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As a weapon to defeat Australia, poetry does not spring immediately to mind. But that is what the ECB hopes will fill England with strength after the publication of a poem to mark the arrival of the Investec Ashes series.

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2013As a weapon to defeat Australia, poetry does not spring immediately to mind. But that is what the ECB hopes will fill England with strength after the publication of a poem to mark the arrival of the Investec Ashes series.We would like to know what you think of it.Cricket has inspired a fair deal of poetry over the years. There is nothing more rose-tinted in the canon than Vitai Lampada by Sir Henry Newbolt in 1892 with his exhortation to ‘Play up ! play up ! and play the game!’#RISE has something for everyone.Lord’s will delight in the attention given to the honours board, no player can resist imagining himself with a set jaw and white knuckles and, as for the obsessive scorers among you, there is even a mention of dot balls. In an age of Twenty20, an homage to the dot ball is soothingly traditional.The poem will take pride of place on the Trent Bridge programme when the Ashes begins on July 10.We think it has a bit of Jerusalem about it, although even that is not entirely a good thing as Jerusalem tends to be removed from hymn books these days. But they will still be bashing it out in Nottingham on July 10 no doubt as England seek to fill Australia with trepidation#RISEHistory will soon be made,
Upon the board,
Their honours engraved.
Nerves on edge, muscles tighten.
Jaws are set, knuckles whiten.
A dot ball passes, atmosphere heightens.
Those left standing: gods among titans.
They’ll deliver the fight, session by session.
The nation’s pride their only obsession.
For one. For all.
The bat.
The ball.
Old scores. New clashes.
Together we’ll Rise
For The Urn.
The Ashes.

The first T20 international between South Africa and Pakistan in Durban was abandoned without a ball being bowled

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2013

Scorecard and updates
The first T20 international between South Africa and Pakistan in Durban was abandoned without a ball being bowled. It had been raining in Durban for more than five hours prior to the start of play, and the chances of a game going ahead were slim with puddles around the outfield and the showers not relenting. Even around half-an-hour after the scheduled time for the toss, the umpires said it would take at least two hours to get the ground in playable condition once the rain stopped. That didn’t happen and the umpires called off the game at 6.30pm, two hours and eight minutes before the cut-off time for a five-over fixture.The second T20 international will take place in Centurion on March 3.

Two of Australia’s finest fast bowlers, Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner, will become the newest additions to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Monday

Brydon Coverdale03-Feb-2013Two of Australia’s finest fast bowlers, Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner, will become the newest additions to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Monday. Turner and McGrath represented Australia a century apart but will together be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal ceremony in Melbourne, bringing the number of inductees to 37.The nomination of McGrath follows last year’s induction of his long-time team-mate Shane Warne, who bowed out from Test cricket alongside McGrath during the Sydney Ashes Test in the first week of 2007. The inaugural winner of the Allan Border Medal in 2000, McGrath took 563 Test wickets at 21.64 as well as 381 wickets at 22.02 in one-day internationals, and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in December last year.”I’m very humbled but it’s a huge honour,” McGrath said. “I grew up in the country watching cricket and loving cricket from a young age and the thought of one day playing for Australia was such a dream.”To achieve that, but then to be lucky enough to have played for as long as I did in an amazing era, and now to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a huge honour. To be alongside some of my heroes growing up, guys like Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, the Chappells, there are some incredible names there. To think that my name is alongside those is pretty amazing.”Just as McGrath was the pre-eminent Australian fast bowler of his era, Turner was Australia’s leading fast man during his international career, which spanned the years 1887 to 1895. Turner, known as the “Terror”, was the natural successor to Fred Spofforth, whose final Test was Turner’s debut, and in 17 Tests Turner collected 101 wickets at the average of 16.53.He remains the equal second-fastest man to the 100-wicket milestone in Tests; among Australians, only Clarrie Grimmett can match Turner’s record of reaching the mark in 17 matches. Turner, who played for New South Wales, also had a remarkable first-class record of 993 wickets at 14.25.”Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner were each the outstanding Australian fast bowler of their era,” David Crow, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman, said. “Despite careers more than a century apart, they had much in common. Tall, right-arm fast bowlers, both men hailed from country New South Wales. Their superb records demonstrate the dominance each had over opposition batsmen over a prolonged period.”The Hall of Fame began in 1996 with the induction of ten players and a further 27 have been added in the years since.Hall of Fame inductees Warwick Armstrong, Richie Benaud, John Blackham, Allan Border, Sir Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Alan Davidson, George Giffen, Clarrie Grimmett, Neil Harvey, Lindsay Hassett, Ian Healy, Clem Hill, Bill Lawry, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Charles Macartney, Rod Marsh, Stan McCabe, Glenn McGrath, Graham McKenzie, Keith Miller, Arthur Morris, Monty Noble, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Ponsford, Bob Simpson, Fred Spofforth, Mark Taylor, Hugh Trumble, Victor Trumper, Charlie Turner, Doug Walters, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Bill Woodfull.

Shane Watson chugged through a second fitness test in 24 hours at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, trying his tender calf through jogging, running and near enough to sprinting over 30 minutes under the unblinking morning sun

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide20-Nov-2012Shane Watson chugged through a second fitness test in 24 hours at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, trying his tender calf through jogging, running and near enough to sprinting over 30 minutes under the unblinking morning sun. Afterwards Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris gave Watson a pat on the back: whether it was a gesture of encouragement or consolation was difficult to tell.Whatever Kountouris and the team’s recently appointed strength and conditioning coach David Bailey have in store for Watson between now and the start of the second Test on Thursday, nothing can provide an entirely solid indicator of how likely the vice-captain’s calf is to flare again under the pressure of a five-day contest. Mindful of this, his fellow batsman Ricky Ponting stated bluntly that Watson should not play in Adelaide unless he is fully fit, no matter how his duties are modified by exempting him from bowling and stationing him permanently at slip.”He’ll have a certain criteria he’ll have to pass, there’ll be certain amount of running he’ll have to do and things to do to prove he’s right to play a Test match,” Ponting said. “No-one can go into a Test match 70% fit, I don’t care if you’re a batsman and a slips fielder, if you can’t bat at 100% then you’re putting pressure on other blokes as well.”Someone’s got to run with him between the wickets, and I’m sure that’ll be at the back of his mind, it’ll certainly be at the back of the minds of the physios and doctors looking after him for the next couple of days. I’ve only seen him on what he’s done in the nets over the last couple of days, I believe he did some extra running last night and today, but he’ll make sure he’s ticking all the boxes to be right to play the game.”Ponting has watched both this and last summer’s Watson injury sagas from a somewhat less involved viewpoint than in the past, his ceding of the captaincy to Michael Clarke taking him out of the decision-making group that for this match includes Clarke, the coach Mickey Arthur and the selector on duty Rod Marsh, who will liaise with the national selector John Inverarity.”It’s not up for me to decide whether he should play or not, I have watched him train closely the last couple of days, he’s getting through his batting fine, he’s been a bit restricted with what he can do in the field, he’s done his catching work and he’ll be in slips if he plays anyway,” Ponting said.”Obviously the selectors and our coaches are going to give him as long as possible to prove his fitness or otherwise, but so far he seems confident in himself and with what’s require of his batting at training, he’s looked good in the nets. He can play as a batsman, yeah, he’s just got to tick all the boxes he can tick and do the things he can do physically and then see what the selectors and captain and coach do from there.”As for whether the rest of the team harboured any impatience about Watson’s fitness battles, Ponting said any such feelings were nothing next to the allrounder’s own sense of an increasingly frustrated career. “It is what it is for us, I am sure it is more frustrating for Shane himself,” Ponting said. “He is a very valued member of our side, anyone who can bat in the top order and bowl the way he can bowl is going to be missed in any team around the world.”He is also our Test vice-captain and No. 3 batter so he’s a vital part of our side, if we’ve got him that will be great, and if we don’t we have to move on pretty quickly and if Rob Quiney gets another opportunity – he looked really good last week in his short stay at the crease and we are pretty confident he will do the job if he gets the chance to play.”

The Pakistan Super League is set to be the latest money-spinning Twenty20 competition but English players have again be warned against participating by the player’s union

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2013The Pakistan Super League is set to become the latest money-spinning Twenty20 competition but English players have again be warned against participating.The PSL is scheduled to be launched on March 26 and could be worth more than $100 million according to organisers but the Professional Cricketers Association, England’s players’ union, is reported to have “grave concerns” about security in Pakistan. It has contacted each county asking them to refuse to issue No Objection Certificates – which would deny players permission to take part.”Our advice is that players should not take part in the PSL,” PCA chief executive, Angus Porter, told the “I’m certain England will not issue No Objection Certificates to their centrally contracted players.”The PCA also expressed apprehension over the Bangladesh Premier League but several English players have been involved in the first two editions. Worries over payment guarantees haven’t deterred the likes of Joe Denly, the Middlesex batsman, who had his county’s backing to take up an offer to join Barisal Burners earlier in the week. Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Phil Mustard are among other English players at the BPL.But counties have been less inclined to allow their players permission to play in the IPL, which clashes with the start of the English season. Alex Hales, Michael Lumb and Samit Patel were all told by Nottinghamshire they could not take part if they were bought by a franchise. Monty Panesar does have permission to enter the player auction from Sussex.

Kevin Pietersen will return to action for Surrey in Sunday’s CB40 match against one of his previous clubs, Hampshire, at West End

George Dobell17-Aug-2012Kevin Pietersen will return to action for Surrey in Sunday’s CB40 match against one of his previous clubs, Hampshire, at West End.Pietersen, who was dropped from the England side for the final Test of the series against South Africa at Lord’s following an incident where he sent what he termed ‘provocative’ texts about England captain Andrew Strauss to members of the South Africa team, is anxious to win a recall to England’s limited-overs squads. The ECB will announce the squads for the World Twenty20 and the limited-overs series against South Africa on Tuesday.The ECB have also released Pietersen for the CB40 against Glamorgan at the Oval on Tuesday, a game which will be used to launch the Tom Maynard Trust, a charity founded in memory of the Surrey and Glamorgan batsman who died in tragic circumstances in June aged just 23. No decision has yet been made about the playing commitments of any of England’s other contracted players beyond Tuesday.Surrey will be grateful for Pietersen’s return. Their form has deteriorated since the death of Maynard, with Mark Ramprakash retiring and Rory Hamilton-Brown taking extended compassionate leave and relinquishing the captaincy. They can still retain the CB40 trophy they won last year, however, and go into Sunday’s game against Hampshire just a point behind the hosts with a game in hand.Quite what reception Pietersen can expect remains to be seen. He left Hampshire under something of a cloud in 2010 having complained about the distance of the ground from his Chelsea home and the events of recent weeks will have done little to win over those who were unimpressed by him then.

Steve Harmison took three wickets on his Yorkshire debut as the visitors fought back late in the day at Chesterfield

Nigel Gardner at Chesterfield18-Jul-2012
ScorecardPhil Jaques made 61 for Yorkshire but no other batsman reached fifty•PA PhotosAlthough this has been a summer most will want to forget, it has been a decent one for Derbyshire and their followers. The sun has been obscured by rain clouds but this “unfashionable” county have basked in the warm glow of County Championship success.It has been 13 seasons since Derbyshire sat down at domestic cricket’s top table but they showed why they went into this contest with a 25 point lead in Division Two. Until that is, Yorkshire and Steve Harmison came roaring back in the final sessionHarmison had endured another chastening day on his second appearance for Yorkshire who had collapsed in startling fashion on a pitch that is a decent one to bat. Harmison swung the bat breezily to help his new team-mates to a batting point but when he ran in from the Lake End with the ball in his hand, the radar was clearly not functioning.His fourth ball was a wide and there was one more before his opening over ended. There was another in his next as the ball shot away down to the leg side to the boundary and when Jaques took him out of the firing line, he had bowled five wides and two no balls in three overs which cost 27. The fact that Derbyshire’s bowlers did not concede a wide or a no ball between them made it even worse.But how quickly the tide of fortune can turn in this game and he responded in the best possible fashion when Phil Jaques brought him back in the 27th over. It proved an inspired piece of captaincy as he took 3 for 0 in 11 balls although it has to be said, Derbyshire gave Harmison generous assistance.First Jon Clare was tempted into a rash drive at a ball he should have left alone and then in his next over, Wes Durston chased one he should have ignored and edged to second slip. It was hardly vintage stuff but after all his recent problems, Harmison will not mind how the wickets come.As Yorkshire opener Joe Root said: “They might not have been the most pleasing-on-the-eye balls that got the wickets but the pace he was bowling at obviously put a lot of doubt in the batsmen’s minds. You could see they weren’t comfortable so you’ve got to give him a bit of credit.”At least his third victim was the result of a decent bouncer which former Yorkshire batsman David Wainwright helped on its way into the hands of Moin Ashraf who did well to take the catch and stay inside the ropes.By the time stumps were drawn at 7pm, 17 wickets had fallen but rather than convene a pitch panel, the ECB should summon a batting inspector to delve into what unfolded on the opening day of this top of the table clash.Yorkshire’s position after lunch matched the unusual sight of blue skies over picturesque Queen’s Park as Jaques and former Derbyshire batsman Gary Ballance proceeded in untroubled fashion and appeared to be setting the visitors up for a score of around 350. But all that changed in the 40th over as Mark Turner tore in from the Lake End to instigate a startling collapse that saw the visitors crash from 175 for 3 to 219 all out on the stroke of tea.Turner took the first three of those seven wickets to fall to fully justify the decision to give him his first Championship appearance of the season in place of a batsman, Chesney Hughes, who was originally down on the scorecard to play.Yorkshire appeared to be in even more trouble as Derbyshire replied by moving to 43 without loss but then they also hit the self-destruct button to leave the visitors holding a slight advantage at the end of a remarkable day.

MS Dhoni has said that the two Twenty20 internationals against Australia will not be used as glorified nets for the bigger triangular ODI series that follows

Sidharth Monga in Sydney31-Jan-2012Twenty20 internationals often go through an identity crisis. They are neither World Twenty20, nor leagues like IPL and BBL where every game takes you towards a larger goal. On international tours, Twenty20s – often one or two in number – run the risk of being seen as just exhibition games.Not for India this time. MS Dhoni has said that the two Twenty20 internationals against Australia will not be used as glorified nets for the bigger triangular ODI series that follows. He said the presence of youngsters will make the team more energetic on the field.These might be India’s last two Twenty20 internationals before they split up to play for their respective IPL teams and go into September’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, an event where they have been knocked out in the first round in their last two attempts.”We don’t get to play too many T20 international games,” Dhoni said. “Usually it’s one match on a tour. It’s good we have two games. We’ll try to make the most out of it. We’ll look to play the XI best suited for that particular occasion, not thinking about the ODIs.”The first occasion for India will be at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, a multi-purpose venue originally built for the Olympics. India have no clue what to expect from the ground. They practised there yesterday, but could only do fielding drills because the practice pitches – in a corner, almost under the roof – were damp. Today India, like Australia, shifted base to the more traditional SCG. Dhoni said that shouldn’t be much of a handicap because Australia too haven’t played much at the venue.”I don’t think there are many who have played there,” Dhoni said. “It remains quite the same for the home team as well as the touring team. That’s something pretty even. Of course we would like to spend a bit of time there. We had to shift the practice session because the wickets were damp there, and we weren’t able to practise. We will see exactly how it is. The outfield will be important. It is not a cricket ground, which means the sand content is more. Hopefully it goes out well.”Dhoni, though, is looking forward to what the fresh faces will bring to the team. “Our one-day side looks very different from our Test side,” Dhoni said. “The new boys who have come in are a lot more noisy, which really helps lift the dressing-room atmosphere. They love to pull each other’s leg, which means it gets more and more lively. I don’t think it’s very difficult [to stay positive despite a disastrous tour so far].” He likened the difference they brought to shifting from Kishore Kumar to Sean Paul.When asked who he would rather work with, the Bollywood legend of the old or the new-age Jamaican rapper, Dhoni picked the middle path. “I am someone who keeps adjusting. That’s one good thing. A mix of everything is good. From classical to rap music. Good to have these boys around.”However, Dhoni spoke of the importance of having young legs in the side. “We have really improved as a fielding side, especially in the ODIs where we have seen a mix of players who are experienced and the youngsters coming in. So on an average out of four fielders three of them can really stop the batsmen from taking a quick single. And the opportunity of getting a batsman run out is very critical in an ODI or a T20.”When it’s needed at the slog overs, they can field at the boundary without much hassle. It really helps me in the sense that I don’t have to be too worried about placing the right fielders at the right position. They do it amongst themselves. They are very good. They know where they need to be at the right time. It helps me think on the right things, where I can put emphasis.”Dhoni said it wasn’t going to be easy to forget how the first half of the tour has gone down. “It’s not easy,” he said. “We play with a lot of emotion. Indians are known to be emotional people. But it’s not something we haven’t done in the past. We have been able to do this. In England when we went into the ODIs I felt the boys performed really well apart from the rain that affected our bowling performance because of the wet ball. Apart from that the fight was good over there. Not really worried. Hopefully it will go our way.”

South Africa’s players have asked for their board to be restructured in accordance with the recommendations of a government inquiry into the payment of unauthorised bonuses

Firdose Moonda11-Mar-2012South Africa’s players have asked for their board to be restructured in accordance with the recommendations of a government inquiry into the payment of unauthorised bonuses. The committee, chaired by Judge Chris Nicholson, suggested that CSA appoint a smaller board with a majority of independent directors. It also found chief executive Gerald Majola had breached the Companies Act in a manner serious enough to merit referral to the National Prosecuting Authority.Majola and 39 other staff members received a collective R4.7 million (US $671, 428) in bonuses after the hosting of the 2009 IPL and Champion Trophy. This was in addition to bonuses they had already been paid, through the board, and the second payment was not declared through official channels. Following an internal and external inquiry, the South African sports ministry intervened and set up a separate commission to re-investigate.The national team have been largely unaffected by the drama, even as it has unfolded over the course of two summers, and have finally spoken out through their association. “The players have been patient throughout a long and unhappy period of instability, but now that there are clear recommendations we expect the CSA Board to act immediately and decisively,” Tony Irish, chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association, said. “We want the administration of the game in the best hands and, at the heart of that process is getting the composition of the board of directors right.”Irish was clear that the players wanted to get the message out that they are in support of restricting the board and wanted it happen as soon as possible. “The appointment of suitable directors cannot happen overnight, but the process should start immediately. We believe that is the most important recommendation of the inquiry.”The Nicholson report had made negative conclusions about the conduct of Majola and the board as a whole, suggesting that CSA’s structures need a complete overhaul. Nicholson has recommended that Majola be put on 180 days leave – in accordance with his contract, with full pay to prepare his defence for a possible court case – and a process of cleaning-out begin.The only on-field implication of the saga so far has been the struggle for CSA to find sponsors. The Twenty20 and ODI series against Australia were without corporate backing, as was the domestic one-day cup. The domestic 20-over competition only secured a sponsor in the same week as the first match was played.

The Sydney Cricket Ground’s venerable MA Noble, Bradman and Messenger stands will be demolished and replaced by a vast new $186 million construction in time for the ground’s next Ashes Test in January 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2012The Sydney Cricket Ground’s venerable MA Noble, Bradman and Messenger stands will be demolished and replaced by a vast new $186 million construction in time for the ground’s next Ashes Test in January 2014. On the occasion of the ground’s 100th Test, the SCG Trust chairman Rodney Cavalier announced the redevelopment, which is being funded with the help of the federal and state governments.”The new stands are another moment in the ground’s evolution,” Cavalier said. “The design instructions made it expressly clear that, when the work is completed, the stands will look like they have always belonged inside one of the world’s greatest cricket grounds. Just as the Victor Trumper Stand fits in so beautifully.”The Noble, Bradman and Messenger stands no longer meet the requirements of the modern day spectator. Their useful life is fast drawing to a close. Sightlines are obstructed by roof supporting pylons. The on-going costs of maintaining the existing stands continue to increase year on year. Additions, renovations and other upgrades have not greatly improved the viewing environment, access and egress for spectators, particularly the elderly and the disabled.”Built in 1936, 1973 and 1984 respectively, the three stands have dominated the northern end of the ground, but will make way for a complex that will increase the ground’s capacity to about 48,000 and update amenities for spectators, as well as broadcasters and media, currently housed in the Noble/Bradman stands.Sydney’s marriage of old and new will be maintained by the retention of the Members Pavillion and the Ladies Stand, to the west of the new complex.