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Gary Ballance and Azeem Rafiq spared Yorkshire’s blushes at Headingley after Unicorns had threatened to pull off a shock victory

12-Aug-2012
ScorecardGary Ballance and Azeem Rafiq spared Yorkshire’s blushes at Headingley after Unicorns had threatened to pull off a shock victory in the CB40 League Group C encounter.Chasing a modest revised target of 162 in 37 overs, Yorkshire appeared to be cruising at 34 without loss but then four wickets fell for seven runs in the space of 22 deliveries, and when rain caused a brief interruption at 78 for 5 in 18.4 overs they were well behind the required rate.Fortunately for the home side, Ballance kept his nerve with a fine unbeaten 69 and he was well supported by Rafiq, who made 34, the pair putting on an unbroken 91 for the sixth wicket to haul Yorkshire back into the match and they went on to win by five wickets with three overs remaining.The slide began when paceman, Bob Woolley, came into the attack and his first ball sent captain Andrew Gale’s off-stump flying. In the next over, Adam Lyth edged Glen Querl to wicketkeeper, Tom New, and it became four wickets in as many overs as Woolley had Phil Jaques taken at first slip and David Miller was caught behind off Querl without scoring.Ballance and Adil Rashid appeared to be getting on top of the situation until Rashid fell lbw to Paul Hindmarch the delivery after flicking him over backward square leg for six.The short rain break seemed to settle Yorkshire’s nerves and the batsmen began to take control, Ballance reverse sweeping Luke Beaven for four and Rafiq driving Bradley Wadlan to the cover boundary.Ballance off-drove Beaven for a mighty six to reach his half-century off 76 balls and when he hit the winning boundary he had received 83 balls and struck six fours and a six. Against the same opponents at Scarborough earlier in the season, Ballance plundered 103 not out.Put in to bat, Unicorns were never able to break free from the stranglehold imposed on them by Ryan Sidebottom and Rashid and they would not have reached 150 for 6 off their 37 overs but for an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 56 between skipper, Keith Parsons, and Woolley.Making his first appearance in just over six weeks after recovering from a calf injury, Sidebottom swung the ball appreciably in the humid conditions and he struck in his opening over when Wadlan offered no stroke and had his leg stump flattened.Vishal Tripathi and New tried hard to settle the innings down but at 32 in the ninth over Sidebottom struck again by dismissing New, the left-hander nibbling outside off-stump to give a catch to 22-year-old debutant wicketkeeper, Dan Hodgson, from Northallerton.Moin Ashraf held on to a return catch from Jayden Levitt before Rashid joined the attack in the 15th over and began with two wickets in his first over, bowling the patient Tripathi with a googly and trapping James Ord lbw with a similar delivery.He went on to bowl Luis Reece for 25, his only boundary shot being a big six off Rafiq, and Rashid’s final figures of 3 for 24 followed hot on the heels of his career-best 4 for 38 against Northamptonshire in the previous match.At 94 for 6 in 27 overs, a complete slump was prevented by Parsons and Woolley, but a sudden break for rain at 141 for 6 in 36.1 overs brought about a reduction in the overs.With only five balls remaining on the resumption, Parsons immediately belted Sidebottom for six over mid-wicket. His unbeaten 48 came off 60 deliveries with two fours and a six while Woolley made 28 not out with three fours.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said new-ball bowler Zaheer Khan must continue to work on his fitness before the start of the Test series in Australia

03-Dec-2011Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said Zaheer Khan, India’s spearhead, must continue to work on his fitness before the start of the Test series in Australia. Zaheer was out of cricket between August and November due to injury, and was conditionally selected for the Australia series that begins with the Boxing Day Test.”I feel that Zaheer is still not 100% fit and we can’t afford to have a 50% fit Zaheer Khan in Australia,” Ganguly said during an event in Delhi. “For India, Zaheer still needs to play a lot more matches and for that he needs to be fully fit. One Ranji Trophy game is not enough.”There are still [some] days left [before the Tests] and I believe he will play another Ranji game as well as two practice matches in Australia. The BCCI has planned his schedule well, unlike ten years ago when I had to appear for a fitness test only ten days prior to an important tour.”Zaheer had injured his right hamstring on the first day of the England-India Test series this summer, before a recurring ankle injury re-surfaced later during the tour, forcing Zaheer out of the series. He underwent ankle surgery and made a return to competitive cricket on November 29, when he played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai in Cuttack. He bowled 22 overs in the match, over two innings, and took four wickets.Ganguly also said R Ashwin, the offspinner who took 22 wickets in his debut Test series, against West Indies, will face a much tougher challenge in Australia. “Ashwin is a gifted cricketer. But bowling in India with SG balls against an inconsistent West Indies batting line-up is completely different from bowling with Kookaburra balls. Also the quality of batsmanship will certainly be higher [in Australia].”India faced another injury setback with medium-pacer Praveen Kumar being ruled out of the Tests in Australia earlier this week because of a fractured rib. His replacement will be named on December 5, and Ganguly said the decision should be carefully weighed.”We should have a good young pacer whoever it is. As far as Irfan [Pathan] is concerned, I have heard that he is bowling well [in the Ranji Trophy] but my question would be whether he is good enough to get into the team on his bowling alone.”Ashish [Nehra] is also getting wickets which is a good sign. I don’t think that not being centrally contracted [Nehra was not in the BCCI’s list of centrally contracted players released in October] is an issue. He is only 32 and can still play for India for some time.”Ganguly scored his first first-class century in two years this week, for Bengal against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy. The four-day match, though, ended in a draw. With draws in the tournament not being uncommon, Ganguly said its structure could do with a review. “I know there are times when the second innings becomes immaterial. Certainly we need to look at the possibility of whether we can make it a five-day affair.”

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill again turned on the style as Derbyshire crushed Yorkshire by six wickets in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Queen’s Park

14-Aug-2011
ScorecardNew Zealand opener Martin Guptill again turned on the style as Derbyshire crushed Yorkshire by six wickets in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Queen’s Park.Guptill scored an unbeaten 103 off 83 balls to take the Falcons past Yorkshire’s total of 234 for 7 with 38 balls to spare. Gary Ballance scored an unbeaten 81 off 65 balls and Jacques Rudolph made 75 but Guptill smashed four sixes to give the home side a convincing victory in front of a 3,000-plus crowd.Rudolph had scored a century on this ground last season and he treated a big crowd to some sweetly-timed strokes, including a six over long on off Wes Durston in the second over.Yorkshire raced to 56 off the first eight overs but once Derbyshire took the pace off the ball, the run rate dropped and wickets started to fall. Joe Sayers was caught behind down the legside off the first ball from Garry Park’s medium pace and Adam Lyth was bowled by one that turned sharply from Greg Smith.Anthony McGrath failed in his attempt to launch Smith over long on and at the halfway stage, Yorkshire had been restricted to 109. Rudolph hit seven fours on his way to a 46-ball fifty, but he scored only one more boundary before he tried to come down the pitch to England Under-19 spinner Tom Knight and was stumped.When Gerard Brophy skied to mid off in the 34th over, Yorkshire were struggling to post a competitive total but Ballance changed that with a thrilling onslaught that broke Derbyshire’s stranglehold.He pulled Mark Footitt over deep square leg for six as 40 came from the batting power play and after surviving a missed stumping off Durston on 57, sent the next ball into the crowd at midwicket.A Tim Groenewald full toss was dispatched for another six and with 52 coming from the last four overs, Yorkshire had a decent total although Guptill soon made it look inadequate.He drove and pulled Oliver Hannon-Dalby for two sixes and although David Wainwright had Chesney Hughes caught at long on from his first ball, Yorkshire could not contain the Falcons.Guptill late cut the spinner for his sixth four to reach 50 off only 34 balls and although Adil Rashid beat Durston’s defensive push, it was not enough to stall the Falcons’ victory charge.Wayne Madsen drove Wainwright on to the roof of the radio tent and Guptill pulled the spinner out of the ground before Steve Patterson gave Yorkshire hope with two wickets in successive overs.Madsen skied a pull to mid on and Smith was deceived by one that popped on him but Guptill and Ross Whiteley settled the contest with some muscular blows.

A round-up of the final and the third-place play-off of the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2011An emphatic opening partnership gave Uganda an upset victory over Namibia in the final in Kampala, after the visitors had won both their previous clashes in the tournament. Roger Mukasa (42) and Arthur Kyobe (34) put on 82 in 8.2 overs and the pace of their stand meant that despite four quick wickets, Uganda were way ahead of the asking rate. Frank Nsubuga and Benjamin Musoke ensured Uganda eased to the title in the 18th over with an unbroken 44-run partnership.Namibia had got off to a similar start, when Louis van der Westhuizen – Player of the Tournament for his 406 runs and 14 wickets – and captain Craig Williams added 75 inside ten overs. Like Uganda, Namibia too suffered a middle-order collapse, but unlike the winners, they could never recover and kept losing wickets. Seamer Deusdedit Muhumza led the way for Uganda, picking up 3 for 26 to finish as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 victims from nine games. None of the Namibian batsmen apart from the openers made more than 15 as Brian Masaba and Davis Arinaitwe took two wickets each.Both sides had already qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Global Qualifier, having taken the top two places in the points table. The performances taken into account for determining qualification excluded all matches involving Kenya, who were assured of qualification being an Associate/Affiliate ODI nation, irrespective of the results of this tournament.Kenya, after having also lost both their games to Nigeria previously, finished on a high as a Nigeria batting collapse handed them victory by 23 runs in the third-place play-off. Ademola Onikoyi had given Nigeria a strong start in their chase of 163, putting on 43 with the steady Segun Olayinka. Offspinner Vinit Shikotra gave Kenya the breakthrough, trapping Olayinka leg-before, and his dismissal started a procession of wickets. Onikoyi tried to keep Nigeria in the hunt, hitting seven fours in his 53 off 39 deliveries. But left-arm spinner Raj Savala had him caught in a three-wicket burst which also included the wicket of Nigeria captain Endurance Ofem. Three run-outs rounded off a poor batting show and Nigeria ended on 139 for 9.The Kenya middle order had earlier batted around a half-century from Irfan Karim – son of former Kenya captain Asif Karim – who remained unbeaten on 55 off 49 deliveries. Karim steadied the innings after the dismissal of the openers left Kenya at 37 for 2. They were able to eventually get to 162 due to a furious cameo from Harrison Angila, who smashed four sixes in making 27 off only seven deliveries. Kenya were also helped by the 16 wides that Nigeria bowled.

On a day when Michael Clarke became Australia’s sixth triple-centurion in Test cricket and Michael Hussey scored his 16th Test hundred, Australia consolidated their enormous advantage in the second Test against India

The Report by Brydon Coverdale05-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke celebrates his triple-hundred•Getty ImagesMatthew Hayden, Mark Taylor, Don Bradman, Michael Clarke. That is the list of the men with the highest Test scores for Australia after a day on which Clarke not only wrote himself into the record books but also declared early enough to give his side a strong chance to push for victory over India. Clarke ended Australia’s innings with his own score on 329, choosing neither to seek the glory of chasing down Brian Lara’s world-record 400, nor even Taylor’s iconic 334, the best score by an Australian Test captain.Instead, he chose drinks in the middle session – the halfway point of the game – to declare Australia’s innings closed at 4 for 659. His partner, Michael Hussey, had just reached 150. His thinking as he and Hussey walked off to a standing ovation from the SCG crowd was clear: on a good pitch, Australia would need time to bowl India out, especially with the chance of rain on the fourth day. Personal milestones meant nothing. The team goal was all that mattered.By the close of play, Australia had two of the ten wickets they wanted. Virender Sehwag had gone in the fourth over of the innings. He flashed hard at a wide ball from Ben Hilfenhaus and was brilliantly snapped up at point by David Warner, whose split-second leap up and to his left allowed him to clasp his hands around the ball and remove India’s quickest scorer for 4.Hilfenhaus also accounted for Rahul Dravid, who was bowled for the third time in the series. On 29, Dravid moved his front foot across in line with off stump but left enough of a gap for the bowler to nip a ball in between bat and pad. The Wall is in desperate need of some mortar, but don’t expect the former bricklayer Hilfenhaus to supply it.At stumps, India were 2 for 114, still trailing by 354, and the Australians needed to find a way through the defences of Sachin Tendulkar, who was on 8. Unexpectedly, given his struggles in the first three innings of the series, it was Gautam Gambhir who was giving them the most trouble. He had reached 68 and was playing positively, having struck nine boundaries.Already he had his highest Test score in more than a year. However, Gambhir had been given a life on 66 when James Pattinson found his outside edge in the dying stages of the day. Brad Haddin dived to his left and for the second time in the series moved too far; the ball sailed between his arms while his gloves kept moving further towards first slip.The Australians knew it could be a costly let-off, for runs had flowed easily for Clarke and Hussey on the third day. In three hours of cricket, they added 177 for the loss of no wickets. In fact, from 4.43pm on the opening day of the match until 2.10pm on the third day, Australia had put on 622 runs for the loss of just one wicket, that of Ricky Ponting, who fell for 134 midway through the second afternoon.And while Hussey finished with 150 not out, the third day was all about Clarke. He not only became the sixth man to score a Test triple-century for Australia, his innings was also the best by an Australian captain in a home Test, surpassing Bradman’s 270 at the MCG in 1937. It also broke Tip Foster’s 108-year-old record for the highest score in an SCG Test; his 287 on debut was passed when Clarke drove a boundary through extra cover.That was a record that could not be overstated, especially in the SCG’s 100th Test. Over the years, 3747 times batsmen have walked out on to the Sydney Cricket Ground to commence a Test innings. In all of those performances, nobody has ever scored as many as Clarke did over the past three days. He went to lunch on 293, and it took barely ten minutes after the break for his triple-century to arrive.It came with a flick off his pads for a boundary off Ishant Sharma, an appropriate shot for Clarke had punished anything on his legs throughout the innings. In truth, there was hardly a region of the ground in which Clarke didn’t score freely: he drove through off and down the ground, cut, pulled and glanced with ease. He was slow out of the blocks on the third morning, ensuring he got himself set again, but never did his innings stagnate.He was helped by the presence of Hussey, who became the third centurion in Australia’s innings. In a 334-run partnership with Clarke, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking over at a reasonable rate. He brought up his 16th Test hundred with a single tickled towards third man off Sehwag’s offspin shortly before lunch, and he pumped his fists with delight.Although it was Hussey’s fifth Test century since the start of the Ashes last summer, he had also fallen for three golden ducks during his past nine innings. At no did India seriously look like breaking the partnership, although R Ashwin bowled an impressive, searching spell in the opening session.The action in the middle became so predictable that in the ABC radio commentary box Harsha Bhogle and Kerry O’Keeffe entertained listeners by challenging each other to eat the world’s hottest chilli. Meanwhile, in the Channel Nine box, Ian Healy quizzed Bill Lawry on pigeon diseases.But all eyes were fixed on Clarke as he reached his triple-century, and when he declared less than an hour later. It was a captain’s innings in every way, just as he delivered in Cape Town against South Africa in November. Australia lost that Test. Clarke made sure they won’t lose this one.

Suresh Raina believes that India’s win in the second Twenty20, especially the fielding, has sent out a message that they are ready to turn the summer around

Sidharth Monga in Melbourne04-Feb-2012Suresh Raina believes that India’s win in the second Twenty20, especially the fielding, has sent out a message that they are ready to turn the summer around.”All the boys that have come as one-day specialists are young,” Raina said on the eve of the opening match of the triangular series. “When the fielding is good, the intensity picks up, there is a positive vibe around, the whole atmosphere is different.”That’s what we saw yesterday. The fielding was very good, the throws were brilliant, everybody did well. The batting was also good. Gautam Gambhir saw us through. It’s a good sign. Hopefully we will continue that.”Raina said different results could be expected of the team in the ODIs. “It is a different ball game,” he said. “We have played really well as a unit. We bowled really well. When you take wickets with the new ball, it’s always good for the bowling unit. Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar bowled really well. If you look at the bench strength, we have Irfan [Pathan], Zak [Zaheer Khan], Umesh [Yadav] ready to go. We have a good team right now.”Raina said it was crucial to get one win on the board. “It was important for us,” he said. “The morale is very good. The atmosphere is very positive at the moment. They (youngsters) showed real character and responsibility yesterday. Every youngster is looking forward to the one-day series. We have Sachin [Tendulkar], we have Zak, and a lot of players who have been in the Test series. They have experience in these conditions.”Raina went on to emphasise the importance of good fielding, and how hard he, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have been working with Trevor Penney, the fielding coach. There is a healthy competition among the four even during the fielding drills. Raina will know, though, that only fielding doesn’t win matches. He was dropped from the Test side after 15 games because the runs weren’t coming consistently enough.Raina said he had been working hard on his game to suit the bouncy surfaces. Before coming to Australia, he said he has worked at the NCA in Bangalore, in Mumbai with Praveen Amre, and has had sessions with wet balls and also on a hockey surface in Uttar Pradesh, his home state.”I have been working on my wrist position so that I can keep the pull down,” he said. “I am feeling confident at the moment, hitting the ball well, had six-seven good sessions here. This is an important tour with regards to comeback to the Test side.”

A round-up of the matches from the fourth day of the Faysal Bank T20, 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2011Nauman Habib and Umar Gul bowled Peshawar Panthers to a 28-run victory over Islamabad Leopards on Wednesday. Habib picked up three early wickets and Gul one to reduce Islamabad to 19 for 4 in the fourth over chasing 151. Islamabad captain Naeem Anjum fought bravely to make 40 and add 57 for the sixth wicket with Sajid Ali (24). But with opener Afaq Raheem (32) the only other batsmen to reach double-figures, Islamabad’s challenge fizzled out once Gul removed Sajid. Habib finished with 4 for 17 while Gul took 3 for 27. Gul also made a quick 20 to provide a rapid finish to Peshawar’s innings. Aftab Alam was the top scorer with 36.Faisalabad Wolves eased to a comprehensive win over Multan Tigers at the National Stadium in Karachi. Opener Asif Ali top-scored with 44 and was part of a 57-run opening stand with Asif Hussain which set the foundation for a competitive score. Khurram Shehzad contributed 43 and despite a spate of run-outs down the order, Faisalabad were in a good position at the innings break. Multan built their chase steadily and were well placed for a take-off at 63 for 1 in the 10th over but when Gulraiz Sadaf (32) and Zain Abbas (28) fell in successive overs after a promising stand, their hopes began to fade. Saeed Ajmal was outstanding, with figures of five runs in four overs and three wickets that shut Multan out of the contest.The Afghan Cheetas put up a good fight but were unable to overcome Rawalpindi Rams at the National Stadium in Karachi. Samiullah Shenwari and Najibullah Zadran struck half-centuries, and in quick time, splitting six sixes between them, to help their team post 162. Brief contributions from the top order help lay a good foundation and the pair added 78 for the fourth wicket. Rawalpindi were off to a flier in the chase, Awais Zia smashing 60 in 41 balls, striking 10 fours and a six. His top-order partners didn’t give him company for long but the blistering start meant there wasn’t really a great risk of the required rate getting out of hand. Umar Amin joined Zia in a crucial stand, adding 55, and received good support from Hammad Azam, who saw his team through with seven balls to spare.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte should unleash Steven Bergwijn in a new role as his side faces a daunting trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League later this evening.

The Lilywhites remain in the race for a top-four finish and the prospect of Champions League football next season but currently sit two points behind arch-rivals and fourth-placed Arsenal, who they face later next week.

Meanwhile, the Reds sit one point behind defending champions Manchester City and need to keep the pressure on whilst the latter’s morale could be low following their agonising semi-final exit on Wednesday.

It leaves the Italian head coach with plenty to ponder heading into kick-off. One conundrum has to be at wing-back, where a mix of injuries and inconsistencies have caused something of a headache.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Without Matt Doherty, Conte has had to rely on summer signing Emerson Royal, but it is very evident that he’s just not fancied, with The Times suggesting back in January that the manager felt the 23-year-old wasn’t good enough to play the wing-back role as Tottenham targeted Adama Traore.

Some supporters around N17 think he’s a “liability”, while former Spurs centre-back Jonathan Woodgate has slammed him for being “horrendous” in recent outings.

There is a serious lack of options available to the Tottenham boss, though, which is perhaps why he has continued to persist with the struggling ex-Barcelona flop.

However, Bergwijn could provide an interesting solution to Conte, especially given the attacking demands from the position. Truth be told, he’s perhaps been unlucky to not be given more of a chance in north London.

On the left, he’s competing with a red-hot Heung-min Son and on the right, he’s having to battle January arrival Dejan Kuluseveski, who has already usurped the squad in assists (eight).

The £18m-rated dynamo, who earns a reported £73k-per-week, has started just one league game since his match-winning brace from the bench against Leicester City in mid-January.

It’s not too dissimilar to the role that Jose Mourinho asked from him last season, particularly against the Gunners, where he put in two tackles and two clearances, helping Serge Aurier out defensively.

It was a performance which saw the ‘Special One’ describe the Netherland sinternational as “incredible” for his energy and work rate.

As such, he could well have all the credentials to fill in for Emerson at right wing-back over the final four games of the season, starting with tonight’s tricky test.

Conte should give Bergwijn a chance in the surprise role – he could well unearth a vital secret weapon in the race for a top-four finish.

AND in other news, Conte now plotting Spurs for “refreshing” £34m-rated gem, he’d be a “great signing”…

Zimbabwe stormed to another easy victory against Bangladesh, with another commanding all-round performance giving them a 2-0 series lead

The Report by Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrian Vitori made it ten wickets in his first two ODIs•Associated PressZimbabwe stormed to another easy victory against Bangladesh, with another commanding all-round performance giving them a 2-0 series lead. After Brian Vitori carved up the Bangladesh line-up, with his second ODI five-for in as many games, Vusi Sibanda built the foundation for the chase, before Tatenda Taibu’s half-century sealed the win.The hosts rectified their problem of losing too many wickets in the middle order and held firm where they could have wobbled. Bangladesh also made gains, although much smaller. They bowled with a little more consistency, although failing to find enough bite, and only managed to score four more runs than they did in the first ODI. Their batsmen failed to apply themselves and succumbed to poor shot selection against a particularly precise attack.Bangladesh started positively with Imrul Kayes pouncing on width from Chris Mpofu at the first opportunity. But the encouraging start proved to be a false dawn as Vitori’s golden arm struck again. He bowled his usual tight line and was rewarded with his fifth ball, when Tamim Iqbal tried to smack him through point without moving his feet, gifting Ray Price a catch at first slip.Mushfiqur Rahim was promoted to No. 3 in an attempt to repair the early damage, but the experiment failed. One ball short of completing five measured overs at the crease, he mistimed a pull to be caught at square leg. Instead of consolidating, Kayes followed Mushfiqur, trying to force a length delivery through extra cover, and offering Hamilton Masakadza a simple catch.Shahriar Nafees was dropped in the slips off the next ball, giving Bangladesh a bit of a lifeline. But Nafees and Mohammad Ashraful withdrew into their shells as the run-rate stagnated though they managed to see off Mpofu’s bounce and Vitori’s movement, before Prosper Utseya provided respite. Elton Chigumbura’s introduction offered them the ideal opportunity to forge forward, but instead, they regressed.Nafees gave his wicket away, to the fielder extra cover, and in Chigumbura’s next over, Ashraful, who had displayed real patience, gave up. He hung his bat out to a wide delivery and got an edge through to Taibu. The wicketkeeper snapped up his second catch when Mahmudullah misread the line from Utseya and played for turn that wasn’t there.At 58 for 6, Bangladesh were in a familiar mess, having slumped to 43 for 5 in the previous game. Shakib Al Hasan found an unlikely but welcome partner in debutant Nasir, who had a good tour of South Africa with the A side in April. Nasir showed the maturity that those before him should have employed. His handling of the short ball, and execution of the pull shot against Mpofu were of particular distinction.Shakib’s ability to come to Bangladesh’s rescue is well documented and the captain’s efforts were, once again, praise-worthy. His fault is that he hasn’t been able to convert his starts into bigger scores and he stumbled again when Vitori returned for his second spell. Nasir was the senior partner in his time at the crease with the captain and continued in that vein when he was joined by Abdur Razzak.Their partnership flourished at a run-rate of over six, with both application and assurance against the spinners. They found themselves needing to accelerate when Vitori returned for a third spell. Nasir took him on, but lofted straight to the fielder at long-on.Vitori’s dream introduction to the international arena continued with another stunning effort when he bowled Razzak with a full delivery. Bangladesh’s innings ended limply when Rubel Hossain was run out, 15 balls short of their allotted 50 overs.Bangladesh’s effort in the field was a little more promising. Shafiul Islam struck early, removing Taylor in his second over, inducing him to push outside off stump. The ball took the edge and was dying on Nafees at second slip, who completed a good catch.The early breakthrough gave Bangladesh something to work with, but as was the case in the first ODI, they were unable to maintain pressure, although their use of the new ball was markedly better. Abdur Razzak, however, had less success with his left-arm spin, with Sibanda using his feet well against him.Shakib and Mahmudullah operated in tandem with better results, managing to squeeze and force the batsmen to work them around the field. Sibanda and Masakadza were up for the task and found the gaps without needing to play a shot in anger.Shakib could have had Masakadza stumped when he was on 30 but Mushfiqur could not collect the ball. Mahmudullah ensured that the team only paid eight runs for their error. He lured Masakadza forward by tossing it up, and made him play for turn that wasn’t there. Mushfiqur didn’t repeat his mistake and took the bails off.Sibanda struggled at times against the short ball, but his mistimed pulls did not cost him and his driving remained impressive. His half-century came up with a lofted shot over Shafiul’s head. Taibu took eight balls to get off the mark but when he did, with a single, it opened the floodgates and his next scoring shot was a six over extra-cover.Rubel was only given two overs and even Ashraful was allowed to turn his arm. He dismissed Sibanda, who was stumped after going too far down the track. Taibu took his time when he needed to, but showed off the footwork that he is renowned for, taking on the spinners and playing a dominant role in his partnership with Craig Ervine.Taibu was dropped at deep midwicket on 46, a wicket that would have made no difference to the result, but it was fitting that he was there at the end. His exquisite pull off Ashraful took Zimbabwe home with 35 balls remaining.

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his team will target Australia’s new captain, Michael Clarke, during the three-ODI series, which begins on April 9 in Dhaka

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2011Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his team will target Australia’s new captain, Michael Clarke, during the three-ODI series, which begins on April 9 in Dhaka. The Australian team left for Bangladesh today and they will play a warm-up game on April 7 before the series begins.”Every team targets the captain and we will be wanting to get rid of him [Clarke],” Siddons told the . ”If we get to him, it means we will have got through the openers and [Ricky] Ponting, and we’ll be happy to have a crack at him. Obviously if you cut off the head the rest will fall. That’s the theme – to take the captain out.”Bangladesh will focus on stalling Australia with their spinners, and Siddons was hopeful that the left-arm options at his disposal, and the captain Shakib Al Hasan in particular, would play a crucial role in the series.”He [Shakib] doubts himself very little against the best players in the world and he is probably the best left-arm spinner I’ve seen. He and [Daniel] Vettori are very close. [Shakib] spins the ball a lot more and as far as street-smarts go, he is the same as Vettori, I reckon.”I’ve got a long memory so I remember all these things from when I was on tour with the [Australian] boys. We just think we can hold them up a bit with our left-arm spinners and make some inroads into their batting order.”Bangladesh had a disappointing World Cup: they were eliminated from Group B after winning only three league matches, though one of those victories was against England. Siddons’ contract as Bangladesh coach is up for renewal in June but in the event it is not renewed he said he would accept a position at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence.