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Robin Uthappa says he wants to stay in the opening slot and continue playing aggressively

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Robin Uthappa smashed a half-century and a century in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, while opening the batting for India Green, and is looking forward to what will be an important domestic season for him. Uthappa has not played for India since 2008 but believes his route back to the national side could be built based on an insistence on opening and playing his natural game.”I enjoy opening,” he told the . “I play my best at the top of the order and when things go my way more often than not I put the team into a good position. When I played for the Indian team, I chose to bat up and down the order for the sake of the team. But now I will stick to the opening slot. It’s a good start to the season and I will try to build on it.”In the first match of the Challenger Trophy, he reached 56 in quick time before playing a rash shot that led to his dismissal and a subsequent collapse, but Uthappa says he won’t curb his attacking instincts.”I am an instinctive player; when I feel like going for a shot, I back myself and go for it. There are advantages and disadvantages of instinctive and aggressive batsman. When it comes up right, it looks beautiful, but the same shot looks ugly when you get out. I am definitely trying to play longer because if I do that it would be beneficial for the side I am playing for. I am working hard on that, but you don’t expect results overnight.”I have played cricket one way all my life. It’s better for me to continue playing the way I have been playing. If I play like Rahul Dravid or S Badrinath, I won’t be very successful. I am going to play aggressively, that brings out the best in me. That’s the way my team and people like me to bat.”Uthappa had a mediocre IPL 2011 for Pune Warriors, not managing a half-century in 14 matches, but says he has been in good touch for the last five months.”I have been playing my natural game in the last four or five months. I enjoy myself when I open the batting and I really feel I am coming into my own. The season has just begun. It will be a very important season, especially with the Ranji Trophy coming up. I am ready for the challenge.”

James Taylor has completed his switch from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire following agreement over compensation to his former county

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2011After weeks of lengthy negotiations the batsman James Taylor has completed his switch from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire following agreement over compensation to his former county.Taylor, who has played one ODI against Ireland, still had a year to run on his Leicestershire contract but had made clear his desire to move to Division One in the belief that it will further his England ambitions.”I’m thankful to Leicestershire for allowing me to speak to other counties as I feel that I will benefit from playing against the best teams in four-day cricket,” said Taylor. “Nottinghamshire have a talented squad that can challenge on all fronts and I am pleased to be part of that.”I will always be grateful to Leicestershire for the part they have played in my development but it is time to move on and I am looking forward to the new season.”Taylor is currently in India with the England performance squad but could yet feature for the senior side in the coming months if changes are made to the one-day team, following the whitewash in India, or in the Test squad if he pushes aside Ravi Bopara. His Championship statistics were a little disappointing in 2011 with 889 runs at 38.65 in 13 matches, but he averaged 58.28 in the CB40.When he stepped up to England Lions level he hit two hundreds in a three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka A then struck 76 and 98 in the one-off Test. Overall his first-class average is an impressive 49.82″James is already on England’s radar and we hope that he can play a part for us on his way to realising his international ambitions,” said Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket Mick Newell. “This is a significant signing for us and we hope that he can make an impact in all competitions.”There was a lot of interest from counties for James’s signature and we are very pleased that he has chosen to commit to Nottinghamshire.”Taylor is the second England batsman to join Nottinghamshire ahead of the 2012 season following Michael Lumb’s arrival from Hampshire and Newell is still exploring further signings.”We lost Mark Wagh and Ali Brown last season but James and Michael are fitting replacements and they were our primary targets,” he said. “The international calendar may also present us with an opportunity to recruit an overseas batsman and we’re exploring that to see if we can do a deal with the right player.”

A round-up of the first day of the tenth round of matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2011Seventeen wickets fell, all to seamers, on a manic first day at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi that ended with Sialkot on 77 for 7 in response to Abbotabad’s 97. Seamer Mohammad Imran took 6 for 34 as Abbottabad were bowled out for 97. They were 55 for 7 before a few lower order contributions took them close to three figures. Sialkot would have been satisfied after choosing to field, but their batsmen then suffered a similar plight, as Abbottabad’s new-ball pair of Ahmed Jamal and Ikramullah Khan took seven wickets between them.Left-arm quick Wahab Riaz picked up six wickets as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited reached 239 for 7 against National Bank of Pakistan at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Riaz struck early blows to reduce ZTBL to 73 for 6 but half-centuries from Yasir Hameed and Haris Sohail helped them make a recovery. Riaz continued to pick up wickets, and three fell in a cluster at the end of the day leaving the match evenly poised.Islamabad ended with the advantage after 18 wickets fell on the first day of their match against Faisalabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. The hosts were skittled for 169 but their new-ball pair of Nasrullah Khan and Fakhar Hussain left Faisalabad reeling at 92 for 8 by stumps. Islamabad had been reduced to 119 for 9 before Zohaib Ahmed’s 63 and his 50-run last-wicket stand with Nasrullah Khan got them to 169. The seamers did the damage for Faisalabad with Abdur Rauf and Waqas Maqsood taking three wickets apiece and Naseer Akram picking up four.State Bank of Pakistan shot out Pakistan International Airlines for 137 at the National Ground in Islamabad, and then made a positive start to their response. Kashif Siddiq scored 43 not out to take State Bank to 77 for 2, leaving them 60 runs behind with eight wickets still remaining. PIA slumped to 53 for 4 after being put in, two of those wickets falling by virtue of run-outs. Fahad Iqbal steadied the innings with his 45 but seamer Rizwan Haider and left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood took three wickets each to get rid of the lower order quickly.A late collapse negated half-centuries from Ahmed Shehzad and Aftab Alam, and Habib Bank Limited reached 241 for 8 after they were put in by Water and Power Development Authority at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Shehzad’s 59 helped Habib Bank get off to a solid start before seamer Imran Khan and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar began to make inroads. Alam scored 63 but Habib Bank slipped from 184 for 3 to 238 for 8. Babar finished with 4 for 91 from 26 overs.Ahmed Iqbal and Yasir Mushtaq scored half-centuries to help Karachi Blues recover from 68 for 4 to 211 for 5 against Rawalpindi at the National Stadium, Karachi. Iqbal got 54 not out off 179 balls and Mushtaq scored 82 off 141 to take Karachi out of a sticky situation after they had elected to bat.

The BCCI’s selection committee will meet in Chennai on January 15 to pick the squad for the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2012The BCCI’s selection committee will meet in Chennai on January 15 to pick the squad for the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour. India will play two Twenty20s against Australia from February 1, and then a tri-series that also involves Sri Lanka.In a letter sent to the five national selectors, dated January 7, Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, has asked chief selector Krish Srikkanth and his colleagues to assemble in Chennai to pick the squad. The panel is likely to pick a 16-man squad, and allrounder Yuvraj Singh will in all probability return. Yuvraj, who has been convalescing from a non-malignant lung tumour, said last week that he has ‘completely recovered and been training for the last two weeks’.In 2008, India, under MS Dhoni, had won the Commonwealth Bank Series, which also involved Sri Lanka. They beat Ricky Ponting’s Australia 2-0 in the best-of-three finals, played in Sydney and Brisbane. That victory came immediately after India had lost a hard-fought Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a 1-2 margin. This time around, India are already 2-0 down, going into the third Test that begins at the WACA this Friday.Incidentally, in 2008 the Commonwealth Bank, the sponsor of the tri-series, had decided to discontinue sponsorship. Now it has revived the deal, primarily due to the extra value it fetches in terms of TV rights.

James Anderson has said his desire to win a recall to the England Twenty20 squad was the motivation behind his decision to enter into the IPL auction

George Dobell in Dubai02-Feb-2012James Anderson has said his desire to win a recall to the England Twenty20 squad was the motivation behind his decision to enter into the IPL auction.Anderson, a key figure in England’s ascent to the top of the world Test rankings, is one of several members of the squad who will appear in the auction to be held in Bangalore* on Saturday. Ian Bell, Graeme Swann, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior and Chris Tremlett will also be involved in the auction. Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen already have IPL contracts in place.Anderson, currently third in the ICC Test bowling rankings, said concerns over his hectic schedule had provoked him to think long and hard about whether to put his name forward. He eventually reasoned that if he were to have any chance of earning a recall to the England side that will seek to retain its World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka in September he needed to gain more experience in the format. His last T20I appearance came against South Africa in 2009.”At the end of the day, I’ve not played T20 cricket for God knows how long and I want to get back into the England T20 side,” Anderson said. “It was a hard thing to weigh up but that’s what I went for in the end.”Having the odd T20 stuck on to the end of a tour isn’t going to prepare us for a world tournament. The more exposure guys can get to T20 cricket, the better it is in the long run.”Though Anderson joked he would be handing his phone to the umpire at square leg to ensure he was kept up to date with events at the auction, he insisted that talk of the potential big money on offer would not distract England during the third Test against Pakistan. Anderson has a reserve price of $300,000 in the auction, which will take place on the second day of the Test.”I think we’re professional enough not to talk about something like that during a Test match,” Anderson said. “I don’t think it’s going to be an issue at all. It’s something completely separate from what we’re involved in at the minute and it’s for individuals to talk about outside of the Test match. We won’t be talking about it as a team.”Anderson also outlined England’s motivation for an improved performance in the final Test of the series against Pakistan. Although Pakistan have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, England require at least a draw to be certain of retaining their top-ranked status. If England lose 3-0 and South Africa subsequently beat New Zealand by the same margin, South Africa would leapfrog England. South Africa would also then win the $175,000 prize money allocated by the ICC to the Test team that is top of the rankings on April 1.”We don’t want to just be one-hit wonders,” Anderson said. “Becoming the No. 1 side has been our goal for a number of years. We don’t want to have six months of lapping up everyone saying how good we are and then disappearing. We want to stay there as long as we possibly can and that’s why we need to win the game on Friday. We also want to be in a really good position when South Africa come to England in the summer.”Our goal was to become No.1 and, when we became No.1, we wanted to set new goals. As a team we’ve chatted often about wanting to become the best England team there has ever been. We’ve not got off to a great start doing that but the beauty of this team is we have got strong characters in the dressing-room, guys that can face up to the pressure.”*05:00 GMT, Feb 2: This story previously said the auction would be held in Mumbai. this has been corrected

Twenty-two wickets fell on the first day, 21 of them to the spinners. Twenty-two catches were taken, yet only one by a wicketkeeper

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2012
ScorecardTwenty-two wickets fell on the first day, 21 of them to the spinners. Twenty-two catches were taken, yet only one by a wicketkeeper. And at the end of an extraordinary opening day in Mombasa, Ireland held a slender advantage in their ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya.Ireland collapsed for 75 after choosing to bat, falling to the left-arm spin of Hiren Varaiya, who took career-best figures of 6 for 22. Varaiya was well supported by fellow lert-arm spinner Shem Ngoche, who took 3 for 11. Nehemiah Odhiambo had taken the first wicket, that of Paul Stirling, and that was the only success a fast bowler had on the day. Ed Joyce top scored for Ireland with 26, and among the others only William Porterfield and Gary Wilson made it to double figures. Kenya had been in the field for only 33.5 overs.Ireland, however, were not about to let Kenya walk away with a healthy lead. The home team’s openers added only 24 before Ireland’s spinners, Albert van der Merwe and George Dockrell, began to strike. Six wickets fell for 15 runs, and the seventh for the addition of another 11. At 50 for 7, Kenya were in danger of being in the deficit but were dragged past Ireland’s 75 by Ragheb Aga, who was the last man out for 46. Kenya were dismissed for 109, with the offspinner van der Merwe taking 5 for 41 and the left-arm spinner Dockrell taking 5 for 37. Both of them achieved career-best figures as well.Joyce and Stirling were more solid in their second attempt and they wiped out the deficit of 34, effectively reducing the contest to a one-innings shootout. Ireland’s opening partnership was worth 63, when Ngoche had Stirling caught and bowled. Porterfield was dismissed for a duck a couple of overs later, by Variaya, with Ireland only 34 ahead. Joyce, however, scored briskly, ending the day unbeaten on 51 off 56 balls, leading his team to 81 for 2.

Derbyshire seam bowler Tony Palladino has a fighting chance of being fit for the start of the county season after flying back from a pre-season tour to Barbados with a broken jaw

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2012Derbyshire seam bowler Tony Palladino has a fighting chance of being fit for the start of the county season after returning from a pre-season tour to Barbados with a broken jaw. After flying into Manchester airport, he was driven to London to see a specialist and had an operation in which a plate was screwed into the jawbone.Derbyshire’s head coach, Karl Krikken, has said that Palladino, who had only recently recovered from a hernia operation, will be able to bowl again in a week. Had the jaw been wired, his recovery would have been much slower. “That is great news for us and for Tony because he has a chance of being ready for the start of the season now,” Krikken said.

The participation of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL is entirely dependent on the resumption of Indo-Pakistan cricket ties, according to the IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla

Sharda Ugra09-Apr-2012The participation of Pakistan cricketers in the IPL is dependent on the resumption of India-Pakistan cricket ties, according to the IPL chairman and BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla. He was speaking to Geo News channel on Sunday, the day Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh held talks in New Delhi.”No one is against Pakistan or Pakistani players in India, or else we would not have allowed Pakistani commentators or umpires in IPL 5,” Shukla said. “Everything is tied to the resumption of bilateral cricket ties between the two countries. Once that happens, I think everything will happen automatically. The IPL functions under the BCCI and when bilateral relations resume between the two boards, the IPL will also not be a problem for Pakistani players.”Cricket relations between India and Pakistan are deadlocked at the moment, with the BCCI generally shifting the onus of resuming bilateral ties to the government. However, several reports following the meeting between the countries’ political leaders suggest that progress in cricketing relations depends on the two boards. The said that an “almost certain” November visit by the Indian prime minister to Pakistan would be the barometer of ties between the two countries.Pakistan cricketers took part in the first IPL in 2008. However, the terrorist attack in Mumbai in November that year suspended bilateral cricket ties between the two countries and also, without any official announcement, the involvement of Pakistan’s cricketers in the IPL. Shukla said the two boards were in touch over the issue and that new PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had “made all the right moves to get the ball rolling”. “But until something definite happens it would not be proper for me to comment on when we can resume playing cricket again,” Shukla said.The major obstacles to the resumption of bilateral ties, Shukla said, was India’s hectic international calendar and the security situation in Pakistan – the country has not hosted a Test team following the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore. “The hectic international schedule of the Indian team is an issue and we have to see and find a slot for even the Pakistan team to tour India. Secondly, and more importantly, the PCB needs to do something and convince other cricket nations at the level of the International Cricket Council that it is safe and secure to play in Pakistan … they need to do more and get the support of leading nations like Australia, England and South Africa.”Following Pakistan’s tour to India in 2007, it is India’s turn to tour Pakistan but Shukla made it clear that a series on neutral territory – where Pakistan have hosted four of their ‘home’ series since the Lahore attack – is not an option for the moment. “We feel that it is no use if both countries play at a neutral venue. It serves no purpose. If we play, it must be in each other’s countries. We have no problems touring Pakistan but first the PCB needs to win the confidence of the ICC and member boards.”The ICC’s Future Tours Programme has several periods marked out for series between India and Pakistan, but doesn’t mention any details – a tentative number of games and which formats.The PCB has also been pushing for the inclusion of teams from Pakistan in the Champions League T20, where the previous winner received $2.5m. “Obviously we want our team to be there and play like other teams are,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “The decision to invite us is something that is in their [the organisers – India, Australia and South Africa] hands. We can’t force them. We had widely raised this issue on various forums but I believe the only difficultly we are facing is the bilateral ties with India and everything is connected with it.””Once the bilateral ties between Pakistan and India are revived, all these issues will automatically be resolved. So our priority is to revive Indo-Pak cricket.” The inaugural Champions League T20 was to be held in 2008 but was cancelled due to the Mumbai attacks.Commenting on the possible involvement of Pakistan’s Twenty20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, in the 2012 edition of the Champions League, Shukla said, “If we [are talking] about the Champions League, then just wait and see for a few months. I don’t think we should be pessimistic about Indo-Pak bilateral relations, remain optimistic … Pakistani players have special talents and everyone likes to see them play. But we need to be patient and wait for good things to happen.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in Delhi

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria28-Apr-2012Match factsSunday, April 29, Delhi
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Shahbaz Nadeem made another big contribution against Mumbai Indians•AFPBig PictureAfter an encouraging start to the tournament where they had four wins out of six, Rajasthan Royals have lost their last two matches and slipped to fifth position. Their next challenge is likely to be their toughest – facing Delhi Daredevils in Delhi – as the mid-table scramble heats up.Daredevils, meanwhile, stamped their authority with a thumping win over Mumbai Indians on Friday which has taken them a step ahead of the rest. It was the first time this season that Daredevils batted first and they made most of their muscle by posting 207. While Kevin Pietersen has had a Gayle-like effect on the team, Virender Sehwag has bullied the opposition with three consecutive half-centuries at a strike-rate of 182.35. Sehwag now has the orange cap in his sights. Daredevils’ pacers – purple cap holder Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan – have played in all eight games. With Varun Aaron, who will be available soon, Andre Russell and Doug Bracewell on the bench, there is a case for rotation.Royals have adequate strength in their batting to counter pace and spin. Rahane has been confident, while Owais Shah and Brad Hodge can attack faster bowlers with ease. In Brad Hogg, Royals have a canny spinner, who can entice Sehwag into a trap. But the small boundaries and a flat pitch in Delhi could turn this game into another bat-out.Form guide (most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils: WWLWW
Rajasthan Royals: LLWWLPlayers to watchMahela Jayawadene joined the party with an attractive 55 in the last game, leading the counter-attack in the face of some penetrative bowling by Lasith Malinga. Royals’ bowling is slightly weaker, which could just be the invitation for Jayawardene to possibly match Sehwag.Owais Shah has been the engine whenever acceleration is required for Royals. He has scored 278 runs at a strike-rate of 147.08 and has struck 15 sixes, one more than even Sehwag has managed.Stats and trivia Hodge with 4365 runs and Shah with 3835 are the second and third most prolific batsmen in Twenty20 cricket. Pietersen may be the joint leader for sixes – 19 in all – in this IPL but Sehwag can reach a century of sixes in Twenty20 cricket in this match. He is on 99. Shaun Tait is close to a landmark as well, but he hasn’t been part of the playing XI for Royals this season. He is currently on 97 Twenty20 wickets. Daredevils have played the Royals twice at the Kotla. They have won both games.Quotes”It will be a healthy headache for the team management.”

“The bowling in death overs is still a big worry for us.”

Alex Hales has been fined a week’s wages by Nottinghamshire after reporting late for the final day of the club’s Championship match against Middlesex on Saturday, May 12

George Dobell16-May-2012Alex Hales has been fined a week’s wages by Nottinghamshire after reporting late for the final day of the club’s Championship match against Middlesex at Trent Bridge on Saturday, May 12.Hales, who has played four T20 internationals for England, had been dismissed in his second innings of the match shortly before the close on the third evening of the game. After a late night on Friday, he overslept on Saturday morning and did not wake until lunchtime. The Middlesex side included England’s Test captain, Andrew Strauss.”We can confirm that Alex was fined,” a club spokesman told ESPNcricinfo, “but it is club policy not to comment upon the reasons.”Hales was part of England’s T20 squad in the UAE over the winter but was not selected for the side.