Cricket thread

[RAMESH]

Andrew "Andy" Flower (born 28 April 1968 in Cape Town, South Africa) was a cricket player for Zimbabwe and arguably its greatest. He is considered to be one of the best wicket-keeper batsman next only to Australian Adam Gilchrist. He made his international debut in a one-day international against Sri Lanka at New Plymouth, New Zealand in the 1992 cricket World Cup. He was Zimbabwe's wicket-keeper for over 10 years and, according to official statistics, by far the finest batsman the country has ever fielded.
Nearing the end of his career, Flower achieved international recognition (along with team mate Henry Olonga) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe. He and Olonga released a statement on 10 February, stating in part:
In all the circumstances, we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup. In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe. In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so, we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our Nation. This act led to pressure from Zimbabwe's government and Flower's retirement from Zimbabwean cricket.

[RAMESH]

GIBBS Career Highlights

He has hit a couple of double centuries in his Test career, both contrasting innings. His first was an innings of 211 not out against New Zealand at Jade Stadium in 1999. His innings took 468 balls while his second double century, 228 against Pakistan came off just 240 balls. In that innings in Newlands he put on a national record of 368 with Graeme Smith. He has put on a further two 300 run opening stands with his captain, making them the only pair in Test history to break 300 on 3 occasions. He also holds the South African second wicket record, a partnership of 315* with Jacques Kallis.
Gibbs is one of only 3 batsman in ODI history to score hundreds in 3 consecutive innings, with the others being Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar. [1] On the 6th of October 2002 in the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh, Gibbs had a chance to become the only batsman to score 4 hundreds in a row. South Africa were set 155 for victory and Gibbs fell just three runs short, finishing unbeaten on 97. When just 6 runs were needed for victory Gibbs had the strike and was on 96 but Alok Kapali bowled a legside wide which went for 4 and his task was made too difficult. [2]
On March 12, 2006, Gibbs played a monumental innings against Australia, scoring 175 off just 111 balls leading South Africa to victory in the highest scoring one-day international match in history. His innings broke several batting records. It was the highest ever score made in an ODI against Australia, beating Robin Smith's effort in 1993. By bringing up his hundred off just 79 balls he also brought up what was at the time the fastest ever ODI century against Australia. More importantly however it was the fastest ever hundred by a South African batsman against any opposition, although the record would be broken later in the year by Mark Boucher. [3] It was also the highest ever score by a batsman in South Africa. He scored 126 runs in boundaries, the most ever by a batsman. [4]

[edit] Struggle with form

In the past two series against England and the West Indies he was brought down the order from opening batsman to the middle order due to lack of form. After the move he regained form and looked more comfortable batting against the older ball. On April 22, 2006, Gibbs paid the price for his recent run-drought, and was dropped for the second and third Tests against the New Zealand cricket team. He has been short of confidence in Test cricket of late, and scored only 6 and 2 in the First Test at Centurion Park. South Africa's chief selector, Haroon Lorgat said, "We had a meeting and agreed that a break and a fresh start next season will do him a world of good." This decision has been widely viewed as a harsh one.
He came back into the side in the middle order but continued to struggle for runs. On the conclusion of the 1st Test against Pakistan in January 2007 he had gone over 2 years without a century. He had come close on many occasions to ending the drought, getting out in the 90's four times.

[edit] Controversies

On the tour of the West Indies in 2001, along with several teammates he was found guilty of smoking marijuana. [5]
He was involved in the match fixing affair with former captain Hansie Cronje, who offered him $15,000 to score "less than 20" in the 3rd One-day International of a series. He tearfully claimed to the King Commission of inquiry into corruption in South African cricket that he didn't follow through on his side of the bargain, in fact scoring a fine 74. As a result he was banned for only six months. He has since repeatedly refused to tour India fearing arrest and has refused to even speak to Indian Police over the matter.
However, Gibbs was named in the South African squad to tour India in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, and as a result, he had to meet with Indian Police over his involvement in the match-fixing scandal. [6]
On the 15th of January 2007 it was announced that Gibbs would face an disciplinary panel after making racist comments during the 1st Test against Pakistan. His words had been picked up on the stump microphone and as a result heard across the world. The comments were said to have been directed at members of the crowd after teammate Paul Harris had been abused by them whilst fielding. The Pakistani management made an official complaint to referee Chris Broad and Gibbs was banned for 2 Tests. [7] He appealed against the ban but this was rejected by the ICC's code of conduct commissioner, Richie Benaud. The ban was however changed to 1 Test, 1 Twenty 20 and one ODI match - all against Pakistan

[RAMESH]

Kevin Peter Pietersen MBE (born 27 June 1980 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa) is a cricketer, an attacking right-handed batsman and occasional off-spin bowler who plays for England and Hampshire. As of the end of the 2006 season, his ODI average for England alone (excluding the two games he played for the ICC World XI) was 59.30, more than eleven runs higher than any other England batsman to have played more than four ODIs. [1] The successful start to his international career has seen him rise rapidly to third in the ICC rankings of Test batsmen, behind only Ricky Ponting and Mohammad Yousuf and third in the ODI rankings, behind only Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting.

Early history
Born of an English mother and a South African father, Pietersen attended Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg and made his first-class debut for Natal's B team in 1997/98. He continued with the newly-renamed KwaZulu-Natal side for the next two South African seasons, but a lack of opportunities in his homeland, caused in part by the country's racial quota system, caused him frustration and he moved to England. [2] [3] He played cricket for Cannock CC as their overseas player, and helped them win the Birmingham Cricket League before being signed to play for Nottinghamshire for the 2001 season. In South Africa he was regarded predominantly as an off-spinner who was capable with the bat, and impressed members of the England side when playing a Tour Match during England's visit in 1999/00. He took four top order wickets and despite batting at number nine scored 61 not out off 57 balls, hitting four sixes, and it is said that it was at this point that Nasser Hussain recommended to him that he secure himself a contract with a county side.
In 2000 Clive Rice who had seen him play in 1997 in South Africa at a schools week heard that Pietersen was playing club cricket in Birmingham and immediately offered him a 4 year contract to play for Notts. He made an immediate impression with his big hitting and athletic fielding and managed an impressive batting average of 57.95 in his first year in county cricket, making 1,275 runs that season; in July he made 218 not out in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 352 with John Morris at Derby, having been lbw for a duck in the first innings. The following year he made another unbeaten double ton, 254 not out at home to Middlesex, in which he again took part in a huge partnership — this time 316 for the fourth wicket with Darren Bicknell, and in 2003 he scored 764 runs in one-day cricket.
Pietersen was selected for the 2003-4 ECB National Academy tour of India, and had a successful tour scoring 147 not out, 31, 114, 115, 32 and 94 in his six first-class innings to record an average of over 100 with the bat, as well as making 131 in a one-day match against India A in Bangalore.
Prior to the tour of Zimbabwe, Pietersen moved from Nottinghamshire, where there were rumours of tensions with team-mates, to Hampshire under the captaincy of Shane Warne. In the 2006 New Year Honours list, Pietersen, along with the rest of his England team mates, was awarded the MBE for his role in the successful 2005 Ashes series.[4]

Pietersen warming up in the nets at Lord's in September 2005



England career

Pietersen was selected for the full England one-day side to tour Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2004/05. He played in three of the four one day games in Zimbabwe, scoring 47, 77 and 0 in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th one dayers as England won the series 4-0.
Pietersen was then added to the one-day squad to face South Africa. With Andrew Flintoff withdrawing from the squad due to injury, Pietersen was looked at as a big-hitting replacement for the all-rounder, and claimed a place in the first team with 97 off 84 balls in the warm up match against South Africa A, in the face of a hostile crowd.
Pietersen made a 96-ball 108 in the second ODI at Bloemfontein, celebrating reaching three figures by kissing the badge on his helmet ostentatiously — and, to many of the crowd who saw him as a traitor to the country of his birth, provocatively; they deliberately turned their backs on him as he returned to the pavilion. He made 75 at Cape Town, then at East London Pietersen made an unbeaten 100 from just 69 balls, scoring a 6 off the last ball of the innings to get it, the fastest century by an England player in a one day match, but was unable to compensate for the team's slow start, England losing by eight runs. The final game at Centurion Park was another losing cause, with Pietersen coming to the wicket at 32/3 and ending with 116 from ten fours and six sixes. Pietersen ended the series with 454 runs in five innings, but England lost the series 4-1. By the end of the series, the South African crowds had generally replaced hostility with respect for Pietersen, applauding his performance.
Despite press speculation, Pietersen was not picked for the Tests against Bangladesh, with his early season form being dogged by a foot injury, but with his county form picking up he was picked for the Twenty20 match against Australia at Southampton, making 34 from 18 balls and taking three catches as England won by 100 runs.
In the triangular series against Australia and Bangladesh, Pietersen did not get to bat in the first ODI at The Oval as England won by ten wickets, but scored 91 off 65 balls in the match in Bristol against Australia, who had lost the day before to Bangladesh. Pietersen's performances at this point sparked intense press speculation and comments from former England captains calling for him to be brought into the Test side for The Ashes later in the summer. In the rest of the triangular series, Pietersen wasn't needed to bat against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, and then scored 19 off 28 balls, 23 off 26 and 6 off 10 in the matches at Riverside against Australia, Headingley against Bangladesh, in the tied final against Australia. Pietersen also played in all three matches of the Nat West Challenge against Australia, scoring 15 off 23 and 74 off 84 in the first and third matches, and not being needed to bat in the second. However, he also was forced off the field in the third over of Australia's run-chase in the third match with a groin problem.
Speculation over Pietersen's place in the England Test team was ended in July with the announcement by the England chairman of selectors David Graveney that Pietersen had been selected ahead of veteran Graham Thorpe for the final place in the England Test team. In the first Test of the Ashes at Lord's, Pietersen scored 57 in his first innings in Test cricket and 64 not out in his second as England collapsed to a heavy defeat, becoming only the 4th player to top score in both innings on debut for England, the eighth England player to score a half century in each innings on his debut, and the third cricketer to do so at Lord's. In the second Test at Edgbaston he scored 71 in the first innings and 20 in the second, with England narrowly winning. In the drawn 3rd Test, Pietersen struggled with 21 and 0, then scored 45 and 23 in the fourth as England went 2-1 up. By that stage of the series, some pundits including ex-players were beginning to question whether Pietersen had the patience and the mettle for Test cricket, and were stating that it was time for him to produce the goods. In the fifth and final Test of the Ashes at The Oval on 12 September 2005, Pietersen did not contribute significantly in the first innings. In the second innings, however, with the stakes at their highest (England would regain the Ashes for the first time in 16 years if they could bat the day out) Pietersen scored his maiden Test century with 158, securing the match and the series for England. His innings included seven sixes - a record for an English player in an Ashes innings. Pietersen was named man of the match for his efforts, and finished the series with the most runs by a batsman at 473 runs over the 5 Tests, an average of 52.55. However, he had a less successful series in the field, dropping six catches in the five Tests, a point he made wryly when questioned about the Australians dropping him three times on the final day.
Pietersen was awarded a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board until the end of the 2005 summer, and was named both the ICC One-Day player of the year and the ICC Emerging Player of the year in 2005. Along with the rest of the England side, Pietersen had a much less successful time in the subsequent tour of Pakistan, which England lost 2-0, although he did score his second Test century. A few months later, Pietersen toured India with the England team, scoring one fifty in each of the first two matches but not in the final match which England won. He also passed 1,000 ODI runs during this tour with 71 in the second ODI, equalling Viv Richards' record of 21 innings to reach this landmark [5]
Pietersen scored 158 again, in the first Test of the summer on 11 & 12 May 2006 against Sri Lanka, and followed it up with another 100 in the second Test including an extravagant reverse slog-sweep for six off Muttiah Muralitharan. Video In doing so he passed the milestone of 1,000 Test runs in his 12th Test match. In the 2nd Test he scored 142 out of England's total of 295 and became the first batsman since Graham Gooch in 1990 to score a century in 3 successive Test innings on English soil. This performance propelled him into the top ten of the ICC cricket ratings

[rainbow]

australia yesterday scored 346 in a one dayer againgst new zealand....and new zealand managed to get that total with 3 balls to spare.

fucking ridiculous, and the aussies have about 4 key players in doubt for the world cup.

looks like it could be interesting,

[chiba]

i remember trinidad used to be good

[NIGHT MAYOR]

first of all lol @ this thread, you know who is gunna win this thing, i think we are in a spot at the moment but hey, we won the ashes and i think what happens between that and the world cup doesnt mean jack shit. half our team out at the moment, hussey still kickin ass but without ponting etc its not a real team, every played team sport with a few people for a while ? imagine if 5 of them left at once, your team would fall to shit. just the way it is.

looks like it could be interesting,

a good underdog situation is arising, makes you think if they ment it to be like that ? hahaha

aussie aussie aussie

[RAMESH]

don't worry to much all the teams got problems in their side only makes the games more exciting

[RAMESH]

quite a few of our good players didn't make the team because of our racial quota system but still we the best

[RAMESH]

we always have been the best the world just didn't know it

[RAMESH]

Group A, St Kitts (all start 1330 GMT)
14 Australia v Scotland
16 Netherlands v South Africa
18 Australia v Netherlands
20 Scotland v South Africa
22 Netherlands v Scotland
24 Australia v South Africa
Group B, Trinidad (all start 1330 GMT except *)
15 Bermuda v Sri Lanka
17 Bangladesh v India
19 Bermuda v India
21 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
23 India v Sri Lanka
25 Bangladesh v Bermuda (*starts 1430 BST)
GROUP C, St Lucia (all start 1330 GMT)
14 Canada v Kenya
16 England v New Zealand
18 Canada v England
20 Kenya v New Zealand
22 Canada v New Zealand
24 England v Kenya
Group D, Jamaica (all start 1430 GMT)
13 West Indies v Pakistan
15 Ireland v Zimbabwe
17 Ireland v Pakistan
19 West Indies v Zimbabwe
21 Pakistan v Zimbabwe 23 Ireland v West Indies

[RAMESH]

World Cup warm-up schedule

MARCH
5 Bermuda v England, St Vincent
5 Scotland v Sri Lanka, Barbados
5 Canada v Pakistan, Trinidad
5 Kenya v West Indies, Jamaica
6 Australia v Zimbabwe, St Vincent
6 Bangladesh v New Zealand, Barbados
6 Ireland v South Africa, Trinidad
6 India v Netherlands, Jamaica
8 Bangladesh v Scotland, Barbados
8 Bermuda v Zimbabwe, St Vincent
8 Canada v Ireland, Trinidad
8 Kenya v Netherlands, Jamaica
9 New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Barbados
9 Australia v England, St Vincent 9 Pakistan v South Africa, Trinidad 9 India v West Indies, Jamaica

[RAMESH]

India crush S Lanka to win series

One-day international, Visakhapatnam: India 263-3 (41 overs) bt Sri Lanka 259-7 (47 overs) by seven wickets Scorecard

Yuvraj launched some powerful strokes to steer India home

Yuvraj Singh hammered an unbeaten 95 and Sourav Ganguly (58no) kept up his fine form as India beat Sri Lanka to clinch a 2-1 one-day series triumph.
Chamara Silva's (107no) maiden ODI ton was the main reason Sri Lanka achieved 259-7 in a game cut to 47 overs by dew.
But on a good batting pitch it never looked adequate once Robin Uthappa (57) and Virender Sehwag (46) attacked.
Ganguly left with cramp in over one but returned to add 145 with Yuvraj and seal a seven-wicket win in 41 overs.
The end came in such a hurry, with Yuvraj crashing four fours and a six, that there was no need for the runner Ganguly had called for to come out.
His return to the pavilion earlier heralded a spell of dreadful bowling and blistering strokeplay from Uthappa.
The 21-year-old thrashed four fours off one Dilhara Fernando over and was brutal on anything slightly short or straying in direction either side of the wicket as he reached his third ODI fifty in 33 deliveries.
Three wickets then fell in quick time, including a bizarre run-out when Sehwag lazily failed to complete a single, and the run rate slowed.
Veteran left-hander Ganguly continued his terrific recent form


But the target was always within comfortable reach with man of the series Ganguly continuing in the good nick which had brought him 289 runs in his previous five one-dayers.
He showed superb footwork to launch two of his three maximums off spinners Malinga Bandara and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Yuvraj also demonstrated his ease on a docile track by also picking up three sixes, none more impressive than the one which saw Bandara dispatched over mid-wicket.
Sri Lanka's innings was far more laborious and they were in real trouble at 56-4 in the 13th over.
Man of the match Silva - playing in only his 14th ODI and recently recalled after a four-year gap - batted with composure to rebuild the innings. He showed good footwork against off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to hit a six and two fours in one over, and 76 runs came in the last seven. It ultimately proved futile and the hosts will travel happier to the Caribbean after a comfortable victory achieved without the rested Sachin Tendulkar

[RAMESH]

Aussie star Lee out of World Cup

Lee's absence is a massive blow to Australia's chances

Australia fast bowler Brett Lee has been ruled out of next month's World Cup with an ankle injury.
The 30-year-old will be replaced in their 15-man squad by New South wales team-mate Stuart Clark, who took 26 wickets in the recent Ashes series.
Lee injured ligaments in his left ankle last week while training.
"It is a great disappointment for Brett Lee and it is a significant blow for our planning and preparation," said chief selector Andrew Hilditch.
News conference: Australia's Brett Lee


"However, it does give a tremendous opportunity for Stuart Clark, who was extremely unlucky to miss out on initial selection."
Lee, who has 267 wickets from 150 one-day internationals - 22 of them taken during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, will not be able to resume bowling for two to three months.

He knows where every ball is going, he is a guy who understands his tactics and he is a leader in that side



Geoff Lawson on Stuart Clark


"I think it's every young kid's dream to play for their country and to play in a World Cup is probably what it's all about as far as one-day cricket goes," he commented.
"It's pretty hard to swallow, but you've just got to accept things sometimes.
"Now it's just a matter of letting the ankle settle down and giving it a chance to heal up. There's a possibility within two to three weeks that there might be some surgery to clear out a bit of old bone floating around in the ankle."
Formal approval for Clark's inclusion has still to be given by the International Cricket Council but that is certain to be a formality - and Lee sent him a good luck message after his injury prognosis was confirmed by team doctor Trefor James.
"It's really disappointing for Brett. He's a friend in the team and a friend outside of the team as well. It's hollow, but I'm still excited about going to the World Cup," said Clark.
606 DEBATE: Your thoughts on Australia's team selection
A number of leading figures in Australian cricket, including former fast bowler Geoff Lawson, had criticised the original decision to leave him out of the squad.
"He knows where every ball is going, he is a guy who understands his tactics and he is a leader in that side," said Lawson.
"He's the kind of guy they need out on the park to help in a crisis. It's not just his bowling that is beneficial, it's his cricket knowledge."
Clark's mastery of line and length made him a big hit in the Ashes


But Clark admitted he was not the finished article as far as one-day international cricket is concerned and would be happy to fill any role asked of him.
"I've got to get better at bowling in the powerplays and that's what I'll be looking to do while I'm over there, [but] I don't expect any new ball - I don't expect any favours," the 31-year-old added.
Australia, who will be bidding for a hat-trick of World Cup wins in the Caribbean, are also sweating on the fitness of Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden.
All-rounder Symonds has had surgery on a torn bicep tendon and Hayden broke his toe in the final match of the recent Chappell-Hadlee Series in New Zealand. But batsman Michael Clarke (sore hip) and skipper Ricky Ponting (back problem) are of lesser concern. Ponting said: "My back's fine. The last few nights I've slept a lot better and felt a lot better in the morning. Hopefully when I get to the West Indies I'll be pain free and ready to go."

[RAMESH]

South Africa - Captain Fantastic


Age 26
ODI debut: v Australia, March 2002
In his fifth year at the helm after becoming his country's youngest captain aged 22, Graeme Smith leads as he bats - like granite. Perhaps the highlight of his leadership was the win over Australia last March, when he fired 90 from 55 balls to help his side to a world record 438-9 in the deciding match. Smith overcame a difficult run of form in the home one-day series against India, in which he scored only one run in his first three innings, to plunder three sixes in a 79 as his team recorded an emphatic 4-0 win.

[RAMESH]

South Africa - Master Blaster


Age 29
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, January 2001
Few players hit the ball harder than an in-form Justin Kemp. England were on the receiving end when he fired his maiden fifty from only 36 balls with four sixes in 2005, and followed it with 80 from 50 balls in the next match - clearing the ropes seven times. For all his explosive hitting, he has been dismissed in single figures 20 times, five of which were ducks, but he underlined his power with another seven sixes in an unbeaten 100 in India, also claiming five wickets in successive games with his seamers.