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India captain MS Dhoni accepted the blame for India’s exit from the ICC World Twenty20 but called it an overall team failure. “We stand up and say we didn’t perform well as a team,” a dejected Dhoni said after the defending champions crashed out following a three-run defeat to England.This was India’s second straight loss at Lord’s in the Super Eights, the previous one coming against the West Indies. Dhoni sent England in to bat and, though the hosts set a par target of 154, India’s batting failed to cope with the pressure and the asking rate. “We stopped them at a decent score. But we don’t have a practical excuse. Our performance was not up to the mark,” he said.However the controversial issue at the press conference, which went on for 26 minutes, was the elevation of Ravindra Jadeja. Playing his first game of the tournament, he walked in at No. 4 and finished with 25 off 35 balls. Dhoni explained that Yuvraj Singh, who had scored a brilliant 67 against the West Indies, was the natural choice but he didn’t want Yuvraj to keep walking out to a pressure situation – yet that’s exactly the situation he faced.”We expected Jadeja to play a few overs and stabilise the innings and then we could go after their bowling,” Dhoni said. “We never really wanted the run-rate to increase to around 9-9.5. He [Jadeja] was still playing his shots but the short balls were bowled really well at him. The run rate climbed from there and the momentum shifted to their side.”By the time Yusuf Pathan walked in to join Dhoni India needed 67 off the last six overs. It was never going to be an easy task especially when the ball was reversing. “By the time Yusuf and I came together it was too late as the ball was reversing and it was difficult for even Yusuf to hit.”Jadeja’s inclusion for this match was a surprise as it came at the expense of Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner who had been impressive through the tournament. Dhoni said the aim was to strength the batting without having to lose a fast-bowling option with RP Singh also replacing Irfan Pathan.”We were looking at the combination and at the same time we were looking to chase. In the 2007 World Twenty20 we batted deep down, so we wanted depth in batting,” Dhoni said. “He [Jadeja] is an excellent fielder, he can bat well and bowling-wise he did the job. It also allowed us to pick another fast bowler so it actually increased the overall strength of the side.” The result, though, suggested otherwise.Not for the first time, Dhoni added that fielding was another key area where there was room for improvement after showing problems through the tournament. “Fielding is an area we need to work on. This was the best side with our best fielders. We can’t complain but we can definitely improve.”The final game with South Africa is now a dead rubber, but Dhoni tried to play down the importance of India going out early and already had one eye on next year’s World Twenty20 in West Indies. “This loss is disappointing but the loss in the 2007 ODI World Cup was the worst loss of my career,” he said.”Cricket never tests your character when you are doing well, it always test you when you are not doing well both as an individual and as a team. It is a testing time for us. It is not the end of the road for us – we are going to the West Indies shortly and we can repair the damage.”

Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain, has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he has severed all ties with the unauthorised ICL and would like to return to official cricket, according to a senior official. The BCB’s doors are now open for other ICL cricketers from Bangladesh to return, Mohammad Jalal Yunus, BCB board member, said.”Bashar has written to the BCB president that he wants to come back,” Yunus, who heads the BCB’s media committee, told Cricinfo. “We are happy to welcome him back once it is confirmed that he has severed all ties with the ICL.”Bashar was captain of ICL’s Dhaka Warriors, which is the only foreign team in the league apart from the Lahore Badshahs, and has informed the BCB that he has sent a notice to the ICL seeking to scrap his contract with the league.”I have already sent a notice to the ICL terminating my agreement and sought the amnesty offered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board,” Bashar told AFP. “The board has said they are happy that I have applied for a comeback. I think I’ve two more years to give to the country and I don’t want to stay out of mainstream cricket anymore. There is no doubt the ICL is very lucrative, but money is not everything.”The ICL had given its players time until May 15 to sent in their release requests after many national boards under the official ICC umbrella announced amnesty offers for their ICL players over the last month. At least 40 Indian cricketers are believed to have applied for a release from the league after the Indian board announced its amnesty offer on April 29.The BCB decided to allow Bangladesh’s ICL cricketers to participate in domestic cricket, subject to the termination of their contracts with the unauthorised league by June 15. These players will be available for international selection from December 31, 2009, the BCB said.The BCB had last year announced 10-year bans in its ICL players, including Bashar and other internationals such as Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Farhad Reza, Dhiman Ghosh and Mosharraf Hossain.”We hope that more Bangladesh players will now return to the official fold,” Yunus said. “We want them to return. Our doors are open and we will welcome them back. As far as Bashar is concerned, he will first have to prove his match-fitness and perform in domestic cricket before he is considered for the national team.”Bashar, 36, was captain of Bangladesh for three years from 2004 before joining the ICL in September 2008. Under him, the Dhaka Warriors finished fifth in the 2008 edition of the league, and he also captained a Bangladesh XI that won one match in the ICL world series which was cut short by the fallout of the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan sports minister Pir Aftab Shah Jillani has asked the ICC to review its decision to shift the 2011 World Cup matches from the country due to security reasons. He said the ICC’s decision was a big blow to Pakistan cricket and believed the decision was too premature considering there were still two years left for the tournament.Jillani said the government was even willing to use the military to provide security and protection for the World Cup matches in Pakistan. “That was an option available to us but I think the ICC has acted in haste and must reconsider its decision as this could have far ranging effects on Pakistan and its cricket set-up,” he told .The ICC executive board made its decision following a meeting on Friday, citing the “uncertain security situation” in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Lahore terror attacks on March 3, when six policemen and two civilians were killed as gunmen fired at the Sri Lankan team bus.The ICC had also said that Pakistan was unlikely to resume hosting any tournament at all until 2011. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the other co-hosts for the World Cup, will now be hosting the 14 matches, including one semi-final, originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan.Jillani criticised the PCB for failing to convince the ICC and its member countries to stage the World Cup matches in Pakistan. “They [PCB] could have done more then they did,” he said. “I don’t think they did their homework well enough to contest this move to shift the World Cup matches from Pakistan.”Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam had also voiced his displeasure earlier and said the move to strip Pakistan of the rights to host the 2011 World Cup is “unjust” and a blow that, he said, would be hard to overcome.

Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, has said his team is “desperate” to win the series against Australia for the sake of the country’s fans who have been starved of international cricket because of security concerns in Pakistan.The five-match one-day series is poised at 2-1 in Australia’s favour but Alam attributed the lead to Pakistan’s batting errors. “If you look at the results of the last two matches, they did not outplay us,” Alam said. Pakistan were bowled out for 207 in the second ODI – with the last five wickets falling for 46 – and for 171 in the third ODI, where they were chasing a modest 199.Alam said he had told the senior batsmen after the losses to stay at the crease and put a value to their wicket.Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, said Pakistan would be under pressure since they had to win the fourth ODI on Friday to keep the series alive. “It’s a big game for us too, we really want to win. We need to be more focused on what we are doing.”The two teams will be playing a Twenty20 on May 7 following the one-dayers.

Derbyshire have “reluctantly” released Charl Langeveldt, their Kolpak fast bowler, for the IPL after he was signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Langeveldt is playing out the second year of his two-year contract with the county and will head to South Africa for the Twenty20 tournament April 18 and May 24.Derbyshire have three Championship games, eight Friends Provident Trophy matches and an MCC University match in that period.John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, it would be very difficult to stop a player from having the opportunity to play and earn the money available in the IPL. “Although we will undoubtedly miss a bowler of Charl’s experience and ability for the early part of the season, I am pleased for him that he has the opportunity to play alongside the world’s best in the IPL competition,” Morris said. “The absence of Charl will mean that somebody else gets an opportunity to fill the gap left by one of our senior bowlers.”

There’s a leg side, too
Ramnaresh Sarwan has been seeing the ball like a football for weeks and hitting it where he pleases, but that hasn’t often included the leg side. In reaching his second double century in Tests he had only struck one boundary – a slog-swept six off Graeme Swann – on the on side. If anything supported the fact that England had bowled too wide, this was it. Finally, on 201, Ryan Sidebottom drifted onto leg stump and Sarwan flicked him away to fine leg but it was still a lonely line on the wagon wheel.For one more referral
England used up their final referral with a hopeful, and wasted, request for an lbw against Sarwan (but they were trying anything at that stage). A few overs later they probably wished they still had it in the bank when Denesh Ramdin glanced Paul Collingwood down the leg side where Tim Ambrose held a neat take. England went up in a huge appeal, but Aleem Dar said not out. Replays suggested a thin edge, and it may not have been enough for an overturn, but with Daryl Harper you never know.Hang on a minute, Graeme
The bowlers weren’t exactly queuing up for their turn as the score continued to mount and shortly before lunch Swann was given a slightly extended reprieve. He was about to be brought back on from the Malcolm Marshall end, but had been off the field and hadn’t spent the required time back on the ground. Andrew Strauss had to make a swift change and called in Kevin Pietersen instead as Swann waited for those extra eight minutes to tick away. He was probably thinking that there was no need to rush.Time to try anything
It wasn’t quite , more like the Ministry of Silly Actions. With squat happening for England, the bowlers started to invent things to try and take a wicket. James Anderson delivered with a new action, incorporating a mini-whirl of his arm, and Pietersen bent the rule book to breaking point. With the final ball of his over he sent down a delivery that would have done a javelin thrower proud and it didn’t go unnoticed by Sarwan or the guffawing West Indians on the balcony. However, such was the batsman’s ease that everyone was able to smile it off. The ICC need not panic on this occasion.A wicket, by Jove, a wicket
Finally, shortly before tea, England managed to break the sixth-wicket stand and it caught everyone by surprise for many reasons. The successful bowler was Sidebottom, who hadn’t looked like ever taking another wicket, and the man he removed was Sarwan who never looked like getting out. However, it was a lovely delivery that shaped back in late and took the off stump. From England’s point of view it had just come about a day too late.Handshake for a hundred
There have been plenty of centuries in this match, and a lot of them have belonged to the bowlers. All the frontliners have gone into three figures and the last to join the list was Stuart Broad. It didn’t go unnoticed by his colleague, Anderson, who walked over from mid-off to shake Broad’s hand. Broad saw the funny side of it and there wasn’t really much else he could do except turn around and run in again.Swann flips
Swann plays the game with a smile on his face, but he lost it towards the end of the day. First of all he had to watch Sidebottom completely misjudge a swirling catch at deep midwicket, then to top it off Russell Tiffin didn’t detect a glove from Daren Powell that went straight to short leg. Swann stood there with his hands on his head, but England didn’t have any referrals left. West Indies will feel they were owed one.

Essex’s chief executive David East has praised his club’s players for stumping up with the cash to fund their pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi.A lack of money had forced Essex to abandon their trip to the Middle East, but the players donated their £75,000 winter payment grant – which was to be split equally among them – in order to keep the trip alive.A source close to the team had earlier indicated to Cricinfo that Essex’s senior squad members were not entirely happy about being asked to contribute £2500 a head for the two-week tournament, which also features Lancashire, Surrey, Sussex, Yorkshire and Middlesex. As one player reportedly put it: “I don’t spend that sort of money to go on holiday with my girlfriend, let alone to go to work.”East, though, has hailed the players’ determination and commitment. “They felt this was incredibly important for their preparation,” he told BBC Sport. “We had no wish to cancel [the tour], but we had to make a budget decision and we’re delighted we’ve been able to come to an arrangement at the players’ suggestion and we’re cracking on.”Despite the players’ generosity, East insisted that it was no reflection on the club’s financial situation.”I don’t think one should read anything into this in terms of the financial stability of county cricket, that’s simply not the case. It’s just that this is a very challenging time for us personally.”

It isn’t quite protocol, but nobody could blame Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, for being at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport to greet the arrival of Sri Lanka on Sunday morning. Pakistan needs international cricket like humans need water, and given that Mahela Jayawardene’s men were the first team of standing to visit Pakistan for a bilateral series since September 2007, the gesture was both well-meant and indicative of the hosts’pleasure.Not that the generosity of spirit is likely to infect Sri Lanka, for they don’t arrive as the obliging tourists. They are a hardy bunch, well-balanced between young and old, and have a fair sprinkling of game-changing superstars. Pakistan closely followed the “grey areas” in sketchy recent ODI performances in Bangladesh, but they wouldn’t have failed to notice that they still managed to win. Just in case they did, Jayawardene was on hand to remind them.”We’re still winning,” he said. “There are periods when you go through tough times as a team and you need to pull through them. That’s what character is all about. I haven’t seen too many teams being 6 for 5 [as Sri Lanka were in the tri-series final against Bangladesh] and still winning. Even when we came here for the Asia Cup, we weren’t favourites and we won it.”But since then they have been decidedly patchy, winning nine of 13 games, including a home series loss to India and a spate of unconvincing wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Batting is the concern, as a highest of 227 in that period suggests.”The wickets were tough in Bangladesh but we have to struggle through that and challenge ourselves,” Jayawardene admitted. “But consistency is something we are working on. After the 2007 World Cup some new guys came in and we went through a transition. It has been patchy, especially if you consider the bowling attack we have. But Upul [Tharanga] and Sanath [Jayasuriya] are back and they bring some experience, but we can be much more consistent with our batting.”It might very well be an instruction from captain Jayawardene to batsman Jayawardene. Those 13 games have produced a personally wretched run: just two fifties, an average of barely 21 and four ducks. Jayawardene thus finds himself in territory Mark Taylor and Nasser Hussain, among many other captains, have visited in recent years. You may lead a nation, but you can’t buy yourself a run.”I’ve always said that I have two different roles. When I’m captain, I’m a captain and I always consider myself as a batsman for the team. It is a concern because, as a batsman, I need to contribute. I don’t see that I’m out of form because, when I play Tests, I’m batting really well, getting big runs. It’s just the application and batting in different situations, trying to get through those periods that I need to work hard on.”The opponent will need to be worked on as well, for Pakistan are straining to play some serious cricket. Aggressive cricket, secret strategies and some young talent has been promised by the hosts. Jayawardene’s response is to keep it simple: “This is not warfare, just a simple game. Our way is to play hard and tough. Pakistan is always Pakistan and they are a very tough side whether they play regularly or not. They have got quite a fewindividuals who can take the game away from you on a given day so it’s going to be a tough series. We are looking forward to the challenge.”As is all of Pakistan.

Pakistan’s batsmen have been practising on shorter pitches to try and counter the threat of Ajantha Mendis in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins on Tuesday at the National Stadium in Karachi.Mendis, the quickest bowler to 50 ODI wickets, has been a dominant theme in Pakistan’s thinking ahead of the short series. Pakistan have come across Mendis twice, once in the Asia Cup and then in the final of the four-nation Twenty 20 in Canada. Seven wickets in 14 overs in the two games means Pakistan aren’t wrong to focus heavily on him.One man who has succeeded against him is Misbah-ul-Haq, who made 76 in a losing cause during the Asia Cup and an unbeaten 23 in the Twenty20 final. The Pakistan vice-captain took 27 runs off 24 Mendis deliveries in Karachi last year, including two sixes and a four, before he was bowled slogging. He believes a similarly aggressive approach might help dent his effectiveness.”We saw him in the Asia Cup and even though he took four wickets, he went for a few runs [47],” said Misbah. “We will definitely try to attack and unnerve him. It’s in the mind. If you allow a bowler to dominate you, he will and if you don’t, he won’t.”A number of Pakistan’s batsmen have spoken of the pace which Mendis bowls at as being the key to his success. So reading him off the pitch or from the hand, goes the thinking, is important, but not as much as adjusting to his pace, which allows you little time to adjust. As Imran Khan famously did before a series against the West Indies in 1987-88, batsmen have practiced on shorter surfaces, to counter an altogether different threat.”We are practicing a lot for Mendis,” said Misbah. “We’re playing bowlers from shorter distances so we can counter the fast pace. There is no reason why we cannot handle him because all Pakistan players are good against spin.”Intent is one thing, execution another altogether and as his captain Mahela Jayawardene pointed out, Mendis is a man who doesn’t fret about pressure. “He hasn’t had added pressure and has gone through all the batting line-ups he has come across. He is enjoying his challenges and pressure does not affect him as he is a very simple guy. He doesn’t have to go through such interviews because his knowledge of English is not that great so he rests in his room watching movies.”Having one of the game’s greatest spinners at the other end is no bad thing either. “He knows what his role is and there are some really good guys around him giving him advice especially Murali who is a brilliant role model. He has worked very hard for 18 years, gone through so many issues and come through very well. As long as Ajantha realises that and goes along the same path as Murali, I’m sure we’ll have a big match-winner for us in the next ten years.”

Even before the penultimate round of matches got underway, it was evident that the two-horse race between Barisal and Rajshahi would not be decided until the last week. There was added interest in this round as most of the Bangladesh internationals were turning out for the first time this season. The national selectors were keeping a close watch in what was the last chance for the players to stake their claim for the Test series against Sri Lanka. The weather, dominated by intense fog, ate up valuable playing time at Rajshahi. In the end, draws for the title contenders left hardly any gap at the top while Khulna, buoyed by the ‘one-off’ appearances of a couple of their internationals, played like defending champions for the first time and walloped Dhaka.At the Rajshahi Stadium only 30.3 overs were possible on day one following a delayed start due to fog. Rajshahi’s hopes of a strong beginning were quickly dashed by the Sylhet bowlers, who reduced them to 56 for 5 at stumps to justify the decision of captain Rajin Saleh to bowl first on the understandably damp wicket. Sylhet were then frustrated by Naeem Islam who initiated one of those very Rajshahi-like rearguards with 87 off 207 balls, and the mist which ruled out play on day three. Islam shared 83 for the sixth wicket and then put on 71 for the seventh wicket as Rajshahi’s innings finished on 264 on day two. Sylhet were expecting to bat only once but Rajshahi had other plans. Day four was all Rajshahi as opening bowler Delwar Hossain (5 for 33) and left-arm spinner Suhrawardi Shuvo (3 for 50) shot the visitors out for 127. Without captain Mithun Ali’s 57 Sylhet could have been really embarrassed. Rajshahi opener Jahurul Islam hit 53 off 44 as the home side went for quick runs and declared on 101 for 2 in 13.3 overs. Sylhet batted for 11 overs before close and reached 67 for 2.With only a draw looking possible in the Rajshahi game visitors Barisal were in a good position to seek advantage against Chittagong at the Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium. That wasn’t to be as they lost wickets in quick succession before and after the fifth wicket partnership of 87 between Roqibul Hassan (43) and Nasir Hossain (49) to end up with 244 after winning the toss. Chittagong resumed day two on a promising 52 for 1 but were all out for a disappointing 198 as the top order gave away wickets after getting set. Bangladesh batsman Roqibul starred with 77 in the Barisal second innings as Chittagong were set a challenging 313. At stumps on day three, the match was still wide open as the hosts reached 63 for 2. The last day’s play was delayed because of fog and Chittagong edged closer to an uplifting win thanks to Rezaul Karim’s 128 and Tariq Ahmed’s 54. It looked like a cakewalk before offspinner Nasir bowled the League’s highest run-getter Faisal Hossain (39) to reduce Chittagong to 269 for 4. They then almost lost the match, losing four wickets within the next 17 runs, and were 290 for 8 when it finished.Coach Jamie Siddons was in attendance as Khulna celebrated Shakib Al Hasan’s homecoming. The game against Dhaka in Khulna was not going to affect the title fight but it was nevertheless significant as Bangladesh stars Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib, Imrul Kayes, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Shahadat Hossain, and Mahbubul Alam were all involved along with a number of Bangladesh hopefuls. Khulna batted first and a 82-run stand between opener Kayes and Saghir Hossain for the second wicket gave them a solid start. Shakib made a 54-ball 59 and captain Tushar Imran also chipped in with a half-century as Khulna made 355 at 4.65 runs an over. Medium-pacer Ziaur Rahman took the wickets of Javed Omer (0) and Marshall Ayub to leave Dhaka on 38 for 2 on day one.

There was no recovery on the second day and Ashraful’s 37 was the best effort in Dhaka’s 181 for 9 declared. Khulna’s second innings did not have the momentum of the first and they went into day three on 146 for 5. The next morning was a Shakib show; he resumed on 34 not out and with the help of some powerful pulls and cuts and forcing drives through the off raced to 129. No. 7 Raihan Anas made 90 in Khulna’s 352, a lead of 526. Saving the match was the best Dhaka could hope for but they lost Ashraful and Mehrab for ducks in successive overs to slump to 40 for 4. Javed’s 76 and Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 79 revived Dhaka who closed day three on 204 for 5. Mahmudullah led a lone battle as wickets tumbled around him the next morning. He reached his third ton in as many matches and finally fell for 152 to medium-pacer Robiul Islam, who is the second highest wicket-takers this season with 45. Robiul took 4 for 115 and Ziaur a five-for to bowl Dhaka out for 356.Player of the week – Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib has been in imperious form with the ball at the highest level but was at his batting best against Dhaka in what could be his only four-dayer for Khulna this year because of his international commitments. His 59 and 129 made the difference in the match and he outshone all the other stars in the match. “The series against South Africa was very, very tough and I learned a lot there and the confidence was up. This was much easier and it is always good to have some first-class runs under the belt when you prepare for a Test series,” said the 21-year-old Shakib, who is fast becoming the Bangladesh national team’s key man.