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Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said his side had positives to take from a 3-0
drubbing in Australia, but had ultimately been undone by inconsistency

Andrew Fernando07-Jan-2013Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said his side had positives to take from a 3-0 drubbing in Australia, but had ultimately been undone by inconsistency, after Australia completed the whitewash with a five-wicket win in Sydney. Previously in the series, Sri Lanka had been close to achieving a draw in Hobart, where they were bowled out with only 10.4 overs remaining until stumps on day five, but had also sunk to their third-heaviest defeat in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.The visitors could not dominate Australia throughout the series, and also
conceded substantial first-innings deficits in each match. The batsmen
could only muster one score in excess of 300, and only once batted out a
session without losing a wicket.Sri Lanka were also sloppy in the field, particularly in Melbourne where
five chances went down in Australia’s innings, and did not sustain
pressure on Australia with the ball. Their poor use of the DRS also
contributed to their failure.”We’ve got to look at ourselves and accept there were areas where we were
short and consistency is an important thing,” Ford said. “There were
periods when we were every bit as good as the Australians, but we weren’t
able to sustain that. We had the odd session every now and then when we set
ourselves back quite badly.”Ford said Sri Lanka were encouraged by their performance in Sydney,
particularly as their batting in the last Test was driven largely by
contributions from the side’s young batsmen. Twenty three-year-old Lahiru
Thirimanne’s 91 was the highest score in the first innings, while Dimuth
Karunaratne, 24, top-scored in the second innings with 85. Dinesh
Chandimal, 23, then helped his side recover from a middle-order collapse,
as he batted with the tail to take Sri Lanka’s lead to 140. He made 62 not
out, having forged a 41-run partnership with Nuwan Pradeep for the last
wicket.”A couple of the young guys who have been given opportunities have shown
that they can play at this level. What I was happy with on the final day
was the pride and the passion and the way they went out and fought. A lot
of people didn’t feel the Test would continue for as long as it did. A chap
like Nuwan Pradeep going out and handling some nasty pace he wasn’t
equipped to handle – he really showed some character, along with young
Chandimal. The boys certainly never gave up in the field until the last run
was scored.”I think what’s been positive is that the young batsmen have handled their
time out of the side so well. They’ve kept working on their game and kept
talking about how they will be absolutely ready when they do get their
chance. Attitude is just so important in a touring group. They’ve showed
the perfect attitude and when the chance has come their way, they’ve really
grabbed it.”Ford also defended Thilan Samaraweera’s shot selection, after the batsman
had perished in the second dig to a top-edged swipe across the line to
Nathan Lyon, off the third ball of his innings. Samaraweera had struggled
for form throughout the series, and made 79 in six innings.”That’s the nature of the game. We see highly experienced players make
decisions that don’t work on the particular day. Looking at the bigger
picture, what was disappointing for me, and I said it after the press
conference, is that we could have perhaps squeezed out a few more runs in
that first innings. And we could have squeezed out a few more in the second
innings as well.”

MS Dhoni was able to enjoy the occasion in Ranchi, as India strolled to a seven-wicket victory in the first international match ever to be staged in his hometown

The Report by Alan Gardner19-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMS Dhoni claimed three caught behinds•BCCI

MS Dhoni has not had too much to smile about in recent months, as his India side suffered unexpected home defeats in Test and ODI cricket, but he was able to pack away the defensive frown and wary gaze and enjoy the occasion in Ranchi, as India strolled to a seven-wicket victory in the first international match ever to be staged in his hometown. Dhoni was even out in the middle to hit the winning runs and soak up the atmosphere as England, who appeared as eager as the crowd to give him a day to remember, slipped 2-1 down in the five-match series.All of India’s bowlers contributed in a concerted display, aided by a touch of early movement and a middle-order collapse against spin of familiar proportions. Dhoni also claimed three catches, including a diving take to dismiss England’s top-scorer, Joe Root, and a sharp chance at the wicket off Ian Bell, as England were once again spooked by the ghosts of their recent past in 50-over cricket in India, mustering a paltry 155.India’s innings proved that the pitch was a good one – the curator had predicted a score of 350 for the side batting first but he was obviously banking on that side being India. Although Steven Finn cleaned up Ajinkya Rahane again, bowled through the gate for the second time in as many matches, and James Tredwell claimed his sixth and seventh wickets of the series, Virat Kohli made sure England were the only ones doing any chasing. Kohli twice hammered Tredwell over the ropes, to go with a further nine fours in an unbeaten 77, his return to form yet another fillip for his captain.England’s total was their second-lowest batting first against India (in full matches), as they subsided from an initially promising 68 for 1. Although there was an element of luck about the second breakthrough, as the sound of Kevin Pietersen’s bat on pad seemed to deceive the umpire into awarding a caught behind, India did not owe their victory to fortune. The early dismissals of Alastair Cook, Pietersen and Bell left the middle order exposed and despite another promising display of character from Root, who put on 47 with Tim Bresnan, India were always in control.

Smart stats

• India won the match with 131 balls to spare, which is their largest margin of win in ODIs against England (in terms of balls remaining). The previous highest was 123, in Jaipur in 2006.

• England’s highest score in their innings was 39, which is the sixth-lowest top-score for them in a completed ODI against India.

• England’s total of 155 is their third-lowest all-out score in an ODI against India.

• Virat Kohli has become the second-fastest cricketer to 4000 ODI runs, in terms of innings batted. Viv Richards achieved the landmark in 88 innings, while Kohli reached there in his 93rd.

• For the second match in a row, three England batsmen were dismissed without scoring. Before the Kochi game, this had only happened four times for England in ODIs against India.

• Ranchi became the 42nd Indian venue, and the 182nd venue in the world, to host a one-day international.

The gods had already smiled on Dhoni at the toss, as he was given the option and chose to insert an England side still apparently winded from their emphatic, 127-run defeat in Kochi on Tuesday. Although the pitch looked hard and flat, there was a light covering of grass and just enough moisture to aid the bowlers, further justifying Dhoni’s decision, made ostensibly in view of the possibility of evening dew making the ball difficult to grip. By the time the sun set, however, it was the match that had slipped out of England’s hands.Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed bowled impressive opening spells and although Cook christened the ground with its first international boundary, in the second over, England’s captain was soon undone by swing. The fans at the newly constructed 39,000-capacity Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium had come to see only one inspirational leader among the two sides, and the cheer that went up when he moved across his stumps to be hit in front by a Shami delivery that curved back at him confirmed it was not Cook.Pietersen is an England player capable of whipping up an Indian crowd but they were even more delighted by his downfall. Having added 44 in 41 balls with Bell, both batsmen fell in consecutive overs, Pietersen given out after again briefly threatening despite there being no apparent edge. Pietersen was visibly reluctant to drag himself away after fencing at a length ball from Ishant Sharma that rose sharply, the awkwardness of his stroke forcing the bat into the flap of his front pad. If there was doubt about that dismissal, there was none three balls later as Dhoni collected a scrape off the toe of Bell’s bat while standing up to Bhuvneshwar.England were never able to feel at home on the Ranchi surface and India’s hold on the match was further strengthened as Morgan tamely lobbed the ball to short-third man. Morgan laboured for 10 off 30 balls in a manner reminiscent of his poor form in the UAE last year, playing and missing against the quicks before getting out attempting a premeditated reverse-swipe through point against R Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja then burst one through a loose defensive shot from Craig Kieswetter and pinned Samit Patel lbw pushing half forward as three wickets fell for one run in nine balls to send the crowd into further raptures.Root again dropped anchor, displaying familiar circumspection and timing a handful of boundaries. He and the returning Bresnan – the one change on either side – formed a Yorkshire coalition in an attempt to heave England towards a respectable total but a loose drive from Root gave Ishant his second wicket and the spinners quickly cleaned up the tail.Before the start, there was already a palpable sense of anticipation in the ground at the return of Dhoni, India’s captain and their standard-bearer during a testing recent run in ODI cricket. A light aircraft trailed a message in coloured smoke across the milky blue sky as Dhoni was interviewed at the toss. “It’s a big moment for me but it’s important to be focused,” he said.Dhoni also suggested that he may have played cricket with “at least 15,000” of the crowd, during his tennis-ball days as a youngster in Jharkhand, but his ten team-mates on the pitch were more than enough to rout a dismal England.

Former captain Anjum Chopra believes that women’s cricket hasn’t developed as much as it should have after being taken over by the BCCI, but says it’s a function of market forces

Amol Karhadkar06-Feb-2013Anjum Chopra, the former India captain, believes women’s cricket hasn’t developed as much as it should since being taken over by the BCCI in 2005. However, unlike her predecessor Diana Edulji, who squarely blamed the BCCI, Chopra said it was a reflection of reality and of market forces in sport.India failed to qualify for the Super Six stage of the World Cup after their defeat to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.”I don’t blame the BCCI for it. I don’t blame them completely. I know it’s a big statement but there are reasons,” Chopra, currently a technical advisor to the South African women’s team, told ESPNcricinfo. “Ideally, I would have liked to be in the same boat as men cricketers. But I come from a managerial background and I understand finance. So if I say it has to be on the same pedestal, it would be unfair.”Chopra, the first woman cricketer to earn 100 ODI caps, felt it was too much for Indian women’s cricket to ask for the same monetary benefits as their male counterparts. “I can ask for the same adulation but I can’t ask for the same remuneration. It will take myself and my game some time to reach that level,” Chopra said.”I look at it from this perspective: if somebody is getting ten rupees and I am getting two, at least I know that somebody is getting ten rupees and I can also get ten at the end of the day. Let’s work hard and bridge that gap. If I don’t get [that money] after performing, I can come back and complain. But at least I know somebody is getting, so the world is wide open.”I had a chat with the sponsors of the men’s team and asked them why they didn’t sponsor the women’s team. They said, ‘The Board never forced us to do it, so we took the easier way out.’ Again, it’s their decision. I am just an onlooker and commenting on it. But I am sure they would have sat down and discussed it before making that decision. Again, I would say the world is far wide open, it’s not closed.”Chopra said the issue of remuneration worked differently for different people. “I had a job so I was getting paid even before the BCCI came in. The remuneration has increased and, though it’s not gone from zero to hundred, a lot of players were not getting paid at all [earlier]. As I say, when you are in a bigger structure and you are small fry, you have to learn to swim as well. If you learn to swim in a pond, you can learn to swim in an ocean later.”The other point of concern for India’s women cricketers is the drastic reduction in their international commitments over the past eight years. India played just 26 ODIs between the 2009 and 2013 World Cups, much less than the top three teams in women’s cricket. Australia, England and New Zealand have featured in 36, 39 and 34 ODIs during the same period. Even West Indies, ranked lower than India, have played 38 ODIs during the same period. The lack of game practice was perhaps one of the major reasons for India bowing out of title race in the preliminary round.This is in stark contrast to their schedule when the sport was under the Women’s Cricket Association of India. “That’s a drawback,” Chopra admitted. “We could have played more international cricket. Again I say, I don’t know why the BCCI has reduced our international commitments. But looking at it from their perspective, I know that they say that if you are the fourth-ranked team in the world, you should play against the top three teams; not the ones who are below us, which is fair. But the difference right know is so great that we are not able to climb higher. So, I would rather get the best results out consistently as a player or as a team member and then knock on the doors for opportunities.”Despite having joined the South African set-up, Chopra stressed that she is “still an active player” and the thoughts of hanging up her boots have never crossed her mind. In fact, she is relishing being a part of the dressing room of an international team, that too for a World Cup. “First of all, I am getting an opportunity to be with an international team, which is a huge honour for me. The best part is, I am still around the dressing room that has some of the players who I have played against.”Besides, there are a few talented cricketers coming about. Working for Cricket South Africa, especially to talk about the South African culture and the great sporting culture over there, I get to know what’s happening on the other side of the world. So it’s been brilliant. Especially, their men’s is doing so well, so you get to know a lot about how they prepare, how they interact and what all are the things they do while preparing for a big series.”

Success on pre-season tours has been the precursor to good performances during the season for many counties in previous years, so Nottinghamshire can take heart from winning the Barbados T20 cup.

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2013Success on pre-season tours has been the precursor to good performances during the season for many counties in previous years, so Nottinghamshire can take heart from winning the Barbados T20 cup.Six counties took up the opportunity of some warm-weather practise ahead of the new season and Notts thrashed Derbyshire in the final at Kensington Oval to add this trophy to the T20 competition won in Dubai prior to the 2011 season.They were only chasing 115 after Derbyshire’s top order failed with the bat. Early wickets left them 57 for 6 on a pitch that had been used for the Zimbabwe Test match earlier in the week. Tony Palladino and Richard Johnson rescued the innings into double figures.But it was a paltry target as Michael Lumb and Alex Hales took 54 from the Powerplay – 18 from Mark Footitt’s first over. Lumb holed out in the deep for 35 and Hales fell caught at midwicket for 33. James Taylor launched three sixes in his 32 before Steven Mullaney applied the coup de grace, hitting the winning runs into the pavilion.Notts had overcome Yorkshire in the semi-final while Derbyshire had squeezed past Warwickshire by two runs. Hampshire beat Northamptonshire in the plate final.But Notts can take most from the tour and Mick Newell, their director of cricket, said they had achieved a lot from the trip. “Sam Wood and Graeme White have had a couple of excellent days, in conditions suited to spin bowling,” he told “Steven Mullaney’s chipped in with the bat but over the course of the two days everybody’s contributed.”We haven’t given a lot of runs away in any of the three matches, the wickets have been conducive to spin but we have also batted nicely when up against quicker bowling.”We have Samit Patel and David Hussey to come into our T20 side as well and we’ll need lots of different players over the ten qualifying matches but certainly Sam Wood has shown what he can do here.”

MS Dhoni believes his forthrightness helped him earn a captaincy recommendation from Sachin Tendulkar

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2013MS Dhoni believes his forthrightness helped him earn a captaincy recommendation from Sachin Tendulkar. He said he received Tendulkar’s backing in the matter, which was a “huge thing”.”On the field, I always give my honest inputs about team strategy,” Dhoni said at the launch of , a book that celebrates his stellar innings. “Tendulkar and I used to discuss team strategy on the field. If I was convinced [about something], I would even disagree with him and it happened quite often.”I think my honesty has paid dividends when he recommended me for captaincy. He might [have been] thinking that I had learnt in quick time [about] different aspects of the game and team strategy. Even if I was not made the captain, it was a huge thing that Tendulkar had recommended my name for captaincy.”Dhoni, who debuted for India in 2004, took over the limited-overs captaincy from Rahul Dravid after India’s tour of England in 2007. He had a smashing start to his captaincy, leading India to victory in the World Twenty20 2007 in his first series in charge. Soon after, he lost his maiden ODI series as captain, at home to Australia, but followed up with victory in the tri-series in Australia that also included Sri Lanka. He took over the Test captaincy full-time from Anil Kumble in November 2008 in the Nagpur Test against Australia, and has now become India’s most successful Test captain with 23 wins from 46 Tests.Dhoni, who labelled Tendulkar his “sporting hero”, also spoke about the first time he met him. “I think that was in a Duleep Trophy match in Pune in 2000-01 or 2001-02 season. I was in East Zone squad and was carrying drinks. Tendulkar made 199 in that match and he was batting when I went onto the field to serve drinks to my team-mates in the drinks break.”Suddenly, he asked me, ‘Can I have a drink also?’ That was my first meeting with Tendulkar, my idol. I did not speak a word to him and ended up serving a drink to him.”

James Taylor’s century put Nottinghamshire in a position of strength, with the potential to complete a victory despite the threat of showers on the final day

Jon Culley at Derby26-Apr-2013
ScorecardJames Taylor’s 14th first-class century provided the platform for Notts to push for victory•Getty Images

If Derbyshire do turn out to be the whipping boys of Division One – not that anyone should wish that upon such well-managed and progressive newcomers – then James Taylor’s century in this match may not be held to be of particular value. On the other hand, if Taylor’s Test career is rebooted sooner rather than later, it could be seen as an important moment.Either way, it has put Nottinghamshire in a position of strength, with the potential to complete a victory here despite the threat of showers on the final day, especially after the fillip of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s wicket late in the afternoon, soon after he had completed his second half-century of the game and when looking absolutely set. With Wayne Madsen gone too, not much batting remains for Derbyshire to clear their arrears, let alone give themselves anything to work with.If there is a batsman with something to prove in the early part of this summer, then it is Taylor, whose rise from pint-sized wreaker of terror among Division Two bowling attacks to Test-class middle-order batsman might have seemed inevitable to some of his admirers but when it came last August suffered a false start.Taylor, who moved to Nottinghamshire the winter before last after scoring freely for Leicestershire, was picked when Ravi Bopara withdrew from the second Test against South Africa. It did not help his cause to find himself unwittingly caught up in the Kevin Pietersen storm, although he will not fall on that or any other excuse to explain his modest performance. It was not seen as good enough to be retained for the winter tours and his absence from the list of names in the England Performance Squad indicated all too clearly that the selectors want to see more.Taylor, for his part, has no quarrel with that assessment. “It was a disappointment,” he said. “I had a taste of Test cricket and it was amazing to get in that England side in the first place but I didn’t deliver the way I wanted to.”But I learned a lot from last season and in some ways it is good to have a setback to kick you up the backside. There is a difference in quality between second and first division. It is definitely a step up, although I don’t think my own performances were a reflection of that.”Sometimes though you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. I know where I stand with England and it is just down to me to score as many runs as I can.”In the event, it was just the mindset that was needed here, on a slow pitch that has rewarded graft. Taylor’s approach was first not to get out, taking his cue from Chanderpaul. From 67 overnight, he scored only 26 more before lunch, without one boundary, negotiating 77 balls against a Derbyshire attack who maintained their discipline and again offered few easy pickings.When his century came – incongruously from a false shot, an edge between first and second slips that brought only his fifth four – it was the slowest of his 14 so far in first-class matches, from 265 balls and 14 minutes short of six hours. He shared a stand of 52 with Stuart Broad but the support he had from Luke Fletcher was equally important in getting him over the line, the bowler sticking by Taylor more than an hour.Broad’s knock was eventful, to say the least. He can bat when he is of a mind but he rode his luck spectacularly as Derbyshire’s fielders somehow managed to drop him three times in the space of five balls before Tim Groenewald at last clung on to a top-edged hook.The stricken Andre Adams batted with a runner in his last appearance before an anticipated five-week lay-off with a torn calf muscle and though he could contribute no more than a swing and a nick Nottinghamshire did finish with a lead of 187. Taylor fell for 112 when, finally taking a risk or two, he skied David Wainwright to mid-off.Derbyshire were soon up against it, losing two wickets for 24 and though Chanderpaul gave them hope in a partnership of 83 with Madsen the departure of both in the space of five overs put Nottinghamshire back on top. Chanderpaul felt he was unlucky to be given out caught behind, claiming the ball brushed his thigh rather than the bat, but the wicket was one that Fletcher deserved. Broad went wicketless and it was Harry Gurney, an improving left-armer, who struck the second decisive blow when Madsen was leg-before. Then Patel had Ross Whiteley taken at slip to leave Derbyshire hoping for a good last morning and a wet afternoon.

A mid-afternoon spell from Robiul Islam swung the second and final Test Bangladesh’s way

The Report by Mohammad Isam26-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRobiul Islam rocked the Zimbabwe top order•AFP

A mid-afternoon spell from Robiul Islam swung the second and final Test Bangladesh’s way. The fast bowler troubled Zimbabwe considerably, but the visitors would have liked a few more wickets in the final session after the home side ended the second day on 158 for 4.The game is increasingly becoming an engrossing contest, especially after the 61-run unbeaten fifth-wicket stand between Elton Chigumbura, who remained at the crease on 45, accompanied by Malcolm Waller, who was not out on 30. They forced the pace, after being held back considerably by Bangladesh’s main bowler.Robiul’s first spell of 11 overs cost just 16 runs as he racked up six maidens. The reward was two wickets during that middle session, from which Zimbabwe haven’t quite recovered. His two subsequent spells were disciplined, too, and it helped the other bowlers to merely keep to their task rather than bring out anything extraordinary. The day was always going to be Robiul’s.His work on the second day began with the bat in hand. Towards the end of the Bangladesh innings, he blasted two fours and two sixes in his 18-ball 24. He took 17 runs off a Graeme Cremer over as Zimbabwe struggled to close Bangladesh out. When he had the ball in hand, Robiul was in the zone.He tested Regis Chakabva with his good length deliveries, pitching and moving away on most occasions. The odd delivery every over went straight on as both Chakabva and Vusi Sibanda hardly made an impression on the bowling. Chakabva was dropped on 6 by a diving captain Mushfiqur Rahim behind the wicket off Robiul. But he fell in the same bowler’s next over. The ball didn’t appear to take the edge, but the umpire adjudged him caught behind. Sibanda fell in Robiul’s following over, his edge to the wicketkeeper thin but audible.Robiul then had a battle to remember with Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, the best batsman on show this series. He first bowled very full and straight, before resorting to the shorter deliveries. In the 17th over alone, he had Taylor gloving a bouncer awkwardly before edging a good-length ball short of first slip. Taylor played 34 deliveries from Robiul, scoring only six runs. Mushfiqur posted a third man to cut out Taylor’s ramp shot against the short ball but Robiul probably overdid the short stuff.Hamilton Masakadza fell to a Shakib Al Hasan delivery that didn’t turn. It was the left-arm spinner’s fourth ball in the game, and put the home side deeper into trouble at 45 for 3.Taylor battled on after tea, opening up on more than one occasion during his partnership with Waller. They added 52 before the Zimbabwe captain holed out to deep square leg off Sohag Gazi.Afterwards and till stumps, Waller and Chigumbura forced the issue with regular change of strike and boundaries which flowed more as the visitors tried to eke out a wicket in the last hour.Earlier, Nasir helped Bangladesh add a further 91. He made 77 off 103, leading two important partnerships after the dismissal of the top six batsmen. He added 33 for the seventh wicket with Ziaur Rahman, before putting together 51 for the eight wicket with Gazi.Nasir hit eleven boundaries, and his positive approach against the second new ball should encourage the other batsmen to not throw it away after getting a start. Nasir began slowly, but didn’t let go of any opportunity to find the boundary until he was bowled around his legs by Cremer, becoming the ninth batsman out for 367. Robiul’s hitting stretched the score to 391, and his bowling made sure Zimbabwe would have a hard time getting anywhere close.

Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila have been remanded to two more days of police custody, while the third Ankeet Chavan has been moved to judicial custody

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2013Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, two of the three Rajasthan Royals players arrested after allegations of spot-fixing, have applied for bail. A Delhi court will hear their case on May 28. Chavan had been moved to judicial custody till June 4 before he made his application. Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila, the other Royals player arrested this month, were remanded to two more days of police custody. While making his bail plea, Chavan informed the court that his wedding was scheduled for June 2.Royals had already suspended the contracts of all three players and also filed a police complaint against them. The players were allegedly promised money ranging from US$36,000 to 109,000 by bookies for each over of under-performance.Eleven bookies were also arrested along with the three players on May 16. One of the middlemen was identified as Jiju Janardhan, described by the police as Sreesanth’s close friend and team-mate at the Ernakulam club. Delhi Police had registered cases under the Indian Penal Code section 420 and 120B, which deal with fraud, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.

Afghanistan have been granted the Associate membership of the ICC to become the 37th country to get that status

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jun-2013Afghanistan have been granted the Associate membership of the ICC to become the 37th country to get that status. The decision was taken by the ICC at its ongoing annual conference, which ends on June 29 in London. The nomination request had been sent by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) last year based on the continuous progress made by Afghanistan, especially in its cricket development.”Afghanistan is the only country that receives the Associate membership in a short period of time in reward to the efforts Afghanistan made for the promotion of cricket,” Dr Noor Muhammad, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), said on the ACC website.
Becoming an Associate would mean higher funding and, importantly, more exposure for the passionate and cricket-starved players from Afghanistan, a war-torn country. So far, the ICC was paying $700,000 in annual funding to Afghanistan, which is now likely to rise to $850,000 based on the Associate status.Afghanistan became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001 when they travelled to Pakistan for their first tour. Languishing at one time in the fifth division of the World Cricket League, Afghanistan won the hearts of global cricket fans when they nearly qualified for the 2011 World Cup, but they lost to Canada and could not surpass Kenya’s net run rate in the World Cup qualifiers. Immediately, they were granted the ODI status, valid until 2013.One of the fascinating tales in cricket (a documentary based on their rise in cricket was produced a few years ago), Afghanistan have also featured in the last two editions of the ICC’s World Twenty20 (2010 and 2012). They have played ODIs against two Test-playing nations so far, Pakistan and Australia, and despite losing both the matches, players like Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi turned heads with their impressive performances.Over the last two years, the ACB has undergone organisational restructuring in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration. They are currently developing their domestic cricket infrastructure, and have signed a two-year deal with the Pakistan Cricket Board for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup. The ICC has played a big role in the upliftment of Afghanistan cricket and in April this year, granted $422,000 as part of the targeted assistance programme.Afghanistan is the eighth country in the Asian region to become an Associate member after Hong Kong (1969), Kuwait (2005), Malaysia (1967), Nepal (1996), Singapore (1974), Thailand (2005) and UAE (1990). “It is a tremendous achievement by Afghanistan, the current administrators have worked very hard to advance Afghanistan’s interests and much credit goes to Dr Noor and his team at the Afghanistan Cricket Board,” Bandula Warnapura, ACC development manager, said.

The World Twenty20 Qualifiers, from which six of the 16 teams will progress to the main tournament in Bangladesh next year, is scheduled to take place between 15 and 30 November in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2013

Grouping for the ICC World T20 qualifiers

• Group A: Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Namibia, Uganda, USA and UAE

• Group B: Afghanistan, Bermuda, Denmark, Netherlands, Nepal, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Scotland

The World Twenty20 Qualifiers, from which six of the 16 teams will progress to the main tournament in Bangladesh next year, is scheduled to take place between 15 and 30 November in the UAE. Among the teams which are favourites to qualify include Ireland and Afghanistan.The teams have been divided into two groups, with the top side from each progressing automatically to the World T20 without having to appear in the final of the qualifiers. The second placed team from group A will play the third from group B and vice-versa, the winners of which will continue on to the World T20. The losers will await the winners of similar matches between the fourth and fifth placed teams from both groups to mount a second charge at qualifying. The two winners of these matches will be the fifth and sixth Associate side to join the ten Test nations for the World T20.”This final qualifier is the last step of a pathway that comprised 11 ICC regional tournaments during 2012 and 2013, this time we will see six teams gain the opportunity to be a part of the global tournament to be held next year.” said ICC’s global development manager Tim Anderson. This is the third successive time the qualifiers will be hosted in the UAE, with Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi picked to host all the matches.