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Dhawal Kulkarni has been asked to join India’s Test squad in Australia as a replacement for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Amol Karhadkar11-Dec-20141:21

Agarkar: Kulkarni deserved call-up

Dhawal Kulkarni has been asked to join India’s Test squad in Australia as a replacement for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Bhuvneshwar has been nursing an ankle injury and was initially ruled out of the first two Tests. Since the injury is unlikely to heal in time for the third Test as well, it was decided to call for Kulkarni.Kulkarni, who was a part of the last three ODIs at home against Sri Lanka in November, was preferred over the likes of Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, who were in the squad for the Test series in England earlier this year.Bhuvneshwar will remain in Australia, and will return to the squad once he is fit. “Bhuvneshwar Kumar will rejoin the Indian team, for the Test series in Australia, as soon as he recovers and is declared fit,” the BCCI confirmed in a release.Earlier, the BCCI decided that it would be better for his recovery if he was monitored by the team’s physiotherapists in Australia, instead of returning home for his rehabilitation. A BCCI insider revealed that the team management has been instructed not to rush him back into action since since he will be expected to play a vital role in the upcoming tri-series against Australia and England, as well as in the World Cup.Kulkarni has played four ODIs for India, debuting during the series in England in September, before the three games against Sri Lanka in which he picked up eight wickets.Bhuvneshwar, with 19 wickets, finished as India’s highest wicket-taker during the five-Test series in England.

Although the scoreboard only read four wickets, New Zealand could be highly satisfied with the opening day of the series at Lord’s having restricted England to a run-rate of two-an-over.

The Report by Andrew McGlashan at Lord's16-May-2013
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTrent Boult produced two excellent deliveries to remove Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott•Getty ImagesAlthough the scoreboard only read four wickets, New Zealand could be highly satisfied with the opening day of the series at Lord’s having restricted England to a run-rate of two-an-over. Each of the top four bedded in before being chipped out by a supremely accurate bowling attack who were again led astutely by their proactive captain.It is fair to say that Brendon McCullum would have swapped one of the wickets today for that final scalp in Auckland six weeks ago, but New Zealand know the importance of backing up their performance at home with a strong showing overseas and they have ensured that England will not be sitting too comfortably overnight.Trent Boult claimed two key scalps in the afternoon session, due reward for high-class, crafty swing bowling. Alastair Cook, who had problems against him and Neil Wagner in New Zealand, pushed at one side off stump and Jonathan Trott – shaping to play a significant innings on a ground where he averages over 70 – was brilliantly caught low at third slip five minutes before tea.Trott’s dismissal will have left one New Zealander feeling especially relieved; Bruce Martin had given him a life before he got off the mark when he spilled a return catch. It meant that Joe Root, who had never played at Lord’s, emerged for his first home Test innings in a tricky situation five minutes before a break but was as assured as any of the England batsman while compiling a jaunty 25 during the final session before rain lopped off the last 10 overs.Three down would have been a solid enough – if unspectacular – day for England but the removal of Ian Bell, 10 balls before the second new ball became available, ensured New Zealand could end the day the happier side. Bell had produced a display of considerable self-restraint before being drawn into pushing at a ball (his 133rd) angled across him. It was a poor shot at a poor time, but nothing less than Wagner deserved for pounding in on a fairly unforgiving surface.Although the sun shone for the opening day of the international summer, batting was not a simple prospect. But both captains got their wish at the toss with McCullum saying he would have bowled. Firstly there was swing, the subject of much debate in the build-up, then there was a pitch on the sluggish side that made timing the ball difficult and an outfield – relayed over the winter following the Olympic Archery – which deflated value for shots on a ground where the ball normally races away. A tally of 15 boundaries in 80 overs was testament to that.Spin, historically, does not play a major role in May Tests but there were signs that it could have an influential role in this match. Martin, who only had his place confirmed on the morning of the game when New Zealand resisted the temptation of an all-seam attack, tweaked his first ball past Nick Compton’s edge which was just enough to plant a few doubts.But it could not really explain Compton’s dismissal when, completely out of character to the rest of his innings, he advanced down the pitch to try and drive over cover but only succeeded in toe-ending a catch to point. The shot came on the back of four consecutive maidens with England finding it difficult to rotate the strike. Martin should have made it two successes before lunch but shelled the chance, chest-height to his right, when Trott drove a fraction early.The rare early boundaries that did come went to Cook – a clip and a cut – but he had to work hard to survive Tim Southee’s opening spell from the Pavilion End. Southee and Boult found consistent swing and though it was not always on target it was enough to keep the batsmen wary. After lunch it was Boult’s turn to harass Cook, the movement enough to make him unsure what to play and what to leave, and he found the outside edge which was superbly held by BJ Watling having realised the ball would not have carried to first slip.Following his reprieve, Trott produced some of the best timing on show as he flicked strongly off his pads whenever the bowlers drifted and also drove strongly through the off side. Unlike overseas, where the Kookaburra ball will stop swinging after about 20 overs, the Dukes offers encouragement for much longer and Boult, brought back for a burst before tea, made one jag across Trott which, although he tried to play with soft hands, just carried to Brownlie. In New Zealand, Brownlie had a 50-50 series in the slips but this was a cracking grab.Amid the blocking and leaving there was the occasional gem; Bell’s cover drive off Wagner was a particular highlight while Root, playing with a little more intent that others, took a rare boundary off Martin with a strong sweep. When a heavy shower arrived Root was with his Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow. They are the future of England’s batting. This will be a good test of their credentials.

Paul Farbrace has been named as Sri Lanka coach and will take up his post on January 1

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2013Paul Farbrace, the former Sri Lanka assistant coach, has been appointed the new Sri Lanka coach on a two-year contract, starting on January 1.Farbrace, who will shortly finish his tenure with Yorkshire’s second XI, had been one of the original 11 applicants for the job, before withdrawing, then renewing his interest in the role.He takes the job ahead of current assistant coach Marvan Atapattu and Sussex club coach Mark Davis, who had been the other shortlisted candidates.”The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket arrived at this decision after engagement with the committee appointed to nominate the most suitable candidate for SLC,” a statement said. “The final decision was made after much deliberation as a selection of Sri Lankan candidates showed commendable credentials as applicants to this post.”Farbrace was assistant coach under Trevor Bayliss from 2007 to 2009, a period in which Sri Lanka rose to No. 2 in the Test rankings and progressed to a World Twenty20 final. He had left the job in order to become Kent’s director of cricket, but said he had a “strong affinity for Sri Lanka” at the time of his application for the job.He was wounded along with seven Sri Lankan players in March 2009 when a dozen gunmen opened fire on their bus in Lahore, Pakistan. He left his post four months after the attack, in which he was struck by a piece of shrapnel in his right arm, and became Kent’s director of cricket. He later moved to Yorkshire, stating that he wanted to rediscover his joy in developing young players.His first assignment will be at the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in February. He will then coach the team at the next World Twenty20, which is also due to be held in Bangladesh in March-April.Atapattu is believed to have been the strongest challenger to Farbrace in the final discussions. But there were doubts about whether he could establish full control of a side which still features his former teammates Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Jayawardene had also been Atapattu’s captain from 2005 to 2007.The committee to nominate the coach had been headed by former Sri Lanka cricketer and club stalwart Ranjit Fernando, and included chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, secretary Nishantha Ranatunga and head of coaching Jerome Jayaratne.The current coach, Graham Ford is expected complete the ongoing series of three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.Yorkshire confirmed that they received an official approach from SLC on December 7 and reluctantly agreed to release a man whose work with the next generation of players at Headingley had been widely commended.”Paul’s departure is a loss,” said Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves. “His dedication in developing the careers of some of our young players, who are now coming through the ranks, is a major part in moving the club forward to achieve its aims and ambitions.”Farbrace joined Yorkshire as part of a coaching shake-up which saw Jason Gillespie take over as first-team coach in 2010. His return to Headingley will be relatively swift: Sri Lanka face England in the opening Test series of the summer next June.”Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, said: “Paul has made a huge impact during his tenure at Headingley. He is an outstanding coach and deserves to take on this role with Sri Lanka Cricket. His expertise in developing junior talent has seen him contribute to provide exciting players for the long-term future of the club.”

David Warner has been fined AUD5750 (around US$ 5600) for his Twitter outburst at two Australian journalists at the weekend

Brydon Coverdale22-May-2013David Warner has been fined A$5750 (around US$5600) for his Twitter outburst at two Australian journalists at the weekend. Warner pleaded guilty to breaching the Cricket Australia Code of Behaviour when he launched a tirade of tweets at the News Limited journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn during the early hours of Saturday morning, initially in response to a comment piece on the IPL written by Craddock and later as part of a back-and-forth exchange with Conn.Warner, who returned to Australia from the IPL on Wednesday, was found guilty at a Code of Behaviour hearing and received the maximum financial penalty for a first offence. He had been reported by Cricket Australia for unbecoming behaviour.”In hindsight, clearly I let my frustrations get the better of me and posted some inappropriate tweets last weekend,” Warner said after the hearing. “While I disagreed with the story and my image being used alongside the story, I could have chosen my words better and I apologise for any offence that my language may have caused. I’ll continue to have honest conversations with all my followers and I will be mindful of the language I use in future.”Warner’s comments might have earned him a fine but have not had a major effect on his future leadership ambitions, according to the Cricket Australia hierarchy. Warner was briefly named vice-captain of Australia’s ODI team early in 2012 and has been considered a potential future leader of the national side, although he was overlooked for the vice-captaincy this year when Brad Haddin was named Michael Clarke’s deputy for the Ashes and George Bailey for the Champions Trophy.”‘You never rule a line through someone in terms of their ultimate leadership potential in terms of a captain or vice-captain,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. “There are plenty of players in the past that have tripped themselves up and gone on to become fantastic leaders in Australian cricket and I’m sure David is one of those that could continue to step up as a leader even if he never gets a title.”Clarke agreed that Warner had leadership potential and said there would be no chance that the Australia players would scale back their social media output as a result of the episode.”The one thing I’ve been very disciplined about is allowing people to be themselves,” Clarke said. “At the end of the day we’re all old enough and wise enough to know what you are required to do as an Australian cricketer. There’s certainly been no talk of stopping players using social media, I think it’s a fantastic way to give back to fans.”I think Davey has great potential to be a leader of the Australian cricket team. He’s a wonderful guy and wonderful player. He’s learnt from this … and if he continues to grow as he has over the last few years, there’s no reason why he hasn’t got the potential to captain Australia one day.”

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2013
Scorecard
Abdur Rehman’s unbeaten 35 dragged Pakistan out of trouble and guided them to victory [file photo]•Getty ImagesPakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley. After choosing to bat, the hosts began well, with captain Stephen Cook and his opening partner Quinton de Kock adding 55 at better than a run a ball. De Kock went on to make a half-century and it seemed, at 170 for 3 in the 32nd over, that the South African side would be able to reach 300. In a final score of 266, de Kock was ultimately the only half-centurion; Temba Bavuma was next to him with 43, and Pakistan were able to give themselves a good shot at a successful chase.Their openers delivered a strong start, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed adding 53 in 9.4 overs. Kamran Akmal then made 47, adding 49 with Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket after Younis Khan had been dismissed for a duck. At 139 for 3 in the 26th over, Pakistan were on track, but they slipped to 189 for 7; two of those four wickets were claimed by legspinner Imran Tahir.But Pakistan’s lower order showed a lot of mettle, and Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul built a stand that revived hopes of victory. Rehman batted patiently to make an unbeaten 35, while Gul at the other end was more attacking, scoring 30 off 34, with four fours and a six. Pakistan were still in trouble when Gul fell with the score on 234, and the hosts were on the brink when they claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the 46th over to make it 242 for 9. But Junaid Khan was reliable company for Rehman, and though the required-rate had touched almost six with just a wicket in hand, the pair guided Pakistan home.In the final over bowled by Lizaad Williams, victory was sealed off the fourth delivery.

The champions have conceded as many goals in their last three Premier League games as they had in their opening 11 matches. What's gone wrong?

Pep Guardiola may be the most admired coach in the world for the spell-binding, attacking football his sides have played down the years, from Barcelona to Bayern Munich to Manchester City. However, his thrilling brand has always been built on a platform of defensive solidity. In his 14 full seasons in elite coaching, Guardiola's side's have only not had the best defensive record in the league on three occasions.

The Catalan is a devotee of Johan Cruyff, who famously said that if you have the ball, the opposition cannot score. And despite all of the beautiful football the coach has overseen, he always been obsessed with taming the opposition. Above all, he has valued controlling the play.

But right now, Guardiola's side seem to be able to do everything but control games. His team are still playing thrilling football, but they have forgotten how to defend.

City have conceded eight goals in their last three Premier League games (drawing 4-4 at Chelsea, 1-1 with Liverpool and 3-3 with Tottenham) – as many as in their first 11 matches of the season. And if you count their 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League, they have shipped a remarkable 10 goals in their last four matches.

So what's happened to Guardiola's ever-reliable defence? GOAL investigates…

GettyGundogan's departure & Rodri reliance

Ilkay Gundogan was pretty much the perfect midfielder. He was able to dictate the pace of a game and exert his own control on it with his subtle touches and passing, and was also more than capable of scoring crucial goals, stepping up in clutch moments like the final day of the 2021-22 season or in last season's FA Cup final.

The German's departure to Barcelona left City with an enormous hole and they could never fill it entirely, but they brought in Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes to at least plug some of the gaps. Unfortunately, the new signings have had their share of injury problems, making just 12 starts in all competitions between them.

The pair's absences, coupled with John Stones' long stretches out, has put too much pressure on Rodri to anchor City. The Spaniard has done an amiable job and the team are almost lost without him, but he has naturally struggled to give the team the same control they had last season.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesStones' injury troubles

Guardiola's greatest tactical tweak of last season was to reinvent Stones as a holding midfielder, giving the defender license to move forward when City were in possession. He had originally experimented with Rico Lewis in the role, but found that Stones was better suited to it.

The result was that City enjoyed greater possession and control, as Stones was able to slow the pace down when needed or step it up, helping his side break the press with his renowned ball carrying skills.

The former Everton man has, however, been injured for the majority of the season, depriving Guardiola of his ideal link-man between defence and midfield. Stones injured a hip muscle in the Community Shield, missing the first two months of the season. He only got three-and-a-half games under his belt before picking up another injury against Young Boys and is yet to make his return.

Guardiola has mostly played Manuel Akanji in the role in Stones' absence, and he has had some success there, especially against Liverpool, when City managed to control most of the match but failed to kill off Jurgen Klopp's side, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to equalise with a late howitzer.

But the Swiss' limitations compared to Stones' aptitude for the role became more apparent against Tottenham, above all in the second half. The good news is that 'the Barnsley Beckenbauer' is set to return imminently and could feature on Wednesday against Aston Villa.

Getty ImagesDe Bruyne's absence looms large

City have also had to make do without Kevin De Bruyne, their captain and talisman of the last eight years, for the entirety of the season, not counting the 20 minutes he played on the opening day against Burnley before tearing his hamstring.

De Bruyne is known more for his attacking threat than his defensive contributions, but his absence means City are missing one of their main focal points on the pitch. The Belgian ranked second within the team last season for progressive ball carries and progressive passes completed, and third for progressive passes received, which shows his influence on the team's overall play beyond the more obvious metrics of goals and assists.

And if you believe in the mantra that attack is the best form of defence, then De Bruyne's lengthy absence explains City's problems at the back even more. The playmaker has scored 96 times and assisted 153 goals for the Blues, and last year was as effective as ever, with 10 goals and 31 assists.

If De Bruyne were fit and available, it's easy to imagine that City would have taken care of Liverpool and Tottenham long before their late fightbacks, as well as tamed the chaos at Stamford Bridge.

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(C)Getty ImagesDoku's electricity leads to instability

Jeremy Doku has been one of the most exciting things to happen to City this season and taken almost no time at all to impose himself on the Premier League. The winger has also quickly won over the fans at the Etihad, who rise to their feet in anticipation every time he picks up the ball.

Doku has been a revelation and City are a much more vibrant and unpredictable team with him in it. But the other side of the coin is that the 21-year-old's exhilarating dribbles make City more vulnerable to turnovers, giving the opposition the chance to counter-attack when they are out of shape.

He is also not the best player when it comes to tracking back or jockeying his marker, and Son Heung-min was able to comfortably dribble past him and score Tottenham's opening goal on Sunday. When the Belgian plays, City look less balanced and less assured than when Jack Grealish is on the left wing.But lately, Guardiola seems to have been willing to accept the defensive downside of playing Doku over Grealish for the attacking upside, starting him in the last three matches.

Grealish was one of City's best players last season largely down to his willingness to follow Guardiola's orders, frequently hugging the touchline and slowing play down so his team-mates could get forward, but he has had his own fitness struggles, missing a month with a thigh injury and falling victim to a vomiting bug before the Liverpool game.

Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2012Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour, pouring cold water over the hard-earned resolution reached between him and the West Indies Cricket Board by CARICOM (the Caribbean Community).Earlier this month Gayle had sent a request to Ernest Hilaire, the WICB chief executive, asking the board if he would be selected for the ODI leg of the England tour in June; this was to help him clarify his availability for Somerset, with whom he had signed as an overseas player for the summer. Hilaire, in his response, has accused Gayle of “reneging” on the undertaking the player had given in the presence of St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, stating he would make himself available to play for West Indies over Somerset.”I write to you with respect to the upcoming West Indies tour of England scheduled for May 2 – June 25, 2012. As previously indicated, I am willing to make myself available to play for West Indies for this tour after my obligations to my IPL team are fulfilled,” Gayle said in his e-mail, available to ESPNcricinfo, dated April 20.Gayle, who last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, told Hilaire that having signed a contract with Somerset, the county required him to “give an undertaking” of his availability for the entire duration of the contract, which clashed with West Indies’ tour of England. Somerset have five Friends Life t20 games scheduled during the time West Indies play three ODIs and a T20I against England.”I would appreciate if I could be informed whether I will be contracted for the West Indies Team for England Tour before I give my commitment to Somerset,” Gayle said. “I only ask this so I would be in an informed position before I respond to Somerset, given the fact that I indicated my availability to the West Indies Team after the IPL,” Gayle said, requesting an immediate reply.In his response, sent on April 26, Hilaire said that “the Board has now considered your request and is extremely disappointed that, following the progress we had seemed to be making towards final agreement, you now seem unwilling to honour the commitment you made with respect to your Somerset contract.”According to Hilaire, Gayle had sent a “side letter” to Gonsalves on March 23, stating that he would “forego” his Somerset contract in order to make himself available to play for West Indies. “You reiterated this commitment in your April 1 letter, in response to WICB’s request for clarification,” Hilaire said. “Your most recent communication appears to suggest that you may be reneging on your availability as you now state that you are willing to make yourself available and not that you are making yourself available. A player cannot be considered for selection if he has not made himself available for selection.”According to Hilaire, during the meeting between Gonsalves, Gayle and the WICB, it was made clear to Gayle that selection matters did not come under the “purview” of the board. “The Board cannot give any commitment to any player with respect to his selection for a particular match or tour; but we will ask the Chairman of Selectors to have a discussion with you on issues relating to your selection at the earliest, in anticipation that you will meet all eligibility requirements,” Hilaire told Gayle.The ball is now once again in Gayle’s court with Hilaire asking the player to come up with an instant reply.

In a surprise move, New Zealand have announced that Daniel Vettori has been added to the squad for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2014In a surprise move, New Zealand have announced that left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been added to the squad for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah. Vettori, 35, hasn’t played a Test since July 2012 and, after suffering a series of injuries in recent years, had questioned whether he had the fitness necessary to last a five-day game.New Zealand fielded the inexperienced spin pair of Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig in the first two Tests, and are now likely to go in with a spin trio for the Sharjah Test. That would present an unheard-of bowling combination for New Zealand, a side that usually banks heavily on its quick bowlers.”From the first two Tests it’s been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions and we expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “The possibility of having three bowlers who can exploit those conditions is an exciting option for us to have.”Vettori was in the UAE with the New Zealand A side, and trained with the Test squad on Monday. If he is picked, he will move past Stephen Fleming to become New Zealand’s most experienced Test player. The call-up comes even though he hasn’t played any first-class cricket in 2014, and has spoken about focusing on the limited-overs formats as he felt Tests would put too much of a strain on his body.”Dan obviously has an incredible amount of experience and has shown how effective he can be in these sorts of conditions,” Hesson said. “It doesn’t mean that Dan will play in Tests for us in the future, but it’s a great opportunity to use him in this one-off unique situation.”Worries over whether Vettori can withstand the workload of Tests may also have been lessened by the presence of two other specialist spinners to share the overs. New Zealand also need to be aggressive in the final Test as they are trailing 1-0 in the series.Sodhi and Craig have taken eight wickets at 90.13 in the first two Tests compared to the 24 at 32.09 managed by Pakistan’s spin pair of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar. Hesson, though, defended his tweakers.”Our spinners aren’t used to bowling on conditions where footholes play such a part. Pakistan spinners beat us off the wicket and at home traditionally we try and beat guys in the air,” he said. “When you have footholes to hit, it’s very hard to change the method that you’ve trained your whole life. I thought the way Ish and Mark have adapted over the last couple of Tests is pleasing but they are still striving for consistency of pace as well.”

Bahawalpur are playing with a team of their own after nearly ten years and they’ve qualified for the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank T-20

Umar Farooq07-Dec-2012Having been merged with the Multan region during the overhaul of Pakistan’s domestic cricket in 2003-04, Bahawalpur returned to top-level competition by qualifying for the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank T-20. They had spent nearly a decade in the wilderness before being restored to full regional status this season.Bahawalpur five matches in a row – beating Rawalpindi Rams, Peshawar Panthers, Karachi Dolphins, Lahore Eagles and Hyderabad Hawks – to make the semi-finals of the 14-team tournament. They then lost to Faisalabad Wolves, but were not out of their depth, losing by only ten runs. Their next step is the semi-final on Saturday, against Sialkot Stallions or Lahore Lions.After partition in 1947, Bahawalpur became a province of Pakistan only in 1952, and was merged into the province of West Pakistan in 1955. They were the champions of the inaugural Quaid-e-Azam trophy in 1953, beating Punjab in the final. They won in 1958 as well, thrashing Karachi C by 211 runs.”The region has been isolated for so long despite a historic cricketing background and having players talented enough to play for the national team,” Syed Hassan Ahmed, president of the Bahawalpur Cricket Association, told ESPNcricinfo. “This part of the region never got the spotlight, instead the focus has been on bigger cities like Lahore and Karachi. I can assure you the talent is here but it requires attention and development.”Bahawalpur also has a cricket stadium know locally as Dring Stadium. It was the first cricket ground in Western Pakistan to host a Test match – the second Test of the India’s first tour to Pakistan in 1955. It was the only international match to be held at this ground.They now have six districts in their region – Muzaffargarh, Layya, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar – whereas when Bahawalpur was merged with Multan the entire province had 14 districts.”In the last ten years, we have suffered a lot as most of the boys have been moving out of the country to play league cricket in England, but now nobody has to go out and we have our team,” Ahmed said. “I am excited to see that Stags have reached to the semi-final, it’s just a glimpse that we have players with the calibre to make their way to the national side. We are playing the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and within the next couple of years we will bring out the best talent to make up a steady and competitive team.”Bilal Khilji, the captain of Bahawalpur Stags, was thrilled with his team’s progress in the Faysal Bank T-20. “We had a point to prove that we can do it,” Khilji said. “We don’t have a list of prolific players but what we have is the confidence and motive to do well. We entered the tournament with a minnow tag and critics were even questioning our existence in the event, but we have a simple goal – to win every game no matter if it’s a Karachi or Rawalpindi.”I have been playing for Multan but there was always a sense of insecurity as the team was made with 14 districts. But now a team has been made with players from a region and we have a better understanding and unity.”

A pair of maiden one-day international hundreds from Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle helped England get their South African tour off to a winning start with a 62-run victory over the hosts

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2011
Scorecard
A pair of maiden one-day international hundreds from Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle helped England get their South African tour off to a winning start with a 62-run victory over the hosts in the first ODI in Potchefstroom. Greenway and Brindle shared in an unbroken stand of 218 for the fourth wicket – a new English record – as England reached an imposing 297 for 3 before restricting South Africa’s response to 235.England had been in some trouble early on after being put in by South Africa, losing captain Charlotte Edwards in the first over and being pegged back by the dismissals of Danni Wyatt (21) and Sarah Taylor (33) inside the first 20 overs. That was the South African bowlers’ last joy, however, as Greenway and Brindle set about laying a solid platform before going on the charge in the latter stages of the innings.Greenway reached her century from 111 balls, a rate which was bettered by Brindle, who reached the mark from just 96 deliveries. Together they hit 27 boundaries, with no South African bowler escaping punishment.South Africa’s batters put up a better show, Trisha Chetty and Alison Hodgkinson keeping the chase on track as both passed fifty and shared in a 143-run stand for the second wicket. Once they were parted the rest of the line-up folded, however, South Africa slipping from 155 for 1 to 235 all out in the space of just under 15 overs.Greenway and Brindle were both predictably pleased with their centuries. “We did quite a lot of running out there but it was great to come away with a win from out first game. It’s taken quite a long time to get my ODI century so it’s really nice to finally get it,” Greenway said after the match. “South Africa played well today and we know we need to keep playing well to win again on Sunday.””It was really nice to get out in the middle and get some runs under my belt. It’s a great feeling scoring a hundred at any time, but to do it in an international is fantastic,” Brindle said. “We want to hit our straps every time we go out there.”