There is no good redemption
Where was Bob Marley when we needed him? It was fightback time once again and Misbah-ul-Haq could have redeemed himself after the World Twenty20 loss by seeing his side through in Mohali. He had said he wouldn’t shy away from playing the scoop over fine leg, that had led to his downfall in Johannesburg, if the opportunity presented, and he was true to his word tonight. He played it again, with 39 required off 26. He didn’t need Sreesanth for support this time, though, as he played it on to his stumps. His innings was no less crucial than the one he played in the World Twenty20 final as he, along with Younis Khan, brought Pakistan close to victory before getting out.That elusive catch
It wasn’t only Sachin Tendulkar who nearly got there. Yuvraj Singh tried to pull what would have been two blinders in the field. First running from square leg, he almost reached a skier from Younis Khan, which landed at mid-on. In hindsight he could have let the man at long-on make an attempt running in, as opposed to himself running backwards.The next one would have been the real beauty. Shahid Afridi had hit Zaheer Khan for three continuous boundaries and brought the target down to 21 off 14. Next one was a leading edge that went between the sight-screen and mid-off. Yuvraj ran from wide long-off, full throttle, launched for a full-length dive, but could only get a finger to it. Both the batsmen went on to make India suffer: Younis had scored 72 off 78 balls; he eventually got out for 117 off 110.Deceptive Shoaib
There was a time when it looked Shoaib Akhtar couldn’t bowl one ball at the stumps. In the 39th over of the Indian innings, he would have frustrated his captain the most. With Pakistan already running behind the over-rate, he bowled back-to-back wides and all of a sudden his celebrated long run-up started to seem excruciatingly long. That’s when he cut down on it, but bowled – surprise – a wide again. Yet for all the extras he bowled, he had the best figures in the match: 10-1-42-3. And the maiden came in the 47th over of the innings. The might have started late, but it did arrive, and did help Pakistan restrict India.Free hit, same difference
Relevant statistic: The free-hit rule seems to have benefitted the over-rate as since its introduction, the no-ball-per-match rate has come down considerably. Irrelevant statistic: When Sachin Tendulkar tried to make room and failed to make proper contact off a free hit, the scorer at the PCA Stadium was quick to claim this was the third free-hit opportunity Tendulkar had got and had failed to score on any of them. The scorer chose to stay silent when in the 24th over, Tendulkar brought out his trademark paddle sweep to a free hit off Shoaib Malik, getting his first runs off a free hit: four of them.

With the four places in the World Cup Qualifier already allocated, there was only pride to play for on the final day of the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia.In the final, openers Arshad Ali and Mohammad Iqbal scored centuries to steer UAE to a comfortable 67-run victory over Oman, the only affiliate in the competition, at the Wanderers Cricket Ground. Former captain Ali scored 133 while Iqbal hammered 111 as UAE posted 347 for 8 after being put into bat. Oman fought gallantly but lost wickets at crucial stages before being bowled out for 280 with more than six overs to spare.Ali and Iqbal laid the foundation for a mammoth total when they put on 200 for the first wicket in 29 overs. Ali, later adjudged Man of the Match, perished in the last over of the innings after scoring 133 off 145 balls, included 10 fours and two sixes. It was Ali’s second century of the week as he finished the tournament with 443 run from five matches. Only Namibia’s Gerrie Snyman, with 588 runs from one more match, as well as ten wickets, scored more.Oman made a valiant effort to protect their unbeaten record in the competition but UAE backed up their impressive batting display with some sharp fielding and accurate bowling. Left-arm spinner Khurram Khan bowled with a lot of variation to grab 3 for 42 while pace duo of Amjad Javed and Javed Ismail shared four wickets between them to keep Oman’s progress in check.In the third/fourth-place play-off at the United Cricket Ground, Namibia ended on a high with a four-wicket win over Denmark. Snyman was once again the star of Namibia’s victory as he scored yet another blistering innings. His 71 came off 68 balls and included eight boundaries and two sixes. However, Dawid Botha won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 58 as Namibia overtook the target of 221 with more than eight overs and four wickets to spare.In the fifth-six play-off between two sides already relegated, Uganda thrashed Argentina by 181 runs at the Centre for Cricket Development. Uganda’s opener Joel Olweny hit a superb century and put on 176 runs for the third wicket with Nand Patel to help Uganda to 335 for 7. Olweny struck 17 boundaries in his 130-ball innings while Patel scored an 82-ball 79 with nine fours and a six. Kenneth Kamyuka hit hard in the closing overs, clobbering six sixes and two fours in his 20-ball 57. The target proved to be too stiff for the Argentinians who were bowled out for 154 despite Donald Forrester hitting 71 from 80 balls with five boundaries. Frank Nsubuga was the pick of Uganda bowlers with 4 for 39 while Kamyuka bagged 3 for 44.By virtue of a top-four finish, UAE, Oman, Namibia and Denmark qualified for the World Cup Qualifier (formerly ICC Trophy) while Uganda and Argentina were relegated to Division Three. However, they will have a second chance to book a place in the Qualifier when the WCL Division 3 is staged in January 2009.

Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC’s chief match referee, has requested Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting to get together for a “cool-off” session in Perth on Monday. Madugalle has been appointed by the ICC to act as a mediator between the two sides.The relationship between Australia and India plummeted after Harbhajan Singh was found guilty of making a racist comment to Andrew Symonds on the third day of the Sydney Test and was slapped with a three-Test ban by Mike Procter, the match referee. Brad Hogg, the Australian spinner, was also charged with making an offensive remark to Kumble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the second Test and will have his hearing on Monday.While Kumble stressed the need for both captains to sit down and settle the differences, Ponting did not feel the same way. However, he too has softened his approach and declared that he would ask his team-mates to assemble in Perth and review a “few things they had done during the Sydney Test”. Ponting had also mentioned that he was not happy with his own conduct when he stayed put at the crease in the first innings after being given out.Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, has offered his services to defuse the situation and act as a peacemaker between India and Australia. A highly respected figure in India due to his cricketing feats as well as charity work, Waugh, however, feels there is no need for such a move right now.”If they needed that, I would do it,” Waugh told the . “I really don’t think it is at that stage, but if it was seen as something that had to be done, yeah, I would do it. I have already spoken to some players from both sides, and I really don’t think there is a need [to mediate].”Anything in sport can be sorted out. It might be nothing more than a few players putting their personal opinions aside and being committed to going forward.”

Barring freak results in the last round of the SuperSport Series matches nextweek, the Diamond Eagles won the four-day title over the weekend when they beat the KZN Dolphins by 83 runs in Bloemfontein.With 111.80 points, the Eagles are well clear of the second-placed Eastern CapeWarriors (89.88) and the Western Cape Cobras (84.98). The Dolphins, who had beenoccupying second place for a number of weeks, slipped to fourth with 79.04points.Electing to bat first, the Eagles, riding on an 81 by Ryan Bailey and 64 by Adrian McLaren, piled up 310 before making use of helpful bowling conditions to restrict the Dolphins for 158. With Ryan McLaren taking 3 for 19, the Eagles looked all set for another decent performance with the bat. However, Johann Louw, the Middlessex seamer, wrecked the Eagles’s top-order by taking 6 for 43 to dismiss them for only 88.With 241 to get and plenty of time on their hands, the Dolphins lost their first two wickets with only 14 on the board before McLaren played wrecker-in-chief again with a six-for to dismiss the visiting side for 158 second time round as well and help his side take 18.2 points from the match.The two Cape teams, the Warriors and the Cobras, will be battling it out for secondplace next week after posting impressive wins.Vernon Philander will be pushing for a return to the South African team after takingnine wickets in the Cobras’ six-wicket victory over the Easterns Titans in Paarl. The Titans, who will not be able to defend their title, were left ruing a horrible performance with the bat after allowing Philander (5 for 13) to skittle them out for only 148 after having only conceded a 50-run lead. Justin Kemp was the sturdy oak of the Cobras first-innings of 348 with his 63, while opener Andrew Puttick made 66.The Highveld Lions can also blame a second-innings batting collapse for theirdefeat by nine wickets at the hands of the Warriors in East London. Stephen Cook scored an impressive 152 and Jimmy Kgamadi chipped in with a useful 60 on debut to take their side to 36 despite a five-wicket haul by Juan Theron.The Warriors batted solidly in reply, declaring at 392 for nine. Zander de Bruyn, the Warriors’ captain, batted for over six and a half hours to score his 90, shared useful partnerships along the way to set his team up with a 50-run lead. The Lions then collapsed to 143 allout in their second thanks to the inspired pace and spin combination of Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Robin Peterson. The duo shared eight wickets between them and left their side needing only 113 for a win. De Bruyn scored a fluent unbeaten half-century and together with Michael Smith, who scored49*, took their side past the target with an unbroken 102-run second wicket partnership.Player of the Week
There may still be doubts over all-rounder Vernon Philander at international level,but the 22-year-old has been in cracking form with the ball of late.He decimated the Easterns Titans batting with his astonishing figures of five for 13 off 15 overs, which followed his seven for 64 that set up an amazing win for the Cobras over the Highveld Lions last week. Of strong built, the former South Africa Under-19 star is not particularly fast but he hits the bat hard and can have devastating effect on bowlers with his powerful hitting in the lower middle-order. He did seem to freeze on occasions in the ICC World Twenty20, but his talent is undeniable and could flourish now that he has some confidence.

On a day in which the weather played a major role, both rival captains credited the momentum handed to Sri Lanka’s run chase by their openers as key to a first win in the CB Series.Mahela Jayawardene felt the biggest positive was the way his batsmen played and showed character in contrast to their insipid display last week in Sydney against Australia, something the side was still trying to forget. “We couldn’t get the start in Sydney,” he said after Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket win in Canberra. “It’s good we got a good start and we are getting back into the rhythm.”The reason behind Jayawardene’s confidence lay in his team’s well-planned approach. “We calculated as well, kept wickets and Sanath [Jayasuriya] gave us a good beginning”, he said. In a brief but brutal attack Jayasuriya took Sreesanth to the cleaners, clouting 34 runs in the fast bowler’s first two overs. India may have had reason to feel robbed by Messrs Duckworth & Lewis, whose ruling set Sri Lanka a revised target of 154 from 21 overs.Jayawardene had plenty of praise for Tillakaratne Dilshan who, in some doubt going into this game as he was coming off a bout of infection, scored an unbeaten 62 from 59 balls to seal victory. Dilshan had never opened the innings at this level but Jayawardene said the decision had a lot to do with his experience as an opener in Sri Lankan domestic cricket. “When we realised it was a shortened game and the track was good we wanted an extra bowler and Dilshan has batted in domestic cricket and they way he carried his innings made it a good choice.”As for the role the weather played, Jayawardene didn’t look much into it. “You can’t control what happened. If we would’ve got a full game things would have been different”, he said, pointing out that Sri Lanka might even have got the original target of 195 set in 29 overs.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s captain, gave full credit to Sri Lanka’s batsmen for taking the game away from India but did blame the changed circumstances for his team’s misfortunes. “The approach changes a lot when all of a sudden it became an almost 20-over game. So a total of 154 became nothing special then,” Dhoni said.Dhoni agreed that the first part of Sri Lanka’s innings was the turning point and for which his side could hardly find any answers. “The kind of start they got it was really amazing. We couldn’t’ do anything.” Dhoni said, refraining from blaming his fast bowlers. “Sreesanth was bowling in the right areas. Sanath and Dilshan batted really well. Yes, he [Sreesanth] was bit down the way Sanath had hit him.”Adding to India’s woes was the abysmal extras count, which read 19 including 10 wides and three no-balls. Without putting his finger on where his bowlers failed Dhoni admitted it could be a concern if not checked in time. “Every extra run hurts. It’s always better not to give any extras,” he said. “That’s a concern but it doesn’t usually happen. It might have been an off day for them, perhaps.”After an abandoned game and a loss, Sri Lanka’s victory puts them back in the fray with seven points, one behind Australia and two behind India. But both captains agreed that the with amount of matches each team plays in the CB Series everyone has a chance to recover from a setback.

Australia are set to host Bangladesh for a two-Test series in mid-2010, Cricket Australia have confirmed.The decision was taken when representatives from Cricket Australia and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) met during ICC meetings in Kuala Lumpur. It was agreed to hold the two-Test series in July-August 2010 in northern Australia. Bangladesh’s first and only tour of Australia so far was in in July 2003, when they played Tests in Darwin and Cairns in northern Australia.The series was originally scheduled to be played in August this year but was postponed due a clash with the Beijing Olympic Games. “Through the cooperation of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, we have been able to reschedule the Test series between Australia and Bangladesh for the middle of 2010 when both teams have no other obligations under the Future Tours Program,” Michael Brown, CA’s general manager of cricket, said.”The decision to delay this year’s scheduled Tests due to the Beijing Olympics was taken to ensure that the series received its due recognition from the media and cricketing public. We believe the opportunity to play the Test series in mid-2010 will attract higher television audiences and a high level of interest in Australia and Bangladesh.”Cricket Australia also accepted BCB’s proposal for four warm-up one-dayers and a three-day fixture when Bangladesh tour later this year, besides three additional tour games during the trip in 2010.The two teams have played four Tests so far. Australia toured Bangladesh in mid 2006, a series that saw them clinch a thrilling Test in Fatullah. The second Test in Chittagong, which Australia won, is most remembered for Jason Gillespie’s unbeaten 201 in what turned out to be his last Test.

Sri Lanka have agreed to tour Pakistan in April for a series of five one-dayers to fill the gaps in Pakistan’s home series itinerary following Australia’s pull-out over security fears. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will finalise the fixtures shortly.”We are thankful to the Sri Lankan board, who have agreed to tour for a series of five one-day internationals on our invitation,” Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, told reporters in Lahore.The tour is likely to take place after Sri Lanka conclude their ongoing tour of the West Indies, which ends on April 15. However, five-match series will clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) which has several Sri Lanka players participating. Bangladesh had earlier agreed to tour Pakistan for five one-dayers and a Twenty20 from April 7 to 22.Arjuna Ranatunga, the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, arrived in Lahore today for discussions with Ashraf on the proposed tour and said he was more than willing to send his team to Pakistan.”India and Pakistan have always supported us in our needs like big brothers,” Ranatunga said, “so I am ready to send my team whenever Pakistan want.”

The Nashua Dolphins allrounder, Jon Kent, has been found guilty of dissent and suspended for one match following a disciplinary hearing in Johannesburg.Kent pleaded guilty to Cricket South Africa’s disciplinary commissioner, Adv. Michael Kuper SC, after being reported by the umpires, Shaun George, Dennis Smith and Karl Hurter, and the match referee, Cyril Mitchley, following an incident during the Dolphins’ fixture against Zimbabwe Chevrons at Kingsmead last Wednesday.Kent admitted to have breached clause 1.2 of Cricket South Africa’s Rules and Code of Conduct which states that “Players and team officials must at all times accept an umpire’s decision and must not show dissent at an umpire’s decision.”Kent is suspended from the Dolphins’ next Pro20 match, against Nashua Titans at Kingsmead on April 9. In handing down the sentence, the disciplinary commissioner took into account a previous conviction for a similar offence.

The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) governing council has reacted to the series of recent controversies that has dented their inaugural season by sending a letter to all the team owners, asking them to rein in their players, particularly the captains.The letter was sent last week by Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, and asks the owners, including Bollywood actors and top Indian industrialists, to ensure that their skippers use official channels to lodge their protests during the 44-day tournament, rather than go public about them. Modi’s letter also reminds them to ensure that the IPL code of conduct, which is an adaptation of the ICC’s norms, is strictly adhered to, said sources.Fraser Castellino, the CEO of the Jaipur franchise that owns the Rajasthan Royals, confirmed to Cricinfo that they have received the IPL’s letter. “We understand the IPL’s concerns and I have already had a chat with Shane Warne, our captain and coach, about the letter,” Castellino said.The IPL’s umpires have been separately warned, too, after it emerged that Amiesh Saheba, the on-field official for the tournament’s most controversial game so far, in Mohali on April 25, gave both teams 10/10 in his confidential report to the match referee, the sources said. Saheba later told a Mumbai tabloid that he had repeatedly warned Sreesanth during the heated game after which the Kings XI Punjab fast bowler was slapped by Harbhajan Singh, the rival Mumbai Indians’ skipper.Harbhajan was banned from the rest of this IPL edition, but it was yet another incident seven days later, involving Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly, rival skippers for a match in Jaipur, which finally prompted the governing council to sound out the team owners officially, said sources.After that encounter between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders, Warne created a stir during the post-match press conference when he accused Ganguly of flouting the spirit of the game by forcing an on-field umpire to refer a disputed catch to the third umpire. Minutes later, Warne also criticised Ganguly of turning up late for the start.Later, GA Pratap Kumar, the on-field umpire for that Jaipur match, was suspended for succumbing to pressure from Ganguly. Two days later, Ishant Sharma, Kolkata’s fast bowler, was fined for kicking down the stumps in a fit of anger during another match against Kings XI Punjab.However, IS Bindra, a member of the IPL council, has dismissed the series of controversial incidents as “aberrations”. He said that they merely reflected the “passion and intensity” with which players have approached the tournament.”Such incidents show the passion and intensity with which players play in the tournament,” Bindra told Cricinfo. “Players have developed intense loyalties to their teams and we are surprised. We thought this would take two years, but it has happened in just two weeks. Of course, we can’t let players cross the line of acceptable behaviour. But we also have to understand the passion to win that leads to such incidents.”

The form book was well and truly thrown out of the window in the fourth round of the ICC World Cricket League Division Five as Singapore blew Group B wide open with a 69-run win over Afghanistan. With Jersey, USA and Nepal booking their semi-final places, it left Afghanistan and Singapore battling for the remaining spot.Afghanistan had been expected to maintain their unbeaten record against Singapore and, in a 30-over match, they appeared to be on course when they bowled Singapore out for 145. But in reply Afghanistan were skittled for 76, Chris Janik producing outstanding figures of 5 for 9 off just 3.2 overs.”It feels great, although it is all about the team. Afghanistan don’t lose every single game so it is a great win for us, especially since the game yesterday was rained off” Janik said adding “for a small country like Singapore with four million people it would be absolutely fantastic for us [to reach WCL Division Four]”.Taj Malik, coach of the Afghanistan team was extremely disappointed with the performance and believed the damp Jersey conditions were unfavourable to his side. “The weather has caused a lot of problems for us. We are never sure when we will start and whether the matches are reduced in overs,” said Malik. “The weather is the enemy of the Afghanistan cricket team.”But he still believes that his side is capable of qualifying for the semi-finals, although they will face a massive test against Jersey tomorrow knowing that even a win will not guarantee them a place in the top four. “I have told the guys they are still in the tournament and if we want to get a place in the semi-final then tomorrow is do or die.”The equation is further complicated by the washout of Singapore’s game against Japan on Sunday which might be replayed on Thursday, the official rest day.In other matches today, USA skipper Steve Massiah helped his side into the semi-finals of the competition with a solid all-round performance. Massiah was in excellent form with both bat and ball in a comprehensive six-wicket win over Germany to ensure that his side remains unbeaten at this event. Bowling first USA dismissed Germany for 104, with Massiah taking 2 for 11, before they reached their target with 4.5 overs to spare in a 33-over per side game.Nepal joined the USA in ensuring a top two place in Group A with a comfortable 137-run win over Vanuatu, although once again it may have been slightly disappointed with its batting performance. Mahesh Chhetri made 65 and Mahaboob Alam scored 34 as Nepal struggled to reach 220 for 9 in 46 overs in another game which had been reduced due to a delayed start. But once again Nepal’s bowling helped them recover and they never looked in any trouble as they bowled out Vanuatu for 83, with Paras Khadka the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 26. Nepal play the USA tomorrow to decide who finishes top of Group A.In Group B, Ryan Driver and Peter Gough were the heroes for Jersey as they coasted to a seven-wicket win over Botswana. “Four out of four … I couldn’t ask for anything more. We’ve got Afghanistan next so I hope we keep our winning run going and make it five from five,” said skipper Matt Hague. Another disciplined bowling performance, which saw Ryan Driver (3 for 10), Tony Carlyon (2 for 12) and Andy Dewhurst (2 for 19) share the wickets, dismissed Botswana for 66. And although Jersey didn’t look entirely comfortable, Peter Gough’s outstanding run with the bat continued as he made an unbeaten 39 not out.Hague admitted that he was looking forward to the challenge of taking on Afghanistan but believed his side had nothing to be afraid of. “We haven’t looked at them that much but looking at their scores they seem to quite go quite hard, but we fear nobody at the moment,” he said.There was a thrilling tie between Japan and Bahamas in another game which was reduced overs due to bad weather, with Japan narrowly failing to reach their target of 116 with a run out off the final ball of the match as they desperately tried to gain the second run that would have sealed the win.Mozambique registered an outstanding win over Norway by three wickets to gain their first victory of the tournament.