All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Just the fourth batsmen in Tests to score two triple-centuries•AFP

A mesmerising late spell from Ajantha Mendis was not enough to overshadow a Chris Gayle triple-century on the second day of the first Test in Galle, as the West Indies opener’s 333 took the visitors to a daunting first innings total of 580 for 9 declared. Gayle etched his name in history when he became just the fourth batsman after Bradman, Lara and Sehwag to make two 300-plus scores in Tests, and celebrated the milestone not by lying down on the pitch as he did yesterday, but by kneeling with his arms aloft, grateful that he had given his side the perfect platform to pursue their first ever Test win on Sri Lankan soil.

Smart Stats

• Chris Gayle became only the fourth batsman to score two triple centuries after Don Bradman (334 and 304), Brian Lara (375 and 400*) and Virender Sehwag (309 and 319).

• Gayle went past Rohan Kanhai’s 256 to become the West Indian batsman with the highest individual score in the subcontinent.

• The triple hundred is the 24th overall and the tenth by a left hander. It was also the third triple hundred in Sri Lanka.

• Gayle holds the record for the highest individual score against Sri Lanka, going past Younis Khan’s 313.

• Gayle’s 333 is the highest away score by a West Indies batsman, surpassing Viv Richards’ 291 at the Oval in 1976.

• .Gayle’s knock is the highest individual score by a visiting batsman in Sri Lanka, going past Stephen Fleming’s 274.

• With nine sixes in his innings, Gayle holds the record for the most sixes by a West Indian batsman in a Test innings.

• The 167 run stand between Brendan Nash and Gayle for the fourth wicket is the best for the West Indies against Sri Lanka and the seventh highest for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka.

• This was Anjantha Mendis’ third five wicket haul and second at Galle after his 6 for 117 against India in July 2008. Of his 56 wickets, 46 have come at home at an average of 29.23. His away record is very poor with ten wickets at 46.80.

Yesterday Gayle broke the back of the Sri Lankan attack with a blistering double-ton. Today, he took careful aim at the records. First to go was the stadium top score. Mahela Jayawardene’s 237 was eclipsed in the morning session by a subdued Gayle, who seemed to be a more determined version of the swashbuckling dynamo that had set the ground alight on day one – he added just nine more boundaries in over two sessions of batting after smashing 26 fours and eight sixes on the first day. Soon after lunch Gayle bettered the highest score by a West Indies batsman in the subcontinent – Rohan Kanhai’s 256 in Kolkata – a record that had stood for 48 years. Following the tea break, he surpassed Younis Khan’s 313 to make the highest score by any batsman against Sri Lanka as well as improving on his own previous best of 317 a few deliveries later.The first milestone of the day however, was not Gayle’s, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s, as he went past 9000 Test runs before being undone by Suraj Randiv’s bounce on 32. Brendan Nash then hunkered down alongside Gayle as they accumulated intelligently, picking the gaps to good effect and hitting the odd boundary to keep the scoreboard moving at a decent clip. The pair cemented West Indies’ absolute dominance over the game with a 167-run partnership for the fourth wicket and, almost as crucially, ensured that the hosts were made to toil in the sapping Galle heat for two more sessions. Still a little dazed by Gayle’s first day ballistics, Sri Lanka were ground into the dust by a determined display from the West Indies top order.With the team flagging, Mendis somehow produced an inspired burst to run through the remainder of the West Indies order, and hastened a declaration that at one stage seemed light years away. Mendis first had Nash trapped plumb in front for 64 with a straighter delivery, before repeating the dose for Dwayne Bravo in his next over, this time with a googly. Gayle’s marathon knock finally came to an end when he was bowled by a terrific Mendis carrom ball, and when Darren Sammy departed the very next ball, the end was finally nigh for West Indies. Mendis picked up one more wicket to make it a six-wicket haul, and Suraj Randiv added one more to his tally, before Sammy ended the innings with a declaration that was long overdue.Tillekeratne Dilshan made matters worse for the hosts when he lamely lobbed Andre Russell’s second ball towards Shane Shillingford at mid on to leave the hosts at 6 for 1 and give Russell his first Test wicket, but Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara came out playing his shots, and his unbeaten 32-ball 33 would have given the hosts hope, especially if the pitch remains good for batting on day three.

Match Facts

November 12, Dubai
Start time 10:00 (6:00 GMT)New captain Misbah-ul-Haq has plenty to prove•AFP

The Big Picture

On the eve of a Test series, the air should be thick with anticipation. Instead, Pakistan’s desert encounter with South Africa begins under clouds of corruption and death threats. The turmoil would be enough to flatten most sides but Pakistan – be it their players or administrators – can ‘compartmentalise’ better than any. Out goes Zulqarnain Haider, in comes another Akmal, Adnan this time, and on goes the show.While the one-day series, which South Africa edged 3-2, turned out to be a classic it’s difficult to see Pakistan faring as well in the Tests. It’s their first since losing Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and the replacements don’t inspire. Misbah-ul-Haq, whose last Test was the Sydney debacle, has been installed as captain – Pakistan’s fourth in a year – and the first item on his lengthy agenda will be justifying his place in the team. Mohammad Sami, a bowler with every talent bar wicket-taking, is also recalled, making this new era look suspiciously like the old. The return of Younis Khan, his first Test in over a year, lends the top-order a veneer of toughness that was absent against England earlier this year, but 534 runs at 25.42 in the 21 ODIs he’s played during his Test wilderness, suggest his powers could be on the wane.South Africa, No. 2 in the world, have India in their sights and a win here would set up their home series against them ideally. In Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel they possess the most potent new-ball pairing in the game but conditions in Dubai – underfoot and overhead – are unlikely to offer much assistance.

Form guide

(most recent first)
South Africa: WDWLW
Pakistan: LWLLW

Watch out for…

It appeared the sun was setting on Mark Boucher’s international career when injury and waning form lost him his place in South Africa’s one-day side after the West Indies tour in June. But the wicketkeeper, a famously fierce competitor, is still South Africa’s first-choice gloveman in Tests and will bring in a pugnacious intensity both with the bat and behind the stumps. A one-day swansong at the World Cup will surely be on his mind, and a productive performance in this Test series could help in securing that.
Saeed Ajmal’s performance in the one-dayers was a disappointment, and he lost his place in the side after taking just two wickets and conceding 113 runs at more than five-an-over. But a recall to partner Abdur Rehman in spin-friendly conditions gives him another chance to impress. Apart from a handful of ODIs and Twenty20s, South Africa have not seen much of him and his canny variations could prove increasingly troublesome for the batsmen as the pitch wears.

Team news

South Africa have hinted at the possibility of playing two spinners to suit the likely conditions, and so both Johan Botha and Paul Harris could be included in the line-up for the first Test. Alviro Petersen should return to open and bump Hashim Amla into the middle order, while Mark Boucher takes up the gloves and Ashwell Prince is almost certain to play ahead of JP Duminy.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Hashim Amla, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Johan Botha, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel
Pakistan’s preparations have been struck by the controversy surrounding Zulqarnain Haider’s flight and Adnan Akmal – brother to Umar and Kamran – has been hastily called up as a replacement wicketkeeper. Misbah-ul-Haq has suggested that both Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, and Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, will be part of the starting line-up for the first Test, with Mohammad Sami and Wahab Riaz likely to take up the two seamers spots.Pakistan (possible): 1 Taufeeq Umar, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Pitch and conditions

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium hosted the last three games of the one-day series, with the same strip used for every match. While a fresh pitch will be used for the Test, it shouldn’t hold any surprises for either team. Breakthroughs with the new ball could be vital as there will be plenty of runs available once the shine comes off, although reverse swing and spin could come into play later. Hot and sunny conditions are expected for the full five days, and despite a relatively moderate high of 33 degrees celsius the sapping heat will still be a factor.

Stats and trivia

William Porterfield has said he will consider giving up his role as Ireland captain if handed an opportunity to play Test cricket for England. Porterfield, who recently signed up with Warwickshire, has led Ireland in 21 ODIs since 2008 but his country is not yet a Test-playing nation. Two other Ireland cricketers, Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan, have gone on to play cricket for England with Morgan now a part of their Test line-up.”It would obviously be a nice situation to be in if you’re getting the call,” Porterfield told . “I’m looking to play Test cricket so I think it’s a call you’d be doing well to turn down.”I think it’s where every cricketer wants to be, playing Test cricket and playing at the top level, and if that opportunity came along I’d be more than grateful to take that call.”Porterfield, who left Gloucestershire after their disappointing season where they finished fifth in Division 2, said the loss of Ireland cricketers to the England team was a worrying trend. “It’s obviously sad to lose our players to England when you’re trying to put out your best team,” he said. “But I think the lad’s (Morgan) done fantastically well, he deserves to be where he is and playing at that top level week-in, week-out – I hope he gets a run in the Ashes series and does pretty well.”Porterfield, who scored 531 runs at 37.92 in 15 games for Gloucester, joins country-mate and fast bowler Boyd Rankin in the Warwickshire squad. “I spoke to Boyd quite a bit when we got back from Abu Dhabi about the move up the road to Birmingham,” he said. “He was pretty complimentary about the county and said I wouldn’t go too far wrong if I made the move – he had a quiet word in my ear and that obviously helped my choosing.”

Doug Bollinger insists he and Michael Hussey will be prepared for the first Test against India starting on Friday, despite having only just joined the squad. The pair flew in to Chandigarh on Tuesday, having helped Chennai Super Kings to a Champions League triumph on Sunday in Johannesburg.Their Australian team-mates have adjusted to the conditions with a warm-up game but Bollinger and Hussey have only two days of net sessions to get themselves up to speed. However, India are in a similar situation, with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and M Vijay also having made the last-minute dash to Chandigarh from South Africa.”We’ll be right to go, we’ve got a good couple of days of training coming up and we’ll look after ourselves and we’ll be fine,” Bollinger told AAP. “We’re a little bit tired, it’s been a long flight, but we’re good and we’ll just chill out for a couple of days and make sure we’re right to go.”Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke spoke of players putting their country before other competitions, but said it was a positive that the two men had been playing tough cricket in South Africa. Hussey is a well-travelled cricketer and he believes it is possible for him and Bollinger to be in good shape for the Test.”It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do, we’ll just make sure we’re really smart the next couple of days and get ourselves prepared as best we can,” Hussey said. “I’m sure we’ve got good background staff and they’ll get us in the best possible shape to get going for Friday.”We’ve been playing cricket and training every other day, so it’s not like we’re coming in underdone or anything like that, we’ve got plenty of cricket behind us, obviously it’s a totally different format but it’s a mental adjustment as much as anything. The next couple of days we’ve got to get the head right and get thinking more Test match cricket.”Bollinger is likely to form part of a three-man pace attack with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus for the first Test. Hussey will slot back into the No. 5 position he occupied during the Test series against Pakistan in July, when Clarke was promoted to No. 4.

Kevin Pietersen faces some tough questions from the England management after he announced via Twitter that he had been dropped from England’s squad for the Twenty20 and one-day internationals against Pakistan. He hit out at the decision on the social-networking site before adding he had signed with Surrey.”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 , before deleting it minutes later, but not before it had been picked up by several users and circulated around the internet.”I’ll talk to KP,” Geoff Miller, the national selector said. “Whether there is an apology or not, I’m sure [England coach] Andy Flower will have a word with him.”I don’t like that kind of language – and I don’t use that language at all. I don’t follow Twitter and I’m not a great believer in that kind of thing. I don’t think it is necessary. What I do is select sides with my co-selectors that we think is right for England. My priority is the England side, and it is not about individuals. We make our decisions honourably and loyally for the England cause and we’ll continue to do so.”In a post that was truncated due to Twitter’s 140-character limit, Pietersen also added “Surrey have signed me for l … [blank].” When contacted by Cricinfo, Surrey’s chairman Paul Sheldon reacted with surprise, but added that he could offer no comment until after 5.15pm, which is the time that England’s squad was due to be officially announced.Sure enough, at the appointed hour, it was duly confirmed that Pietersen would be making his Surrey debut in Wednesday’s CB40 match against Worcestershire at The Oval. “We are very pleased to be in a position to have agreed to the ECB’s request to assist Kevin’s return to form,” said Sheldon in a press release.Pietersen has struggled for form since returning from the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in May where he helped England to the title, and has managed just one half-century all summer, a scratchy 80 in the second Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.The magnitude of the decision, and the apparent negotiations with Surrey, also explain the reasons behind the delay in the timing of England’s announcement, which was originally scheduled for 12pm, then pushed back to 2pm, and then finally set for the current time of 5.15pm.Pietersen is the second high-profile cricketer to pre-empt a squad announcement by announcing his omission via Twitter, after Australia’s opener Phil Hughes jumped the gun ahead of the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston last summer.He is not the first English player, however, to get himself into trouble via the medium. Earlier this season, the former England Under-19 captain Azeem Rafiq received a one-month suspension after reacting to being dropped from the squad with a foul-mouthed outburst at his coach, John Abraham, while Tim Bresnan also got into trouble for reacting angrily to a fan who questioned his weight.This latest embarrassment has inevitably lead to speculation that the ECB will impose a ban on the use of Twitter by its centrally-contracted players. “It sounds like it might have been an accident, but not something you’d want to see and perhaps should be banned,” Miller added. “It is something I could do without. I’m not for it, I must admit. But if it is an error then I want to know why that error has taken place.”However, according to Louis Halpern, an online reputation expert, the board would be advised to look before it leaps to a reaction.”The ECB should be careful not to be too hasty in disciplining or banning its players from Twitter,” Halpern told Cricinfo. “Although a ban would prevent leaking sensitive information and reduce the risk to its reputation from ill-considered player tweets, it could risk alienating an already distanced fan base.”Particularly in the case of cricket, where international games are no longer covered by terrestrial television, fans have never been more far removed from their heroes. Social media platforms such as Twitter can be a perfect tonic to those disenfranchised, non-Sky subscribers, giving the ECB and individual players a great opportunity to tap into and communicate directly with their most loyal fan bases.”The board also squashed any speculation that Pietersen might play for Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Champions League to be held in South Africa from September 10. An ECB spokesman confirmed to Cricinfo that Pietersen would not be available to play in the Champions League, given that the dates of the competition clash with the final rounds of the County Championship, during which time he will playing for Surrey. It doesn’t come as a surprise considering that the main reason for his axing was to enable him get some first-class practice ahead of the Ashes. Pietersen last played a non-England first-class game in May 2008.

The Indian board and the ECB have formally endorsed the nomination of Alan Isaac, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket, for the post of ICC vice-president. The official support of the two influential boards for Isaac is likely to herald the end of a contentious process that began when Australia and New Zealand jointly nominated former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the post.The BCCI’s formal approval of Isaac was one of the decisions made by its working committee during a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday. The ECB welcomed the nomination of Isaac through a press release. “Alan Isaac is an extremely able and experienced administrator with an outstanding record in both business and public life,” ECB chairman Giles Clarke said. “He has chaired New Zealand Cricket with distinction, is extremely respected internationally and will make an excellent ICC president in due course.”Following Howard’s nomination, a number of boards raised questions about his suitability for the role. His candidature was eventually rejected by six of the ICC’s ten Full Members at the executive board meeting in Singapore in June. Isaac was put forward as a replacement for Howard after Sir John Anderson said he did not want to be ICC vice-president. Anderson was New Zealand’s original choice for the position. While Cricket Australia remains convinced Howard is the best man for the job, it nevertheless agreed to support Isaac.

ScorecardJenny Gunn took a career-best 5 for 31 as England regained the series lead against New Zealand•Getty Images

Jenny Gunn excelled with bat and ball as England secured a six-wicket victory against New Zealand at Derby to take a 2-1 lead in the one-day series. Gunn ran through the visitors’ top-order with a career-best 5 for 31 before guiding the run chase home with 37 from 43 balls after England had been wobbling.Sarah Taylor (64) and Heather Knight (42) had formed an excellent platform in pursuit 221 as they added 108 for the first wicket in 26 overs. However, in the next eight overs England lost 4 for 32 as New Zealand hauled themselves back into the match.It needed the cool heads of Gunn and Lydia Greenway to ensure the innings didn’t fall away – with two stoppages for rain increasing the tension – as the pair added an unbroken 83 for the sixth wicket to complete the job with eight balls to spare.”I can’t believe the day I’ve had, it’s been great,” Gunn said. “I’m pleased my family were here to see it. It was tough work, I never thought I’d get it [five wickets] as I haven’t been bowling much recently. Lydia is in great form at the moment, I enjoy batting with her. Duckworth-Lewis went out of our minds and we just kept hitting the runs.”New Zealand had earlier made a solid start to their innings with Lucy Doolan and Maria Fahey putting on an opening stand of 64. But Gunn changed the game when she removed Doolan and added the scalps of Suzie Bates and Sara McGlashan for ducks as New Zealand fell away to 79 for 5.However, Aimee Watkins played a captain’s innings with 68 as the lower order produced an impressive fightback with useful contributions from Liz Perry (28) and Sophie Devine (23). In the end, though, it still wasn’t enough.

ScorecardThe South Africans continued their run of strong performances in the Caribbean with all their batsmen performing on the first day of the tour match against Trinidad and Tobago in St Augustine. Four batsmen made half-centuries and three others got close to one as the visitors ended on 347 for 7.Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen put on 72 for the first wicket before the captain was run out. Petersen went on to make 65, the innings’ top score, and the in-form Hashim Amla reached 44 before retiring out to give his team-mates the chance to practice. AB de Villiers and JP Duminy also made 53 and 51 respectively before retiring.While Ashwell Prince didn’t make use of the opportunity, falling for 18, Mark Boucher, who will return as wicketkeeper for the Tests, made 51. Trinidad and Tobago used nine bowlers but only three – Amit Jaggernauth, Yannic Cariah and Dave Mohammed – took a wicket each. Three of the other four wickets were batsmen retired out.This is South Africa’s only warm-up game ahead of the first Test against West Indies, which begins at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday. The match was moved to Trinidad because of civil unrest in Jamaica. South Africa go into the Test series having won both Twenty20s and the one-day series 5-0.

Northamptonshire have suspended Niall O’Brien and stripped him of the vice-captaincy after he breached team rules.O’Brien, who is a combative wicketkeeper batsman and a fixture in the Ireland national team, was left out of Northamptonshire’s last two Friends Provident t20 matches as a result of his actions, the details of which the county have not disclosed.Northamptonshire have said that an investigation has been launched and they will be meeting O’Brien to discuss the situation further.”Niall will face an internal disciplinary and we’ll be meeting with him in the near future,” said Northamptonshire chief executive Mark Tagg. “He was suspended from the Derbyshire game at the weekend and has had the vice-captaincy taken away from him until the matter has resolved.”Northamptonshire have struggled so far in the competition, winning just three of their eight games to sit in seventh place in the North Group.

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain who has been banned indefinitely by the PCB, denied having created any problems within the team and hoped to make a comeback to the national fold.”I was banned without being given a chance to clarify my position and I want justice because I want to play for my country again,” Younis told the parliamentary committee investigating Pakistan’s performance during the disastrous tour of Australia.Younis stepped down as captain and player ahead of the tour to New Zealand, which preceded the Australia series, over differences with his team-mates. He missed the Australia Tests, and did not make an impact during the ODIs under Mohammad Yousuf’s leadership. Following the tour, PCB came down strongly on seven national players, including Younis who was banned for creating infighting within the team – an accusation he staunchly refused.”I pointed out problems within the team to the PCB and they banned me. [Shoaib] Malik thought that I contrived to replace him as captain, which wasn’t true. My career has been derailed because of this ban and although I am getting offers to play in England and South Africa, I want to play for my country, for my people,” Younis said.Six of the seven punished cricketers, barring Yousuf who has since announced his retirement, have lodged formal appeals against PCB’s punishment. The appeals are now being evaluated by an independent arbitrator, Irfan Qadir, a retired high court judge. Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, assured the committee that the PCB would review their sanctions based on the findings of the arbitrator.Butt also came out in support of Younis, appreciating his commitment to the national side. “Younis is a patriot and has always played for the country and I am sad that his career was derailed by same baseless allegations of match-fixing by a parliamentary committee member,” Butt said. Younis’ appeal is set to be heard on May 29.