All posts by h716a5.icu

Cricinfo previews the second ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe

Cricinfo staff20-Jan-2009Match facts January 21, 2008
Start time 9.00am (0300 GMT)
Will Zimbabwe put it across Bangladesh yet again? © AFP
Big PictureWill Mirpur produce another nail-biter? The low-scoring contests have been thrilling, but the letdown for the crowds has been the fact that the home team has failed to convert strong positions into wins. Bangladesh had the opposition down to 6 for 5 and 44 for 6, but still failed to defend totals of 152 and 124 against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. While the first defeat robbed them of a chance of winning a tournament, the second left them facing the prospect of an embarrassing series loss to Zimbabwe, a team ranked below them in the ICC ODI rankings.At the start of the tour, Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya had outlined two goals: reaching the final of the tri-series and beating Bangladesh in the subsequent three-match contest. The first goal seemed accomplished when they upset the hosts, but an inspired effort from Shakib Al Hasan kept them out of the final. They are on the verge of the second, and Utseya would want his team to step up and complete the task. His side stretched Sri Lanka at home last year – although a scoreline of 5-0 does not suggest that – and a series win here would indicate they are perhaps ready for more frequent contests against Test-playing nations. Also, a series loss will be a big dent in confidence for Bangladesh, with critics already saying they don’t deserve to be playing Test cricket.If they win tomorrow, Zimbabwe would clinch their first series victory in over two years – the last was against Bangladesh at home in July 2006.Form guide (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)Zimbabwe WLWLL
Bangladesh LLWLLWatch out forThe others bowlers may have come up with the headline-grabbing performances, but Mashrafe Mortaza has been the steady bowler for his team, chipping in with tidy economical displays when not among the wickets. His three top-order strikes set the way for the upset over Sri Lanka, and a similar showing could be the early punch needed to floor Zimbabwe.Like Bangladesh, the batting will be the worry for Zimbabwe as well. Tatendu Taibu has been unable to come up with substantial scores in recent games. He has failed to go past 40 in his last nine innings since his 74 against Ireland in Nairobi, and a match-winning score seems due from one of Zimbabwe’s premier batsmen.TeamsWith opener Junaid Siddque having a best of 3 in his last four innings, Bangladesh might consider replacing him with Mehrab Hossain jnr, who has shown some application in Tests. Another worry for captain Mohammad Ashraful is the bowling towards the end of the innings – Bangladesh have been found wanting in the final few overs more than once. Rubel Hossain leaked vital runs against Muttiah Muralitharan, and Bangladesh did not manage to wrap up the tail in the previous game against Zimbabwe.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique/ Mehrab Hossain jnr, 3 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Nazmul Hossain, 11 Rubel Hossain.Zimbabwe’s bowlers have performed well, and it’s unlikely they will tweak a winning combination.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 4 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Keith Dabengwa, 8 Prosper Utseya (capt), 9 Ray Price, 10 Tawanda Mupariwa, 11 Ed Rainsford.ConditionsMohammad Ashraful”s decision to bat first in the last game raised eyebrows, with the conditions in Mirpur having generally favoured the fast bowlers in the morning. Ashraful misread the conditions, and the batsmen struggled yet again. Perhaps hosting a Test and five ODIs in the past 20-odd days has not left much time for preparation for the ground staff at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.Stats and Trivia Ray Price’s all-round brilliance – 4 for 22 and an unbeaten 23 – sealed the game for Zimbabwe the last time around. They were his career-best bowling and batting figures. Shakib Al Hasan has been the star allrounder for Bangladesh in the past year. His 3 for 11 off ten overs – a career-best effort – against Zimbabwe followed up a miserly 2 for 22 against Sri Lanka. The opening batsmen have had a torrid time in Mirpur this year. In ten innings, ten opening stands add up to a measly 118 runs, with a best of 51 and three no scores. The top three batsmen average 12.26. Quotes”I think we are a more disciplined side and if we continue to be like that then we should win the series.”
“We just have to get a decent score on the board. That is the only area where we are struggling.”

Daniel Vettori reflects with awe and amazement at Twenty20’s inexorable march to prominence

Alex Brown14-Feb-2009Vettori and Haddin face off as captainsIt was only a few weeks ago that Brad Haddin was embroiled in a heated row with the New Zealanders over his part in the controversial dismissal of Neil Broom during the first one-day international in Perth. Haddin is confident there will be no hostility when he comes face-to-face with Vettori at the coin toss.”We spoke about it after the incident, and we haven’t spoken since,” he said. “I wouldn’t speak to him normally – it’s just pleasantries and saying ‘hello’. But during the series we haven’t had much contact with any of the New Zealand players. Things have been fine.”Vettori also played down whether there would be any tension at the toss on Sunday. “He’s just a captain, cricket captains don’t really go head to head,” Vettori said. “They just shake hands and flip the coin. It’s pretty easy really.”
The standard of play – and hairstyles – has changed since Chris Cairns and Hamish Marshall took part in the first Twenty20 International © Getty Images
National sides are fast learning that Twenty20 is a young man’s game that requires a skill-set different to other forms of the game; a fact reflected in the selections for Sunday’s match. The average age of the Australian squad is just 26, and several of its members – most notably Rob Quiney and David Warner – are not yet permanent fixtures in their state’s first-class teams. New Zealand, too, have rung in the changes, with the likes of Nathan McCullum and Ian Butler flown in specifically for the SCG encounter.Perhaps Australia’s most notable move is at the top of its chain of command. Brad Haddin, who only forced his way into the squad on a full-time basis last summer, has been bestowed the unexpected honour of captaining his country for the first time, and will do so before an appreciative home crowd.”It’s probably come about the same way with me opening the batting – through blokes being rested or injured,” Haddin said. “I’ve seen the work Ricky [Ponting] has to do and it’s an extraordinary role. To be quite honest, I’ve never really thought about doing it full-time. I don’t think it’s something that’s a real goal of mine at all. I’ll enjoy the occasion and do it as a one-off.”

England allrounder says tight security may be a distraction but believes normal service will resume when the first Test gets underway in Chennai on Thursday

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2008
A sniper takes up position at the roof of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai © AFP
England landed in Chennai on Monday night and woke up to a wet Tuesday but allrounder Andrew Flintoff believes the real challenge will be the extra security they will receive. “The environment is going to be completely different when you talk about commandos and hotels being locked down,” he told the after the squad arrived from Abu Dhabi. “That is going to be a challenge for the lads. A few of us experienced something similar here in 2002 when we had guards everywhere, but hopefully that will wear off pretty quickly.”He believed normal service would resume once the first Test got underway on Thursday. “Once you’re out in the middle bowling at Sachin Tendulkar or trying to hit Harbhajan Singh around, I don’t think you’ll be worrying about who might be around off the ground. I think that will happen more when you’re at the hotel or mooching around.”The team have made the decision to go and play cricket in India and we want to give a good account of ourselves. These circumstances might make the team tighter and hopefully this can be reflected in the results.”According to the Joint Commissioner of Chennai Police, P Balasubramaniam, England’s stay in the city will be conducted behind a security blanket of more than 5000 personnel. A squad of 300 commandos will be at the hotel and 1000 police at the outer periphery of the hotel. Heavy security will also be in place all along the route to the stadium, and 2000 police personnel will be in attendance at the venue itself.Flintoff, along with Steve Harmison, was initially apprehensive of returning to the subcontinent to complete the tour. Apart from the series missing a competitive edge, personal safety and family concerns had also weighed on Flintoff’s mind.”That was one of the things I had to get right in my mind as well,” said Flintoff. “The one thing about me is that I have to be able to try my best when I get on a cricket field. So I had to be sure I could give my all. I took time to ring family and think it over myself. It was just a case of digesting it and getting it straight in my mind. We needed to know how the tour was going to take place and, once that was presented to us, we could then decide.”There was safety to consider and also whether it was right to be playing in India so soon after Mumbai. I can’t vouch for other players but for me the IPL didn’t come into it at all. Safety is far bigger than the IPL.”However, the team decision to return and the prospect of missing cricket made him rethink. “One of the reasons I decided to go was for my team-mates. We didn’t want to get into the position where the team was split up. Even though we got beaten during the one-day series against India, the spirit in the camp was really good and that’s something we don’t want to lose. So unity has played a major part.”

MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw is expected to step down from his position on the ECB management board

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2008MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw is expected to step down from his position on the ECB management board after experiencing too much conflict of interest according to a report in the .Bradshaw is known to have concerns about the future direction of the world game, especially the development of the English Premier League, the role of Allen Stanford and the dominance of the BCCI. During the recent Stanford Super Series he spoke about the ‘integrity of cricket’ and admitted to concerns about the planned quadrangular event due to be staged at Lord’s.”I do feel I have a conflict of interests given the MCC’s role in the world game and its need to be an independent voice,” Bradshaw told the .An MCC spokesman confirmed to Cricinfo that the matter was on the agenda for the next committee meeting, but added that nothing has been confirmed. “MCC’s role as the guardian of the Laws is of paramount importance to Keith,” the spokesman said.Bradshaw’s resignation would enable him to comment freely on matters involving English and world cricket, creating some potentially interesting situations for the ECB.He is due to take two months off in the New Year for further treatment for bone cancer, although he insisted that was nothing to do with his decision.

A number of Liverpool supporters are unhappy after it emerged that the Reds could be without their three Brazil stars next month.

Jurgen Klopp’s men got their season off to a brilliant start on Saturday, cruising to a 3-0 win away to newly-promoted Norwich City.

On a day when numerous Reds players shone at Carrow Road, their Brazilian heroes had a positive impact on the result.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Alisson made a stunning late save to ensure he kept a clean sheet, Fabinho came on and made a noticeable difference in midfield and Roberto Firmino scored Liverpool’s second goal on the day.

Unfortunately, it looks as though Klopp may have to do without them for a small part of September, with The Daily Mail reporting [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter] that the trio will have to quarantine after Brazil duty and won’t be able to stay in England instead of playing for their country.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans fume at update on Brazil trio

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react negatively to the prospects of being without their three Brazil internationals for a spell next month.

“This is absurd”

Credit: @futebolbaseroom

“International football once again ruining the club game”

Credit: @Adamf941

“Nah this is a joke”

Credit: @CousinCAH

“Another reason why depth is important. Buy more players FSG”

Credit: @VoiceOfTruth__

“1-week quarantine, what a joke”

Credit: @StannisTheGod

“Surely they can decline it”

Credit: @AnfieldRD11

In other news, James Pearce has provided a key update on Liverpool’s transfer business. Read more here.

New Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira will be looking to pick up his first points in charge of the Eagles when they host newly-promoted Brentford this afternoon.

The Frenchman’s reign in south London got off to a poor start when the Eagles were seen off 3-0 by Chelsea last weekend, but he may be confident of a better result this time around.

What’s the word?

Palace had to cope without several first team players for their trip to Stamford Bridge last weekend, and Vieira confirmed that club captain Luka Milivojevic will also play no part in today’s clash.

“Luka is not gonna be available. He had his personal reason,” the manager revealed in Friday’s press conference.

The absence of their talismanic midfielder will be a big blow for the capital club, but there is some positive fitness news as James Tomkins and summer signing Joachim Andersen are available for selection.

“James trained the last couple of days with the group, so he will be involved in the game tomorrow,” said Vieira, who admitted that Andersen’s return to action will offer greater flexibility, stating: “Yeah, that will. Having those players getting fitter – it’s nice for Joachim to play half an hour. His first game since the Euros, that will give options and flexibility at the back.”

Vieira also confirmed that Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher is in line to make his competitive debut for Palace after being unable to play against his parent club on the opening weekend of the season. The Eagles boss said: “Yeah, he’s going to be in the squad. Obviously looking forward to Conor’s first game for us. Will bring us different strengths. Had a really good week, so he will be in the squad.”

Vieira will be gutted over Milivojevic

Despite the positive news surrounding Tomkins, Andersen and Gallagher, Vieira must be gutted to be without his captain and midfield general Milivojevic.

The Serbia international offers stability and a solid base for the Eagles from which to build in the middle of the park, attributes which were desperately missing from their performance last time out against Chelsea. His tackling average of 2.1 per game last season, the fourth-highest in the squad, set the tone from the midfield engine room.

It should be a memorable afternoon for Vieira, who is taking charge of his first home game as a Premier League manager, and he’ll be hoping to mark the occasion with a positive result. It may be harder to obtain without Milivojevic, though.

In other news… Palace could finally replace Cabaye with “exceptional” £7m gem, Vieira would love him 

An analysis of performances in the World Cup after the final

Anantha Narayanan03-Apr-2015

.StoryengineTable { width: 100%; padding: 0px; margin-bottom:10px; text-decoration: none; border-collapse: collapse;}.StoryengineTable caption { padding: 1px 3px 2px 3px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color: #000000; caption-side: top; text-align: left; background-color: #eeeeee; height: 18px;}.StoryengineTable thead { background: url(https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/ptstblHead-bg.gif) left repeat-x; height: 18px;}.StoryengineTable th { padding: 1px 3px 2px 3px; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; color: #222222; text-align: center; padding-right:5px;}.StoryengineTable tr { background-position: left bottom; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;}.StoryengineTable tr.head { background: url(https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/ptstblHead-bg.gif) left repeat-x; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;}.StoryengineTable td { padding: 1px 3px 2px 3px; color:#222222; font-size:12px; text-align: center;}.StoryengineTable th.left, .StoryengineTable td.left { text-align: left;}.StoryengineTable td.right { text-align: right;}

This analysis will be done at suitable points during the World Cup 2015 so that the readers can see the way the Performance tables evolve. As more matches get played the top performance mosaic changes and readers can identify with what happened in the past few days. The qualifying bar for inclusion moves higher as more matches get played.

Australia was crowned worthy world champions after an overwhelming display at the MCG. Any increase in New Zealand’s winning chances, on winning the toss, was wiped out, and more, when McCullum was dismissed in the first over. After that it was an uphill battle and New Zealand was always was struggling. The final winning margin reflected the difference between the sides, on the day. The 16-player Australian team, Hughes included, was invincible. A single blip happened quite early and did not matter.

Top Batting performances in WC 2015: in 48 matches played so far SNo Rating Pts Year ODI# MatchIdx# Batsman For Vs Runs Balls

1 83320153643111MJ Guptill New Zealand Win237*163 2 57920153616100AB de Villiers South Africa Win162* 66 3 57320153612100CH Gayle West Indies Zim215 147 4 46920153641111RG Sharma India Bng137 126 5 46120153615100TM Dilshan Sri Lanka Bng161*146 6 45920153610100S Dhawan India Saf137 146 7 45420153636100BRM Taylor Zimbabwe Ind138 110 8 44820153645125SPD Smith Australia Ind105 93 9 44820153646150GD Elliott New Zealand Aus 83 8210 44720153623100DA Warner Australia Afg178 133

Grant Elliott’s single-handed holding up effort for New Zealand in the final finished in the top-10. The importance of the match was enough to get him into the top-10 table. His effort was bracketed with Smith’s wonderful hundred in the semi-final.

Top Bowling performances in WC 2015: in 48 matches played so far SNo Rating Pts Year ODI# MatchIdx# Bowler For Vs Analysis

1 67920153617100MA Starc Australia Nzl 9.0 – 0 – 28 – 6 2 59820153607100TG Southee New Zealand Eng 9.0 – 0 – 33 – 7 3 49420153617100TA Boult New Zealand Aus10.0 – 3 – 27 – 5 4 44420153600100MR Marsh Australia Eng 9.0 – 0 – 33 – 5 5 43020153602100Sohail Khan Pakistan Ind10.0 – 0 – 55 – 5 6 36120153643111TA Boult New Zealand Win10.0 – 3 – 44 – 4 7 36120153646150JP Faulkner Australia Nzl 9.0 – 1 – 36 – 3 8 35820153646150MG Johnson Australia Nzl 9.0 – 0 – 30 – 3 9 35520153616100Imran Tahir South Africa Win10.0 – 2 – 45 – 510 34820153640111Imran Tahir South Africa Slk 8.2 – 0 – 26 – 4

There was no four-wicket haul in the final. However, James Faulkner’s three timely wickets secured 361 rating points and came in at the seventh position. It is very relevant that all three batsmen he dismissed were top-order batsmen. So the Man-of the-Match award looks very fitting.

Top Player performances in WC 2015: in 48 matches played so far SNo Rating Pts Year ODI# MatchIdx# Player For Vs Runs Balls Analysis

1 70020153612100CH Gayle West Indies Zim215 147 6.0-0-35-2 2 57920153615100TM Dilshan Sri Lanka Bng161*146 8.0-0-35-2 3 49620153600100MR Marsh Australia Eng 23 20 9.0-0-33-5 4 44720153620100Wahab Riaz Pakistan Zim 54* 46 9.4-1-45-4 5 43420153611100MM Ali England Sco128 10710.0-0-47-2 6 40320153627100SC Williams Zimbabwe Ire 96 83 9.0-0-72-3 7 36220153634100Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh Nzl 23 18 8.5-1-55-4 8 35620153644125CJ Anderson New Zealand Saf 58 57 6.0-0-72-3 9 35320153608100AD Russell West Indies Pak 42* 13 8.0-2-33-310 34420153638100Amjad Javed U.A.E. Win 56 99 8.0-0-29-2

Elliott did not bowl and Faulkner did not get on to bat. So there was no player performance worthy of inclusion.

Top Team performances in WC 2015: in 48 matches played so far SNo Rating Pts Year ODI# MatchIdx# Team Own score Vs Other score

1 77520153646150Australia 186 for 3 in 33.1Nzl183 for 10 in 45.0 2 75020153640111South Africa 134 for 1 in 18.0Slk133 for 10 in 37.2 3 72120153616100South Africa 408 for 5 in 50.0Win151 for 10 in 33.1 4 71420153607100New Zealand 125 for 2 in 12.2Eng123 for 10 in 33.2 5 69020153610100India 307 for 7 in 50.0Saf177 for 10 in 40.2 6 68720153623100Australia 417 for 6 in 50.0Afg142 for 10 in 37.3 7 67820153621100South Africa 411 for 4 in 50.0Ire210 for 10 in 45.0 8 66920153631100India 260 for 2 in 36.5Ire259 for 10 in 49.0 9 66820153645125Australia 328 for 7 in 50.0Ind233 for 10 in 46.510 66820153635100England 101 for 1 in 18.1Afg111 for 7 in 36.2

Seven wickets still in hand. More than one third of the balls resource still in hand. By these World Cup standards, the final Australian score could have been in excess of 350. The fact that they dismissed New Zealand well within the stipulated overs also helped. The net result is that this overwhelming win was the best team performance in the World Cup. This performance secured 775 rating points.

In the final report, I will re-visit the entire World Cup scene and update the across-world-cups table with this World Cup performances.