A maiden first-class century from Keith Barker couldn’t prevent Durham from completing an innings and 103-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston

George Dobell at Edgbaston27-May-2011
Scorecard
A maiden first-class century from Keith Barker couldn’t prevent Durham from completing an innings and 103-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston. The win takes Durham up to second place in the table, just three points behind Lancashire, who have played one fewer game. The teams meet at Chester-le-Street in a match that starts on Sunday.In the end, Durham were made to work for this win. When Rikki Clarke became the seventh Warwickshire man to fall in their second innings, there was a possibility the match might not even make it to lunch. As it transpired, however, the game was deep inside the final hour by the time Ruel Brathwaite plucked out the final two wickets.That Warwickshire came so close to saving the game was almost entirely due to the efforts of their final four batsmen. It took Durham 69 overs to prise out the final three wickets as Barker and Naqaash Tahir, in particular, showed a level of resolve that put their top-order colleagues to shame.The absence of Steve Harmison also delayed Durham. Harmison managed just five overs on the final day as he nursed a sprained joint in his spine. He’s also a doubt for the Lancashire game.In many ways, Warwickshire didn’t deserve a draw. The majority of their batting and all of their bowling was pretty awful and Durham outplayed them in all departments. But the resistance of Barker and Naqaash was excellent. Neither man had previously made a first-class half-century, but they put the affable nature of this pitch into perspective with a stand if 117 in 41.2 overs.Unlike many left-handers, Barker is not a particularly elegant batsman. The 24-year-old former pro footballer strikes the ball with tremendous power, however, and played in an admirably straight and compact manner. Before this innings, his previous first-class score was just 31 but, such was the quality of his driving and pulling, in particular, that there appears no obvious reason why he should not develop into a genuine allrounder capable of batting in the top six and bowling as part of a four-man seam attack.Naqaash also impressed. When he made his Championship debut, in 2004, he often acted as nightwatchman and produced several valuable contributions. His batting had regressed since then, however, and this was only his sixth score in excess of 30 in 56 first-class games.
For the most part, he was utterly strokeless. He defended stoutly, however and, unlike his top-order colleagues he refused to be drawn into strokes outside the off stump. His 195-ball vigil lasted 69 overs – just 10 minutes short of four hours – and left him suffering from cramp in both arms.In the end, however, it was all in vain. In truth, their resistance only highlighted the fragility of Warwickshire’s top-order batting. On a pitch that has remained docile throughout, Warwickshire’s specialist batsmen continued to attach far too little value to their wickets with Jim Troughton, Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke all perishing to ill-disciplined prods outside the off stump, while Tim Ambrose played around a straight ball.But, as the ball softened and the bowlers tired, Durham’s attack struggled to finish off the game. There was little help for the spinners and, though Callum Thorp looked dangerous throughout, Ben Stokes struggled to maintain a tight enough line. In the end it was Blackwell who made the breakthrough. The over after Barker reached his chanceless century, he edged one that was pushed on to him to slip.Still Durham’s wait went on, however. Chris Metters lasted for 77 minutes, helping Naqaash add another 55 runs in 25 overs and resist everything Durham could throw at them with the second new ball.Finally, however, just as it appeared that Warwickshire might pull-off a highly unlikely escape, Brathwaite struck the decisive blow. First he produced a quick yorker to end Chris Metters’ 80-minute battle, before he managed to persuade Naqaash to follow one that may have bounced more than the batsman expected and edge the ball to third slip. Just 54 balls remained.It meant Warwickshire ended with just one point from the game – their worst return in a championship since Leicestershire inflicted a similar result in 2002 – while it was the third time in four games that Durham had taken a maximum 24 points.”We’ve got to be better than that,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles admitted afterwards. “In the first innings, too many of our batsmen played a part in their own dismissals and we’ve had too many people getting 20s, 30s and 40s without going on to get 100s.”At least our lower-order batsmen showed good courage. But we should never have been in the position where they had to bat for two sessions to save the game. We have to learn from this and do better.”

Craig Kieswetter has warned Matt Prior he faces a fight to hang on to his gloves, declaring it is his ambition to become England’s first-choice wicketkeeper “in all forms of the game”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011Craig Kieswetter has warned Matt Prior he faces a fight to hang on to his gloves, declaring it is his ambition to become England’s first-choice wicketkeeper “in all forms of the game”. Kieswetter showcased his ability at last year’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies, most notably smashing a match-winning 63 off 49 balls in a seven-wicket defeat of Australia in the final, but has since fallen out of contention for national honours.”In that World Twenty20 side most of us were probably in the best form of our careers, certainly I was,” he told . “In the final we just said, ‘We might as well try and win this properly.’ They [Australia] had four quicks so there was nowhere to hide. KP [Kevin Pietersen] and I thought, ‘We might as well have a crack.’ We were a bit lucky. But we played some rather good shots too.”Four months on from his swashbuckling efforts, Kieswetter found himself being dropped following a slump in form. And, although he backed the decision, he admits returning to county cricket with his tail between his legs was a hard pill to swallow.”It was really disappointing,” he said. “I was part of the side that won a World Cup. But realistically, when I look at the way I played back in England against Australia and Bangladesh, it was a warranted decision. International cricket is a cut-throat business. It was a tough year. Coming back to your county after being dropped is one of the hardest transitions a player has to go through. That showed in my performances for a while.”I’m lucky in that coming back to Somerset, they see the players as a family and if you’re struggling you don’t have to fight it yourself. Brian Rose, Andy Hurry and Marcus [Trescothick] were a massive help to me.”Naturally a very attacking batsman, Kieswetter has spent the last year rebuilding and, with seven first-class hundreds, an improving average and a hugely encouraging England Lions tour of the West Indies now behind him, he is ready to resume his challenge of becoming England’s main man behind the stumps.”It is my ambition to become England’s wicketkeeper in all forms of the game,” he said. “Obviously Matt Prior’s got the gloves at the moment but it’s my duty to push him as hard as possible.”Over the winter, I was fortunate enough to work really hard with Thorpey [former England batsman Graham Thorpe] at the ECB academy in Australia and then in the West Indies. I made a few improvements that seem to be paying off. There were a few technical points but it was more about being able to settle into the platform of four-day cricket; that mentality of being able to bat for a long time and make big scores.”Thorpe believes the youngster is a player with the brightest of futures, saying: “Craig is a genuinely talented player with lots of shots. You don’t want to kill that flair. But it’s about rounding out his game, being able to score all round the pitch. People remember him from the Twenty20, but I think there’s a lot more in him than that, as a player. He had a taste of it. I suppose he didn’t seem like a complete player – we never are – but for him it’s about converting those starts and really pushing on.”With England’s ODI and 20-over squads set to be announced this week, Kieswetter is eyeing a recall – though if he is selected it is likely to be as an opener.”Opening, you have to control yourself emotionally,” he said. “The adrenaline is pumping. All the great one-day opening batsman can rein that feeling in. I’ve spoken about it with Marcus, how you hit a boundary and there’s a massive cheer, and then another one and you just want more.”

Charl Willoughby claimed 4 for 80 as Somerset inflicted Durham’s second Championship defeat of the season with a nine-wicket success at Taunton

24-Jul-2011
ScorecardCharl Willoughby claimed 4 for 80 as Somerset inflicted Durham’s second Championship defeat of the season with a nine-wicket success at Taunton. Resuming their second innings on 209 for 1, the visitors were bowled out for 378, Will Smith making 114 and Alfonso Thomas taking 3 for 73 in support of left-armer Willoughby, who capitalised on the overcast conditions with his ability to swing the ball..That left Somerset needing 119 to win off a minimum of 43 overs and they reached their target in the 22nd, Arul Suppiah leading the way with 66 not out. Somerset took 24 points to Durham’s four. With Lancashire and Warwickshire having won, the result threw the race for the
Championship title wide open, Durham’s lead being reduced to just five points over Lancashire and 13 over Warwickshire, who both have a game in hand.Smith and nightwatchman Mitch Claydon added 38 to Durham’s overnight score before Smith drove at a turning ball from Murali Kartik (2 for 60) and edged a catch to Marcus Trescothick at slip. He had faced 241 balls and hit 16 fours and a six. There was no sign of the collapse ahead as Durham wiped out the 260 deficit on first innings with only two wickets down. But the second new ball brought their downfall.Willoughby pinned Gordon Muchall lbw for 11 with a trademark inswinger and Claydon’s stubborn resistance ended with another leg-before verdict after he had faced 82 balls for his 38.
Dale Benkenstein had his middle stump uprooted before he had scored by a jaffa from Alfonso Thomas and suddenly the visitors were only 25 ahead with five wickets down.It was 291 for 5 at lunch and with the fifth ball after the interval Willoughby grabbed the key wicket of Paul Collingwood, lbw for 14 to a delivery he appeared to think pitched outside leg stump.
Ian Blackwell edged Thomas to Trescothick at second slip, Phil Mustard carelessly cut Willoughby straight to Nick Compton at point and Callum Thorp fell to another slip catch by James Hildreth off Thomas as Durham slumped to 330 for 9.But Steve Harmison (27) and Graham Onions (28 not out) made Somerset fight every inch of the way with a last-wicket stand of 48 that occupied ten overs and at least gave the home batsmen something to think about. Trescothick breezed to 25 before playing on to a delivery from Onions.But Suppiah played confidently to see his team to a win that puts them fourth in the
table and keeps their own hopes of a late challenge for the title alive. The opener reached his fifty with a delightful late cut for four off Blackwell, having faced 55 balls, and celebrated with a six over wide long-on next ball.

Unicorns left it until the final game of the competition to pick up their first Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season, beating a dismal Glamorgan side by eight runs at Wormsley

29-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Unicorns left it until the final game of the competition to pick up their first Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season, beating a dismal Glamorgan side by eight runs at Wormsley. The result alone did not tell the full story, though, with just three Glamorgan batsman making double figures as they came up short in the chase of a modest 192. Captain Alviro Petersen scored 93, more than half of their eventual 184, with Stewart Walters (60) and Aneurin Norman (15) his only support.James Ord’s 53 had been the highlight of Unicorns’ unspectacular total, and they would not have expected to take the two points at the interval. Chris Cooke ran out Unicorns’ Matt Thornely for 21 early on, and when James Campbell was stumped off the bowling of Michael O’Shea they were reduced to 51 for 2.A 44-run partnership between Ord and Jayden Levitt ended when the latter was trapped by Nick James, with Bradley Wadlan and Keith Parsons quickly following him back to the pavilion. Ord and Josh Knappett then put together a respectable 55 for the sixth wicket, but when Ord fell to Graeme Wagg, it was the catalyst for a collapse that wrapped up the innings.Gareth Rees went to the sixth ball of Glamorgan’s reply, nicking behind off Glen Querl who would end up with 3 for 33. Petersen could only stand and watch as Will Bragg became the paceman’s second victim, and it was only when Walters joined him at the crease that something started to happen.The pair put on 145 for the third wicket, with Walters impressing with an 84-ball innings until he found Querl’s hands off the bowling of Thornely. The wickets began to tumble again, with James going for four, Cooke getting cleaned up by Luke Beaven for a duck and Wagg being pinned in front of his stumps by the same bowler.O’Shea and Mark Wallace were then run out as Glamorgan pressed the panic button and, when Norman went to Querl after a quick swing of his bat, the game was almost up. The Glamorgan performance was summed up by the loss of Alex Jones for another run out, with Petersen still unscathed, carrying his bat for 112 balls, ending unbeaten with six fours and two sixes.

Somerset are likely to have to field a weakened side at the Champions League Twenty20 despite naming key players in their initial squad

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2011Somerset are likely to have to field a weakened side at the Champions League Twenty20 despite naming key players in their initial squad. Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler could both be selected in England’s squad to face West Indies in the two Twenty20s at The Oval, which clashes with the qualifying event, leaving Somerset without a major wicketkeeper.That responsibility is set to fall on Alex Barrow, a 19-year-old, who has yet to play a Twenty20 match and has just four first-class appearances. Meanwhile, Somerset won’t have the services of Kieron Pollard, as he will represent Mumbai Indians, or Marcus Trescothick, who no longer travels overseas due to health reasons.However, Somerset have three players with IPL experience in their squad: Murali Kartik and Alfonso Thomas, who play for Pune Warriors, and Roelof van der Merwe, who was part of the Delhi Daredevils squad in the last edition. James Hildreth, who scored 346 runs in the Friends Life t20, is also in the squad.Leicestershire, meanwhile, have all the 13 players who played for them in the Friends Life t20. Abdul Razzaq will be the only Pakistan player in the tournament, subject to him being successful in his visa application, after Pakistan’s Twenty20 teams were overlooked. The tournament will be Paul Nixon’s last, after he recently announced his retirement. Andrew McDonald, the Australia allrounder, and James Taylor, who recently made his ODI debut for England, are also part of Leicestershire’s squad.The qualifying stage of the Champions League starts on September 19 and Somerset and Leicestershire will have two matches each to try to reach the main stage of the tournament.Somerset: Alex Barrow, Jos Buttler, Nick Compton, Adam Dibble, George Dockrell, James Hildreth, Gemaal Hussain Murali Kartik, Steven Kirby, Craig Kieswetter, Craig Meschede, Arul Suppiah, Alfonso Thomas, Peter Trego, Roelof van der Merwe.Leicestershire: Matthew Boyce, Nathan Buck, Josh Cobb, Jacques Du Toit, Harry Gurney, Claude Henderson, Matthew Hoggard, Will Jefferson, Andrew McDonald, Jigar Naik, Paul Nixon, Abdul Razzaq, Greg Smith, James Taylor, Wayne White.

Michael Klinger has said his South Australia side are well-prepared and expect to reach the latter stages of the Champions League Twenty20

Abhishek Purohit in Hyderabad24-Sep-2011The South Australia Redbacks were undecided on whether to have today’s media briefing in the lobby of the team hotel or in its business lounge. The lobby was an option if just one or two reporters arrived, having braved the train, bus, autorickshaw and civic strikes going on in Hyderabad over the demand for a separate state of Telangana. As it turned out, about seven or eight journalists were awaiting for what captain Michael Klinger had to say ahead of South Australia’s opening game against Warriors from South Africa.Having watched Warriors win a last-ball thriller yesterday against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Klinger knew what his side were up against. “Warriors are a very well-drilled unit and they have got a lot of good individuals,” he said. “They out-fielded Royal Challengers; that was the difference in the end. We have got to make sure that our fielding is right up there.”The dry weather in Hyderabad has allowed South Australia to train without worry since they arrived from wet Kolkata and they have put the time to good use. “We have had two-three net sessions and a practice game yesterday. So preparation-wise we could not have done anything more. We are ready to go now.”The two sides met in the semi-finals of the 2010 edition of the Champions League Twenty20 when South Australia were rocked by the left-arm seam of Lonwabo Tsotsobe to lose tamely. They have tried to prepare against that angle this time, getting one of their left-armers to play against them in the practice game.Such thoroughness under new coach Darren Berry brought South Australia a title after 15 barren years, when they won the KFC Big Bash tournament in February. Klinger said Berry had come in and made a difference right away. “We are a well-drilled and well-coached side. We have had some success in winning the Big Bash and that has given some hope to the squad. Berry is very structured in the way he coaches and the players have responded to that well.”The team has also answered well to Klinger’s captaincy, especially in the shortest format, after he shifted to South Australia from Victoria in 2008-09, a move that has “been sort of a new lease of life” for him.Klinger was on the fringes of the Victoria side for almost a decade before the change of teams turned around his career as a batsman, with the increased responsibility as a leader spurring him on.”When I moved to the Redbacks, we had a pretty young squad. Being a senior player has helped in terms of my leadership. I also knew that I had to stand up and perform as soon as possible to help the team get positive results. Plus, it’s also been about getting the opportunities. Earlier at Victoria I was in and out of the side depending on guys playing for Australia or not.”During his side’s run to the semi-finals last year, Klinger cut a calm figure on the field amid the frenzy of the Twenty20 format. It was a conscious effort to try and appear in control. “I think it is something a captain needs to bring. If he starts to get too emotional then the rest of the team will follow. So I try to be as calm as possible on the outside but it does not always mean I am calm on the inside.”In T20 cricket, you have to make split-second decisions. I think the most important thing is to be in constant communication with your bowlers as the field needs to change depending on what they are going to bowl. That’s something I try and do as often as possible as it gives them more confidence as well.”South Australia’s performance in 2010 was largely unexpected but it has brought increased hope this time. “Last year, we probably went under the radar a little bit. Teams didn’t expect us to go that far but we have got a side that plays well together and guys that play their roles well individually. If we can do that again, there is no reason why we cannot get to the final stages again.”It is a tough competition among the best teams in the world. I don’t think there is any easy game in both groups. Every game can go either way as we saw last night, so we have to make sure we are switched on every game.”

A round-up of the first day’s play in the third round of Division One Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches in 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2011Rawalpindi’s left-arm fast bowler Sadaf Hussain claimed an astonishing 9 for 37 in 15.4 overs to demolish Habib Bank Limited (HBL) for 114 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Hussain, 21, made best use of the conditions after Rawalpindi won the toss and seven of his wickets were either bowled or lbw. The only batsman to get away was Fahad Masood, who was dismissed by Nasir Malik. The captain Hasan Raza was HBL’s top-scorer with 29. Rawalpindi, however, also struggled when they came out to bat, ending the day on 140 for 7, leading by only 26. HBL’s new-ball attack of Masood and Sarmad Anwar took three wickets apiece. Seven Rawalpindi batsmen got into double figures but no one made more than Babar Naeem’s 32.State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) bowlers chipped away steadily to reduce Islamabad to 227 for 7 at the end of day one at the Diamond Club Ground. SBP struck two early blows after they chose to field before Islamabad had a steadying 79-run stand for the third wicket between Afaq Raheem and Zeeshan Mushtaq. After that, however, wickets fell at regular intervals and Zeeshan was the first of three successive batsmen to be dismissed on 29. Raheem remained steadfast through the day, ending on 89 not out off 228 balls. Fast bowler Saad Altaf finished with 3 for 48 for SBP.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were struggling at 72 for 4 against Faisalabad before Shoaib Khan snr rescued them with a century at the Iqbal Stadium. Fahad Iqbal, who scored a run-a-ball 62, sparked the revival and Shoaib joined him, making an unbeaten 116 off 99 balls with 11 fours and a six. Shoaib added 175 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper-captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 87, and led PIA to 352 for 6 at stumps. Abdur Rauf and Waqas Maqsood took two wickets each and had given Faisalabad a bright start before the tables were turned.Seventeen wickets fell on the first day between Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) and Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium and at the end of it ZTBL were best placed to earn a slender first-innings lead. Sialkot’s bowlers ran riot after their captain Mansoor Amjad chose to field and Mohammad Abbas dismissed five of the top six batsmen. ZTBL were floundering at 63 for 7 before Zohaib Khan made 44 and Mohammad Khalil 24 to nearly double the score. ZTBL were eventually shot out for 121 in 46 overs. Prince Abbas and Mohammad Imran shared the other five wickets between them. Sialkot’s batsmen, however, fared as badly when they came out to try and consolidate the advantage created by their bowlers. ZTBL’s new-ball attack of Sohail Tanvir and Khalil took seven wickets between them as Sialkot ended the day on 71 for 7. Mohammad Ayub was their top-scorer with 30 and they will need a lower-order resistance like ZTBL’s to avoid conceding a lead.National Bank of Pakistan’s (NBP) bowlers dismissed Abbottabad for 222 to give their team the edge on the first day at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. The new-ball pair of Mohammad Talha and Umaid Asif took three wickets apiece, while Uzair-ul-Haq and Umar Amin took two each. Though five out of the top six Abbottabad batsman got into double figures, no one made more than Hammad Ali’s 28. They would have been worse off had Khalid Usman not made an unbeaten 82 off 91 balls at No. 7. Usman eventually ran out of partners. NBP lost opener Nasir Jamshed in their reply and ended on 37 for 1 at stumps.Azhar Attari and Imran Khan claimed four Karachi Blues wickets each to help Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) dismiss the home side for 144 at the National Stadium. Karachi Blues were tottering at 70 for 6 before Tanvir Ahmed scored 44 off 54 balls to help steer them past 100. WAPDA also struggled in their innings, losing three wickets for 14 runs to be reduced to 48 for 3. They ended the day on 75 for 3 and will hope their middle-order batsmen can take a substantial lead on the second day.

Trent Copeland agrees a bleak injury prognosis for Shane Watson has greatly enhanced his chances of taking part in the first Test against New Zealand

Daniel Brettig24-Nov-2011Though Trent Copeland does not want to be considered Australian cricket’s best reserve, he agrees a bleak injury prognosis for Shane Watson has greatly enhanced his chances of taking part in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane.Having performed creditably in his first three Tests in Sri Lanka, Copeland found himself out of the team in South Africa, shaded first by Peter Siddle and later Pat Cummins.However the likelihood of Watson’s hamstring strain keeping him out of the Gabba Test means that Copeland’s knack for long spells will be valuable to a team lacking an allrounder. His ability to field in the slips, where Watson is usually posted, is another useful attribute.”That does help, and now I’m not in the XI, it may give me an extra opportunity,” Copeland told ESPNcricinfo. “But I certainly don’t look at it that way, I want to be in the best XI at all times, not just when people are injured.”In Sri Lanka I was picked where there was not one bowler in Australia injured but I was able to be in the best XI for three Tests. Provided the right situation occurs and the right conditions are there, then I’m still in the mix no matter who’s fit or who’s firing and all that kind of stuff.”Copeland will turn out for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at the SCG from Friday, having been ruled ineligible for Australia A’s fixture against New Zealand, beginning a day earlier, due to his 12th man duties in Johannesburg.Originally ruled out of the Shield fixture as well as the tour match, Copeland was given permission to play a match ahead of the Gabba Test by Australia’s captain Michael Clarke.”Talking common sense as he does, he thought this Shield game starts the when the Test squad gets named and it is a good opportunity if I’m in that squad to get some match practice in beforehand, having bowled in the nets for quite a while the last couple of weeks,” Copeland said. “If I’m not in the squad then it gives me the opportunity to take some wickets and put my name back up in lights.”The scheduling quirk may also work in Copeland’s favour, for Ben Cutting, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus were given some harsh treatment by Brendon McCullum at Allan Border Field.The match at the SCG is set to be played on a green tinged pitch due to a series of downpours in Sydney over the past week, and Copeland said his objectives were singular – making sure his control was at the precise level it needed to be to conquer international batsmen.”I want to go through the things I want to achieve, and whether I take no wickets or 10 wickets I’m not too fussed about that,” Copeland said. “It’s about being comfortable, ticking the boxes and getting preparation right in terms of building pressure, and when I want to bowl the ball in a certain spot that I actually land it there. My main asset is my control and my persistence and that sort of stuff, so I just want to be able to execute that well this week.”Copeland’s time on boundary’s edge in South Africa made him a keen observer of others, as he learned how best to meet the needs of the playing XI. But it also filled him with motivation to return to the team, on merit as well as through injuries to others.”You can’t help but learn things about how other people cope in pressure situations and how you can help and how you can contribute as the 12th, 13th, 14th man on tour,” Copeland said. “I learned a lot about that, but it also gives you the drive to get back into the team so you don’t have to do that, you can just worry about your own performances and helping the team win the game.”The Wanderers victory was significant for many reasons, not least the emergence of Pat Cummins, but Copeland disagreed with the contention that a defeat would have sent the team into another spiral of self-doubt and poor results.”It is probably a catalyst for good things to happen,” Copeland said. “The question has been posed that it was a necessary win and really we were on the brink of bad things and all this kind of stuff, but you wouldn’t feel that if you’re in the group. Michael Clarke’s got a very positive attitude about things, and honestly believes we’re on the cusp of good things, and so do I.”We weren’t far off producing a really good first Test, apart from that second innings batting display, and we really turned it around in the second Test and unearthed a potential superstar in Pat Cummins. There’s good things happening all around the place, everyone wants to get better every day, and no doubt Mickey Arthur is going to help that. It could prove to be one of those summers where Australian cricket turns a corner.”

S Aravind, the Karnataka medium-pacer, has been sidelined for four weeks due to a knee injury

Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium15-Dec-2011S Aravind, the Karnataka medium-pacer, has been sidelined for four weeks due to a knee injury. There was some good news for Karnataka, though, as Manish Pandey was recovering earlier than expected from his hernia operation, and could be part of the squad for the knock-out phase of the Ranji Trophy that starts on January 2.Aravind has a sore right knee, and hasn’t been able to bowl since the first evening of Karnataka’s ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Punjab at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Aravind had had surgery three years ago on his right knee, but that played only a minor role in his current problem. Aravind, who was called up to the Indian one-day squad earlier this year, hasn’t been at his best this season, taking nine wickets at 49.44.His injury leaves Karnataka without all three of their fast bowlers who have been instrumental in the team becoming a major force in the Ranji Trophy over the past three seasons – Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun are part of the Indian Test squad in Australia. The earliest Aravind is expected to return to action is for the semi-finals, if Karnataka qualify.Pandey, who hit a double century against Mumbai in November, was originally expected to be ruled out of the entire season. He has started working out in the gym and is progressing well enough to have a chance to play the quarter-finals.The other cause for cheer for Karnataka on the injury front is that the fast bowler SL Akshay, who made his debut this season, is recovering well from a hamstring problem kept him out of the Punjab match. He is “75% fit” according to the team physio, and a decision on his availability for the final league match against Uttar Pradesh will be taken after a fitness test over the weekend.

Sana Mir, the Pakistan women’s cricket team captain, has said women’s cricket in Pakistan has developed significantly since the PCB handed contracts to 19 women cricketers

Umar Farooq02-Dec-2011Sana Mir, the Pakistan women’s cricket team captain, has said women’s cricket in Pakistan has developed significantly since the PCB handed contracts to 19 women cricketers. Pakistan recently finished as runners-up in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh and will take part in the Women’s World Twenty20 next year and the Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2013.”Our approach to the game is entirely professional now,” Mir, who was Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer during the qualifiers and also took four wickets, told ESPNcricinfo. “It is not just a game but a profession we have chosen to earn a livelihood from.”The Pakistan women’s team only emerged in 1997 and it took them almost four years to register their first win, in a home ODI against Netherlands in 2001. They had to wait till 2004 to beat a top-flight team but victories have become more frequent in the last two years. Earlier this year the PCB offered the players central contracts, after they won the gold medal in the Asian Games in 2010. Mir, who is on a Grade A contract, said women’s cricket is now headed in the right direction.”We have been struggling in many areas but in the last couple of years things have improved significantly. Cricket is very old in our region but among women it is not that popular; it has gained popularity among girls only in the last six-seven years.”But we are heading in the right direction. Technically, we have to do a lot to break into the top three teams but we have gained a lot of ground. We have to work on our bench strength. We have to introduce the game at the grass-root level. In Pakistan there are only a few cricket clubs for women; the number of them has to increase to three figures. We still have nearly 50 girls as backup for the national squad.”Mir was conservative in setting goals for the upcoming World Cups, saying winning was more of a fantasy than an achievable goal. “We have been in the World Twenty20 before and lost our way in the opening round, so this time our target is to at least get through to the second round. As far as the 50-over World Cup is concerned, we have better chances and are targeting at least the semi-finals.”Pakistan have risen to sixth in the women’s ODI rankings this year but Mir said they were still some way off competing with the top teams. “We are still far off from being the best as they are many areas in which we lag behind. The most important things we need to work on are fitness, endurance and mental strength. We need to play more and more quality cricket against better teams to flourish. We are at No. 6 now and our first priority is to hold this spot and not slip back down.”