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Iqbal Abdulla, the Mumbai left-arm spinner, has signed a two-year deal with Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the fourth season of the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jan-2011Iqbal Abdulla, the Mumbai left-arm spinner, has signed a two-year deal with Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the fourth season of the IPL. Abdulla, who is also a useful lower-order batsman, was at Kolkata for the first three seasons, having been picked as their Under-19 draft in the first season, and now returns as an uncapped signing. “We needed a specialist Indian spinner to accompany Shakib [al Hasan] and Yusuf Pathan and we are happy to get Iqbal,” a Kolkata spokesperson said.Kolkata are talking to at least 10 or 12 uncapped players, some of whom played for the team in the first three editions of the IPL. Bengal allrounder Laxmi Shukla, Haryana wicketkeeper-batsman Manvinder Bisla and Delhi middle-order veteran Rajat Bhatia are some of the other names the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise is in talks with it.Though Mumbai, the defending champions, were knocked out by Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals this year, Abdulla had a good season, ending as their top wicket-taker with 27 victims at an average of 22.11 in addition to notching up his maiden Ranji century, an unbeaten 150 against Saurashtra in their opening match. Abdulla averaged 47.75 with the bat in eight matches in the Ranji season. When Mumbai defended their crown in the 2009-10 season, Abdulla had a tally of 32 wickets.Even though teams have until March 8 to sign uncapped players for the IPL, which starts on April 8, franchise owners and officials have shown desperation in the last few days to latch on to quality youngsters as soon as possible.Kings XI Punjab have been lucky to get back three players who were part of their squad in the previous seasons: Punjab allrounder Love Ablish, Himachal Pradesh fast bowler Vikramjeet Malik and Uttar Pradesh left-arm quick Shalabh Srivastava have decided to stay with Punjab for the next two years. The franchise has also signed Sunny Singh and Nitin Saini, centurions for Haryana in the Ranji quarterfinals this year against Tamil Nadu, along with 23-year-old batsman Siddharth Chitnis, who made his first-class debut for Mumbai this year.The BCCI has also made it clear that it is the players that have the final say on which team they wish to join. “Franchises have full rights to scout for players in their catchment area, but uncapped players have the right to negotiate,” Niranjan Shah, BCCI vice-president, told . “We are also keeping a close watch on any underhand dealings between the players and the franchises. All agreement will be tripartite, involving the board, the player and the franchise.”

Chris Gayle has said he plans to treat the 2011 World Cup as his last and believes the West Indies have the “fire power” to emerge triumphant on the subcontinent

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2011Chris Gayle has said he will treat the 2011 World Cup as his last and believes the West Indies have the “fire power” to emerge triumphant on the subcontinent.”This is my third World Cup,” he told reporters in Colombo. “I played in South Africa in 2003 and in the Caribbean four years ago. I don’t know what the future holds and I don’t want to sit back and wait for the next World Cup in four years time.”I am sure we have the team to get the job done for the people of the Caribbean. We have the fire power – the bowling combinations are good, and we have good allrounders and quality in our batting.”How far the West Indies eventually go will depend in part on the starts the explosive Gayle can provide his team. Over the course of his career, the 31-year-old has amassed 7,917 runs at an average of 39 and a strike-rate of 83.74. He also boasts 19 ODI centuries, tied with Brian Lara for the most by a West Indian.”The West Indies have a legacy of winning and I want to give my best to win matches for us,” Gayle said. “Whenever I cross that boundary rope I won’t leave anything on the field. I’m going to give it my all, give it my best shot. I am looking to try and dominate the World Cup,”The team have had a patchy lead-up go the tournament. Their five match-ODI series in Sri Lanka was first postponed due to bad weather, then shrunk to three matches, one of which was, again, rained out. They also haven’t won an ODI against a Test team since beating India in June 2009, but Gayle said they will take it one game at a time while targeting a quarter-final place as a preliminary goal.”We will look to build strength from the early stages and develop as we move along. It won’t be an easy task but it has to be done and we as players have to do it.”He expects the pitches to favour the batsmen and that the proliferation of Twenty20 cricket means most teams “are learning much better how to execute – especially in the Powerplay overs. Ultimately we will have to just wait and see what happens, and as I said before, the team which does the better job on the day will win.”

A round-up of the second day of the fifth round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2011Trinidad and Tobago took a slim first innings lead over Leeward Islands at the Queen’s Park Oval, but the big news is that Ronarko Morton and Tonito Willet will take no further part in the game after being arrested on Friday night for drug possession and are currently in Police custody at Morvant Police Station.On the field, the game is turning out to be a surprisingly even contest. T&T lost two quick wickets in the morning to slump to 63 for 5, but Imran Khan and Denesh Ramdin set about rebuilding the innings, adding 90 together, before Ramdin was trapped in front by Anthony Martin for 46. Imran then added a further 50 with Rayad Emrit to take T&T past 200 and within touching distances of Leeward’s total. He eventually fell for 59, while Emrit made 44, but it was enough to give T&T a 19-run lead. Leewards were 30 for 2 in their second innings, having lost Sherwin Peters and Gavin Williams to Shannon Gabriel.Chris Woakes took five wickets, including a hat-trick, on a rain-shortened day as England Lions ran through Guyana for 78 at the Providence Stadium . Having lost the entire first day’s play, only 43.5 overs were possible on the second, but that was enough time for Lions to take control of the game. Guyana were already labouring at 69 for 5 when Woakes removed Vishaul Singh for 2. He followed that up by having Veerasammy Permaul and Zaheer Mohamed both caught to take in three in three. He then earned his five-for by having Brandon Bess caught behind to finish with 5 for 18 from 10 overs. Craig Kieswetter and Adam Lyth then flayed the Guyana attack for 42 runs from 6.1 overs to further stamp their authority on the gameKyle Corbin made an enterprising half-century to take Combined Campuses and Colleges to 253 for 7 against Jamaica at Chedwin Park. Corbin made 76 from 98 deliveries, smashing seven fours and three sixes in the process, and sharing an 87-run stand with Shacaya Thomas (34) for the fourth wicket. Thomas’ dismissal, lbw to Brendan Nash, set off a mini-collapse, as CC&C tumbled from 206 for 3 to 233 for 7. Kevin McClean and Nkruma Bonner survived the remaining overs in another rain-curtailed day on which only 56.2 overs were possible.Liam Sebastien took six wickets to help Winward Islands restrict Barbados to 341 at the Kensington Oval, before Andre Fletcher helped post a strong reply with an unbeaten half-century. Kevin Stoute provided the backbone for Barbados with a patient 72 made over four hours, and received good support from Shane Dowrich, who made 56 not out. Offspinner Sebastien, who had taken three wickets on day one, cleaned up the tale to finish with 6 for 97 from a mammoth 47 overs. Winward were in a little trouble at 36 for 2 but Fletcher and Keddy Lesporis put on 80 in 23.3 overs to give their team a good platform heading into day three.

There was no play possible on the second day of the match between South Africa A and Bangladesh A in Pietermaritzburg

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2011
ScorecardThere was no play possible on the second day of the match between South Africa A and Bangladesh A in Pietermaritzburg. South Africa A had worked themselves into a strong position at 233 for 2 on the first day, but will find it difficult to get a result out of the match now.

Moeen Ali, the Worcestershire batsman, has signed a new contract that will keep him at New Road until the end of the 2013 season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011Moeen Ali, the Worcestershire batsman, has signed a new contract that will keep him at New Road until the end of the 2013 season.Mooen, 23, scored 1,260 first-class runs last season having moved from Warwickshire in 2006.
”
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have been looked after very well,” said Moeen.
“I am grateful for the opportunities I have had and I hope to progress further over the coming years.”Moeen was part of the Worcestershire side that won promotion back to County Championship Division One last summer.”Moeen played exceptionally well during 2010 and played a major part in our four-day promotion push,” said director of cricket Steve Rhodes.”The development of younger players is paramount to our future and I am delighted to have a talented all-round cricketer, such as Moeen, commit his future to the club.”

A round-up of matches on the sixth and final day of the ICC World Cricket League Division Seven competition in Gaborone, Bostwana

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2011Irfan Bhatti and Mohammad Murad starred with bat and ball as Kuwait lifted the ICC WCL Division 7 trophy in Gaborone, Botswana, comprehensively beating Nigeria by 72 runs.Kuwait’s top and lower orders were solid enough to ensure they didn’t suffer due to a middle order collapse that saw four wickets fall for 24 runs to seamer Olajide Bejide. Bhatti had started strongly in a 66-run opening stand and struck nine fours and a six in his 60 off 77 deliveries before he fell to Joshua Ogunlola. Kuwait soon slipped from 91 for 1 to 129 for 6 as Bejide ran through the middle order. But Mohammed Naseer and Azmatullah Nazeer revived the innings with a 44-run partnership. Some late hitting from Abdullah Akhunzada and Midhun Pakalapati took Kuwait past 200.Murad bowled Ademola Onikoyi off the third ball of the chase and Nigeria were on the back foot soon at 35 for 3. Ramit Gill (45) and Sean Philips (35) tried to revive the innings in a busy 56-run stand but Pakalapati got the breakthrough, bowling Gill. Nigeria ran out of steam after that and Nazeer had Philips caught behind to effectively seal it. Murad returned to mop up the tail, finishing with 4 for 20, and Nigeria were shot out for 147. Murad was named Player of the Tournament for his 15 wickets. Both teams had already qualified for Division 6.Hisham Mirza, the winning captain, said he did not think Kuwait were favourites coming in to the tournament. “It wasn’t our home tournament and the only side we had background on was Germany, having played them in Division 8. I don’t think I can single out one player that performed for me as we are very much a team effort. However, I will mention my fast bowlers, they’ve been the best in Division 7 and Division 8 in my opinion. They are quick, they are good.”Division 6 would not be easy for Kuwait, Mirza felt, saying that they needed to make sure they were better prepared for the event that takes place in Malaysia in September.Endurance Ofem, the Nigeria captain, said that his side had achieved their purpose of gaining promotion. “The good thing is we’ve played Kuwait twice now so we now know what to expect of them when we face them in Division 6. Our player-coach Sean Philips has done a lot for us as a side and Segun Olayinka has come up with the goods for us in the last three games, contributing two half-centuries in the tournament, and of course Ademola Onikoyi, who had given us good starts upfront.”Rana-Javed Iqbal and Shakeel Hassan took four quick wickets to break the back of Botswana‘s chase and took Germany to a 25-run win in the third-place play-off, after Asif Khan’s hundred had lifted his side to a challenging 269.Noor Ahmad (74) had led Botswana’s chase, adding 64 for the first wicket, 61 for the second, and 50 for the fourth with Faisal Rana, Denzil Sequeira and Karabo Modise. At 180 for 3, Botswana needed 90 at a run a ball. But Iqbal got Ahmad leg before, and Hassan took two more as Botswana slumped to 189 for 7. The lower order tried but Germany finished the innings in the 49th over at 244.Asif and Rishi Pillai (67 not out) had earlier helped Germany recover from an indifferent start that had reduced them to 63 for 3. The duo added 146 in 135 balls for the fifth wicket as Germany surged to 269, which proved to be just enough in the end.Norway brushed Japan aside by 56 runs in the fifth-place play-off as Japan stuttered to 169 for 9 chasing 225. Contributions from Gulfam Butt, Shahid Ahmed and Adeel Ibrar formed the bulk of Norway’s total, and wicketkeeper Iftikhar Suhail ensured they got well past 200.Japan never got going after losing Gavin Beath off the first ball and were in danger of being bowled out for under 100 at 83 for 9. Patrick Giles-Jones’ unbeaten 68 and his last-wicket partnership with Raheel Kano more than doubled Japan’s score from that position. It was in vain, though, as it only reduced the margin of defeat. Both sides had already been relegated to Division 8.

Glamorgan ended the third day at Lord’s in sight of an innings victory despite battling centuries from Chris Rogers and England Test captain Andrew Strauss

Liam Brickhill at Lord's21-May-2011
ScorecardAndrew Strauss battled hard for his hundred but Middlesex face defeat•PA Photos

Glamorgan ended the third day at Lord’s in sight of an innings victory despite battling centuries from Chris Rogers and England Test captain Andrew Strauss, which had helped Middlesex temporarily hold a spirited bowling attack, led by the impressive James Harris, at bay. Middlesex, who began their second innings needing to score 373 simply to make Glamorgan bat again, made the visitors toil hard under increasingly cloudless skies but an inspired late spell from Harris yielded two important wickets and left the home side teetering at 293 for 6. Their situation could have been a lot worse, had Glamorgan made the most of the chances that came their way.Though there was no overnight declaration, Glamorgan will have felt that victory was achievable with a day to spare when they arrived at the ground and their belief would have been lifted when Harris removed Scott Newman in the fifth over of the Middlesex innings. While their bowlers were visibly keen, Glamorgan’s fielding was far from perfect, however, and a series of lapses allowed Strauss and Rogers to repair the innings with a 173-run stand that lasted until well into the afternoon.On a pitch that flattened out considerably in the sunshine, neither Harris nor Graham Wagg, who shared the new ball and swung it consistently at a good pace, could force more than the occasional error from the batsmen. Half an hour before lunch, Rogers cracked Wagg in front of square on the leg side and, immediately afterwards, lurched into an extravagant drive at one that left him off the pitch, a thick edge flying low to Bragg’s right at third slip.The chance was spilled, however, and more fumbles were to follow when Strauss, who had just 30 at the time, was put down by Gareth Rees under the helmet at short leg off Will Owen’s bowling. The luck appeared to be entirely on the side of the batsmen, and in the next over – Dean Cosker’s first of the day – Rogers clipped low but in the air towards Wagg at midwicket, but the shot didn’t quite carry to the diving fielder.As the skies cleared and the day began to warm, the batsmen settled and began to score more freely. There are plenty of similarities in Strauss and Rogers’ styles, and they matched each other almost shot for shot to bring up twin fifties off 81 and 89 balls, respectively. It was then that Strauss started to take the initiative, pulling ahead of Rogers and moving on fluently but continuing to ride his luck. Beaten in the flight by Robert Croft as he jumped down the wicket when on 92, he went through with an attacking stroke and lobbed the ball up and over point to move within one stroke of his century.He reached the mark, from 151 deliveries, and promptly edged Cosker past a diving slip fielder as Glamorgan’s shoulders began to sag. They were given a tremendous lift not long afterwards, against the run of play, when Rogers tapped Cosker to Wagg at midwicket and Strauss committed himself to a chancy single. He was sent back late and easily run out as the ball was rocketed back to the bowler with the batsman stranded halfway down the wicket.When Malan got a touch on one from Cosker that held its line, the ball nestling safely in Wallace’s gloves, and Neil Dexter was felled by Owen Middlesex were once again under pressure. Rogers responded with some obdurate batting, and found a willing partner in Jamie Dalrymple, who helped add 60 for the fifth wicket to raise Middlesex’s hopes once more. Rogers raised his first century of the season from 175 balls and began to look increasingly imperious at the crease, particularly on the front foot.It appeared Glamorgan’s cumbersome day in the field would continue into the evening when, with just four overs left in the day, Harris finally found a clean edge off the stubborn Rogers’ bat, but once again Glamorgan’s fielders were found wanting. The chance was parried by Alviro Petersen at first slip, setting off a scramble among the close catchers and wicketkeeper around him, none of whom could hold onto it.The lapse leant a few extra decibels to the level of Harris’s joyous roar when, two balls later, he forced yet another edge and this time Cosker at third slip deflected the chance into Petersen’s waiting hands. It ended a 310-minute vigil from the Australian and just about put paid to Middlesex’s faint hopes of saving this game.A pumped-up Harris got rid of Dalrymple, trapped in front of his stumps, with the first ball of his next over to put himself on a hat-trick. John Simpson defended his first delivery to point to deny Harris the honour, but edged his second just short of third slip in the tense closing moments of the evening. Middlesex’s position wasn’t quite perilous enough for the umpires to grant an extra half-hour of play, but Glamorgan will expect to wrap up a morale-boosting win in the first session on Sunday.

Rahul Dravid is hopeful that his 32nd Test hundred will help India seal a win in the first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park

Sriram Veera at Sabina Park23-Jun-2011There is an element of gravitas about Rahul Dravid that escalates on days like this. The hands hold the bat tighter, his visage gets more determined, the eyes drip with intensity, the self-admonishments when he plays a shot he thinks he shouldn’t have increase, and he drags you with him the match. You can feel the pressure of the scoreboard, the match situation, the misbehaving pitch, and the whole drama. It’s battle, but you can feel the intensity.”I love a contest,” Dravid said. “It’s because I love the contest [that] I still enjoy the sport. It’s also good for me because we found ourselves a bit against the wall, and I had to fight my way through it … at this stage of your career you play because you love the contest, and [want] to make an important contribution to the team. It’s a satisfactory feeling when you are in the middle of a situation [like this] and make a difference.”Early in the morning, Ravi Rampaul tested Dravid’s patience and skill. Some deliveries cut in from outside off, some straightened and a few reared up. “He kept things tight for me and it was a good contest. I knew I had to get through that 7-8 over [period] of good quality from him. But you need to back yourself to fight through it rather than throwing it away.”He also had to take care the younger batsmen didn’t throw it away. Late last evening, Dravid had to watch Virat Kohli being hustled by Fidel Edwards’ bouncers. He repeatedly walked across to chat with his younger partner. He did that today as well with Kohli – who didn’t last long – and the others that followed. “One of the things I tell these guys [the young players] is that you have to weather the storm, the intensity of a particular spell, that will last for 6-10 overs. In Test cricket you need to fight your way through that, and then things will become easier. You can get caught up a bit with things happening in the middle, people making a lot of noise, the ball flying around or spinning past you … I have committed that mistake, and thinking becomes really hard. But if you fight your way through that period, things will become a bit easier, like a bowling change or the bowlers will get tired.”That he did. In the end, West Indies had to find a way around him to get at India. Dravid was the last man to fall. It was an observation from Ravi Rampaul, that was shared by Darren Sammy at the press conference, that told the tale of Dravid’s determination. “Ravi told me that Dravid played just one pull shot. That too, when he was on 98.” And it came at a time when he was in danger of running out of partners. Even then, it was followed by self-admonishment. “Yeah, obviously it was partly because of the pitch, and also because of the situation we found ourselves in,” Dravid said, about playing just one pull. “We knew that we have to set up a pretty decent score from [where we were at] 50-odd for three. They bowled pretty well also. So it was a combination of factors that made me a bit circumspect; I had to ensure that I was there till the end, and make sure that we got a competitive score.”Rahul Dravid is hopeful his 32nd Test hundred will culminate in a win for India at Sabina Park•Associated Press

Dravid is not getting any younger – how taxing does it get, especially when there are long breaks between Test series’? “It was tough physically, especially coming off after a long journey and getting up early in the morning,” he said. “It was pretty hot out there, and I have not played a Test in a long time. You can do as much training as possible: sit on a bike in gym and run laps around the ground. But for [complete] batting and fielding fitness … you need to have practice.”Yes, it has been very challenging. If you do it consistently then you’ll get a rhythm. With these breaks, I guess it takes some more time to get into it [the rhythm]. But it’s not easy for someone like me who needs to bat long – I sweat a lot – so physically and mentally, it has always been a good contest. That’s why I work hard on my fitness. I have the past experience to fall back upon”, Dravid said.Sammy was lavish in his praise. “Dravid has scored over 10,000 [Test] runs. He knows exactly what to do in these kinds of situations.” Dravid hoped that his effort will culminate in a win. “It’s [Sabina Park] a lovely place to tour, I have had some very good experiences as we won a Test match last time. So I hope this innings helps us to win this as well.”

A 3-2 victory and a Man-of-the-Series award concluded a four-day period that couldn’t have gone much better for Cook

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford09-Jul-2011If Alastair Cook really meant it when he said he wasn’t motivated “to prove anyone wrong” then he has a strange way of going about things. A 3-2 victory and a Man-of-the-Series award concluded a four-day period that couldn’t have gone much better for Cook.A series defeat against Sri Lanka, the World Cup runners-up, wouldn’t have been calamitous for Cook, especially if he’d made the runs he did, but the pressure would have been increased a few notches. Now, though, he has his second one-day trophy as ODI captain, following the win in Bangladesh last year, and can look forward with confidence to the challenges ahead, after a period back under Andrew Strauss’ leadership in the Test team.While showing that he can translate his Test batting form into the one-day game with 298 runs at a strike-rate of 96.75 in the series, Cook also displayed, during the deciding game at Old Trafford, his tactical acumen in the field. With three frontline quicks and two spinners to rotate while defending 268 there wasn’t much room for a wrong call, particularly after Sri Lanka twice recovered through Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews; but Cook got it all right.That came right down to giving Jade Dernbach, preferred to the struggling Stuart Broad, the 49th over, with 17 needed off 12 balls after Lasith Malinga had launched James Anderson for a six. Dernbach was in just his fifth ODI but pulled out his trademark slower ball which Mathews spooned to short third man, and then gave Malinga a taste of his own medicine with a swinging yorker.”He has bowled really well at the death, and one of the main reasons he’s been brought into that side is because of the skills he has – and you saw it at the end there, a slower ball followed by a yorker,” Cook said. “We need everyone to be able to do that. He’s bowled very well in pressure situations and in Powerplays.”That’s the first time I’ve had a really tight scenario in my eight games as one-day captain, and I thought we handled it well. The way we committed to what ball we wanted to bowl and were very clear in how we want to bowl was very pleasing.”At the start of the 35th over it appeared Cook was about to give Kevin Pietersen an over to give him some leeway later in the innings. But Sri Lanka took the batting Powerplay and Cook opted to return to Tim Bresnan and Dernbach. The visitors made 37 runs and didn’t lose a wicket, but Cook was confident England could hold on with Graeme Swann and Samit Patel having overs left.”Once we got through that Powerplay and they still needed seven-and-a-half an over and we had five overs of spin, I was quite confident. But we needed to get Mathews.”It was also a match which showed how vital it is to use up 50 overs after a collapse because the 15 runs added by Anderson and Dernbach off the final 11 balls of England’s innings proved the difference. “From the position we got ourselves into, 213 for 3, we would have liked 280 or 290,” Cook said. “But we are being critical – because 270 on that wicket was a very good score – and that little partnership at the end got us there.”Even though Cook has insisted there are no personal agendas for him there was more than a hint of satisfaction at what had been achieved, especially in the light of the growing criticism after England’s performance at Lord’s last week.”Everyone was writing us off, and we’ve played well in these past two games in all conditions; on spinning wickets and flat wickets,” he said. “When you pull on an England shirt, people are always going to have their own opinions.”I don’t do it to prove anyone wrong. I do it for the satisfaction that we got in that final half-hour of the game, and you can’t replicate that. That’s why you play the game. I think the most pleasing aspect is the way we fought back from 2-1 down in the series.”

Michael Lumb’s move from Hampshire to Nottinghamshire has been confirmed after the signing of a three-year deal at Trent Bridge

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2011Michael Lumb’s move from Hampshire to Nottinghamshire has been confirmed after the signing of a three-year deal at Trent Bridge.Lumb, who was part of England’s World Twenty20 winning team, will miss the rest of this season with injury but already has Twenty20 deals lined up with Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Big Bash and the Deccan Chargers at the IPL before joining his new county.”We’re delighted that Michael has agreed to join us and the meetings that we’ve had with him have been very constructive in terms of our respective ambitions and the role he sees himself playing in fulfilling them,” said Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. “We have been in the market for a proven batsman and we believe that he has the pedigree and the drive to improve our standing in all formats.”Lumb was recalled to England’s Twenty20 side to face Sri Lanka earlier this season has gained the reputation of a specialist in the shortest format.”I’ve enjoyed five great seasons with Hampshire and it has been a real pleasure to have won two limited-overs trophies,” he said. “However, I feel that now is the right time to make a fresh start at a new club and I’m pleased to be offered the opportunity to play for Nottinghamshire. It’s a challenge and one I’m looking forward to.”