Salman Butt, after experiencing his tenth and most difficult day of the alleged spot-fixing trial yet on Tuesday, was accused by the prosecution of lying to the jury

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court18-Oct-2011Salman Butt, after experiencing his tenth and most difficult day of the alleged spot-fixing trial yet on Tuesday, was accused by the prosecution of lying to the jury after being forced to answer several awkward and uncomfortable questions.Butt was in the witness box for over five hours and will have to take the stand again on Wednesday as Aftab Jafferjee QC for the prosecution has not yet even reached the three no-balls in question on which alone the jury have been ordered to base their verdict.Butt was asked about his little blue book, which was found in the suitcase that police discovered in his hotel room on the night of the raids on the third evening of the Lord’s Test. It contained all his scribblings about income, expenditure and money “still to be received” and Jafferjee used the contents of that pocket-sized notepad to grill Butt.He was asked why it did not mention the £30,000 that Butt was due from an apparent bat sticker deal with Majeed’s company Capital Cricket. “It’s up to me about what to write and what not to write. It’s my diary,” Butt replied, becoming agitated many times by Jafferjee’s probing. Often he turned to the female interpreter to convey his thoughts when things became very tense.Jafferjee quizzed Butt on why he withdrew US$181,000 from his Bank Alfalah account in Lahore on the day of his police interview on September 3, days after the scandal had broken in the media. Butt has transferred the amount into his mother’s account.”It might have happened on the same day as my interview but it was not something that I aimed to happen on the same day,” Butt answered. “I can’t explain why (I withdrew it). You are trying to portray something else, but you don’t know anything about the Muslim culture,” Butt snapped as Jafferjee continued to poke at the topic.He added: “We didn’t know how long we were going to be here (in England),” Butt said. “We were being investigated by the police and we didn’t know if we would be allowed to leave.”Jafferjee also questioned Butt on his relationship with Majeed and asked why he tolerated the agent, even though Butt has revealed to the court that Majeed would send him text messages that suggested Butt would help him fix matches. Butt had already told the jury on Monday that he confronted Majeed about these and the agent said he was testing him. But Jafferjee then raised further text messages that suggested Butt tolerated Majeed’s behaviour and concluded they shared a “corrupt relationship”.Jafferjee also quizzed Butt on why he spent so much money on luxury watches. Butt admitted to buying a £12,500 Rolex, a £5,000 Bulgari watch, $6,000 on a Tag Heuer in India while playing in the Indian Premier League – that purchase despite a 40 per cent discount being given – $5,000 on an Omega watch from Dubai and $12,000 on a Breitling. Butt agreed that he liked to buy luxury goods but argued that they were investments because he would make money also when he eventually sold them.Despite a player-agent relationship spanning about three years, the court heard that the only payment that came from Majeed via a cheque or bank transfer was for £9,600 deposited in Butt’s Clydesdale Bank account two days before the Pakistanis arrived in England on June 24, 2010. All other payments would be in cash.Jafferjee questioned Butt on whether he thought it strange that a global sportswear brand like Adidas would pay him just £800 per appearance yet Majeed was willing to pay him £30,000 for a bat sticker to advertise his company Capital Cricket in 2010, and also £5,000 “to cut a ribbon” – as Jafferjee phrased it – at an ice cream parlour.Not convinced by Butt’s answers, several times Jafferjee accused him of lying to the court, including the time when Butt could not answer why he was in team-mate Wahab Riaz’s room after midnight with Kamran Akmal and Azhar Majeed, the brother and business partner of Mazhar.Butt also accused the Pakistan team security manager Major Najam of lying in his statement, making fun of the official by calling him “007”.The former Pakistan captain and opening batsman Butt and his former team-mate Mohammad Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord’s Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.The case continues.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, has said the unwillingness of the 10 Full Members to adopt a qualification system for the 50-over World Cup failed to pave the way for a 10-team event in 2015

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Nov-2011.The ACSU does not have the powers to conduct its own sting operations, Haroon Lorgat has said•AFP

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, has said the 10 Full Members were unwilling to go through a qualification system for the 50-over World Cup, blocking plans for a 10-team event in 2015. “The main objection was that a 10-team event required Full Members to qualify,” Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo.He said Australia, New Zealand and England had initially supported a 10-team event with qualification but, following strong protests from the Associates, it was decided unanimously to do away with the idea for the next edition.The ICC, before its annual conference in Hong Kong in June, had agreed at a meeting in April, to stick to just 10 teams in the 2015 World Cup but at Hong Kong, the ICC and its board members agreed to a 14-team tournament, preceded by a qualifying league for the Associate teams.”Their belief was that there was a long-standing expectation that Full Members automatically play in the World Cup and therefore needed sufficient notice before we can change this practice. This is why the 10-team World Cup will start from 2019,” Lorgat said.However, Lorgat insisted a 10-team World Cup was the way forward. “I still believe that a 10-team World Cup on a qualification basis for all members would be a better event. This was part of the proposals to strategically restructure international cricket and was designed to protect and promote all three formats.”During his tenure as the CEO of the ICC, Lorgat faced many challenges. Among them was convincing the members of the ICC to institute the World Test Championship. Lorgat, who said earlier this month that the Test Championship will not be held before 2017, had strongly supported the idea of having a three-year qualification process during which all ten teams played each other, before the top four participated in a play-off. The Test Championship was meant to replace the Champions Trophy, the ICC’s other 50-over event. However, monetary concerns expressed by ICC’s broadcasting partner ESPN STAR Sports*, who have an agreement with the governing body until 2015, presented an obstacle. It did not help that the ten Full Members, once again, did not come out in support.”A balanced mindset would have been a lot better,” Lorgat said when asked if the members could have looked beyond short-term monetary gains. “Money is clearly an important factor but it should not be the only factor. We looked at different models of evaluating the revenue implications but the fact of the matter is that the value of an inaugural Test Championship comprising four teams and fewer matches is not viewed commercially the same as the Champions Trophy comprising eight teams.”Lorgat said the ICC had thought about renegotiating the broadcasting deal wherein they would pay ESPN STAR Sports the money it owed for the Champions Trophy as a measure to go all-out in staging the Test Championships, but found no support from the ICC board. “This was considered but not supported by the ICC Board and the Chief Executives Committee.”Evidently the ICC executive, of which Lorgat was the head, had limited powers and could not quell the might of the board members. “It is not ideal when you are not sufficiently empowered to undertake or implement what you know is correct and must be done. But I understood that when I entered the ICC and it is why the ICC Board rather than the executive would be held accountable for the future of the game.”The spot-fixing scandal during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan in 2010 was another major challenge. An ICC tribunal found Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir guilty of spot fixing and banned them for various durations before they were sentenced to imprisonment after a separate trial at the Southwark Crown Court. The scandal raised questions about the ability of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit to fight corruption and prompted calls for the ICC to invest in sting operations to tackle fixing.Lorgat, however, said the ACSU’s jurisdiction did not allow it to conduct sting operations. “We cannot carry out sting operations or arrest people or seize property. That is not within our remit or powers. This was made clear by the Members when the ACSU was established.”Corruption is a serious challenge and we must not be complacent but remain vigilant to combat this menace.”*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

Allan Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, believes Sri Lanka will struggle to make a contest out of the remaining two Test matches in the series

Firdose Moonda19-Dec-2011Allan Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, believes Sri Lanka will struggle to make a contest out of the remaining two Test matches in the series. The visitors were blown away by an innings and 81-runs in Centurion, being bowled out for under 200 in both innings, and Donald said that although they have a quality line-up, things will not get any easier for them.”What they have in the tank and what they bring to the party on a different surface will be different but if we’re going to bowl like we are at the moment, and the wickets have helped, it’s going to be tough for them to come back into this series,” he said. “We’ll make sure of that.”South Africa’s attack benefitted from a green top in Centurion and Donald expects another “bouncy” track in Durban, without “too much lateral movement.” Conditions have been so tailor-made to suit the attack that Graeme Smith said the batsmen may be “hoping for a flatter wicket” in the near future.While the pitches have aided South Africa’s bowlers, Donald said they have to be wary of complacence, which can creep in if too much is in your favour. “Sometimes when you get on a responsive wicket, you hesitantly get into your work,” Donald said. “Instead of just bowling into an area, you feel you need to get into the hot-zone more often.” The hot-zone refers to a length a little fuller than usual, something Morne Morkel has struggled to find.Morkel attracted criticism rather than praise after the first Test, as he looked out of sorts at first change. Donald said all he needs is more game time and that a return to form is inevitable. “I put myself in his shoes a lot of the time. I was a rhythm bowler and a confidence bowler and I needed to bowl a lot to have that confidence and to bowl in certain areas with good pace. Morne is exactly the same. We tinkered with a few things yesterday after the day’s play and I think he is now confident to take it further. We know what Morne is capable of and it’s not far away that he will be knocking the door down again.”Morkel faces pressure from Marchant de Lange, who was included in the squad as part of a learning process. De Lange has only played 14 first-class matches but has been identified as a future prospect and is being personally groomed by Donald. “The good thing about Marchant is that he is asking a lot of questions,” Donald said. “It’s wonderful to have him in our group because it keeps everyone on their toes and challenging for places.”There have also been calls to replace Morkel with left-armer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who was dropped from the Test side before last month’s Australia series. Tsotsobe has since suffered a side strain and should be ready to make his comeback soon.The other concern is the minimal impact that legspinner Imran Tahir has made. Seamer-friendly surfaces have made it difficult for him, but he also struggled with running on the danger area of the pitch. Tahir spend the build up to the Test working with High Performance coach Vincent Barnes and former international Paul Adams, and Donald believes he is ready to create his own big splash. “He [Tahir] is happy now,” Donald said. “The one thing that worried us a little bit is that he gets too concerned about what he is doing in that zone and doesn’t concentrate on his bowling.”Far from a disciplinarian, Donald sees his role as facilitating getting the best out of a talented back. “At this level, you’re not going to teach people how to bowl. We are trying to remind those guys how good they are and getting them to be better. Sometimes, we are still getting too loose or maybe a little too arrogant, but we manage to pull it back. Sometimes, we do not get off to a good start and at the end of the day we play catch up cricket but we pull it back somehow.”That’s the kind of class we have at the moment, even if we aren’t doing well, we manage to pull it back.”

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

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

Sachin Tendulkar has been picked in India’s ODI squad for the first time since the World Cup. He will stay on after the Test series in Australia for the one-day tri-series that also features Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2012Sachin Tendulkar has been picked in India’s limited-overs squad for the first time since the World Cup. He will stay on after the Test series in Australia for the one-day tri-series that also features Sri Lanka. Praveen Kumar, the India medium-pacer who missed the Tests due to a fractured rib, is also a part of the 17-man limited-overs squad. India will play two Twenty20 internationals in Australia followed by the ODI tri-series, which will be played from February 5 to March 8.The rest of the limited-overs squad is similar to the one that was picked for the fourth and fifth ODIs against West Indies at home in December last year. Irfan Pathan, who played his first international for India in more than two years during that series, has retained his place in the squad. Zaheer Khan, who like Tendulkar has not played an ODI since the World Cup final, will also stay on for the limited-over games. Umesh Yadav and R Vinay Kumar make up the rest of the fast-bowling department.Rahul Sharma, the legspinner who impressed during the series against West Indies, has been selected as the second spinner alongside R Ashwin. Manoj Tiwary scored his maiden ODI hundred in the fifth ODI against West Indies and is part of the squad again, which means there is no place for Ajinkya Rahane, who was part of the Test squad. Parthiv Patel has been picked as the reserve wicketkeeper despite his poor run with the bat in recent ODIs. Ravindra Jadeja, who has occupied the allrounder’s spot in the limited-overs side since the one-day leg of the tour of England, has also been selected.Yuvraj Singh’s time away from cricket continues as he has not yet fully recovered from the non-malignant lung tumour that has kept him out of the team since the home ODIs against West Indies.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Parthiv Patel (wk), Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Irfan Pathan, R Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Rahul Sharma, R Ashwin

Ranil Abeynaike, the Sri Lankan commentator and former first-class cricketer, has died in hospital in Colombo after a heart attack

Sa'adi Thawfeeq21-Feb-2012Ranil Abeynaike, the Sri Lankan commentator and former first-class cricketer, has died in hospital in Colombo after a heart attack. He was 57.Abeynaike played 14 first-class matches and six List A games for Bedfordshire and Sinhalese Sports Club between 1973 and 1990. He was better known for his work as a television commentator, though, and completed 25 years in the profession during the second Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the Premadasa Stadium in November 2010.A left-arm spinner from St Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, whom he captained in 1973, Abeynaike was also a qualified cricket coach and curator. He played for Sri Lanka in the unofficial Test against Tony Greig’s MCC side in 1977 and played minor county cricket in England. He returned to Sri Lanka to play matches for the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI against West Indies (1979) and Australia (1983).

Virat Kohli’s 183 off 148 balls led India to their highest-ever ODI run-chase, as they went past Pakistan’s 329 in Mirpur

The Report by Abhishek Purohit18-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachin Tendulkar made an aggressive 52 to give India a brisk start•AFP

Their bowling might struggle to defend 289 against Bangladesh. Their batting might not be resilient enough to dominate in all conditions. But in the subcontinent, India are the masters of the chase. And after having knocked off 321 in 36.4 overs in Hobart barely three weeks ago, they completed their highest successful ODI chase, in Mirpur, against Pakistan, who are not exactly a weak bowling side. And leading the mammoth effort was that man Virat Kohli who scored a career-best 183. Forget the obscenities, forget the extreme emotions; with 11 hundreds, including three in his last four innings, Kohli is one of the most complete ODI batsmen in the world now.When a boundary is needed, Kohli is the man. When the singles are needed, Kohli is the man. When a gap is to be found, Kohli is the man. He kept doing all of that for 148 deliveries against Pakistan. By the time he was done, he had hit 23 boundaries and made 183. India had lost Gautam Gambhir off the second ball of the innings. They lost just one more wicket in the next 272. Kohli’s dominance was so complete, it left contrasting support performances from Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma in the shade. It certainly meant Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed’s centuries were in vain, as was their 224-run opening stand, Pakistan’s highest against India, and their second-highest ever.Not losing by a bonus point put Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup; it kept India and Bangladesh dependent on the result of the last league game between the hosts and Sri Lanka, who have been knocked out. A win for Bangladesh will see them go through, as they lead the head-to-head against India in the tournament; any other result will see India qualify.It was Kohli who almost single-handedly kept India in the tournament with a performance so supreme it led Misbah-ul-Haq to call it one of the best ODI innings he had seen. Chasing 330 is tough. Chasing 330 against Pakistan should be as tough as it gets for an India batsman. Kohli could not bother about things such as pressure, even when Pakistan struck gold in the first over when Mohammad Hafeez trapped Gambhir in front.Pakistan were playing five bowlers but India worked around the threat of Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul initially by targeting the others. Tendulkar and Kohli outdid each other in strokemaking. Their second-wicket partnership was worth 133 in just 19.1 overs. While Gul and Ajmal were given the respect they deserved, the shorter lengths of Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema were taken for runs, as was the quicker pace of Shahid Afridi.The 100th century finally done with, Tendulkar was totally unrestrained and went along at a faster clip than Kohli. India found momentum in the third over, Cheema’s first, which went for 12. Kohli began with a violent pull while Tendulkar’s back-foot punch past cover was vintage. Pakistan had just started to suffer for bowling the wrong lengths. Cheema continued to bowl short of a good length, and Tendulkar brought out another vintage shot – a sly guide over the wicketkeeper that flew away for six.Tendulkar and Kohli dealt with the spinners in their own ways when they needed the boundaries. Tendulkar carted Hafeez over midwicket with a slog sweep; Kohli whipped Afridi through the same region.Riaz’s three-over spell put Pakistan under even more pressure. Not only did he bowl short, he kept on targeting Kohli’s pads and the batsman helped himself to several fours on the on side. He ultimately disappeared for 50 in four overs. Hafeez, the lone part-timer used, went for only 42 in nine.Tendulkar, meanwhile, misread an Ajmal doosra after reaching his half-century and ended up edging it to slip, but Kohli was looking nearly unstoppable. What he needed was a sidekick and Rohit rose to the occasion. He took his time before showing his range against spin with a series of cuts, pulls and lofted drives over extra cover. Kohli and Rohit went one better than Kohli and Tendulkar had, as the third wicket realised 172 in 26.2 overs.Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed’s 224-run opening stand had put India under pressure•AFP

Kohli was in the zone. He went without a boundary for 32 balls, but still scored 25. In this period, he got to his century, which came with the now-famous emphatic celebration. In this period, Rohit kept getting the boundaries. The asking-rate still crossed eight an over after the 40th over. Kohli went after Gul in the 41st in a flurry of whip, swat, loft and clip. Sixteen runs later, the rate was below seven-and-a-half. He wasn’t done yet. Riaz was greeted with a whip off a yorker, a flick and a drive in the 42nd. Thirteen runs later, the rate was below seven.Though Kohli and Rohit could not hit the winning runs, the game as a contest between India’s batsmen and Pakistan’s bowlers had ended during their partnership.Hafeez and Jamshed had ensured the pressure would be squarely on India going into the chase, with a 224-run opening partnership. After having failed to defend 289 against Bangladesh, India were once again let down by the inability of their bowlers to either strike or contain.India had the opportunity to make first use of the Mirpur pitch, which has been harsher for bowlers in the evening, but Hafeez and Jamshed stroked boundaries at will, against a listless unit, on their way to centuries. Younis Khan, usually not one to worry attacks at the death, smashed 52 off 34 deliveries to lift Pakistan to their second-highest total against India.India’s lack of penetration was evident when MS Dhoni threw the ball to Tendulkar in the 24th over, after having already tried seven bowlers. Five of them had already gone at more than run-a-ball by then, and none, barring Ashok Dinda, had come close to troubling the Pakistan openers.Pakistan had taken control long before that, though, with Hafeez and Jamshed, a burly left-hander in the Graeme Smith mould, playing with assurance and eschewing any desperation.The previous best opening stand for Pakistan against India was 144 between Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar in 1996; Hafeez and Jamshed had already rustled up 150 at the halfway mark. Both soon got to their centuries, Jamshed’s being his maiden one in ODIs.The batting Powerplay consumed both batsmen, as they searched for more runs, but Younis and Umar Akmal ensured that Pakistan came nowhere near enduring the kind of middle-order collapse they had had against Bangladesh.Younis has been criticised for being slow in this format, but today he was at ease as the innings neared its close. Orthodox punches and lofts raced for boundaries through the off side. To Pakistan’s misfortune, Kohli would hit them harder in the evening, and for longer.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

L Balaji bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to their first victory in IPL 2012 against a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up

The Report by Firdose Moonda10-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details L Balaji took 4 for 18 to give leave Royal Challengers reeling•Associated Press

L Balaji bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to their first victory in IPL 2012 against a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up. He formed part of a destructive, three-pronged Knight Riders’ pace attack that saw Brett Lee create pressure and Jacques Kallis get the early breakthroughs.Their consistent line outside the off stump and slightly shorter length had the Royal Challengers’ batsmen tied down. The required run-rate eventually soared out of control, leaving the home side playing catch-up throughout.One of Kallis’ two early strikes removed the biggest threat in the Royal Challengers line-up, Chris Gayle, before he could do any damage. After having Cheteshwar Pujara caught at slip with a ball that angled into him and bounced a little more than usual, Kallis simply presented Gayle with a short ball. With only a single added to the total after Pujara was dismissed, Gayle’s shot was a response to pressure and he top-edged a pull to midwicket.Responsibility then fell on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ shoulders and neither was able to get the job done as Balaji brought a second wave of attack. Kohli was beaten twice by Balaji before getting a leading edge to point. De Villiers followed in the next over, bowled by a beautiful delivery which angled in from a good length and straightened to hit the off stump.Balaji continued to trouble the batsmen with his line. He had further reward when Mayank Agarwal spooned a catch to extra cover and then bowled Daniel Vettori with a slower ball to complete his quadruple haul. He should have had a fifth when Saurabh Tiwary swung violently and presented Shakib Al Hasan with a simple catch at deep square-leg that was fluffed.By the time Balaji had finished his quota, Royal Challengers were 61 for 6 after 12 overs. Tiwary was the only recognised batsmen at the crease and the required run rate was over 13. It ballooned to over 30 as the innings neared an end, ensuring the Knight Riders were able to comfortably defend a total that, at the halfway mark, appeared a few short.Despite 165 being the highest total Knight Riders have posted this season, they would have wanted more after establishing a platform from which a score in excess of 200 seemed possible. Captain Gautam Gambhir opened the batting and combined with Kallis and Manvinder Bisla in two aggressive partnerships to take his team to 125 for 1 in the 14th over.Bisla was preferred over big-hitters like Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate despite Knight Riders’ start and he repaid the faith shown in him. He hit the ball with immense power, complementing Gambhir, who showed the deftest of touches with his dab to third man off Muttiah Muralitharan.The Knight Riders’ captain brought up the fastest half-century of the tournament so far, off 28 balls, with a lofted shot over cover but could not press on as much as he should have. Bisla was stumped three balls later, in the first boundary-free over of the innings and the Knight Riders slid steadily from there.Royal Challengers effected a collapse which saw Knight Riders lose seven wickets for 26 runs. R Vinay Kumar was the chief strangler and used wily changes of pace to dry up the runs. His economical effort was headlined with persistent use of the short ball and he was well backed up by Muralitharan and committed fielding.The Royal Challengers’ bowlers conceded only 50 runs in the last eight overs but their batsmen did not do justice to their efforts in the field.

Tillakaratne Dilshan remains convinced he did not edge the delivery to which he was given out on the fourth day against England

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo06-Apr-2012Tillakaratne Dilshan remains convinced he did not edge the delivery to which he was given out on the fourth day against England at the P Sara Oval and has called for Hot Spot to be made mandatory in all Test and one-day cricket.Dilshan was adjudged caught at slip off Graeme Swann by Bruce Oxenford and immediately signalled for a review. The third umpire, Rod Tucker, took an age looking at the images but without the infra-red cameras he ruled there was no conclusive evidence to advise the on-field umpire he had made an error.”I feel 100% that I didn’t edge the ball that’s why I went straight for the review,” he said. “I can’t control the decisions. You have to respect it. But I can suggest one thing. The DRS that applies to Test or one-day cricket should have Hot Spot then there will be more correct decisions. Unfortunately Hot Spot is not there and a few decisions were very difficult for the umpire without it.”When Oxenford confirmed his decision Dilshan stood, dumbstruck, at the crease for a moment before slowing trudging to the pavilion where he threw his helmet to the ground. Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach, also visited the match referee to demand answers about the incident.Earlier on Friday Dilshan had been fined 10% of his match fee for excessive appealing during the third day and his frustrations at his dismissal could prompt another word from the match referee. “I was just a bit disappointed and my helmet when a bit further than I meant,” he said. “I wanted a big score and that’s why I was disappointed.”It is the second time in the match that the lack of Hot Spot has been highlighted. On the first day England thought they had Thilan Samaraweera caught at short leg and asked for review but it remained a not out decision. Following that Steven Finn, who was the bowler involved, said he would like to see Hot Spot available all the time.However, due to the cost of the cameras, which is carried by the host board and host broadcaster, that remains out of reach for the likes of Sri Lanka, who are struggling financially. The full DRS, including Hot Spot, was only available for the Pakistan-England series in the UAE because the PCB found a sponsor to offset the cost.Sri Lanka’s mood stemming from perceived injustice at Dilshan’s decision will not have been improved by the two late blows from Swann that left them 33 runs ahead with four wickets left and struggling to hold onto their 1-0 series lead. However, Dilshan was confident they could still save – or even win – the match, especially after England’s failed attempt to chase 145 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.”We believe if we can bat the first session tomorrow we can win the Test,” he said. “It’s not an easy wicket and won’t be easy to chase 130-140. They couldn’t chase 140, this is a five day wicket and Rangana Herath is in good form.”Edited by Alan Gardner

Denesh Ramdin, who has been recalled to the West Indies side during their tour of England in May, has said that he hopes to cement his place in the side

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2012Denesh Ramdin, the wicketkeeper who has been recalled to the West Indies Test side after nearly two years, has set himself a stiff batting target during the England Test series as he tries to reclaim a permanent place.”I am looking to get at least three half-centuries and even a century and hopefully, help the team win,” Ramdin told . “I am happy to be back in the setup after being out of the team for so long. It feels good to be back and it is always good to get another chance at the highest level. Hopefully I can take advantage of the opportunity and cement my place in the Test team, at least for the next five or six years.”Ramdin last played Tests in June 2010, when he made only 63 runs in six innings against South Africa. He comes back after a strong showing on the domestic circuit, leading Trinidad & Tobago to the domestic T20 title in January and then being their top-scorer in the Regional four day competition, averaging 56.83 in four matches.The West Indies selectors recalled Ramdin andMarlon Samuels for the tour while opener Kraigg Brathwaite and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh lost their Test places. Ramdin, 27, has toured England twice before and said that though playing against the swinging ball will be a challenge, the team was encouraged by the recent performances against Australia.”We did not do too badly against Australia,” he said. “We did not lose in three days and we gave them a good fight. I think we can give England a tough fight.
“This time of year is very cold; the swinging ball is another part of it. The players will have to adapt to the conditions quickly but you could never say you are prepared for the conditions.”West Indies’ first tour match is against Sussex at Hove from May 5. The first Test begins at Lord’s on May 17.