Mark Wagh has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the conclusion of Nottinghamshire’s ongoing Championship match against Worcestershire at New Road after five years with the county

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2011Mark Wagh has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the conclusion of Nottinghamshire’s ongoing Championship match against Worcestershire at New Road after five years with the county. He had originally planned to bow out in August to pursue a career in law but has decided to make an early exit to focus on his new career.”I will always look back fondly on my time at Nottinghamshire and I have been privileged to play alongside some excellent players here,” said Wagh.”Being part of the Championship winning team last season was a major highlight for me and I would like to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and all of the club’s members and supporters for all they have done and continue to do for Nottinghamshire.”Wagh moved to Nottinghamshire from Warwickshire at the end of the 2006 season and enjoyed consistent success with them.He averaged 56.95 in his first season at Trent Bridge, and passed 1,000 Championship runs in two of his four full summers with the county, his leanest spell coming in 2009 when he scored only 814 runs but still managed three centuries.”Mark was an excellent acquisition and he gave stability to our batting order during a time when our fortunes in four-day cricket made a significant and sustained improvement,” said Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell.”His century at Edgbaston last season was a particularly good innings and he made a solid contribution to our success. He wouldn’t have featured in our Twenty20 fixtures and we agreed that it was best for all concerned if he was to bring forward his retirement.”Wagh’s place in the batting line-up could be taken by left-hander Neil Edwards, who is expected to return from injury in time for the match against Lancashire which begins on June 20.

A PCB disciplinary committee has recommended the board lift the suspension on selector Mohammad Ilyas

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2011A PCB disciplinary committee has recommended the board lift the suspension on selector Mohammad Ilyas. Ilyas, a former Pakistan batsman, had earlier been suspended and served two showcause notices for his role in the dispute involving Shahid Afridi’s conditional retirement and appearing on a TV show with banned cricketer Salman Butt.Ilyas was asked to appear before a disciplinary committee and explain his appearance on a TV show – Butt was a panelist on it – in which he responded to criticism levelled at him by Afridi. He was found to have violated clauses 8 and 9 of his PCB contract. Under ICC rules, no board member is allowed to interact with a banned player, in this case Butt, who was punished by the ICC for his alleged role in the spot-fixing controversy.”Mr Ilyas was asked to explain the reasons for his recent conduct. He mentioned that he should have sought permission from PCB before appearing in a talk show,” a release issued by the PCB stated. “Mr Ilyas said that he felt he had to defend his honour after being subjected to accusations of a personal nature. The committee noted that Mr Ilyas had responded to personal comments made against him but had not criticised the PCB, its management, or its policies.”The committee issued a short order in which it recommended that PCB issue a warning to Mr Ilyas to exercise caution while dealing with the media in the Future. The committee also recommended that PCB lift Mr Ilyas’s suspension. A detailed order will be issued at a later date.”Afridi had specifically and personally criticised Ilyas after announcing his conditional retirement from the game as part of his blitz against the board. An incensed Ilyas felt compelled to respond with his own attacks against Afridi and was duly issued with a showcause notice, in which the board said he had violated the code of conduct applicable to officials.Afridi and Ilyas have a history: Ilyas has often opposed the selection of Afridi in the side but that opinion has ballooned in recent months. Afridi accused Ilyas of promoting his son-in-law Imran Farhat, while Ilyas responded by saying Afridi had pushed unfairly and persistently for Ahmed Shahzad, Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan.

With Australia set to play their first full bilateral series since the Ashes, in Sri Lanka, their coach Tim Nielsen believes the team has an opportunity to turn public opinion on the state of Australian cricket around

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2011With Australia set to play their first full bilateral series since the Ashes, in Sri Lanka, their coach Tim Nielsen believes the team has an opportunity to turn public opinion on the state of Australian cricket around. Australia have been on a break since they played three ODIs in Bangladesh in April, which Nielsen said had helped the players recover from the disappointment of the Ashes loss and the exit at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup.”The most important thing is it gives us the opportunity to get our cricket, especially publicly, heading back in the right direction,” he told .The series will also be the first opportunity for Michael Clarke to captain Australia in Tests, and Nielsen said it would be a test for him. “Michael’s very clear on how he feels the team should be playing. We’ve got some new staff, a new captain, a new vice-captain, so all of those things lead to a different voice and a different idea.”The new leadership though does not mean former captain Ricky Ponting, who remains in the squad as a player, will not be looked to for advice, Nielsen said. He also said Ponting was professional enough not to let his presence in the team undermine Clarke’s status.”We haven’t had a lot of cricket since he [Ponting] handed over the reins to Michael. It’s been beneficial for Punter to have a bit of a break, I’m sure, and think about how he attacks the role. He’s an experienced man, he and Michael got on well as captain and vice-captain in the past so they obviously can work together very closely.”The worst thing we could do is not listen to Ricky again because he’s not captain or expect him not to do things that could help the team and Michael’s very supportive of that.”Australia will play two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and three Tests in Sri Lanka and Nielsen was wary of how good Sri Lanka are in their home conditions.”They played in the World Cup final, so they’re an excellent one-day team; their Twenty20 cricket is strong and their Test match cricket is strong. They are certainly one of those teams that revel in their own conditions.”Nielsen said his team was looking forward to a season in which they will also tour South Africa and host India. “We couldn’t get a better opportunity or challenge, playing three of the top four nations inside the next 12 months away and at home.”

India’s injury-ravaged squad means Manoj Tiwary could play on Tuesday hours after landing in London

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Sep-2011By Monday evening, Manoj Tiwary had taken two domestic flights in little more than a day, and was faced with a long-haul journey to London. Still, he was anything but exhausted. On Sunday Tiwary left for his home town of Kolkata from Bangalore after his BCCI Corporate Trophy match was rained out. He had already heard about Rohit Sharma fracturing his right index finger the previous evening. He sensed he had a chance. The call from the BCCI official came late afternoon, informing him that he was booked on a Monday evening flight from Mumbai to join the Indian squad.With Sachin Tendulkar being ruled out of the series on Monday, a development which caught even the Indian squad by surprise, there were strong indications from the Indian camp of Tiwary being rushed from Heathrow airport on Monday straight to Southampton to play the match. It might seem cruel on the player but with only six specialist batsmen left in the squad India don’t really have much of a choice other than playing five bowlers and going a batsman light.Nevertheless Tiwary is no stranger to being dashed across continents to join the team at the very last minute. In the 2008 CB Series in Australia, Yuvraj Singh was forced to return home due to knee injury and Tiwary was called in as reinforcement. He reached Brisbane less than 48 hours before the match against Australia, and walked in to face Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson with barely a day’s break. It was his debut. The jet lag was evident as he was bowled by a searing Lee yorker for 2.It took Tiwary three years to make an India comeback, returning during the ODI series in West Indies in June. In his first match of the series, he was played as an opener and once again failed. In the next he batted at his regular No. 4 position but could only muster 22. India lost both matches.But Tiwary stayed confident. In the Emerging Players tournament in Australia last month he did well in the three-day games, finishing fifth on the run charts with 306 runs from three matches at an average of 76.5 including a highest of 188.”I made a point to myself to become to be the highest run-getter in the three-day matches as well as in the Twenty20 matches (in the Emerging Players). That was my main motive,” Tiwary told ESPNcricnfo, over the phone from Mumbai.Tiwary said he was lucky that the Indian coach at the Emerging Players tournament Bharat Arun played him as No. 4, his favourite position where he has played through his career. In the previous Emerging Players tournament in 2009, he had batted in the lower middle-order, something that did not allow him to settle down.Tiwary said setting goals and trying to achieve them has only helped him stay in focus. “Last year the domestic season had gone really well for me. I knew if I had to make a comeback, domestic performances along with the IPL would definitely count. And I got a reward by getting on the West Indies tour followed by the Emerging tournament.”In the Ranji Trophy, Tiwary had an aggregate of 525 runs from seven matches at an average of 75. He even had unbeaten double century (233) and three fifties. In the IPL, his 359 runs was among the reasons for Kolkata Knight Riders reaching the semi-finals.If he does play on Tuesday, Tiwary would not have much time to think about anything except making sure he has got his protective gear in shape. If the flight is on time, Tiwary will land at 7.40 am and then rush to Southampton, another two-hour drive. “It is a big opportunity to grasp because not every time such opportunities come along and I have a good chance to do well against a good side (England).”

Michael Hussey says he is wary of saying he is in good form and believes the second new ball on the third day will be crucial to the fate of the match

Daniel Brettig in Colombo17-Sep-2011Ladies and gentlemen, your Man of the Series. If match awards in Galle and Pallekele were not enough, Michael Hussey strengthened his grip on the individual garlands still further by constructing an expert 118 to hold Australia’s middling first innings together at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.He did it in much the same style with which runs were collected in the first two Tests, demonstrating patience, placement, and hands that were in equal part deft and powerful. Hussey now has four centuries in five Tests against Sri Lanka. However it is his 95 on a spiteful surface in Galle that sticks strongest in his memory.”I think the first innings in Galle really stands out at the moment,” Hussey said. “Because the conditions were so challenging and to get our team into a great position to win that Test, the first Test of a series, gives me a lot of pleasure. Having said that you’ve got to work hard for every Test match hundred, so I’m elated with all of them.”Well as he has played, Hussey still began this Test with a demotion in the batting order, to accommodate Shaun Marsh at No. 3. The move down to No. 6 seemed scant reward for the form Hussey has demonstrated over the past 12 months, during which he was the only batsman to consistently defy England’s rampant Ashes tourists, and in Sri Lanka has held the entire home attack in thrall.”I’m not fussed at all about being at No. 6,” he said. “Opposition teams will look at our batting order and think it is pretty daunting; if we get some guys in and doing well, it is going to be a very powerful batting order.”Hussey also said he did not want to read too much into his recent run of good scores because form can be a fickle thing. “I’ve always wondered about this good form and bad form thing; there’s such a fine line between them. Sometimes you just need that little bit of luck. Getting a good score early in a series does wonders for your confidence. You feel like you can just relax, play your game. But I’ve never liked to say I’m in good form because it only takes a couple of good balls and you’re suddenly in bad form.”Two of Hussey’s more significant partnerships in this series have been in the company of Marsh, who has made 141 and 81 in his first two Test innings to provide the other major bulwark of Australia’s batting. Marsh’s dismissal late on the first day saw the Australian innings take a turn towards mediocrity, and Hussey said, despite his effort, Australia had fallen a bit short of a good total.”The conditions, as the ball got older, were very good for batting, so it would’ve been nice if we’d gone over 350. Having said that we did lose the toss and on the first morning there was a little bit of juice in the pitch.”The shortfall has placed Australia in their most tenuous position of the series, more or less at the mercy of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara on their beloved SSC strip, where they have now scored 1607 runs in partnership with each other. For this reason, Hussey pointed to the third day as the most important one of the series.”It is a little ominous I must admit. They keep putting the statistics up on the board and you can look it at one of two ways, you can either say ‘oh dear’ or you can say ‘well they’re due to fail’, so hopefully it is the latter. It’s certainly going to be hard to dislodge them with the older ball, but hopefully with the second new ball we can make a few inroads; that’s going to be a key part of the game I think.”It is probably the biggest day of the series coming up tomorrow, if we can bowl well, restrict them and take the wickets, then it is going to put us in a fantastic position to win the Test match, but if we can’t get rid of Kumar and Mahela, they’re going to give themselves every chance to win the Test as well.”

Marcus Trescothick was named PCA player of the year for the third time at the annual end of season awards in London on Thursday evening

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2011Marcus Trescothick was named PCA player of the year for the third time at the annual end of season awards in London on Thursday evening. Alex Hales, the Nottinghamshire and England batsman, took the young player award while Alastair Cook was England’s most valuable player.Despite Somerset twice finishing in second place again on Friends Life t20 finals day and in the CB40 final, Trescothick had an outstanding season with 2518 runs in all competitions putting him at the top of the batting list even though he missed games towards the end of the season due to an ankle injury. Trescothick is only the second player, after Sir Richard Hadlee, to win the Reg Hayter Cup three times.Hales, meanwhile, was rewarded for passing 1000 runs in the County Championship for the first time along with hitting 544 runs in Twenty20 cricket which earned him an England call-up to face India at Old Trafford. Although he made a second-ball duck he will get another chance to impress in the two matches against West Indies.Cook and Stuart Broad, who is currently out injured, were recognised for their part in England’s triumphant summer with the overall and ODI most valuable player awards respectively. Mark Ramprakash was also named County Championship player of the decade while Andrew McDonald and Chris Nash collected domestic awards.Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Player of the Year Marcus Trescothick (Somerset)
John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
ECB Special Award Patrick Eagar
PCA Special Merit Award Jack Bannister
Sky Sports Sixes League Winner Darren Stevens (Kent)
NatWest ODI Player of the Year Stuart Broad
England FTI MVP of the Summer Alastair Cook
LV=County Championship Player of the Decade Mark Ramprakash
Friends Life t20 Player of the Year Andrew McDonald (Leicestershire)
Clydesdale Bank 40 Player of the Year Chris Nash (Sussex)
PCA Umpire of the Year Michael GoughFTI Team of the Year Alastair Cook, Marcus Trescothick, Chris Nash, Alex Hales, Darren Stevens, Steven Davies, Samit Patel, Chris Woakes, James Anderson, David Masters, Monty Panesar

England have just not got their basics right in the ongoing ODI series, batsman Jonathan Trott has said, while India are a much improved side to what they were during their tour of England

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011England batsman Jonathan Trott has said that his team have not managed to get their basics right so far in the ODI series against India. The visitors, he said, have lost key moments in the games so far, contributing to the 3-0 scoreline.”I just think we haven’t played as well as we did in England. Our basics haven’t been up to scratch. Things like big partnerships, fielding …” Trott told on the eve of the fourth ODI in Mumbai. “I think India have played well. They will admit they’ve played a lot better than what they did in the summer. But there are two games to go and a good performance in those games would give us a spring while going back.”I can’t pinpoint the exact reason [for England’s losses]. I think we lost key periods of the games or India played well in the key periods of the games.”Trott made an unbeaten 98 off 116 balls in the third ODI in Mohali, the main contributor in England’s total of 298. India, though, chased down the target with four balls and five wickets to spare. Trott said it was an improved performance by England, but it would have helped if he and Ravi Bopara had made better use of the batting Powerplay. “I think we played well the other night. Got a good total – I think 298 the other night is among England’s highest scores in India – but just could not get across the line.”I think Ravi and I could have pushed it a little bit. I think Ravi got out in the third Powerplay. So when we lose wickets, it puts the brakes on. Historically, we haven’t done well in Powerplays. We would be looking to do that right.”The spotlight has been on England’s on-field conduct – throughout the series the players have been agitated in the field – but Trott played down the issue. “Whichever XI takes the field, they are highly motivated to win,” he said. “I think guys get across very well. It just comes across differently on TV. We get the best out of each other. Sometimes you go out of way to do it, and things happen in the heat of the moment.”Trott said Ajinkya Rahane, who made 91 in Mohali, had the look of a fine player. “I played against him in the 2007-08 Duleep Trophy game [between England Lions and West Zone] and he got some runs against us. I always felt he’s a good player. He played quite well the other night.”Meanwhile, England are working out India’s spinners, he said. “They [Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin] are very good spinners – if you are a spin bowler playing for India, you have to be very good. I’ve been very keen on how to bat against them for three games in a row. Like with everything else, you need to realise [be aware of] every challenge. I think we are getting better and better against them.”

Yusuf Pathan, the India and Baroda allrounder, is in doubt for the remainder of the Ranji Trophy season after suffering a knee injury

Siddhartha Talya27-Nov-2011Yusuf Pathan, the India and Baroda allrounder, is in doubt for the remainder of the Ranji Trophy season after suffering a knee injury. Yusuf hurt his knee while taking a diving catch off the bowling of Irfan Pathan during Baroda’s third-round game against Haryana.”We have lost Yusuf Pathan due to a knee injury. He might need around four to eight weeks of rest,” the Baroda coach Sanath Kumar told ESPNcricinfo. Yusuf hasn’t made an impact yet this first-class season. He has scores of 9, 10 and 23 so far in the Ranji Trophy 2011-12 and has picked up just one wicket.Baroda’s concerns don’t end there. Their opening seamer Murtuja Vahora, too, is injured and will be out of action for their next game against Delhi that starts on November 29. Vahora, who picked up a five-for against Haryana, injured his thigh while attempting a sweep.”It’s a big blow but the replacements are pretty good,” Sanath said. Replacing Vahora is allrounder Abhijit Karambelkar. “He’s done very well in the Under-22. He’s already scored a century and has two five wicket-hauls and is a good medium-pace allrounder,” Sanath said.The offspinning allrounder Utkarsh Patel has been called up in place of Yusuf.
Baroda, the runners-up in the Ranji Trophy last year, have had mixed results in the first few rounds of this Ranji Trophy. Their opening game against Tamil Nadu was virtually rained out, they beat Madhya Pradesh comprehensively in the second round and conceded a first-innings lead in the drawn game against Haryana.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between India and West Indies in Chennai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo10-Dec-2011

Match facts

India v West Indies, December 11, Chennai
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Rahul Sharma should enjoy the Chepauk pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Virender Sehwag’s record-breaking double-century in Indore could have one of two effects on Sunday’s match in Chennai. Either fans will still be abuzz with the euphoria that surrounded the feat and turn up hoping for a reprise, or they will believe the zenith of the series has already been reached, and with the result decided as well will struggle to find meaning in the dead rubber.For the India team, though, the match does hold some significance. Injuries to Praveen Kumar and now Varun Aaron, mean Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun will both be on the plane to Australia for the Test series. In Indore, the pair bowled just eight overs between them and were taken for 71 runs, hardly the kind of form you’d want two of your seamers going to Australia in. On a Chennai pitch that has been slow and low through the year, and offered nothing for the quicks, it will be a test of both their mettle to see if they can at least get through a full quota of overs and take some confidence into the big tour of Australia.After the thrashing in Indore, one could forgive the West Indies players if their minds were already on the plane back home. But Darren Sammy’s side have repeatedly shown fight on this tour, highlighted by their performance in the third Test in Mumbai. Through the one-day series so far, West Indies have put on more runs for the last five wickets than the first five and they will believe that if the top order can come good, they can get a total that will challenge India.

Form guide

India WLWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWLLL

In the spotlight

There had been a bit of mystery surrounding the logic behind having Rahul Sharma in the India squad for two one-day series and a Test series without giving him a game. In Indore, there was some vindication for the selectors, who had picked Rahul Sharma despite the fact that he has only played 10 first-class games. He impressed with his ability to turn the ball even with a flat trajectory and his variations in pace, and struck three times in his first three overs. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has kept low and will be conducive to Rahul Sharma’s skiddy topspinner.Marlon Samuels has got plenty of starts on this tour of India, but is yet to score a century since returning to international cricket after a two-year ban. His only previous ODI in Chennai was in 2007, when he scored 98 and helped West Indies win. As the most experienced batsmen in the ODI team, he will be the one West Indies rely on to turn the form of the top order around.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is always a possibility in Chennai at this time of year. While thundershowers are expected through most of next week, the forecast says Sunday will be sunny.The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has played low and slow all year. During the World Cup, it was the most difficult of all the Indian pitches to bat on. West Indies were bowled out for 188 in their group game against India in Chennai, with spinners taking six of the ten wickets. The pitch has also produced low-scoring encounters through the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, and it could be a hard grind for the batsmen against spin on Sunday.

Team news

With the series already in the bag, India could experiment with their line-up on Sunday. Irfan Pathan will expect to be given a game but it will be difficult deciding who to leave out as Vinay and Mithun are both headed to Australia and the selectors may want to give them game time. Rahul Sharma deserves another chance after his impressive debut and R Ashwin is the local lad. Irfan could be slotted in as an allrounder, with Ravindra Jadeja being rested. Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are part of the squad without getting a game so far this series. Perhaps one of them could be given a chance in the dead rubber, with one of the middle-order batsmen rested.India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Ajinkya Rahane/Manoj Tiwary, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Parthiv Patel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Abhimanyu Mithun, 11 Rahul SharmaDarren Bravo missed the fourth ODI with a hamstring injury and it is not certain whether he will be fit for Sunday’s game. Whether or not he returns, Danza Hyatt must surely make way after scoring just 62 runs in four innings in the series. Adrian Barath could replace Hyatt if Bravo does not play. Given the nature of the pitch, West Indies may opt to play two spinners, and bring Anthony Martin in for Kermar Roach.West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Adrian Barath/ Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach/ Anthony Martin, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

• Virender Sehwag has never scored back-to-back centuries in ODIs. Seven of his 15 one-day hundreds have been succeeded by single-digit scores.
• Out of the four ODIs played at Chepauk this year, three have been won by the side batting first. The average second-innings total in matches that the team chasing lost is 193.
  

  Quotes

  “I have been interacting with Eric Simmons [the India bowling coach] regarding variations and that has helped me a lot. I am also learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. It looks like a turning track. I would definitely like to do well again and ensure a 4-1 series victory for us.”

The Adelaide Oval might provide the under-the-pump Indian batting line-up some respite with a typical Adelaide pitch, which is usually good for batting without monsters in it

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval20-Jan-2012The Adelaide Oval might provide the under-the-pump Indian batting line-up some respite with a typical Adelaide pitch, which is usually good for batting without monsters in it. Four days before the start of the Test, the strip – same as the one used in the Ashes Test that Australia lost on the fifth day – sports an even covering of grass, but it seems dry. More hot days are forecast in the lead-up to the Test, and Adelaide is scorching in the mid-to-late 30s right now.”The heat will definitely dry the pitch out and it’s reasonably dry already,” Damien Hough, the Adelaide Oval curator, said. “There’ll be a little in it on day one, but Adelaide Oval traditionally is a good batting pitch with a bit of spin on days three, four and five. It will always produce spin later on as the game goes. Normally there will be a little bit of inconsistent bounce on days four and five, so I wouldn’t expect anything else.”Hough, though, said the pitch did look greener this year that was because he wanted good carry, and also guard against the dry and hot week in the lead-up to the Test. “We’re trying to get a pitch with as much bounce and carry as we can possibly get,” he said. “We want something that will settle down well for the batters on days two and three, and variable bounce on days four and five, and something in there for the spinners.”Hough said that didn’t have anything to do with early finishes to the previous Tests and the pressure to take the Test into the fifth day. “I have had no such communication,” Hough said. “I’m just here to produce a sporting pitch. I’ll leave it up to the teams to fight that out.”For all of Adelaide’s reputation of being a batsman’s paradise, only three Tests have been drawn here since 1990-91. A part of it has to be down to the Australian domination for a majority of this period. The rest, Hough said, could have something to do with the seam movement when the pitch is fresh on day one, and variable bounce towards the end of the match, which has led to many a third-innings collapse. India’s only win here came thanks to a third-innings collapse.