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Tim Paine, Ben Hilfenhaus and Ricky Ponting will ensure more than adequate representation for the state, which accounts for only 2% of the nation’s population

Brydon Coverdale11-Jul-2010Australia’s Test against Pakistan at Lord’s this week will be a historic occasion for a number of reasons, not least as the first neutral Test in England since 1912. But when the teams take the field on Tuesday, it will also be a special moment for Australia’s smallest state; for the first time three Tasmanians will be playing together in the Test team.Tim Paine, Ben Hilfenhaus and Ricky Ponting will ensure more than adequate representation for the state, which accounts for only 2% of the nation’s population. It has been a long road to this point, for over the first hundred years of Test cricket, Tasmania produced only three Test representatives: Ken Burn, Charles Eady and Laurie Nash, although others like Sam Morris and Max Walker had been born there before moving to the mainland.Now the state has that many in one team. It’s not surprising that it took so long, for until the late 1970s, Tasmania wasn’t included in the Sheffield Shield. They won the competition for the first time in 2006-07 and have lifted the state one-day trophy three times in the past six years, so it was only a matter of time before their numbers in the Test outfit grew.

Tasmania’s Test cricketers

• Ken Burn

• Charles Eady

• Laurie Nash

• Roger Woolley

• David Boon

• Greg Campbell

• Ricky Ponting

• Shaun Young

• Colin Miller

• Jason Krejza

• Ben Hilfenhaus

(Players who were representing Tasmania at the time of Test selection)

“I think it is a great thing for Tassie cricket,” Paine, who will make his debut on Tuesday, said. “The last few years we have started to win some titles down there and I suppose with more team success there has been more individual success so we are starting to build a good group down there. There were three or four guys playing for Australia A last week so it is good that the Tassie boys are starting to be recognised.”In the 1980s, men like Roger Woolley and Greg Campbell broke into the Test team, but David Boon was the man who really put Tasmania on the world cricket map. At the tail end of his career, he handed over to the Launceston boy, Ponting, and they played three Tests together in 1995-96 before Boon’s international career ended.At that stage, Hilfenhaus was 12 and Paine was 11. They’d grown up with Boon as their state hero and watched as Ponting went on to become one of the game’s undisputed modern champions.”Seeing them do really well, it was a goal to look towards,” Hilfenhaus said. “[Ponting] definitely gives you a bit of belief, doesn’t he? He is one of the greatest players of all time so obviously him being a Tasmanian has been a good thing as well.”For Hilfenhaus, the Lord’s Test will not only be a Tasmanian milestone but a personal achievement as well, the culmination of a long period of recovery from knee tendonitis that has kept him out of action since November. He bowled 13 overs in the tour match in Derby, where he collected 1 for 32, and after the match he said he was learning to push through the pain barrier.”I wouldn’t say there’s no soreness,” Hilfenhaus said. “There’s still a bit of a niggle there, and from the reports from the experts it’s probably going to hang around for another six to twelve months. But it’s at the stage now where it’s very manageable and can cope with the workloads.”

Vusimuzi Sibanda was named captain of Zimbabwe XI’s squad for the Intercontinental Cup matches against Netherlands and Canada in July

Cricinfo staff28-Jun-2010Vusi Sibanda has been named captain of Zimbabwe XI’s squad for the Intercontinental Cup games against Netherlands and Canada in July.The 15-man squad will be coached by Stephen Mangongo with former Test star, Heath Streak, acting as bowling coach in a tour that represents another important step for Zimbabwe as they look to build their reserves ahead of a possible return to Test cricket next year.Sibanda made 209 against Kenya in Kwekwe, in Zimbabwe’s last outing at the Intercontinental Cup last October and he hopes to continue the good run. “It does not really matter who we play against in the next matches, we will not be intimidated by any team on field so long as we stick to the game plan and perform our role,” he said.”Cricket in Zimbabwe is drastically climbing the ladder and we will make use of experienced coaches and senior players in the squad. It will have to be a case of clinical efficiency in everything that we do and we are still in a comfortable position because we have not yet lost a match and have the most games in hand.”Zimbabwe XI are in fourth position with 23 points in the tournament after beating Kenya and sharing the spoils in a weather-interrupted game against Afghanistan and Sibanda thinks the tour will help his side progress.”We are really looking forward to the tour, it will be easy to gel as a team because we all play first-class cricket with or against each other at domestic level. All I expect from the guys is for them to play to their level best, we are making good progress and looking forward to winning all four games in the tour this tour.”Zimbabwe XI squad Vusi Sibanda, Forster Mutizwa, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, Charles Coventry,
Chamu Chibhabha, Regis Chakabva (wk), Samuel Mwakayeni, Tendai Chatara, Ed Rainsford, Keith Dabengwa, Shingirai Masakadza, Natsai M’Shangwe, Nathan Waller, Timycen Maruma.

A lifeless pitch at the SSC produced the second high-scoring draw between the teams in less than a year, but the P Sara Oval promises to be more encouraging for the battered bowlers

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya02-Aug-2010

Match Facts

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Start time 1000 (0430 GMT)

Big Picture

Yet another landmark for Sachin Tendulkar•AFP

Not for the first time since this seemingly endless series of bilateral contests began have India and Sri Lanka triggered a debate on the future of Tests. A lifeless pitch at the SSC produced the second high-scoring draw between the teams in less than a year, but the P Sara Oval promises to be more encouraging for the battered bowlers. The conditions have traditionally supported more movement as well as turn and yielded outright results in the previous five Tests, four of which have ended before the fifth day.Sri Lanka had the better of the contest between the depleted bowling line-ups at the SSC, creating more chances and putting India under a bit of pressure after posting a mammoth first-innings score. And Lasith Malinga’s return from injury widens that gap significantly. Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers had tried to compensate for the lack of assistance from the pitch by varying their lengths consistently, and could prove more attacking on a track known to aid spin .India, on the other hand, are missing one of their best players against spin, Gautam Gambhir, and are uncertain about the participation of their most experienced bowler, Harbhajan Singh, who did not attend the practice session on the eve of the Test. Harbhajan’s ineffectiveness this series has been a major concern for India but, in the event of his absence, they will be deprived of their only proven match-winner with the ball. Already 1-0 down in the series, weakened in the bowling and further plagued by injury concerns, the only consolation for India thus far has been their batting in generous conditions at the SSC.

Form guide

(most recent first)India: DLWLW

Sri Lanka: DWLLD

Players to watch out for..

Sachin Tendulkar: Yet another landmark for Tendulkar, as he becomes the most-capped cricketer in Tests, overtaking Steve Waugh’s 168. He has batted with the most assuredness against spin this series, is riding the confidence of a fifth-double century in Tests and will, as ever, be a prized breakthrough for a more combative attack in the series finale.Tillakaratne Dilshan: One of Sri Lanka’s most transformed players in the recent past, Dilshan’s contributions this series have been confined to quickfire cameos. In batting-friendly conditions, he failed to cash in unlike the ones who followed him, only showing glimpses of his aggression before giving his wicket away. In what is expected to be a more “sporting” track, Dilshan has the prowess to neutralise any threat the Indian bowlers can muster with a counter-attack.The pace attacks: The last time these two teams played at the P Sara, Dammika Prasad picked up five wickets, proving crucial in Sri Lanka’s thumping win. Though he is not a certainty this time, the fast bowlers are likely to play a bigger role. Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun rely more on movement off the deck, while Malinga has been more potent with his swing. Seamers have featured prominently in the first-innings wickets-charts at this venue, a factor that could perhaps influence a couple of selections.

Team news

M Vijay is almost certain to retain his place in the absence of Gambhir, while Suresh Raina, with a debut century against his name, could be expected to edge his contest with Yuvraj Singh for a middle-order slot. If Harbhajan doesn’t play, India could opt for a 3-1 pace-spin combination by including Munaf Patel in the squad.India (possible): 1 M Vijay, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina,, 7 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 8 Ishant Sharma, 9 Abhimanyu Mithun, 10 and 11 Harbhajan Singh/Pragyan Ojha/Amit Mishra/ Munaf Patel.Malinga’s return means Dilhara Fernando or Prasad have to make way. Chanaka Welegdera did play in the nets, and it won’t be a surprise if Sri Lanka pick him alongside Malinga. Fernando, however, has 15 wickets in three Tests here.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Suraj Randiv/Rangana Herath, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Chanaka Welegedara/ Dammika Prasad/Dilhara Fernando.

Pitch and conditions

“More life in this pitch for both fast bowlers and spinners,” Anurudda Polonowita, Sri Lanka’s national curator, said of the track at the P Sara Oval. “That’s the natural character of the pitch. This will be a much better pitch for bowlers than the SSC. With batting also, if one fellow puts his head down and bats, he will score.” The toss has not been as dominant a factor here as at some of the other venues in the country. Since 2000, the side calling correctly has won four times and lost thrice. Sri Lanka haven’t lost a Test here since that same year, winning six out of eight matches, including the last five.

Stats and Trivia

This is among the more seamer-friendly grounds in Sri Lanka. Fast bowlers since 2000 have have averaged 33.26 here, and picked up 126 wickets in eight Tests.Among players in the present squad, Kumar Sangakkara has been the most prolific, averaging over 75 with two centuries and three fifties.The P Sara Oval is one of the better venues for Sri Lanka in the batting department. The SSC is by far the best venue for batting, but in matches since 2002, Sri Lankan batsmen average over 43 here.

Quotes

“The pitch at the P Sara Oval will have a bit more movement. It’s usually livelier than the SSC. It will probably have more spin as well, on the fourth and fifth day of the Test. It will get slower towards the latter part, but it will be a result-orientated wicket.”
“Cricket is not a simple game, but I have tried to keep things simple and concentrate on what lies ahead. I am as excited now about playing as I was at the start of my career.”
“We have to see that the result of the Test is in our favour. We will have to be the team that that takes the extra initiative because even if the Test ends in a draw Sri Lanka win the series. We have to careful about how aggressive we can get but at the same time you have to see what’s the best you can do in this Test match.”

Ashish Bagai returns as captain for the Intercontinental Cup fixture and two ODIs against Ireland after recovering from a knee injury

Cricinfo staff21-Aug-2010Ashish Bagai returns as the captain for the Intercontinental Cup fixture and two ODIs against Ireland after recovering from a knee injury. Rizwan Cheema, who led the team in the Intercontinental Cup match against Zimbabwe XI, has been named vice-captain. Khurram Chohan has also been named after recovering from a groin injury.Three changes have been made to the XI that played against Zimbabwe with Trevin Bastiampalli, Sandeep Jyoti and Usman Limbada being left out.Six players from the 16-member squad for the recent ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament have been left out and the 14-member squad for the ODIs includes Hemanarine Chattergoon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Balaji Rao and Hamza Tariq.Squads
Intercontinental Cup
Ashish Bagai (Captain), Rizwan Cheema (Vice Captain), Umar Bhatti, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Khurram Chohan, Abzal Dean, Parth Desai, Ruvindu Gunasekara,
Jimmy Hansra, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Zubin Surkari, Hamza TariqODIs
Ashish Bagai (Captain), Rizwan Cheema (Vice Captain), Harvir Baidwan,
Umar Bhatti, Hemanarine Chattergoon, Khurram Chohan, Parth Desai,
Ruvindu Gunasekera, Jimmy Hansra, Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Balaji Rao,
Zubin Surkari, Hamza Tariq

Kevin Pietersen has been fined for his outburst on Twitter following his omission from England’s one-day squad

Cricinfo staff06-Sep-2010Kevin Pietersen and Dimitri Mascarenhas have been fined for their respective Twitter outbursts as England cricketers struggle to adapt to social media. Pietersen attended a disciplinary hearing at Lord’s on Monday and pleaded guilty to two charges, following the post he made after being omitted from England’s one-day squad, while repeating his apology from last week.Pietersen found himself in trouble after updating his twitter account following his omission for the Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan. He was instead dispatched to Surrey to regain form after a disappointing season with the bat.”Done for rest of summer!! Man of the World Cup T20 and dropped from the T20 side too. Its a f**k up!!,” Pietersen posted on his account kevinpp24. He deleted it minutes later, but not before it had been picked up by several users and circulated around the internet.”The hearing considered his comments to be prejudicial to the interests of Team England and ECB and a significant breach of the England player conditions of employment,” a statement said. “He has been fined an undisclosed sum in accordance with the terms and conditions of his England central contract.”Stuart Broad said that he wasn’t interested in joining Twitter and players needed to be aware of their responsibilities. “You go on Twitter to put yourself out there don’t you, to get in the public domain and to let your voice be heard,” he said. “But the players are aware of the responsibilities you have with that.”We know that you have followers and people are always aware of what you are writing. If you write something a little bit controversial you know it’s going to make headlines so whether sometimes that is deliberate, with pop stars and film stars to create a headline, but as sportsmen we are aware we have a responsibility to not only ourselves but to our team-mates. It is not something I have got too involved with but it is out there.”Pietersen isn’t the only cricketer in hot water over Twitter comments with Mascarenhas, the injured Hampshire captain, launching a stinging attack on Geoff Miller, the national selector, over the weekend and he has been fined £1000 by his county.”Chairman of selectors came to Liverpool and didn’t even come and say hi.. what a p****.. Doesn’t take much to say hello does it?” was one of two messages he posted which led to Hampshire taking action and Mascarenhas only escaped a ban because of his long-term injury.”I realise that my actions were stupid and irresponsible and I regret any offence I may have caused,” Mascarenhas said. “I apologise specifically to Geoff Miller who has always treated me fairly. I also apologise to Hampshire Cricket whom I feel I have let down. This was a silly, late-night conversation that got out of control and doesn’t reflect my true views on Mr. Miller.”I have learnt a great deal about the dangers of social networking sites and encourage other players to think carefully before signing up to them.”Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, also warned of the risks of using social media. “Hampshire Cricket regrets the entire incident which, although thoroughly out of character for Dimitri Mascarenhas, breaches the club’s code of conduct,” he said. “Further, it will be warning all players about the dangers of conducting personal or private dialogue on publicly-available media.”The fine has been set at this high level as I feel there is little point in imposing a ban, given the long-term nature of his injury. In coming to this conclusion I have taken into consideration Dimi’s previous exemplary record. However, as club captain he understands that his actions carry more responsibility than others.”Earlier this season Azeem Rafiq, the Yorkshire offspinner, was fined and suspended from all cricket for a month after a Twitter attack on John Abrahams, the England Under-19 manager, following his omission from the second Test against Sri Lanka.However, despite the recent indiscretions it appears the ECB are going to stop short of banning players from Twitter as was originally thought a few weeks ago. From the current squad Graeme Swann and James Anderson are prolific, while Tim Bresnan – who himself got in trouble last year – and Steven Finn also have accounts.”Jimmy and Swanny are two good examples of good Tweeters if there is such a thing,” Broad said. “What they do really well is that they don’t make statements about teams, they use it as a joke and don’t write mundane boring things. It’s all good fun. Ultimately we are responsible as players and we are employed by people above us so if they choose to get rid of it that is a situation that people will have to deal.”

The Global Cricket Academy, comprising state-of-the-art cricket facilities for international as well as local cricketers to avail of, was launched in Dubai on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2010The Global Cricket Academy, comprising state-of-the-art cricket facilities for international as well as local cricketers, was launched in Dubai on Tuesday. The academy, first announced as a project in 2004, is part of the Dubai Sports City – a project to construct world-class sporting infrastructure in Dubai – and is managed by the ICC.It includes an indoor training facility featuring a fielding area and seven pitches of varying character – ranging from those supporting turn to those which are seamer-friendly. These will be monitored by cameras for technical analysis while ball-tracking technology cameras will also be available for recording each delivery.The indoor facilities also include class rooms, meeting rooms, a technology suite and a gymnasium. In addition, they academy boasts of 38 floodlit outdoor practice pitches, including 28 turf tracks, that replicate playing conditions across the various Test-playing nations.Apart from being used for developmental and grassroots purposes, the facilities will also be used by teams for their preparation for the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent. The venue will also be hosting the Intercontinental Cup final between Afghanistan and Ireland in December and the World Cricket League Division Two in April next year.The global cricket academy has also recruited three coaches – former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, former Pakistan allrounder Mudassar Nazar and former New Zealand fast bowler Dayle Hadlee.”This outstanding academy will provide a pathway for the world’s current and emerging international players to excel. It will also become the centre of excellence for cricket’s best and brightest administrators, coaches, umpires and curators,” ICC president Sharad Pawar said. “With its state-of-the-art programmes, facilities and coaches, the ICC GCA will provide a home for a wide range of our stakeholders from both the traditional Full Members and the developing Associate and Affiliate Members. We believe the ICC GCA is key in making our great sport, even greater.”The managing director of Dubai Sports City, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, said: “This is indeed a historic and momentous occasion for world cricket and another significant milestone in the evolution of Dubai Sports City. This academy project has come about through our excellent partnership with the ICC.”The academy is world class and will provide top training conditions for elite cricketers from all over the world. It will also have a significant and positive impact on UAE cricket.”The ingenuity of the various programmes and the design of the ICC GCA enable young and developing cricketers to benefit immensely. This is a great day.”

James Anderson, the England fast bowler, is suffering from a cracked rib, an injury he sustained during the team’s recent preparation camp in Germany

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2010James Anderson, the England fast bowler, is suffering from a cracked rib, an injury he sustained during the team’s recent preparation camp in Germany, but the ECB expects that he will be fit for the first Ashes Test beginning in Brisbane on November 25.”Anderson is continuing his training programme ahead of the Ashes tour and will fly out to Australia with England’s Test squad on October 29,” the ECB said. “It is anticipated that he will be fit and available for selection for the first Test match against Australia in Brisbane.”The England squad took part in a five-day bonding camp in Germany following the conclusion of the ODI series against Pakistan and some of the drills included boxing sessions between team-mates and abseiling. Anderson suffered a heavy blow to the ribs during one of the sessions and sustained a fracture.The Germany trip was criticised by many, who felt the players needed a rest after a draining summer but the England management insisted the trip should go ahead.Anderson was England’s leading wicket-taker in the Test series against Pakistan with 23 wickets at 13.73 from the four matches. He impressed with a new-found control and had appeared to make genuine progress under England’s new bowling coach David Saker.England’s fast-bowling replacement options for the Ashes are Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett. Shahzad was left out of the original squad but was due to travel with the England team as an additional player for their three warm-up games ahead of the first Test. Tremlett, who is in the squad, last played for England in 2007 but his tall hit-the-pitch approach may be deemed too similar to Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, who are the other likely starters.

Any hopes that Zulqarnain Haider may have of seeking asylum in the United Kingdom would appear to hinge on the nature of the information he is able to divulge into the Pakistan match-fixing scandal, according to an immigration barrister

Andrew Miller09-Nov-2010Any hopes that Zulqarnain Haider may have of seeking asylum in the United Kingdom would appear to hinge on the nature of the information he is able to divulge into the Pakistan match-fixing scandal, because the extraordinary nature of his case would appear to fall outside the usual conditions required of a person seeking refugee status.Article 1 of the 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as “a person who is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.”The “fear” in Haider’s case – namely the threat of reprisals from criminal gangs involved in match-fixing – does not appear to fall into the usual categories. Therefore the question is whether that fear is objectively well-founded and, perhaps more to the point in his case, whether the Pakistan state would be able to protect him.”He would need to show that the arms of the state would not be able to protect him, and therefore that the British government needs to step in and offer international protection,” a British immigration barrister told ESPNcricinfo. “Whether people are at risk from criminal gangs is a bit of an open question in asylum law. It would be very much dependant on the fact of what he could prove, both about what had happened to him personally, and more generally with match-fixing in Pakistan.”In coming to the UK, Haider could also be protected under the European Convention of Human Rights which, according to the terms of a court ruling from March 2000, prevents the automatic extradition of unsuccessful asylum applicants, regardless of who is the agent of persecution. But once again, that would depend on him proving he is at risk. Neither UAE nor Pakistan are signatories of the Refugee Convention.

The Centurion pitch for the first Test between South Africa and India starting on December 16 will not be a trampoline, subject to the weather, the groundsman at Supersport Park, Hilbert Smith, has said

Firdose Moonda11-Dec-2010The Centurion pitch for the first Test between South Africa and India starting on December 16 will not be a trampoline, subject to the weather, the groundsman at Supersport Park, Hilbert Smit, has said. “It will have just a bit of bounce,” Smit told ESPNcricinfo.”But everything depends on the weather. If it stays hot, somewhere in the region of 34 degrees Celsius and the pitch dries out, then it will flatten out totally and then we will have a problem because we need some moisture to get bounce,” Smit said.South Africa have instructed Smit to prepare a track that will favour their pace attack. “I’ve been told to leave some grass on it, so there will be bounce. I’ve rolled some grass into the base for that,” Smit said. He has to ensure a delicate balance between producing a pitch that will generate bounce and one that doesn’t offer too much movement and the possibility of the match ending prematurely. “If I leave too much grass on the pitch, there will be too much movement and then the match could be over in three days and we don’t want that. If it ends in four days, that will be fine, but ideally, I would like it to go the full five days.”Smit has also been told to leave no room for turn, all but negating the role of the spinner, who will, particularly in the case of someone like Paul Harris, be used to contain. However, bounce alone may be enough to excite the slow bowlers, particularly tall ones like Harris and Harbhajan Singh, according to former South African spinner Paul Adams. “Spinners just need the bounce to be able to deceive the batsmen,” he said.Smit said he has “done most of the Test pitch already” and, on Friday during the MTN40 final, it had quite a fair amount of grass on it, but he has had an interruption in his preparation. The domestic limited-overs final was played six days before the first Test. It meant that Smit could not work on the Test pitch for two days, Thursday and Friday.The Test pitch, number five on the square, is sandwiched between the MTN40 final pitch, number six, and the pitch used for the other MTN40 games, number four. “There will be a little bit of wear and tear on the Test pitch and the grass may come out a bit because of its position,” Smit said. It’s the first time Smit has had a domestic game played so soon before an international, and therefore he said he doesn’t know what the effect will be on the Test pitch.Luckily, the weather is expected to work to Smit’s advantage. Although the mercury has topped 30 degrees Celsius for the past few days, it has rained on three of them. Rain is forecast all day for Sunday and Monday while clearing on Tuesday and returning on Wednesday night. Thursday, the first day of the Test, is also expected to be overcast and wet.

Kate Cross has been called up to the England women’s squad for the Twenty20 series and Ashes Test against Australia women

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2011Kate Cross has been called up to the England women’s squad for the Twenty20 series and Ashes Test against Australia women.After performing well for the academy last summer, Cross, the Lancashire pace bowler, has been asked to join the squad ahead of the first Twenty20 in Adelaide on Wednesday.She has been hauled into the squad following the loss of Beth Morgan and Claire Taylor through injury and is thoroughly looking forward to her chance to impress.”I’m really looking forward to joining the squad out in Australia, playing over there for your country is something you always dream about,” she said.”The call up came as a bit of a surprise, but it’s a fantastic opportunity and breaking into the England women’s squad is something I have been working hard towards over the last 18 months.”I hope to gain experience from touring with some of the senior players and if I get the opportunity to play I will certainly make the most of it.”