World Cricket Live Update

Apologies for the break in posts so below I have summarised the most recent results on the international cricket scene:

• New Zealand and England drew Test Series 0-0
• India whitewashed Australia 4-0 to end a horrendous tour for the visitors
• Sri Lanka secured a 1-0 series victory in their home test series against Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka lead their ODI series against the same team 1-0 with one match to play, after the second encounter was rained out
• West Indies completed their series whitewash with a 2-0 result in the test matches, after a 3-0 and 2-0 win in the ODI and T20I series respectively
• South Africa won the deciding game to seal a close ODI series with Pakistan 3-2

 

• Ireland clean-swept their tour of the UAE with a win in their Intercontinental Cup match, two World Cup Qualifiers and single T20I
• Kenya won both both WCL Championship matches against Canada, as well as the first class match, while the T20I series was drawn 1-1
• Scotland were smashed by Afghanistan with the Afganistan team winning the two WCQ's, the Intercontinental Cup match and the two T20I's

Afghanistan diminish Scotland's chance of World Cup qualification

Afghanistan have won the second ODI against Scotland and therefore taken the series 2-0. More importantly it means they draw level with Scotland on 11 points in 2nd place, behind Ireland who are on 13 points. With now Afghanistan, Netherlands and the UAE breathing down their necks, they missed a huge opportunity to strengthen their position for one of two automatic qualifying spots for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Afghanistan meanwhile have put themselves back into the frame for a top two finish. For the full points table click on the '2015 ICC CWC Qualifers' tab on the right hand corner of the page.

Scotland did manage a decent total of 259/9 which was on the back of Kyle Coetzer's first ODI century. He hit a run a ball 133 before being run out in the 47th over. No.3 Josh Davey also chipped in with a 64, with his and Coetzer putting on a 134 run stand for the second wicket. Samiullah Shenwari after his impressive batting in the first game this time chimed in with the ball with three wickets.

For Afghanistan every batsman made a score above 20 with skipper Mohammad Nabi top scoring with 51. Opener Mohammad Shahzad excitied the contingent of Afghanistan supporters in the crowd with a blistering knock of 48 off 34 balls with 5 fours and three sixes. The Scottish bowlers proved largely ineffective only picking up five wickets. Afghanistan reached the total with 8 balls to spare.

These two sides now will do battle in a First Class match for the Intercontinental Cup, where both sides are neck and neck in 2nd and 3rd place on the rankings table. There are more WCL Championship matches coming up in the next few weeks with Canada and Kenya to play in Dubai and Ireland and the UAE to play in Sharjah, before Namibia host the Netherlands in April.

Full scorecard for the Afghanistan Scotland match here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-2011-13/engine/match/592271.html

Afghanistan win first ODI against Scotland

Scotland (199/8) defeated by Afghanistan (203/3) by 7 wickets 

Afghanistan have won the first ODI against Scotland in their World Cricket League Championship Match overnight. Scotland struggled to 199/8 with Matt Machan on debut making 44, while Richie Berrington made 51. For Afghanistan Gulbodin Naib was the chief destroyer picking up 4/31.

In the chase Afghanistan were in a spot of bother at 59/3 but that was the last wicket they lost as Nawroz Mangal hit his first ODI century of 112*. He was supported well by Samiullah Shenwari who made a composed 55*.

This result tightens up the race for the two automatic qualifying spots for the 2015 Cricket World Cup as Afghanistan move up to 9 points. Although Scotland are still 2nd, another comprehensive win by Afghanistan in tomorrow's game could mean Scotland drop to 3rd with Afghanistan moving to 2nd with a superior net run rate.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-2011-13/engine/match/592270.html

For more information about the World Cricket League Championship and qualification for the 2015 Cricket World Cup click on the tab on the right hand side of the page titled "2015 ICC CWC Qualifiers"

Afganistan sweep T20I series 2-0 against Scotland

Afghanistan have won both T20 Internationals in Scotland over the past few days by 27 runs and 7 wickets respectively. Both matches were won pretty convincingly with Scotland not really in with a major shot of winning either of the games. Mohammad Shahzad batted well for Afghanistan scoring 55 and 46, while paceman Hamid Hassan picked up 4 wickets in the second encounter. For Scotland Iain Wardlaw took 2 wickets in each of the matches. He was one of the new players Scotland brought into the squad via new eligibility criteria in regards to a player's nationality. Despite this influx of county players it meant nothing as Afghanistan proved to be strong.

These games really though had no significant meaning. Essentially they are practice ahead of the World T20 Qualifier to be played later this year. The most important matches of the tour are the two WCL Championship matches (ODI's) which will play a large part in determining the two automatic qualifiers for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Scotland are in 2nd place on 11 points, whereas Afghanistan are on 7 points in 5th position. If Scotland could even just win one game, they will strengthen their position. Afghanistan really need to pick up the maximum four points to have any chance of bypassing the 2014 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Match 1 Scorecard
Match 2 Scorecard

WCL Matches:
6th March: ODI #1
8th March: ODI #2

Pakistan and Ireland fixtures confirmed

With Pakistan agreeing to play Scotland in 2 ODI's before the Champions Trophy, it was uncertain whether these games were in addition to or in place of the games against Ireland. Turns out it is the former, which is great news for associate cricket. The ground has not been confirmed yet, but the matches will be played on the 23rd and 26th of May. This means that Pakistan will play 4 ODI's against associates in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. This really is a double win, as the associates get valuable experience against the full members, and Pakistan get accustomed to the UK conditions. Other nations should definitely take a leaf out of Pakistan's book here. Countries could play Ireland/Scotland/Netherlands before a tour of England, instead of games against counties. Although this is done often, it really needs more regularity. Ireland's fixture list is growing though this year, as along with these 2 ODI's, they will play 1 against England in September, a 4 day game against Australia A, and also a rumoured T20I series against Bangladesh. Hopefully the visit by Bangladesh will also include some ODI's and possibly even an unofficial test match. With the extra TAPP funding there is no doubt Ireland would be willing, Bangladesh on the other hand is another question.

Meanwhile in other associate/affiliate news (related to Pakistan), Afghanistan are going to hold a four week camp in February in Pakistan, in preparation for the matches against Scotland in March, including the vital 2015 World Cup Qualifier matches. Apparently Afghanistan will play 12 matches against regional sides, along with Pakistan A (according to Cricinfo). Hopefully Afghanistan and Pakistan can continue to strengthen links between each other. For Pakistan, Afghanistan may be the ideal country to play home matches against - perhaps a combination of ODI's and T20I's.

Ireland/Pakistan - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/601615.html
Afghanistan/Pakistan - http://www.espncricinfo.com/afghanistan/content/current/story/601658.html