitches outside leg stump and the batsman is given lbw, he can appeal against the verdict but the third umpire will not have the benefit of ball-tracking technology to ascertain where the ball pitched. On the other hand, if a batsman is given lbw and he thinks he hit the ball, the Hot Spot will resolve whether there was an edge or not.The pitch mat was brought up during the discussion as the one element of the ball-tracking technology that could be used in the DRS so that the lbw could be covered using two technologies. It was, however, rejected by the BCCI, which did not want any element of the ball-tracking technology to be part of the modified mandatory requirements for the DRS.While Hot Spot is the only infrared, thermal-imaging camera available in cricket, audio tracking referred to the high quality “clean and real time” replays from the stump microphones, and not the Snicko, an ICC official confirmed.The CEC, which also approved the cricket committee’s recommendation to reduce the number of unsuccessful reviews in ODIs from two to one, decided that the continued use of the ball-tracking technology as a decision-making aid will depend on the bilateral arrangement between the participating teams. Further independent and expert research will be carried out into the accuracy and reliability of ball-tracking technology.A decision on how the cost of the DRS would be divided will be taken later. Last week, BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah had said that the cost of using the DRS was as high as $60,000 per match. According to the ICC, however, that figure is closer to $5000 per day, with a maximum of $25,000 being spent on DRS per Test.

Michael Hussey believes Australia’s 273 places them in a stronger position than would appear, on what he declared the “driest” first day pitch he had encountered

Daniel Brettig in Galle31-Aug-2011Michael Hussey, the Australia batsman, believes the tourists’ 273 places them in a stronger position than would appear in the first Test against Sri Lanka on what he declared the “driest” first-day pitch he had encountered.Without Hussey’s steely 95, Australia would have been in a far poorer state, and as it is, are in a difficult position on a turning pitch when their spin resources consist of the debutant Nathan Lyon and the part-time fare of the captain Michael Clarke.As he sought a positive spin on a day that resembled numerous others during last summer’s Ashes series in terms of results if not conditions and opposition, Hussey said the success of Sri Lanka’s seamers gave the visitors hope of a strong second day.”It is certainly the driest first day pitch I’ve played on in Test match cricket,” Hussey said. “Their quicks got wickets as well. They obviously got four of the wickets, got a bit of reverse swing, so we’ve got to use that to our advantage tomorrow hopefully. It certainly took a lot of turn on the first day but I thought in general, the guys played the spin pretty well.”It was quite a difficult pitch to start on really. It was really slow so it was hard to find your timing initially. I guess my message was just to try and play as straight as possible and just try to hang in there for as long as you can because it does get easier the longer you go.”Having said that, it’s sort of an apprehensive feeling as well because there might be one ball that explodes and takes the glove or takes your edge and you’re gone anyway. I think the message [to the other batsmen] is to try to play their game, be positive and just try to take time to get used to the pace of the pitch because it was a little difficult to time the ball early.”While he complimented the bowling of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv, Hussey admitted he was surprised that Ajantha Mendis had not been chosen to test the Australians with his unusual variations.”I wasn’t sure at all what the make-up of their team would be. Maybe a little surprised that Mendis didn’t play,” Hussey said. “But having said that I thought their two spinners bowled really well. [They] obviously had a fair bit in their favour.”I think that’s one of the strengths of our batting order really. All of them play spin in their own way so that makes it hard for their spinners as well. I know all the guys have good experience and they will stick to their plan against their spinners no matter what the conditions.”Hussey was the last man out, lbw as he sought to farm the strike, and might have been able to reach his century if not for a misguided decision not to refer the lbw verdict against Ryan Harris. Both Hussey and Harris felt the umpire’s initial call was right, but replays showed that while Harris had not offered a shot, the ball would have missed off stump.”Yeah I think we mucked up there. We should have used the referral, we both probably thought it was out,” Hussey said. “I asked Ryan and said ‘what did you think’ and he said he felt pretty much out, from my angle – which wasn’t the best angle – it looked out but in hindsight we definitely made a mistake there. We should have referred it, especially with only a couple of wickets to go. We made a blue.”Much will rest on Lyon’s ability to hold his own against Sri Lanka’s batsmen on day two, and Hussey also said Clarke would have a part to play in setting the right fields for his inexperienced offspinner.”It’s just important for him to take away all the euphoria of his first Test,” Hussey said. “That’s going to be hard to do, with the excitement of it all, and just really focus on his job of bowling well. In the first-class match in Colombo, ‘Pup’ set some really good fields for him and I think that’s going to be important tomorrow. A lot of in-out fields.”The way they play, they will look to maybe try and dominate him and try to put some pressure on him. If we can have some protection in certain areas and keep our catchers around the bat then I think he’s got a great chance. There’s a lot in his favour but he’s going to have to be patient, he’s going to have to be disciplined and he’s going to have to bowl a lot of overs. Big job for him tomorrow.”Herath, who was the pick of Sri Lanka’s spinners, said Hussey had batted with great care for the scenario in front of him on a pitch he reckoned was not too far from the norm in Galle. Herath dismissed Shane Watson, Clarke and Ricky Ponting, but could not find a way past Hussey.”I think he batted according to the situation, against myself and Suraj [Randiv],” Herath said. “The other three guys batted well too, but that time I have bowled well. That is a difference, the whole innings Michael Hussey batted really well.”As for Sri Lanka’s goals on day two, Herath suggested a tally of 300 for 5 would be satisfactory as the hosts seek to bat Australia out of the match.”I think, if we can bat through the first session without giving them a wicket, that’s the best we can do against Australia,” he said. “Definitely [we are happy], but if we can end up tomorrow at 300 for 5 [we will be in a good position] and I’m sure the guys can do that.”

Cricket South Africa will spend R8 million ($1,142,857) on a new semi-professional competition that will replace the amateur provincial format from the 2011-12 season

Firdose Moonda07-Jun-2011Cricket South Africa will spend R8 million ($1,142,857) on a new semi-professional competition that will replace the amateur provincial format from the 2011-12 season.The 13 provincial teams currently in the fray, will be able to contract seven players, who must be South Africa-based and qualified, and not Kolpak-contracted. The competition will consist of first-class three-day cricket, 45-over and 20-over matches.”The players will be paid out of our [CSA’s] budget,” Gerald Majola, chief executive of CSA told ESPNcricinfo. “We will also look for a sponsor for the competition.” The competition was sponsored by Standard Bank until the end of the 2010-11 season, when the company ended all sports sponsorships. CSA are yet to announce a new sponsor for the competition.The semi-professional league will provide players with the opportunity to be selected for a seventh franchise, which will compete in the Twenty20 competition along with the six existing franchises. The seventh outfit will operate out of the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, overseen by former national coach Corrie van Zyl. The semi-professional seventh side will be allowed to contract four international players and field a maximum of three per match, while the other six franchises can sign two foreign players apiece.Under the current system, the six franchises play each other, while the 13 provinces, affiliated to the different franchises, compete in another league. The amateurs turning out for the provinces were not allowed to be contracted, but had the chance to be selected by the franchises based on their performances. Now they have a chance to earn more since they have the opportunity to sign contracts with the provinces.Majola said the changes were made in order to “bridge the gap between provincial and franchise cricket”. With 13 amateur teams feeding the country’s six franchises, there was concern among cricket administrators that players were either lost in the system or struggled to make the leap into professional cricket when coming up from the provinces.There is also an effort being made to smooth the transition process from domestic to international cricket with the MTN40 changing to become a 45-over competition. Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, had in April said that the MTN40 would change in order to bring it more into line with the ODI format. The change does not exactly mirror the international competition, but was made with some elements of marketing in mind.”We had to also consider the crowd figures,” Majola said. “If we play 50-overs and start at 2pm we will have empty stadiums, especially mid-week. We will start the 45-overs game at 4pm. All the rules will be the same as ODIs – there will be three Powerplays and no substitutions. The bowlers will bowl nine overs each.”South Africa’s limited-overs competition was a 45-over event until two seasons ago, when it changed to 40-overs. It allowed franchises to name squads of 13 players per match and make use of substitutes. It included three Powerplays in the first season and was reduced to two in 2010-11. The innovation was in keeping with an anticipated change in the ODI format, which now appears to have been shelved.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy has said that his side’s inability to capitalise on the “key moments” led to their seven-wicket loss to Pakistan in the second ODI in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2011West Indies captain Darren Sammy has said that his side’s inability to capitalise on the key moments led to their seven-wicket loss against Pakistan in the second ODI in St Lucia.”We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalise on it,” Sammy said. “We weren’t rolled over today. We kept ourselves in the match right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn’t make it happen.”We have to find a way to win those tight situations. We have to win in Barbados to stay alive in the series, so we have to grab our chances.”Lendl Simmons was the only West Indies batsmen to score over 30, or manage a strike-rate in excess of 80. As a result, West Indies finished with a below-par score of 220 that was easily chased down. Even in the first ODI, West Indies’ made just 221, where only Darren Bravo who got past 30.Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi praised the “discipline” shown by his side and said Pakistan were reaping the benefits of sticking to the gameplan. “We made a plan at our team meeting and our guys stuck to it and that was good,” Afridi said.”I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us. Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series.”Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, who was named the Man of the Match, anchored Pakistan’s chase with his second ODI century. “Shehzad is a very talented guy,” Afridi said, “and he showed that he is capable of performing. He took his time, but chasing a small total, he could afford to do that and we won the game.””We tried to keep wickets in hand,” Shehzad said, of the way he paced his innings. “It was not a huge total so I knew that I had to control my strokeplay and not get carried away.”The third ODI will be played on Thursday in Barbados. Pakistan lead the five-match series 2-0.

Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has lodged a formal complaint with the UK Press Complaint Commission against the tabloid , which had done a video sting operation on him last year

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2011Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has lodged a formal complaint with the UK Press Complaint Commission against the tabloid . Hameed, who last played for Pakistan on the 2010 tour to England, was the subject of a video sting operation by the tabloid, in which he was seen discussing the fall-out of the Lord’s spot-fixing controversy and, among other things, an approach by a bookie during the 2004 Champions Trophy in England.Hameed says he was duped by the investigative reporter who came to him in a hotel in Nottingham claiming to be a representative of a global airline who wanted to talk about possible sponsorship deals, days after the end of the four-Test series, and is now seeking a formal apology and retraction from the tabloid.The complaint centres on four points, of inaccurate reporting, a breach of privacy, misrepresentation of character and harassment. Hameed opted to wait till the end of the spot-fixing hearings and a definitive verdict before he filed the complaint.Soon after the video came to light, Hameed was called to the Pakistan High Commission in London to explain his utterances in the video. He issued a statement later that day saying that the man, an Abid Khan, sent him intimidating SMSs after the meeting when Hameed denied what had been attributed to him.Hameed was also asked to explain the incident to the PCB’s integrity committee earlier this year, and he apologised to the board about the conversation. “I was trapped into it but I should not have said all that before a stranger and I apologise to all the players who were hurt because of that,” Hameed had told . It is believed the board has held back on his payments from the tour, though it isn’t clear whether it is because of this incident.

Ashish Bagai, the Canada captain, was “boggled” by some of the decisions made by the DRS (Decision Review System) in his side’s tense 43-run loss to Pakistan at the Premadasa on Thursday

Osman Samiuddin at the Premadasa Stadium04-Mar-2011Ashish Bagai, the Canada captain, was “boggled” by some of the decisions made by the DRS (Decision Review System) in his side’s tense 43-run loss to Pakistan at the Premadasa on Thursday. Bagai experienced the best and worst of the system; reprieved once after being given out and sent back later after being given not out.Those two calls were part of a total of five referrals in Canada’s chase in which the on-field umpires’ decisions were eventually reversed. Bagai was first given out leg-before to Umar Gul in the 8th over. He asked for a referral – prompted by signals from the dressing room to do so, which was spotted by Pakistani fielders – before replays showed the ball to be going comfortably over leg-stump. Later, he was given not out by Daryl Harper off Shahid Afridi on another leg-before shout, only for Pakistan to refer the decision and be awarded.Three other decisions, against Ravindu Gunasekera and Zubin Surkari, also prompted decision-changing referrals, rounding off a bad day at the office for Harper and Nigel Llong. Bagai was asked about the decisions and indicated his displeasure with the system. “I’m not sure I can answer that before I speak with the umpires today,” said Bagai. “There was a bit of controversy over the use of it. Some go your way, some don’t. They’ve [ICC] kept a mantra of relying on technology blindly and that is their decision. We got a couple today that we were boggled with but that’s what they’ve chosen, we can’t do anything about that now.”Pakistan’s own experiences with the DRS have been hit and miss. Against Sri Lanka last week, they wasted two reviews in the field on decisions that, to the naked eye, seemed not out, including one for an edge. But Afridi insisted there were benefits from its use. “I think it is good because one decision can change the match, a not out or an out,” he said.Perhaps flippantly, he added, “it should be there and I think the number of referrals allowed should be raised to four from two, because two are not proving enough.”In the wake of the Ian Bell incident in the Bangalore tie with India, much of the focus has been on one particular clause of the system, the 2.5m rule. Earlier in the tournament, however, Mahela Jayawardene had raised the issue of the capacity of a DRS without Hot Spot technology. During his opening game century in Hambantota, against Canada incidentally, Jayawardene survived two appeals and fielding referrals for caught-behind decisions, when slo-mo cameras couldn’t provide a definitive assessment.The same concern was raised by Ricky Ponting ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sri Lanka at the Premadasa, though Ponting did give broad support to technology. “I was a bit surprised at the start of the tournament when we found out we were using the DRS without Hot Spot, that was a bit of a shock to me because Hot Spot part of it is probably as big a part of the system as anything,” Ponting said.”At the end of the day, players always have to understand that it’s not going to be perfect. But we’re still going to be getting more correct decisions at the end of a game, which is obviously beneficial for the game. It’s like it’s been used in Test cricket, you can walk off at the end of the day and feel you’ve been aggrieved by a couple of decisions that have gone either for you or against you in that game, but as long as you’re getting more correct decisions then it’s got to be good for the game.”

Pakistan’s four-wicket win at The Oval against England last summer has been part of the ICC’s investigation into spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players, it emerged in the Doha hearing

Osman Samiuddin in Doha11-Jan-2011Pakistan’s four-wicket win at The Oval against England last summer has been part of the ICC’s investigation into spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players, it emerged on Tuesday after the Doha hearing.The hearing, looking into allegations against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was widely thought to have revolved only around the final Test of that series, held at Lord’s. But a statement by Michael Beloff QC, the head of the anti-corruption tribunal hearing the case, revealed that the previous Test at The Oval was also under investigation.The very opening of Beloff’s statement caught most off-guard; “The tribunal has been constituted to determine charges against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif brought under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code in relation to two Test matches played during August 2010 in the series between Pakistan and England, The Oval Test and the Lord’s Test.”But Beloff added that Amir and Asif have been acquitted of all charges relating to The Oval. One charge still stood, against Butt who was captain at the time. “The ICC has withdrawn all charges against the three players in relation to The Oval Test except for one against Mr Butt. The tribunal has formally acquitted the players in respect of the charges which have been withdrawn.”Neither the three-man tribunal nor the ICC gave details about the charges or incidents that were under investigation in the Oval Test. Until a report on the yesterday, in fact, it wasn’t public knowledge that The Oval Test was even under investigation.The , the tabloid that broke the story after an undercover sting operation, had, in fact, referred in its original report to a plan to bowl deliberate no-balls in The Oval Test which was eventually cancelled. There was another reference to a maiden over Butt was allegedly supposed to play out on one of the days. It is believed that it is the charges related to those incidents that have been under investigation.But it is believed that, in a bid to expedite a verdict against the three players, all the charges save one around The Oval Test, were dropped by the ICC’s lawyers during the hearing. The ICC was keen for the tribunal to announce verdicts against the three on Tuesday, the last day of the hearing, and believed that dropping charges, for which evidence is known to be insufficient, might achieve that.The news is a further blow for Butt, who as captain of the side was under particular scrutiny during the hearing. He spent a day and a half answering questions first from his lawyer, then the ICC’s lawyers as well as Asif’s lawyer – more than either Amir or Asif. In addition, the questioning of one witness by his own lawyer is thought to have hurt his case considerably. And differences between him and Asif are thought to have further worsened his case.The decision on the one charge against Butt relating to The Oval Test will also be announced on February 5, the date on which decisions concerning the Lord’s Test against all three are expected to finally be announced.Asif’s London-based lawyers released a statement expressing his delight at having been acquitted of all charges brought against him in relation to The Oval Test.

Central Districts move in to third in the HRV points table after a three-run win over Canterbury

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2010Central Districts moved up to third in the HRV Cup points table after a narrow three-run win over Canterbury at the Village Green in Christchurch. In a match shortened to 10 overs because of rain, Canterbury opted to field first, and allrounder Johannes van der Wath instantly justified the decision by ripping through CD’s top order, taking three wickets from his two overs, to leave them reeling at 10 for 4. That quickly became 11 for 5 in the fourth over when Andrew Ellis snapped up the dangerous Kieran Noema-Barnett for 1. However, England’s Michael Yardy and Doug Bracewell retrieved the situation somewhat with a couple of cameos – Yardy making 24 from 20 and Bracewell 22 from 13, to take CD to 73 for 8.Rob Nicol and Peter Fulton got Canterbury off to a good start, adding 34 in four overs before Fulton was caught off Bracewell for 18. His dismissal triggered a surprising collapse, with five more wickets falling for just 23 runs. At that stage, Canterbury needed 17 from the final two overs with four wickets in hand. They managed nine from the ninth over, but lost van der Wath for 5 off the last ball from Ben Wheeler. Ellis and Reece Young then reduced the equation to four needed from two, but fast bowler Michael Mason held his nerve to dismiss Ellis for 5 and Young was then run-out off the last ball to hand CD the victory. Mason finished with 3 for 12 from his two overs.The games between Auckland and Wellington and Northern Districts and Otago were both rained out without a ball being bowled, with the teams getting two point each.Auckland remain top of the table on 20 points, ahead of Northern Districts with 18. CD and Canterbury are both on 12 points, with the former ahead on net run-rate.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Ajax winger Antony after Erik ten Hag was confirmed as the club’s new manager on Thursday.

The Lowdown: Antony profiled

Antony is just 22 years of age and was signed by Ten Hag for Ajax back in 2020 from Sao Paulo.

Since then, the Brazil international has made 79 appearances for the Dutch giants, scoring 22 goals and registering 20 assists, taking his senior tallies to 26 for both.

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, Antony helped Ajax win the double last season and it looks as if he could now follow Ten Hag to Manchester.

The Latest: Meeting held

Marca relayed a report from The Times regarding Ten Hag and United after he signed a deal at Old Trafford through to 2025.

They claimed that the 52-year-old has already held meetings with United’s recruitment team, with Antony a possible target. The Red Devils are thought to be keeping tabs on the Ajax star, who could be available for £55m this summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Ten Hag will know just what Antony would bring to Old Trafford, so a summer swoop could be a smart call, especially as United don’t currently have a senior available right-winger on the books.

It looks set to be an extremely busy first summer with Ten Hag in charge, with up to 12 players possibly heading out the exit door.

Therefore, a number of signings will be needed ahead of his first game in charge, so looking to wrap up a move for the winger who gives defenders ‘sleepless nights’ may well be a good decision.

In other news: ‘Revolution begins’: Fabrizio Romano now shares key Man Utd exit news emerging from Old Trafford.