Niall O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper batsman, has not been picked in the Ireland squad for the tour of Kenya due to his unavailability for part of the tour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2012

Squads

Ireland squad for Kenya tour: William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Rory McCann, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson<br
Ireland provisional squad for World T20 Qualifiers and South Africa camp: William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Rory McCann, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Niall O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman, has not been picked in the Ireland squad for the tour of Kenya. O’Brien’s participation in the Bangladesh Premier League makes his unavailable for part of the tour. He also hasn’t been picked in the squad for the ICC World T20 qualifier in the UAE in March.The tour of Kenya includes a four-day Intercontinental Cup match, two World Cup qualifying ODIs as part of the ICC’s 50-over league and three Twenty20s. O’Brien said he would be available for the ODIs but the selectors said all players must be available for all parts of the tour, and didn’t pick him.”There were difficult matters for the selectors to discuss regarding Niall O’Brien’s availability,” Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said in a release. “They took on board Niall’s offer to play in only the ODIs in Kenya, join the squad for part of the South Africa camp, and then the ICC World T20 Qualifier.”However the selectors remained consistent to their principle, regarding that all players must be available for all parts of the tour. Niall was not able to make himself available for the whole tour and therefore the selectors have decided not to select him for any part of the tour including the ICC World T20 Qualifier.”We are only selecting for this tour and the next selection will be for the RSA Challenge ODI versus Australia in June; at that point they will consider all available players. Niall has communicated that he still wishes to play for Ireland and the selectors will take that into consideration when they next meet.”O’Brien was picked up by Khulna Royal Bengal for US$80,000 at the BPL auctions; the tournament runs from February 9-20. O’Brien, 30, has been a key player for Ireland in their top order and is vastly experienced, having played 49 ODIs and 98 first-class matches.The Ireland squad will be led by William Porterfield. Albert van der Merwe will only play in the Intercontinental Cup match between February 12-15, and Nigel Jones will join the squad from February 15 to take part in the ODIs and the T20s.Ireland also announced a provisional squad of 17 for the ICC World T20 Qualifier in the UAE; a squad of 14 will be selected from this on February 12. The squad will also participate in a warm-up preparation camp in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Pakistan’s top order gave a better display in their second attempt to chase under lights in Abu Dhabi, but stuttered after a good opening partnership to reach 108 for 3 after 25 overs

The Report by Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2012England 250 for 4 (Cook 102, Bopara 58) beat Pakistan 230 all out (Misbah 47, Finn 4-34) by 20 runs
ScorecardSteven Finn ended with 4 for 34 – the same as his figures in the first ODI – this time cleaning up the Pakistan tail•Getty Images

England’s revival in the one-day format continued as impressive death bowling secured a 20-run victory in Abu Dhabi and a 2-0 series lead to ensure another hundred from Alastair Cook laid the foundations for success. Pakistan made it a much tighter chase than two days ago, but paid the price for not having a batsman convert into something substantial, as Cook had managed for the second innings in a row.The game was England’s when Misbah-ul-Haq was breathtakingly caught by Craig Kieswetter as the wicketkeeper ran back under a spiralling top edge and clung on despite needing to dive full length. The other crucial moment had come two overs earlier – in the 45th – when Shahid Afridi, who was dropped at long-off when Stuart Broad couldn’t hold a tough chance, then took two boundaries off Samit Patel’s last over to threaten a charge. However, he swung and missed at James Anderson who then completed a maiden against the hapless Abdur Rehman.Misbah could only watch on as Rehman was beaten delivery after delivery by England’s quick bowlers to turn the closing stages of the chase from tough to near impossible. He only managed 1 from 12 balls despite being given a free hit by Steven Finn who then responded by hitting the stumps twice in two deliveries; the second ending Rehman’s forlorn stay. Finn cleaned up the final two wickets to replicate his opening-match figures of 4 for 34 in another reputation-enhancing display.Pakistan didn’t help their cause with some gifted wickets. They had played sensibly to see off Finn’s early threat – his first spell was five overs for six – but Mohammed Hafeez chipped Anderson to midwicket from the second ball of the bowling Powerplay. His opening partner, Imran Farhat, was run out when he lost awareness of where the ball had gone following an lbw appeal. Broad swooped from his follow through and hit with an under-arm flick.Patel then underlined how useful he is becoming to England’s one-day team. On a wearing surface he proved difficult to score off (until Afridi’s brief foray) and claimed the key scalp of Younis Khan who missed a paddle sweep. Nine overs later, as Azhar Ali and Misbah were starting to build a partnership, Patel beat Azhar’s attempt to cut with a ball that skidded through.Each time Pakistan threatened England found the breakthrough and Patel’s impact on the match extended to his often-derided fielding when he held a fiercely struck cut from Umar Akmal low down at cover. Akmal wasn’t sure it had carried but, unlike as is often the case, the third umpire was happy the catch was clean.Cook’s role in the field should not be underestimated either. He switched his bowlers around confidently and reacted to situations more swiftly than has previously been seen. The last three days couldn’t really have gone much better for him as he became the first England captain to score back-to-back one-day hundreds.Cook’s timing and placement stood out. Early on he punched Aizaz Cheema off the back foot between mid-off and cover then, when spin was introduced after surprisingly being overlooked for five overs, collected consecutive boundaries off Hafeez with a flick through midwicket and another drive. He survived one chance, on 28, when Akmal dropped an edge off Afridi to highlight the risk of not playing a specialist wicketkeeper. It became very costly.Kevin Pietersen again failed to make a convincing case as an opener before falling to Saeed Ajmal•AFP

A strong slog-sweep took him to 49 and his fifty came from 66 balls. For lengthy periods he was content to keep the scoreboard ticking with nudges and flicks, but would occasionally kick-start the scoring with a small flurry of boundaries as was the case during the batting Powerplay when he dispatched Umar Gul. Having reached his hundred off 118 balls, he couldn’t quite take his innings as deep this time when a leading edge looped back to Afridi.It wasn’t only Cook’s innings that produced similarities to the opening match. Kevin Pietersen was again out-scored in the opening stand which ended on 67 when he was trapped lbw by Saeed Ajmal from around the wicket. He had previously survived a close lbw shout on 23 against Afridi which led to Pakistan using up their one referral. Significantly for England, however, this was the first innings of the tour where they weren’t dominated by Ajmal as he ended with a moderate 1 for 54.Jonathan Trott, who fell first ball to Afridi in the opening match, again didn’t look entirely convincing against the legspinner but settled in alongside Cook in a partnership that always has the potential to spark debate. The stand produced 49 runs in 11 overs until Trott edged a short, wide delivery from Cheema to Akmal.It was then over to Team Essex again. Ravi Bopara took time to play himself in and his innings never became an onslaught even in the closing overs, but the pitch was not conducive to free-flowing scoring. He and Eoin Morgan, who finally spent some time at the crease, ensured no late collapse and the way England batted throughout suggested they had a clear total in mind that they were confident of defending. Their calculations proved astute.

Tim Southee is expected to be dropped from the New Zealand squad for the second Test against South Africa, after conceding 140 runs for no wicket in the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2012Tim Southee is expected to be dropped from the New Zealand squad for the second Test against South Africa, after conceding 140 runs for no wicket in the first Test, in Dunedin. Southee also had a torrid time in the limited-over games against South Africa, going for 64 off 10 overs in the first ODI, 61 off eight in the second, and 40 runs off four overs in the second Twenty20. Brent Arnel and Andrew Ellis are both in the Test squad and one of them is expected to take Southee’s place in the XI.Southee will go back to domestic cricket and play for Northern Districts in the next round of the Plunket Shield, which starts on Saturday, to work on issues with technique and form. Before the home series against South Africa, Southee had not had much to do in New Zealand’s thrashing of Zimbabwe in the two-and-a-half-day Napier Test. On the tour of Australia last year, his five wickets had come at 44.6 runs apiece, and he was overshadowed by Doug Bracewell.Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, had said after the first Test against South Africa that Southee had been having issues with his action. “Tim did not have the game of his life,” Taylor said. “He struggled a little bit with his action but he’s played a few Tests now. He’s a confidence player and hopefully he can bounce back from this.”Meanwhile, BJ Watling and Dean Brownlie remain on the injured list for New Zealand, meaning Kruger van Wyk and Rob Nicol are likely to keep their places in the XI. Brownlie is expected to be back for the third Test.The second Test is in Hamilton, starting March 15.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

The ICC has introduced a “special dispensation” to be made only in “exceptional circumstances” in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it “unsafe” to appoint its officials for such series

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2012The ICC has introduced a “special dispensation” to be made only in “exceptional circumstances” in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it “unsafe” to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by “non-neutral match officials”, a departure from the ICC’s Standard Playing Conditions, pending permission from the ICC’s Executive Board.The dispensation, announced at the end of the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee (CEC)’s two-day meeting in Dubai, will have special significance for the proposed tour of Pakistan by Bangladesh, the planning for which is at an advanced stage.The CEC stated that it had limited powers to take a decision over safety issues as to whether tours should take place or not. It reiterated that the ICC’s role in bilateral series was “limited to considering the safety and security of the match officials after a tour had been confirmed and a security plan produced.” The decision as to whether a particular tour should take place or not was, the CEC stated, “one for the participating countries.”The CEC statement has ensured that the ICC’s own officials need not be appointed for Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan. That could be seen by Pakistan as a stumbling block towards hosting top-level international cricket; other nations would be wary of touring if the ICC deemed the situation was not safe for their officials.For Bangladesh, the seal of ICC’s approval would have ensured greater vigilance around security issues. Last week, a nine-member Bangladesh delegation, led by their cricket board president Mustafa Kamal, gave a nod to the security arrangements at various venues after a two-day visit. Both Kamal, and Zaka Ashraf, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, had said that they would approach the ICC to approve the tour.It is understood that the ICC dispatched individual letters to both the PCB and BCB on Monday, saying that it could not give the tour a go-ahead. The CEC’s introduction of this special dispensation around “non-neutral match officials” did not make a specific reference to the ICC’s disapproval of the series or that the tour had been deemed “unsafe” for its match officials to stand in. The dispensation however, creates the opportunity for the series to go ahead with Pakistani or Bangladeshi umpires and match-referees.There had been two itineraries proposed for the tour, one of which includes a three-match ODI series, and the other a series of two ODIs and one Twenty20 international, to be completed in one week in April. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Karachi’s National Stadium are the venues expected to host the matches.ESPNcricinfo understands that Bangladesh’s security team had expressed its reservations in playing in Karachi, and instead hope to play all the proposed matches in Lahore. Earlier, Rawalpindi was dropped as a venue from the plan.”It is important the tour goes ahead for Pakistan cricket to show the country can host games again,” Subhan Ahmad, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told . “We will have the highest level of security possible.”Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, pointed out that special dispensations however should not become a norm. “Bearing in mind that safety and security is the sole responsibility of individual member boards for bilateral matches, the CEC regarded this as an exceptional circumstance in which the appointment of non-neutral match officials could be justified but stated clearly that it should not to be regarded as a preferred option or precedent if the dispensation were to be granted,” Lorgat said.There has been no international cricket in Pakistan for exactly three years now after masked terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus and the van carrying ICC match officials, who were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 3, 2009, on what was the third day of the second Test.

Kent reached 345 for 5 at the close as Yorkshire were made to work hard for their wickets on the first day of the Championship

Myles Hodgson at Headingley05-Apr-2012
ScorecardKent piled on the runs on a good batting wicket at Headingley•Getty Images

If Geoffrey Boycott, Yorkshire’s newly elected president, was studying the scores at Headingley on the opening day of the season during the early hours from his hotel in Colombo, he could have been forgiven for believing his beloved county had suffered a dismal start to their campaign.Tipped as one of the Division Two promotion candidates, they lost the toss and despite the ground being under snow and ice 24 hours previously, failed to claim a wicket for 37 overs. They finished the opening day with only five wickets to their name against a strong Kent line-up including six winter recruits.Even the most optimistic of Yorkshire supporters would struggle to suggest it was a good day but it was by no means disastrous and, having had little help from the conditions, they stuck to their task on a good batting wicket that reflected well on the Headingley groundstaff, given their limited preparation for the opening fixture.”I was a bit undecided about the toss with the pitch being under the covers yesterday and all the snow, so I think it was a good toss to lose,” Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s captain, said. “There was no moisture in it really and it was a good-looking pitch – you would expect that pitch in June and July, not the first week in April.”Wayward early on, although that might be explained by early season rustiness, they fought back well after a 141-run opening stand between Scott Newman, on loan from Middlesex, and Rob Key.Inevitably, Ryan Sidebottom picked up where he left off last summer by provided the breakthrough, removing Newman’s middle stump with a yorker shortly after lunch and giving the impetus for a late Yorkshire rally just as the doom-mongers in the crowd were warming up.Key played the innings of the day, showing patience and an ability to judge quick singles until that capacity deserted him with his century only three runs away when he pushed to mid-on and lost the race with Gale’s direct throw at the non-striker’s end.Adil Rashid, who has slowed his run up to almost walking pace, had Ben Harmison caught at slip shortly before tea, but looked to have made a crucial error in dropping West Indies batsman Brendan Nash at slip after he had raced to his half-century off 47 balls.Ajmal Shahzad ensured the miss was not too costly when he induced an edge that was sharply taken by Anthony McGrath at slip and Rashid completed an encouraging comeback by winning an lbw appeal against Michael Powell in the penultimate over of the day.”It’s the first day of the season and ideally you want to have a great first day,” Gale said. “It hasn’t gone to plan but by no means is it the end of the world. I want the lads to come back, hold the heads up high and show what they can do.”I thought we stuck to our task well. Throughout the day we didn’t build enough pressure. Just as I thought we were starting to put a few maidens together we bowled one or two bad balls an over. There were too many boundaries today, but it’s not over yet. It’s a good pitch and I think we can bat as well on it.” Boycott, no doubt, would have nodded approvingly over his breakfast in Sri Lanka.Edited by Alan Gardner

Mark Davies dismissed Alastair Cook for 1 after Darren Stevens and Geraint Jones had rescued Kent’s first innings

Charles Randall at Chelmsford11-May-2012
ScorecardEngland’s opening pair, Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss, remain desperately short of runs ahead of the first Test against West Indies•AFP

The county bowling cohorts have done England’s opening partnership no favours in the build-up to the West Indies series. Alastair Cook was undone lbw for a single at Chelmsford today to follow innings of 9 and 5 at Cardiff last week — not much to build on before next Thursday’s Test at Lord’s.With Andrew Strauss having a torrid time at Middlesex, Kent’s new signing Mark Davies ensured Cook drew a near blank by straightening a lovely seamer into the left-hander’s pads. The next ball drew Tom Westley forward, kicked off the seam and found a thin edge safely pouched behind the wicket. With Essex faltering at 3 for 2, Kent were ready to cash in on Darren Stevens’s top-rate century, especially as there was no sign of Ravi Bopara, Cook’s England colleague.Bopara spent the afternoon resting his leg rather waiting for a go at the crease. He was due to visit Broomfield Hospital immediately after play for a precautionary scan on an apparently minor thigh strain suffered in his over before lunch when Essex were trying to break a long sixth-wicket stand between Stevens and Geraint Jones.Only after Davies had been rested — his first spell was 7-3-5-2 — did Essex begin to make progress through some dashing strokeplay by Mark Pettini. He cut and drove the ball so crisply over the lush outfield and scampered so well that it was hard to believe that his first class average was 32. His winter in Zimbabwe domestic cricket, based in the beautiful mountainous Mutare district, appeared to have refreshed his game. He batted well in Zimbabwe for the Mountaineers.Kent’s debutant Ivan Thomas, replacing Davies at the Hayes Close end, bowled steadily with an upright action, a languid build-up producing deceptive whip off the pitch, but Pettini and Billy Godleman stuck to their task. Godleman, never a thing of cricket beauty, scuffed and deflected 27 his way through Essex’s 39 overs, but at least he hung around until stumps. Cook would have loved such an extensive sight of the ball.Stevens and Jones performed wonders to dig Kent out of 9 for 5, putting on 194 together. Stevens finished with a high-quality 119 off only 170 balls and Jones made a worthy 88, no one else mustering more than six. Essex’s bowlers toiled, even the first-day destroyer Charl Willoughby, and the fielding substitutes were given a busy day rotating in the absence of Bopara and Alviro Petersen, who was still nursing a sore ankle.When Stevens top-edged Greg Smith for six over fine-leg to advance to 91, it was clear that Kent had regained the initiative. Their grip was eventually broken when Stevens sliced a drive to cover. Jones perished at long-off attempting to farm the bowling after off-spinner Westley had picked up three wickets in eight balls.After losing virtually two days to rain, this excellent fluctuating match deserves a finish.

Simon Jones, the former England fast bowler, took four wickets as Glamorgan claimed their first win of the season by beating Durham by 15 runs in a low-scoring CB40 match at Colwyn Bay.

10-Jun-2012ScorecardSimon Jones, the former England fast bowler, took four wickets as Glamorgan claimed their first win of the season by beating Durham by 15 runs in a low-scoring CB40 match at Colwyn Bay.Glamorgan, without a win in the second division of the Championship, had looked unlikely to get off the mark in Group B after being bowled out for 163 in 34.3 overs on a slow pitch, only for Durham, who had won three of their previous four CB40 matches, struggled as well and slumped to 148 all out in reply.Jones began Durham’s slide to defeat by claiming the wickets of Phil Mustard and Ben Stokes in the space of two overs. Mustard gave a sharp catch to Martin van Jaarsveld at slip and Stokes was lbw as the visitors reached 28 for 2 in the eighth over.Glamorgan then struck twice more in the next two overs. James Harris trapped Gordon Muchall in front before Jones had Mark Stoneman caught behind.Jones, who had figures of 3 for 18 off six overs at that stage, was replaced at the Penrhyn Avenue end by Jim Allenby who broke through to remove Dale Benkenstein via a sharp catch at backward point by Stewart Walters. Will Smith and Michael Richardson rebuilt before the former was run out at the non-striker’s end via the hand of the bowler Will Owen. Scott Borthwick lasted only three overs before he was bowled by Dean Cosker.Jones then returned and claimed the wicket of Richardson, who went lbw for 45, and in the next over Allenby bowled Liam Plunkett as Durham slumped to 122 for nine. Mitchell Claydon and Chris Rushworth threatened to pull off a grand recovery but with 13 balls remaining Owen bowled Rushworth to seal the home side’s maiden win.Earlier, Glamorgan had made an encouraging start after winning the toss but lost three wickets in the space of four overs as they went from 41 without loss to 48 for three. Both openers were out in quick succession. Captain Mark Wallace was caught behind and Gareth Rees, who made 28 off 20 balls, was caught on the mid-wicket boundary before Marcus North became Rushworth’s second victim.Stokes struck twice in as many overs as Glamorgan struggled to 100 for five. Allenby looked settled until he edged behind for 26 before Van Jaarsveld was bowled for 25. When Glamorgan lost two wickets in consecutive deliveries to Smith’s offspin, few would have given much for their chances.

Ben Cutting, the Queensland fast bowler, has become the third paceman to withdraw from Australia A’s tour of England due to injury

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2012Ben Cutting, the Queensland fast bowler, has become the third paceman to withdraw from Australia A’s tour of England due to injury, flying home following the conclusion of the tourists’ opening match against Derbyshire.Cutting, 25, had not been selected in the XI for the match, and was diagnosed with a back problem that necessitated his return home.In departing early from the tour, Cutting joined Pat Cummins and James Pattinson as fast bowlers unable to gain valuable experience in English climes on the tour due to injury.Cummins did not make the start of the tour, picking up a side strain during the preceding ODI tour by the senior team and heading home to Sydney.Pattinson played in the final two matches of that series before complaining of an abdominal strain and being sent home as Australia A prepared for their tour with a training camp in Southampton.Alister McDermott and Nathan Coulter-Nile were called into the squad in place of Cummins and Pattinson, and Cutting’s injury has enhanced their chances of taking part in the next match of the tour, against Durham from Wednesday.

The veteran opener Chris Rogers has been offered a new contract with Victoria, a month after he spoke of his concerns at potentially being delisted by the state

Brydon Coverdale06-Jul-2012The veteran opener Chris Rogers has been offered a new contract with Victoria, a month after he spoke of his concerns at potentially being delisted by the state. Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd said that Rogers’ position on the contract list had been carefully considered, but it was decided that he still had plenty to offer the Bushrangers this summer.Rogers, who turns 35 next month, remains a prolific scorer for Middlesex in county cricket and is fourth on the division one run tally this year, and last season he was sixth on the Sheffield Shield run list with 781 at 41.10. However, the Bushrangers are also keen to give greater opportunities to a younger batch of batsmen, including Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Ryan Carters, Michael Hill and Alex Keath, and Shipperd said selections this season would not necessarily be straightforward.”It is about finding that delicate balance between experience and youth, and opportunities for the younger players coming through,” Shipperd said. “We thought long and hard about that and ultimately Chris has been offered a contract and our understanding is he will take that. He has been a wonderful player for four years for us and put the icing on the cake of a group that was really going places some four seasons ago.”In his first two seasons with us [we had] Shield final wins, and he’s been a great contributor, he’s been a great mentor and coach around the group with his cricket knowledge. He’s one that opposition bowlers don’t like to bowl to and we’re happy to have him in our squad.”It is from our point of view about finding that balance of opportunity and Chris is aware of those challenges in our group. He’s got his sights on perhaps being an Australian player still and probably also transitioning in the last couple of years of his cricket career into a coaching role. He’s got an interest in that area and we have access all areas for him in terms of developing those skills.”The Bushrangers have named their squad for next summer and unlike most other states this year it is a group with few changes from last season, with no imports and no major defections. The only additions to the full contract list were Handscomb and the fast bowler Scott Boland, both of whom held rookie deals last season.The allrounder Meyrick Buchanan, who is in Australia’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup this year, has been handed a rookie contract, as has the legspinner James Muirhead, who played for the Adelaide Strikers last season. The squad will also feature Ian Holland, who earned a special rookie deal as the winner of the reality TV show .Brad Hodge and Mark Cleary are both gone from last year’s list, having retired, while the fast bowler Steven Gilmour and the rookie batsman Brett Forsyth were not offered new contracts. Victoria were able to maintain a consistent list as they were not hit as hard as some states by the reduction in Cricket Australia contracts, with four men on national deals, only one fewer than last year.Victoria squad Scott Boland, Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Jon Holland, David Hussey (Cricket Australia contract), Alex Keath, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson (CA), Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Will Sheridan, Peter Siddle (CA), Matthew Wade (CA), Cameron White Rookies Meyrick Buchanan, James Muirhead, Steven Reid Cricket Australia rookie Ian Holland.