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Ireland’s warm-up plans for the ICC World Twenty20 have been thrown into chaos after South Africa A pulled out of the remainder of their tour

Ger Siggins27-Aug-2012Ireland’s warm-up plans for the ICC World Twenty20 have been thrown into chaos after South Africa A pulled out of the remainder of their tour due to the threat of more poor weather. The month-long visit of the South Africans ended early after the first of four Twenty20 games was rained-off at Oak Hill on Monday.”It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly but given the amount of cricket that’s been lost on the trip already and with the further likelihood of further disruption, we felt it was necessary to give the players a chance to prepare for the ICC World Twenty20,” Vincent Barnes, the South Africa A coach, said.”It’s been an incredibly frustrating tour for everyone concerned with the weather, but I’d like to thank Cricket Ireland for their hospitality and understanding in what was a difficult decision for ourselves.”Ireland coach, Phil Simmons, said: “There’s no doubt that it’s a serious blow to our preparations for the ICC World Twenty20.”But we will have two weeks in Sri Lanka before our games against Australia and West Indies, and we of course have warm-up fixtures against Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Colombo.”The decision by South Africa to abort the tour is unprecedented and deeply disappointing to Irish supporters. The last two T20 games of the series were to have provided a gala opening to the new international stadium in Malahide.Cricket Ireland chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said: “We fully appreciate that the priority for Cricket South Africa is to give players that might be involved in the ICC World T20 every opportunity to get meaningful practice beforehand, which we cannot guarantee here, so we completely appreciate their decision.”It goes without saying that we are disappointed for everyone, not least the players of both sides, our sponsors RSA and the hosting venues of Malahide and Oak Hill that have put in so much effort but have been ultimately defeated by the awful weather.”Although the forecast for the second half of the week is much better, the long-range view for Sunday is uncertain, while the inability of the players to train meaningfully before then and risk of possible injury is too big to take.”Simmons was forced into a late rethink of his plans for Sri Lanka, already hit by the injury to allrounder John Mooney.”It’s been a frustrating season for all concerned and the South African tour has been particularly hard hit by the elements,” he said. “If we’re unable to train outdoors this week we’ll look to go to North County and have indoor sessions before we leave for Sri Lanka next Tuesday.”The South Africa A tour was scheduled to provide 15 days of high-class competition for Ireland’s home-based players, but the weather refused to co-operate. Just 490 overs of play were possible before the tour was cancelled.Play was possible on only two days of each of the four-day games, both of which ended in draws; all three 50-over games were affected by the weather – one was abandoned and the other two ended in D/L wins for South Africa A; and the first T20 match was abandoned without a ball bowled.

Tim Nielsen has stood down as Australia’s coach after helping the side to a series victory in Sri Lanka

Daniel Brettig and Brydon Coverdale20-Sep-2011Tim Nielsen has stood down as Australia’s coach after helping the side to a series victory in Sri Lanka. Nielsen, who took over from John Buchanan in 2007, made the announcement after Australia played out a draw in the final Test at the SSC in Colombo, saying he accepted it was time to go as part of the fall-out from last summer’s 3-1 Ashes defeat.His decision means Australia will have an interim head coach – possibly one of the assistants, Justin Langer or Steve Rixon – for their upcoming tour of South Africa. Nielsen faced the prospect of having to reapply for the job as head coach after the Argus review recommended a more wide-ranging brief for the team’s mentor.Nielsen said the past month since the release of the review had been exceptionally taxing, and felt hurt that he was asked to re-apply for the job given how closely CA had seen him work over the past four years.”It has been a tough month,” Nielsen said. “I feel as though through something totally independent and external to what I do, I feel as though my role has been changed and my job has been spilt to other applicants. I understand that, I can understand where they’re coming from, we are trying to improve our sport.”The only thing I’m a little disappointed in is that my role as Australian cricket coach doesn’t just cover Test match cricket. We’ve maintained our No. 1 ranking in one day cricket over the last four years while I’ve been here, we’ve improved our T20 cricket and made some dramatic changes there to play in the last World Cup final. I feel as though we’re on the right track.”All of this has been brought to a head by the fact we played a very good cricket side in England last year and they outplayed us and beat us, and that happens sometimes. For 15 years before it was Australia doing it to other teams, and they had to lick their wounds. Now we’ve had a look at how we’re going to improve and move forward, and the result is this.”I feel as though whoever is given the opportunity is going to get a group of players who are in form, who have had some success, and I hope by it happening now, the place is in a better position than it was, maybe three or four months ago when it all happened.”Criticism of Australia’s coaching process seemed to reflect directly on Nielsen, though this was fervently denied by CA after the review was released. Nielsen also noted that many of the recommended changes to the structure were those that he had pushed for himself as coach.”There’s that personal side to it, no doubt. That’s the hard part, and that has played a little bit of a part in my thinking,” Nielsen said. “I feel like I’m doing an interview for the job every day for the last four years. Because they’ve changed some structural things, and things I can honestly say I’ve been talking about and championing for a while.”I would’ve appreciated an opportunity to work in the new system and the new role moving forward, but when you get beaten like we did by England, a very good cricket side, there is always fall-out, and we had to make some changes, and they’ve done that. I don’t hold any grudges about that, but I also would’ve backed myself to do the job, given the opportunity. Because of those things it is just the right time I believe.”The new position will be a more senior role, and will involve setting the direction of all coaching at elite levels within Australia. Nielsen, 43, has decided not to put himself forward for the new job, despite Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland saying less than a fortnight ago that he hoped Nielsen would be “a front-line applicant”.”Tim has been national coach during a period in which we have had a long list of great champions leave the game and has been a strong support for new players coming into the side over that period,” Sutherland said. “I was delighted when he agreed to renew his contract last year and had encouraged him to apply for the new, expanded and redesigned head coach role that the CA board approved last month after the tabling of the Australian Team Performance Review.”However, I have spoken to Tim and understand and respect his decision to now begin a new chapter in his professional life. He has contributed greatly to Australian international cricket in roles as assistant national coach, head coach at the Centre of Excellence and during four years as national coach. We all wish him well in the future.”Nielsen, a former South Australia wicketkeeper, took on the head coach role after spending three years as an assistant with the national team under Buchanan, and then becoming head coach at the Centre of Excellence. He guided Australia through 15 Test series, nine of which the team won.He now intends to move into another, yet to be announced cricket role, though it will not be with CA.”I’m a cricket coach, I’m a cricket person,” Nielsen said. “I wasn’t good enough to play cricket for Australia so I’ve been living the dream as players talk about, as coaches talk about, this has been the greatest job I could do and I’m very proud of the fact I’ve been able to do it for four years, which I feel is a long time in international sport. I certainly will be looking at other opportunities and considering anything that’s out there to use my skills and maintain contact with the sport I love.”We’ve had some tremendous times, some really positive wins as a group, and we’ve had some tough times. That’s the nature of international sport, that’s the nature of what I do. It’s basically got to a stage where we’ve sat down as a family and said are we willing to put ourselves in these positions, are we willing to put ourselves under this sort of pressure.”In the end I thought it was best for myself and for the team that I move on now to give whoever takes over the role to start in a really positive environment, which I believe we’ve set up over the past two to three months and been displayed here over the past six or seven weeks.”

Kenya will aim to use the World T20 qualifiers to springboard back to the top table of world cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2012Kenya will aim to use the World T20 qualifier to springboard back to the top level in world cricket. They have fallen into decline since being regarded as the best non-Test nation at the turn of the century and now look to return to former glories at the tournament in the UAE, which begins on March 13.Kenya reached the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup, losing to India, but the banning of Maurice Odumbe in 2004 began a decline that sent Kenyan cricket spiralling into the wilderness. Their recovery leading up to the 2011 World Cup also proved a false dawn, with Kenya losing all six of their matches and descending into another series of reforms. They are now bottom of the ICC ODI rankings.But with the old guard removed and 30-year-old captain Collins Obuya the oldest member of the squad, Kenya could finally be about to mount a challenge to scale world cricket once more.”It is very important for us to reclaim our pride and place as one of the top Associate sides and show that we are a force to be reckoned with,” Obuya said. “Whatever happened last year was a great lesson and that’s why we moving on from the debacles by rebuilding the team. We want to make a statement with our performance and even if we don’t qualify we want to have positives that we can draw from.”Kenya have been in drawn in group B of the World T20 qualifiers and will face Ireland once more. The countries met in a Twenty20 series in Mombasa in February, and Ireland won all three matches.Obuya is less familiar with his side’s other opponents. “We know very little about Oman and Italy as this will be our very first time against them,” he said. “But we are not taking these teams lightly as it tends to be the unknowns that cause the upsets in these events and we hope to apply ourselves well when we play them.”We watched USA play in 2010 when we met in the last World T20 Qualifier, they are a good side and we hope our game will be a good one. As for Namibia, Scotland and Uganda they are all sides we have met several times and they will all provide tough matches for us.”

Australia are confident Shaun Marsh will be fit to play the third Test against India despite being struck down with gastro

Brydon Coverdale09-Jan-2012Australia are confident Shaun Marsh will be fit to play the third Test against India despite being struck down with gastro. Marsh flew home to Perth on Sunday following Australia’s victory in Sydney and he was scheduled to speak at a media conference on Monday, but was unable to do so due to his illness.The Australian squad was due to convene in Perth on Monday afternoon ahead of the Test, which begins on Friday at the WACA, where Australia will be aiming to take a 3-0 lead. Michael Hussey, a fellow Western Australian, said Marsh would be keen to play his first Test at his home ground.”I’m sure he’s fine,” Hussey told reporters in Perth. “He’ll be at training tomorrow I’m sure with the boys and preparing as well as he can. He’ll be really looking forward to playing on his home ground. His first home Test. The WACA crowd always give the local guys a huge welcome and a louder roar than any other player, so he’s got plenty of motivation to play exceptionally well in this Test.”Marsh has had a lean time in the first two Tests, with scores of 0, 3 and 0 in the victories in Melbourne and Sydney. It was quite a change from the first three Tests of his career: he made a century on debut in Sri Lanka in September, followed by 81 in his second Test and a fighting 44 in Cape Town, where he provided the only serious support for the captain Michael Clarke during his century.However, a serious back complaint that he picked up in Cape Town sidelined Marsh for the next six weeks, and he returned to the Test side after just one Twenty20 match for the Perth Scorchers. But Hussey believes Marsh can regain his best form on his home ground at the WACA, where he has averaged 45.02 in first-class cricket.”I wouldn’t be surprised if he performs very well in this Test match,” Hussey said. “He prepares very well with his training leading up to games. It’s always tough when you have been out of the game for over a month to be able to come straight back into Test match cricket and perform straight away.”It does take a bit of time, but he has been working very hard and he’s been hitting the ball very well in the nets. So it’s just a case of him being able to get through that first half an hour of his innings and then if he gets a start, I’m sure he’ll want to turn it into a big hundred.”Marsh has been trusted with the No.3 position after Ricky Ponting’s move down to second drop, although the New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja is hovering on the fringes should Marsh continue to struggle at home. Australia’s coach, Mickey Arthur, said Marsh had been tentative in Melbourne and Sydney but that he was worth persevering with at the top of the order.

Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork will leave Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2011Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork will leave Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season. While it would be premature to suggest that his departure will bring an end to a 21-year county career – there has been talk that another second division county may be interested in signing him – what is clear is that Hampshire have decided not to renew his contract for the 2012 campaign.Cork, who turned 40 in August, enjoyed some notable successes during his three-year stay at the Rose Bowl, winning the domestic 50-over competition in 2009 and the Friends Provident Twenty20 in 2010. He admitted he was considering his future in the game after captaining a young Hampshire side to the t20 title, but ultimately took Hampshire up on their offer of a deal for the 2011 season.He had been Hampshire’s captain since midway through the 2010 season, having begun his first-class career in 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire, until the move to Hampshire in 2009.Cork remained a consistent performer throughout his Hampshire stint, taking 94 first-class wickets for them at an average of 27.77, his best being 5 for 14 against Worcestershire in 2009. His presence was particularly felt in limited-overs cricket; both of Hampshire’s trophies during his time with the county having come in the shorter formats, and he contributed 43 wickets at an average of 24.06 in 45 domestic Twenty20 matches.”I don’t want to be picked because of what I’ve done in the past, I want to be picked because I can make that difference, and if I believe I can do that I’ll carry on,” Cork said after Hampshire’s Twenty20 triumph last year. “If I don’t think that then it’s time to let some of the youngsters take the ball and have a good time because it’s been a great career.” Hampshire have taken the decision for him and decided to place their faith in their set of promising young home-grown players.”Dom has made an outstanding contribution to this club over the last three years,” Hampshire manager, Giles White said. “He’s been a very popular figure and has played a huge part in a successful period in the club’s history. Two trophies and leading the club to another Finals Day says it all. We wish him all the best for the future.””Dominic has had a fantastic impact on this Club since his arrival in 2009,” Hampshire Chairman Rod Bransgrove added. “I should like to thank him for his commitment, enthusiasm and contribution over these three seasons and wish him every success in the future.”Hampshire will make an announcement on the long-term captaincy of the club in due course.

West Indies did fight as best they could but by the end of a long, attritional day on an uneven surface, at 209 for 9, it wasn’t looking like the fight would be enough against a Pakistan side heavily reliant on spin

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin12-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnce again, West Indies had no answers against Saeed Ajmal•Associated PressIt’s not often Pakistan rely so heavily on spin reap the benefits though not so often will they come across a batting side so ill-equipped to face it on so helpful a track. In truth, West Indies did fight as best they could but by the end of a long, attritional day on an uneven surface, at 209 for 9, it wasn’t looking like the fight would be enough.Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez did the bulk of the work and damage, 68 of the day’s overs bringing them eight wickets. Throughout they were at it, tightening a noose around West Indies from which they never broke free.The key spell that wrenched open the day came from Ajmal and Rehman almost two-thirds into the day. It had been a tight, ungiving contest till then, hosts battling after winning the toss and tourists committed.Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan had put on 46 runs to steady a brief wobble and had done so with considerable class. The over before tea, however, as so often before, Sarwan got careless, a loose cut well-caught by debutant wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman.Ajmal was disappointing in the morning but as he switched round the wicket after lunch, he strung together some magic. He settled in first against Chanderpaul and Sarwan, bowling a few maidens but once Sarwan went and exposed the lower middle-order, he really stuck in.He’s never been shy with his doosras, though if bowled as well as he does there is no reason to be. Liberally he hurled them at batsmen as comfortable reading them as most of us are with Braille. He mixed them up so well that Brendan Nash and Carlton Baugh were looking for the ones that never came, and both were caught plumb in front. The pick was the doosra that sucked in Chanderpaul, like a leg-break Shane Warne might have delivered from round the wicket.There was wholeness about his bowling with plenty of well-pitched, turning offbreaks, good changes of angle as well as use of uneven bounce. The West Indies crash came from 127 for 2, Ajmal bowling unchanged from midway through the day.Rehman , as he does so well, played a willing second fiddle. There was nothing fancy about his contribution, just straightforward containment at one end. In the morning he helped Hafeez keep a leash on things, and through the afternoon supported Ajmal with key breakthroughs.In hindsight, Hafeez’s morning spell set the day, the first Pakistani spinner to open the bowling in the very first innings of a Test. Post-spot-fixing, he has been a key player and as they had done in the World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka, the West Indies top order froze, allowing him to attack without fear. No batsman dreads Hafeez more than Devon Smith and soon enough he fell, the fifth time in seven internationals. His first spell – 10-5-14-1 – was remarkably similar to the quarter-final 10-3-16-2, statistically and spiritually.That West Indies remained in it till tea was down to two partnerships, first between Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmons. Early in the day, the pair had begun with caution, treating each ball as gingerly as a hand grenade. In particular, Simmons in whites appeared a different species to Simmons in colours, with none of the gusto or fluidity of his ODI displays. But once the stylish Bravo got things moving, Simmons moved up a gear driving and cutting Ajmal before lunch. Slowly, surely, by then the pair had put on fifty.But an energetic burst from Wahab Riaz after lunch ended it, dismissing Bravo and forcing Simmons to retire hurt. That brought together Sarwan and Chanderpaul, batting giants among pygmies. Rebuilding is well and good, but you can’t reproduce this kind of nous and experience and immediately they looked a class above.They milked singles when needed, but more importantly, didn’t get restless when unable to. Boundaries came when they came, few of them ugly. Sarwan cut one, Chanderpaul pinged a fantastic drive off Umar Gul as well as gliding Riaz in his unique way through point. But once Sarwan went, the unraveling began; nine men in double figures but none higher than 49 tells a tale.It was deserved reward for Pakistan who held a threat at one end through the day and had it not been for plenty of missed chances, the total could have been lower. With Devendra Bishoo to negotiate on this pitch, who knows what the chances Salman, Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq fluffed may cost.

Andrew Strauss and Peter Trego ensured that India were left with precious little to take from Taunton other than Suresh Raina’s 103 earlier on the final day

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan in Taunton17-Jul-2011
ScorecardSuresh Raina’s sparkling ton was the only bright spot for India in Taunton•Getty ImagesIf the forthcoming Test series goes well for Andrew Strauss and England, Somerset should be top of his Christmas card list. After finding form in the first innings, he made the most of his second knock with an unbeaten 109 as India were left with precious little to take from the match other than Suresh Raina’s 103 earlier on the final day.However, like in the first innings where Arul Suppiah outshone the England captain with a career-best 156, the limelight was taken away by another Somerset batsman as Peter Trego hammered a 57-ball 85 off the struggling Indian attack before the home side, somewhat sympathetically, declared at tea to allow the visitors another brief innings. At least Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund eased themselves to an unbroken 69 before another shower ended the match, and India headed to London with their tail between their legs.Trego arrived with Amit Mishra on a hat-trick but wickets were soon a long way from the legspinner’s mind as he was left watching the ball sail regularly into the stands. Trego’s half-century came up with the third of four consecutive leg-side sixes, and the umpires twice needed to find replacement balls. At one stage Mishra had bowled three overs for 61 and it went from a being a tough warm-up for the tourists to something of an embarrassment, although they will try to play down the significance.It was no surprise that the home side didn’t enforce the follow-on after the Indians were bowled out and the Somerset opening pair again made comfortable progress. Zaheer Khan didn’t take the field – and neither did Sachin Tendulkar – but the team manager insisted he was purely resting which seemed an odd decision after a wicketless first innings where Zaheer looked in far from peak form. And if he didn’t want to show himself to Strauss again, that suggests the pressure has shifted.The remaining Indian bowlers went through the motions and the pattern was similar to the first innings. Munaf Patel was steady but unthreatening while Sreesanth was expensive. Strauss dominated the scoring, although not quite in the fashion of the opening day as Suppiah rode on the confidence of his first-innings hundred.Strauss had barely an alarm as he cruised past fifty and tucked into some friendly bowling. He took three consecutive boundaries off Sreesanth, who kept dropping short, and also came down the pitch at Mishra to drive him for a straight six – many more of those would follow. Trego’s onslaught meant he was quickly catching Strauss, but the England captain went to his hundred from 122 balls with a late cut shortly before tea.Mishra had provided the Indians with momentary relief when he claimed two wickets in two balls but they were costly successes. His figures would soon take an even greater hammering, probably leaving him wishing he hadn’t broken the opening stand. Suppiah lost his shape when he came down the pitch and got an outside edge to backward point then James Hildreth edged a legbreak behind first ball.Earlier, Raina gave the Indians their one bright spot for the match as he raced to an unbeaten century to lift the visitors to 224. He added a final-wicket stand of 84 in 12 overs with Munaf of which the No. 11 contributed six. Raina needed just 37 balls to go from his fifty to a hundred as he cut loose after Sreesanth had lost his off stump to become Charl Willoughby’s sixth wicket.Rania drove, pulled and flicked five sixes which damaged Willoughby’s figures while Alfonso Thomas also took some punishment. His hundred arrived from 110 balls courtesy of a misfield at mid-off but he didn’t have the chance to add many more as Munaf was lbw to legspinner Max Waller soon after.Raina’s innings – and Yuvraj’s duck on the second day – will have sealed the debate over India’s No. 6 spot for Lord’s. Strauss probably would not have minded having an extended look at Raina, someone England haven’t faced before in Tests. He has gained more than he may have expected from his brief stint in the south-west.

Plays of the day from the MCG as the fourth Ashes Test continues

Andrew Miller and Peter English28-Dec-2010Ponting’s comings and goings
Ponting’s arrival at the crease was a thunderous moment. As he emerged from the pavilion for what could conceivably be his final Test innings at the MCG, he was greeted by a wall of boos which slowly but surely were drowned out by the most raucous of cheers. Where previously he had attempted to blast his way back to form, this time he took the attritional route, as he waited 15 deliveries for his first runs before doubling his tally with a thick inside-edge off James Anderson. On 5, he steered Chris Tremlett through gully to pass 100 runs for the series, but at no stage did he look remotely settled. The end, when it came, was poignant, as he inside-edged Tim Bresnan into his stumps, and departed the stage head bowed, a great champion laid low for what must be close to the final time.Hussey hustled
After his staggering feats of batsmanship in the first three Tests, which included a career-best 195, a matchwinning 116, and fifty-plus scores in each of his other three innings, Michael Hussey was due a failure or two. The trouble is, such is the paucity of Australia’s batting strength at present, his team could not afford for him to fail. Sure enough, after making 8 in the first innings, he didn’t even get off the mark this time around, as Bresnan buzzed around his off stump from his relentless and subtly swinging full length, and Ian Bell at short cover swooped to gather a tentative poke from the seventh ball of his stay. It was the moment of the match as far as England’s fielders were concerned, and from that moment on, no-one thought to doubt that the Ashes were in the bag.Fifties man
Shane Watson makes delightful half-centuries but just can’t go on. Since he was turned into an opener last year he has reached fifty 16 times in 34 innings, but only twice has he gone on to three figures. It happened again today as he moved relatively smoothly to 54 – his fourth half-century of the campaign – before running out of energy. Shortly after tea he padded up to Bresnan, who had been angling the ball in, and was lbw. He tried a referral, but was soon on his way, with Australia craving so much more.Pain in Australia’s side
Run-outs always hurt, but the damage is much greater when the victim is fighting to stay in the team. Phillip Hughes’ dismissal was particularly painful because it wasn’t his fault. Watson pushed Graeme Swann to the left of Jonathan Trott and set off, leaving Hughes in a futile sprint to reach his ground. He left with 23 as Australia lost an unnecessary wicketearly in their attempt to score the 415 needed to force England to bat again. “It’s a horrendous feeling to be involved in it,” Watson said in accepting the blame. “Especially for a young guy trying to show what he can do on the international stage.” Hughes, who has also posted 2, 12 and 16 since being recalled, now has to wait to learn whether he’ll be needed for Sydney.A novel proposal
The writing may have been on the wall for Australia’s cricketers, but midway through the afternoon session, it was also in the sky, as a lone microlight twisted and turned in the heavens above the Great Southern Stand, to spell out a message for one (presumably) lucky lady. Over the course of several minutes, a stream of white smoke belched out the message: “Marry … me … Kerri”, the final part of which was completed long after the first half had been blown away in the breeze. For what it is worth, the ABC commentator Kerry O’Keeffe politely declined the offer.Hilfenhaus strikes at last
Ben Hilfenhaus has done a lot of hard work in this series for not much reward, but he doubled his series tally with 2 for 83 from 37 overs. Hilfenhaus had managed only a wicket in each of his two previous Tests despite delivering 72 overs of economical swing bowling. So he was a relieved man when Graeme Swann edged a bouncer behind and Chris Tremlett was bowled by one tailing in. He would have been even happier if the wickets had come before England had reached 500.

Former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Thilanga Sumathipala and former SLC Interim Committee Chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa have welcome the Supreme Court announcement that could pave the way for SLC board elections and said they would contest for the pos

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2011Former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Thilanga Sumathipala and former Interim Committee Chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa have welcomed the Supreme Court announcement that could pave the way for SLC board elections and said they would stand for president if elections are held.On Tuesday, the Supreme Court – hearing a case on the status of SLC’s interim committee – suggested the parties come to a settlement on the issue and report back to it within two months, possibly with a view to holding elections.Sumathipala who has served three terms as president, told the he couldn’t confirm whether he would contest the election but said he would form a team and have discussions with SLC member clubs. “If they want me to come forward, then I will not disappoint them.”I was jubilant to learn the Supreme Court verdict. Now I have expectations that SLC will have a democratically elected set of officials, which is great for the game in this country,” he said.Dharmadasa, a businessman who had been SLC Interim committee chief from 2004 to 2007, said several member clubs of the SLC had already requested him to contest the elections. “I have accepted this and am ready to face any challenge for the sake of the game that I love.””I feel it augurs well for the future of cricket in Sri Lanka to have democratically elected officials. I hope to resurrect the game which has fallen into so many controversies in the recent past and is in a bad way now.”Another candidate likely to be in the fray is Badureliya Cricket Club president Sumith Perera. “I am certainly going to contest for presidency if there is an election,” Perera said. “That has already been decided by our club and the district”United Southern Cricket Club president Asoka Mendis had filed a fundamental rights petition against Sri Lanka Cricket last year, on the grounds that the interim committee – first instituted in 2005 – had been had been appointed by the Sports Minister without the prior approval of the member clubs, bypassing the democratic process of elections. The club wanted the Supreme Court to prevent the interim committee members from holding office and functioning until the hearing is over. SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that the Supreme Court had suggested “that both parties come to a settlement on the issue and report back to them within two months, possibly with a view to holding elections.”

Offspinner Anisa Mohammed capped off a fine series with her third matchwinning effort as West Indies completed an easy win in the final ODI against Pakistan to seal the series 3-1

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Anisa Mohammed celebrates one of four wickets against Pakistan at Arnos Vale•West Indies CricketOffspinner Anisa Mohammed capped off a fine series with her third matchwinning effort as West Indies completed an easy win in the fourth and final ODI against Pakistan in Kingstown to seal the series 3-1.West Indies elected to bat and started solidly with openers Stafanie Taylor and Juliana Nero putting on a 52-run partnership. Left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf then struck to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession. West Indies struggled to recover from that double blow and slumped from 65 for 2 to 81 for 6. Shaquana Quintyne (23) and Mohammed (25) resisted briefly down the order to push West Indies to 154 for 8 in their 50 overs. Yousuf and Nida Dar were the most successful Pakistan bowlers with three wickets apiece.Rain during the lunch break meant the start of Pakistan’s chase was delayed by 30 minutes and their target was reduced to 148 runs in 45 overs (D/L method). However, their batsmen struggled against some tight bowling from the hosts. Only four managed to reach double figures with opener Javeria Khan top scoring with 20. Mohammed picked up four wickets including the last wicket to fall. She was well supported by Pearl Etienne, Shanel Daley and Taylor, who picked up two wickets apiece, as Pakistan were routed for 97 in just under 42 overs to give West Indies the series win.West Indies and Pakistan will now play four T20 games with the first one in St Andrew’s on September 6.