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Shahid Afridi has been banned for two Twenty20 internationals after being found guilty of ball-tampering during Pakistan’s two-wicket loss to Australia at the WACA in Perth

Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2010Shahid Afridi
has been banned for two Twenty20 internationals after being found guilty of ball-tampering during Pakistan’s two-wicket loss to Australia in the ODI at the WACA. Afridi, Pakistan’s captain in Twenty20 cricket, was charged with an article 2.2.9 offence of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to “changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 of the Laws of Cricket”.Afridi, leading Pakistan in the absence of Mohammad Yousuf, was caught by TV cameras apparently biting the ball on a couple of occasions. This was reported to the on-field umpires by the TV umpire and, after a chat with Afridi, the umpires changed the ball.Afridi was called into a hearing with the match referee Ranjan Madugalle immediately after the match. Madugalle said Afridi pleaded guilty to the charge, apologised and regretted his action.In later public comments, Afridi admitted to tampering the ball but added the practice was common among all teams. “I shouldn’t have done it. It just happened. I was trying to help my bowlers and win a match, one match,” he told , a Pakistan-based news channel. “There is no team in the world that doesn’t tamper with the ball. My methods were wrong. I am embarrassed, I shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to win us a game but this was the wrong way to do it.”Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, said: “It’s unacceptable. It shouldn’t have happened but it happened and I feel sorry for him. Being a captain you should be above everything but unfortunately it’s happened.”The punishment poses a quandary for Pakistan, who end their tour of Australia with a Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday. Yousuf, who captained Pakistan in Tests and ODIs, is not part of the Twenty20 squad and Younis Khan, who was captain before the tour of New Zealand which preceded this one, has retired from the format. Shoaib Malik, who was captain in all three formats this time last year, might be one of those in the running to take charge. Afridi will also now miss the first Twenty20 against England in Abu Dhabi in February.Another candidate is Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper and vice-captain. However, his own form with the gloves has been poor. He was dropped for the third Test in Hobart, following a debacle in the previous Test in Sydney, where he dropped Michael Hussey thrice to give Australia a chance to sneak back into the match and eventually beat Pakistan by 36 runs.Afridi’s conduct was part of a bizarre finale to the game, which sealed a 5-0 win for Australia. Opener Khalid Latif was tackled by a fan who broke through the security cordon and ran on to the field. Police have spoken to Latif, who is not thought to be seriously injured. But action is likely to be taken against the spectator and Pakistan’s management will also look at the incident in further detail.”I thought it was disgraceful,” Australian seamer Clint McKay said. “Something you don’t want to see ever. For someone to go out there and to touch one of their players is not on. Hopefully it all gets put to bed and he gets a right whack. It’s probably the worst thing that can happen on a cricket field, so hopefully it gets stamped out and we don’t see it again.”

Ricky Ponting doesn’t bury himself in statistics but he knew he hadn’t scored a one-day hundred at the Gabba. He has one now after his 106 provided the platform for a 3-0 series victory over West Indies

Peter English at the Gabba14-Feb-2010Ricky Ponting doesn’t bury himself in statistics but he knew he hadn’t scored a one-day hundred at the Gabba. He has one now after his 106 provided the platform for a ground-record score of 7 for 324 that set up a 3-0 series victory over West Indies.It was Chris Gayle’s men who started a testing summer for Ponting, but over the past eight days he has scored 49, 57, 22 and 106 against them to return to something approaching peak form. “I have been working pretty hard with the coaching staff on a few little things and I have probably had a few better situations to bat in as well lately,” Ponting said. “I have been in a little earlier and it has freed me to play a few shots against the new ball, which I always enjoy doing. I have also been able to get off to some reasonable starts with my scoring rate which generally makes things a little easier.”Ponting told his players before the game not to let an opportunity slip to post a big score and they followed the message on the way to a one-sided, 50-run victory. “To bat first and post that sort of a total – the highest total ever at the Gabba – that is really satisfying and is a great reward and great result for the team,” he said. “We were a little disappointed with our batting as a group in Sydney and a couple of games before that we have been in good situations and not capitalised. But I thought we were terrific today.”The result was basically sealed when Gayle departed in the seventh over, but Narsingh Deonarine, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith reached half-centuries as the game wound down. In the Test series, West Indies lost 2-0 while performing strongly over extended periods, but this result reflects the quality of the unit, which is missing seven of its main men.”We’re disappointed we lost the series 3-0 so far,” Gayle said. “We’re up against a top team, a good all-round team, and we test ourselves as players and characters. It’s a learning experience for them.”Gayle expected Australia to come back hard after they were held to 225 in Friday’s washout and realised in the early stages that his side was in trouble. “We knew they were going to do their homework after the last game in Sydney, they were in a bit of a negative zone, and they wanted to show from ball one,” he said. “Shane Watson got off to a flyer and Ricky played a beautiful innings in getting a hundred. They set the tone for a decent total and we were asking for trouble given they started so well.”

Plays of the Day from the match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Brabourne Stadium

Cricinfo staff25-Mar-2010Harbhajan v Hayden
Matthew Hayden came out with the larger Mongoose, slapped four consecutive boundaries off Zaheer Khan’s first over, and threatened to impose himself. So Sachin Tendulkar made a smart move by bringing a spinner into the attack. Not just any spinner, but Harbhajan Singh, who had previous with Hayden all through the noughties. After seeing out a wide and missing the next ball, Hayden tried to push at the third with bat slightly behind pad. Harbhajan had slipped in the quicker one and had his man in front of off stump. He was off on his trademark victory dash in a flash.Tendulkar does a Laxman
It’s been painful to watch during the IPL: an artist forgoing his brilliance and resorting to ungainly methods to score. VVS Laxman’s done it and today Tendulkar joined the list. He attempted a wild swing against a short ball from L Balaji, which climbed over his head, and did not connect with the hook. It wasn’t pretty. Incidentally, he got out playing a similar slog against the same bowler later in the innings.Joginder forgets his field
Six men patrolled the off side, five in the circle and a third man. But Joginder Sharma, in his first over, kept pitching on Shikhar Dhawan’s pads and the batsman took advantage, hitting three fours in four balls to midwicket and square leg.Ball of the match
Having bowled five ordinary balls, including a wide, in his first over, Joginder made amends with the ball of the match. The outswinger started on middle stump before swerving slightly outside off, just enough to beat Tendulkar. He had lined up for a pre-mediated wristy flick to midwicket but was eventually squared up.Thissara’s wake-up call
With 48 runs needed off the last five overs, Chennai were looking to force the pace Joginder had been hit for 23 off his first two overs and MS Dhoni decided to give the IPL debutant Thissara Perera a bowl. Perera was unaware that his captain was waving animatedly at him and the move eventually backfired. He delivered a succession of friendly full tosses and leaked 19 runs.

Afghanistan have named their squad for the World Twenty20 which starts at the end of April, with Shabir Noori and Sayed Nasrat coming inclusion at the expense of Aftab Alam the only changes from the 14-strong squad that won the qualifying tournament in F

Cricinfo staff01-Apr-2010Afghanistan have named their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 which starts at the end of April, with Shabir Noori and Sayed Nasrat’s inclusion at the expense of Aftab Alam, the only changes from the 14-strong squad that won the qualifying tournament in February.Afghanistan enter their first global tournament in Group C, alongside South Africa and India but are buoyed by a recent a run of success that saw them win the qualifier and chase down 494 to beat Canada in the Intercontinental Cup.Afghanistan squad Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, Shafiq Shafaq.

David Payne served up the best-ever figures by a Gloucestershire bowler in
Limited-overs cricket but still finished on the losing side in their CB40 match with Essex at Chelmsford

09-May-2010Essex 267 beat Gloucestershire 225 by 42 runs

ScorecardDavid Payne served up the best-ever figures by a Gloucestershire bowler in
Limited-overs cricket but still finished on the losing side in their CB40 match with Essex at Chelmsford.Payne, a 19-year-old left-arm paceman, claimed 7 for 29, including four wickets in as many balls, but was unable to prevent a 42-run defeat.
Thanks to a superb 116 by Grant Flower and a swashbuckling 84 from Ryan ten
Doeschate, Essex posted 267 all out, to which the visitors responded with 225 in 37.3 overs.Essex lost their last five wickets in a remarkable 40th over bowled by Payne. He took wickets with the first four deliveries, including that of Flower who was caught on the long-off boundary after collecting 11 fours and one six in his 103-ball effort. Chris Marshall was then run out from the last ball of the innings.Having got rid of Ten Doeschate and Graham Napier in his previous over, it
meant that Payne had picked up six wickets in the space of eight deliveries. But his efforts were to go unrewarded because of the magnificent partnership between Flower and Ten Doeschate who came together following the dismissal of Alastair Cook for 37.His departure came in the 20th over at which point Gloucestershire looked
firmly in control. But the fourth-wicket pair were to take the initiative away from the visitors with a stand of 166 in 18 overs.Ten Doeschate was especially ruthless as he plundered 84 from 53 balls. It was a contribution that contained nine fours and two sixes and was brought to an end when he was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty.By then the 39-year-old Flower had completed his second successive CB40 century at Chelmsford as he again confirmed what a superb batsman he
still is in the one-day game.Gloucestershire were soon in trouble when they replied, losing Batty and James Franklin in the first couple of overs. William Porterfield and Hamish Marshall revived them with a partnership of 81 in a dozen overs but never really looked a dominating force.Both were dismissed by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, Porterfield departing for 65 from 64 balls when he put up a simple return catch after striking nine boundaries. After that, Gloucestershire’s challenge faded, despite an
aggressive innings from Steve Snell. He struck a belligerent 57 from 42 deliveries before he was last out, but he was never able to mount a serious threat to Essex’s imposing total.

Paul Nixon and Australia allrounder Andrew McDonald helped Leicestershire to their first batting bonus points in four games against top-of-the-table Glamorgan in their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road

24-May-2010
ScorecardPaul Nixon and Australia allrounder Andrew McDonald helped Leicestershire to their first batting bonus points in four games against top-of-the-table Glamorgan in their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.Veteran Nixon, opening the batting because of an injury to Will Jefferson, made 90, while McDonald scored his first half-century since joining the Foxes as their overseas player a month ago. McDonald was unbeaten on 86 as Leicestershire closed the first day on 263 for 8. Young seamer James Harris was Glamorgan’s most successful bowler, taking three for 62 in 24 overs.Having won the toss, Leicestershire made steady progress in the morning session, with Matt Boyce and Nixon putting on 81 by lunch. Boyce rode his luck at times, edging just short of slip and then being dropped by James Allenby off Will Owen when he was on 33.Nixon looked the more solid of the opening pair, picking up two boundaries with trademark clips off his legs through midwicket. But the partnership was broken soon after lunch with Boyce (40) caught behind as he tried to force David Harrison away off the back foot.His departure triggered a mini-collapse as the impressive Harris snapped up two wickets in two overs, trapping both Tom New and James Taylor lbw to leave Leicestershire at 104 for 3. Nixon, however, found some much-needed support from McDonald and the fourth-wicket pair steadied the ship with a stand of 57.Then Nixon, who was looking set for a century, was out in the 90s for the second time this season. Pushing forward to left-arm spinner Dean Cosker, Nixon edged to Jamie Dalrymple, who held onto a juggling catch at slip.Nixon, who fell seven runs short of his century against Sussex four weeks ago, this time made 90 off 178 balls, with 13 fours. It was then left to McDonald to take up the battle for the home side. After an uncertain start, he grew in confidence and produced some glorious shots through midwicket as he reached his first 50 for the county off 111 balls, with six boundaries.But Josh Cobb, Jigar Naik, Claude Henderson and Nathan Buck all fell cheaply as Glamorgan’s attack fought back hard. However, McDonald secured a second batting point with two glorious shots through the on-side off Harris and, at the close, had struck eight boundaries in his 163-ball innings.

Acting captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road

29-Jun-2010

ScorecardActing captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road. Still 75 behind on losing the fourth wicket in their second innings, the home side survived the remaining 35 overs and eased into a lead of 34 on reaching 168 for 4.Teenager Nathan Buck led Leicestershire’s early charge by taking the first three wickets for 19 runs, but they missed a potential short cut to victory by dropping three slip chances from Mitchell before he completed his half-century. The opener made the most of the reprieves in compiling an undefeated 63 and Cameron hit two sixes and six fours on his way to a maiden 50 from 87 balls.With the left-hander on 62 not out in only his second Championship match, their unbroken partnership of 109 has already transformed a game that seemed in danger of finishing on the second day. Although the New Road pitch assisted the seamers from the outset, it has never been a minefield and ECB inspector David Hughes said he was happy with the surface when Worcestershire were dismissed for 175 in the first innings.Leicestershire began day two in a promising position, resuming only 12 runs behind at 163 for 3, and their batsmen pressed home the advantage as they progressed to 309 and a lead of 134. Nightwatchman Buck became a first victim for Matt Mason in a spell of 2 for 9 and James Benning, in his first Championship innings of the season, chipped in with 29 until caught at first slip off Jack Shantry.James Taylor, awaiting England Lions duty later in the week, dug in for nearly two hours for 27 and when he edged Mason to slip, it was left to Tom New to make the most of support from the lower order. Always positive, the left-hander hit 11 fours in making 58 – his fourth half-century of the season – before he played on to Richard Jones and Leicestershire were well in charge even when Gareth Andrew mopped up the last three wickets.Worcestershire desperately needed to improve on their first innings, but Phil Jaques made a disappointing exit in his last Championship game before Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan takes up the overseas position. A nick to first slip from Buck’s second delivery resulted in the Australian’s sixth duck in 15 first-class innings.Buck, who played for England in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January, kept the batsmen under pressure as he removed Moeen Ali (24) and Alexei Kervezee in successive overs.