Rest of Sri Lanka rode on an all-round performance from Nuwan Kulasekara to secure a second comprehensive victory in the List-A tri-series in Pallekele, defeating Sri Lanka A by 58 runs in a low-scoring match

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2013
ScorecardNuwan Kulasekara put up an all-round show with the bat and ball to set up Rest of Sri Lanka’s win•ICC/Getty

Rest of Sri Lanka rode on an all-round performance from Nuwan Kulasekara to secure a second comprehensive victory in the List-A tri-series in Pallekele, defeating Sri Lanka A by 58 runs in a low-scoring match. Both sides ran into trouble early on, against the fast bowlers on a seaming track. However, after having top-scored for Rest SL with 61, Kulasekara combined with Chanaka Welegedara to demolish Sri Lanka A’s top order within the first four overs of their innings, reducing them to 6 for 5 – a position from which they never recovered. They were eventually dismissed for 146 in the 38th over, chasing a target of 205.Kulasekara arrived at the crease with the score at 87 for 6 after Dinesh Chandimal fell, the only batsman to reach a score of 20 among the top five batsmen. Chamara Kapugedara and Rangana Herath were unable to assist Kulasekara in the recovery, but he found support in No.10 batsman Shaminda Eranga, who survived for 43 balls and contributed 33 to their 68-run partnership, the most substantial stand of the match. When Eranga fell with the score at 175, Kulasekara added 29 more with Chanaka Welegedara to take the score past 200, before falling to left-arm pacer Vimukthi Perera, who had also accounted for Shehan Jayasuriya, Lahiru Thirimanne and Milinda Siriwardene earlier in the innings. Right-armers Suranga Lakmal and Ishan Jayaratne shared five wickets between them.Welegedara struck for Rest of Sri Lanka before the opposition had scored a run. Kulasekara bowled a maiden in the first over and picked up Dilshan Munaweera and Kithuruwan Vithanage in the next. That double strike was followed by another wicket from Welegedara, and his consecutive wickets effectively sealed Sri Lanka A’s fate.Sri Lanka A captain Angelo Perera attempted to rebuild alongside a sedate Jayaratne, who hit 2 from 25 balls, but he lost his partner to a run-out before losing his own wicket to Shaminda Eranga, with the team score on 56.As in Rest SL’s innings, an ageing ball somewhat negated the threat of the seam bowlers as the innings wore on, and Seekkuge Prasanna and Suranga Lakmal hit 23 and 38 not out respectively coming in at No. 9 and 10. Vimukthi Perera combined with Lakmal to add 55 for the last wicket.

Dwayne Bravo suggested his appointment as West Indies ODI captain would give Darren Sammy a well-earned rest from his previously all-encompassing responsibilities

Alan Gardner29-May-2013When Dwayne Bravo was announced as West Indies’ ODI captain, replacing Darren Sammy, a few weeks ahead of the Champions Trophy there were familiar rumblings about island politics. Sammy, who remains the captain in Test and T20 cricket and is part of the Champions Trophy squad, has proved a popular and unifying leader and guided West Indies to a memorable victory at last year’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.But while West Indies have won their last six Test matches, both Sammy’s own form and that of his team had been less impressive in ODI cricket. Bravo, speaking at his introductory press conference in Cardiff, suggested his appointment would give Sammy a well-earned rest from his previously all-encompassing responsibilities. Evolution, not revolution, was the message.”I think they just want to try a rotation policy,” he said of the WICB’s decision to introduce a split-captaincy. “Obviously Darren had been doing the job in all forms of the game for the last two-and-a-half years, and that itself can be a tasking job. This just gives him a break from the team. I’m happy he’s still in the squad so I can actually continue what he left, take over from what Darren was actually doing, and he’s here and we’ve get the best way, the best combination, what we think should be the best for the West Indies teams so that we can win games.”Bravo is a colourful presence on a cricket field, fond of neon sunglasses and exuberant celebrations, but although he admitted captaincy was “a new road for me” he said he would not be changing his approach to the game. West Indies swept to the World Twenty20 title in carnival style in Sri Lanka last September and their “Gangnam Style” victory dance became as familiar as explosive contributions from the likes of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.”We’re going to continue to entertain and we’re going to continue to play the game how we know how to play, with flair and glamour, and hopefully we can give the English fans something to support,” Bravo said.The side that Sammy built has become used to greater levels of expectation than that experienced by most of his recent predecessors and, although West Indies’ coach, Ottis Gibson, has tipped England as favourites, Bravo was not about to talk down his team’s chances, despite being the lowest-ranked ODI side in their group, which also features India, South Africa and Pakistan.”Last year in Sri Lanka we were cast as favourites and we ended up winning, so it’s good to be favourites again,” he said. “Hopefully we will win this time. But honestly we don’t think we are favourites. We just want to concentrate on what we have to do. We’re in a very tough group, and first of all, we want to take it step by step, try and survive that group. The talk around is it’s the group of death, so hopefully we get out of the group of death and then take it from there.”A tournament like this, it’s short, and you never know what can happen … We just want to be humble and go about our business in our own way and let the man above take care of our destiny.”The weather man may have more of a say in their fate. Earlier in 2012, before the joyous scenes on the subcontinent, West Indies shivered their way through a low-key tour of England, in which they only managed to win one game. Even the arrival of their freshly anointed spin-bowling talisman Sunil Narine from the IPL could not lift the team – his haul of one wicket in all three formats attesting to pitches that refused to bend to his will.Narine will return to England as the No. 1-ranked bowler in ODI cricket, with an extra year of international experience (although this will be his first major 50-over tournament) but Bravo said his “trump player” would not be expected to do it all on his own as West Indies attempt to replicate their 2004 Champions Trophy victory in the country.”Obviously playing in England before he did not have much success and teams tend to say ‘okay, he can’t bowl outside of the Caribbean, outside of the subcontinent’ but he’s a world-class player. He’s very young and he has achieved a lot in international cricket for the short time he has been there.”So now is a good opportunity for him again to actually do well. Yes, he’s our trump player, our marquee player but he’s not under any pressure to perform for us. If he does well, it’s a bonus, but we’re going to let Sunil just relax and enjoy his cricket and enjoy the competition ahead of him.”

Marlon Samuels feels West Indies cricket is “going back on top” after years of disappointment and that while there is a long way to go yet, the side’s game is “where we want to be” at the moment

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2013Marlon Samuels feels West Indies cricket is “going back on top” after years of disappointment and that while there is a long way to go yet, the side’s game is “where we want to be” at the moment. Following their early exit from the Champions Trophy, Samuels backed West Indies to do well against strong ODI opponents India and Sri Lanka in the tri-series beginning in Jamaica on Friday.”We are not going to blow our horn about it but at the moment if you look at the West Indies set-up we have some wonderful players with a lot of experience,” Samuels said. “So you can’t rule us out. The great thing about West Indies cricket right now is that we are competing and winning games, not like back then when we were losing games. And not just in the Caribbean but also outside it, the fans are coming back. So that is motivating us to win more games so that we can win back the fans’ hearts plus put West Indies cricket back on top.”Samuels tempered his optimism by acknowledging that West Indies, currently ranked No 8 in ODIs, needed to show progress in numerous aspects of their game. “It is a steep corner to turn but the good thing is that we are on the corner, we have not turned it as yet, so there are a lot of areas we need to improve.” he said. “We need to have more match-winners and get balls in the (right) areas consistently. As a unit we are getting stronger and better and the strength in the group will, in the long-run, see us winning games non-stop and beat the best teams in the world.”For me, when I finish I want to know that West Indies cricket is No 1 again.” Samuels said.West Indies exited from the Champions Trophy in heartbreaking circumstances following a rain-hit tied match against South Africa, leaving Samuels to wonder what could have been. “The way I saw it we should go back into the finals and meet India and then it would be perfect, we would just play a T20 and finish off the tournament, we are the T20 champions. It never happened.”India, the Champions Trophy winners, are the No 1 ranked ODI side and Sri Lanka are positioned three places above the hosts but Samuels was upbeat about West Indies’ chances. “India and Sri Lanka are very good teams, big names and some young players coming through in good form and playing well, but I am still backing the unit that I have a lot of belief in.” he said.”We are playing some serious cricket right now and gaining a lot of respect, individually and as a team. Playing in maroon is more special than anything else for us.” he said. “Our cricket is where we want it to be at the moment but there is room to improve.”Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, said they were a bit unfortunate in the Champions Trophy and wanted his side to put the “little mistakes” behind.”I think we were starting to shape up to do well in that tournament. It’s just to kick on from there,” Gibson said. “It’s to put those little mistakes that we made in England, put them away. We felt we had a good opportunity to win that tournament and we want to win this one and prove ourselves right.””It is good to be back home. It is the first time we are playing a tri-nation tournament in quite a while so we are looking for positive results.” he said. “There’s more balance in the side and we are starting to believe a lot more that we can be the team that we want to be. We are starting to show the application and hopefully we will continue to show that development and progress.”

Pakistan Under-19s defeated Bangladesh Under-19s by seven wickets at the Kibworth Cricket Club

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2013
ScorecardPakistan Under-19s notched their third straight win in the tri-nation tournament, with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Bangladesh Under-19s at the Kibworth Cricket Club. Once again, it was Pakistan’s openers Sami Aslam and Usain Talat who did most of the scoring after their bowlers, spearheaded by left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam, had set up a modest chase.Bangladesh, choosing to bat, were bowled out for 149 runs in 43.4 overs. The left-arm spin pair of Ghulam and Zafar Gohar shared seven wickets as they built on the three early wickets from Zia-ul-Haq and Talat.Ghulam took four wickets in his 10-over spell that cost just 18 runs, while Gohar ended with 3 for 14. Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s 46 was the only innings of note for Bangladesh, as they struggled against spin for much of the innings.Pakistan produced a solid reply in the 150-run chase with an 81-run opening-wicket stand between the captain Aslam and Talat. Aslam struck nine fours in his 64-ball 58 but was eventually bowled by offspinner Mosaddek Hussain in the 19th over.However, Talat remained unbeaten on 71, as he took on the bowlers with eight fours and two sixes, and added 40 and 20 for the second and third wickets with Imam-ul-Haq and Hasan Raza respectively to take Pakistan home with 109 balls remaining. Legspinner Jubair Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh with 2 for 34 in his four overs.Bangladesh will next take on the England in Leicester tomorrow, with the hosts yet to register a win in the series.

South Africa is home to more world-class allrounders than any other nation, according to former Test captain and administrator Ali Bacher

Firdose Moonda10-Sep-2013South Africa is home to more world-class allrounders than any other nation, according to former Test captain and administrator Ali Bacher. In his new book, Bacher and author David Williams pay tribute to the country’s premier allrounders, who Bacher believes are the stand-outs in their field.”David and I are of the opinion that this country has produced more great allrounders than any other Test-playing nation,” Bacher told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the publication’s launch. “Most other teams only had one great allrounder at a time but South Africa had many.”Bacher made reference to the likes of England when Ian Botham starred for them and Pakistan in the time Imran Khan played and compared that to South Africa’s stocks. “There were two periods when South Africa had four allrounders in the same team. I captained Eddie Barlow, Tiger Lance, Mike Proctor and Trevor Goddard. And then if you look at the team Hansie Cronje led, they had Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Brian McMillan.”In addition to the names mentioned above, Jimmy Sinclair, Aubrey Faulkner, Basil D’Oliveira, Tony Greig and Clive Rice make up the other men the book examines. While Bacher says “Garfield Sobers remains the greatest cricketer of all time,” he hopes to shed light on the talent South Africa has produced.He is particularly proud of the comment Steve Waugh made during an interview with him at Lord’s this year. “Steve Waugh called Jacques Kallis ‘one of the greatest cricketers of all time,’ and that is really a compliment worth sharing,” he said.Although Bacher had personal interactions with 10 of the 13 cricketers, writing the book “told me things I didn’t know about them.” For example, he spent time with Basil d’Oliveira’s family in Cape Town. “They showed me the house where he was born and from which the family were evicted when the Group Areas’ Act came into being. And I also went to the point where he would run at Signal Hill. It was a wonderful day spent with them,” Bacher said.D’Oliveira’s fitness regime was not the only one Bacher took note of. Rice, the only inclusion in the book who did not play Test cricket, was also known for his athleticism. “He was one of the first cricketers to really place an emphasis on physical fitness. After training he would sprint around the field and he always said he just wanted to be the fittest cricket around so when the time came to play Test cricket he would be ready,” Bacher said.Rice never donned the whites for South Africa (he played three ODIs) but many believe he would have been exceptional if he did. “Mike Proctor said of him, ‘He always gave his best shot. If given the opportunity at Test level, he would have been considered one of the best allrounders in history,’ Bacher recalled.Proctor himself called South African provincial matches among “the toughest he played,” according to Bacher, which speaks of the quality of the allrounders the country has produced. Through the work, Bacher would find a common thread running through all the men he featured. “They all have tremendous commitment and passion and they all work hard at their skills,” he said.Bacher does not have an answer for why the number of South Africa’s seam-bowling allrounders has dwindled in recent years but is hopeful more will be discovered soon, because he thinks it can only be to the benefit of the national team. “As a captain, it’s definitely easier when you have allrounders in your side,” he said. “You can effectively be playing with 13 or 14 men on the field. That’s a huge plus.”

Luke Procter’s fifth half-century in as many first-class matches gave Lancashire the edge on a first day of many tales at Southport

Paul Edwards at Southport28-Aug-2013
ScorecardLuke Procter made his fifth half-century in as many Championship matches•Getty Images

The first day of this game suggested a variety of potentially intriguing individual stories. There was Brad Taylor, a 16-year-old offspinner who became the youngest player ever to represent Hampshire in the County Championship; there was Simon Kerrigan, who was returning to first-class domestic cricket perhaps seeking balm for his mauling by Shane Watson at The Oval; and there was Matt Coles, a loan signing who was making his Hampshire debut having announced that he is to leave Kent at the end of the season.In the event, a day’s cricket which resolutely defied simple analysis produced other tales, albeit that Coles’s hostile second spell offered some explanation why counties may consider adding the allrounder to their staff in the autumn. By the close Lancashire had made good progress on a wicket which currently offers few terrors for the batsmen. Luis Reece and Ashwell Prince both made polished half-centuries in the first half of the day and Luke Procter ended proceedings unbeaten on 65, his fifth Championship half-century in consecutive innings and a most diligent, hard-grafting effort against a Hampshire attack which applied itself well for all but an hour in the morning session.Lancashire go into the second day of this game on 296 for 8 after Hampshire, to their great credit, managed to bowl 97 overs in six hours, a marvellous example to other counties of simple efficiency.. If Glen Chapple’s team currently hold the advantage in this contest, it is not by much, for their total seems little more than par on a good wicket on a small ground with a fast outfield.Indeed, Lancashire coach Peter Moores may be a trifle disappointed given the apparent dominance his batsmen exercised just before lunch when Reece and Prince had added 120 for the second wicket in only 26 overs. But that was the high point of Lancastrian fortunes. Prince edged Sean Ervine to Adam Wheater and departed for 63 two overs before the break while the very promising Reece, having also reached his fifth successive half-century in the Championship, was lbw when he shuffled across his wicket and was lbw to James Tomlinson for exactly 50 in the second over after the restart.The afternoon’s cricket was in sharp contrast to the morning’s play. Just 74 runs were scored off 34 overs as the Lancashire middle order sought and failed to shake off the manacles placed upon them by Jimmy Adams’s bowlers. Steven Croft fell to Liam Dawson for a 52-ball 9 and Andrea Agathangelou could only fend Coles to third slip James Vince when he had laboured 99 minutes for 30.At tea Lancashire were 207 for 5 and Hampshire’s bowlers had restored parity. If the Red Rose shaded the evening’s play it was because they now have a decent score on the board and victory in this match would virtually guarantee a return to Division One.The highlight of the final session, perhaps, was the quartet of boundaries struck by Gareth Cross off Tomlinson after the visitors had taken the new ball. But the seamer responded by having Cross caught by Ervine in the slips a couple of overs later and finished with a creditable 3 for 56. It was that sort of day: as soon as the match followed one pattern, an event or two scribbled “nonsense” on one’s tentative conclusions. Procter’s diligence in facing 137 balls and hitting eight boundaries in his 65 not out was arguably the only consistent factor in the second half of proceedings.As for the players we thought might capture our attention, Kerrigan was the only one not to appear and Taylor bowled eight overs for 42 runs. Just as the Lancashire spinner discovered at The Oval last week, the Hampshire offspinner found out what it is like to make the step up to a new class of cricket. But Taylor sent down a fairly decent second spell and he will undoubtedly remember his first day in what, for him, is the big time.

A round-up of all the games played on Tuesday in the Quadrangular Under-19 Series in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013Australia Under-19s needed just 32.1 overs to chase down Zimbabwe Under-19s‘ 184, as a century from Jaron Morgan helped them secure an eight-wicket win in Visakhapatnam – their second victory in the Quadrangular Under-19 Series.Morgan smashed 11 fours and five sixes during his 92-ball 110, and added 107 for the second wicket with Damien Mortimer, who chipped in with 41, to see Australia through.Zimbabwe, electing to bat, had got off to a shaky start and were unable to negotiate the pace of Matthew Fotia and Guy Walker, who toppled the top order and left them struggling at 61 for 4 in the 15th over. The pair took five wickets between them and went for just 51 runs in their 15 overs.Wickets continued to fall in regular intervals, and with the exception of Ryan Burl who offered resistance by making 79 with 10 fours and four sixes, all the other Zimbabwe batsmen departed for cheap scores. No big partnerships materialised, and Australia took advantage, as offspinner Riley Ayre and medium-pacer Cameron Valente picked up two scalps each to bundle Zimbabwe out in 45 overs. The result left Zimbabwe without a win from their four games.Vijay Zol’s century went in vain as a lower-order collapse from India Under-19s handed South Africa Under-19s a ten-run win.At 215 for 4 after 43 overs, India were well on course to overhauling South Africa’s score of 257, but Zol’s dismissal off the first ball of the 44th over from Kagiso Rabada led to a flurry of wickets for South Africa, with the final five batsmen making just 27 runs between them. Rabada eventually finished with 3 for 45 from his 10 overs.Zol has been in good touch heading into the tournament, hitting back-to-back fifties against Sri Lanka U-19 in August, before smashing 110 for the A team against New Zealand A last month. He produced another compelling batting display on Tuesday, blasting 10 fours and two sixes during his 115-ball 103, and added vital stands of 67, 53 and 67 for the second, third and fourth wickets with Shubham Khajuria, Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Bhui. The four batsmen accounted for 196 of India’s 247 runs.The hosts needed 38 off the last five overs, but the South Africa bowlers held their own and the final two batsmen at the crease, Kuldeep Yadav and Atul Singh, were unable to take India over the line. Medium-pacers Justin Gill and Andile Phehlukwayo picked up two wickets each for the visitors.South Africa, put in to bat, were earlier propelled by a patient 65 from the opener Clyde Fortuin, who struck eight fours and put up an 83-run opening-wicket stand with Aiden Markram. India fought back with three quick wickets, but Yaseen Valli counterattacked with a 49-ball 64 that included six fours and two sixes, to take South Africa to a competitive total.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza hopes that their ODI form can rub off on the solitary T20 against Pakistan on Friday

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur23-Apr-2015Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza hopes that their ODI form can rub off on the solitary T20 against Pakistan on Friday. However, Bangladesh are still some way away from becoming a highly-regarded T20 side, which Mashrafe feels Pakistan are.Bangladesh’s eleven wins in this format have been spread over nine years. Although they qualified for the main competition of the World T20 last year, they were humiliated by Hong Kong in the qualifying stage and lost all their matches in the main round. Their only match in the format since the World T20 last year was washed out, while the BCB last hosted a domestic T20 tournament in December 2013.Mashrafe said that Bangladesh’s lack of experience in T20s is a major hindrance. He said that they lacked a big hitter down the order while Shakib Al Hasan, inarguably Bangladesh’s most sought-after T20 player, needs helping hands in the bowling department.”We can hope for a win tomorrow especially seeing how our batsmen and bowlers are doing their job,” Mashrafe said. “But if we are looking to raise a genuine T20 team, we have to get rid of our shortcomings. We need an extraordinary hitter at No 7 or 8. We need more good bowlers to work along with Shakib.”T20 has always been difficult for us. We don’t play enough except Shakib. Still we are very confident because the boys are in good touch. We haven’t played many matches, neither have we won many against top sides. But I still feel we are equals. If we play like we did in the ODI series, we can win the game.”Mashrafe said that Bangladesh are unable to produce good T20 players because four-day and one-day cricket are given more emphasis in the domestic arena. He said that talent alone is giving him the confidence that they can beat Pakistan on Friday.”Skill is not a problem because everyone tries to play their natural game. The problem is that we hardly play T20s even at domestic level. We mostly play four-day or one-day cricket, so there is lack of practice. You cannot prepare for T20s as well as you do for Tests and ODIs. We don’t have those extraordinary T20 specialists.”Many of our players like to play shots while we have bowlers like Rubel (Hossain) and Taskin (Ahmed). But we have to rest Rubel for the Test series. If we play more T20s, we can be a better team. We have the ability. At the moment we haven’t reached a higher level.”Mashrafe said that Sabbir Rahman is possibly the best hitter in their current line-up while the best batsmen of the ODI series, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Soumya Sarkar will be handy in T20s.”Sabbir is a good striker of the ball. Soumya, Tamim and Mushfiqur, despite his size, can play shots. Shakib is there. The problem is that in ODIs and Tests you have time to get set. You can’t take more than five-six balls to get set (in T20).”Lack of match practice is a huge factor. Experience in this format matters. If everyone can play their natural game, we will have a chance. The top four has to do well, at least one of them, if you look at the format’s structure.”Mashrafe said that he wants to use only six batsmen. Anything extra is a negative move, he felt. He has placed a lot of trust instead on the fast bowlers, who he thinks will be able to make the difference.”All T20 teams have six batsmen, but playing eight batsmen is quite a negative move. T20 is also a bowler’s game, since they hold the key to winning matches. I don’t think we need a spare batsman. But it all depends on our confidence and performers. Playing three pace bowlers is the right decision. We have to keep believing in them.”Mashrafe agreed that Bangladesh remain some way behind Pakistan in T20s. But he is still counting on his form batsmen and bowlers to pull the rug from below the visitors, who have lost a tour match and all three ODIs.”Shahid Afridi was right [in saying they are a stronger T20 side]. They are playing T20s for a long time, some like Afridi and (Sohail) Tanvir have played in excess of 100 T20s. It would be great if we can perform in the field, and beat their experience.”

Worcestershire lost their last six wickets for 22 runs as New Zealand completed their preparations for the Test series with a second warm-up win

George Dobell at New Road17-May-2015
Scorecard2:58

Dobell: ‘Guptill, Henry likely to make New Zealand XI’

It may not pass into sporting folklore in quite the manner of Devon Loch, Greg Norman or almost every limited-overs side South African have selected in the last 20 years, but Worcestershire produced a choke of museum quality to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against New Zealand at New Road. At this very moment, the Duchess of Kent may be consoling Shaaiq Choudhry as he weeps on her shoulder.Perhaps that assessment is harsh. Not on Worcestershire – who certainly lacked composure – but on New Zealand who, at the key moment, performed with the skill and intensity of a confident, united side that backs itself to prevail under pressure. This was not, by any means, a wholly convincing performance from the tourists, but by turning a confidence-sapping defeat into a memorable victory, they depart for Lord’s with spirits high.The key facts are these: with seven wickets in hand and requiring just 55 more runs from the final 16 overs of the match to complete their first win against a touring side this century, Worcestershire lost their last six wickets for 22 runs. Having eased to 119 for 1 in pursuit of 246, they were bowled out for 230. As Steve Rhodes, their director of cricket, said afterwards: “It was the one that got away from us. We collapsed to lose the game. You have to give them credit, but we should have seen it home, for sure.”While New Zealand bowled – and caught, in particular – very well, most of the Worcestershire batsmen will reflect that they played a large part in their own downfall. Requiring less than four an over, they lost their heads and their wickets with a series of attempted slogs that spoke of a naivety within the dressing room. Perhaps, in such a young side, such failings are inevitable on the road of progress.There are various caveats to this result. As is the increasing custom of many warm-up games played by touring sides, this was not a first-class match – New Zealand utilised 14 players; Worcestershire 15 – and there was, at times, a lack of intensity to proceedings. Moeen Ali missed the final day having joined up with the England squad, too.Matt Henry took the last three wickets to fall and was rated the best New Zealand bowler by Worcestershire’s batsmen•Getty Images

And, in truth, such games are not about results. They are about preparation. So even if New Zealand had lost, they could take comfort from the performance of Martin Guptill – who forced his way into the side for the first Test at Lord’s – and even when they won, they would have been a little concerned about the form of some of their batsmen – notably Ross Taylor, who remains a little out of sorts.They will be boosted greatly by the arrival, by Monday lunchtime, of all four of the players currently absent on IPL duty. While it is not ideal for Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee to go into a Test without any meaningful red-ball cricket for five months, it is also a regular symptom of the modern game and should not unsettle the rest of the squad.”It’s been that way for the last eight years,” Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach told ESPNcricinfo after the match. “We don’t pay high enough wages to dictate to the players what they do and we have actually encouraged them to go to the IPL.”Hesson all but confirmed that Guptill – who scored 150 in a New Zealand innings in which the second highest score was 30 – would play at Lord’s but was less revealing about the identity of the third seamer in the Test side. While the plan remains for Mark Craig to provide the spin and Corey Anderson, who rested on the last day here, to play as the seam-bowling allrounder, it remains unclear whether Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry or Neil Wagner will take the final position.Bracewell was probably – and by only a marginal distance – the least impressive of the three, while Worcestershire’s batsmen rated Henry both the quickest and the pick of the trio. He also offers a bit of extra batting in the lower-order.”Guptill played superbly,” Hesson said. “It was a decisive performance. He has done exactly what we wanted. Henry is really good talent and Wagner has never let us down, so we have a difficult decision to make there.”To some extent, though, New Zealand’s frailty with the bat was masked by Guptill’s century. Had he been caught by Ben Cox, a top-edged cut off Choudhry, they may well have lost. Taylor drove to mid-on, BJ Watling glanced to leg slip and Luke Ronchi edged a sweep as New Zealand’s batsmen tried to accelerate in conditions were accumulation was more appropriate. But they did declare in both innings and they were keen to test themselves under pressure, so it might prove unwise to read too much into the relatively low scores.Worcestershire will take some pleasure from the performance, too. Nine years into a first-class career that has encompassed only 22 games, Choudhry claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-team senior cricket, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ed Barnard – whose bowling caught the eye of Hesson – both provided evidence of talent that should serve the club well for a decade or more.While Choudhry, a left-arm spinner whose opportunities are generally limited to a spoiling role in limited-overs cricket, didn’t exactly rip out batsmen, he showed the benefit of a winter working with Norman Gifford on bowling a little quicker and maintained his composure when attacked.This was a missed opportunity, though. The last time Worcestershire beat a touring side – Australia in a limited-overs game in 1997 – Steve Waugh had just claimed that their current chief executive, David Leatherdale, was such a modest talent that he “wouldn’t get a bowl in a Chinese restaurant”. Leatherdale responded with figures of 5 for 10 and an anecdote that he will continue to enjoy for years to come. A young, developing side could have taken heart from such a victory.New Zealand, meanwhile, might not have enjoyed perfect preparation. But they look stronger and more resilient than the last time they were here and represent dangerous opposition to an England side embarking on yet another period of change and transition.

Less than a month after joining the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, Sachin Tendulkar has agreed to be a part of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) as a special invitee

Amol Karhadkar25-Jun-2015Less than a month after joining the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, Sachin Tendulkar has agreed to be a part of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) as a special invitee.Dilip Vengsarkar, who became the MCA vice-president last week and will be chairing the committee that will look after all of its cricket activities, announced Tendulkar’s first formal involvement in MCA affairs.”I spoke with Sachin today and he has agreed to share his views on improving Mumbai cricket and attend CIC as a special invitee whenever he is in town,” Vengsarkar said during a media conference on Thursday.The eight-member CIC includes six former international cricketers – Vengsarkar, Ajit Wadekar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Pravin Amre, Ajit Agarkar and Diana Edulji – apart from Amol Muzumdar and Deepak Patil.The CIC, a brainchild of the MCA president Sharad Pawar, was formed in 2001 to look into cricketing affairs. It was disbanded in 2011 after Pawar exited the MCA for a term. It was reconstituted earlier this year but didn’t serve any purpose since it was formed towards the end of the domestic season.Vengsarkar said the first CIC meeting would be held early next week. The first major responsibility of the committee will be to finalise selectors and coaches for all Mumbai teams. Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team is without a coach, with Amre clarifying that he isn’t interested in extending his stint.The MCA, Vengsarkar said, would also form a disciplinary committee to keep a check on indiscipline by cricketers on and off the field. “We will not tolerate any indiscipline by any player, be it the best superstar or an under-14 cricketer,” he said.Last year, Suryakumar Yadav stepped down as Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy captain midway through the season following prolonged disciplinary issues, including spats with teammates. That was followed by Sarfaraz Khan making obscene gestures at selectors while playing an Under-19 match, after being dropped from the Ranji team. The MCA had decided to withhold both players’ match fees as security deposit for decent behaviour.Vengsarkar also announced that the Kanga League, the only wet-weather tournament in India, will revert to its traditional monsoon format. It had been rescheduled from October to February for the last two years. This year, the tournament will be played from August 2 to October 25.The managing committee also decided, Vengsarkar said, to allot one membership of the clubhouse at the MCA’s Bandra-Kurla complex to each of its 329 affiliates. The promise of membership was one of the decisive factors in the Pawar-Mahaddalkar panel’s sweep in last week’s election.