World Cricket Live Update

India lead Zimbabwe 3-0 in ODI Series
India have been able to beat Zimbabwe in the first three matches without much fuss. The home side have battled hard but some poor patches of play have cost them dearly. They have lost a few wickets in patches which has left them struggling, and the poor form of captain Brendan Taylor isn't helping. For India Virat Kohli and Shitikar Dhawan have both hit centuries.

Results:
1st ODI: India 230/4 (44.5 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 228/7 (50.0 overs) by 6 wickets
2nd ODI: India 294/8 (50.0 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 236/9 (50.0 overs) by 58 runs
3rd ODI: India 187/3 (35.3 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 183 (46.0 overs) by 7 wickets


Pakistan won ODI series 3-1 and T20I series 2-0
After the ODI series being tantalisingly poised at 1-1 after the tied third match, the home fans had belief that a series win could be possible. Unfortunately for them, Pakistan were able to string some consistent performances together to win the last two games. This included a thriller in the last match where they Saeed Ajmal hit the winning run with only 1 ball remaining. Pakistan have also carried over this form in the T20I series winning both matches.

Results:
4th ODI: Pakistan 189/4 (30.0 overs) defeated West Indies 261/7 (49.0 overs) by 6 wickets (D/L Method)
5th ODI: Pakistan 243/6 (49.5 overs) defeated West Indies 242/7 (50.0 overs) by 4 wickets

1st T20I: Pakistan 158/8 (20.0 overs) defeated West Indies 152/7 (20.0 overs) by 2 wickets
2nd T20I: Pakistan 135/7 (20.0 overs) defeated West Indies 124/9 (20.0 overs) by 11 runs


Sri Lanka lead ODI series 3-1 against South Africa with one match to play
Sri Lanka have simply been too good for South Africa in this series with some pretty convincing wins. This included yesterday's match where Sri Lanka bowled out South Africa for 236 and then preceded to chase it down only losing two wickets. Dilshan and Sangakkara were the heroes scoring 115* and 91 respectively. There was an interesting moment in the 3rd ODI when Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera hit Robin Peterson for 35 runs off one over. It went 6wd66646. The over was the second biggest in ODI history, just falling behind Herschelle Gibbs' six sixes of Daan van Bunge at the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Results:
1st ODI: Sri Lanka 320/5 (50.0 overs) defeated South Africa 140 (31.5 overs) by 180 runs
2nd ODI: Sri Lanka 223/9 (49.2 overs) defeated South Africa 104/5 (21.0 overs) by 17 runs (D/L Method)
3rd ODI: South Africa 223/7 (50.0 overs) defeated Sri Lanka 167 (43.2 overs) by 56 runs
4th ODI: Sri Lanka 239/2 (44.0 overs) defeated South Africa 238 (48.4 overs) by 8 wickets

World Cricket Live Update

With plenty of cricket on as well as the Ashes I've decided to combine my analysis all in this post instead of single posts.

Ashes: 2nd Test Day 2
England 361 (100.1 overs) and 31/3 (20.0 overs)
Australia 128 (53.3 overs)
England lead by 264 runs

It's a pretty simple analysis of today's play in the Ashes, and that is that Australia were horrible. Their top-order batting once again failed with some horrendous shots and some even worse uses of the DRS. This all came after Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad put on a 48 run stand for the last wicket. Mind you although they played some good shots, Australia's persistence with a bouncer strategy certainly helped.

After finally dismissing England for 361, the Australian openers started relatively well with Shane Watson playing some nice drives. All went haywire though just before lunch when Shane Watson was struck on the pads and given out. He was deadset plumb but decided to review which has certainly not helped his perception by the Australian fans. Chris Rogers I think has to be partly to blame though as Watson did initially look unwilling to review, but I'm guessing Rogers might have said something to encourage him to do so. This certainly came to haunt Rogers as he was dismissed in ridiculous circumstances after lunch. Swann let go of a wild full toss which slipped out of his hands which Rogers preceded to miss completely while attempting a pull shot. Erasmus gave it out and Rogers decided not to refer with the thought that an incorrect referral would leave Australia with none left. Consequently Rogers was out in spite of HawkEye replays later on showing the ball would have missed leg stump by a fair margin.

The collapse continued as Phil Hughes played an absolute shocking shot to be caught behind, and despite an adamant referral he was sent packing. Usman Khawaja was caught after hitting one straight up in the air, while Michael Clarke was gone lbw to an inswinging Broad delivery. Smith was caught in close off the bowling of Swann and Agar was run out in a mix-up with Haddin just before tea. It didn't change much after tea for Australia with Haddin and Siddle following suit. Pattinson and Harris put on the second highest partnership of the innings which is an indication of just how poor Australia were.

Peter Siddle ensured some sort of respectability for the aussies taking three quick wickets before stumps after Alistair Cook decided to not enforce the follow-on. I've got to say despite all the hype about the pitches being played on, the top-order batting all round has been pretty ordinary so far in the series.

Hero of the day: Graeme Swann
5 wickets - an easy choice here.

Villain of the day: Shane Watson
Watson was the highest scorer of the Australian innings which might then  leave people surprised about my choice here. He again failed to go on with a start, but also decided to review his plumb lbw which ultimately dudded Rogers later on as well. Some people may feel it's too harsh to have him as the 'villain' but talk to any Australian supporter, and they will be struggling to disagree with Mickey Arthur that he is a 'cancer' in the team.

Who won the day? England
No point even really answering this as England are well in the box seat. Despite being three wickets down for not many, with Australia's batting line-up even the current lead will probably be way more than enough.

3rd ODI: West Indies v Pakistan
Pakistan 229/6 (50.0 overs)
West Indies 229/9 (50.0 overs)
Match tied

In another incredible close match of ODI cricket (who the hell said ODI's aren't exciting) the West Indies have managed to tie with Pakistan. This is amazingly the fourth tie in ODI's in the past two months and Pakistan's second having tied with Ireland in May. The West Indies needed 39 runs off the last three overs at eight down. Enter no.11 Jason Holder who hit 19 off only 9 balls including a six and a four off the last over bowled by Wahab Riaz.

Earlier Misbah-ul-Haq steered the Pakistani innings with 75 while keeper Umar Akmal chipped in with a valuable 40. Lendl Simmons scored 75 for the West Indies in what was a slugglish run chase until the fireworks at the end from Sunil Narine (14 off 5 balls) and Jason Holder (19* off 9 balls).

The series is delicately poised at 1-1 with two matches to play.

ODI Series Preview: Sri Lanka v South Africa 
5 ODI Matches

Sri Lanka and South Africa are about to kick-off a 5 match series, which again has disappointingly left no room for the test series which has been postponed until 2015. This is even more telling now that the Sri Lanka Premier League which was one of the major reasons for this postponment has now been cancelled. Nonetheless its still an important series in the ODI scheme of things with the Cricket World Cup only a year and a half away. 

I read an interesting stat on Cricinfo which was that South Africa haven't played a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka since 2004 which is quite incredible really in the current international cricket climate. Therefore South Africa will be wanting to play well in their first ODI series encounter in the country in nearly a decade. The teams are neck and neck in the ODI Rankings with South Africa narrowly holding onto a top four spot with a rating of 110, while Sri Lanka are 5th on 108. Therefore this series will be crucial for rankings points especially for Sri Lanka who will be looking to break into even the top three possibly with a strong series. 

Sri Lanka have just come off the tri-series in the West Indies where they made the final, and before that the semi-finals in the Champions Trophy. South Africa also made the semi's in the Champions Trophy which further consolidates just how close these two sides are. South Africa will be without spearhead Dale Steyn which will certainly help Sri Lanka. South Africa have numerous inexperienced players in their squad, and with home conditions, I reckon Sri Lanka may be have a huge shot of taking this series.

Squads
Sri Lanka (1st and 2nd ODI's): D.Chandimal (c), T.Dilshan, S.Eranga, R.Herath, M.Jayawardene, S.Lakmal, L.Malinga, A.Mendis, J.Mubarak, A.Perera, T.Perera, K.Sangakkara, S.Senanayake, U.Tharanga, L.Thirmanne

South Africa: AB de Villiers (c), H.Amla, F.Behardien, Q. de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, C.Ingram, R.Kleinveldt, R.McLaren, D.Miller, M.Morkel, C.Morris, A.Petersen, R.Peterson, A.Phangiso, L.Tsotsobe

Fixtures
20th July: 1st ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
23rd July: 2nd ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
26th July: 3rd ODI @ Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
28th July: 4th ODI @ Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
31st July: 5th ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

First Class Match: Zimbabwe Select XI v Australia A

Australia A 226 and 156
Zimbabwe Select XI 142 and 160

This match received some increased publicity due to David Warner being sent from England to play in it. Well, that certainly backfired with Warner being dismissed cheaply in both innings for only 6 and 11. The Australian selectors certainly have a conundrum on their hands with Warner's poor form and limited match practice along with Australia's poor batting form so far in the tests.

Meanwhile Fawad Ahmed bowled well to take 8 wickets for the match to further boost his chances of mid-series call-up to the Ashes. Pat Cummins made a reasonable comback, while for Zimbabwe Kyle Jarvis and Elton Chigumbura impressed with the ball. Zimbabwe next take on India in a 5 match ODI series which they will be hoping to spring an upset or two in.

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It certainly is a jam-packed international calender at the moment with lots of cricket on. Obviously the Ashes is taking the majority of the spotlight, but the other nations have some important cricket to play, unfortunately in ODI's only, and not in tests.

7 Match ODI Series'

Key fixtures involving Australia, South Africa and India have been released recently, and the one noteworthy discussion point is the glut of 7 match ODI series. With the Future Tours Programme jam-packed and test cricket struggling to maintain its relevance and importance in the international game, these needless and revenue-raising series are detrimental. Australia and India's ODI series sandwiched between two Ashes series is extremely puzzling, even more so considering the same series preceded the 2010/11 Ashes series which Australia lost.

It is also disappointing that India and South Africa have decided to play a 7 match ODI series, yet only three tests. There were rumours about the possibility of a fourth test, yet the power-brokers obviously could not resist the lure of more limited overs matches. I guess at least Cricket South Africa have decided to play a test on Boxing Day this year, after controversially scrapping it for a T20I against New Zealand last year.

In more ODI matches for India, they will travel to Zimbabwe directly after the ODI Tri Series in the West Indies for a 5 match series in Zimbabwe. On the contrary to the above I have no problem with this series. Zimbabwe and Bangladesh need these fixtures against quality opposition to improve. They hardly play any cricket so a lengthy ODI series will do Zimbabwe well. Also the fact that Zimbabwe Cricket is in dire straits financially, this series will do them wonders.

Just as an aside, India are certainly playing many ODI's. So far two against Pakistan, five against England, five in the Champions Trophy, as well as four/five in the current Tri-series. Still to come are five against Zimbabwe, seven against Australia, seven against South Africa, two/three against New Zealand and then three/four in the Asia Cup. That is a whopping 40-43 matches in a 14 month span.
 
July/August 2013: India tour of Zimbabwe (5 ODI's)
October/November 2013: Australia tour of India (7 ODI's, 1 T20I)
November 2013 - January 2014: India tour of South Africa (3 Tests, 7 ODI's, 2 T20I's)
February/March 2014: Australia tour of South Africa (3 Tests, 3 T20I's)

*For dates of Full Fixtures; see the Fixtures tab at the top of the homepage

Injuries mounting in Champions Trophy

Australian captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of his side's opening match against England tomorrow with an ongoing back injury. Clarke has battled it his whole career but has had consistent trouble with it this year, including having to miss the first test of his career due to injury. With the Ashes looming on back of this one-day tournament, I think it is safe to say, the Australian management will play it with safe with Clarke and not risk him aggravating the injury further.

Bad news for South Africa with Morne Morkel being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after straining his quad muscle in last night's defeat to India. It is a bitter pill to swallow for South Africa with Dale Steyn getting injured in the warm-up game, as well as pre-tournament withdrawals of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.

India beat South Africa in Champions Trophy opener

India 331/7 off 50.0 overs defeated South Africa 305 off 50.0 overs by 26 runs
India defeated South Africa last night in the first match of the Champions Trophy tournament. India started off at a blistering pace with Shikhar Dhawan scoring a century to further strengthen his international reputation. Rohit Sharma, the other opener, scored 65 in an opening stand that was worth 127. South Africa picked up a few wickets in the middle of the innings with McLaren picking up three, albeit being hit for 70 off his 10 overs at the same time. Jadeja hit a quickfire 47* to push India to a big total of 331/7.

South Africa were in all sorts at the beginning of their innings losing openers Amla and Ingram for not many. Robin Peterson played well for his 68, as did captain AB de Villiers (70) but both failed to capitalise. Ryan McLaren provided some impetus at no.8 with 71, however it was not enough as the South Africans fell 26 runs short.

India's next match is against West Indies on Tuesday, while South Africa play Pakistan on Monday.

Last edition of the Champions Trophy all set to go!

The Champions Trophy has been  a much maligned competition over its duration. It started off as a knock-out tournament, went on to include heavily underprepared associates (cough...cough... USA), and has finally settled on its best format. The top eight teams, the major cricketing nations in a short and sharp tournament where all games matter. This last edition wasn't even meant to be in the schedule for 2013, however remained due to the inability for the World Test Championship to get up and running. In 2017 though, the Test event will occur (we think) which has caused the ICC to signal that each format of the game should have one major tournament. It's definitely the right move, however the fact that now there will only be a one-day tournament every four years means greater potential for more T20 matches.

Anyway I move back to the Champions Trophy, and there is much excitement around this year's tournament. All the sides are relatively closely matched and any team could win especially in the tournament format where every game counts. Below I run through the teams and their chances.

England
The hosts are one of the favourites, however their series loss to New Zealand will increase the doubts around them. Home conditions will help especially over the subcontinent teams. Good chance for the final I reckon.

India
They mauled Australia in their last warm-up match a couple of days ago, and will use this tournament to try and take some of the spotlight off the drama back in India. Should make the semis.

Australia
With Michael Clarke in severe doubt with a back injury, and their frailty against swing bowling being highlighted against India, I sense they might struggle. Don't think they will make the semis to be honest.

South Africa
The perennial under-achievers in global tournaments, however they have won a Champions Trophy. Expected to do well and could challenge for the final, although Steyn's potential absence will hurt.

Sri Lanka
In contrast to above, Sri Lanka have over-achieved to an extent (to outsider's expectations) in global tournaments, however I don't think they'll make the semis here though.

Pakistan
Pakistan were lucky to get away against Ireland and are unpredictable; so are therefore quite difficult to assess. Could be anywhere from first-round losers to finalists.

New Zealand
Darkhorses as usual. Series win over England will give them huge confidence. Will be looking at the group match against Australia to try and land a semi-final spot.

West Indies
Their T20 World Cup win last year has so far failed to translate into any dominant ODI form as of yet. Don't think that will turn around yet.

Full Fixtures

Group A

Saturday 8^th June

England VS Australia @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Sunday 9^th June

New Zealand VS Sri Lanka @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Wednesday 12^th June

Australia VS New Zealand @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Thursday 13^th June

England VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Sunday 16^th June

England VS New Zealand @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Monday 17^th June

Australia VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Group B

Thursday 6^th June

India VS South Africa @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Friday 7^th June

Pakistan VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Monday 10^th June

Pakistan VS South Africa @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Tuesday 11^th June

India VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Friday 14^th June

South Africa VS West Indies @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Saturday 15th June

India VS Pakistan @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Finals

Wednesday 19^th June

Semi Final #1 @ Kennington Oval, London

Thursday 20^th June

Semi Final #2 @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Sunday 23^rd June

Final @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

 

World Cricket Live Update

Pakistan 230/8 (48.4 overs) defeated Ireland 229/9 (50.0 overs) by 2 wickets
The ODI Series between Ireland and Pakistan came to a thrilling conclusion last Sunday as Kamran Akmal and tail-ender Wahab Riaz won the match for Pakistan. The visitors were in dire straits at 17/4, and also 133/7, but the wicket-keeper and fast bowler put on a show scoring around 90 off the last 10-12 overs. Ireland had earlier managed 229/9 on the back of Ed Joyce who became only the second player behind Eoin Morgan to score an ODI century for two different countries. Ireland's score was definitely under-par, however they more than made up for it with the ball, as Trent Johnston and Tim Murtagh ran through the top order. Unfortunately for the Irish they couldn't capitalize and they will be kicking themselves after a great chance for the first ODI series win by an associate against a full member nation.

England (354 and 287/5dec) defeated New Zealand (174 and 220) by 247 runs
After matching England for three of four innings in the first match, New Zealand had high hopes to remain competitive and perhaps pinch a win in the second test. They failed to do this though as England finetuned their Ashes preparations with a convincing 247 run win. Joe Root scored his maiden test century, while Alistair Cook made 130 in the second innings. Their bowlers were superb with Graeme Swann picking up 10 wickets for the match. New Zealand, on the other hand, were quite disappointing in the batting department, scoring lower than both England's totals in their innings. Their first innings of 174 was incredibly disappointing with no.10 and 11 Wagner and Boult scoring nearly a third of the runs.

The teams play a short three match ODI series in preparation for the Champions Trophy tournament which starts next week. I will post a preview of what will be the last ever edition of this tournament sometime in the next coming days.

Netherlands v South Africa @ Amstelveen
The single ODI between Netherlands and South Africa has just started with South Africa winning the toss and batting. They lost two early wickets but have now steadied to be 67/2 after 14 overs. Colin Ingram is unbeaten on 21, while JP Duminy is on 14. Mudassar Bukhari picked up the breakthrough of Petersen, while debutant Paul van Meekeren dismissed Hamish Amla. Hopefully the Dutch can continue to fight and make a match of this.

Test Rankings Update

With the New Zealand and England series ending the other day in an incredible draw, there is now a bit of a break until the next test assignments. Zimbabwe do host Bangladesh in April for a two test match series in a bottom of the table clash, but for the test purists, they will have to wait until May for any substantial action.

With this in mind, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on each team's form in the past five months (since November) and their current positions on the ranking table. I'll also detail the test series which will be played later this year.

South Africa
8 matches
6 wins 2 draws 0 losses
Captain Graeme Smith has just received the test mace and the $450,000 cheque that goes along with it. They thoroughly deserve these accolades as they have comprehensively beaten all team that they have played. The critical series against Australia in Australia was a challenge but a superb performance at the WACA sealed a hard fought 1-0 win. Their home summer was flawless with a 2-0 and 3-0 thumping of New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.

India
8 matches
5 wins 1 draw 2 losses
All of India's 8 matches have been played at home, and their results can be split into two categories. Their 1-2 defeat to England was disappointing and it showed that they had some things to address. Meanwhile their 4-0 hammering of Australia, although helped by the implosion of Australia, showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in their home conditions.

West Indies
4 matches
4 wins 0 draws 0 losses
These results look sensational, but some context is needed. Their matches were played against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. So they were expected to win these four matches, but the ruthlessness they displayed at times is a sign that West Indies may be on a significant rise in test cricket.

Australia
10 matches
3 wins 2 draws 5 losses
Australia have come through an incredible rough trot after being hammered by India. Players being sent home, selection inconsistencies an rumoured player unrest have destabilized the team. The retirements of Ponting and Hussey would not have helped. All this was on the back of a decent home summer with a narrow 0-1 loss to the South Africans and a 3-0 cleansweep of Sri Lanka.

England
7 matches
2 wins 4 draws 1 loss 
England's win over India was a historic achievement and they thoroughly deserved their win with some outstanding performances. They have crashed back to Earth though, with a 0-0 draw against New Zealand. They were only one wicket away from losing the series, which would have been a major disappointment for England.

Sri Lanka
7 matches
2 wins 1 draw 4 losses
Sri Lanka's form has not been good, and there are signs that they may be on a downward trend in test cricket (their board's cancelling of tests will not help this). They were upset by New Zealand in Sri Lanka to draw the series 1-1, and were completely outplayed by Australia down under. The fact that they could only just beat Bangladesh shows where they are at.

New Zealand
7 matches
1 win 3 draws 3 losses
Despite only 1 win from the past 7 matches, things are starting to turn around for New Zealand. Their win in Sri Lanka was amazing, although was overshadowed by the Ross Taylor captaincy saga. Despite being smashed by South Africa, their performance against England showed that they have some good players coming through the ranks.

Bangladesh
4 matches
0 wins 1 draw 3 losses 
Bangladesh's form has actually been quite impressive. They posted their then highest test score in the first match against the West Indies and should have probably won that game. Their draw in the first match against Sri Lanka (while making 638) was a major highlight for them.

Pakistan
3 matches
0 wins 0 draws 3 losses
Pakistan have only played the one series which was against South Africa away. They were destroyed by the no.1 side with a real low-light coming when they were bowled out for 49 in the first test.

Zimbabwe
2 matches
0 wins 0 draws 2 losses
Zimbabwe played tests for the first time in over a year with a series away against West Indies. As expected they were brushed aside with relative ease, but the experience shall be good for them.

Some statistics from this in general are:
30 matches played (over the last 5 months)
2 four match series
4 three match series
5 two match series
Thought I'd include this breakdown as I really hate two match series. Who wouldn't have loved an extra match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand or even between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, giving Bangladesh the opportunity to play for a drawn series.

Of the 30 matches played, 7 have been drawn, which is around 23%. I reckon most of these were on roads of pitches. Adelaide comes to mind, as does matches played in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The current rankings are as follows: (up to date as of now)

1 - South Africa    128
2 - England           114
3 - India                112
4 - Australia         110
5 - Pakistan          104
6 - Sri Lanka         92
7 - West Indies      92
8 - New Zealand   83
9 -  Bangladesh      1

The divide between South Africa and the rest is really prominent now, and really proves just how dominant they have been over the past five months. Australia have slipped from nearly being no.1 to now down to no.4. While West Indies have improved their ranking to 92 and are now within striking distance of leap-frogging Sri Lanka into 6th position. Bangladesh picked up a ranking point, while Zimbabwe are still unranked, although they could find themselves on the table after the Bangladesh series.

Test Calendar for the rest of 2013:
April: Zimbabwe VS Bangladesh (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
May: England VS New Zealand (England) - 2 match series
July/August: West Indies VS Pakistan (West Indies) - 2 match series
July/August: England VS Australia (England) - 5 match series
October: Bangladesh VS New Zealand (Bangladesh) - 2 match series
October: Zimbabwe VS Sri Lanka (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
October: Pakistan VS South Africa (UAE) - 2/3 match series
November - January: Australia VS England (Australia) - 5 match series
December/January: South Africa VS India (South Africa) - 3/4 match series
December/January: New Zealand VS West Indies (New Zealand) - 3 match series
December/January: Pakistan VS Sri Lanka (UAE) - 3 match series

The two Ashes series are the main highlight, although Australia's problems could mean the series' aren't as closely fought as everyone would like. All the other nations are left to pick up the scraps with a glut of two match series. Although there is hope that Pakistan could play South Africa in a three match series, while Cricket South Africa are considering a four match series against India. The Bangladesh VS New Zealand series should be closely fought with the improvement of Bangladesh.

Let's hope for some exciting matches as well as some brilliant individual performances. On a side note it will be interesting to see whether Sachin Tendulkar continues playing, as India do not play another test series until South Africa in December. 

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

World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of cricket going on at the moment so here is an update on live world cricket!

1st Test: New Zealand VS England 
Match Drawn
New Zealand 460 drew with England 167 and 421/6
England despite being dominated by New Zealand in the first test have managed to hold on for a draw. After letting New Zealand get a lead of 293, England came back strong with both openers Cook and Compton scoring centuries. For Compton it was his first test century and would have helped silence some of the doubters. Nightwatchman Steven Finn managed to stick around the next morning to make his highest test (and first-class) score of 56. Trott also contributed and made 52. Neil Wagner again impressed with a three wicket haul. If the first day wasn't washed out, New Zealand would have really had a great chance to push for a win. Nonetheless they would be impressed with the way they played. England would be happy that they managed to escape with a draw after their inept batting display in the first innings. With the series still 0-0, the next test starts on the 14th.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-england-2013/engine/current/match/569243.html

1st ODI: South Africa VS Pakistan
South Africa won by 125 runs
South Africa 315/4 and Pakistan 190 
Apologies for not posting a series preview for this; I just haven't had the time. In summary for South Africa it is an important series as it is their last major matches before the Champions Trophy. After their loss to New Zealand they will be hoping for an improved performance. They have slipped to 4th in the rankings so will be hoping to get back near the top. For Pakistan they will be hoping to put on a better show after a 3-0 whitewash in the test series. They are ranked in 6th in ODI's and they will be also be wanting to put in a good performance ahead of the Champions Trophy in a few months.

Back to this match, and South Africa really dominated. They piled up 315/4 off their 50 overs with Colin Ingram making an unbeaten 105*. De Villiers made a run a ball 65. They took their batting powerplay immediately in the 11th over which was a nice change from the usual in ODI cricket of wating until the 36th over. Pakistan were never really in the hunt and were struck out for 190 in 36.2 overs. Rory Kleinveldt took four wickets in a good spell.

The next match is in four days.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567368.html

1st Test: Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh
Bangladesh lead Sri Lanka by 27 runs
Bangladesh 638 and Sri Lanka 570/4dec and 41/1

On the road of a pitch in Galle, Bangladesh piled up their highest test score of 638. Mohammad Ashraful could not go on to make a double (he was dismissed on 190), but it was his captain Mushfiqur Rahim who did going on to make an exact 200. It really was a unbelievable innings and he became the first Bangladesh batsman in test history to score a double century. Nasir Hossain coming in at no.7 picked up where Ashraful left off and even managed to score a ton himself. The Sri Lankan bowlers were ineffective but they did manage to restrict Bangladesh's lead to 68.

Shahadat Hossain has picked up the early wicket of Karunaratne but unless something unthinkable happens this test will end up drawn.

Current scorecard and Cricinfo commentary here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-bangladesh-2013/engine/current/match/602472.html

1st ODI: Kenya VS Canada
Canada 227/8 (50.0 overs)
Both of these teams lie in the bottom three of the World Cricket League Championship. Although it is still mathematically possible, it is virtually impossible for these teams to finish in the top two to automatically qualify for the World Cup. In all honesty both Kenya and Canada will need to focus on keeping their ODI status by finishing in the top four of next year's Cricket World Cup qualifier, or even by just finishing in the top eight and keeping their High Performance Program funding.

Canada managed to score 227/8 on the back of a 72 by opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera. Raza-ur-Rehman also scored a 70 in his ODI debut. Elijah Otieno picked up 4/33, while Nelson Odhiambo secured two wickets, including of dangerous batsman Rizwan Cheema for 2. Kenya will like their chances of chasing down the total, but it will be close.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-2011-13/engine/current/match/592266.html

World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of international cricket happening at the moment, so let's get straight into it.

New Zealand - 63/3 off 22.3 overs (ODI #3)
In the deciding ODI, Alastair Cook decided to bowl first, confident in his side's ability to chase down a total to win the series. While the English are unchanged, New Zealand replaced Trent Boult with Andrew Ellis. The kiwis got off to a very shaky start as they lost 3 wickets for only 11 runs. Finn was the chief destroyer with 2 wickets, while Anderson picked up Williamson. Since then though, the home side have recovered somewhat as Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot have shared an unbeaten 52 run stand. They would like to pick up the scoring rate though, as a run rate of 2.8 per over, is well under par on the small Eden Park ground in Auckland. Currently the score is 63/3 off 22.3 overs.

Live scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-new-zealand-2013/engine/current/match/569242.html

Australia - 316/7 (Stumps Day 1)
Starting with the first test between India and Australia, Michael Clarke's unbeaten 103* helped save Australia's blushes (once again) on Day 1 in Chennai. Australia got off to an alright start with David Warner and Ed Cowan putting on 64 for the first wicket. Cowan then got stumped for 29 trying to repeat a six he hit the previous over. Hughes chopped on for not many, which left Watson and Warner to try and get a partnership going. After being 126/2 at Lunch, Watson fell almost straight away after the interval for 28, while Warner was gone lbw for 59, giving Ashwin his fourth wicket. Wade gave Ashwin his five-for, which left Australia reeling at 153/5.

Step in Michael Clarke, as once again the captain rescued his side with some brilliant strokeplay and resilience. Moises Henriques was exceptional on debut making a well composed 68, proving the selectors right in picking him. Unfortunately though he fell towards the end of the day, while Mitchell Starc (newly promoted to no.8) also was dismissed. Peter Siddle hung around to allow Clarke to post his 23rd Test century off the second last ball of the day. For India, Ashwin was the hero claiming six wickets with some really intelligent spin bowling. Jadeja also chipped in with the wicket of Starc. At Stumps on Day 1, its an incredibly even game, but if Australia's tail can hang around and support Clarke, then Australia could get an advantage with a score over 350.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/engine/current/match/598812.html

South Africa - 334/6 (Stumps Day 1)
In the third and last test match of the series, Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bat first. There were some team changes though, with injuries to fast bowlers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan, forcing Pakistan to debut Eshan Adil and also play second gamer Rahat Ali. Kallis for the home side was also left out with a calf problem. Despite an attack light on experience, it was Pakistan who started the game better, dismissing Petersen and Smith inside 10 overs. Amla and du Plessis settled the ship putting on 69 for the third wicket, before Faf gave the debutant his second wicket of the morning. Amla made 92 before being caught behind off Rahat Ali. Elgar didn't last long, while Robin Peterson was run out after getting a start.

At 248/6, South Africa had some work to do, and it was AB de Villiers who took the home side to Stumps unbeaten on 98*, while Vernon Philander did well to get to 45* in support. It was a good recovery by South Africa, but Pakistan should not be too disheartened. They would be hoping to limit South Africa to under 400, and then getting off to a good start with the bat in their first innings.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567365.html

West Indies (337/4) defeated Zimbabwe (181/9) by 156 runs
After not playing an ODI for around 12 months, and lacking any form of competitive cricket, it is hard to expect a side to play well in their first outing back. The fact that it is Zimbabwe makes it even harder to imagine. Therefore things went as expected in the first ODI of the series in Grenada overnight. Zimbabwe were simply outplayed from the first to last ball of the match. They were no match for the powerful West Indies batsmen, with Johnson Charles and Kieran Powell sharing a 168 run opening stand. It came in only 28.4 overs as well! Powell was dismissed, but Darren Bravo carried off where he left off. Meanwhile Charles was finally dismissed for 130 (his highest ODI score) which sparked a mini collapese as both Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo fell for not many. Darren Bravo continued on and smacked his way to his first ODI century off only 71 balls. It included 9 fours and 2 sixes. Its incredibly difficult to find the best bowler for the Zimbabweans, as although Mpofu took 2 wickets, he was smashed for 83 off his 10 overs. Legspinner Natsai Mushangwe (in only his second ODI) bowled alright and finished with 1/56 off 10 - the lowest economy rate out of all the bowlers.

Zimbabwe had no hope in the chase of the mammoth 337, and were 34/4 at one stage. Captain Brendan Taylor needed to contribute, if any hope of an upset could eventuate, but he was dismissed by Tino Best for 8. Craig Ervine made 41, while Malcolm Waller posted a half century and therefore top-scored for his team. I guess the fact that they weren't bowled out could be taken as a plus for the African side, alongwith Ervine and Waller's performances. Narine picked up 3 wickets for the West Indies, while Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell picked up two apiece. No-one is expecting Zimbabwe to win the next game, but hopefully for their sake, they can improve on this performance.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-zimbabwe-2013/engine/current/match/593983.html

South Africa crush Pakistan

South Africa have continued on their dominating test form with a 211 run win over Pakistan. Dale Steyn was the chief destroyer picking up a five for in the second innings to give him 11 for the match, only the 5th time he has taken 10 wickets or more in a match.

South Africa's second innings (after Graeme Smith decided not to follow on) was brisk, but still very aggressive with scoring being done at over 4 an over. They managed 275/4, with de Villiers on 103* and Amla on 74*, before Smith decided to declare considering the threat of rain on the last two days.

Pakistan would have hoped for this to be true, but it proved otherwise as they were dismissed before lunch on Day 4. It was though a much improved performance compared to their 49 in the first innings, as they managed to get to 268.Misbah ul Haq top scored with 64.

The visitors have a tour match before the next test, so would hope that gives them some time to gain some form. Nonetheless with a hungry South African line-up, it is looking quite unlikely that anything other than a 3-0 whitewash may happen. Let's hope Pakistan prove me wrong.

Scorecard from the 1st Test (Cricinfo)
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/match/567363.html

World Cricket Live Update

These past few days have been filled with lopsided results with West Indies and Pakistan getting destroyed by Australian and South Africa respectively.

Firstly, in the 1st ODI in Perth, the West Indies were shot out for 70 within 23.5 overs. Only 3 batsmen scored above 7, with 'extras' being the unofficial highest scorer with 17. Mitchell Starc swung his way beautifully to best figures of 5/20 off 6.5 overs including 3 bowled. Clint McKay also bowled superbly with 3/10 off 7, while debutant James Faulkner picked up 2/14. It really was an abject performance by the West Indians, which was made worse when Glen Maxwell (promoted to opener) smashed a quickfire 51* off only 35 balls. Amazingly 48 runs out of the 51 came in boundaries (9 fours and 2 sixes). Finch was the only batsman dismissed going for 10, enabling debutant Jason Holder to pick up his first international wicket. The chase was completed within 9.2 overs.

This match produced some incredible records including:
- West Indies' score of 70 is their third lowest in ODI's (lowest against Australia)
- The match only lasted 199 deliveries, which is the shortest completed match in Australia, and second shortest overall (only top 8 nations included)



Meanwhile in the 1st Test between South Africa and Pakistan, there were high hopes for Pakistan to provide the hosts with a stern challenge. This was looking likely after they bowled South Africa out for 253. Kallis was the only batsman to score a 50, while part-time spinner Mohammad Hafeez incredibly managed to pick up four wickets. Even Younis Khan picked up what was his 7th wicket (in 79 tests). Pakistan managed to claw to Stumps on Day 1 unscathed, suggesting that the home side could have a fight on their hands.

Enter Dale Steyn
6 wickets for 8 runs off 8.1 overs with 6 maidens

This caused Pakistan to be bowled out for 49. Yes that's right 49.

Yes they are the correct figures, 6/8 off 8.1 overs with an amazing 6 maidens. In fact there was only three scoring shots off his bowling. It really was an incredible spell of test match bowling with some superb outswingers obliterating the Pakistan top order. Azhar Ali and Misbah ul-Haq managed to put on 24 for the fourth wicket. There was some controversy though with the dismissal of Misbah ul-Haq. There was a half-hearted appeal for a caught behind off Kallis, with keeper AB de Villiers not even appealing initially at all. South Africa reviewed it, and a miniscule edge appeared on Hot Spot, before disappearing almost instantly. Amazingly the decision was overturned, which infuriated Misbah, as well as the Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore. Pakistan had the wrong end of the stick in relation to the DRS, with there appearing to be some inconsistent decisions made by third umpire Steve Davis.

Nonetheless, despite this controversy, Graeme Smith decided not to enforce the follow on, and by Stumps on Day 2, South Africa are 207/3. De Villiers is not out on 63*, while Amla is also not out on 50*. Smith made 52 before edging to the keeper off Umar Gul.

Pakistan's total also produced some records which they probably don't want to learn of:
- Their score of 49 was their lowest in tests (after 53 in 2002 against Australia, where they also scored 59 in the same match)
- Since the beginning of 2009, Pakistan have been bowled out for under 100 six times.
- The completed number of overs (29.1) is their fifth shortest


Scorecards here:
Australia VS West Indies
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-west-indies-2013/engine/current/match/573022.html

South Africa VS Pakistan
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567363.html

Full list of statistics and records from these matches
AUS VS WI
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/603007.html

SA VS PAK
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/603147.html

*Stats and scorecards courtesy of Cricinfo

South Africa VS Pakistan Test Series Preview

On the back of a dominating performance against New Zealand, South Africa now host Pakistan for a 3 match series, who should pose a much greater challenge. The first test is also the occasion for Graeme Smith's record 100 test matches as captain. The first day of the test has been named "Biff Day" reflecting Smith's nickname. Graeme Smith is the first South African captain to lead the side in 100 tests. Outstanding achievement!

South Africa have had a pretty good start to the 2012/13 Test season with 3 wins, 2 draws and no losses. Their win against Australian in early December secured their no.1 ranking. Pakistan meanwhile have not played a test match since July 2012, where they lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka away. However before that they did cleansweep the then top ranked English side 3-0, albeit in familiar conditions in the UAE. South African conditions will prove much tougher for the Pakistanis. In their last series in South Africa (amazingly six years ago) they lost 2-1. In the more recent head to head battle though, they drew with South Africa 0-0 in November 2010 in the UAE.

South Africa will no doubt start favourites for this series, but there is quite high hopes for Pakistan to put up a good performance. They are now ranked at no.4 (above India), so would even expect themselves to play well.

Squads:

South Africa (1st Test): Smith (c), Amla, de Villiers, du Plessis, Elgar, Tahir, Kallis, Kleinveldt, Morkel, A.Petersen, R.Petersen, Philander, Rudolph, Steyn

Pakistan: Misbah ul-Haq (c), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Eshan Adil, Faisal Iqbal, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Gul, Younis Khan


Fixtures
1st Test: 1st February - 5th February @ New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
2nd Test: 14th February - 18th February @ Newlands, Cape Town
3rd Test: 22nd February - 26th February @ SuperSport Park, Centurion


Ultimately for fans of live world cricket, let's hope for an awesome high-quality test series!

World Cricket Live Update

South Africa managed to win the last ODI against New Zealand in an absolute thriller. South Africa needed 3 runs off the final ball to win and Ryan McLaren hit a six with an incredible sweep/ramp shot. It really was an unbelievable end to a great game, after New Zealand had made 260 batting first. Graeme Smith made 116 in South Africa's reply, but it really was McLaren's heroics which stole the show. Ultimately though New Zealand did still win the series 2-1 in what was a thoroughly disappointing series for South Africa, after they dominated the same opposition in the Test series.

Meanwhile England restored some credibility with a dead rubber win in the 5th and final ODI against India. The home side were bowled out for 226, which would have been much worse if not for Suresh Raina's 83. England though chased down the total with seven wickets to spare with 16 balls to spare. Ian Bell was not out on 113*.

Sri Lanka beat Australia in the 1st T20I match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Despite David Warner posting his highest T20I score of 90, Sri Lanka were never in much discomfort chasing down a below par score of 137 with 5 wickets and 7 deliveries to spare. The second match is tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

SA VS NZ 3rd ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/match/567360.html

Ind VS Eng 5th ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565816.html

AUS VS Sri 1st T20I scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/match/573019.html

World Cricket Live Weekly Update

Apologies for the break in posts, its been quite a busy week!

The biggest result over the past few days has undoubtedly been New Zealand's series win over South Africa. After winning the first ODI, it was thought New Zealand would struggle to maintain that form, but it turned out they did. Batting first, the kiwis made 279/8 in their 50 overs with Kane Williamson making an unbelievable 145* (his highest ODI score). South Africa did start off well in reply with Smith making 66 and Ingram 79, but incredibly a record five run-outs in the innings derailed the chase. Smith, du Plessis, Behardien on debut, Miller and Kleinveldt were all run out. The South Africans went from an imperious 167/1 to 252 all out, a collapse of 85/9. It really was an amazing win for New Zealand. This incredible series win broke numerous records including:

-Their first series win in South Africa
- First ODI series win since November 2009 *(excluding Bang/Zim)

The last ODI is being played today. It was expected that this match would be a dead rubber, but who would have thought that it would be heavy underdogs New Zealand to have the unassailable lead.

Meanwhile Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the 5th ODI in Hobart, thereby drawing the series 2-2. Hughes scored another ton - this time a remarkable 138 not out. Sri Lanka were in trouble at 108/5, although Angelo Matthews' 67 ensured some nervous moments for the hosts.

After this drawn series, Sri Lanka's tour finishes with a short two match T20I series beginning tomorrow at ANZ Stadium (Sydney), and then moving onto the MCG on Monday night.

Continuing on with the ODI cricket scene, India took an unbeatable lead in their ODI series against England by winning the 4th ODI by 5 wickets midweek. England batted first and made 257, with key figures Cook and Pietersen both making 76. India though made it three wins on the trot with Suresh Raina leading the chase with 89* at a strike rate of 112. This series win was huge for India after some poor form leading up to it against Pakistan. The last match is in two days time at Dharmasala.

With all this ODI cricket, I will post about the movement in the ODI rankings after the conclusion of the South Africa-New Zealand and India-England series'.

Breaking News: AB de Villiers banned for rest of series

I have just come across an article on the ICC website outlining that AB de Villiers, as captain, has been suspended for two ODI's due to slow over-rates. It was ruled by ICC referee David Boon that South Africa were 6 overs short in their bowling innings. Therefore as a serious over-rate offence, the captain receives two suspension points, which equates to a 1 Test or 2 ODI suspension. (whatever is relevant) The South African playing XI have also had 100% of their match fees suspended. The rules state that they will be fined 10% for the first two overs, and then 20% for every additional over late after that.

This is definitely one of the heftiest punishments for over-rate offences in recent history. It is not often that players have their whole fee suspended. Nonetheless I believe that these punishments are adequate. One of the main bugs of watching cricket is how long the match takes. Cricket needs to be flowing and continuous as much as possible to maintain interest with the crowd and television audiences. To be 6 overs short (after time allowances were taken into consideration) is deplorable, thereby making these suspensions necessary.

More details: http://www.icc-cricket.com/newsdetails.php?newsId=22596_1358669280

 

The Black caps upset South Africa

In a stunning upset overnight, New Zealand have defeated South Africa by 1 wicket in the 1st ODI. New Zealand bowled the home side out for 208 with debutant Mitchell McClenaghan taking 4/20 off 10 overs. Really great bowling by him! Amazingly part-timer Kane Williamson also took 4 wickets with his off spin. For South Africa du Plessis was the only major contributor with 57, while Ingram made 29, McLaren 33, Kleinveldt 26.

It didn't start well for New Zealand in the chase, with Guptill being run out for a diamond duck. Mind you it was a direct hit from none other than AB de Villiers, who decided to give up keeping in shorter formats before the game. Nicol was gone in the next over, while when Williamson went, the score was 21/3. At this stage most of the crowd, and probably even the South Africans were expecting a kiwi collapse. However Watling dug in for a well made 45, while McCullum (batting at 5) made 26. Apart from this though there were regular dismissals, which left New Zealand at 105/7. Everyone would have been expecting a quick end to the match, but someone forget to give this memo to the New Zealander tail-enders. Nathan McCullum made 24, while Kyle Mills made 26.

Even when the 9th wicket fell, 22 runs were still required. James Franklin though had no fear and took the kiwis to victory with 26 balls remaining. He remained unbeaten on 47*. No.11 McClenaghan survived 6 balls, completing a wonderful debut for him.

This game was an absolute thriller, and proves that low scoring matches can be just as exciting, if not more, than bat dominated games.

No-one gave New Zealand a chance in this game (including me). The fight they showed is what has come to define New Zealand cricket over the years, which just recently has been absent. With a 1-0 lead in the ODI series, hopefully this fight can continue, and New Zealand can put up a challenge in the next 2 matches, or even pull off a miraculous upset series win.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567358.html

World Cricket Live Update

England after being put into bat have been dismissed for 155 inside 43 overs. The first five batsmen all made starts with no-one going on to a decent score.
Cook - 17
Bell - 25
Pietersen - 17
Root - 39
Morgan - 10
The Indian bowlers were always on top though with each one of the six bowlers picking up a wicket. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers again with superb figures of 3/19 off 6.2 overs. This should be quite a regulation chase for the home side, with the dew not helping England either.

Meanwhile in South Africa, New Zealand have put the home side on the back foot after winning the toss and bowling first. With a distinctly different side to that in the test series, New Zealand have started the better of the two teams, bowling well to have South Africa at 131/5 after 34 overs. Kyle Mills (1/13 off 5) and Mitchell McClenaghan (2/18 off 8), in his debut mind you, have bowled superbly. Ingram made 29 for South Africa, while not out batsman Faf du Plessis is on 39*.

AB hangs up gloves in limited overs formats

I came across this article which outlined that AB de Villiers has been relieved of his keeping duties in the limited over formats. I think this is really a great move, despite him keeping appearing more desirable in the shorter formats. The fact is de Villiers has a lot on his plate. He is the captain, top order batsman, as well as the keeper. Trying to manage all of this is an extremely difficult task. Adam Gilchrist, although was vice-captain was never seen as a legitimate long-term prospect for captain because of the incredible demands required. At this stage AB is going to continue to keep in tests, with his 169 seemingly buying him some more time to show that he can keep without it adversely affecting his batting.