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Zimbabwe coach Stephen Mangongo has denied excessive heavy handedness in the suspension of Tinashe Panyangara from the national squad

Firdose Moonda27-Aug-2014Zimbabwe coach Stephen Mangongo has denied excessive heavy handedness in the suspension of Tinashe Panyangara from the national squad. Panyangara will not feature in the remainder of the triangular series against Australia and South Africa after what ZC’s press release described as “indiscipline” and what Mangongo explained as being “unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination.”Panyangara’s crime was sharing a video with his team-mates via WhatsApp of Mitchell Johnson battering England with a barrage of short balls .”In any sport, to post a video of the opposition annihilating another team will not be tolerated. I was perplexed that a senior bowler behaved in such a childish manner,” Mangongo told ESPNcricinfo. “On the eve of such a serious match, you don’t do that.”Zimbabwe’s batsmen have been concerned with the reputation of opposition bowlers from the start of their incoming tours this winter. Some were concerned about whether Dale Steyn would play for South Africa during the one-off Test. They had heard that the speedster may be rested and were hopeful they would not have face him. Steyn played and claimed a five-for but Zimbabwe’s batsmen acquitted themselves fairly well against him.However, during the opening game of the tri-series on Monday, Zimbabwe’s batsmen were hesitant to put bat to ball if it came out of Johnson’s hand. Johnson conceded seven runs in six overs along with striking Elton Chigumbura on the helmet in the dying stages of the matches. Mangongo was concerned Panyangara’s sharing of the video contributed to Zimbabwe’s apprehension.Mangongo said he was “not making an example of Panyangara, just taking action where it needed to be taken” and that Panyangara had “not been banned. After the tri-series, he will be back and that’s it.” Zimbabwe’s next assignment is against Bangladesh in October and Panyangara is currently training with the A side in preparation for that.Before that, Zimbabwe have at least three more matches in the ongoing series but will have to do without Panyangara, their most experienced frontline bowler. But Mangongo did not see Panyangara’s unavailability as a decisive factor.”We have eight other bowlers so I am not worried about who comes in or who goes out; we have heavy competition in the bowling department,” he said. “There are not vast differences between the bowlers we have. We are not going to be missing Dale Steyn. Tinashe conceded more runs in Harare than he did in Bulawayo.”While some of the bowlers Mangongo referred to are already in the XI, the other options to replace Panyangara are uncapped Cuthburt Musoko, teenager Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva, who made his debut last week or Shingi Masakadza and Brian Vitori, who are both struggling for form. Even that reality does not bother Mangongo. “We are a work in progress and we are playing against the big operators in world cricket. We are determined to improve so that is what we are working on,” he said. “And we are working very hard.”Zimbabwe had a rest day on Tuesday but four members of the squad reported to practice, which Mangongo took as a sign of their commitment. “Brendan Taylor was at the head of that group so that was pleasing to see,” Mangongo said. “Everybody is working hard and trying to improve. We cannot fold our arms and do nothing; if we do that, we are not doing our jobs.”Mangongo’s sunshine outlook is overshadowed by the mood in the team camp. Insiders have revealed morale is floundering and the unhappiness with Mangongo’s strict methods growing. “He is abusing his power beyond comprehension,” an insider said. “There is every chance the players will protest at some stage but for now, they are just waiting to see whether anything will change.”Apart from Panyangara’s suspension, Mangongo has also enforced strict disciplinary measures including a curfew and shown no mercy to underperforming players, even stalwarts. Taylor was dropped for the final match against South Africa after scoring just 20 runs in the previous two games while Vusi Sibanda has been put on the sidelines twice in the last month. “Nobody is safe” is Mangongo’s mantra and this time, it was Panyangara’s turn to learn that.

Hampshire have announced two overseas signings for 2015, with Jackson Bird joining for the first half of the season and Yasir Arafat set to play limited-overs cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2014Hampshire have announced two overseas signings for 2015, with Jackson Bird joining for the first half of the season and Yasir Arafat set to play limited-overs cricket.Bird, who has played three Tests for Australia, will be available in all formats for three months ahead of his potential involvement in the Ashes. His ability to swing the red ball will be valuable in April and May, with Hampshire returning to Division One of the Championship. Bird was due to play for Northamptonshire this season but was prevented from appearing by injury.Arafat will make Hampshire his sixth county – equalling Marcus North’s record for an overseas player – and be available for Royal London Cup and T20 Blast games. Arafat played for Sussex in 2014 and has previously turned out for Kent, Lancashire, Somerset and Surrey.The former Pakistan international, a regular in T20 competitions around the world, is married to an Englishwoman and lives in Kent but Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, suggested Arafat’s “qualification status may allow him to play as a local during his time with us”.”We’re delighted to have Jackson and Yasir on board for next season – they will both add a lot of quality to our bowling attack and hopefully they will help us build on a successful 2014 season,” White said.”Jackson comes highly recommended and at a time of the year that is likely to suit his style of bowling, we are looking forward to having him about and hope he has a positive influence on our return to Division One. Yasir has the flexibility to play all of our one-day cricket, boasts an excellent record and has committed to the club for further campaigns.”South Africa seamer Kyle Abbott played a big role in Hampshire’s 2014 promotion campaign, taking 36 wickets at 20.33, and Hampshire could attempt to re-sign him for the second half of next season. Abbott’s availability will be dependent on his involvement with South Africa, who are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the English season.”Kyle Abbott is someone we will continue to keep in touch with as he fitted into the group exceptionally well this year and has voiced a desire to return if international commitments allow,” White said.

The ICC has approved changes to its anti-corruption code which will allow banned players to return to domestic cricket before the end of their penalty if they meet certain criteria

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2014The ICC has approved changes to its anti-corruption code which will allow banned players to return to domestic cricket before the end of their penalty if they meet certain criteria.The amendments have been previously discussed by David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, and were ratified at the latest board meeting in Dubai.They are currently most relevant to the Pakistan trio of Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif who were banned for their parts in 2010 spot-fixing case at Lord’s. However, of the three only Amir, who is currently 22, appears to have a decent chance of being allowed to return before his ban ends in September 2015.The PCB has previously been in discussions with the ICC over relaxing Amir’s ban which momentarily prompted talk of an unlikely return for the 2015 World Cup but the player himself admitted that was not realistic but will now hope to at least be able to return to a cricket pitch ahead of next September.”The revised Code makes provision for a banned player to gain an early return to domestic cricket in certain circumstances,” the ICC chairman N Srinivasan said. “When exercising his discretionary powers in this regard, however, the Chairman of the ACSU will consider a number of factors, including the level of remorse shown by the player, his/her cooperation with the ACSU’s education programme and/or if the player has helped the ACSU by disclosing all information that, in turn, has helped it to enforce the Anti-Corruption Code in respect of others engaged in corruption conduct.”Butt was handed a 10-year ban with five years suspended and Asif seven with two years suspended. The pair will be 31 and 32 respectively next September but there are doubts as to whether they have complied with all the conditions of their suspended bans.Other amendments to the anti-corruption code including giving the ICC the ability to suspend players for other “exceptional circumstances” – such as when charged by police – and also for players to voluntary suspend themselves after being charged under the Code, but who have yet to be suspended by ICC, and the period of that voluntary suspension would be credited towards the ultimate ban should a player be found guilty.An option has also been introduced to allow a player to admit an offence early in the process and agree a penalty to avoid the need for a full tribunal.

Fifties from Andre Berenger and Shaiman Anwar, followed by three-wicket hauls from Kamran Shazad and Rohan Mustafa set up UAE’s 30-run victory against Afghanistan in Dubai, enabling the team to take the series 3-1

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Shaiman Anwar struck six fours and two sixes during his 53-ball 51•ICCFifties from Andri Berenger and Shaiman Anwar, followed by three-wicket hauls from Kamran Shazad and Rohan Mustafa set up UAE’s 30-run victory against Afghanistan in Dubai that helped the hosts take the series 3-1.After being inserted, UAE lost two wickets inside 11 overs, but recovered with a 66-run third-wicket partnership between Berenger and Krishna Chandran (43). Berenger stroked 10 fours in his 66, but his dismissal in the 27th over led to a mid-innings wobble as fast bowler Hamid Hassan struck twice in quick succession. UAE, however, bounced back again as Anwar scored a counterattacking 51, which included six fours and two sixes. Anwar’s 56-run sixth-wicket stand with Saqlain Haider and handy knocks down the order lifted UAE to 258 for 9.Afghanistan lost their opener Javed Ahmadi nine balls into the chase, but two big partnerships – 55 for the second wicket between Nawroz Mangal and Afsar Zazai, and 61 for the fourth between Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi – had the team well-placed at 136 for 3 in the 32nd over. However, the likes of Shazad, Mustafa and Fahad Alhashmi (2 for 47) kept chipping away at the visitors with wickets at regular intervals, and with none of Afghanistan’s batsmen raising a much-needed half-century, the team was bowled out for 228 in 49.3 overs.

A list of all the World Cup squads

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2015Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman GhaniAustralia: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vc), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Xavier DohertyBangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Taijul IslamEngland: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris WoakesIndia: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Stuart BinnyIreland: William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wk), Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig YoungNew Zealand: Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ross TaylorPakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq(captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab RiazScotland: Preston Mommsen (capt), Kyle Coetzer, Richie Berrington, Frederick Coleman, Matthew Cross (wkt), Joshua Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Robert Taylor, Iain WardlawSouth Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale SteynSri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga (subject to fitness), Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra SenanayakeWest Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Marlon Samuels, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome TaylorUAE: Mohammed Tauqir (capt), Khurram Khan (vice-capt), Swapnil Patil, Saqlain Haider, Amjad Javed, Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Ali, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa, Manjula Guruge, Andri Berenger, Fahad Al Hashmi, Muhammad Naveed, Kamran Shahzad, Krishna KarateZimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa, Tinashe Panyangara, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams

“Get him out please,” Faf du Plessis was thinking to himself as he gave the ball to 19-year old Kagiso Rabada to take on Chris Gayle. And the youngster tried. But ultimately failed badly

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town09-Jan-2015″Get him out please,” Faf du Plessis was thinking to himself as he gave the ball to 19-year old Kagiso Rabada to take on Chris Gayle. And the youngster tried.With the fourth delivery he bowled, Rabada was searching for the bouncer but put a little too much behind it and ended up sending the ball flying over Gayle, over wicketkeeper Morne van Wyk and over the rope for four. Rabada tried to correct with his next ball but went too full. Gayle connected. Six. Then he opted for a good length. Gayle connected again. Six again. And again, and again, and again.From Rabada’s first two overs, Gayle took 26 runs and began to break the back of the West Indies chase. Instead of Rabada following Gayle with the ball, the opposite was happening. The attempted yorker became a low full toss, when Gayle moved to the leg side and Rabada tried to cramp him, he only ended up allowing Gayle the room needed to flay over long-off and when Rabada straightened his line, Gayle played down leg.It was, as du Plessis implied, Rabada’s night to be taught a lesson. “Chris is very versatile in the areas he scores. He hasn’t just got one shot. He hits different boundaries off different balls and it’s difficult to stop him,” du Plessis said. “He offers you very little. The world’s most dangerous T20 player for a reason. He usually picks on one guy on the night and that’s it. In the IPL, he usually goes after a medium-paced bowler or a spinner so I was surprised he took on a quick.”So was Rabada targeted because he was the quickest of the South African bowlers, the least experienced or the one Gayle knew best? Du Plessis tried to find out after the match. “I thought you would look after your Lions mate,” du Plessis said to Gayle afterwards. There was an ever-it ready response: “He tried to hit my head off so my eyes weren’t open,” Gayle retorted.Gayle stuck to his guns afterwards too. “He picked on me first. He tried to knock my head off,” he said. But there were other reasons too. “He is inexperienced but has got a lot of pace so I wanted to put him on the back foot. This is a learning process for him. He is very young but he is a strong individual and he will be a quality fast bowler for South Africa in the future.”The near future is where du Plessis’ is directing his more immediate concerns and they centre on how to get Gayle out. “He is hesitant at the beginning of his innings so you can get him there,” du Plessis said. And then, South Africa may be able to walk right through West Indies, according du Plessis. “Chris won the match on his own for them. If we did that I would be disappointed in our batting unit,” du Plessis said.But Gayle did not think there was any reason to be worried about the four wickets that fell for 17 runs at the end of West Indies’ chase. “We were just giving the fans something to cheer about. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew we would get there in the end.”They did and now Gayle wants to see them finish the job in Johannesburg. “Sometimes when we win a game like this then we are more lackadaisical and lose the next one. It will be nice to have a clean sheet by going up two-nil,” he said. It will be even nicer to do it at the Wanderers, where the ball will travel a lot faster. “I hope it doesn’t fly at my head there as well,” Gayle joked. Rabada would have been listening.

Defending champions Dhaka Division treated themselves to the largest margin of victory recorded in a first-class match in Bangladesh when they routed Barisal Division by an innings and 413 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2015Defending champions Dhaka Division opened their season by recording the largest margin of victory in a first-class match in Bangladesh when they routed Barisal Division by an innings and 413 runs in the National Cricket League. The margin bettered Sri Lanka’s innings-and 248-run victory over Bangladesh in January 2014 handsomely.Having been put in, Barisal were bowled out for 139 by tea on the first day, with Dhaka captain Mohammad Sharif picking up 6 for 24, his best first-class returns, in his 100th first-class match. The only resistance for Barisal came from Fazle Mahmud with 52 off 87 balls, and he had to run only four of them having cracked six fours and four sixes.In reply, Dhaka amassed 651 for 5 after Rony Talukdar made his maiden double-hundred. He lashed 227 off 266 balls, that included 26 fours and three sixes. Raqibul Hasan made 145, his sixth first-class ton, while Taibur Rahman collected his third hundred, and remained unbeaten on 106 when the declaration came.Trailing by 512 runs on the third day, Barisal slumped to 99 all out. Offspinning allrounder Shuvagata Hom ran through the top order as he snapped up 6 for 22 in 9.4 overs. Seamer Shahadat Hossain’s 3 for 40 made short work of the lower order and the match was wrapped up a little after lunch.

Veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan will join Yorkshire for the early part of the season until Aaron Finch returns from the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2015Younis Khan, Pakistan’s veteran batsman, will join Yorkshire for the early part of the season until the big-hitting Australian Aaron Finch return from IPL duties.Younis’ main focus will be to bolster Yorkshire’s Championship batting line-up at a time when the defending champions expect to lose several players to England for the Test tour of the West Indies in April and May. He will be available for the Championship opener against Worcestershire at New Road on April 12.He might also play Yorkshire’s first few matches in the NatWest t20 Blast and Yorkshire will hope this stirs interest in the Pakistan community in Leeds and Bradford that they have long sought to attract through the gates at Headingley with limited success.Younis, 37, will join Yorkshire for a second time. In 2007, as the county’s first Pakistan overseas batsman, he scored 824 runs at an average of 48.47 including a top score of 217 not out against Kent at Scarborough. He played alongside Jason Gillespie, now Yorkshire’s coach, at the time.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said: “We have been looking for a world-class batsman to strengthen our batting department at the start of the season. Younus fits the bill and will add real quality to our top-order.”It also helps that he understands the culture of the club and what it means to play for Yorkshire. That was a major factor in signing him. We hope his vast experience will enable us to continue our efforts from last year and give us a great opportunity to get off to a winning start in the Championship campaign.”Younis, currently engaged in the World Cup in a career that has often stalled only to be renewed once more, has played in 96 Tests in a 14-year career for his country where he averages over 53. In 2009, he captained Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in England.

Jesse Ryder has been suspended from Otago’s final game in the Plunket Shield after he admitted to a breach of New Zealand Cricket’s Code of Conduct

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2015Jesse Ryder has been suspended from Otago’s final game in the Plunket Shield after he admitted to a breach of New Zealand Cricket’s Code of Conduct. Ryder was charged with “serious dissent, including the use of offensive language” following his dismissal against Northern Districts on March 21.Ryder was given caught by Anton Devcich off Ish Sodhi for 25 by umpire Gary Baxter in Otago’s second innings, and reported that he was heard cursing the decision repeatedly as he waked off Seddon Park.Otago are presently fourth in the Plunket Shield, and play their last game against Auckland from April 1 to 4.

Anikt Keshri, a former Bengal Under-19 cricketer, died on Monday morning in Kolkata having encountered a freakish accident on the cricket field last Friday

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Apr-20152:22

Agarkar: Don’t expect death while playing cricket

Ankit Keshri, a former captain of the Bengal Under-19 team, died on Monday morning in Kolkata three days after a freakish accident on the cricket field. Keshri had collided with his team-mate Sourabh Mondal on Friday while attempting a catch and had been rushed to the hospital after he stopped breathing briefly. Though his condition improved, he eventually died of a cardiac arrest. Keshri was 20.The incident occurred during a Cricket Association of Bengal’s Division 1 knockout match between East Bengal and Bhowanipore at the Jadavpur University Campus ground in Kolkata. Keshri, who was among the 30 India Under-19 probables for the World Cup in 2014, had actually come in as a substitute fielder.In the penultimate over (44th) of the Bhowanipore innings, Mondal, who was bowling, rushed to take a catch that was hit towards cover. Keshri was fielding at deep cover and charged in too. Neither of the two noticed the other and collided. According to Shibsagar Singh, who was fielding at point, Mondal’s knee crashed into Keshri’s head and neck region.As Mondal went down, wincing in pain, Keshri was lying flat and not breathing. Blood was trickling down from his mouth, according to Shibsagar, a former India Under-19 player who has played first-class cricket for Bengal. Keshri responded to Shibsagar’s resuscitation efforts. Pranab Nandy, the East Bengal coach, said there was no negligence as the ground doctor was immediately on the case and Keshri was transported on a CAB ambulance to the nearby Nightingale Hospital within 15 minutes.The BCCI has, however, asked the CAB to probe whether Keshri’s death was due to negligence or lack of medical facilities provided to the player after the collision.”It was a very unfortunate incident. CAB will look into matter if there was any negligence on anyone’s part,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said after the IPL governing council meeting in New Delhi on Monday. “We will discuss the issue at the Working Committee meeting on April 26 in Kolkata. We lost a youngster.”Ankit Keshri, 20, had come in as a substitute fielder•PTI CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said that doctors informed him on Sunday that although Keshri’s condition was stable, he had fever. They were supposed to refer Keshri to consult specialist doctors on Monday but around midnight on Sunday he had a “massive” cardiac arrest. Keshri was put on the ventilator but succumbed early Monday morning.”It is extremely upsetting to see the demise of a promising opening batsman,” Deep Dasgupta, the former Bengal captain, said. ” He used to be quiet, an introvert, but he was sharp and intelligent as well. He would hardly speak. I remember congratulating him on his selection for the India Under-19 camp and the shy look on his face saying ‘thank you’.”Former Bengal cricketer Raju Mukherjee said,”An opening batsman with a solid defensive technique, he was included in the U-23 squad this year,” before adding that he was “very frail”.” It was, however, an accident,” Mukherjee said. “He was about to be relieved from the hospital as his condition had improved.”

Saddened by the demise of Ankit Keshri. A promising career aborted by an unfortunate incident on field.

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 20, 2015