CricNama English: England

Showing posts with label England. Show all posts

Ashes 2013: Aleem Dar row with ‘touch-me-not’ Michael Clarke sparks light debate

Anonymous at August 28, 2013 0

The Ashes series has finally come to an end but Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar has come under the wrath of both Australia and England. The fifth and last Test of the series was ended because of bad light at a time when England needed 21 runs in 4 overs.

[caption id="attachment_2257" align="alignright" width="264"]

Michael Clarke: “I remember Aleem touching me and I asked him politely to not touch me because if I touched him I'd be suspended for three matches.”[/caption]

Therefore, the English media came out with all guns blazing against umpires for ‘spoiling’ the match’s result. England and Wales Cricket Board’s chairman Giles Clarke demanded the International Cricket Council (ICC) to bend the light rules.

On the other hand, the Australian media was also fuming about Aleem Dar for stopping Aussies captain Michael Clarke with his hand. It happened when Clarke – seeing a clear defeat – urged the umpires to check light. When Dar took out light meter, Clarke tried to have a look by himself at the reading, which forced Dar to push Clarke a little bit. It was all to hurt the pride of the ‘prince’.

"I remember Aleem touching me and I asked him politely to not touch me because if I touched him I'd be suspended for three matches,” Clarke said.

"That's all I can remember, coincidentally.

It’s quite surprising that Clarke was pointing his finger at three-time best umpire Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena, who won the David Shepherd Trophy the last year.

England Ian Botham Pakistan Wasim Akram World Cup 1992 World Cup 2015

Ian Botham still dejected over Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup win

Anonymous at August 02, 2013 0

It has been 21 years since Pakistan lifted the 1992 World Cup after a historic win. In fact, the World Cup is now coming back to Australia and New Zealand after circumventing the globe. But England’s defeat in the historic final keeps coming back to haunt Ian Botham.

[caption id="attachment_2018" align="alignright" width="257"]

The 1992 World Cup defeat in the hands of Pakistan seems to be etched in Ian Botham’s memory (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Expressing his views in the newsletter issued by the ICC regarding the 2015 World Cup, he said England would have won the match but for a few wrong umpiring decisions. However he admitted that Wasim Akram was invincible that evening and he shocked everyone with his bowling heroics.

Of the upcoming World Cup, former English captain and now cricket analyst, Botham, said that cricket has changed a lot now. It is difficult to predict the winner because field restrictions and Powerplay have brought in drastic changes. He added that the way England are playing these days, there are chances they could claim the big cup this time.

The next cricket world cup will be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand in early 2015. The ICC has announced the schedule of the event earlier this week.

Aleem Dar Ashes 2013 Ashton Agar Australia Brad Haddin England Featured Michael Clarke Stuart Broad

Ashes 2013: Australia irate over Stuart Broad-Aleem Dar episode

Anonymous at July 13, 2013 0

English soil and no controversy? Impossible. As fans are trying to forget Ian Bell’s runout case, Stuart Broad’s disputed notout today in Trent Bridge has added a new chapter in the history of controversies.

[caption id="attachment_1846" align="alignright" width="300"]

The controversial moment (Photo: PA Photos)[/caption]

In the first Test between the archrivals, the hosts have firmed their grip, thanks to a seventh-wicket partnership between Broad and Bell. But when the score was 297 and England were leading by 232, an Ashton Agar’s delivery nibbled away Braod’s bat, going straight to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, touching his pad and then into the hands of Michael Clarke in the first slip. As Australia started celebrating the end of a key partnership, Aleem Dar remained unmoved. Broad was not out despite being out. The tourists had already used their two reviews, so they lost a crucial wicket.

It was quite clear from the replay that the ball touched the bat. Now fingers started pointing at Broad that why he should not have left the crease. Commentator Michael Holding went so far that he said Broad did what had been done by West Indies wicket-keeper Dinesh Ramdin in the 2013 Champions Trophy, means an act against the game’s spirit. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq lost his wicket after Ramdin pretending taking a catch, but the ball had actually touched the ground. The ICC slapped a two-match ban on Ramdin after that.

So Broad’s notout helped England reach 326 for six after three days. The partnership between the two now stands at 108, with Bell at 95 and Broad at 47. On the other hand, Australia, whose bowlers were performing as well as they did in the first innings, returned with a heavy heart.

Overall, the third day at Trent Bridge proved lucky for the hosts. Bell was saved by the UDRS when he was declared lbw by umpire Kumar Dharmasena on 34. Ironically, the same UDRS also saved Broad because Australia were left with no reviews.

The expressions of anger on Australian players looked quite strange. The same who are (in)famous for not moving an inch until the umpire’s decision are now sermonising for the “spirit of the game”. Set aside Ricky Ponting, the present captain Michael Clarke is no angel, too. In the 2008 series against India, he was out on Anil Kumble’s ball, but a wrong decision by the umpire rescued him. He repeated the same in 2012 Ashes. So protesting on such an issue does not suit them.

Then came Shane Warne, posting tweets against Aleem Dar, including this one: "We all make mistakes & it's a very tough job being an umpire, but when Dar continually makes crucial mistakes why does he keep getting a gig."

Mr Warne, talk some sense. Please.

Champions Trophy 2013 England India Ishant Sharma Ravi Bopara Shikhar Dhawan Virat Kohli

Champions Trophy 2013: India lift title after dramatic win

Anonymous at June 24, 2013 0

After South Africa, England must be awarded the ‘chokers’ title for what they did in the final of 2013 Champions Trophy. Having collapsed Indian batting line-up for the fist time in the tournament, they imploded at a time when they were just a few runs away form the victory. England reached the final of Champions Trophy for five times and today was the day when they were poised to lift the title. But a late comeback by India snatched the win from their clutches and culminated into a five-wicket loss for the hosts.

[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignright" width="300"]

India proved that they are real ODI number one team (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

The win has made MS Dhoni the first captain of the history to claim all ICC tournaments: An ODI World Cup, a World T20, first rank in both Test and one-day formats, two Indian Premier League titles, a Champions League T20 title, and now the Champions Trophy. He is undoubtedly the king of the cricket world, having nerves of steel.

Today was a great day in Birmingham but rain and mismanagement by the ICC spoiled it thoroughly. Thousands of fans in the stadium and millions of them worldwide kept on waiting for the match until the ODI was limited to a Twenty20, and that too after the match was provided with 75 additional minutes. The biggest proof of the council’s mismanagement was that they did not allocate a spare day for the final, let alone group matches. That means had the match been abandoned because of the inclement weather, the tournament’s title would have been shared by both teams.

England put India into bat after winning the toss and for the first time the visiting batsmen found themselves in trouble. India were 50 for one when Ravi Bopara turned the tables. At first he claimed almost impregnable wicket of Shikhar Dhawan and then dismissed Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, leaving India reeling. In between the loss of these three wickets, James Tredwell sent packing Dinesh Karthik and India lost four wickets for just 16 additional runs with just seven overs left in their innings.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja played came forward to play responsible innings at the stage and added 47 runs in almost five years, guiding India to a somewhat defendable target. Kohli was dismissed by James Anderson in the 19th over after scoring 43 off 34, including a six and four fours.

Kohli’s dismissal did not affect the flow of runs as Jadeja kept the momentum going. He helped India amass 129-run total with his unbeaten 33 off 25.

English bowlers fully exploited the conditions. Bopara remained most prominent, taking three wickets for just 20 runs in four overs. Anderson, Broad and Tredwell took one wicket apiece.

England’s start was quite disappointing. From the very outset they were playing as if the target was 230 instead of 130 which was clear proof of their poor shot selection. Cook played a cut shot when two fielders were standing in the slips, giving catch to Ashwin in the first slip. Jonathan Trott was looking confident but lost his balance in playing an almost wide ball, prompting Dhoni to swiftly break the wickets. England lost his most key player on just 28.

It was high time that a batsman played long innings for England, but young Joe Root’s adventurism cost him his wicket. He gave away catch to Ishant Sharma in trying to pull Ashwin on backfoot. Ian Bell’s presence at the time was a sign of strength for the hosts, but his dismissal can only be regarded as misfortune. Bell was denied the benefit of doubt which, according to law, should be given to batsman. Dejected and surprised, he returned to the pavilion. England were now 46 for four.

[caption id="attachment_1751" align="alignright" width="231"]

Turning point: Having remained zero throughout the match, Ishant Sharma became hero in just two balls (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Then came Bopara, who, along with Eoin Morgan, gave his team what it was craving for – a good partnership. They both took England to the 17^th over when they only needed another 28 runs to win.

Indian fans in the stadium were in complete silence and disappointment was evident on Dhoni’s face. Dhoni gave ball to Sharma to bowl the first over of the powerplay despite his failure in his first three overs. After failing to utilise the first ball, Morgan hit the second ball to six. It seemed Sharma lost his footing as bowled the next two balls wide. Now only 20 runs were required on 16 balls. Sharma, who had been a punchbag on Twitter by Indian fans, became hero in just two balls, thanks to the sheer lunacy of English batsmen. Morgan and Bopara lost back-to-back wickets, leaving England in danger of collapsing. In the next over Jadeja clean bowled Jos Buttler, and a ball later, Tim Bresnan was run out. The match reached a stage when England required a six on the last ball, which was surely out of question as James Tredwell was the batsman.

Although the match was an epitome of mismanagement, there’s no denying that the team who deserved lifted the title fully deserved it. From their arrival in England to the final of the tournament, they remained unbeaten and proved it once again that they were number one team.

Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja were awarded “Golden Bat” and “Golden Ball” awards, respectively, for their riveting performances in the event. Jadeja was also given the man-of-the-match award.

Now England will shortly play two T20s against New Zealand, while India will leave for West Indies to play a tri-series, including Sri Lanka apart from the hosts.

England vs India

Champions Trophy 2013, Final

June 23, 2013

Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham

Result: India won by 5 runs

Man of the match: Ravindra Jadeja

Men of the series: Shikhar Dhawan (Golden Bat), Ravindra Jadeja (Golden Ball)

		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Rohit Sharma	b Broad	9	14	1	0
Shikhar Dhawan	c Tredwell b Bopara	31	24	2	1
Virat Kohli	c Bopara b Anderson	43	34	4	1
Dinesh Karthik	c Morgan b Tredwell	6	11	0	0
Suresh Raina	c Cook b Bopara	1	6	0	0
MS Dhoni	c Tredwell b Bopara	0	4	0	0
Ravindra Jadeja	not out	33	25	2	2
Ravichandran Ashwin	run out (Bell)	1	1	0	0
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	not out	1	1	0	0
Extras	(wides 4)	4
Total	(7 wickets; 20 overs)	129

England (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
James Anderson	4	0	24	1
Staurt Broad	4	0	26	1
Tim Bresnan	4	0	34	0
James Tredwell	4	0	25	1
Ravi Bopara	4	1	20	3

Target: 130 runs (20 overs)		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Alastair Cook	c Ashwin b Yadav	2	9	0	0
Ian Bell	st Dhoni b Jadeja	13	16	1	0
Jonathan Trott	st Dhoni b Ashwin	20	17	2	0
Joe Root	c I Sharma b Ashwin	7	9	0	0
Eoin Morgan	c Ashwin b I Sharma	33	30	3	1
Ravi Bopara	c Ashwin b I Sharma	30	25	0	2
Jos Butler	b Jadeja	0	1	0	0
Tim Bresnan	run out (RG Sharma/Dhoni)	2	4	0	0
Stuart Broad	not out	7	5	1	0
James Tredwell	not out	5	4	0	0
Extras	(leg-bye 1, wides 4)	5
Total	(8 wickets; 20 overs)	124

India (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	3	0	19	0
Umesh Yadav	2	0	10	1
Ravindra Jadeja	4	0	24	2
Ravichandran Ashwin	4	1	15	2
Ishant Sharma	4	0	36	2
Suresh Raina	3	0	19	0

#CT13 Final: England vs India - Watch Live Cricket Match

Anonymous at June 23, 2013 0

England vs India - Match Information

Event:         ICC Champions Trophy
This Match:    11th Match ODI (Day)
Toss: 	       England won the toss and choose to Field
Country:       England
City: 	       Birmingham
Venue: 	       Edgbaston
Umpire 1:      Kumar Dharmasena
Umpire 2:      Rod Tucker
TV Umpire:     Bruce Oxenford
Referee:       Ranjan Madugalle

England Team: Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (wicket keeper), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

India Team: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain / wicket keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Alastair Cook Champions Trophy 2013 England James Tredwell Jonathan Trott South Africa

Champions Trophy 2013: Chokers choked again

Anonymous at June 20, 2013 0

The first semi-final of the 2013 Champions Trophy buried under the expectations and what happened was the continuation of history – South Africa got a drubbing in the knockout stage of an international tournament. Now fewer eyebrows are raised when South Africa depart in a knockout round despite their up-to-the-mark performance throughout the event. The World Cups of 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 and now the 2013 Champions Trophy, all are evident of South Africa’s consistency in this regard. It was being expected that the match, played at The Oval, would be a thriller. But it turned out to be a one-sided match and England sailed through a seven-wicket win.

[caption id="attachment_1690" align="alignright" width="300"]

English bowlers zapped the batting line-up of South Africa (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Both South Africa and England had lost against India and Sri Lanka, respectively, in their group matches and an exciting semi-final was expected. But soon after England won the toss and chose to bowl, it was clear that the match was going to be one-sided.

The first attack on the Proteas was from James Anderson who sent packing Colin Ingram with an lbw. Hashim Amla lost his wicket to Steven Finn in the next over, leaving South Africa four for two. This was the time when captain AB de Villiers was needed the most, but he preferred sending Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis to himself, and probably this marked a turning point in the game.

Soon after Peterson was lbw by Anderson, de Villiers, JP Duminy, du Plessis, Ryan McLaren and Chris Morris were also sitting in the pavilion with long faces. De Villiers lost his wicket in trying to play a sloppy shot, while Duminy was clean bowled by James Tredwell despite getting two chances in the beginning.

The most exciting runout of the day was of McLaren. He came on the front foot to play a Tredwell’s delivery but the ball dodged him and went to the first slip, touching his pad. While the bowler and the wicket-keeper were appealing for the lbw, Jonathan Trott hit the wicket as McLaren was outside the crease. It all happened in a jiffy and even England players were unaware of Trott’s intentions

South Africa, who seemed to be the strongest team on the paper, were now reeling at 80 for eight. David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt played their bit to rescue the team, making a record 95-run partnership in the ninth wicket. When South Africa reached 175 and were eyeing the 200 mark, Stuart Broad dismissed Kleinveldt and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in successive deliveries to end the show.

Broad and Tredwell clinched three wickets apiece while Anderson took two and Finn took one.

[caption id="attachment_1691" align="alignright" width="215"]

England claimed victory with ease, thanks to Trott’s unbeaten 82 (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

The 176-run target was a piece of cake for the hosts in the absence of Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn from the rival team. Although South Africa claimed the wickets of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell behind 41 runs, England remained dominant throughout the game. The 105-run partnership between Trott and Joe Root in the third wicket stifled all hopes of South Africa’s already distant victory.

Trott hit a match-winning four in the 38^th over. He remained unbeaten at 82.

Morris, Duminy and Kleinveldt took one wicket each for South Africa.

Tredwell was declared the man of the match.

Now England will play the final on June 23 against the winner of tomorrow’s match between India and Sri Lanka.

England vs South Africa

Champions Trophy 2013, 1st semi-final

June 19, 2013

Venue: The Oval

Result: England won by eight wickets

Man of the match: James Tredwell

		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Colin Ingram	lbw b Anderson	0	5	0	0
Hashim Amla	c †Buttler b Finn	1	3	0	0
Robin Peterson	lbw b Anderson	30	41	4	0
Faf du Plessis	c †Buttler b Tredwell	26	39	3	0
AB de Villiers	c †Buttler b Broad	0	9	0	0
Jean-Paul Duminy	b Tredwell	3	11	0	0
David Miller	not out	56	51	5	2
Ryan McLaren	run out (Trott)	1	5	0	0
Chris Morris	c †Buttler b Tredwell	3	6	0	0
Rory Kleinveldt	c †Buttler b Broad	43	61	4	1
Lonwabo Tsotsobe	c †Buttler b Broad	0	1	0	0
Extras	(lb 6, w 6)	12
Total	(all out; 38.4 overs)	175

England (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
James Anderson	8	1	14	2
Steven Finn	8	1	45	1
Stuart Broad	8.4	0	50	3
James Tredwell	7	1	19	3
Joe Root	3	0	22	0
Ravi Bopara	4	0	19	0

Target: 176 runs		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Alastair Cook	c †de Villiers b Morris	6	21	0	0
Ian Bell	c †de Villiers b Kleinveldt	20	30	2	0
Jonathan Trott	not out	82	84	11	0
Joe Root	b Duminy	48	71	7	0
Eoin Morgan	not out	15	19	2	0
Extras	(lb 4, w 4)	8
Total	(3 wickets; 37.3 overs)	179

South Africa (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Chris Morris	8	1	38	1
Robin Peterson	9.3	1	49	0
Jean-Paul Duminy	5	0	27	1
Lonwabo Tsotsobe	5	0	26	0
Rory Kleinveldt	4	0	10	1
Ryan McLaren	6	0	25	0

Alastair Cook Champions Trophy 2013 England James Anderson Kane Williamson New Zealand

Champions Trophy 2013: England beat New Zealand to reach semis

Anonymous at June 17, 2013 0

England have reached the semi-finals of the 2013 Champions Trophy, shrugging off all the uncertainties and reservations and leaving the New Zealand’s fate hang in balance as the Black Caps will now have to wait for the outcome of Australia-Sri Lanka match.

[caption id="attachment_1675" align="alignright" width="300"]

Cook’s 64 off 47 played a key role in England’s victory over the Black Caps (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

The hosts were facing many an issue before the win. On the one hand, they were at risk of being ruled out of the tournament after beaten by Sri Lanka, and on the other, they were under immense pressure in the wake of ball-tampering claims by former English captain Bob Willis. But the thick clouds hovering over the Cardiff were the bigger threat, because if they had lingered on and the match had been abandoned, England would have been done for.

It was pouring with rain so heavily that the match had to start five hours late and when it began, each team had 24 overs at their disposal. Batsmen of both teams played to the full in a last-ditch attempt to win a place for their sides in the semi-finals. After New Zealand won the toss and put England into bat, it was Alastair Cook who laid the foundations of a good total, special thanks to Nathan McCullum for dropping the English captain’s catches thrice when he was on 14, 37 and 45. However, he was McCullum who finally ended Cook’s innings, but it was too late then – the damage had been done. The Kiwis tried to come back in the match, taking England’s last seven wickets on just 28 runs. England lost their fourth wicket when Cook departed on 141. And by the time they reached 169, the whole team was finished. Eoin Morgan fell prey to Daniel Vettori followed by Jos Buttler losing his wicket at the hands of Kyle Mills. Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan were dismissed in the 23rd over, while in the next and the last over of the match, Mills stuck again and sent packing Stuart Broad and James Tredwell.

It was good but belated show of brilliance by the New Zealand bowlers. They took too much time and gave too many runs for the initial four wickets, and paid the price. Cook’s 64 off 47 and Root’s 38 off 40 proved decisive.

Kyle Mills took four while Mitchell McClenaghan took three wickets. Vettori and Nathan took one wicket apiece.

New Zealand could not stand James Anderson’s attack. Both of New Zealand’s openers – Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill – were back to the pavilion by the fourth over, and when the team reached 14 overs, half of their team was dismissed on just 62.

[caption id="attachment_1676" align="alignright" width="300"]

New Zealand lost the match despite Kane Williamson fireworks (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Kane Williamson shared a bit more than his bit at the stage, supported by debutant Corey Anderson and together they made 73 runs at the sixth wicket. The partnership was now growing bigger and becoming a threat to England’s win and they desperately needed a wicket. Broad earned it for his team as Anderson took Williamson’s catch to end his innings of 67 off 54, including eight fours and a six. His innings would have become fruitful for New Zealand, had he got support of a single batsman. But Williamson did not depart so simply. Field umpire referred the decision to the third umpire, suspecting that Broad had overstepped the crease. Third umpire decided it was not a no-ball and Williamson had to leave the ground. It was quite a close decision and it is safer to say that umpire Steve Davis gave the benefit of the doubt to the bowling side.

Now it was evident that the last four batsmen could not score 35 runs on 16 balls. The innings ended on 159 in 24 overs with two wickets remaining. New Zealand had lost the match by 10 runs and England had booked themselves a place for the semis.

Despite these times of despair, there’s a silver lining in the New Zealand’s story. They can still make it to the semi-finals if Australia beat Sri Lanka in the tomorrow’s match, but with a low margin. Although there are many ifs and buts, but still if…

Alastair Cook was declared man of the match and he was certainly jubilant after the triumph and thankful to his generous benefactor – Nathan McCullum.

England vs New Zealand

Champions Trophy 2013, Match 2013

June 16, 2013

Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Result: England won by 10 runs

Man of the match: Alastair Cook

		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Alastair Cook	c & b NL McCullum	64	47	4	2
Ian Bell	c BB McCullum b McClenaghan	10	8	1	0
Jonathan Trott	c NL McCullum b Mills	8	6	1	0
Joe Root	c Ronchi b McClenaghan	38	40	2	1
Eoin Morgan	lbw b Vettori	15	15	0	1
Jos Butler	c NL McCullum b Mills	14	9	2	0
Ravi Bopara	c Williamson b McClenaghan	9	11	1	0
Tim Bresnan	run out (Franklin)	4	3	0	0
Stuart Broad	c NL McCullum b Mills	0	2	0	0
James Tredwell	c McClenaghan b Mills	0	1	0	0
James Anderson	not out	0	0	0	0
Extras	(leg-byes 2, wides 4, no-ball 1)	7
Total	(all out; 23.3 overs; 116 mins)	169

New Zealand (bowling)	Overs	Runs	Wickets
Mitchell McClenaghan	5	36	3
Kyle Mills	4.3	30	4
Corey Anderson	1	4	0
Daniel Vettori	5	27	1
James Franklin	2	20	0
Nathan McCullum	4	30	1
Kane Williamson	2	20	0

Target: 170 runs (24 overs)		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Martin Guptill	b Anderson	9	12	1	0
Luke Ronchi	c Trott b Anderson	2	12	0	0
Kane Williamson	c Anderson b Broad	67	54	8	1
Ross Taylor	lbw b Bresnan	3	6	0	0
Brendon McCullum	c Root b Bopara	8	17	0	0
James Franklin	c Morgan b Bopara	6	6	1	0
Corey Anderson	c Anderson b Bresnan	30	24	2	1
Nathan McCullum	c †Buttler b Anderson	13	11	1	1
Kyle Mills	not out	5	2	1	0
Extras	(leg-byes 8, wides 8)	16
Total	(8 wickets; 24 overs; 127 mins)	159

England (bowling)	Overs	Runs	Wickets
Stuart Broad	5	25	1
James Anderson	5	32	3
Tim Bresnan	5	41	2
Ravi Bopara	5	26	2
James Tredwell	4	27	0

#CT13: England vs New Zealand - Watch Live Cricket Match

Anonymous at June 16, 2013 0

England vs New Zealand - Match Information

Event:         ICC Champions Trophy
This Match:    11th Match ODI (Day)
Toss: 	       New Zealand won the toss and choose to Field
Country:       England
City: 	       Cardiff
Venue: 	       Sophia Gardens
Umpire 1:      Bruce Oxenford
Umpire 2:      Rod Tucker
TV Umpire:     Steve Davis
Referee:       Andy Pycroft

England Playing XI: Alastair Cook (Captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (Wicket Keeper), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson

New Zealand Playing XI: Luke Ronchi (Wicket Keeper), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Brendon McCullum (Captain), Daniel Vettori, Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan

Champions Trophy 2013 England Joe Root Jonathan Trott Kumar Sangakkara Nuwan Kulasekara Sri Lanka

England vs Sri Lanka: Group A open to all after SL win

Anonymous at June 14, 2013 0

Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten hundred and “Nightwatchman” Nuwan Kulasekara’s quick half-century guided Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket victory over England. This not only makes Sri Lanka’s chances still alive in the tournament, but also provided other teams with a possibility of making it to the final four. Unfortunately, Pakistan are the only team whose exit from the tournament has been confirmed, while the chances of six other teams to qualify for the semi-finals are still on. India have already qualified for the last four.

[caption id="attachment_1529" align="alignright" width="223"]

Sangakkara’s 15th ODI century was the key factor in the team’s victory (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Sri Lanka lost Kusal Perera early in pursuit of the 294-run target. As a result, the team’s total dependence shifted on the experienced trio of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara. The three had failed to performed against the side’s first match against New Zealand and, consequently, Sri Lanka lost the thriller. But they could not afford a defeat against England as it was a do-or-die match for them – and they did and did not die. Dilshan and Sangakkara added 92 runs in the second wicket, laying the foundations of victory. Dilshan was dismissed at a time when he was just six runs from his half-century owing to wrong selection of the shot, making Sri Lanka lose their second wicket before reaching the triple figures.

Now Sri Lanka were hinging on old saviours of the team – Sangakkara and Jayawardene. And they lived to expectations. For the next 14 overs, it seemed impossible for the hosts to claim a wicket. Jayawardene lost his wicket in the first over of the powerplay because of a mediocre shot selection, and had the team lost, this would have been the turning point of the game. Now Sri Lanka were 187 for three, needing another 107 run on 88 balls.

Considering the powerplay, captain Angelo Matthews held Dinesh Chandima and himself, and send Kulasekara. After initial failure in playing right shots and a number of dot balls, Kulasekara’s bat started pouring out runs in leaps and bound. He hit two sixes to Graeme Swann and then two fours a six to Stuart Broad to snatch the victory from England’s clutches.

From the other end, Sangakkara completed his 15th ODI century, which included eight fours and was the need of the time. Sangakkara played the match-winning stroke on the first ball of the 48th over.

[caption id="attachment_1530" align="alignright" width="246"]

English bowlers failed to claim wickets and stop the flow of runs (Photo: ICC)[/caption]

Both players returned unbeaten to the pavilion, with Sangakkara scoring 134 off 135 and Kulasekara scoring 58 off 38.

James Anderson took two while Swann took one wicket.

Earlier, Sri Lanka put England into bat after finding the conditions favourable for the bowlers, But the decision proved wrong until at least 45 overs. Alastair Cook and Ian Bell provided England with an opening stand of 48 runs. In the second wicket, the captain added 83 runs along with Jonathan Trott. Then after Cook’s dismissal in the 29^th over, Trott made another partnership of 87 runs, this time with Joe Root. The strength of English batting line-up can be gauged by the fact that they had lost just two wickets on 218. At the time when England seemed poised to set a huge target, their batsmen failed. Their batting line-up collapsed with the departures of Root and Eoin Morgan in one over and after the back-to-back dismissals of Jos Buttler and Tim Bresnan. Ravi Bopara, however, compensated the loss to a considerable extent by his 33 off 13, studded with two fours and three sixes. As many as 28 runs were scored in the last over but England failed to cross the 300 mark. Trott was the top-scorer for the hosts with his 76, followed by Root (68) and Cook (59).

Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath took two wickets apiece while one wicket was taken by Kulasekara.

Sangakkara was declared as the man of the match.

The Group A is now open for every team to qualify for the semi-finals.

England vs Sri Lanka

Champions Trophy, Match 8

June 13, 2013

Venue: The Oval, London

Result: Sri Lanka won by 7wickets

Man of the match: Kumar Sangakakra

		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Alastair Cook	lbw b Herath	59	85	3	0
Ian Bell	c Perera b Eranga	20	37	3	0
Jonathan Trott	lbw b Herath	76	87	5	0
Joe Root	c Jayawardene b Malinga	68	55	5	0
Eoin Morgan	lbw b Malinga	13	10	1	0
Jos Buttler	c Sangakkara b Kulasekara	0	2	0	0
Ravi Bopara	not out	33	13	2	3
Tim Bresnan	b Eranga	4	7	0	0
Stuart Broad	not out	7	4	1	0
Extras	(leg-byes 10, wides 3)	13
Total	(7 wickets; 50 overs)	293

Sri Lanka (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Nuwan Kulasekara	10	0	42	1
Lasith Malinga	10	2	58	2
Shaminda Eranga	10	0	80	2
Angelo Mathews	6	0	28	0
Rangana Herath	10	0	46	2
Tillakaratne Dilshan	4	0	29	0

not out

Target: 294 runs		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Kusal Perera	c Bopara b Anderson	6	11	1	0
Tillakaratne Dilshan	c Root b Swann	44	56	3	1
Kumar Sangakkara	not out	134	135	12	0
Mahela Jayawardene	c sub (JM Bairstow) b Anderson	42	43	3	1
Nuwan Kulasekara	not out	58	38	5	3
Extras	(leg-bye 6, wides 7)	13
Total	(3 wickets; 47.1 overs)	297

England (bowling)	Overs	Runs	Wickets
James Anderson	10	51	2
Stuart Broad	8.1	67	0
Tim Bresnan	10	63	0
Joe Root	3	27	0
Graeme Swann	10	50	1
Ravi Bopara	6	33	0

#CT13: England vs Sri Lanka - Watch Cricket Match Highlights

Anonymous at June 13, 2013 0

Match Information

Event:         ICC Champions Trophy
This Match:    8th match ODI (Day/Night)
Toss: 	       Sri Lanka won the toss and choose to Field
Country:       England
City: 	       London
Venue: 	       Kennington Oval
Umpire 1:      Aleem Dar
Umpire 2:      Billy Bowden
TV Umpire:     Marais Erasmus
Referee:       Javagal Srinath

Sri Lanka Team: Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (Captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga and Lasith Malinga

England Team: Alastair Cook (Captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (Wicket Keeper), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Australia Champions Trophy 2013 England Ian Bell James Anderson Tim Bresnan

England vs Australia: Hosts overcome defending champions

Anonymous at June 09, 2013 0

When Australia were all out on 65 runs against India in a warm-up match, overoptimistic fans played the down the defeat, saying it was just a warm-up match, after all, and the real contest would be seen when teams go head to head in the Champions Trophy. But Australia’s first performance in the tournament has proved that the present squad was just a shadow of the side that lifted the 2009 title. There was an obvious lack of vigour in their bowling, vitality in batting and an aggressive attitude and determination that had been an essential part of the team. Given the circumstances, the result was expected – England eased their way to a 48-run victory, thanks to Ian Bell’s heroics with the bat and James Anderson’s with the ball.

[caption id="attachment_1410" align="alignright" width="203"]

Tim Bresnan proved he is the right choice in the place of Steven Finn (Photo: ICC)[/caption]

Although India had exposed the defending champions’ vulnerability in the warm-up match, nobody had imagined that Australia would succumb to England so desperately. On the other hand, the victory helped to give England a sense of closure as they had been reeling from the shock New Zealand gave them in the ODI series held before the Champions Trophy.

England were picking the right choices from the beginning as they won the toss and chose to bat, understanding that the wicket was going to support batsmen. Australia kept on trying in vain to take wickets or stop the flow of runs, despite a five-member pace attack. They had been yearning for wickets until at least 34^th over when England’s score was 168. After a 57-run opening stand, Jonathan Trott and Bell made a partnership of 111 runs, and paved the way for the hosts to cross 300, utilising the last powerplay. Then came Australia’s one-off good performance in the match and when England managed to reach 213, six of players were back to the pavilion, including Trott (43), Bell (91), Joe Root (12), Eoin Morgan (8) and Jos Buttler (1). However, England carved their way out to set a target of 270 runs for the opponents with the seventh-wicket partnership between Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan.

Australia’s Clint McKay and James Faulkner took two wickets apiece, while Mitchell Starc and Shane Watson also took one wicket each.

It seemed that England were 50 runs behind the target required to seal victory against the defending champions and experts were questioning the hosts’ chances of winning the match. But England bowlers made the most of the mistakes by the Aussie batsmen, who seemed to have withdrawn in their shells.

[caption id="attachment_1411" align="alignright" width="300"]

The photo accurately depicts Australia’s performance in the match: clean bowled! (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Australian batsmen failed to give a smooth start. Out-of-form David Warner was dismissed by Stuart Broad after making just nine runs on 21 balls. Watson was needed to stand against the English bowling attack, but he failed to take Australia to a stronger position. George Bailey took 69 balls to score 55 which included just two fours. The required run rate continued to jump from six to seven to eight and then 10, but the strategy did not seem to change. Australia reached to the destination where they were heading to. Faulkner scored 54 off 42 in the final moments to narrow the defeat’s margin and Australia’s innings ended on 221 on nine wickets in 50 overs.

James Anderson lived up to expectations and took wicket in 10 overs against just 30 runs. He is currently England’s leading wicket-taker. Bresnan took two wickets, while Broad, Bopara, James Tredwell and Root took one wicket apiece.

England are now at first position in Group A, and second match of the group will be played tomorrow (Sunday) between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

England vs Australia

Champions Trophy, Match 3

June 8, 2013

Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham

Result: England won by 48 runs

Man of the match: Ian Bell

		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Alastair Cook	c †Wade b Watson	30	42	3	0
Ian Bell	b Faulkner	91	115	7	0
Jonathan Trott	c †Wade b Starc	43	56	1	0
Joe Root	c Bailey b McKay	12	17	1	0
Eoin Morgan	b McKay	8	12	0	0
Ravi Bopara	not out	46	37	3	1
Jos Buttler	b Faulkner	1	2	0	0
Tim Bresnan	not out	19	20	2	0
Extras	(leg-byes 12, wides 6, no-ball 1)	19
Total	(6 wickets; 50 overs)	269

Australia (bowling)	Overs	Runs	Wickets
Mitchell Starc	10	75	1
Mitchell Johnson	8	44	0
Clint McKay	10	38	2
Shane Watson	7	26	1
James Faulkner	10	48	2
Adan Voges	3	13	0
Mitchell Marsh	2	13	0

Target: 270 runs		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
David Warner	c †Buttler b Broad	9	21	1	0
Shane Watson	c Cook b Bresnan	24	40	1	0
Phillip Hughes	lbw b Root	30	55	3	0
George Bailey	c Root b Tredwell	55	69	2	0
Adam Voges	b Bresnan	15	23	1	0
Mitchell Marsh	c Morgan b Anderson	5	12	1	0
Matthew Wade	c †Buttler b Anderson	1	4	0	0
James Faulkner	not out	54	42	5	1
Mitchell Johnson	c Morgan b Bopara	8	10	0	0
Mitchell Starc	b Anderson	5	8	0	0
Clint McKay	not out	7	17	0	0
Extras	(leg-byes 6, wides 1, no-balls 1)	8
Total	(9 wickets; 50 overs)	221

England (bowling)	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
James Anderson	10	0	30	3
Stuart Broad	10	2	35	1
Tim Bresnan	10	1	45	2
James Tredwell	10	1	51	1
Joe Root	5	0	20	1
Ravi Bopara	5	0	34	1

CT2013: England vs Australia - Watch Live Cricket Match

Anonymous at June 08, 2013 0

Match Information

Event         ICC Champions Trophy
This Match    3rd Match ODI Day
Toss 	      England won the toss and choose to Bat
Country       England
City 	      Birmingham
Venue 	      Edgbaston
Ends 	      City End & Pavilion End
Umpire 1      Kumar Dharmasena
Umpire 2      Marais Erasmus
TV Umpire     Billy Bowden
Referee       Javagal Srinath

England Team: Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (Wicket Keeper), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

Australia Team: Shane Watson, David Warner, Phil Hughes, George Bailey (captain), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (Wicket Keeper), James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay

England Jonathan Trott Martin Guptill New Zealand New Zealand in England 2013

England vs New Zealand 2nd ODI: Martin Guptill heroics help NZ win

Anonymous at June 03, 2013 0

New Zealand have set alarm bells ringing ahead of the Champions Trophy for experts who have not been considering the team. By defeating England mercilessly in two ODIs to win the three-match series, the Black Caps have proved that they have the guts to become champions. The outstanding 89-run victory in the second ODI gave an edge to New Zealand over England after a long time, while England’s red kit did not prove to be a good omen for them as just after one-sided victory in Tests, the hosts have been given a bashing by the visitors.

[caption id="attachment_1286" align="alignright" width="180"]

Martin Guptill plays biggest ODI innings for New Zealand (Photo: AP)[/caption]

Studdd with two sixes and 19 fours, Martin Guptill’s riveting 189 off 155 was the day’s best performance that helped New Zealand amass a huge target of 359 and that too at the loss of three wickets. The target proved massive for England and they could not gain an upper hand throughout the match. The hosts were bowled out on 273 and even a 109-run innings by Jonathan Trott, who had dropped Guptill when he was just 13, could not salvage the damage that had been done.

New Zealand not only beat England on their home ground but also became the first team to win series in England since 2009. Australia last claimed series in England when they trounced the hosts 6-1 in the seven-match ODI series. England did not lose a home series since then and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, West Indies, South Africa and even Australia failed to beat England during the period. The win also had an effect on ranking as New Zealand jumped to seventh position from eighth, while England were relegated to fourth position from second.

Guptill named many a record in the match played at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. He played the biggest ODI innings by any New Zealand player, breaking the record of Lou Vincent. He also levelled Vivian Richards’ record of biggest ODI innings played in England which he made in 1984 by scoring unbeaten 189 runs.

Guptill was being provided with constant support from the second end that helped New Zealand gain an edge over the opponents even before they started their innings. Kane Williamson scored 55 runs and added 120 runs to the team’s total along with Guptill in the second wicket. Guptill and Ross Taylor made a partnership of 109 runs in the third wicket in which the latter’s share was 60.

When Taylor was dismissed in the 42^nd over, New Zealand were 241. Then Guptill and Brendon McCullum sent shock waves through the already crumbling English team. A decisive partnership of 118 off 50 in which McCullum’s share was 40 off just 19 balls, including two sixes and three fours.

Apart from the visitors’ historic victory, the two ODIs have also exposed the hosts’ preparations as far as bowling is concerned. The matches showed that England are in quite vulnerable position in the absence of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn. Looking at the bowling figures, Tim Bresnan gave 73 in 10 overs, Chris Woakes 49 in 7, Jade Dernbach 87 in 10, Grame Swann 61 in 10 and Strike bowler James Anderson being no exception with 65 in 10.

[caption id="attachment_1285" align="alignright" width="300"]

Red kit proved a bad omen for England and they lost both ODIs (Photo: AP)[/caption]

After such a ruthless by the visitors, the only hope left for England also ended when openers Alastair Cook (34) and Ian Bell (25) departed when the total was 64. The gap created after the loss of openers could not be fulfilled even after a century by Jonathan Trott. The presence of Eoin Morgan at the crease was providing England with a sense of relief but when he was dismissed by Grant Elliott in the 30^th over, the team’s score was just 166.

James Anderson tried to do his bit by making 28 off 19 but England’s innings ended on the first ball of the 45^th over on just 273.

New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan bowled remarkably well and took three wickets against just 35 runs in 8.1 overs. Kane Williamson took two, while Kyle Mills, Doug Bracewell and Elliott took one wicket apiece. With the riveting performance, the Kiwi bowlers did not make Trent Boult’s absence felt.

Guptill received back-to-back man-of-the-match award. Let’s see if he set a record of making three consecutive ODI centuries when the two teams play the third match on June 5 in Trent Bridge.

England Martin Guptill New Zealand New Zealand in England 2013 Ross Taylor

England vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Martin Guptill shines once again

Anonymous at June 01, 2013 0

England, who are being regarded as favourites in the upcoming Champions Trophy owing to their familiarity with the conditions, received a big blow after New Zealand beat them in the first ODI. Martin Guptill’s heroics once again proved victorious for the visitors as they chased down a target of 228 runs.

[caption id="attachment_1264" align="alignright" width="187"]

England vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Martin Guptill shines once again[/caption]

It was the third time in six months that Guptill led the Black Caps to victory so unbelievably. First, against South Africa in December; second, against England in February; and third, against the same opponents at the Lord’s historic ground, where he crushed the English bowlers with his unbeaten 103-run innings. Last time he faced England in February in Hamilton and played a crucial role in his team’s victory despite an injury. In the latest match, he not only completed his hundred with a four, which was also the winning stroke of the game. New Zealand are now leading 1-0 in the three-match series.

The importance of Guptill’s century can be gauged with the fact he is only the second New Zealand player to score a hundred in England. And it came after hefty 23 years. Mark Greatbatch scored two centuries last time in 1990. Moreover, chasing a 228-run target, the visitors lost their two wickets in the first over when James Anderson sent Luke Ronchi and Kane Williamson packing. Guptill and experienced Ross Taylor then made a 119-run match-saving partnership. Taylor played his part by scoring 54 off 77.

England missed Stuart Broad and Steven Finn at the stage as they were ruled out of the current matches against New Zealand because of injuries. The statistics are enough to prove how well the visiting batsmen utilised their absence. Chris Woakes gave away 45 runs in six over and Jade Dernbach gave 55 runs in 10, including two fours in his first over. However, Anderson, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann bowled nicely and gave 100 runs in their almost 29 overs together. But because of a low target set by the English batsmen, they could not stop New Zealand from winning the one-dayer by five wickets.

Guptill’s innings, studded with eight fours and four sixes, was the most prominent in the match and earned him the man-of-the-match award. Apart from Taylor, Grant Elliott also supported Guptill by his 27 runs. The fourth most runs for New Zealand were not scored by their batsman, instead they were from the English bowlers – extras, which amounted to 26 runs and included 10 wides.

New Zealand bowled magnificently despite the absence of Trent Boult. Tim Southee, in particular, performed remarkably well and took the wickets of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Tim Bresnan. The misery of England batting can be measured by the fact that Jonathan Trott was the top-scorer for the hosts with 37runs.

In the last moments, Chris Woakes (36) and Tim Bresnan (25) helped England to cross the 200 mark, but a target of 228 runs was not enough to be defended.

Southee took three wickets for the Kiwis, while Mitchell McClenaghan and Nathan McCullum took two wickets apiece and Kyle Mills and Kane Williamson also sent one batsman each to the pavilion.

Both teams will play the second ODI on June 2 in Southampton.

2019 World Cup England ICC

England will host 2019 World Cup

Anonymous at May 28, 2013 0

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has signed an accord with the International Cricket Council (ICC), under which the 2019 World Cup will be held in England. The matches will be held at 10 venues and 10 teams will participate in the tournament.

[caption id="attachment_1214" align="alignright" width="300"]

Besides hosting the maiden World Cup in 1975, England have hosted three more World Cups (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Having hosted the first three World Cups, England also hosted the 1999 World Cup in a fabulous fashion.

According to an ECB press release, the deal was signed in Dubai on May 26. ECB chief executive David Collier said, "The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into staging agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the World Cup."

The Organising Team from the 2013 Champions Trophy, headed by tournament director Steve Elworthy, will start preparation in this regard after the Champions Trophy ends on June 23, he said.

England have hosted the World Cups of 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999; the 2004 Champions Trophy and the 2009 World Twenty20. This year’s eight-nation Champions Trophy is also going to be held there and will start from June 6. The preparations for the 2019 World Cup will begin with the conclusion of Champions Trophy. Lord’s is likely to host the tournament’s final for the fifth time.

Ed Joyce England Eoin Morgan Ireland Records

[Records] Batsmen scoring ODI 100s for two teams

Anonymous at May 27, 2013 0

Ireland’s Ed Joyce has set a rare record after playing a 116-run innings against Pakistan. He has become the only second player in the cricket history to score ODI centuries for two different countries. Joyce had started his career from England, but after shifting to his ancestral country Ireland, he began representing the emerging cricket team.

[caption id="attachment_1177" align="alignright" width="300"]

After England’s Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce is the only second player to score ODI centuries for two different teams (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

In the second ODI at Clontarf, Dublin, he carved out a 116-run innings off 132 balls, studded with 12 fours and one six. His innings also helped Ireland set a target of 230 runs for Pakistan.

Joyce made his first century in February 2007 against Australia, when he entered the ground as an English batsman and scored 107 off 142, facing a strong bowling attack in the form of Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait and Nathan Bracken. England claimed the match with a heavy margin of 92 runs because of the innings. Joyce was also named the man of the match.

Earlier, Eoin Morgan was the only batsman who held the unique record. Morgan scored the maiden hundred of his international career for Ireland against Canada in February 2007 in an ICC Cricket League Division 1 match. He scored 115 runs on 106 balls but his team could not win the match and Canada’s Ashish Bagai helped his side claim the match with a ton. Morgan scored another three centuries for England. In March 2010, he set the record of making ODI hundred for two teams, scoring 110 runs against Bangladesh at Dhaka.

Interestingly, both batsmen belong to Ireland. The only difference is that Joyce started his career for England and later shifted to his native homeland, whereas Morgan started as an Irish player, but now is a part of England’s strong squad.

England Joe Root New Zealand New Zealand in England 2013 Stuart Broad Tim Southee

England vs New Zealand, first Test: Broad’s heroics help hosts win 1st Test

Anonymous at May 20, 2013 0

The New Zealand bowlers would not have imagined that the match which was in their control for the first three days would slip away in just one session. When the Black Caps entered the ground to chase a 239-run victory target on the fourth day, there were smiling faces all over the Lords historic gallery. But it was only a matter of time and one could sense disappointment in the air. New Zealand were all out for 68 runs as England trounced the visitors by 170 runs.

[caption id="attachment_1011" align="alignright" width="265"]

It was the maiden 10-wicket haul for Stuart Broad (Photo: PA Photos)

Stuart Broad achieved his career best figures, taking seven wickets off 44 in an innings (Photo: PA Photos)[/caption]

Nobody could stand the destructive juggernaut of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Broad achieved his career best performance, taking seven wickets off 44 and Anderson took three. They outshone the impressive 10-wicket haul by New Zealand’s Tim Southee.

The New Zealand came back in the match despite their mediocre performance in first innings. It was only because of their bowlers who sent last eight English batsmen to the pavilion for just 54 runs.

But then the match’s frightening stage began for New Zealanders which concluded with their last batsman falling. The first six Kiwi batsmen could not reach double digit barring two players – wicket-keeper Bradley-John Watling and Neil Wagner with13 and 17 runs respectively. The whole team was bowled out for just 68 in the 23rd over, giving away an unassailable lead to England in the two-match Test series.

England decided to bat after winning the toss and could not gather a reasonable total facing the outstanding performances by New Zealand’s pacers. The first day was not that bad for the hosts as they were 160 for four but their last six batsmen could only add 72 runs the next morning. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were the leading runs scorers with 40 and 42 runs, respectively. Thus, no English batsman could come close to a half-century in the 232-run innings. Matt Prior, who recently salvaged the team against New Zealand, was bowled out on the first ball by Southee. He took four wickets off 58 in the innings, Wagner took three, Trent Boult took two while Bruce Martin took one wicket.

New Zealand entered the ground, brimming with confidence after the lunch break, but soon realized that the condition which did not help hosts were not going to help the visitors. Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton were back in pavilion when the team’s score was just seven. But the third wicket fell on 100, thanks to a 93-run partnership between experienced Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson. Taylor scored 66 off 72. Had Dean Brownlie not lost his wicket in the last moments, the second day would have been termed as the New Zealand’s day who performed well with both the ball and the bat. They were 153 at the stumps and were still trailing by 78 runs with six wickets in hand.

The start of the third day was a replica of what had happened to England the previous day. New Zealand could only add 54 runs with six wickets and were all out on 207, which means a trail of 25 runs. After Taylor’s 66, the second best performance was by Williamson who scored 60. Anderson was the most successful bowler of the first innings, who took five wickets off 47 and also reached 300 Test wickets in his career. Steven Finn clinched four wickets and Broad took one.

After gaining a lead despite a low total in the first innings, England started their second innings and suffered an initial shock after the back-to-back fall of Alastair Cook’s and Nick Compton’s wickets. Jonathan Trott and Joe Root then played the most decisive innings of the match. Together they added 123 runs in the third wicket, which later proved fruitful. Trott scored 56 off 137 and Root pitched in 71 off 120.

[caption id="attachment_1010" align="alignright" width="300"]

Even aggressive bowling and fielding could not help New Zealand (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

At one stage when England seemed poised to make a good total, New Zealand stole the show, taking the wickets of Root, Bairstow, Prior and Trott. The third day ended with 180 runs on the scoreboard at the loss of six wickets.

The hosts scored 33 more runs on the fourth day, with Broad remaining not-out for 26.

Tim Southee took six wickets in the third innings to complete his 10-wicket haul in the match. Williamson took two while Boult and Wagner took one wicket apiece.

What happened to New Zealand in the fourth innings was a nightmare for the visitors. Broad claimed the wickets of Fulton, Rutherford, Taylor, Williamson and McCullum while Anderson sent Brownlie packing from the second end, building up an impregnable air of victory. New Zealand were a sorry sight as the scorecard was showing 29 runs off six wickets. The visitors were all out on 68. Broad received the man-of-the-match award for his riveting performance. It was the first time in 78 years that only two English bowlers took all the wickets in an innings.

Both teams will play the second Test on May 24 at Headingley, Leeds after which three warm-up matches will be held before the Champions Trophy.

Clarification: In the earlier version of the story it was reported that England bowler Stuart Broad took 10 wickets in the match. The correct version should read that he took eight wickets. The error is regretted.

England James Anderson New Zealand in England 2013 Records

[Records] Anderson fourth English bowler to reach 300 Test wickets

Anonymous at May 19, 2013 0

England bowler James Anderson has become the country’s fourth bowler to have taken 300 Test wickets.

[caption id="attachment_995" align="alignright" width="236"]

An ecstatic Anderson on grabbing his 300th wicket (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

In the first Test of the ongoing series against New Zealand, Anderson clinched his 300th wicket in the first innings when he sent Peter Fulton to the pavilion.

Overall, 26 players have taken more than 300 wickets in Tests. Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan is on the top with 800 wickets and Australia’s Shane Warne is second with 708.

The English player who took most Test wickets is the ace all-rounder Ian Botham. He bowled out 383 players during his career, ranging between 1977 and 1992.

Bob Willis and Fred Trueman were the two other players who crossed the 300 mark. Now Anderson’s name has also been added to the list.

Anderson, 30, made his debut in May 2003 from the same Lord’s ground against Zimbabwe, putting in a remarkable performance by taking five wickets off 73. Now, the ongoing Test against the Kiwis is his 81st Test. He has 303 under his belt which he took at an average of 30.26. His best performance in a Test innings is seven wickets off 43 and 11 off 71 in a match. He has taken five-wicket haul 13 times and 10 or more wickets once during his career.

Having remained an average bowler for the first four years of his career, Anderson is now in the prime of his career. Since the beginning of 2010, he has taken 153 wickets at 26.12 in 67 Tests. If his current performance continues, he can break Botham’s record of 383 wickets.

The infographics – which is released by the England and Wales Cricket Board and prepared by Opta –summarises Anderson’s career. Following the illustration is the table, giving details about the four English players who took more than 300 wickets.

English bowlers taking most Test wickets

Player	Career	Matches	Wickets	Average	Innings best
Ian Botham	1977 - 1992	102	383	28.40	8/34
Bob Willis	1971 - 1984	90	325	25.20	8/43
Fred Trueman	1952 - 1965	127	307	21.57	8/31
James Anderson	2003 - to date	81*	303	30.26	7/43

England England Cricketer of the Year Katherine Brunt Matt Prior

Matt Prior named England Cricketer of the Year

Anonymous at May 14, 2013 0

England wicket-keeper Matt Prior has been named as the country’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2012-13, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Monday.

[caption id="attachment_917" align="alignright" width="225"]

Matt Prior is the first England wicket-keeper to win the award (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Prior, 31, is the first wicket-keeper to claim the award.

His heroics behind the wicket and with the bat earned him the award. He scored seven Test half-centuries overall and a match-saving century in England’s most recent Test Match against New Zealand in Auckland.

The other candidates in competition with Prior were James Anderson – the last year’s winner – and England Test and ODI captain Alastair Cook. The members of the cricket media decided the winner through voting.

England bowler Katherine Brunt won Women’s Cricketers of the Year for 2012-2013 award. She beat off competition from Sarah Taylor, Holly Colvin and Charlotte Edwards to win the title for the third time after 2006 and 2010.

Brunt picked up 12 wickets in recent ICC Women’s World Cup campaign in India.

Moreover, Essex and England Under-19’s wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes was awarded the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year while the England Disability Cricketer of the Year award went to the Visually Impaired squad’s Matthew Dean.

The players were honoured during a dinner held in the Long Room at Lord’s on Monday evening. The event was hosted by the sponsor of all England’s cricket teams, ECB and Brit Insurance.

The awards were given after judging the players’ performances in all formats of international cricket over the past year. The duration ranges from last summer’s domestic international programme to the recent winter tours.

Matt Prior’s unbeaten century in the recent Auckland Test Match which helped England draw the Test series against New Zealand also won the TwelfthMan Cricketing Moment of the Year Award, voted for by members of ECB’s TwelfthMan fan community on Facebook.

In a statement, ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: “There have some memorable individual performances across all our England teams over the past year – a 12-month period which saw the England Men’s team win a Test Series in India for the first time in 28 years and the England Women complete a clean sweep of four NatWest series wins at home last summer.

“We congratulate the winners, Matt, Katherine, Matthew and Ben, on their individual achievements and thank all those who took part in the judging process as well as our team sponsor Brit, and the MCC, for their help in staging our annual awards ceremony.”

Champions Trophy 2013 England Ravi Bopara

Hosts England announce squad for 2013 Champions Trophy

Anonymous at May 04, 2013 0

Desperate to win an international tournament, England will try their best to clinch the last version of the ICC Champions Trophy, going to be held in June at home. The 15-man squad the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced for the purpose includes Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann. Bopara was ruled out of the team after the last year’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Bresnan and Swan were out of the side because of their injuries and they will be seen in action this time around.

[caption id="attachment_792" align="alignright" width="276"]

Combination of experienced and young players makes England a strong contender for the title (Photo: AP)[/caption]

Alastair Cook will captain the balanced side which is an amalgam of experienced and young players. On the one hand, there are Eoin Morgan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, and on the other, the squad includes emerging players like Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Joe Root. The combination makes England the strongest side of the tournament as the hosts are the most familiar with the conditions.

One-day format is more difficult than T20 and also requires more patience, which is why fine batsmen and bowlers are a must for any team. Though England will not have Kevin Pietersen, the presence of Trott, Cook, Bell and Morgan is certainly going to make the batting line-up strong. They also have better bowlers than most teams. On the one hand, the pace of James Anderson, Steven Finn and Broad can make the matter worse for the opponents, and on the other, the experienced Swan has the ability to cause massive trouble for the visitors.

Meanwhile, the same players of the 15-member squad will play a three-match ODI series against New Zealand before the Champions Trophy.

England are in group A with defending champions Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The will play their first match on June 8 against Australia in Birmingham.

England have also hosted the 2004 Champions Trophy, and despite making it to the final, they unfortunately succumbed to West Indies who claimed a two-wicket win after a riveting competition.

England squad:

Alastair Cook (captain), Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott and Chris Woakes.

Pages