BBL officials were forced to clarify the match result from Wednesday night’s clash after confusion clouded the Melbourne Stars 10-wicket win.

Alex Malcolm13-Dec-2012Big Bash League officials were forced to clarify the match result from Wednesday night’s second round clash at the WACA after confusion clouded the Melbourne Stars 24-run win* under the Duckworth/Lewis method over the Perth Scorchers.”The KFC T20 Big Bash League has received a lot of enquiries and there’s been much interest in how the outcome of last night’s match between the Scorchers and Stars was reached and we’d like to address any confusion,” BBL’s Mike McKenna said. “We have spent today briefing many stakeholders about the result and the rules surrounding rain-affected matches.”One of those stakeholders was Scorchers coach Justin Langer, who had earlier flagged a discussion with BBL officials. “The result was probably fair because we played so poorly. But at the end of the day the process was unusual,” Langer said. “We will be taking it up with Cricket Australia, the process side of it. It was a bit of a farce in the end.”WACA chief executive Christina Matthews wrote to Cricket Australia on behalf of the Scorchers side, as did Paul Marsh, CEO of the Australian Cricketers Association.The match finished in extraordinary circumstances. The Stars were 0 for 29 after just two overs in pursuit of the Scorchers’ record-low score of 69 when heavy rain halted play at 6.39 pm local time. As was explained by the umpires on the night, the BBL statement confirmed that another three overs of play were required to constitute a match. Play needed to resume at 7.51pm local time for those three overs to be bowled in time.The rain stopped, as if by royal decree from Stars captain, spin king, Shane Warne. The umpires completed a field inspection at 7.35pm, deemed it fit for play, and rescheduled the match to start at 7.51pm. Both teams were notified. One Scorchers squad member suggested post-match that there was “no way the field was fit for play.”Under the Duckworth/Lewis method the target for the Stars was recalculated. The calculation, which itself has been disputed, ensured that the Stars required just six runs from five overs. Even though the Stars had already reached and exceeded the target, given the D/L target had changed when overs were lost play needed to resume to set the revised target.Play resumed at 7.52pm after a minor delay. Hilton Cartwright bowled one ball to Rob Quiney, who allowed it to pass through to the keeper, and the match was over as the Stars had reached their revised target after 2.1 overs.The BBL statement referred to clause 12.6.2 b (iii) of the playing conditions, “To constitute a match, a minimum of 5 overs have to be bowled to the team batting second subject to a result not being achieved earlier.” League officials were adamant the correct processes had been followed.Despite the official clarification reports emerged that coaches and players from elsewhere in the BBL were unhappy with the result given the importance of Warne, and the Stars, to the competition’s success. Later, that extra ball bowled after the rain was expunged and the victory margin changed from 10 wickets to 24 runs.*09.10GMT, December 14: This article has been updated to reflect the change in the victory margin.

A round-up of the warm-up matches of the Women’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2013India Women won their first warm-up fixture against New Zealand Women, beating them by eight wickets in Mumbai. Chasing a modest target of 202, India’s top order took the match away from New Zealand.Openers Poonam Raut (69) and Thirush Kamini (43) put on 119 within 27 overs but both were dismissed in quick succession. The captain Mithali Raj (36*) and Harmanpreet Kaur (46*) steered them to victory form there, with an 83-run partnership.Earlier, New Zealand lost their top three wickets for 44 after they were put in to bat. Sara McGlashan (56) and Frances Mackay (69) stabilised their innings but a lower-order collapse meant they were dismissed for 201 in 47.5 overs.Defending champions England Women beat South Africa Women by 51 runs in their opening warm-up fixture in Mumbai. England were put in to bat and opener Charlotte Edwards (78) led them till the 30th over. Lydia Greenway (35) and Heather Knight (42), along with some boundaries from the lower-order, ensured England a total of 270.South Africa Women were in the hunt, led by Trisha Chetty (57) and Mignon du Preez (64*) after they lost Shandre Fritz early. But their scoring rate was hovering around four runs per over and wickets towards the end meant they fell short of the target.Australia Women cruised to a 135-run victory over West Indies Women at the MIG Ground in Mumbai. Choosing to bat first, Australia’s openers gave them a flying start with Elyse Villani (50) and Rachael Haynes (61) putting on 165, followed by half-centuries from Jess Cameron (62) and Lisa Sthalekar (59). The middle order also chipped in to ensure they scored 333.West Indies’ batsmen got off to starts but they lost wickets regularly, until Deandra Dottin (52) stabilised the innings. The top four put up only 50 runs together, which made the chase tougher. Once Dottin was dismissed in the 26th over, Australia dismissed their remaining batsmen cheaply and completed a comprehensive victory.Sri Lanka Women suffered a four-wicket loss at the hands of Mumbai Combined XI in Mumbai.Put in to bat, Sri Lanka were rocked by early wickets as they were reduced to 27 for 4 and then 47 for 8 even though some of their batsmen got to bat twice. A flurry of boundaries towards the end by Prasadani Weerakkody (39) and Chamani Seneviratna (38) and opportunities to bat twice for the others took their team total to 189.Mumbai Combined were led by a half-century from Ashutosh Singh at the top and knocks of 49 and 34 from Abhishek Desai and Vinay Mishra respectively. Even though Sri Lanka dismissed six of Mumbai’s batsmen, the total of 189 was not enough to earn them a victory.

Adelaide Strikers secured a vital victory in their push for a semi-final place with a confident 38-run success against Hobart Hurricanes to move third in the table.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2013
ScorecardMichael Klinger took a blow during his matchwinning innings•Getty Images

Adelaide Strikers secured a vital victory in their push for a Big Bash League semi-final place with a confident 38-run success against Hobart Hurricanes to move third in the table. Michael Klinger, the Strikers captain, anchored the visitors with an unbeaten 71 before emerging legspinner Cameron Boyce produced a telling spell of 3 for 17.On a warm evening, with the red haze of the devastating bush fires visible in the sky, the home side started well with a wicket in the first over followed by the removal of a promoted Kieron Pollard in the third to leave the Strikers 2 for 20. However, the innings was sensibly rebuilt by Klinger and Callum Ferguson (32) before late acceleration came from Nathan Reardon and Johan Botha.Aiden Blizzard fell in Shaun Tait’s first over of the chase, but Tim Paine and Ricky Ponting had laid a foundation until Boyce had a decisive impact on the match. In his first over, he enticed Ponting into a drive which flew to point, then in his second claimed Paine and Travis Birt in the space of three deliveries. Birt, who was deceived by a googly as he tried to go over the top, was stunningly caught one-handed by Kane Richardson running around the boundary.At 4 for 63 in the 11th over the game was all but done despite a deep Hurricanes batting order which had George Bailey at No. 6 and Scott Styris at No. 7. Richardson returned after an expensive first over to impress at the death. The Hurricanes are now just outside the semi-final places in fifth with one game to play, but four teams are currently tied on eight points in a tight league.

Warwickshire have announced an operating loss of £668,000 for 2012, as the legacy of a rain-lashed 2012 season

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2013Warwickshire have announced an operating loss of £668,000 for 2012, as the legacy of a rain-lashed season and the development of Edgbaston took the edge off their County Championship success. The figure represents a big turnaround on the £327,000 profit from 2011, although the increased overheads associated with the ground had been expected and the club said it was “satisfied” with the results.Despite Warwickshire’s title victory and a run to the CB40 final at Lord’s, the wet weather struck at particularly inopportune times. Three days of the Edgbaston Test between England and West Indies were washed out, as was the Australia ODI in July and Warwickshire’s lucrative Friends Life t20 fixture against Worcestershire. A further £1.4m hit to the accounts came from a full year of depreciation being included after the redevelopment of Edgbaston.There was a small drop in turnover, from £11.7m to £11.5m, reflecting England’s less attractive Test opponents but earnings before tax and other costs were taken into account fell to £755,000, from £1m in 2011. Unlike the depreciation and loan interest from the Edgbaston upgrade, the poor weather had not been budgeted for, although the club were able to insure against some losses.”It is always very difficult to compare our year on year financial results given the popularity of the Major Match fixture list from one year to the next,” Craig Flindall, Warwickshire’s financial director, said.”The relative attractiveness of staging the Test match against India in 2011, compared with the West Indies in 2012, meant that a reduction in revenue and profits was always expected and budgeted for. The exceptionally bad weather did nothing to improve this situation, however, the club mitigated the impact of the weather by reducing costs where possible and taking out insurance to cover the catering revenue for the ODI and international T20 matches.”Income from conferencing and events increased for the second consecutive year, reflecting the additional revenue potential for Edgbaston outside of cricket. Despite missing out on an Ashes Test, in 2013 the ground will host the Champions Trophy final and a number of group games, as well as an ODI against Australia and FLt20 finals day.The winter has seen changes at Warwickshire, with Dougie Brown replacing Ashley Giles as director of cricket, but further success on the field should help ease any financial concerns.Colin Povey, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said: “2012 was a year that presented us with significant operational challenges but this result shows a growing resilience in our operations. We have made considerable progress in recent times but we need to continue that trend in the years ahead. We already have a clear strategy and solid operational plans in place for 2013 and beyond.”Warwickshire’s loss eclipses the £254,000 deficit announced by Leicestershire last week. The 2012 summer was the wettest in 100 years and made life challenging for several counties, although many are used to tightening their belts and so far Somerset, Worcestershire and Northants have all recorded profits.

Graeme Swann has admitted he fears that the state of his right elbow could threaten his involvement in this year’s back-to-back Ashes series

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2013Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has admitted he fears that the state of his right elbow could threaten his involvement in the back-to-back Ashes series taking place later this year.Swann underwent surgery to remove fragments of bone from around his right elbow in 2009. The surgeon was unable to remove all the fragments, however, as some were deemed to be too close to the nerve. Despite several weeks of rest ahead of the New Zealand tour, the injury flared up during England’s warm-up game in Queenstown leaving Swann worried about how he will manage throughout a busy year that contains home and away series against Australia and the Champions Trophy.”We are embarking on arguably England’s greatest year of Test cricket ever and I can’t wait for the back-to-back Ashes series,” Swann wrote in his column. “But I have one big worry – the state of my right elbow. It caused me discomfort again during our only warm-up match before the first Test and I had to leave the field.”I’ll be honest, the elbow is always a concern. It’s been hanging over me for several years and, despite having an operation in 2009, the problem hasn’t entirely gone away.”It would be a massive pain in the backside if my wonky elbow forced me to miss any of the Tests against Australia. I’m absolutely determined to be available for what might be my final two Ashes series – and that means managing the elbow as well as possible.”I was rested from the one-day series in India and that meant I had around seven weeks at home, which was brilliant. It gave the elbow a nice break. But it stiffened up during our three-wicket defeat to a New Zealand XI in Queenstown and I went off for some treatment. Had it been a Test match, I would have carried on bowling and suffered the consequences the next day. Clearly, needing treatment in my first match after a long break was not great. But I was able to come back on to the field and bowl again.”England’s bowling attack has required an increased level of management in recent times, with Stuart Broad’s heel problem another long-term concern. Swann’s admission may increase the likelihood of rotation being extended to the spinners, although in Monty Panesar there is an experienced and talented Test option at England’s disposal.”When I had my op, the surgeon removed 29 fragments of bone but had to leave a couple around the elbow because of their proximity to the nerve. It means the joint tends to stiffen up and it certainly hurts whenever I bang it,” Swann wrote.”I really don’t want to have another operation. For two weeks after my op, I was in bed with a machine keeping my arm in continual motion for 23 hours a day. It was a testing time – and poor old Tim Bresnan has been going through the same thing after his operation in America. This year of all years, I don’t want the elbow to cause any problems. I want to be fit for as much Test cricket as possible and, fingers crossed, I will be.”

James Anderson has tried to calm concerns that his ankle could become a significant concern during the English season

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2013James Anderson has tried to calm concerns that his ankle could become a significant concern during the English season, and has put his current problems down to troublesome footholds in New Zealand.Anderson’s body has been creaking a bit during the series, and he was seen strapping his left ankle during the second day at Eden Park, but he said it was nothing more than a precaution. Anderson can expect a heavy workload during the home season with England playing the returns series against New Zealand before the Champions Trophy, and then the first of back-to-back Ashes series.”It’s not serious. I didn’t start the game wearing the brace and I bowled 20 overs without it,” he told the .” I just felt I felt I needed a little support as the game wore on. I’ve had an issue with my ankle since I was 20 and the good thing is that it dies down as quickly as it arises.”However, he has been less than impressed with the area around the bowler crease through the recent Test matches. “It does flare up when the footholds aren’t great, and the ones we’ve bowled on in the last couple of Tests haven’t been great.”They don’t seem to fill them in over here which is something I can’t quite get my head around. Whereas in England they fill them in with a substance that sets overnight so they are solid the next day, here they just leave them.”Today they did try to work on them by hammering them down with a sledge hammer but I’m not sure how much good that did.Anderson took two wickets in New Zealand’s first innings to move level with Derek Underwood on 297 scalps, although was not quite at his best and struggled to make the ball swing.

In the last round of games in the World Cricket League Division 3, three teams will fight it out for the one remaining spot that is up for grabs for the 2014 World Cup Qualifier

S Rajesh04-May-2013With the last round of games left in the World Cricket League Division 3, four teams have a theoretical chance of taking the two places which are up for grabs for the 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Uganda have won all four games and are already through with eight points, but USA (six points), Nepal and Bermuda (four each) will need to wait for the last round of matches. Here’s what the teams need to do to qualify:USA: With three wins and six points, USA have a pretty good chance of making it to the next stage. A win against Bermuda, their last-round opponent, will certainly see them through; even a defeat might not cost them since their net run rate is a healthy +0.690. Their biggest danger is if they lose fairly comprehensively to Bermuda, and if Nepal thrash Italy by a huge margin. For example, if Bermuda score 250 and beat USA by 100 runs, and if Nepal score 275 and win by 76 runs, then USA’s NRR (net run rate) will slip to 0.345, and Nepal’s will climb up to 0.348.Nepal: Nepal were the pre-tournament favourites, but they’ve lost two matches, to USA and Uganda, leaving them with fairly slim chances of qualification. As mentioned earlier, if USA win their last game, then Nepal have no chance of making the next stage. For Nepal to qualify, they’ll have to hope that USA lose to Bermuda, and they beat Italy by a comprehensive margin. If the sum of the margins of those wins is around 125 runs (the exact margins will depend on the actual scores), then Nepal could sneak ahead of USA on NRR.Bermuda: Bermuda have four points too, with wins over Oman and Italy, but their NRR of -0.959 is much worse than Nepal’s -0.014, which makes their chances of qualification extremely remote. Also, their last match is against USA, the team which is currently second on the table. They’ll have to beat USA by around 160 runs to increase their NRR above USA’s. Their best case scenario will probably be a consolation victory to end their campaign on a high. That’s a result which could then benefit Nepal, if they beat Italy by a big enough margin.

The Bangladesh spinners imposed themselves on Zimbabwe as they successfully defended a moderate total to register a 34-run win

The Report by Mohammad Isam12-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShakib Al Hasan scored a brisk 40 and then took four wickets to set up Bangladesh’s win•AFP

The Bangladesh spinners imposed themselves on Zimbabwe as they successfully defended a moderate total to register a 34-run win. Shakib Al Hasan was the hero with bat and ball, helping the visitors to draw the Twenty20 series.Shakib combined his all-round skills in the same game for the first time on tour, starting with a dominant 28-ball 40 that got Bangladesh ticking, after they lost opener Shamsur Rahman early. Like the first game, however, they collapsed after an 82-run second-wicket stand between Shakib and Tamim Iqbal. Bangladesh ended up on 168 for 7 in 20 overs with Prosper Utseya at his economical best for Zimbabwe. That initial thrust from Shakib and Tamim, however, was the crucial difference between the two teams.Shakib dismissed Sikandar Raza in the 17th over to effectively end the home side’s chances, as the big-hitting Raza struggled to find the boundaries. Shakib ended up with 4 for 22, his best T20 figures. One of his four victims was the Zimbabwe captain, Brendan Taylor, who fell in the fifth over after looking dangerous during his brief stay at the wicket.Sohag Gazi and Abdur Razzak also bowled crucial spells for Bangladesh, bringing back their lengths and using varying speeds whenever the batsmen charged them. Both bowled a maiden each and their overs were crucial to Bangladesh’s defence of 168. Gazi went wicketless while left-arm spinner Razzak picked up 2 for 18 from his four overs. Shafiul Islam ended with two wickets too, bowling accurately for the first time since the first ODI of the tour.Zimbabwe’s batting never really took off after Vusi Sibanda was out in the seventh over. Sibanda made 32 off 19 balls, and Raza’s 30-ball 32 was the next-most significant score for the hosts.The visitors ended up on the same total as Zimbabwe did in the first game, although this looked like a slower wicket. But the middle-order wasted a fine start. From 86 for 1 in the 9th over, Bangladesh were 126 for 5 at the start of the 15th over.When Shakib and Tamim were at the crease, Bangladesh were looking at a bigger score. They got together after Shamsur fell in the first over but wasted little time, smacking 14 boundaries in the first 10 overs. Shakib made 40 off 28 and Tamim 43 off 30 balls.Both batsmen fell trying to slog and the captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and his deputy, Mahmudullah, departed soon after. Mushfiqur, in what may be his last match as captain – the BCB plans to persuade him to stay on – was unlucky to be given leg-before to a ball heading down the leg side. Mahmudullah, however, gave a soft catch to cover, and the four-wicket collapse also meant that there were no boundaries for 26 deliveries between the 12th and 15th overs.Only a 36-run sixth-wicket stand between Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque helped them cross the 150-run mark. For Zimbabwe, Utseya took 2 for 15 in his four overs, the fourth time in his career that he finished with an economy rate of less than four runs an over. Brian Vitori, too, was economical but the other Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with their length.

Channel Nine forked out a colossal sum to retain television rights for Australia’s home international matches, while Channel Ten has promised fresh new faces to front its Big Bash League broadcasts

Brydon Coverdale04-Jun-2013Richie Benaud will not be disappearing from Channel Nine’s cricket coverage after the network forked out a colossal sum to retain television rights for Australia’s home international matches, but Channel Ten has promised fresh new faces to front its Big Bash League broadcasts. The two free-to-air stations will have a share of the cricket schedule this summer after a deal was finalised on Monday to provide a monstrously large boost to Cricket Australia’s broadcasting revenue for the next five years.James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the deals were worth a total of A$590 million over five years, an increase of 118% on the previous agreement, which he not surprisingly declared “an outstanding result” for Australian cricket. CA has also agreed to work with Channel Nine on a $60 million digital rights joint venture, for mobile and broadband coverage of international cricket, and the network’s CEO David Gyngell said that was an especially exciting aspect of the deal.However, while Gyngell said there was never any doubt that Nine would retain the rights it has held for more than 30 years, having to pay such a hefty price was “an ouch moment”. The network was forced into outlaying more than it intended due to Channel Ten’s bold bid to poach all of the cricket rights. Gyngell said that ultimately he was comfortable with the decision, which will also eliminate the traditional coverage “blackouts” in the host city.”As long as the management team we have got is at Channel Nine we won’t be losing cricket,” Gyngell said. “It is Australia’s national game. It is wallpaper over summer. It is a much bigger sport than the ratings always say it is because people are at holiday places, campsites, all sorts of things. The exciting thing for us is we’re partnering with Cricket Australia on the digital rights. Digital rights is going to be television everywhere. That’s where the world is going.”Cricket is in our DNA and we’re very proud of it. A lot of people would say we over-invest in it from a broadcasting point of view but it has defined our network … It is wallpaper. You walk in off the beach, off the farm, wherever you are in the summer and you go ‘what’s the score, who’s doing what?’ That is a very deep thing for us. We were never going to not do that.”Part of that “wallpaper” over summer has been the ongoing presence of Benaud, Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell and until his death late last year, Tony Greig, in the Channel Nine commentary box. Gyngell said the network and its commentary team would continue to evolve, but he did not envisage any major changes as a result of the new deal.”I can’t imagine cricket without Richie,” Gyngell said. “Richie will do cricket for as long as he wants to do cricket. We’ll never be telling Richie what he can and can’t do. I’m always honoured to be in his presence as a person and I’m always interested in hearing what he has to say. Bill is in the same space. We’ve got a dozen commentators and they’re all a range of ages and they’ve come through in different periods.”While Test, one-day and Twenty20 international cricket will not be changing stations, the BBL will for the first time be broadcast on free-to-air television instead of Fox Sports on pay TV. Hamish McLennan, the CEO of Channel Ten, said the network was thrilled to be entering the cricket market and to be showing every BBL match live, even though it had missed out on securing the international rights.”We always thought from the beginning that David and Channel Nine had the last right of refusal and they were most likely to exercise that,” McLennan said. “We put a very healthy bid on the table. We saw a great opportunity around the Big Bash and we’re really delighted that we’ve got a format we can do something with and that will grow.”We see that there are some opportunities to bring some fresh, new faces onto the Ten broadcast, but it’s too early to announce what we’re going to do. But we are looking at a range of candidates and we’ll be announcing that in the next months. I’d say the vast majority will be from a cricket background.”Ten will also broadcast the Women’s National Cricket League T20 final as part of a double-header with the BBL finals but it appears to have little interest in the Ryobi Cup or the Sheffield Shield. However, Sutherland said Cricket Australia was still exploring options regarding the Ryobi Cup, which has previously been broadcast on Fox Sports, and one possibility was squeezing the entire tournament into a short period at the start of the season.”We’re certainly considering various possibilities with Ryobi and that may or may not be directly related to broadcasting opportunities,” Sutherland said. “There’s also team performance aspects of it that are an important consideration. There’s no doubt we’ve done a little bit of work on considering a window in October for the Ryobi Cup to launch the season if you like and I think that has been reasonably well received. There’s always pros and cons with this sort of thing but we see it as a good opportunity to get into Shield cricket through the middle part of the summer.”

Derbyshire fast bowler Alasdair Evans took six wickets as Kenya collapsed to 101 all out before Ewan Chalmers’s second first-class half-century guided Scotland’s lead to 260

Callum Stewart in Aberdeen08-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDerbyshire fast bowler Alasdair Evans took six wickets as Kenya collapsed to 101 all out on day two. Ewan Chalmers led Scotland’s reply in the second innings with his second first-class half-century to push the lead to 260.Kenya started well with opener Duncan Allan playing a patient innings. But Evans and Majid Haq, bowling in tandem, were highly impressive, both restricting and hurting the Kenyan batting order. Hiren Varaiya and Irfan Karim fell to them before Allan’s long vigil, 32 off 87 balls, too came to an end, caught by Haq off his own bowling to leave Kenya at 65 for 4 just before lunch.Nehemiah Odhiambo was the only batsman to attack the Scottish bowling, making a quick 19 before being trapped lbw by Evans, who rounded up the tail claiming the final four wickets on the way to his 6 for 30.Scotland’s second innings got off to a horrid start as Freddie Coleman was adjudged lbw off the second ball to continue his miserable series. Opener Chalmers showed the most composure out of the top three, playing with great care early in his innings to ensure the Kenyan attack did not make any further inroads. Craig Wallace, when on 3, hit the only six of the day, a lofted drive over the head of James Ngoche. However he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Karim off left-arm spinner Varaiya while attempting the sweep.Chalmers put on 72 runs with Richie Berrington for the third wicket, both batsmen displaying their talent, especially with their shots through the covers. It was the second time in the match that Berrington was involved in a key partnership, but the Varaiya-Karim combine proved to be his end as well as he was dismissed for 31.Captain Preston Mommsen fell for one but Chalmers quietly ticked along to a deserved half-century, having offered very few chances and will look to complete his first first-class century when play resumes tomorrow.