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Along with Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and John Wright had formed a strong mentoring group for Mumbai Indians which Kumble thought “seemed complete”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Anil Kumble and John Wright were two important additions to the Mumbai Indians team this year even though their expensive player acquisitions before the start of the tournament had hogged most of the limelight. Along with Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, they had formed a strong mentoring group which Kumble thought “seemed complete” and were instrumental in the team winning its first IPL title.”As soon as I became the team mentor the first call I made was to John [Wright] to find out whether he was available to coach and he readily agreed,” Kumble told the IPL site. “We have a good partnership and we know each other well since our Team India days. The next job was to choose a leader and Ricky [Ponting] was the obvious choice. With Sachin there, it all seemed complete.”After below average showing in the first two seasons of the IPL, Mumbai Indians came close to winning the title in 2010, but lost to Chennai Super Kings in the final. They continued their dominance in the league stages in the following two seasons, but were knocked out in the playoffs. This year though, they peaked towards the end of the tournament, winning seven of their nine matches including the final against Super Kings at Eden Gardens.Asked what the new mentoring group did right, Kumble said, “Our job was just to create an environment where players could go and play to their potential and the team has responded exceptionally well. I’m really glad that after five years, on sixth attempt – both as player and mentor – I have finally won an IPL Trophy. It’s great to be on the winning side.”The team had a quiet start to the tournament after which their captain Ricky Ponting, struggling to make an impact on the field, decided to drop himself from the XI. But Ponting’s leadership skills came in handy, Kumble said. “It’s never easy when you’re nominated as the captain and you have to sit out of games. It’s not been easy for him too but he has handled it commendably. His experience of being part of winning Australian teams has certainly helped. He knows how to motivate the players and what exactly to say to the players.”It was Wright’s first year in the IPL and the win thrilled the former India coach. “It is unbelievable. It is the big league, and there are tough games in it. I always wanted to come here and experience it as a coach,” he said. “We have played well as a team and have really come together, particularly in our fielding and our bowling. We had to hustle on Sunday night. We had a pretty tough start and we managed to get 148, which was good. “Wright said the team tried to be fearless and aggressive after they had to make tough decisions early on. They played two fast bowlers as their overseas players consistently and Wright praised the way Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson responded. Johnson was the leading wicket-taker for the team with 24 wickets, while Malinga, who had a relatively below-par season, bowled a match-winning spell in the final.”Eden Gardens has been so wonderful to me, I will never forget 2001 against Australia. This one ranks right next to it,” Wright said.

Ireland have named an unchanged 14-man squad to take on Pakistan in two ODIs at the end of the month

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2013Ireland squad to play Pakistan

William Porterfield (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, John Mooney*, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.
*Mooney is suspended for the first match on May 23.

Ireland have named an unchanged 14-man squad to take on Pakistan in two ODIs at the end of the month. John Mooney is included, despite being unavailable for the first match after being suspended over a tweet about the death of Baroness Thatcher.William Porterfield will lead the side, who beat UAE in both their World Cup qualifiers in March, and Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons, is eyeing an upset against Pakistan, who are touring in preparation for the Champions Trophy in England.”We’ve always got a chance in our conditions,” Simmons said. “We’ve turned in some strong performances in recent years especially against England and Australia and lost matches we should have won. We’re getting stronger all the time and we’ll be well prepared and try to put them under pressure from the start.”There’s a great atmosphere at Clontarf with the Irish fans behind us, and with a full house expected for both games, I’m hoping they can get us over the line against Pakistan. It’s certain to be a great carnival of cricket over the two days. We know how important it is to keep the momentum going with Irish cricket and we’ll be looking for headline victories in our marquee games this year.”Both ODIs, which will take place on May 23 and 26, are close to being sold out. Ireland have been keen to play more cricket against Full Members and Simmons said his players were looking forward to another opportunity to cause a surprise against the nation they memorably beat at the 2007 World Cup.”There’s no doubt we’re going to be up against it in both games, but that’s what we want,” Simmons said. “We’re crying out for this type of challenge and it’s fantastic that we’ve got these two ODI’s against one of the games superpowers.”

Kyle Coetzer’s superb unbeaten half-century helped Northamptonshire to a comfortable win over Warwickshire to give them their second straight victory in the Friends Life t20.

05-Jul-2013
ScorecardRichard Levi helped give Northamptonshire a rapid start•Gallo ImagesKyle Coetzer’s superb unbeaten half-century helped Northamptonshire to a comfortable win over Warwickshire to give them their second straight victory in the Friends Life t20.Northamptonshire posted a solid 161 for 2 from their 20 overs with Scotland captain Coetzer continuing his fine run of form with 71 not out off 61 balls. Mohammad Azharullah then took 4 for 25 as Warwickshire fell short of their target with only Ateeq Javid providing resistance with 41 off 34 deliveries.Northamptonshire won the toss and chose to bat and started in confident fashion in the sunny conditions as openers Richard Levi and Coetzer amassed 63 between them. South Africa international Levi clobbered 35 off 21 balls before he was taken at long on by Chris Woakes off the bowling of Javid.Coetzer stuck around to go past 50 off 45 deliveries but Cameron White was to perish on 28 when he smashed New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel to Keith Barker at deep midwicket.Coetzer went on to go past his previous best T20 score of 64 as he and captain Alex Wakely, who swatted 24 off 17 balls batted out the final five overs of the hosts’ innings.Chasing 162, Warwickshire lost Darren Maddy in the fifth over after he plundered 15 when his off stump was taken out by Azharullah. Lee Daggett then bowled the Warwickshire captain Varun Chopra for 19 in the following over as the momentum shifted irrevocably Northamptonshire’s way.The visitors suffered another blow when Laurie Evans, who never got going in making six off 15 balls, saw his leg stump sent tumbling by Graeme White. Rikki Clarke was next to fall when he was well taken at deep extra cover by Coetzer to give Graeme White his second wicket as Warwickshire fell even further behind the required run-rate.England bowler Chris Woakes made it to 23 off 17 balls before holing out by launching Azharullah to David Willey at long-on. Daggett’s delivery clattered into Javid’s middle stump before Azharullah bowled both Barker and Patel in the penultimate over as Warwickshire collapsed.

West Indies and Pakistan have given us tough, hard-fought cricket along with the usual doses of excitement when we least expected them, setting it up for one, final tussle

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit23-Jul-2013Match factsWednesday, July 24, 2013
Start time 0900 local (1300 GMT)Will Chris Gayle adapt his style?•WICBBig PictureTough, hard-fought cricket, along with the usual doses of excitement when you least expect them. Star player makes umpteenth comeback, walks in at 47 for 5, cracks 76 off 55 and then takes other-worldly figures of 9-3-12-7. Home side rebound from the thrashing with a convincing win in the second game, then follow it up with a last-ball, last-wicket train robbery of a tie when they are all but derailed. West Indies and Pakistan, true to reputation, have given us what they were expected to.And the Caribbean has given us another ODI series with twists and turns, following the tri-series also involving India and Sri Lanka. The balance between bat and ball, the absence of which renders so many one-day contests into one-dimensional batting gluts, has set this series up for one, final tussle between the two sides.In what has become unfortunately recurring due to the forced change in the West Indies home season, rain influenced the result of the fourth game. It arrived while the Pakistan chase was on, and imposed a revised target. West Indies found their three specialist bowlers had already bowled most of their quota; Pakistan had lost only their openers. Although the conditions and the situation were more in favour of the chasing side than the defending one, it must be said that more than those two, Pakistan’s self-destructing tendency often proves to be their undoing. That they didn’t succumb to any of the three is creditable, and irrespective of what happens in the final game, they have maintained their record of not losing a bilateral ODI series in the West Indies since 1988. They have, in fact, won the last two, in 2005 and 2011; even another tie will suit them fine.A lot has been said about West Indies’ improvement, recent and continuing, in limited-overs cricket. The improvement, however, does not seem to be translating itself clearly into results yet. In the past year, away series losses to Bangladesh and Australia, the latter a 0-5 whitewash, have been followed by an early exit from the Champions Trophy in England, and failure to make the final of a home tri-series. They are now faced with the task of winning the fifth match to avoid losing another home series to Pakistan. It is also crucial for Dwayne Bravo’s fledgling captaincy that he comes out of this scrap with a tied series.Form guideWest Indies LTWLL (most recent first, last five completed matches)
Pakistan WTLWLIn the spotlightThis is Chris Gayle’s worst year in ODIs, after his debut year in 1999, with an average just above 20. In a way, he is to the Caribbean what Shahid Afridi is to Pakistan. The star who towers above the rest of his team-mates, peerless in fan following. You don’t drop Afridi without expecting a backlash from the public; the same applies to Gayle. At 33, though, he is at an age where similar batsmen such as Virender Sehwag, batsmen who rely more on timing or power than on technique, have found it difficult to reinvent themselves in the face of dwindling returns. He was demoted to as low as No. 5 in the previous match and made 30 at a strike-rate of 65. How will he respond to this late challenge in his career?Mohammad Hafeez needed that fifty in the previous game. He’d gone 11 innings for a lone score of 50-plus, a century against Ireland. While Hafeez’s bowling in limited-overs is always handy, he is also a top-order batsman, and the Twenty20 captain. Given the long struggle to prove himself that Hafeez’s career has been, you sense that the feeling of insecurity somehow still lurks somewhere inside, and is likely to worsen matters when the runs are not coming. It also does not help that Hafeez is a rhythm player, and when the rhythm deserts him, it really does. Has he regained it after that 59?Team newsWest Indies demoted Gayle and chose Devon Smith to open instead in the previous game. Another failure for Smith followed, but it will be unfair on him if he gets just the one chance.West Indies: (probable) 1 Devon Smith, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Chris Gayle, 6 Lendl Simmons, 7 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Jason HolderGiven Ahmed Shehzad’s continuing struggles, Pakistan have the choice of opening with Asad Shafiq, who’s batted at the top before on a few occasions. Umar Amin played the tour match against Guyana but hasn’t got a game yet in the series. He is another option.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Umar Akmal (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad IrfanStats and trivia Dwayne Bravo has the worst economy-rate in the series – 6.44. Hafeez has the best – 3.24Including the fourth game, Gayle has batted at No. 5 only eight times in 248 ODI inningsQuotes”I had a good talk with Dr Scott Hamilton [West Indies’ sports psychologist] and I was trying to refresh my memory of the way my style of play is. My style of play is give myself a chance and push it around, and then I can definitely make up at the end.”

Pakistan Under-23s pulled off an unlikely, one-wicket win against Sri Lanka Under-23s to set up a title clash against India in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan Under-23s pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win against Sri Lanka Under-23s to set up a title clash against India on Sunday in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup in Singapore.Set a target of 231 for victory, Pakistan had a bad start, losing Babar Azam off the first ball of the innings. The teams were evenly matched for most part of the chase as Sri Lanka struck with quick wickets right after the Pakistan batsmen had managed to get a partnership going. A fifth-wicket stand between Usman Salahuddin and Mohammad Nawaz, worth 57 runs, steadied the chase, after they were 61 for 4 in the 16th over, but Sri Lanka fought back with three quick wickets, dismissing Nawaz, Salahuddin and Raza Hassan.The chase came to rest on Hammad Azam, who batted well with the lower order. He took his time settling down when Bilawal Bhatti hit a quickfire 21-ball 25, but assumed charge of the innings once Bhatti and Usman Qadir were out with the score at 200 for 9. With Pakistan needing 30 off 48 balls, Azam began taking most of the strike and hit regular boundaries to keep the side in with a chance.With 13 required off the last two overs, Azam finished the match in the 49th over, scoring the winning runs with a six over fine leg. He finished on unbeaten on 66 off 69 balls with two fours and three sixes.Earlier, legspinner Usman Qadir’s five-wicket haul helped rein in Sri Lanka after the openers had given them a strong start. Udara Jayasundera and Shehan Jayasuriya added 81 in 14.4 overs, their third fifty-plus opening stand in the tournament, to give Sri Lanka a good start after they chose to bat. Qadir had success soon after being introduced in the 13th over, taking a simple return catch off Jayasuriya. He dried up the runs with some tight bowling and dismissed Kithuruwan Vithanage and Niroshan Dickwell to finish his first spell with figures of 7-2-19-3.Jayasundera’s fifty and a 48-run stand with Rumesh Buddika for the fifth wicket, helped steady the Sri Lankan innings. Once the pair was out, the lower order, led by Charith Jayampathi scored quick runs to take the side to 230 for 7.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who last played a Test for Bangladesh in August 2011, was named in the squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on October 9

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2013Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who last played a Test for Bangladesh in August 2011, was named in the 14-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on October 9. The only new face in the list was pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain, while there were recalls for Anamul Haque, Marshall Ayub and Naeem Islam too.Mahmudullah was retained in the squad despite his poor Test form. He is the vice-captain, and will once again bat at No. 8, his regular position in the line-up.Al-Amin is currently the second highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division with 18 wickets. He had an impressive tour of England for Bangladesh A in August and had been in the selectors’ gaze for quite a while, having been a prolific bowler for Khulna Division in the National Cricket League.”Like any other cricketer, it was my dream to make it to the national team,” Al-Amin said. “I am really excited about the opportunity. My next aim is to make it to the playing XI, and take as many wickets as I can.”He could however miss out on a Test debut as both Robiul Islam and Rubel Hossain are in the squad. Robiul is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Rubel had muscle stiffness, but the bowlers are expected to be fit in time. Bangladesh are unlikely to pick three seamers, given that Sohag Gazi and Shakib Al Hasan are automatic picks.As a result, Razzak’s inclusion isn’t much of a surprise and is he unlikely to play unless there is an injury. He has been the perennial back-up spinner in the Test squad previously too, despite his bags of first-class wickets. He is considered a limited-overs specialist and has done well in both ODIs and Twenty20s. He, however, had an impressive first-class season in 2012-13, picking 54 wickets for Khulna and South Zone in the two longer-version tournaments.Naeem returns after a good two Tests against West Indies where he looked like a long-term prospect at No. 4. He scored a century in the first Test, but a careless injury in the Bangladesh Premier League cost him two consecutive tours – Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Marshall was in the Test squad for Sri Lanka, but didn’t get a chance to play there. He continued to score runs domestically, scoring six centuries.Anamul, who missed the tour to Zimbabwe due to college exams, has replaced Jahurul Islam and will open with Tamim Iqbal. There are going to be a few contenders for the No. 3 and 4 positions, with Naeem, Mominul Haque and Marshall picked to give the team management options for the two places.Squad for first Test: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt.), Mahmudullah, Anamul Haque, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Naeem Islam, Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain, Mominul Haque, Marshall Ayub, Robiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club picked up a fourth win in the Dhaka Premier Division, beating Abahani Limited by 28 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013The 39-run over – how it happened

49.0: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 5 runs from no ball

49.0: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 1 wide

49.1: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 6 runs

49.2: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 4 runs

49.3: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 6 runs

49.4: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 4 runs

49.5: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 6 runs

49.5: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 1 wide

49.6: Alauddin Babu to Elton Chigumbura: 6 runs

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club picked up a fourth win in the Dhaka Premier Division, beating Abahani Limited by 28 runs in Mirpur. It was Abahani’s fourth loss in five games, and their seamer Alauddin Babu’s 39-run over became a world record.After Dhanmondi were put into bat, they were off to a sound start despite losing Junaid Siddique early. Jahurul Islam, who made 60, added 89 runs for the second wicket with Dilshan Munaweera. They lost a few wickets in the middle overs, but a final onslaught put them right on top.Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe allrounder, hammered 50 runs in the last 2.5 overs, including the 39 from the last over of the innings bowled by 21-year-old Alauddin. A promising seam-bowling allrounder who was discovered at 17, Babu had played for Bangladesh’s Under-19 side in 2010, before graduating to senior cricket. He had also spent time in the National Cricket Academy and plays first-class cricket for Rangpur Division.He gave away five off the first ball which was a no-ball, and then bowled a wide. Off the next five balls, Chigumbura alternated between sixes and fours, before Alauddin bowled another wide and was finished off with a six. Chigumbura finished with an unbeaten 69 off 54 balls with four fours and five sixes. Alauddin ended up conceding a whopping 93 in his 10 overs, but not all the Abahani bowlers were this profligate. Al-Amin Hossain took four wickets for 38 runs.Alauddin’s 39 was the most runs conceded in an over in List A cricket, beating the Netherlands legspinner Dan van Bunge, who leaked six sixes in an over to Herschelle Gibbs in the 2007 World Cup. It is also the most in Dhaka Premier Division history, beating Naeem Islam’s 36 (six sixes) off Marshall Ayub in the 2009-10 season, also at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Abahani were deflated by Chigumbura’s finish, but their second-wicket partnership between Shahriar Nafees and Tharanga Paranavitana added some solidity. The pair put together exactly 100 runs, but the rest of the Abahani batsmen couldn’t hold on to the advantage. Mosaddek Hossain managed 43, but that was not enough as Dhanmondi bowled them out for 254.Offspinner Abul Bashar took four wickets while seamer Shafiul Islam picked up three.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches that took place on November 2

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2013Gazi Tank Cricketers went to the top of the Dhaka Premier Division table with a three-wicket win over Prime Bank Cricket Club in Bogra. Batting first after being put in, Prime Bank were restricted to 191 for 8 in 50 overs.A 55-run seventh-wicket partnership between Taibur Rahman and Mahmudul Hasan took their score to some respectability after it had fallen to 116 for 6 in the 36th over. Taibur made 63 off 86 balls while Mahmudul was unbeaten on 26.Jacob Oram took three wickets for 28 from his nine overs while left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny picked up two.Prime Bank took three wickets in the first 19 overs but a 114-run fourth wicket stand between Raqibul Hasan and Ashar Zaidi, both having scored half-centuries, gave them a dominant position. Gazi Tank wobbled after Ravi Bopara took three quick wickets but they completed the win in 48.2 overs.In Rajshahi, Victoria Sporting Club staved off a late scare from Elton Chigumbura, beating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by six runs.The Zimbabwe allrounder came into bat with Dhanmondi struggling at 66 for 5 in the 20th over. He added 82 runs for the seventh wicket with Nahidul Islam after which he went at it alone. With seven needed to win off the last over, he was bowled by Robiul Islam for 91 off 94 balls with two sixes and nine fours.Robiul saved Victoria, taking four wickets including that of Jahurul Islam in the first over of the Dhanmondi innings.Earlier, Jubair Ahmed made 89 and Lasith Abeyratne scored 59 to give Victoria a decent 251 in 46.2 overs. For Dhanmondi, Gulbadin Naib and Nahidul took two wickets each.

The upcoming ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan will be more about the teams finding the right balance ahead of the 2015 World Cup

The Preview Firdose Moonda23-Nov-2013Match facts Sunday, November 24, 2013
Start time 10.00 local (0800 GMT)Pakistan will be looking to avoid the batting collapses that have plagued them lately•AFPBig Picture Pakistan produced their best batting effort in six matches to end their winless streak against South Africa and they will fancy doubling up on that on Sunday. The first of three ODIs, in what has been a marathon-run between these two teams, will be played in Cape Town with much less at stake than there was in the Twenty20 matches.The 2015 World Cup is further away than next year’s World T20, so this series will just be about the teams finding the right combination, something that is particularly important to the hosts. With veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis back in the mix, South Africa will work around him to assess what their squad may still need ahead of the big event.Pakistan, on the other had, may be looking only as far as ensuring their batting line-up finds the solidity it lacked in UAE. Their focus will be on preventing the collapses that have dogged them recently. They have never beaten South Africa in a bilateral ODI series, but will fancy taking an early lead this time, purely because of the timing of the first match.South Africa’s T20 captain, Faf du Plessis will be married on Saturday, and although he is not in the one-day squad, many of his team-mates who will be in attendance at the ceremony. AB de Villiers is the best man, but may have to leave early to take care of his duties as captain the next day. The current South African side has not let off-field events influence their cricket but they also haven’t had a wedding sandwiched between games. With festivities high for the hosts, Pakistan will see this as a chance to pounce.Form guide Pakistan LLLWL(last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa WWWLWIn the spotlight It has been 21 months and 29 ODIs since Jacques Kallis has played 50-over cricket for South Africa, but he is back with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. With Faf du Plessis dropped, Kallis is likely to occupy the No.3 spot and he will operate as a fifth seamer. In the field, he will likely be stationed at slip, and keep an eye on whether he is also used in an advisory capacity to AB de Villiers.Misbah-ul-Haq rejoined his team amid a cloud of controversy following his television interview with acing PCB chairman Najam Sethi. Although Misbah insisted there was no infighting in the Pakistan team, his parting words in UAE were a demand for more accountability from his batsmen. Misbah has recently developed a reputation as Pakistan’s lone run-machine, and will hope for some support from the rest in this series.Team news With Kallis back in the fray, South Africa could use the opportunity to field their strongest team and see how the players gel. The only decision they have to make is whether they want the experience of the fully-fit Graeme Smith, or the flair of the in-form Quinton de Kock, who can also relieve de Villiers of the wicketkeeping duties, at the top of the order.Ryan McLaren will play the role of the second allrounder, with Wayne Parnell likely to miss out. With a pace attack comprising Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vernon Philander will also probably find himself on the sidelines.South Africa: (likely)1 Hashim Amla, 2 Graeme Smith/Quinton de Kock (wk) 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 JP Duminy 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe 11 Imran TahirMisbah-ul-Haq returns to the batting line-up, which will give Pakistan the stability they badly need. With Mohammad Hafeez performing in the second T20, he is likely to open, leaving Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed to compete for the other opener’s spot. Both contenders have failed to convert their starts. Pakistan also have the option of either Umar Amin or Asad Shafiq in the middle, while Bilawal Bhatti will replace Mohammad Irfan in the bowling department.Pakistan: (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad/Nasir Jamshed, 3 Sohaib Maqsood 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq/Umar Amin, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Bilawal BhattiStats and trivia Misbah-ul-Haq has been overtaken by Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI run-charts for 2013, but he can easily reclaim the lead. Misbah is 24 behind Rohit, although he has not scored an ODI hundred this year. Dale Steyn is the only South African bowler to have taken a five-for in ODIs this year. Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi have done the same for Pakistan. Quotes “We weren’t as good in the bowling department as we have been in the past and we bowled a few extras that cost as quite a few runs.”
“We’ve been working really hard but the luck was not with Pakistan. We needed this win to stay positive for the rest of the series.”

Cricket Australia was compelled to apologise after its official Twitter account posted a picture of four bearded, turbaned men dressed up as Teletubbies with the caption “will the real Monty Panesar please stand up?”

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval05-Dec-2013Cricket Australia was compelled to make an apology and hurriedly re-shape its social media policy after the governing body’s official Twitter account posted a stock picture of four bearded, turbaned men dressed up as Teletubbies with the caption “will the real Monty Panesar please stand up?”.Posted in the hour before the start of the second Ashes Test match at Adelaide Oval, the tweet was subsequently removed and an apology posted in its place after the image and the reference to Panesar drew howls of outrage from around the world.Later in the day the @cricketaus account was re-branded as CA Digital Media, “the independent news arm working out of Cricket Australia”. A second account has been created under the name @CAComms, described as “official communication from Cricket Australia, the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia”.”We certainly apologise for any offense caused with the tweet. It wasn’t our intention to offend and it has promptly been removed from Twitter,” a CA spokesperson said. “To reiterate, if the tweet was interpreted in a manner that offended Twitter followers, we certainly apologise for that. This has been addressed internally and CA acknowledges it was an error of judgement.”The tweet was described by numerous online critics as an example of “casual racism”, while numerous English writers expressed their displeasure in no uncertain terms. Martin Samuel, chief sports writer for the , delivered a particularly stinging critique in a piece headlined: “So, all Asians look the same and we need to put them in Teletubbies outfits to tell them apart? That’s not right, Cricket Australia, and Monty tweet is insulting and demeaning”.”They want to win the stupid banter battles, they want to be as edgy as the worst of the press box warriors, they want also to be the respected rule-makers and the natural home for lovers of cricket and lovers of fun. But they haven’t got a clue,” Samuel wrote. “By the time the first wicket had fallen in Adelaide, the comedians were in full retreat.”The four Montys had been taken down, an apology was being hastily issued, but that really isn’t good enough. Cricket Australia are not there to insult their guests, to affect mental disintegration with ham-fisted racial slurs and crude, misjudged attempts at humour. Their job is to run cricket. And with two Australian wins in the calendar year, and an Ashes Test starting in a half-built stadium, it could be argued they need fewer gags and more old-fashioned administration.”The tweet arrived days after CA had themselves stood down the ground announcer for England’s tour match in Alice Springs, David Nixon, after he introduced Panesar to the middle in a manner that the governing body described as “inappropriate”.During the Lord’s Ashes Test earlier this year, CA launched an internal investigation after a tweet was posted questioning an umpiring decision, followed by the hashtag “#bullshit”. The governing body has built a large digital and website team for the 2013-14 summer, with the intention of becoming a serious additional source of news on the game.