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Bangladesh selector defends Twenty20 selections

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Rafiqul Alam, the Bangladesh chief selector, has defended the team selection for the ICC World Twenty20 where the side crashed out in the group stages. Alam’s decision to pick batsman Raqibul Hasan was reportedly questioned before the team set out for England but Alam rushed to Raqibul’s defence, saying he had the ability to stabilise the innings if the top order failed.A rusty Bangladesh, returning from an international lay-off of nearly five months, lost both their group stage matches, including one to Ireland. Their only two wins on tour came during the warm-ups, against minnows Scotland and Netherlands. Raqibul managed only 29 runs in the two official games.”Raqibul has been our best batsman internationally and he is a technically sound player,” Alam told the . “When selecting the team we had a choice between him, Mehrab Hossain jnr. and Ziaur Rahman. Zia was quite ordinary in this year’s Premier League Twenty20 and 50-over version…”It boiled down to Mehrab and Raqibul and the former’s poor fielding and unhealthy strike-rate played against him. Also our top order is not very strong so we had players like Raqibul and Mushfiqur [Rahim] who can at least take the team to a respectable total if the top four batters fail.”Alam conceded that the team performed poorly and deserved the criticism it received. “Our performance was disappointing to say the least,” he said. “We failed miserably in England this month so just as we are showered with praise and appreciation whenever we do well, the same also applies when we do badly.”Bangladesh’s next assignment is a short tour of West Indies beginning next month, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20. The squad will be announced later in the month and the 17 contracted players will train at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur from June 15.The captain, Mohammad Ashraful, will join the team in training despite having an irritation in his left eye. He reportedly picked it up while in South Africa for the IPL and doctors there recommended surgery. But doctors in England advised against it and suggested medication instead. Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who stayed back in England because of a groin injury, will also begin training with the others.

Strauss lauds Swann's efforts

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Fresh from England’s ten-wicket win over West Indies yesterday, the England captain Andrew Strauss has lauded the efforts of Graeme Swann.Swann cracked an entertaining 63 in England’s first innings and picked up six wickets to earn him the Man-of-the-Match award, and five of his six victims were left-handers, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul whose wicket Swann took twice in the match.”Swann is an excellent bowler at left-handers in particular,” Strauss said. “I haven’t seen a left-hander play him with real confidence yet. He troubles everyone, has a good variety – and I think he’s a smart bowler.”Possibly the fact he’s come in a little bit late in his career means he’s had a little bit more time to think about his variations, how to out-think people and get them out.”We’re excited about what he can offer us.”Swann’s contribution helped England record their first win at Lord’s since 2005 – their first victory in a live Test since beating New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, last June. Swann aside, Graham Onions took 5 for 38 on his Test debut while Ravi Bopara all but cemented his position at No.3 when he stroked a sublime 143.”We played some pretty clinical cricket,” Strauss said. “We were in some trouble on day one – and the way, in particular, that Ravi stood up and showed his temperament under pressure is really encouraging. It was crucial to the outcome of the Test match. “It was not easy to bat on day one – the wicket was a bit green and nipped around a bit – and someone needed to front up and play the conditions well.”He did that, and it’s really encouraging when you see that from a guy who hasn’t played a lot before – because it’s an examination of his temperament and character.”You’d be hard-pressed to find too many negatives out of this game. I’m very happy with the performance. And what a great start for Graham Onions – he’ll be delighted with his week, and I’m delighted for him.”It shows there’s some good talent in English cricket. It was fantastic to see those guys do well.”There is precious little time for West Indies to regroup ahead of next Thursday’s second Test at Chester-le-Street. They looked all at sea against the moving ball at Lord’s, and the team’s cohesiveness was tested by the late arrival of their captain, Chris Gayle, following his stint in the Indian Premier League.”It’s always a bit of a shock for the West Indies to come here, and the weather is always colder,” Strauss said. “But we won the important periods and then kept the pressure on. “Winning matches lifts the team and makes them feel part of something very special. “The more you do it the more you believe you can win when the chips are down.”

Hosts calm before the storm

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Perhaps it’s just calm before the storm, but it seems as though there’s not enough buzz around the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) organisation in South Africa. With only four days to go, you would expect administrators to be caught up in a whirlwind of documentation, eyes red and puffy from burning the candle at both ends, ears permanently attached to mobile phones and heart rates beating faster than a batsman about to face Dale Steyn. Not so. South African administrators are at ease as the 59-match tournament looms.Presumably South Africa’s managers have every reason to be so laidback about staging a big event; they’ve done it all before. Elize Lombard, chief executive of the Titans franchise, said the IPL is essentially a continuation of the South African season. Having just hosted the Australians for three months, the South African stadiums, pitches, outfields and dressing rooms, while weary from their long season, are ready.Cassim Docrat, CEO of the Durban-based Dolphins franchise, summed up the organisation of the event quite simply: “We are waiting on the IPL organisers; they will be giving us the plans.” Other CEOs made similar comments. Lombard was among them, saying the blueprint for the tournament would be handed down by the IPL and that it would be largely uncomplicated. “They are just bringing what worked in India to South Africa,” she told Cricinfo.The IPL have set up offices at the Wanderers but, with just a few days to go before the event, very few staff members could be found there. It’s certainly not the hive of activity expected around an event that had a little over three weeks to relocate countries. In fact, a few journalists who wandered in to check on the progress of their accreditation were met with lethargic responses. The sleepiness matched the general atmosphere of the stadium, which is preparing for South Africa’s final one-day international against Australia on Friday.Despite having that match as his first concern, chief groundsman Chris Scott does have the IPL in mind. He admitted the three pitches he would be using may take a bit of bruising but said it wouldn’t be a problem because the tracks wouldn’t recover during this period anyway because of winter. Scott’s major challenge will be to keep the outfield healthy. “Even though there isn’t a lot of rain about, the superb irrigation system should assist in that,” he said. The field looks in mint condition and every bit as lush as it does during the summer months.The rest of the Wanderers appeared as tranquil as day five of a Test match headed for a draw, perhaps with a few more cars than usual. Security officials strolled the perimeter and barely anyone even blinked as the Bangalore Royal Challengers practised.It seems the teams are also staying below the radar. Amrit Mathur, the CEO of Delhi Daredevils, was the only team official who could be reached. He said the Delhi camp had not been inundated with fans swamping the hotel lobby, as is characteristic here when Asian teams tour. Mathur said the team “barely noticed anything”, referring to the lack of hype surrounding the tournament. The team had not been out much and had, in fact, largely travelled between the hotel and practice sessions at the Wanderers stadium. He expects the vibe to pick up once the competition gets underway. “People have a lot of expectations around this event so we expect the interest will pick up and be sustained throughout the tournament.”The atmosphere in Johannesburg was relatively low key in the lead up to the tournament•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The hype has certainly yet to take off. The only sign that the IPL has come to Johannesburg are a few bright yellow posters in the streets around the Wanderers. “The heat is coming,” the advertisements proclaim. Little do they know a blistering, cold winter is about to hit the City of Gold.Despite the seemingly serene environment leading up to the tournament, there was one issue of contention last week, when the IPL clashed with Cricket South Africa over the use of corporate suites. The IPL wanted exclusive use of the suites for its guests, while the stadiums had obligations to their suite holders. Despite the IPL offering the suite holders free stand tickets, food and beverage to the games, some threatened to lock their suites. Lombard says the matter is resolved at her stadium, while Alan Kourie, CEO of the Lions, told Cricinfo his board would be meeting on Wednesday night to discuss the matter.While the only bit of action in Johannesburg appears to be the administrators’ tussle over stadium suites, Cape Town is looking a little livelier. The warm-up match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Cape Cobras drew 10,000 people to the stands – a bigger crowd than most domestic matches produce. The opening ceremony, which takes place at Newlands on Saturday, is said to be sold out, along with a double header there on Sunday. Perhaps the storm is brewing around the IPL after all.

Tendulkar the greatest – Hadlee

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Former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee believes Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman ever to grace the game. Hadlee, 57, who became the first official inductee to ICC’s Hall of Fame on the first day of the Wellington Test, said he was in awe of Tendulkar whose achievements down the years “clearly had been phenomenal”.”I played against Sachin on his tour here in 1990 when he got that 80 or 90-odd at McLean Park in Napier,” Hadlee told . “You could see then, as a youngster, he was a player of immense ability and talent.”We didn’t see at that time and you cannot visualise 20 years down the track what the player is likely to do in the context of the history of the game. When you score as many runs as he has in Test and one-day cricket and score as many centuries and half centuries as he has done, it makes him arguably the greatest player ever in the history of the game. Statistics speak volumes of his contribution to Indian and world cricket. He is a phenomenal player.”Hadlee said comparisons with Donald Bradman should also drive Tendulkar as a player. “Well, Sir Donald Bradman has been regarded as the greatest player ever,” Hadlee said. “He played just Test cricket. He hasn’t played any other forms of the game. Clearly, that is understandable. But to see Sachin and other players actually adjust to different forms of the game and different conditions all around the world, even though the average is fractionally more than half of the Don’s is in itself incredible. You got to respect it and write those performances.”The ICC has drawn up an initial list of 55 inductees to the Hall of Fame, and Hadlee was the only New Zealander to have made the cut. “I have been very fortunate during my playing career and to be recognised is very very special,” Hadlee said. “To be one of the first 55 inductees, it doesn’t get much better than that.He said he would like to be remembered as “somebody who played hard in a very successful era for New Zealand cricket”. “This honour is right up there with the others,” he said. “So many fantastic players have been recognised, some that I have played against, others that I watched and read about as a youngster, and many others in the early 1900s that were legendary in their own right and fantastic role models.”Hadlee played 86 Tests from 1973 to 1990 during which he took a then record 431 wickets and scored 3,124 runs. He also picked up 158 wickets and made 1,751 runs in 115 ODIs. Hadlee said his “best Test win” came at Brisbane in 1985-86 where he picked up 15 wickets. “As sports people, we all strive for perfection and the closest I could get to that was against the Australians at the Gabba,” Hadlee said. “We’d never won in Australia before, and to go ahead and win that Test by an innings and 41 runs and to make a personal contribution of nine wickets in the first innings (he had a hand in the 10th dismissal as a catcher) and six in the second and scored a few runs… you can’t get better than really. Everything came together at the right time…”

Kit row costs Taibu his place

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It’s been a tough few months for Tatenda Taibu, both on and off the field.While he has been appearing in court after being charged with assault on a ZC employee, he has also lost his place in the national side as a result of dispute over his kit.It all started when some of Zimbabwe’s equipment was left behind in Bangladesh at the end of their tour there in January. The remainder of the squad manage to rescue the most important items, but Taibu did not. He then refused to play in any of the five ODIs in Kenya claiming he was uncomfortable in any kit other than his own.On returning to Zimbabwe, he played the first three Faithwear Cup matches and then declared himself unavailable for the remaining two games. A board spokesman told Cricinfo that he “cited as his reason for not playing dissatisfaction with the kit Zimbabwe Cricket had given him, saying his bat handles had been shortened to his specifications”.That, allied with dissatisfaction among the national selectors and concerns that with his kit not guaranteed to arrive in India from Bangladesh he might again refuse to play, led to him being dropped.”The panel then chose Forster Mutizwa whose form and availability were not in question,” the spokesman said. “In terms of form, he has continued to do well not just as wicketkeeper but also with the bat, since his debut in Kenya. As for availability, Mutizwa returned home and played all his Faithwear matches to the satisfaction of the selectors.”

Khan and Kuhn make Australians toil

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Mitchell Johnson went wicketless but he wasn’t the only one who struggled on the opening day © Getty Images
 

Australia’s first day of cricket on their tour of South Africa didn’tso much answer questions as raise more of them. Their first-choicespinner Bryce McGain was belted, their backup fast bowler BenHilfenhaus was the most dangerous of the fast men and there was noreal chance for either Andrew McDonald or Marcus North to gain anadvantage in the battle for the No. 6 spot.Ricky Ponting chose to field on a flat pitch but even he musthave been surprised by the lack of penetration from his bowlers.Imraan Khan’s fifth first-class century created the early problemsbefore the wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn, who had been so out of form that he wasrecently dropped by the Titans, batted his way into touch with anunbeaten 95.At the close, the South African Board President’s XI hadreached 393 for 5 with Kuhn and David Wiese (44 not out) at the creaseand Australia will be hoping that whenever their batsmen get anopportunity they enjoy it as much as the locals. Khan’s 100 from 111balls was fluent and he drove a series of sweetly timed boundariesdown the ground when the fast bowlers overpitched.He also took a liking to McGain, who was punished for droppinguncharacteristically short and was also struck down the ground withease. McGain finished his first day of bowling for Australia with theunflattering figures of 2 for 126 from 19 overs and he may have had aglimpse of what Jason Krejza felt in the warm-up game ahead of theTest series in India.With Nathan Hauritz rested – along with Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke, who has battled back soreness – it was the perfect opportunity for McGain to confirm hisplace in the side for next week’s first Test in Johannesburg. Thingsbegan well when he had Alviro Petersen caught at midwicket in hisfirst over but there was little joy for the rest of the day.Kuhn and Vaughn van Jaarsveld both used their feet to McGain andslammed him for sixes down the ground and his only other success camewhen Gulam Bodi was adjudged caught behind for 48. Bodi was clearlyunhappy with the decision but McGain was thrilled; he had a secondwicket to go alongside the 18 fours and four sixes that were struckoff his bowling as he struggled to find much drift and turn on anunhelpful surface.The fast bowlers didn’t have much more to celebrate, althoughHilfenhaus and Peter Siddle were impressive and collected a wicketeach. Hilfenhaus entered the game as the fourth choice behind Siddle,Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger, but his ability to swing the balland create opportunities will force the selectors to consider him forthe first Test.He should have had the centurion Khan caught at first slip for 9 butNorth, playing his first match for the senior team, put downthe simple chance. Hilfenhaus did manage to remove the other openerBlake Snijman, who was caught behind off a superb outswinger, and hemoved the ball in to the left-hander Khan and drew a string ofinside-edges before Siddle reaped the reward.Siddle had Khan caught at mid-on and Australia hoped that, with thescore at 192 for 3, it might be a turning point. They were especiallyoptimistic when McDonald’s first over brought the wicket of vanJaarsveld, who drove to cover and was well caught by the divingPhillip Hughes. But then came a 107-run stand between Bodi and Kuhn,who continued to attack McGain and added further pain for theAustralians.Neither Johnson nor Bollinger picked up a wicket -though Bollinger should have had an early one when Snijman hooked tofine leg and was misjudged by Hilfenhaus – and the day ended with theAustralians pleased that they were playing in front of a couple ofhundred locals in Potchefstroom rather than thousands in Johannesburg.They have two more days to answer the questions that remain hangingover an inexperienced squad.

Players' chief slams NZ selectors for poor communication

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Heath Mills: “When a player is dropped, they’re hurting. That’s when they need our support more than ever” © Getty Images
 

Heath Mills, the New Zealand Players’ Association chief, has criticised the national selectors for failing to be compassionate to players dropped from the team. Though Mills would not name any players hurt by unexpected exclusions, he said at such a time it was important for selectors to communicate with them.”When a player is dropped, they’re hurting,” Mills told . “That’s when they need our support more than ever. That’s when communication has to be at its best.”You’ve got a team of kids who are trying to gel and it’s important to treat with them with compassion when things don’t go well. It’s effectively the same situation as someone losing their job if they miss the side.”Last month fast bowler Chris Martin had expressed his disappointment at being left out of the squad for the home series against West Indies. “They [selectors] are picking guys who are in form and they have told me they want someone to run in and ruffle the tailenders,” Martin said. “Dizzy [Mark Gillespie] is good at that and I didn’t do that in Adelaide. We struggled to clean out their lower order, but I felt I opened the door a few times against them in the series with top-order wickets.”Mills believed some of the lack of communication stemmed from the restructuring of the board in June last year. Geoff Allott is yet to take on his role as New Zealand’s general manager of cricket and Mills said that had “probably created a big hole”.”Clearly we’ve had a transition in staff who may not have understood what the requirements were in terms of good communication. In the last six-seven years in cricket it’s been a lot better than it was but just lately there’s been a couple of blips. We’re working on that with New Zealand Cricket and we’re going to smooth it out and get it back to where we need to be.”Glenn Turner, the chief selector, admitted the system of communication was not perfect but said the selectors made a real effort to call players after the squad had been announced. “It has happened where we have meant to ring somebody and we haven’t,” Turner said. “Chris [Martin] was actually on our list and we didn’t get to him. I’ve called him since and we’ve talked about it. He’s quite happy with the call and what was said.”

Bengal promoted in Ganguly's first-class farewell

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Scorecard

With his fourth wicket in Madhya Pradesh’s second innings, Sarandeep Singh reached the milestone of 300 first-class wickets © Cricinfo Ltd
 

Sourav Ganguly did not bat during his final day of first-class cricket, but got the perfect farewell gift as Bengal gained promotion to the Super League. Goa’s Ryan Ninan tried to stave off defeat, but he was left stranded on a career-best 88 as Sourav Sarkar took the final three wickets to dismiss them for 230, thus giving Bengal the crucial first-innings lead.Bengal, leading by 107, lost a wicket early in their second innings,. Two strikes in successive overs from Harshad Gadekar reduced them to 54 for 3, but Manoj Tiwary and Dibyendu Chakrabarty steadied the innings with a brisk 110-run stand. Bengal played out 46 overs to reach 193 for 5 as the match finished in a draw. The spotlight, though, was on Ganguly. “I don’t miss playing cricket anymore,” he told . “Every cricketer has to retire one day and I don’t have any sad feelings about the decision [to retire].”I am happy that Bengal have qualified for the Elite division [Super League]. Bengal faced problems for some time due to shifting of allegiance to ICL by some players. But youngsters have filled in the void now and they will do good work in future.”
Scorecard
Offspinner Sarandeep Singh took his 300th first-class wicket as Himachal Pradesh crushed Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 175 runs in Nagpur. Himachal Pradesh’s mammoth first-innings lead had effectively guaranteed them promotion to the top division, and Sarandeep, along with Mohinder Sharma, bowled them to an emphatic win.Resuming on 576 for 8, Himachal Pradesh could only add three more to their total. Mohinder prised out three quick wickets to leave Madhya Pradesh at 47 for 4, but captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar resisted, making 66. However his team failed to build big partnerships and salvage a draw. Kanitkar, trapped lbw to Sarandeep, was the seventh man out with the score on 131. An unbeaten 27 from Sunil Dholpure, the second-best score in the innings, pushed the total to 176. Sarandeep took 4 for 52, while Mohinder’s 5 for 45 was his maiden first-class five-wicket haul, coming in his fourth game.

Disappointed PCB turns to Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka are likely to play the first Test in Pakistan since South Africa’s visit in October 2007 © AFP
 

The PCB has moved on swiftly from the cancellation of India’s tour, making an official request to Sri Lanka to visit in India’s place while expressing its disappointment at the Indian board’s decision.The BCCI said today that it had received a letter from the government stating that under the current scenario a tour to Pakistan was not feasible, referring to the deterioration in relations between the two countries after the Mumbai attacks.”We received a note from the BCCI explaining the decision,” Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. “Obviously we are very disappointed because Pakistan-India is always a major series. They have toured many times since 2004 so it is disappointing that such a major team, with so many superstars, will not be coming.”There had been talk of the series being possibly played at a neutral venue in the Middle East, but that scenario has also been ruled out. “Right now, there is no cricket between the two at neutral venues or anywhere,” Altaf said. “We are still on normal terms with the BCCI. This is a decision that was neither in our hands nor theirs.”Though the cancellation is a blow and Pakistan will suffer financially after India’s pullout, they are at least likely to have some serious cricket to look forward to during that period. Sri Lanka had already publicly expressed their keenness to tour in India’s place and with Pakistan now sending an official invite, only logistics remain to be sorted. “We have officially requested Sri Lanka to tour in place of India,” Altaf said. “They had expressed an interest and we are confident the series can go ahead.”TV rights for Sri Lanka’s visit will not be as high as that for India – AFP quoted a PCB official as saying the loss from India pulling out would be around $25-30 million – but given that Pakistan have gone over a year without a Test, playing any cricket is currently the key. If Sri Lanka do come, it will be for a series of three Tests, three ODIs and one Twenty20 international. They can only arrive after January 16 for they are on a tour of Bangladesh till then.The matches are likely to be held in Karachi, Lahore and Multan.

Failed economy halts work on Zimbabwe's Academy

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A victim of Zimbabwe’s shredded economy: the shell of the Cricket Academy where work was suspended in April, pictured this week © Cricinfo
 

Cricinfo has learned that the reconstruction of Zimbabwe’s Academy, which was burned down in an arson attack in late 2006, has stalled since work was suspended by the board in April.In February, reacting to a Cricinfo report that little had been done since the fire, a Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman said: “The tender for the building was awarded at the end of last year and construction work is underway now. The contractors are doing the brick work. Subject to weather and the availability of materials, we expect the construction to be through by the end of April.”Lovemore Banda, ZC’s media manager, told Cricinfo that work had been halted as a consequence of the country’s dire economy. “We started the building operations with the hope that the economic situation would improve,” he said. “We had expected, all things being equal, to have the reconstruction of the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy completed by April. However, that has not been possible, because of the hyper inflationary state of our economy.”Faced with critical shortages of crucial building resources and the ever-spiralling costs of those available, ZC was left with no option but to ask the contractor to leave the site until such a time as the material supply situation is stable. We decided to put the project on hold and watch the economic trend in the country and then resume once the financial climate is conducive.”Banda scotched suggestions that work had been halted because of ZC’s own financial situation. “Of course, it cannot be denied that ZC is struggling financially. We are not immune to the harsh economic situation in the country. The most important point though is that we will not sink.”The Academy is little more than a shell, with the second story hardly started. However, the nets and pitch itself remain in use and appeared this week to be in a good condition.Local sources also paint a gloomy picture about the state of grounds around Zimbabwe, with many reported to be overgrown, as reported by Cricinfo earlier this year, and even some of those which were in use then have fallen into disrepair in recent months. The rampant inflation and shortage of basics such as fuel, machine parts and fertilisers means that ZC is increasingly powerless to intervene.Chronic and well-publicised water shortages are only likely to exacerbate the situation. A few venues, such as Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club, have their own boreholes and so can continue functioning for the time being, but the general situation continues to deteriorate.