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Sri Lanka took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ODI series against New Zealand by inflicting a seven-wicket defeat in Hambantota, in another rain-marred contest

The Report by Siddhartha Talya10-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jeevan Mendis’ three wickets hurt New Zealand, and they couldn’t recover•Associated PressRain made an appearance for the fifth game in a row on this tour but that didn’t prevent Sri Lanka from taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ODI series. In another truncated fixture, Sri Lanka’s bowlers gave New Zealand a tough time in conditions helpful for bowling and their batsmen approached the task of chasing down 131 in 32 overs positively. In what turned out to be a comfortable victory, Jeevan Mendis stood out for his triple-strike in a space of five deliveries that hurt New Zealand’s prospects at a time when they were seeking to lend some stability to their innings.New Zealand suffered their tenth defeat in 11 completed ODIs since February this year.Heavy rain delayed the start of play by two and a half hours after Sri Lanka had chosen to bowl. It returned in the 30th over of the New Zealand innings, resulting in another long interruption but, in the interim, Sri Lanka had inflicted enough damage to ensure a relatively easy chase.Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara gave Rob Nicol a tough time once the game got underway. Malinga troubled him with the away-going delivery and Kulasekara moved it both ways. Nicol was tentative against deliveries that were slightly short of a length and was dismissed when he charged out to clear mid-on but failed, as he had done in previous attempts as well.BJ Watling built a promising stand with Brendon McCullum. The scoring wasn’t brisk but both cashed in on the odd occasion that the Sri Lankan bowlers erred in length, dispatching short deliveries through point and cover. McCullum even launched Rangana Herath over long-off for six but just as New Zealand were looking settled, they lost Watling to a run-out as he hesitated while responding to a second run.There was good bounce for the seamers and the movement off the pitch was encouraging throughout the day. Ross Taylor was visibly livid after he nicked a wide one from Thisara Perera to the keeper and it triggered a phase of stagnation in the innings which was to prove costly. After Taylor’s wicket, McCullum managed just two runs off Herath’s next 12 deliveries. The frustration was evident when he tried to swing Herath out of the ground off the 13th, but found long-on.Williamson played some attractive punches off the back foot and got a partnership going with James Franklin, but it lasted just 32 runs. Both had scored runs off Mendis, driving him down the ground for singles but his variation pegged New Zealand further back. Williamson was beaten in flight and bowled off a googly as he tried to drive, and Nathan McCullum fell next ball in the 28th over, dismissed in an almost identical manner. Mendis’ third victim, Andrew Ellis, was trapped in front against a straight ball as he tried to sweep.It had been drizzling since the time Mendis first struck and the umpires called for the covers when the rain grew a little heavier. It left Franklin arguing with Ian Gould, just ahead of what was to be a delay of a further hour and a half. When New Zealand came out to bat again, with the game reduced to 32 overs, they had too little time to push for a desirable score.With the ball moving around, Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal had their insecure moments against Trent Boult and Tim Southee. It took 23 deliveries for the first boundary to arrive, but once Tharanga smacked Southee over midwicket, the chase acquired a momentum that was only briefly interrupted by his dismissal. He departed after displaying some excellent timing, cutting and punching through point, before Chandimal and Kumar Sangakkara took over.Opening the batting for the first time in an ODI, Chandimal initially struggled to middle the ball but there was an adequate dose of off-target deliveries that helped him get going. He picked off a boundary through fine leg, scored a four off a misfield at deep point and drilled Nathan McCullum twice down the ground. Sangakkara was more fluent at the other end, scoring at greater ease, even unfurling his favourite extra-cover drive on one knee and pulling a six over deep square leg, to guide his team to victory in this rain-marred series.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Twenty20 between New Zealand and Zimbabwe in Auckland

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2012Match factsFebruary 11, Auckland
Start time 1900 (0600 GMT)Colin de Grandhomme could debut but will have to contest with Kane Williamson or one of the seamers for a spot•Getty ImagesBig PictureHow does a boxer find motivation to keep throwing punches when his opponent is cowering, bleeding and just about begging for mercy? New Zealand may soon know the answer to that as they continue to hammer away at an already ground down Zimbabwe side.The series ends with two Twenty20 matches. In most years that would be only an afterthought, but with a World Twenty20 to be contested later in September, they do have some importance. As the best performing non-subcontinent team at the 2011 World Cup, New Zealand will want to repeat their strong showing in Sri Lanka in the 20-overs showcase event. They have a rather new look side and will use these matches to incorporate more uncapped players and complete their unit.Brendon McCullum spoke about the importance of keeping the intensity up. If the one-day series is anything to go by, New Zealand know how to do that. Not content with merely proving they are a better side than Zimbabwe, they have imposed their dominance brutally and seem to have their minds set on continuing to do that.Zimbabwe are an inexperienced and unsuccessful Twenty20 side. It’s not a format they have played in great quantities at any international level, but the popularity of their domestic tournament has meant that all of the national squad have some recent 20-overs game-time. Already the gulf between what they have been doing at local level and what is required to be done on the international stage has proven wide and deep. Perhaps too wide and too deep. While shorter formats are thought to increase the competitiveness between sides, it may not be true in this case.Demoralised and weary, Zimbabwe will have to feed off their desperation to do well. They certainly have the desire to prove themselves but they have to multiply that a few times to be able to compete with a rampant New Zealand side.Form guideNew Zealand WWLWW (most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLLLLIn the spotlightThere’s always a bit of needle when a county plays against a team with one of their countrymen in it and Colin de Grandhomme can expect much of the same. The Harare-born New Zealand allrounder even played for Zimbabwe Under-19s but moved to New Zealand in 2006 and has now qualified for his adopted country. He has performed well in the domestic leagues and gets his chance at the highest level, but will have to brace for some hostility from a severely wounded Zimbabwe side.Twenty20 is Elton Chigumbura’s format, the one where he has the freedom to pay in the carefree manner he appears most comfortable with. With Zimbabwe as down and out as it gets, they may as well give their players the liberty to enjoy the last two matches of the series and play without limitations. If there is one player who will enjoy this sort of approach, it will be Chigumbura. With absolutely nothing but another match to lose, if he decides to make it his day, it could well be.Team newsNew Zealand have two injury concerns – Martin Guptill has a slight groin strain and Jacob Oram experienced tightness in the calf. Both left the field in the last ODI in Napier but Brendon McCullum said he expects both to be fit to play. In particular, he hopes Guptill can continue because he has found a rich vein of form. Andrew Ellis was added to the squad after Dean Brownlie was ruled out with a finger injury and coach John Wright indicated that he would be given an opportunity. The other two uncapped players, Colin de Grandhomme and Ronnie Hira could debut but will have to contest with Kane Williamson and one of the seamers for a spot.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Rob Nicol 4 Colin de Grandhomme 5 James Franklin/Kane Williamson 6 Andrew Ellis 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Doug Bracewell/Ronnie Hira, 11 Kyle MillsAfter axing Hamilton Masakadza for the third ODI, Zimbabwe will likely open with Stuart Matsikenyeri and Regis Chakabva. The last time they played Twenty20s Tatenda Taibu was injured, but he will play. It still allows Zimbabwe to accommodate three allrounders in Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura and Keegan Meth. If both Prosper Utseya and Ray Price play, one of the three seamers will have to sit out.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 2 Regis Chakabva, 3 Brendan Taylor, 4 Tatenda Taibu, 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Keegan Meth 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 and 11 Kyle Jarvis/Brian Vitori/Shingi MasakadzaPitch and conditionsA fair strip, offering plenty for the batsmen is likely to be prepared. Weather in Auckland on Saturday evening should be clear and mild.Stats and trivia Zimbabwe have only played 18 Twenty20s and have won just three, all away from home. Their last victory came in February 2010 against West Indies. Martin Guptill was the top scorer in New Zealand’s HRV Cup with 504 runs at an average of 72.00. Ronnie Hira and Michale Bates were the highest wicket-takers, with 14 scalps each.Quotes”The gap between two teams is always narrowed, the shorter the game. So it means we will have to be more efficient in all areas.”

Harold Ghosh, the former Eastern Punjab, Northern Punjab and Railways batsman, has died in Jallandhar at the age of 75

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2012Harold Ghosh, the former Eastern Punjab, Northern Punjab and Railways batsman, has died in Jalandhar at the age of 75. Ghosh played first-class cricket for 24 years between 1951 and 1975; he was a left-hand batsman and bowled left-arm spin. In 72 first-class games, Ghosh scored 2599 runs at 26.79 and hit four centuries. He also picked up 29 wickets at 30.68.M.P Pandove, the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, condoled Ghosh’s death.

A round-up of the third day’s play from the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy Elite League

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2012A collective bowling effort led by left-arm spinner Gajendra Singh put Rajasthan on top against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, securing a major first-innings lead and giving his team an excellent shot at an outright victory. Gajendra picked up four wickets in Hyderabad’s capitulation in response to Rajasthan’s 421. Only captain Dwaraka Ravi Teja (67) and Arjun Yadav (42) provided any significant resistance, as their team was skittled out for 144, conceding a lead of 277. Sumit Mathur picked up two wickets, so did legspinner Vivek Yadav, supporting Gajendra.Hyderabad, however, responded strongly in their second innings after following on. Ravi Teja hit his second half-century of the match and Akshath Reddy was unbeaten on 77; the opening pair were undefeated at stumps with the score on 138 without loss, the deficit brought down to 139.Tamil Nadu retained control of their quarter-final contest against Maharashtra at Chepauk, despite a better effort from the latter on the field and with the bat.TN had gained a first-innings lead on the second day and consolidated their advantage on the third, but the Maharashtra bowlers were able to bowl the hosts out for 415. Starting at 259 for 3, the TN middle order got starts but was unable to push on. S Badrinath made 49, K Vasudevadas contributed 36 and Yo Mahesh chipped in with a valuable 59 down the order. Seamer Samad Fallah and left-arm spinner Akhay Darekar picked up three wickets each, but TN built a significant lead of 183.In their response, the Maharashtra openers, Harshad Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana, both of whom had batted solidly in the first innings, put on an unbeaten 90-run stand in 29 overs. They reduced the deficit to 93 but, barring a dramatic TN collapse, Maharashtra’s chances of going through to the semis are negligible.Haryana, who surprised many by qualifying for the quarter-finals, knocked out Karnataka from the Ranji Trophy after registering an outright victory. Read the full report here.Mumbai all but sealed their place in the semis by virtually shutting out Madhya Pradesh in Indore, thanks to a maiden first-class century from Ankeet Chavan. Read the full report here.

Should batsmen walk when they know they’re out? This World Cup has thrown up several incidents that have reignited the debate around walking

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2011Should batsmen walk when they know they’re out? This World Cup has thrown up several incidents that have reignited the debate around walking, an issue that gained prominence in the 2003 World Cup semi-final between Australia and Sri Lanka where Adam Gilchrist walked back to the pavilion after an appeal for a catch against him had met with no response from the umpire.Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, and Gilchrist’s former team-mate, was in a similar situation against Pakistan on Saturday, where a caught-behind appeal against him had been turned down. Unlike Gilchrist, he stayed his ground. The decision was reviewed by Pakistan and he was adjudged out, but all along he knew he had nicked the ball.”There were no doubts about the nick, I knew I hit it, but as always I wait for the umpire to give me out. That’s the way I’ve always played the game,” Ponting said.The New Zealand-Sri Lanka game in Mumbai involved a controversial decision when what appeared to be clean, and a brilliantly taken, one-handed catch by Nathan McCullum off Mahela Jayawardene was ruled not out by the third umpire Amish Saheba as replays were possibly inconclusive. Jayawardene, once the catch was claimed, stayed his ground and ultimately got the decision in his favour.”If I felt it was a clean catch, I would have walked,” Jayawardene said. “It was a 50-50 thing and it was fair it went to the TV umpire.”However, “it depends upon the person,” Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain for that game, said. “You look at Jacques Kallis. He asks the fielders if they caught it cleanly and he trusts the words of the fielders. You put it up to the batsman to make the decision and at the end of the day you just hope the technology is right and if the technology is not right, well then don’t use it.”In India’s game against West Indies in Chennai, Sachin Tendulkar, a century away from completing 100 international tons, walked when he inside-edged Ravi Rampaul to the wicketkeeper as Steve Davis, the umpire, shook his head. Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, was effusive in praising Tendulkar’s decision to walk. “It shows the measure of the man,” Sammy said. “He is a true gentleman. After 17,000 runs, he could walk. That was brilliant on the part of Sachin.””It’s nice to see people walking but that doesn’t happen now I guess,” Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, said. He added that despite the availability of technology, batsmen could still take a chance with the replays. “There is a system in place now so that you can’t get away with it. I mean people still take chances and why not? Jayawardene took a chance and it went the other way.”

Upul Tharanga’s fourth one-day international century this year and a five-wicket haul from Lasith Malinga kept the series alive as Sri Lanka compiled a comfortable 78-run victory in Hambantota

The Report by Brydon Coverdale16-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUpul Tharanga made his fourth ODI century of the year•AFPUpul Tharanga’s fourth one-day international century this year and a five-wicket haul from Lasith Malinga kept the series alive as Sri Lanka compiled a comfortable 78-run victory in Hambantota. After two substandard batting performances in the opening matches, Sri Lanka finally found their rhythm and their 286 was too tall a target for Australia, who lead 2-1 as the teams head to Colombo for the final two games in the series.It was a solid all-round performance from Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara contributed useful runs and the work of the batsmen was well backed up by the outstanding Malinga and his bowling colleagues. Especially impressive was the debutant seamer Shaminda Eranga, who struck in his first over and deceived Ricky Ponting to keep Australia on the back foot early in their chase.Eranga, 25, needed only three balls to make his mark on international cricket, with a delivery that nipped through the ever-widening gate left by an out-of-form Brad Haddin, who made 5. But the moment that Eranga will be most proud of came when his slower ball was not read by Ponting, who pushed back a return catch on 22.Already, Malinga had drawn an edge to slip from Shane Watson (5), and at 52 for 3 following the Ponting dismissal, Australia were in a major hole. Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke did their best to rebuild in a 71-run partnership but Clarke couldn’t make it three fifties from three innings this series when on 46 he tamely fed a catch to mid-on off Malinga.Hussey was his usual competitive self, ticking the score over and reaching his half-century, but he began to run out of partners when his brother David played on to Ajantha Mendis and Steven Smith was run out. Hussey gave Malinga his third wicket when he square-drove to point on 63, and from then, with 104 needed off 59 balls, it was only a matter of when Sri Lanka would wrap up the win.Malinga ended up with 5 for 28 when his fast, accurate yorkers rattled the stumps of Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger, and the outcome wasn’t what Clarke had envisaged when he won the toss and sent Sri Lanka in. After rain over the previous day, the pitch gave the seamers some assistance but Tharanga and Dilshan survived the early stages despite numerous plays and misses, especially against Bollinger.Bollinger, who is not in the squad for the upcoming Test series, finished with 4 for 42 and was the only member of the attack who posed a serious threat to Sri Lanka for most of the innings. The problem was that he didn’t make any of his breakthroughs in the early stages, and the 139-run opening stand from Dilshan and Tharanga set the tone for the rest of the match.Smart Stats

The 78-run win is Sri Lanka’s second largest victory margin in ODIs against Australia. The highest remains their 79-run win in Sydney in 2003.

Sri Lanka’s total of 286 is their highest total in home ODIs against Australia and their third-highest overall against Australia. Both the top scores have come in ODIs in Sydney.

The 139-run stand between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga is the fifth century partnership for the opening wicket for Sri Lanka against Australia. It is also the third-highest on the list of Sri Lankan opening stands against Australia.

Tharanga’s century is his 12th in ODIs and his first against Australia. His previous highest against Australia was 86 in Sydney last year.

Lasith Malinga’s spell of 5 for 28 is the joint-best bowling figures for a Sri Lankan bowler in ODIs against Australia. It is also Malinga’s fourth five-wicket haul in ODIs and first against Australia.

Doug Bollinger’s 4 for 42 is fifth haul of four wickets or more in ODIs. Three of those efforts have come in ODIs outside Australia.

They began to score more freely once spin was introduced, Tharanga lifting Doherty confidently over mid-off for a pair of boundaries, and both openers drove well through the off side. Dilshan eventually fell for 55 from 59 balls when he pulled a short Bollinger delivery straight to deep midwicket, but Australia’s joy was to be short-lived as Sangakkara joined Tharanga in another solid stand.Tharanga had struggled in the first two matches, after serving a three-month drug ban, but it was third time lucky as he began to find his touch. In between the edges and plays-and-misses, he nearly cleared the boundary with a strong pull off Lee and picked off runs against the part-time spin of David Hussey and Smith, and reached his century from 128 deliveries.It continued a fine year for Tharanga, who despite his suspension has made more one-day international centuries in 2011 than any other player in the world. He also passed 4000 ODI runs and was the fastest Sri Lankan to reach the milestone, doing it in four fewer innings than the previous record-holder, Marvan Atapattu.Tharanga fell when he tried to glide a ball to third man, only succeeding in steering a catch to Brad Haddin, but he had given Sri Lanka a terrific platform. Tharanga was the third wicket in ten deliveries for Bollinger, who had picked up Sangakkara (49 off 37 balls) lbw and the out-of-form Dinesh Chandimal, who was well snared at slip by Clarke for 4.But even a late flurry of wickets – Sri Lanka finished nine down – couldn’t turn things around for Australia. After two flat matches, Sri Lanka were sharp, and if they keep that up in Colombo the series could yet be theirs.

George Dockrell starred with bat and ball as Ireland Under-19s beat Namibia Under-19s by four wickets at Lodge Road

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGeorge Dockrell contributed to the win with both bat and ball•ICC/Rob O’ConnorGeorge Dockrell starred with bat and ball as Ireland Under-19s beat Namibia Under-19s by four wickets at Lodge Road, Coleraine. Dockrell took 3 for 35 to help restrict Namibia to 245 for 9 before making an unbeaten 83, adding 115 with Shane Getkate, as Ireland reached their target with three overs to spare. The game was replayed on Monday because Sunday’s fixture was washed-out after only eight overs.Namibia chose to bat first and made a steady start, led by opener Pelham Myburgh, who made 66 before being bowled by Ross Adair. Gert Lotter held the middle order together with a quick 57 from 43 balls that included seven fours, before becoming Dockrell’s first victim in the 46th over when he flicked a paddle shot straight to the fielder at short fine-leg. Namibia lost their momentum after that, adding only 25 runs from the last 4.4 overs and losing three wickets, two of them to Dockrell.Ireland stuttered at the start of their innings, losing three wickets for 32 runs, but opener Jason van der Merwe and Dockrell put on 99 to rebuild the innings before van der Merve was caught behind of Pieter Groenewald for 71. With the match evenly poised, Getkate joined Dockrell, but the pair took charge of the chase to lead Ireland to victory and second place in the points-table behind Scotland after eight games.

A preview of the third South Africa-New Zealand T20 in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria25-Dec-2012Match facts December 26, 2012
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)Boxing Day scrap: Martin Guptill will be key with his gloves on•Gallo ImagesBig Picture The traditional Boxing Day Test has been replaced by a Twenty20 and although it may not match up to the drama or the prestige of a serious contest in whites, it is a decider. For the young South African side being led by Faf du Plessis, a win would reiterate the quality of the No. 1 Test side’s bench strength. But New Zealand need this one more after all the pre-series controversy regarding the captaincy and the main course of the tour – the two Tests – just a week away.The importance of the coming challenges was not lost on Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, who said after the win in East London that the game was not a “one-off” and that the team needed to keep similar tempo through the tour. There were other bright signs apart from Martin Guptill’s match-winning hundred. Rob Nicol and McCullum played responsible supporting roles to Guptill, Nathan McCullum was economical, and Doug Bracewell picked up wickets despite being expensive. These are the players the team will rely on through much of the tour and from New Zealand’s perspective, it is critical they take the confidence of a win in the T20 series forward.With no Boxing Day Test, the South African fans would have to contend with a four-day void after the match and would hope for a small Christmas present from their team. South Africa have had more balanced performances in the two matches so far, with du Plessis leading from the front, and still are favourites to wrap up the series.Form guide (Completed games, most recent first) South Africa LWLLL
New Zealand WLTLTIn the spotlight Coming back from sickness, Martin Guptill produced an innings of such significance in the previous match that it lifted spirits like only a last-ball win can. He took his time to get settled and then selectively took the bowlers apart, being especially severe on Aaron Phangiso, the debutant spinner, whom he countered with his brutal sweeps. Can he jingle all the way?David Miller has played 10 T20s for South Africa in the last two years and has largely been kept out by a settled batting line-up. But South Africa have one eye on the future and T20s are a chance for him to impress. He certainly did in the 18 balls that he played in the last match as he effortlessly cleared the infield a few times with his timing.Team news South Africa have only 12 players at their disposal and with Richard Levi struggling for form, it could be a toss up between him and Justin Ontong.South Africa: (likely) 1 Richard Levi/ Justin Ontong, 2 Henry Davids, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Robin Peterson, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Rory KleinveldtNew Zealand reaped the benefit of experience with the addition of Guptill in the last match. Trent Boult, the left-arm seamer, who sat out the first two matches due to sickness could make a return.New Zealand: (likely) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 4 James Franklin, 5 Colin Munro, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Ronnie Hira, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan/Trent BoultStats and Trivia Martin Guptill’s hundred in the last match was only the second in the second innings of a T20 international. The first one was scored by Richard Levi earlier this year. Levi scored a sensational 117 in only his second T20 international innings. Since then, he has scored 106 runs in 11 innings with eight single-digit scores. The head-to-head record between the teams is 7-3 in favour of South Africa Quotes “It’s going to take one person or a couple of people to take the game away from the other team and hopefully that’s going to be us again. It was the same situation last summer back home. It was one-all leading into the third match, so it will make for a great finale.”
“David [Miller] came in and hit the ball sweetly to all parts of the field. It’s great to have him back, he is a young talent and he brings a lot to the team. It was a fantastic innings, to come in at that stage when conditions made it difficult to come in and start scoring was great, I certainly struggled when I came in.”

A round-up of the final round of group games from the Stanbic Bank 20 Series in Zimbabwe

Liam Brickhill19-Nov-2010Graeme Cremer inspired a remarkable turnaround by Mid West Rhinos as they booked their place in Saturday’s semi-final with a 15-run win over Matabeleland Tuskers on a rainy afternoon in Harare. While Tuskers are already through to the next round, Rhinos came into the match needing a win to be sure of their spot in the semis. When Bradley Staddon’s four wickets kept them to just 148 despite Brendan Taylor’s classy half-century and Tuskers rushed to 58 for 1 on either side of an extended rain delay it seemed Rhinos’ tournament was over.Charles Coventry led Tuskers’ chase with a typically adventurous 26-ball 41, but once he was dismissed – unsurprisingly, caught in the deep – and Tuskers pursued a reduced target the Rhinos’ spinners came to the fore on a damp pitch. Brendan Taylor trapped Steven Trenchard lbw in his first over, and Cremer then found himself on a hat-trick as he removed Keith Dabengwa and Keegan Meth from consecutive deliveries.Staddon survived the hat-trick ball, but was soon run out trying to get wicketkeeper Adam Wheater back on strike, and the Tuskers innings went into freefall. Wheater chipped Cremer straight to Malcolm Waller in the 13th over and two balls later the legspinner dipped a full, drifting delivery underneath Njabulo Ncube’s bat to rattle the off stump. Chris Mpofu’s run out by a rifling throw from the deep by Gary Ballance sparked scenes of exuberant celebration from the Rhinos, a brave fight-back earning them a worthy place in the semi-finals.Mountaineers, who won this competition last season, crashed out after the round-robin stage this time round as they slipped to a 23-run loss against a resurgent Southern Rocks side. Another pair of bellicose half-centuries from Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura lifted Rocks to 198 for 6, and despite a classic, never-say-die fifty from Lance Klusener Mountaineers could only manage 175 for 7.Raza led the early exchanges for Rocks, following up his 93 on Wednesday with another aggressive innings. He put on 47 for the first wicket with Chamu Chibhabha, and 39 for the second with Chigumbura before departing for a 30-ball 54 that included eight fours and a six. Mountaineers worked their way through Rocks’ middle order, Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine falling for single figures as they slipped to 108 for 4 in the 14th over.But Chigumbura then picked up the charge in electric fashion, thrashing five sixes as he added 51 in four overs and one ball with Tendai Chisoro, who contributed 24 from just 13 balls. Steve Tikolo helped him give the innings a final boost with a quickfire 12, and Mountaineers were faced with the daunting task of chasing down almost 200 to stay in the competition.Though Hamilton Masakadza and Tino Mawoyo gave them a decent start, the middle order struggled to impose itself upon the Rocks attack and Chris Harris’s gentle leg-rollers were taken for just 13 runs in four overs. As the required rate went stratospheric it appeared Mountaineers would bow out with a whimper before Klusener entered, with dramatic results. In the space of four overs he put on 73 with Shingi Masakadza, who contributed a rapid 17, and Prosper Utseya, who managed just a single.In an innings that rolled back the years, Klusener cracked seven sixes and reached his fifty from just his 17th delivery. His innings was not enough to revive Mountaineers but it did make for enthralling viewing for the spectators, whose numbers have steadily increased as this tournament has gone on.

The Associate countries are confident of contesting the ICC’s decision to block their access to the 2015 World Cup after receiving advice from prominent sports lawyers. They plan on mobilising opinion ahead of the ICC’s meeting in June and have not ruled

Andrew Miller and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011The Associate countries are confident of contesting the ICC’s decision to block their access to the 2015 World Cup after receiving advice from prominent sports lawyers. They plan on mobilising opinion ahead of the ICC’s meeting in June and have not ruled out the legal option.The ICC was roundly criticised by the non-Test-playing countries after the decision was announced on April 4, two days after the World Cup final, but having worked closely together since, the Associates are hopeful of a rethink. They sent a letter to the ICC outlining their case and the ICC has since announced it will revisit the issue during its board meeting in June.”The lack of response in those two weeks probably meant they realised they were defending the indefensible,” Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “The ICC management are a very careful and expert bunch, and they will have done their homework. I know a lot of people have been telling us over the two weeks how strong our position would be if external remedies were necessary, although we don’t want to get to that stage, we want it to be the last resort.Richard Cox, the chief executive of the Royal Netherlands Cricket Board, explained how the Associate response has developed.”A number of the countries have been speaking about the manner of which we might approach the situation though our delegated ICC reps,” he told ESPNcricinfo’s Switch Hit show.”We’ve done a great deal of research over the last week, particularly Warren Deutrom of Ireland, had a lot of letters of support, and we’ve also had some experienced sports lawyers contacting us offering us help, examples of history and precedents for cases such as this.”On that basis we felt we were at least able to contest the decision around qualification and the opportunity to qualify which is what we’ve done. We’d like to have the opportunity to discuss the matter and for our representatives Neil Speight, Keith Oliver and Imran Khwaja to sit with people from officer and board level at the ICC to resolve it amicably.”Though a challenge through the courts remains a last resort, Cox hopes the pressure generated by the public response, alongside the backroom work being done by the Associate boards can lead to a change in thinking from the ICC before the June meeting.”Our thinking is to keep this matter on the table and high on people’s agendas, high on the media’s agenda,” he said. “Although June is a month away, if we can continue to work behind the scenes in the way we have over the last 10 days then who knows when it could be resolved. In an ideal world you’d want it resolved more quickly than June but if that’s what it takes to get everybody round the table than we’ll follow the proper course of action.”Netherlands were one of the stronger Associate sides during the recent World Cup and Cox believes that only greater exposure at international level will help them develop.”What it demonstrated to us was that with more experience at this level we’d be able to cope with the standard of cricket on a regular basis. So to get the news last was a real body blow not just for us but for any number of nations who aspire to play in a World Cup.”It was really a backwards step for us when they made that decision and that’s why we’ve taken our time to look at it carefully and go through the proper processes to contest the decision and get it overturned.”