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Zimbabwe Cricket will face minimal monetary losses in the hosting of its popular Twenty20 tournament which starts on Friday, ZC managing director Ozias Bvute has said

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-2011Zimbabwe Cricket will face minimal monetary losses in the hosting of its popular Twenty20 tournament which starts on Friday, ZC managing director Ozias Bvute has said. The 10-day event features five franchises and 16 foreign players, and has been the highlight of the domestic calendar since its inception three seasons ago. It is also a sign of the growing financial viability of cricket in Zimbabwe after a period of instability.”We will be very close to breaking even this year and we are not too far from making it a sustainable and profitable tournament,” Bvute told ESPNCricnfo.ZC made losses on each of its three incoming tours this summer, when it hosted Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand and made a historic comeback into Test cricket. They have secured major sponsors in recent times, to cushion the blow, and are also making inroads into the television rights market.South African-based broadcaster SuperSport has bought the rights to the T20 tournament and all 14 matches will be screened live across the continent. The company has made a name for being one of the most comprehensive sports broadcasters in the world and secures rights to most major events.Clinton van der Berg, SuperSport communication manager, said they viewed the series as important to their African objectives. “SuperSport is a Pan-African broadcaster and Zimbabwe is one of our key areas,” he said.Alistair Campbell, chairman of the ZC cricket committee, said that he hopes SuperSport’s involvement will be able to “increase the profile” of the tournament. “As it becomes more popular, we will able to leverage more on the sale of the TV rights,” he said. “Everything can’t be funded by sponsors but we are working on this, it will happen down the line.”For now, the focus is to grow the competition and ZC appears to be willing to accept lesser revenues in order to do that. While van der Berg could not reveal the specific numbers, he admitted that SuperSport were “very satisfied with the commercial arrangement” they made with ZC.The event is expected to be well attended, with Campbell predicting “packed crowds on the weekends, especially the finals weekend, which will fall over school holidays”. Viewership figures are also expected to be on the up, after ZC secured big names such as Chris Gayle, Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Ryan ten Doeschate to play in the event. “Being a new tournament, it may struggle initially, but the big names ought to help,” van der Berg said. “Given the popularity of T20 elsewhere, we would expect it to do reasonably well.”ZC and Gayle have both confirmed that they were “unable to pay him what he could command elsewhere” but that players such as him were willing to play in the short event, for less money than usual. “He knows we don’t have the resources to pay him what he may deserve, but he was willing to help us out and we are most grateful,” Campbell said. “As the event grows, we will be able to get more big names and pay more.”Although money is one of ZC’s main concerns, Bvute said the primary aim of the competition is to promote cricket in the country, which has only just started to become more inclusive to the majority population. “We are transitioning from a period when cricket was an exclusive sport played by less than 600 people in a population of well over 13 million; to a place where cricket is a majority sport accessible to everyone – players and spectators alike,” Bvute said. “From the onset, this competition has been a major success, generating record numbers of spectators.”

Australia’s players sense fragility in India’s mental approach when playing matches away from home, and have discussed taking advantage of it during the Boxing Day Test

Daniel Brettig24-Dec-2011Australia’s players sense fragility in India’s mental approach when playing matches away from home, and have discussed taking advantage of it during the Boxing Day Test.Among the many topics covered in preparation for the first Test at the MCG was the disparity in Indian attitudes to matches at home and away. The opening batsman David Warner said Australia had discussed how the sense of invincibility India enjoyed on the subcontinent can slip away rapidly on the other side of the world.”You look at their line-up and you can think ‘oh how are we going to get these guys out’,” Warner told ESPNcricinfo. “But we know when they’re in Australia, the wickets are different, and we think their mental approach is a bit different to what it is when they’re in India.”We think they automatically know they’re going to win series in India because the wickets turn and it is all in their favour. And it is probably similar to when they come out here, we think the bouncy wickets, they might not be able to adapt to it.”They’re one of the best line-ups in the world, and capable of scoring big runs on the wickets we’re producing here. We’ve got to be spot on with our lines and lengths with our quicks, and when we’re batting we need to put on as many runs as we can … I reckon we’re in for a good series.”While Australia’s batting was a weak spot for the team over recent matches, no worse than during traumatic defeats to South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town and Hobart, Warner said the top six had set themselves to keep India’s bowling attack in the field for long periods.Fitness doubts surrounding Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, plus an inexperienced back-up group behind them, mean a couple of long stints in the field in the first Test would go a distance towards stretching Indian resources, much as they were against England earlier this year.”I definitely think the longer we keep them out there [in the field] the harder it’ll be for them, mentally as well,” Warner said. “We know a couple of their players don’t like being out in the field for too long and their fast bowlers are under injury clouds as well. So the more overs we can get out of them, the better for us going into the second innings and also the upcoming Tests. If we can do our damage early in the series it’ll hold us in good stead for the following three.”Warner has come a long way since he made his international debut at the MCG in 2009, in a Twenty20 match against South Africa. He said his mental approach to the game had changed “massively”, allowing him to achieve the rich array of scores in 2011 that propelled him into Test cricket.”My mental side of the game has changed massively, sometimes in the past I might’ve gone out there and just lost my head or just thrown my wicket away,” he said. “Now I respect my wicket 100 times more. Even in the nets it is the same thing, I used to just go in there, have a hit and say ‘I’m satisfied with that’.”But I look at that now and say, ‘what was I thinking, that was a load of crap’. Now I’m in there, focused, switched on, and it is like a game to me now when I’m in there. When I get out I really kick myself because you only get one chance in the middle.”That thinking should preclude Warner from using his eye-catching knack of “switch-hitting” in a Test match. Though if he reaches three figures at the MCG, Warner may just feel the time is right.”It’s like a forward defence, if I’m practising that in the nets and doing it to perfection, you can do it out in the middle,” Warner said. “But then if you play a shot like that and you get out then people will start saying things. You have to pick the right time to do it, if you’re going to do it.”In Test cricket you’ve got to score runs but you’ve got so much time to do it, you don’t need to play those shots, unless you’re at the back-end of your innings and you want to start firing. Eventually it will come in if I’m settled in, but definitely not early in my innings.”

A round-up of the latest round of Logan Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2011The match between Matabeleland Tuskers and Mountaineers ended in a draw as the fourth day was called off in Bulawayo. The rain-affected match had just two completed innings, with the Tuskers taking a first-innings lead. Rain interruptions through the game cut short the possibility of a result. On the first day, the Tuskers ended at 75 for 1 after being put into bat. Mountaineers made inroads into the middle order the following day to leave the Tuskers in trouble at 139 for 7. Paul Horton made an exact 50 as opener before he was caught and bowled by Shingi Masakadza. Steven Trenchard then resisted with 62 to take the score past 200. Masakadza and Tendai Chatara took three wickets apiece to wrap the innings up for 236.The Mountaineers didn’t fare any better with the bat as they ended the day at 88 for 4. There was no rearguard action from the tail as the right-arm seamer Glen Querl took a five-wicket haul (5 for 29) to send the Mountaineers crashing to 129, conceding a lead of 107. The Tuskers lost three wickets to Donald Tiripano and ended at 43 for 4 on a rain-interrupted third day. There was no play on the final day.Kyle Jarvis took a career-best match haul of 10 for 53 as Mashonaland beat Southern Rocks by an innings and 89 runs in Harare.Mashonaland posted 335 in their first innings, largely thanks to a 172-run stand between Forster Mutizwa – who made 118 with four fours and a six – and with Regis Chakabva who made 95. Southern Rocks were then bowled out for 98 with Jarvis picking up four of the top six. Roy Kaia top-scored with 26 as only five players made double figures and Southern Rocks were asked to follow on.They fared little better second-time around as Jarvis tore through the top order to help reduce Southern Rocks to 36 for 5. Tinashe Panyangara clubbed four fours and three sixes in making 43 from just 31 balls at No. 9 but his efforts mattered little as his side were bowled out for 148, conceding a heavy defeat.

A round-up of the fourth day of the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2012A six-wicket haul by Mohammad Sami helped Sind defeat Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province by five wickets in Karachi. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had given themselves a chance of a draw on the third day, reaching 218 for 3 following on, but bursts from Sami and fellow fast bowler Tabish Khan broke the game open. Shoaib Khan and Akbar Badshah had continued their partnership from the third day, and taken Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to 257 for 3, but Sami bowled them both – Shoaib fell for 97 – and struck twice more.Tabish picked up three wickets quickly, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 331, leaving Sind 121 to win. Sind were given a scare by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s opening bowlers, who reduced them to 15 for 3. Faisal Iqbal calmed the innings with a half-century and, along with Fawad Alam, who scored 43, helped Sind win by five wickets.

A curtailed fourth day at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad denied Federal Areas the opportunity to push for an outright win, and Punjab took three points for the first-innings lead. The match had been close from the beginning, with Punjab taking a three-run first-innings lead, and both teams were in with a chance of victory on the final day. Punjab were left chasing 257, Federal Areas had a day to take ten wickets, but only 26 overs of play were possible. Federal Areas put Punjab under pressure, reducing them to 77 for 4, with Saad Altaf picking up three wickets; but it was Punjab who took the points.

Tim Bresnan could rejoin the England squad in the UAE within the next 48 hours if he passes an extensive fitness test

George Dobell in Dubai03-Feb-2012Tim Bresnan could rejoin the England squad in the UAE within the next 48 hours if he passes an extensive fitness test.Bresnan, 26, underwent surgery on an elbow injury in early December, but suffered discomfort when bowling in the nets at the start of England’s tour of the UAE and it was decided to send him home before the Test series against Pakistan began. He underwent a fitness test at Headingley on Thursday and will have another on Friday to ascertain how he has recovered and whether he is up to the rigours of international cricket.If he is deemed to have come through those tests successfully, Bresnan could fly back to the UAE as early as Saturday. He will then bowl in the nets in front of the England management before any decision is made over his inclusion in the squads for the limited-overs leg of the tour. The squad is scheduled to be named towards the end of the third Test between England and Pakistan currently taking place in Dubai. England are scheduled to play four ODIs and three T20Is in the UAE.The news will also boost England’s hopes of including Bresnan in the squad that plays two Tests in Sri Lanka from March 26. That squad will not be named until nearer the end of the current tour of the UAE.Bresnan has become a fixture of the side in all three formats of the game. England have won all ten of the Tests in which he has played and his batting ability also offers them the potential of playing a five-man bowling attack with Matt Prior batting at six and Bresnan – who averages 45 in Test cricket – at seven.

Matthew Wade is expected to make his Test debut against West Indies next month after Cricket Australia confirmed Brad Haddin would not return to the tour

Brydon Coverdale23-Mar-2012Matthew Wade is expected to make his Test debut against West Indies next month after Cricket Australia confirmed Brad Haddin would not return to the tour. In a statement, Cricket Australia cited “family reasons” for Haddin’s decision not to rejoin the squad after he flew home from the Caribbean ahead of the first ODI.Wade was Australia’s first-choice gloveman for the limited-overs portion of the tour but the selector Rod Marsh indicated last week that Haddin remained the No.1 wicketkeeper in the Test side. The following day, Haddin flew home for personal reasons.”Cricket Australia fully supports Brad’s decision to remain in Australia and sends its best wishes to him and his family at this time,” the general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said after Haddin confirmed he would not return to the tour.The New South Wales wicketkeeper Peter Nevill will remain with the squad for the Test portion of the tour, having flown in to replace Haddin for the one-dayers. But having impressed during over the past two months in the shorter formats, Wade will be the clear first choice for the first Test, which begins on April 7 in Barbados.While the precise reason for Haddin’s decision to remain at home is unclear, it does raise serious doubts over whether his international career will continue. Australia’s next Test series is not until the 2012-13 home summer, when they face South Africa, by which time Haddin will be 35 and will no longer be the incumbent in any format.Meanwhile, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has been ruled fit to join the squad for the Test series after being sidelined from the one-dayers due to a hamstring injury. Clarke will fly out of Sydney on Sunday ahead of the three-Test series.

Tony Palladino added to his early-season wicket haul for the Division Two leaders, Derbyshire, before rain intervened

19-Apr-2012
ScorecardTony Palladino added to his early-season wicket haul for the Division Two leaders, Derbyshire, before rain intervened.Only 45 minutes’ play were possible at Derby, where the action finally got underway at 3.30pm following five inspections. That was time enough for Palladino to add to his 10 wickets from the first two matches of the season when he trapped Leicesterhire’s Matthew Boyce lbw in the third over. But the rain returned and play was abandoned for the day at 5.15pm.Derbyshire went into the match as the early Division Two leaders after victories over Northamptonshire and Glamorgan.

Pune Warriors got three victories in four and are top of the table after upsetting the fancied Chennai Super Kings in front of a boisterous home crowd

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran14-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jesse Ryder provided a turbo-charged start to Pune Warriors’ chase•AFP

Pune Warriors had only four wins in their entire campaign in 2011, and were expected to struggle again in the absence of their marquee player Yuvraj Singh. Instead, they’ve got three victories in four games and are top of the table after upsetting the fancied Chennai Super Kings in front of a boisterous home crowd.It was an all-round performance from Warriors, with their bowlers first stifling the power-packed Super Kings batting by hitting the blockhole as often as possible, backed up by some sharp fielding, something which is a rarity in the IPL.Their chase was then controlled by two contrasting innings from two men struggling to hold down a place in their national sides. Jesse Ryder began in a hurry, but calmed down to play through the innings for the first time in his T20 career. Just when things started to become tense in the chase, Steven Smith hammered a bunch of boundaries, including two in the final over to complete the victory.It hadn’t seemed that it would be this close an encounter after Ryder, who would probably have been dropped had he failed again, provided a turbo-charged start, and even the run-outs of Robin Uthappa and Sourav Ganguly weren’t too big a hindrance. The spin duo of R Ashwin and Suresh Raina, though, choked the runs to inflate the asking rate, making it difficult to understand why Ravindra Jadeja was not used. It came down to 34 required off the final three overs, in which Ryder only needed to take three singles – Smith’s big hits took care of the rest.Both captains had been uncertain about how the pitch at the new Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune would behave, but it had few demons in it. Super Kings’ innings was built around a clutch of boundaries at the start of the innings from one of their cheapest buys, Faf du Plessis, and a flourish from their most expensive signing, Jadeja, in the second half.The openers began slowly before du Plessis waded into the fourth over from Ashish Nehra, taking 18 off it including a six over the bowler’s head after advancing down the track. Du Plessis went on to become the highest run-getter of the tournament, but his opening partner M Vijay’s struggles continued.Still, Super Kings were well placed after du Plessis’ blast, but were slowed down by legspinner Rahul Sharma’s strikes, who removed both du Plessis and Raina. Warriors then kept a lid on the scoring through some fast and full bowling from Marlon Samuels, who fired in a succession of quicker deliveries, some clocked as high as 127kph. The batsmen couldn’t get under those deliveries, and even MS Dhoni couldn’t find the boundaries, finishing on an underwhelming 26 off 28.Jadeja came out firing, and provided some impetus. Samuels’ darts and Ashok Dinda’s impressive ability to consistently deliver yorkers, though, kept the scoring down. All through the second half of the innings, one kept waiting for Super Kings’ big onslaught, but Warriors’ bowlers ensured that it never came.