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ESPNcricinfo’s round-up of the latest action from the Logan Cup in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2011Seamer Glen Querl made an eye-catching entrance to Zimbabwean first-class cricket as a match haul of 9 for 101 from him helped set up a nine-wicket win for Matabeleland Tuskers over Southern Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club.Querl grew up in Zimbabwe and played Under-19 cricket for them before heading to England to further his career, and landing a spot on MCC’s Young Cricketers programme. From there, he was picked up by the Unicorns – a team of non-contracted professionals in the English domestic one-day competition – and become an established member of their seam attack.After a couple of speculative matches for the Mountaineers’ B side at the end of last season, he returned to Zimbabwe and won a contract with Tuskers, sharing the new ball with Keegan Meth in the first innings against Rocks. He made a telling start on his first-class debut, his 6 for 38 helping to skittle Tuskers for 148. Half-centuries from opener Terry Duffin and wicketkeeper Adam Wheater ensured a lead for Tuskers, after which Meth’s five-for set a fourth-innings target of exactly 100. Tuskers lost Brian Chari early, but Duffin and Gavin Ewing saw them home with minimum fuss against the struggling Rocks, who are yet to win a first-class match this season.Mid West Rhinos very nearly pulled of a remarkable win in their match against Mashonaland Eagles at Kwekwe Sports Club. Having conceded a first-innings lead, Rhinos seemed to be out of contention after setting Eagles a target of just 158 in the fourth innings. In a remarkable turnaround, Rhinos clawed their way back in to the match and eventually held Eagles to a tense draw, reducing them to 154 for 9 before the match came to an end.Rhinos had reached 321 in their first innings after being put in to bat, thanks mainly to the efforts of the in-form Gary Ballance, who cracked 83, and Solomon Mire’s career-best 96. Eagles captain Stuart Matsikenyeri then underpinned a strong batting effort, his 144 adding to three half-centuries from Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva and Peter Moor as Eagles reached 463.Ballance, who has now scored 421 runs in his last three first-class innings, carried the batting once again in the second innings, his his 128 – and Riki Wessels’ 73 – guiding Rhinos to 299 all out. Eagles stumbled through the early stages of their chase on the final evening, but appeared on course during an 81-run fifth-wicket stand between Chakabva and Moor. Once they were parted, however, panic set in and three run-outs reduced Eagles to 154 for 9 in the final over of the day.

The weather continues to disrupt Durham’s bid for a third CountyChampionship title in four years

10-Aug-2011
Scorecard
The weather continues to disrupt Durham’s bid for a third CountyChampionship title in four years.They lost more than a day to rain in last week’s home draw againstNottinghamshire and only 30 overs were bowled on the first day of their matchagainst Division One’s bottom club, Hampshire, at Chester-le-Street.Put in, the visitors reached 77 for 3 but the forecast remains poor for thewhole four days. Play began at 3.45pm and Callum Thorp quickly reduced Hampshire to nine fortwo. But he was rested with figures of 5-3-5-2 and the change bowlers failed totrouble acting captain Jimmy Adams and Neil McKenzie before bad light haltedplay at 5.18pm.The first attempt to resume at 6pm was aborted because of more rain, but theyreturned eight minutes later and after square driving Mitch Claydon’s first ballfor four Adams chopped the third into his stumps to depart for 23.With Steve Harmison still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in apre-match kickabout, Liam Plunkett out of favour and Scott Borthwick on EnglandLions duty, Durham brought in Sunderland seamer Chris Rushworth for his firstchampionship appearance of the season.But McKenzie twice hit him to the square leg boundary in his second over andpicked up a third four from a leg glance off Rushworth. The South African continued to score the bulk of his runs through the leg side, glancing and pulling Graham Onions for two fours in an over on his way to 46 not out.Liam Dawson fell to the fourth ball of the match, when he shaped to drive Thorpand edged low to Michael Di Venuto at second slip. Following his triple century against Yorkshire last week, Michael Carberry made only four before changing his mind about leaving a ball from Thorp, which he edged to Phil Mustard.Adams took over the Hampshire captaincy with Dominic Cork ruled out by a calfstrain, which also allowed Kabir Ali to return following a 10-wicket match haulin a recent second team game.Six points clear of second-placed Lancashire with four games left, Durham arethe only team among the four title contenders in action this week.

Simon Taufel has referred Phil Hughes’ lbw dismissal in the first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia to the ICC as a serious question mark against the accuracy of Hawk-Eye, the ball tracking technology

Daniel Brettig in Galle02-Sep-2011Simon Taufel, the senior international umpire, has referred Phil Hughes’ second innings lbw dismissal in the first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia to the ICC as a serious question mark against the accuracy of Hawk-Eye, the ball tracking technology. Taufel and the officiating umpires Richard Kettleborough, Aleem Dar and Tony Hill have have also sent the relevant footage of the incident to the ICC’s cricket operations department.Hughes was given out lbw on the second evening when he attempted to sweep Tillakaratne Dilshan. Replays indicated that the delivery had spun appreciably from around middle stump towards off, but the Hawk-Eye predicted path had the ball going straight on with the angle from round the wicket to to strike leg stump.Though he reviewed the decision, Hughes was sent on his way by umpire Kettleborough after consultation with third umpire Hill who is obliged to grant significant weight to the original decision made on the field when he decides whether to reprieve or dismiss a batsman.In Galle to conduct a third umpire accreditation seminar, Taufel has observed the first two days of the Test in part to assess the impact of technology’s inconsistent use and accuracy, having umpired in England’s home series against India under vastly different playing conditions and technological aids.Taufel told ESPNcricinfo that more needed to be done to prove the veracity of devices such as Hawk-Eye, HotSpot and Virtual Eye via independent testing that sits outside the views of broadcasters and suppliers.”Why can’t we tap into technology if the match official is missing a piece of information, and is it right that the match official has to make a decision before technology can be used?” Taufel said. “That’s a fundamental question I think we’re still working through. Under the current system we’re encouraged to make decisions and if a player feels they disagree with that then they’ve got the right to review. But if they get that wrong twice, then we can’t use technology anymore in that innings for that particular team.”They’re the parameters we’re working with and that’s the value we want to promote within the sport – do we just want to get the obvious mistake fixed up or do we want to get as many decisions right as possible? What are the technology tools we have to achieve that, and then how accurate are those tools? Have we really investigated that from an independent perspective, and have we got a categorical answer with that? Is it reliable on the day, rather than just relying on the provider of that technology to say ‘it is x-amount accurate and the result is right’ and we just take that on face value?”The third umpire’s job in particular has become increasingly difficult as each series brings a different set of parameters for reviewing decisions, and the technological means by which they may be reviewed. Taufel said players had also become confused on the field by the transient nature of rules relating to referrals and technology.”From the training perspective we did with the third umpire accreditation module it is very difficult, because there is no consistency of inputs,” Taufel said. “How do I train and develop a third umpire when I don’t know what technology tools are going to be available on the day?”From an umpiring perspective, as a third umpire, it is incredibly challenging here [in Sri Lanka] because the frame rates used by Ten Sports per second will be different to the ones used by Sky in Britain. There’s ultra-motion available in the UK, there’s none of that here. We have Hotspot in the UK, we don’t have Hotspot here. The camera rates used by Hawk-Eye here would be different to the camera rates used there.”Therein lies the challenge of consistency – how can you possibly expect consistent outputs if you’ve got inconsistent inputs? We’ve also noticed the players are somewhat confused as to what they can challenge and what they can’t. In the UK they couldn’t challenge lbws, they could only challenge caught decisions. Here we’ve gone back to a different system where you can challenge both.”Surely that’s got to be difficult for the players and the match officials to keep adjusting from series to series. Our message as umpires was rather strong at the ICC cricket committee meeting where we said, we either want to use everything or nothing at all, let’s try to make it consistently easier for everybody. That’s what we want to work towards.”

Trevor Bayliss has been snapped up by the Sydney Sixers after being overlooked for the job as coach of New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2011Trevor Bayliss has been snapped up by the Sydney Sixers after being overlooked for the job as coach of New South Wales. Bayliss lost out to Anthony Stuart in the race to become the mentor of the Blues, but he has picked up a two-year deal to coach the Sixers, who will be based at the SCG and are one of the two Sydney sides for the new-look Big Bash League.Missing out to Stuart last month was a blow for Bayliss, who had just finished a successful near four-year stint as coach of Sri Lanka, and had coached New South Wales prior to winning his first international role. However, Bayliss will now play a key role in the Big Bash League alongside Stuart Clark, who was in May named general manager of the Sixers.”Trevor is a high quality coach with a huge amount of success domestically and internationally,” Clark said. “His ability and respect amongst the playing group provides the foundation to have a successful winning culture.”Bayliss, 48, and Clark can now start the search for players to sign up, with the existing state sides not automatically feeding talent into the Big Bash teams. However, after the Australian Cricketers’ Association pushed for free agency in the Twenty20 tournament, there is every chance the majority of the Blues players will be keen to stay in Sydney, with either the Sixers or the Thunder, who will be based at Olympic Park.”New South Wales has plenty of talented T20 cricketers and when you potentially add in a couple of international stars, the blend of youth, ability and experience makes for a very exciting prospect,” Bayliss said. “I am really looking forward to working with the Sydney Sixers at the SCG over the next few years.”Bayliss has a fine record as a coach, having steered Sri Lanka to the World Cup final this year, in his last act with the side. And as coach of New South Wales until 2006-07, he helped the Blues win a Pura Cup title as well as a domestic one-day trophy.

Shane Warne has been fined US$50,000 by the BCCI but was spared a ban for his public spat with Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) secretary Sanjay Dixit

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2011Shane Warne has been fined US$50,000 by the BCCI but was spared a ban for his public spat with Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) secretary Sanjay Dixit over changing of pitches in Jaipur during the IPL. On Tuesday the pair faced an IPL commission, comprising Ravi Shastri and league chairman Chirayu Amin, which ruled Warne to be in “serious breach of his IPL playing contract” for criticising Dixit.The RCA had complained to the BCCI and IPL that Warne reportedly abused Dixit after his team’s loss to Bangalore in Jaipur last week. The pitch used for that game, and the previous one against Chennai Super Kings, was different from the one Warne’s team had enjoyed a strong home advantage on.In taking its decision the commission took into account Warne’s apology to Dixit and his status as one of the all-time greats of the game. “It (the Commission) regards the public criticism of Mr. Dixit as being a serious breach by Mr. Warne of his IPL playing contract,” a BCCI release said.”However, at the same time, the Commission also recognises that Mr. Warne has apologised to Mr. Dixit, and that the incident occurred just after the match. In addition, the Commission is cognisant of the contribution to the game of cricket in general, and to the Indian Premier League, which has been made by Mr. Warne.”The Commission also said that further breaches could result in a fine, a match ban or points deduction for the player’s team, or a combination of the three.Since the pitch was changed on May 9, Warne and Dixit have engaged in a war of words that has been fought in public, private and through the media. The hearing in Mumbai followed RCA’s rejection of an apology offered by the Rajasthan franchise, with the state board also threatening further action if the matter was not resolved to its satisfaction.

The floodwaters had receded but the devastation was still easy to see around Goodna, west of Brisbane, where the Australian cricketers did their bit to give the community something to smile about during time at a local school

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane28-Jan-2011The floodwaters had receded but the devastation was still easy to see around Goodna, west of Brisbane, where the Australian cricketers did their bit to give the community something to smile about during time at a local school. They now hope to give Queenslanders some joy by securing the one-day series against England with victory at the Gabba on Sunday.This was the first time the squad had returned to Brisbane since the flooding – although Shane Watson went to his hometown, Ipswich, two weeks ago just as the recovery work began – and they visited schools and shopping malls around some of the worst-affected areas west of the city. The swollen, murky brown Brisbane River which snakes through the city is a reminder of how recently the disaster unfolded.Australia are now aiming to make this the city where they seal the series after giving England a lifeline at Adelaide and Watson believes the local support will make a huge difference. “It’s going to be a very emotional day and hopefully that can help pull us over the line and win the series,” he said.England have made their own donations to the flood appeal during this series and are aware of the motivating factors involved in this match for Australia. “Our hearts have gone out to the people. Seeing those things on TV is pretty shocking,” Chris Tremlett said. “The England team have been fully behind it. I imagine it will be a very emotional time for people on Sunday and we are glad to be part of it.”Watson has previously spoken about how his mind has often been on events in Queensland during the one-day series, yet he has been able to maintain his consistent form with a match-winning 161 at Melbourne and 64 at Adelaide. But while his success for Australia gives him great pleasure these past few weeks have given him a sense of perspective.”There’s no doubt that during the period when you didn’t know the extent of devastation, around Ipswich especially, it was something that took my mind off the cricket,” he said. “After the disappointment of the Ashes series it put my life into perspective for sure. It’s just great I was able to score runs during that period but life is bigger and greater than cricket, even though I love playing it.”Although the Suncorp Stadium, which is used for rugby and soccer, was flooded, the Gabba was largely unaffected and recently staged back-to-back Big Bash games. Kevin Mitchell Jr, the Gabba curator, has no concerns about the pitch for Sunday’s game despite the horrific weather of a few weeks ago.”It’s looking pretty good with nice even cover of grass so should play uniformly,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “With all the rain, we’re not too bad. The only way the Gabba gets flooded is if the stormwater and the tide from Norman Creek occur together. Since the redevelopment of the ground it’s happened four times. The wicket block is never affected.”Mitchell Johnson’s occasional state appearances now come for Western Australia, but he was born in Townsville and retains a strong connection to his home state. “Just driving through now and seeing where the levels were, Shane [Watson] showed me some photos of the water. It does blow you away and it’s hard to believe,” he said. “The Queensland spirit is nice and strong and we are sticking behind each other. The day after it all happened you saw the pictures of everyone lending a hand, digging that mud up, and doing everything they can.”Johnson, who struggled during the Ashes apart from his matchwinning performance in Perth, has been a frustrated watcher during the last three matches due to a throat infection. He hopes to return to the side in Brisbane and build form ahead of the World Cup in what he believes will be a memorable occasion.”I’m certainly looking forward to getting back and playing again,” he said. “It was hard sitting back on Australia Day and not being able to play, it’s one of the ones you want to take part in. Coming here on Sunday, back on home turf, hopefully I’ll get a game and be able to raise some more money.”

A BCCI umpire doing liaison work for the ICC during the World Cup has been removed from duty following revelations of unprofessional conduct

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2011Devendra Sharma, a BCCI umpire involved in liaison work for the ICC during the World Cup, has been removed from duty following revelations of unprofessional conduct unearthed by a TV sting operation. Sharma was caught by , an Indian television channel, allegedly supplying information about the pitch and conditions before a game, which is a violation of the ICC’s code of conduct.In a statement sent to the press detailing the sting operation, claimed that Sharma “revealed some vital information about the condition of the pitch” a day before the March 6 game between Canada and Kenya. “He said that it’s a good batting track and it is going to be a high scoring game,” the statement said. “The team after winning the toss will opt for batting first.”Clause 2.3.2 of the code of conduct states that it is a misuse of inside information to disclose it “to any person (with or without reward) before or during any international match or ICC event where the player or player support personnel might reasonably be expected to know that disclosure of such information in such circumstances could be used in relation to betting.”In that game, Kenya won the toss and chose to bat first, with Canada captain Ashish Bagai saying he too would have chosen to bat first. Kenya wound up being bowled out for 198, a total Canada chased down with more than four overs to spare. also claimed to have recorded five BCCI umpires, and a former umpire, who were allegedly willing to violate professional rules and ethics by agreeing to participate in a corporate tournament that was not sanctioned by the BCCI or any of the state associations. The umpires apparently also agreed to favour certain players with their decisions.”Reporters tell the umpires that in the tournament some players could get promotions and bonus in their company if they performed well in this tournament,” the channel said. “For this the players also depended on ‘favours’ from the umpires. All six agree that they will be lenient on decisions like LBW and caught behind. They also inform our undercover reporters that a list of players to be favoured should be given to them before matches.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a further setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Liverpool tonight.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via Evening Standard), Jurgen Klopp revealed that he has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the meeting with Spurs, with the 54-year-old hinting that Roberto Firmino will be available for selection should he feel that the centre-forward is required.

When asked whether the Brazil international will be fit to feature against Spurs, the German said: “I don’t know, but he is back in training, so now we have to make a decision about that. But let’s see. Yesterday he was in training, was great.”

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When asked whether the remainder of his squad will be available for selection, Klopp added: “Yes. I don’t have my smartphone here, because I get messages pretty late, but when I checked it last time, yes.”

Conte will be gutted

Considering just how important tonight’s fixture is for Tottenham’s hopes of securing a top-four finish this season, the news that Firmino looks as if he will be available and that the rest of the Liverpool squad are fit, coupled with Spurs’ earlier loss of Sergio Reguilon to injury, is sure to have left Antonio Conte gutted.

Indeed, the Reds have been in exceptional form across all competitions this season, having already lifted the Carabao Cup, secured a place in the final of both the Champions League and the FA Cup.

In addition, they are just one point behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, with Klopp being in with a fantastic chance of securing an unprecedented quadruple.

As such, when taking into account just how talented the current crop of Liverpool players quite clearly is, the news that the Reds have no injury concerns ahead of the Tottenham game is sure to come as a huge blow to Spurs’ chances of picking up a positive result at Anfield, with Conte in desperate need of the three points if he is to give his side the best possible shot at securing Champions League football next season.

AND in other news: Conte starts “really special” talent & drops “awful” £82k-p/w flop: Spurs predicted XI

Leicestershire continue to feel the effects of a tumultuous 2010 and have announced a loss of £404,862 for the year to September 30

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Leicestershire continue to feel the effects of a tumultuous 2010 and have announced a loss of £404,862 for the year to September 30. The county was beset with problems last summer, with the resignations of chief executive David Smith, senior coach Tim Boon and chairman Neil Davidson.”The results are bad but we have known for some time that costs have not been controlled and income from membership and Twenty20 was way down on budget,” said recently appointed chief executive Mike Siddall.”In almost every area costs are either over budget or income targets have not been achieved. The club needs rebuilding from the bottom and although we have a tough job on our hands it is far from an impossible task.”So far we have replaced our kit supplier, caterer, legal adviser and physiotherapy services provider and desperately need to upgrade our IT and financial systems.”The losses have had a detrimental effect on the club’s cash flow and Siddall added: “The position is serious and in order to guarantee the bank overdraft, the club needs to increase its commercial income significantly. We are continuing our discussions with Leicester City Council to see what can be done in order to relax the covenant the council has over the Grace Road ground. I am optimistic that a solution can be found to enable us to offer sufficient security to cover the facilities we require.””The board has been completely revamped and we have appointed a new company secretary,” added chairman Paul Haywood, who took over when Neil Davidson resigned in October. “Expertise has been brought in to help increase sponsorship and membership income. Costs are now under control and we have set a budget which should return the club to profit.”I am very optimistic for the future. Sponsors, including main club sponsor The Oval Group, are backing the club and sales of attractively priced membership packages have been good. We finished last season on a very positive note and skipper Matthew Hoggard and the team are really looking forward to the new season.”

At 35 Michael Hussey, his sideburns flecked with grey, has to convince himself to be free and focused, which aren’t always complementary aims

Peter English in Brisbane23-Nov-2010Word has filtered through to Michael Hussey that he must get runs in Thursday’s first Test. He hasn’t read the papers or watched the television, but he has been sledged by the Victorians and listened to more talk than usual. A check of his stats will show he hasn’t scored a century in his past six Tests and in those matches has averaged 26.Outside the team everyone is asking him if he’s playing for his place, directly and in roundabout ways. Even before a 17-man squad was picked early last week to let the senior guys know that it was time to perform or perish. Hussey is always a gentleman, almost always talking positive, but there is pain in his smiles.”In my mind I still have the belief that I’m good enough to be in the team,” he said as the team prepared in Brisbane. “But there’s been a lot of speculation … Certainly some has filtered through. It’s not nice when you hear negative things or people saying you shouldn’t be in the team or they seem to have lost faith in you.”Re-confirming your worth to the detractors is a common theme for the aging player. At first, runs were all that mattered, but as things wind down it’s a fight to hold on to everything: the spot, the goodwill, the reputation.”Certainly for me that’s a motivating thing, trying to prove them wrong,” he said. “I had to do that last year. Shane Warne was pretty outspoken in wanting me out of the team. At the end of the summer he came out and said, you’ve proved me wrong.” Centuries used to create the most satisfying feelings.At 35 Hussey, his sideburns flecked with grey, has to convince himself to be free and focused, which aren’t always complementary aims. Throughout his career the latter has been easier to achieve. His single-mindedness turned a decade in the first-class ranks into one of the most stunning entries, a Test run which included an average of 80 more than two years after his debut.The fun came from accumulating, but a bad Test at the Gabba could end the ride. Or the final stop might be Adelaide, or back home in Perth. It is not a series for guarantees.He is relieved that he made the squad on the back of a second-innings century for Western Australia last week. During that display, which followed an 18-ball duck, the negative comments from the fielders “were driving me on further and further”. With the batch of young players gaining interest from the national selectors, Hussey is playing for next week and beyond.”I want to enjoy it, enjoy that pressure,” he said. “I don’t want to walk away at the end of my career, thinking, ‘geez, I absolutely hated playing for Australia’. I want to go away knowing that I played the way I wanted to play and that I gave myself the best chance of performing well and I enjoyed every minute of it. Go away a happy man rather than having regrets.”He will not change his approach and does not think his problems are technical. If he’s tentative he will struggle early, if he’s positive he can live with the consequences. The last time he was under similar heat was at The Oval in 2009, when he had gone 15 Tests without a hundred. His 121 saved his spot, but not the game, with his dismissal ending the series and changing the owners of the urn.He is a meticulous planner and is an expert at hanging on with a well-timed exertion. Does he prepare differently for a pressure innings? “No, you try not to,” he said. But do you? “No, I try not to.” He smiles as he repeats the answer, at the same time trying to convince himself he’s right.”I try to block out as much as I can and know what worked in the past. Stick to my game plans. Half the challenge is to block out all the external distractions that go on. It’s definitely been a lot tougher [this time].”While England have experienced a flawless preparation for the Ashes, Australia’s travels have been as bumpy as a landing on a rural airstrip. The hosts lost seven matches in a row in all forms of the game before succeeding in a dead ODI against Sri Lanka in Brisbane at the start of the month. England have skipped across the country, getting all their men in some form, at the same time as their stuttering opponents have picked up injuries and stinging criticism.”It’s been perceivably up and down,” Hussey said of Australia’s recent results. “But I actually think we’ve been going really well. Even in India, we played some fantastic Test cricket … It’s more been external stuff causing conjecture. Within the team our plans are really specific.”When there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of speculation and tension, that sometimes brings out the best in players, and you know if you can stick together tight as a team, you can always turn in a positive direction.” Keep the faith, retain your spot, win the Ashes. That’s the theory.