Geoff Lawson has said he had signed up as the head coach of the controversial Kochi team in the IPL, but his appointment could not be confirmed as the franchise is caught in a dispute over ownership

Osman Samiuddin04-Oct-2010Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has said he has signed up as the head coach of the controversial Kochi team in the IPL, but there remains confusion over his appointment – the franchise is in the middle of a dispute over ownership and control among consortium members.Lawson told ESPNcricinfo that the official designation was that of ‘head coach’ over a two-year-period, adding, “I have shaken hands on the deal and will probably be in India late next week to get started.” Yet, in keeping with the recent confusion around the Kochi IPL franchise, team owners – who paid $333.33m for the franchise earlier this year – contacted by ESPNcricinfo would not confirm Lawson’s new job, stating that they were in discussions with other candidates.The Kochi consortium is expected to register itself as a joint venture company following the BCCI’s demands – made at its recent AGM – that the two groups fighting for control reach an agreement.At that meeting, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said it would issue a show-cause notice to Kochi because it had received two letters from rival groups of Kochi owners, with each group asking to be recognised as the franchise owner and wanting the other de-recognised. In order to sort out the ownership issue, the BCCI has asked them to be incorporated into a single company within ten days of receiving the show-cause. “If they do that in accordance of the original rules of the IPL ownership, we are okay with the Kochi franchise,” Manohar said.Lawson’s highest-profile coaching job was his 15-month stint in charge of the Pakistan team from July 2007. He helped them reach the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 but his partnership with inexperienced captain Shoaib Malik did not get to blossom as 2008 was a barren year for Pakistan – Australia pulled out of a full tour, the Champions Trophy was postponed and Pakistan were left to play minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Seamer Ben Phillips will move from Somerset, where he has been since 2007, to Nottinghamshire after signing a two-year contract with the county

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Seamer Ben Phillips will move from Somerset, where he has been since 2007, to Nottinghamshire after signing a two-year contract with the county.Phillips enjoyed moderate success last season, taking 29 wickets in 11 County Championship appearances for Somerset, and also played an important role as a first- or second-change bowler in their domestic limited-overs campaigns.”Mick [Newell, director of cricket] didn’t have to sell the club to me at all because I’m well aware that there are a lot of quality players here and that conditions at Trent Bridge will help my bowling,” said Phillips.”I wasn’t actively looking for a move but it was made clear that my opportunities might be limited given the signings that Somerset had made and I jumped at the chance to join Nottinghamshire. I’m delighted to be joining a team that will be in the hunt for trophies and I see this move as a perfect opportunity for me.”Phillips, 36, began his county career with Kent in 1996 before moving to Northamptonshire in 2002. He was a popular member of the team but was never regarded as much more than a bits-and-pieces player. At the end of 2006 he asked to be released from his contract because his family had not settled in the area, and signed a contract with Somerset.He is already well acquainted with several of his new Nottinghamshire teammates having played with Graeme Swann and Graeme White at Northants and having spent time with David Hussey, Darren Pattinson and Paul Franks in Melbourne last winter.”Ben has a solid reputation in county cricket and he can play a big part for us next season,” said Newell. “It was very important that we recruited a bowler who can come into the side and bowl long spells with accuracy and control and Ben is capable of doing that.”

Australia are closing in on a series-levelling victory at the WACA after ripping out five England wickets during the final session to back up Michael Hussey’s 116 which continued his phenomenal series

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson can only look on as Ryan Harris celebrates Paul Collingwood’s last-ball dismissal•Getty Images

Australia are closing in on a series-levelling victory at the WACA after ripping out five England wickets during the final session to back up Michael Hussey’s 116 which continued his phenomenal series. Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris both struck in the final five minutes of play to finish with two apiece while other scalp, the key one of Kevin Pietersen for 3, went to the hardworking Ben Hilfenhaus as England lurched to stumps on 5 for 81.Those final few moments did huge damage to England who were already struggling. Jonathan Trott had played well for 31 before fencing at Johnson and, in a sign of how fortunes have changed, Ricky Ponting parried the ball at second slip only for Brad Haddin to snap up the chance. Ponting immediately left the field for treatment on a finger so missed the final-ball drama when the out-of-form Paul Collingwood edge Harris to third slip, the ball after nightwatchman James Anderson declined a single to take the strike off Collingwood.Hussey and Shane Watson, who fell five runs short of his hundred, were chiefly responsible for building Australia’s strong position as they extended their fourth-wicket stand to 113. After that, England staged a fightback with Chris Tremlett claiming his maiden five-wicket haul as the last six wickets fell for 55 but, despite the positive talk of a repeat of South Africa’s 414-run chase in 2008-09, history was always unlikely to repeat itself.Australia were mightily pumped up for the final session, knowing the quick bowlers could go full throttle. Ponting wasn’t afraid to switch the bowlers around and it was a change of ends for Harris that brought the first breakthrough when Alastair Cook was struck on the back leg. Cook asked Andrew Strauss if it was worth a review, but wasn’t supported by his captain. The ball would have clipped the bails.

Smart Stats

• Shane Watson’s 95 was the fourth time he has fallen in the nineties in his career. He has two centuries and 14 fifties.

• Michael Hussey’s century was his second of the series and the 13th of his career. He averages almost 61 in home Tests but just over 39 in away Tests.

• The 113 run partnership between Hussey and Watson was the third century stand for the fourth wicket for Australia against England in Test matches at Perth.

• In 11 innings since June 2010, Kevin Pietersen has scored 477 runs with one century and two fifties. He has scored less than 10 in five of these innings.

• Of the ten previous occasions that Australia have set a target over 300 at Perth, they have gone on to win on seven occasions and drawn twice. The only loss came against South Africa in 2008.

Johnson had been brought on in the sixth over and offered a couple of boundary balls, then tightened up to off stump and found Strauss’s edge which flew comfortably to Ponting at second slip. Whereas Hussey had given a lesson in what to leave, England’s batsmen were far less certain.Pietersen also chased a wide delivery that he poked to first slip to give Hilfenhaus his first wicket since the third ball of the series. Pietersen had escaped a pair with a pull to fine leg but hadn’t settled when he hung his bat out, although it was nothing less than Hilfenhaus deserved for a probing spell. For Pietersen it was his lowest contribution when he has batted twice in a Test. Like his team, it’s been quite a comedown from Adelaide.Throughout the match it has been tough for batsmen when they first come in, which emphasises the importance of the lone hundred so far from Hussey. His latest masterclass made him the first batsman to hit six consecutive fifty-plus scores in a Ashes Tests, a run dating back to his futile hundred at The Oval in 2009. He also became the leading run-scorer in the series, overtaking Cook, and made this the most prolific series of his career. Not bad for a player who nearly lost his place before it all started in Brisbane.He brought up his hundred with a crunching pull, the manner in which many of his boundaries arrived as England maintained the plan of feeding his strength. He was barely troubled by any of the short-pitched offerings, which although working against some of his team-mates were a futile and wasted effort to Hussey.Hussey has an impressive conversion rate of fifties to hundreds, but the same can’t yet be said of Watson. He’d barely put a foot wrong during his innings, unfurling some thumping drives against Steven Finn as he moved carefully to 95 and within sight of his third Test century. Tremlett then got one to hold its line on middle which Watson missed, but the batsman called for a review thinking he’d hit the ball.It was a small window for England, which looked to have become a little bigger when Steven Smith was given caught at slip off an inside edge by Billy Doctrove, but this time the UDRS worked in Australia’s favour when no nick was detected and the ball was also heading over the stumps. It was a skittish innings from Smith, who could also have been run out, before Tremlett’s move to round the wicket worked as Smith gloved down the leg sideHaddin began with a sweep for six over midwicket against Swann, who only bowled five overs in the day and struggled, but got an inside edge into the stumps to give Tremlett a fourth. The lower order couldn’t offer Hussey much support as Johnson drove to cover, Harris pulled to deep midwicket and Siddle edged to third to slip to hand Anderson his 200th Test wicket.Hussey finally departed to the pull, when he picked out deep square-leg to give Tremlett a deserved five-wicket haul, but his innings had set up victory that will arrive on Sunday. And from the position Australia were in on the first afternoon, that’s an astonishing turnaround.

A round-up of the second day of the eleventh round in Division One of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Ali Azmat’s half-century combined with some strong lower-order batting helped Water and Power Development Authority post a challenging first-innings score of 369 for 9 declared against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azmat led all batsmen with 79, laced with 12 boundaries, as the last five wickets added 222. He was ably supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 33, and Umaid Asif, who made 47, whil Kashif Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 31. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan was the best of the bowlers, taking 3 for 45.Both teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the finals, but probably need an outright win to get there, so ZTBL opener Yasir Hameed came out swinging the bat with intent. He had reached 18 from 21 balls, with three fours, before seamer Umaid Asif had him caught behind. At stumps, ZTBL were 34 for 1.Rain continued to play spoilsport on the second day of the game between Sialkot and Rawalpindi, with only 29 overs being bowled, but that was enough for the Rawalpindi bowlers to reduce Sialkot to 16 for 4, before the hosts staged a semi-recovery to end the day on 89 for 5 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Rizwan Akbar produced a devastating opening spell to remove three of the top four batsmen, claiming two wickets with two balls, while Sadaf Hussain prised out Sialkot captain Mansoor Ajmad. Majid Jehangir and Shehzad Malik then added 49 to stem the rot somewhat before Jehangir was caught behind off the bowling seamer Nasir Malik for 34. Shehzad and Nabeel Malik then managed to avoid further damage, with the former on 22 and the latter on 14. Rawalpindi are currently tied second in the points table with Water and Power Development Authority, and potentially need a big win to qualify for the finals.A half-century by Mohammad Kashif got Islamabad back into their game against Multan on a curtailed day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Islamabad were in trouble after they lost two quick wickets on the second morning to leave them at 48 for 4 in response to Multan’s 244. But, Kashif’s 61 and contributions from Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain helped them recover to 189 for 6 by the end of the 46 overs that were played on the day. Multan seamer Tahir Maqsood dismissed overnight batsman Zeeshan Mushtaq and then got Faizan Riaz for a duck next ball. Kashif and Farrukh Hayat shared a 54-run partnership before Hayat was run out. Kashif got his runs quickly, hitting 10 boundaries in his innings. For Multan, who have lost all of their ten games so far this season, the match is a last hope to gain some pride, while Islamabad can finish no higher than eighth even if they win.Karachi Blues managed to take a 72-run first-innings lead against Faisalabad by the end of the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. It didn’t look like that would happen after the first few overs of Karachi’s innings. Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat ripped out three early wickets to leave them 3 for 3, and facing a top-order collapse. Unfortunately for Faisalabad, Hayat could only bowl five overs in the day, and Rameez Raja (2) counterattacked, racing to 67 off 55 balls. Most of Karachi’s middle-order batsmen got starts but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood kept chipping away at the wickets, picking up five in the end, as Karachi were all out for 264. The lead was pushed past the 50-run mark thanks to a 57-run tenth-wicket stand between Babar Rehman and Malik Aftab.Habib Bank Limited continued to be frustrated by the conditions as only nine overs were bowled on the second day of their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. HBL reached 19 for 0, but with no play on the first day as well, the win they need to make absolutely certain of their spot in the finals is unlikely. The good news for HBL is that Rawalpindi and Pakistan International Airlines’ matches have also been affected by rain. PIA, Rawalpindi, Water and Power Development Authority and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited are the four teams who have a chance to catch up with HBL. WAPDA and ZTBL are playing each other, which also helps HBL’s cause.There was no play in the game between National Bank and Pakistan International Airlines for the second straight day.

Scotland’s veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dougie Lockhart has announced his retirement from international cricket, saying he could ‘no longer commit the required time and make the necessary sacrifices’

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2011Scotland’s veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dougie Lockhart has announced his retirement from international cricket.”This is the right time for me to finish my international career,” he said. “Representing Scotland requires 100% commitment, discipline and dedication and I have always prided myself on the high standards I have set.”After 16 years of international cricket and nine years of combining international cricket with a full time job, I feel that I can no longer commit the required time and make the necessary sacrifices to play and compete at international level. There are no major tournaments over the next couple of years, so it is an appropriate time to step aside and allow younger players the opportunities to progress.”An Oxford Blue at cricket, Lockhart made his representative debut for Scotland in 1995, at the age of 19, against the MCC at Mannofield, Aberdeen. As a batsman, in 178 appearances he scored more than 3,500 runs for his country, including two centuries and 14 half-centuries – his highest score being a first-class innings of 151 against Canada in the Intercontinental Cup in 2008. As a wicketkeeper at international level, he also took 115 catches and 11 stumpings.Lockhart, who started his cricket career at Glasgow Academicals, also captained Scotland on seven occasions, including leading the team to a clean sweep in the 1999 Triple Crown and captaining the side against the MCC at Lord’s in 2002.”The Scotland team over the 2004-05 period was the strongest I was involved in,” he said. “We had a talented group of players who had played a lot of cricket together and everyone peaked at the right time for the ICC Trophy in Ireland.”I feel extremely proud and privileged to have played for Scotland over a period of significant development for the game in this country. I have enjoyed every minute of it and it was fantastic to have the opportunity to play in One-Day Internationals, first-class matches, ICC tournaments and English county matches for Scotland.”I will miss the dressing room atmosphere and the adrenaline from big games, but I know in my heart that the time is right. I look forward to moving on to the next phase of my life in my career with Barclays Wealth, and spending more time with my wife Joanne.”Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith said: “Dougie has been a tremendous servant of Scottish cricket throughout his international career and has had constantly to juggle his professional career with his Scotland commitments. I’m sure everyone will want to thank him for and to congratulate him on such a distinguished record.”

Jonathan Trott scored his second one-day hundred and followed that with a crucial spell of 2 for 31, which also happened to be his maiden ODI wickets

Andrew McGlashan at Adelaide Oval26-Jan-2011Jonathan Trott was delighted to become an allrounder for a day. He scored his second one-day hundred and followed that with a crucial spell of 2 for 31, which also happened to be his maiden ODI wickets, to help England to a 21-run victory that kept the series alive.Trott’s 126-ball innings set the platform from which England reached their highest total against Australia in the country, beating the 294 at Melbourne earlier this series, and took his ODI average to a heady 54.38 to go alongside his Test figure of 61.53. However, with the visitors picking just three main bowlers, his seven overs of medium pace which claimed Cameron White and David Hussey – Australia’s middle-order enforcers – ensured England never lost control of the game.”Obviously I’m in the team to get 100s,” he said. “I was very happy to do that and set up a very good total, one we felt we could defend. When called upon to bowl it is always nice to contribute as well. I know how cricket can be, it can be a nice game and it can be a horrible game sometimes.”Trott hit an unbeaten 84 in the previous game at the SCG as England limped to 214 and there was some criticism that he didn’t try to force the pace towards the end of the innings. This time he rode in the slipstream of Matt Prior’s 68 early on, then ensured the innings didn’t fall apart when three wickets fell for 22.”When we lost the three wickets it was important that we didn’t have what happened in Sydney with a progression of wickets,” he said. “It was important that I hung around. I was a little bit disappointed to get out in the manner I did towards the end with the Powerplay looming. That’s something to work on for future games with batting and setting totals or chasing them.”Trott also aims to work on his bowling to fill a valuable role in one-day and Test cricket. Paul Collingwood’s retirement from the five-day game means England will need a new part-time bowler come their next Test series and Trott wants to develop. “I’ve had a chat with David Saker and we’re going to work hard at that,” he said. “If I could bowl like Colly has in this tour then definitely I can help the side.”Michael Clarke, who would like to be able to play a similar anchor role with the bat for Australia but can’t break his form slump, praised Trott’s innings and the way his team-mates allowed him to control the innings. “I think the earlier he gets in probably the better for him and the more it suits his game and allows him to play freely,” he said. “He’s in pretty good nick and he batted really well today. I thought he held the innings together really well, the other guys had the opportunity to play around him.”Although Australia closed the innings a mere 21 runs adrift, they were struggling from the moment Shane Watson was caught behind off Ajmal Shahzad. The visitors knew that was the key wicket because of the way Watson played in Melbourne with his unbeaten 161 when Australia chased 295, but Clarke doesn’t believe the opener is carrying too much of a burden.”Obviously all the batters want to perform and do well. Watto is in a bit of a purple patch and batting really well and leading from the front,” Clarke said. “But we’ve had other guys; Brad Haddin batted really well the other night, Shaun Marsh a hundred a couple of games ago, David Hussey as well. I just think at the moment he’s batting really well, unfortunately he didn’t go on and get a big one which would have been nice tonight.”

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-finals round-up

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2011In what turned out to be a low-scoring semi-final round, Tamil Nadu imploded for 59 to hand Bengal a 55-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.Chosing to bat, Bengal began poorly, being reduced to 8 for 2 in the fifth over. Coming in at No.4, captain Manoj Tiwary counterattacked, stroking five massive sixes in an innings of 69 off 44 balls. He did not find a reliable partner though, as wickets continued to tumble at the other end. The second highest contribution of the innings came from wicketkeeper, Wriddhiman Saha, with 19. Lakshmipathy Balaji was the pick of the Tamil Nadu bowlers, picking up two wickets at 4.50 runs an over.Chasing a target that required them to score at less than a run a ball, Tamil Nadu fell behind right away. Ashok Dinda was on a hat-trick in the first over of the innings, after bowling Anirudha Srikkanth and getting Ganapathi Vignesh to edge to the keeper for a golden duck. Tamil Nadu never recovered, losing three wickets with the score on 11, to be reduced to 11 for 6 in the seventh over. The only sizable contribution came from Arun Karthik, who was unbeaten on 35 off 26 balls when the innings folded on 59. Medium-pacer Sayan Mondal wrecked the middle order with four wickets and a run out.Bengal will meet Madhya Pradesh in the final at the same venue on March 16.Madhya Pradesh set up the final clash with Bengal, defeating Haryana by two wickets with one ball to spare in a thrilling second match of the day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.Being asked to bowl, Madhya Pradesh knocked over the top half of the Haryana line-up in a hurry, to leave them 23 for 5 in the seventh over. Cameos from Nitin Saini, Joginder Sharma and Amit Mishra made sure Haryana played out their 20 overs though, finishing with 115 for 9. Madhya Pradesh’s pace trio of TP Sudhindra, Anand Rajan and Amarjeet Singh shared the wickets around.Madhya Pradesh’s reply was built around a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership between Udit Birla and Harpreet Singh, after Sharma and Kuldeep Hooda made early inroads. There was no much resistance otherwise, but Madhya Pradesh did just enough to edge out Haryana in a nail-biting last over that included Birla’s wicket, a run-out and a first-ball boundary from No. 10 batsman Sudhindra to seal the victory.

The World Cup has left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million thanks to cost overruns and heavy expenses incurred in building stadiums

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2011The World Cup has left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million thanks to cost overruns and heavy expenses incurred in building stadiums. Sri Lanka, which lost the final to India in Mumbai, built two new grounds, one in Hambantota and the other in Pallekele, while the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo received an extensive renovation.”We spent a lot of money to host the World Cup, to build two stadiums and rebuild one stadium. The World Cup left us a 2.5 billion rupee deficit,” Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told reporters. “We spent about five billion rupees to build the three World Cup venues.”The board was forced to pledge the newly built stadiums plus the income from upcoming tours as collateral to raise funds to pay for the World Cup. Sri Lanka hosted 12 games over the course of the tournament.’We are not in a serious cash crisis,” Aluthgamage said. “Building new stadiums costs a lot of money. You must look at it as an investment for the future development of the game.”According to Sujeewa Rajapakse, Sri Lanka Cricket treasurer, the board took a $21.5 million loan from state-run Bank of Ceylon and another $3.5 million loan from the ICC to cover their costs. “We are expecting $25 million from the ICC soon, by way of hosting rights,” Rajapakse said. “Once that comes, we can sort things out.”Sri Lanka will play England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa this year, and is due to host the World Twenty20 championships in 2012.

Ray Illingworth, the former England captain, will soon be discharged from Leeds General hospital after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2011Ray Illingworth, the former England captain, will soon be discharged from Leeds General hospital after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday.Illingworth, 78, is in his second year as president of Yorkshire, the county of his birth. Over a glittering playing career, which included 61 Tests for England, he scored 24,134 first-class runs and took 2,072 wickets.Robin Smith, a former president of Yorkshire, said: “I have spoken to his wife, Shirley, and it is expected that Raymond will be able to return to his Farsley home soon. The club sends every good wish to Raymond and his family. He is doing a tremendous job as Yorkshire president, and we trust it will not be long before he is back with us at Headingley.”

Chaminda Vaas took seven wickets as Division Two leaders Northamptonshire took total command at Wantage Road

31-May-2011
Scorecard
Chaminda Vaas took seven wickets as Division Two leaders Northamptonshire took total command of the third day of their County Championship match against Glamorgan at Wantage Road.Northamptonshire declared on 461 for 6 at lunch, with Rob White making 140 and wicket-keeper David Murphy blasting a career-best 79 off 98 balls. Glamorgan were then skittled for just 72 in the afternoon, with former Sri Lanka seamer Vaas taking a fantastic 5 for 22 before he claimed 2for 36 in the visitor’s second innings as they closed on 119 for 3.After yesterday’s wash-out, Northants began the day on 325 for 3 with White resuming on 101 and Murphy on 12. Murphy went on to complete a half-century off 58 balls by smashing Graham Wagg for six over midwicket – a shot which also gave the hosts a full set of batting bonus points.White was to depart when he chipped Alex Jones to Dean Cosker at mid-on before Murphy holed out by launching Cosker to Mike Powell at deep fine leg. Captain Andrew Hall followed him back to the pavilion with the very next ball as he was trapped lbw by Cosker. Northamptonshire then declared during lunch, leaving David Sales unbeaten on 12 and James Middlebrook on 11.Glamorgan were to lose Will Bragg early on when he was caught leg before by Vaas, and Powell followed three balls later when he edged Vaas to Middlebrook at gully. Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen (18) went when he was caught by Murphy off Vaas, before Jack Brooks got in on the act by forcing Gareth Rees to slice him to Stephen Peters at third slip for a duck.Ben Wright and Wagg both went without scoring by being caught behind by Murphy off Brooks and Vaas respectively. Glamorgan wicketkeeper Mark Wallace then dragged Vaas on to his middle stump to give Vaas his 30th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.Robert Croft and Jones were then both bowled by Hall before the skipper completed the rout when he was edged by Cosker to Murphy.Following-on still 389 runs behind, Glamorgan lost Petersen for two in the third over when he nudged Vaas to Sales at second slip. Bragg finally brought some stability as he made a half-century off 83 balls, but he went cheaply on 52 when he launched Middlebrook to Brooks at long leg.Powell then feathered Vaas to Murphy in the third over before the close and Rees and Jones will resume tomorrow on 44 and 4 respectively.