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Jacob Oram said his running catch to dismiss Jacques Kallis and Martin Guptill’s run-out of AB de Villiers were the two key moments that propelled New Zealand to victory in their quarter-final against South Africa

Osman Samiuddin at the Shere Bangla Stadium25-Mar-2011At the centre of a magnificent fielding performance that won New Zealand their quarter-final against South Africa were two moments. The first was an exceptional running catch on the boundary by Jacob Oram that saw the back of an unperturbed and ominous looking Jacques Kallis. The other was Martin Guptill’s run-out of AB de Villiers, a few overs later and just two balls after JP Duminy’s dismissal, in a short passage of play in which was crystallised South Africa’s collapse.Kallis was progressing in typically Kallis-like fashion on 47 when, in the 25th over, he pulled Tim Southee towards deep midwicket. Oram, Man of the Match for his 4 for 39, ran to his left and back towards the boundary rope, and with a little skip, held on to the catch face-high, still running. It looked far more impressive live than on the TV screens. It was the kind of catch that wins a quarter-final.Oram’s only thought when he saw the shot was to run. “The beauty of it was that it wasn’t in the air that long. If it was a real skier where I had 5 or 10 seconds to think about it, I probably would’ve got a little bit scared underneath it.”My only thought was just run, because he did hit it so well. What helped me was just the angle the ball was coming at; with a pull shot like that, it almost curls back into the angle I was running on. So I was running back and across. Thankfully I am 6’6″. I replaced Kane Williamson out there who is about 4’6″; maybe it would have been a one-bounce four if he was out there.”Guptill’s intervention came from midwicket, exploiting a tiny moment’s hesitation between Faff du Plessis and de Villiers. The catch and Guptill’s effort, which ended the most fluent knock of the match, were, Oram said, moments that turned the entire game.Jacob Oram’s running catch of Jacques Kallis started a South African collapse•Getty Images”My catch [was a turning point], and I’m not just pointing that out because it’s me, but because it broke a partnership that looked like it was starting to build. And the second moment which galvanised us to another level, and put the skids on them, was Martin Guptill running out AB de Villiers. That just seemed to make us all grow a foot taller, and you could see them getting a little worried.”There was a sustained level of excellence in the field throughout the match, from both sides. Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, thought the fielding allowed them to keep the pressure up.”We got a little bit of luck with the Hashim Amla wicket, and there was a great piece of work with Guptill running out de Villiers,” Vettori said. “Those two things, combined with some great bowling and great fielding, allowed us to attack the whole game. The way we bowled and particularly the way we fielded, led by Guptill, probably got us through to the victory.”Another semi-final spot for a side that was stuttering until recently may have surprised others, but not Oram, who believes this is not the end of New Zealand’s run. “Did we ever think we could make it to the semis? Of course we did and we’re not finishing here, hopefully. We didn’t come across here to defeat the minnows in our pool and then lose the quarter-final and go home. Why not go on and win the semi-final and take on the winner of the other semi in Mumbai in a week’s time?”If that eventuality does occur, Oram wouldn’t mind facing Pakistan. “That’s not because we’re scared of India,” he said. “It’s because we’ve played Pakistan in a six-match series at home and we’ve defeated them in Pallekele. So we know them very well, even though they defeated us at home. But if it’s India, bring them on as well.”

The spot-fixing trial will be held on October 4, the Southwark Crown Court in London ruled on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2011The spot-fixing trial will be held from October 4, the Southwark Crown Court in London ruled on Friday. The decision was made during a hearing into corruption charges against Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and the player-agent Mazhar Majeed, who were all named in the spot-fixing investigation.Strangely, none of the four attended the hearing, though Amir and Asif were in London. Butt had already been excused from being present.The players and the agent are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test last August in which they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls. The four appeared at a hearing – at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court – on March 17, which set the date and jurisdiction for this hearing and were granted unconditional bail at the time; Majeed was told to surrender his passport.Accepting corrupt payments is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Cheating is an offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, carrying a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.The foursome was charged after being questioned by Scotland Yard detectives over the alleged scandal in the Test at Lord’s last August, following accusations by the tabloid newspaper. The players have already been banned by the ICC, which held a separate inquiry, for periods ranging from five to ten years. All three have, however, already filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

The fallout from Kenya’s dismal performance at the World Cup continues with news the board is making substantial changes to the way central contracts are handled

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2011The fallout from Kenya’s dismal performance at the World Cup continues with news the board is making substantial changes to the way central contracts are handled.For the past few years, more than a dozen players have been on annual contracts, but this system has been increasingly criticised, with claims it led to complacency and below-par performances. It also did not prevent the contracted players striking for more pay on the eve of a tour to England last July.The argument that giving the security of annual contracts would lead to better on-field performances has turned out to be quite the opposite.Following a review by Cricket Kenya and the ministry for sport, a new system will be introduced with immediate effect. Twelve players will be given four-month contracts to cover the new East African competitions, and at the end of the league programme the selectors will recommend a minimum of 12 players for nine-month national contracts which are reviewed every three months by the selectors and coaching staff to monitor the players’ progress. If a player is deemed not to have reached the expected standards at any quarterly review his contract could be withdrawn. Equally if a player has performed to a consistently high level his contract terms will be improved.”Contracts will be awarded primarily based on performances in the new league structure,” a statement from the board explained. “Players will be selected as much on character, attitude and commitment as playing criteria. Non-negotiable fitness will be implemented and if a player does not meet those standards he will not be offered a contract or could have an existing contract withdrawn.”The awarding of a league contract will not guarantee a national contract and a national contract will not guarantee national selection. The national selection panel will have the flexibility to recommend additional contracts if a non-contracted player has performed to a level worthy of receiving a national contract at any time. Non contracted players added to the national squad for series/events will be paid on a pro rata basis to be negotiated on a case by case basis.”CK will also adopt a holistic approach to player development with all players encouraged to participate in personal development programmes funded by CK. Some players have already taken advantage of CK’s work in this area by taking fully or part funded business administration, computer science and coaching courses. Every player will be assessed and encouraged to improve his academic and/or vocational skills through formal training programmes.”‘There needs to be a balance between providing our leading players with some certainty of income and financial incentive to perform and ensuring that players are constantly driven to reach the standards expected and improve,” Tom Sears, CK’s chief executive, said. “The new format of contracts will ensure that the players that perform are well rewarded and there is always an opportunity for players to force their way in the national reckoning. The emphasis is on performance and results and the players that embrace this will be the ones that do well out of the new contract system.”It was clear that the previous contract system was not working and there had been no improvement in individual and collective performances and results. The new format will make sure that there is a return on the significant investment Cricket Kenya makes into retained contracts and players are constantly striving to perform to their best.”

Jeetan Patel took his first five-wicket haul for Warwickshire as they sealed an eight-wicket win against Sussex in the County Championship at Arundel

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Jeetan Patel took his first five-wicket haul for Warwickshire as they sealed an eight-wicket win against Sussex in the County Championship at Arundel.A hundred from Luke Wright and a half-century from Ollie Rayner had raised Sussex’s hopes of saving the game. However, Patel removed them both in quick succession to finish with figures of 5 for 96 while Boyd Rankin (4 for 60) added two wickets to the two he had taken on day three as Sussex were dismissed for 301 to leave Warwickshire needing just 72 to win.That proved a simple enough task, as Warwickshire wrapped up victory 44 minutes after lunch for the loss of just two wickets. Sussex resumed day four still requiring 29 runs just to make Warwickshire bat again, but any hopes the visitors had of wrapping up the game quickly were thwarted by Wright and Rayner.The pair extended their partnership from 87 overnight to 163 and at one point looked as if they might do enough to set Warwickshire a tricky total to chase. Wright continued to play in a positive manner and brought up his fourth Championship century off just 98 balls by lifting Patel for a four to long on. His hundred included 14 fours and a six.Rayner played a more circumspect innings, but brought up his 50 off 137 balls by pulling Rikki Clarke for successive boundaries. Patel finally made the breakthrough half an hour before lunch in controversial circumstances when Wright tried to turn one off his pads and was caught at short mid-wicket by Jim Troughton for 116.Wright stood his ground claiming it was a bump ball but after a discussion between the umpires he was given out. Rayner followed four overs later when he was lbw for 58 trying to sweep Patel to complete a five- wicket haul for the spinner.Sussex’s lead was only 62 at that stage and they immediately lost Amjad Khan lbw to Rankin’s fourth delivery with the new ball. Rankin picked up his fourth wicket when Monty Panesar tried to hook a short ball and skied a catch to Varun Chopra at short leg just before lunch.With Rana Naved-ul-Hasan unable to bat due to a shoulder injury sustained on Thursday it left Warwickshire chasing 72 to win. Chopra looked in the mood to knock them off quickly as he launched James Anyon for successive sixes before being bowled for 24 by Rayner.Panesar trapped William Porterfield lbw to leave Darren Maddy and Jim Troughton to knock off the winning runs inside 16 overs.

Claire Taylor roared back into form with a boundary-laden 66 to carry England to 134 before a professional team performance with the ball restricted India to 88 for 8

Liam Brickhill26-Jun-2011England 134 (Claire Taylor 66, Goswami 3-20) beat India 88 for 8 (Brunt 1-14, Wyatt 2-20) by 46 runs
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Claire Taylor slapped eight boundaries in her 46-ball 66•Getty ImagesClaire Taylor roared back into form with a boundary-laden 66 to carry England to 134 before a professional team performance with the ball restricted India to 88 for 8 and secured a dominant 46-run win at Taunton. England were already assured of a place in the final of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series but there was no let-up in intensity from them and India never threatened to chase down a modest total.England had looked like getting a lot more than their 134 when Taylor and Danielle Wyatt combined in a rapid third-wicket stand of 42 that rattled along at better than eight an over and ensured England took advantage of the fielding restrictions despite the early departures of captain Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh, who edged the first ball she faced through to wicketkeeper Anagha Deshpande.Wyatt collected four sweetly-timed boundaries, the pick of which was a lofted inside-out drive over extra cover off seamer Snehal Pradhan, before she chipped a return catch back to Amita Sharma. Sharma was on a hat-trick when she found the edge of Lydia Greenway’s bat first ball, but Claire Taylor denied her the landmark and took England past 100 in allrounder Arran Brindle’s company.In the midst of their 55-run stand – the highest of the match – England looked set to reach at least 160, but Indian captain Jhulan Goswami took it upon herself to claw her team back into the game, bowling Taylor and adding two further wickets as England were bowled out with a ball to spare.India’s chase never got going, however, and fast bowler Katherine Brunt recovered from the disappointment of seeing a catch dropped by wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor to strike the first blow by dismissing Deshpande for a 15-ball 5. India managed just one boundary in the first six overs, a slogged four from Neha Tanwar that brought her her first runs in Twenty20 internationals.After Mithali Raj was run out, England’s spinners took control, with Wyatt completing a good all-round performance with two wickets and Holly Colvin and Danielle Hazell contributing one apiece.India knew they couldn’t make the final of this tournament going into this game, and their disappointment was reflected in their lacklustre performance. England, on the other hand, were already assured of a place and will go into their match against Australia on Monday as the form team.”We could have won,” said a disappointed Goswami. “The wicket and weather was good. The batting let us down totally in the competition. We have not been able to score 100 consistently in the tournament. We are not playing to our potential. We need to definitely change as we are working very hard to sort our problems out with our coaches. We know what mistakes we are making and are working hard to rectify it as well.”We need to play our natural game and not take undue pressure. The bottom line is to enjoy the game. The problem seems to be a mental one more than anything else. We are trying to be over aggressive and putting ourselves under pressure. Bowling and fielding are doing well. But we need to make a conscious effort to individually raise our game.”

Chris Dent hit his maiden first-class century as Gloucestershire made a fightof the County Championship game with Surrey at Cheltenham

29-Jul-2011
ScorecardChris Dent hit his maiden first-class century as Gloucestershire made a fightof the County Championship game with Surrey at Cheltenham.The 20-year-old local product made exactly 100 as his side reached 249 for 4in their second innings to take a lead of 112 into the final day, skipper AlexGidman contributed an unbeaten 57.Earlier, Surrey had been bowled out for 423, having begun the day on 392 for8, Yasir Arafat being ninth man out for 65 and Jon Lewis claiming four for95 on the day it was announced he would be moving to The Oval on a two-yearcontract next season.That gave the visitors a first-innings lead of 137 and they made an earlybreakthrough in Gloucestershire’s second innings when Hamish Marshall was pinnedleg-before by a ball from Tim Linley that cut back and kept low.It was 12 for 1 and Surrey may have harboured hopes of a swift kill. But Dentand Chris Taylor responded positively for the hosts and took the total to 68 atlunch. A further 25 had been added when Taylor, on 47, attempted to pull Linley andgot a top edge to be caught by Jade Dernbach at deep square leg.At 113 for 2 rain interrupted play, but an early tea was taken and no overswere lost. It meant a long final session of 50 overs and Dent reached hishalf-century off 114 balls, with eight fours.Kane Williamson looked in good form moving to 27, with four fours, but thensurrendered his wicket in careless fashion, driving the left-arm spin of ZafarAnsari in the air to mid-on where Arafat took a comfortable catch.Gidman, on seven, appeared to survive a chance to first slip off Gareth Battywith the score 153 for 3, and the Gloucestershire captain went on toflourish with some fine attacking shots including a straight six off Ansari.Dent was prolific square of the wicket with some sweetly timed cuts and pullshots. Having narrowly missed out on a hundred several times last season, hebravely went for broke and moved from 94 with a pulled six off Ansari.The diminutive left-hander had faced 202 deliveries and hit 13 fours. TheSurrey team joined in the applause of the festival crowd for a memorablelandmark in his short career, but in the same over he pushed forward to Ansariand was bowled.Gidman moved to fifty in the following over, having faced 89 balls and hit fourfours and a six. The new ball became due, but the light was poor and the umpirestook the players off with a possible five overs left in the day.

Worcestershire have signed Brett D’Oliveira, grandson to Basil, from their academy on a one-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2011Worcestershire have signed Brett D’Oliveira, grandson to Basil, from their academy on a one-year contract.Brett D’Oliveira, a 19-year-old legspinner, will be the third generation of D’Oliveiras to play for the club. His father Damian had a 13-year career while grandfather Basil was a Worcestershire stalwart who also played 44 Tests for England.Nick Harrison, a seamer also aged 19, signed as well. Worcestershire’s coach Steve Rhodes said: “The two young lads are products of our Academy who have taken well to life as professional cricketers in 2011.”Becoming full professionals is in response to the improvement both players have made during their scholarship year, both on the field with their cricket and their preparation off it. We look forward to welcoming them on the full professional staff.”

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman, has said that he will give his best if he is made the captain of the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2011Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman, has said that he will give his best if he is made the captain of the national team. He is touted to be Shakib Al Hasan’s successor after the all-rounder was sacked from the captaincy last Monday along with vice-captain Tamim Iqbal.Mushfiqur was the only remaining protagonist left to say his piece in the ongoing drama of Bangladesh cricket. So after Shakib, coach Stuart Law and Tamim had spoken, Mushfiqur’s words, more due to his current standing in the team, were much awaited. And as it turned out, he was confident about the captaincy that is supposedly headed his way.”I am also hearing it from the media but my main target is to perform well in the coming series against West Indies. As a team, we are also looking forward to the next assignment. I will try my best if it (captaincy) is coming my way,” he said.Mushfiqur emphasized the need for a team performance in the West Indies series next month, a theme that went missing on the recent tour of Zimbabwe. Bangladesh were expected to prevail against Zimbabwe, who were making their Test return after five years out of the format, but slid to an embarrassing 130-run loss in the only Test in Harare. Bangladesh’s misery continued in the five-match ODI series that followed, as they went down 0-3 before winning the dead rubbers.”Our batting and fielding was poor and that was the reason behind the failure in Zimbabwe. I don’t think there was anything else other than that behind the debacle.”There were some individual performances but as a team we could not perform well, so our main target would be to perform well as a team against West Indies,” said Mushfiqur, who added that discipline was never an issue.”If you travel with other teams, you can understand how disciplined we are as a team. As our coach said, we are the most disciplined side both on and off the field.”And much like Tamim and the coach, Mushfiqur too praised the man who was removed from the captaincy. “Shakib is our key player and it’s always an advantage for a performer to lead the team. He was excellent as a captain and performed with the bat, ball and also he was superb in his fielding. He always motivated us as a captain.”

Richard Levi wants to emulate Jacques Kallis, who went to the same school as he did

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town 11-Oct-2011Wynberg Boys’ High School in Cape Town last produced a national cricketer in 1995. His name was Jacques Kallis. Sixteen years later, another of their pupils is ready to represent South Africa. His name is Richard Levi. To say he has big shoes to fill is an understatement.”Jacques is probably the best cricketer in the world at the moment, so it’s an unbelievable pedestal to look up to,” Levi said. “We are quite different players but being brought up in the culture of Wynberg, we both enjoy and respect the game. Unfortunately I won’t be able to play with him, which I was really looking forward to, but hopefully one day soon.”Levi is the only uncapped player in South Africa’s Twenty20 squad and has been rewarded for ending third on the run-charts in the domestic twenty-over competition in which he scored 258 runs and three half-centuries. He also made an impression in the Cape Cobras first match of the Champions League T20 with a fluent 43 off 27 balls.His international career was threatened before it even began when he was hit on the head by a Wayne Parnell bouncer during a practice session on Monday. “I got seven stitches in the back of the head but the rest of the boys and everyone else has been taking care of me so I am alright now,” he said.Although Levi has not been given indication of what his role will be if he is in the starting XI, he could well open the batting with either Graeme Smith or Hashim Amla or bat at No. 3 or 4 in the absence of AB de Villiers. It’s an exciting prospect for a rookie and something Levi hopes to take full advantage of. “If I do get selected over the next two games it will be an unbelievable experience. I will look to bring youth and exuberance and to put in as much energy as possible.”While South Africa may be blooding a new player in Levi, the series could also teach some old hands new skills. Morne Morkel will have to lead the pace attack because Dale Steyn is being rested for the Twenty20 internationals, and Morkel says he has been working towards a more authoritative role for some time. “It’s one of the things I have targeted,” he said. “If one day something happens to Dale I have to be ready to lead the attack. Over the past couple of seasons I have grown personally so I am ready for it.”Morkel has played in two first-class matches since the start of the season, bowled one ball short of 57 overs and taken six wickets. He said the games were enough to “get rid of all the little niggles and aches and pains you get as a fast bowler,” and he is now ready for international competition.With Morkel the senior fast bowler, an interesting contest is expected between him and Delhi Daredevils team-mate David Warner, who is coming off back-to-back centuries for New South Wales in the Champions League. Morkel is ready to embrace the battle. “The most important thing is not to stand back and fight fire with fire,” he said. “Let’s see who can win that battle. Conditions here will be completely different; it’s something the Australians need to get used to especially after preparing and playing in India so hopefully we can get the upper-hand there.”One of the bowlers who will support Morkel is left-armer Lonwabo Tsostobe. He made a positive impression in the series against India earlier this year and will want to build on that. Tsotsobe said he sees the new season as a chance to make a “fresh start” and that the South African team culture has created the conditions to enable him to do so. “We’ve got guys like Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn; whatever you do wrong, they are always backing you up. It’s in the team culture that people lift you up,” he said. “They want you to be your own leader so you don’t have to wait for the captain to tell you something, you have to be the leader of your own space.”

Harbhajan Singh has said that he was “more surprised” than hurt after being dropped from the India squad for the first two ODIs against England

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2011Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has said he was “more surprised” than hurt after being dropped from India’s squad for the first two ODIs against England. Harbhajan was left out after a disappointing injury-ridden performance on the recent tour of England. The selectors chose to give Punjab legspinner Rahul Sharma a chance along with Tamil Nadu offspinner R Ashwin.”I wouldn’t say I was hurt. I was more surprised,” Harbhajan told . “I wish the younger guys all the best. I am more than happy to share my experience with them like I was helped by Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly while I was coming up.”Harbhajan took only two wickets in 69.4 overs against England at an average of 143.50 and economy-rate of 4.11. He suffered a stomach injury during the second Test and was ruled out of the last two matches and the limited-overs series that followed. India lost the Test series 0-4 and the ODI series 0-3.Harbhajan’s bowling has been criticised of late, with his 17 wickets in 17 ODIs in 2011 coming at an average of 41.29. He has, however, conceded fewer than five runs an over in each of his previous seven ODI series.Harbhajan said it was not always possible to take wickets in the shorter format with the emphasis being on stemming the run flow, which India’s attack struggled to do.”First of all you must decide what you expect from a bowler in limited-overs format. Do you expect him to take a five-for every time he bowls his 10 overs or do you want him to put the squeeze on and force the opposition to play into your hands. In a low-scoring match, you would expect him to take wickets. On a belter of a track, you want him to dry up the runs.”In the Caribbean, I took 1 for 24 from 10 overs, besides scoring 41 in Antigua to clinch the one-day series. I must have done something right to have survived for 13 years. Who can be more concerned about my performance than me?”Harbhajan, who is currently leading the India Green side in the domestic NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, said that he would focus on what the team wanted from him. “I can’t keep adjusting every time somebody fancies writing about me. All I can say is that I am now completely fit and full of vigour. I am ready to put my best foot forward.”