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A placid St Lawrence pitch dictated that Kent’s County Championship clash with second division rivals Hampshire ended in a dull draw in Canterbury

18-Jul-2013
ScorecardMichael Carberry was one of a few batsmen to make the most of a flat pitch•Getty ImagesA placid St Lawrence pitch dictated that Kent’s County Championship clash with second division rivals Hampshire ended in a dull draw in Canterbury.After four days of slow scoring on a docile wicket that led to the loss of only 23 wickets and three centuries, the sides shook hands on a draw at 4.50pm with Hampshire on 200 for 4 in their second innings – an overall advantage in the match of 92 runs.Hampshire, trailing by 108 on first innings and resuming on their overnight total of 15 without loss, had little or no trouble in batting out the final day to secure their sixth draw of the campaign for a seven point return. As for Kent, who have yet to win on home soil, they banked eight points for their seventh draw in 11 starts.The hosts knew they would need quick wickets at the start of the final day if they were to push for their second successive Championship win, but they needed 14 overs before celebrating their first breakthrough.With the total on 45 Jimmy Adams made a late decision to shoulder arms to England off-spinner James Tredwell and departed leg before. Former Kent opener Michael Carberry moved to his second half-century of the game by pulling a Sam Northeast long-hop for four to reach the landmark from 133 balls and with eight fours.The left-hander perished 16 runs on however, when he edged behind to give Tredwell the second of his return of 3 for 87. Liam Dawson, who also scored a first innings 50, proved rock solid second time around in scoring an unbeaten 78 off 166 balls.He lost third wicket partner James Vince to a top-edged sweep that ballooned to Rob Key at leg slip then Sean Ervine who, in attempting a back-foot force against Charlie Shreck, only picked out Darren Stevens close in at gully.Dawson and Adam Wheater batted through the 50 minutes after tea without further alarm allowing the teams to shake hands on the stalemate.

Michael Yardy hit an unbeaten ton as Sussex ended day two at Derbyshire 105 runs ahead with two wickets in hand.

16-May-2013
ScorecardMichael Yardy made a century in 151 balls•PA PhotosMichael Yardy hit an unbeaten ton as Sussex ended day two at Derbyshire 105 runs ahead with two wickets in hand. Yardy finished the day on 121 from 192 balls, leading his side past the home team’s opening effort of 223.Summer signing from Surrey, Chris Jordan, weighed in with 92 as he and Yardy put on 179 for Sussex’s sixth wicket, with the visitors struggling at 109 for 5 when the pair joined forces at the crease.Mark Footitt starred with the ball for Derbyshire, picking up 5 for 104 from 20 overs, but the home side will see it as an opportunity lost.Derbyshire began the day on 158 for 6, but Ross Whiteley could not add to his overnight score of 12, caught by Joe Gatting off Jordan. Jonathan Clare and Richard Johnson pushed the score past 200 before Clare was bowled by James Anyon for 25, with the same bowler dismissing Tim Groenewald the next ball.Footitt was caught behind by Ben Brown off Monty Panesar for 6, leaving Johnson unbeaten on 22 and the home side all out for 223.Footitt set about going through the visitors by dismissing Luke Wells – who had struck 23 off 16 balls before he was caught by Chesney Hughes – and then Chris Nash for 12.Enter Yardy, who, to begin with, found willing partners difficult to come by. Rory Hamilton-Brown made just 6 before he was trapped in front by Footitt, before Gatting was caught and bowled by Clare for 13, with Sussex struggling at 79 for 4.Brown lasted just eight balls before he was caught by Footitt off Clare, before Jordan came to the crease. He and Yardy took to the home attack, scoring freely with Yardy’s ton coming off 151 balls, including 12 boundaries.Jordan reached 92 before he was finally dismissed by Groenewald, with Whiteley taking the catch to leave Sussex 288 for 6.Australian Steve Magoffin made just 9 before he became Footitt’s fourth victim, before the same bowler bowled Anyon for 5. Monty Panesar survived 14 balls until the close, with Yardy keen to add what could be vital runs early on day three.

Chennai Super Kings have more match-turning batsmen than any other side in the tournament, and that was on display yet again as they hunted down 186

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran22-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Hussey, yet again, adapted his game to the match situation, smashing 88 off 51 deliveries•BCCIChennai Super Kings have more match-turning batsmen than any other side in the tournament, and that was on display yet again as they hunted down 186 against Rajasthan Royals. Michael Hussey, who made the slowest 40-plus score in the IPL in the previous match, showed off his versatility with a boundary-filled 88, the out-of-form Suresh Raina powered his way to a half-century, MS Dhoni narrowed the gap to the target though he couldn’t close out the game this time. It was left to Dwayne Bravo to pound a final-over six and deliver victory, before breaking out into a joyous dance.The endless depth in Super Kings’ batting meant that Shane Watson’s typically power-packed century, the first hundred of the season, and James Faulkner’s pinpoint death bowling was not enough for the perennial underdogs Rajasthan Royals to pull off another upset.Royals have won all 15 matches in which they have had to defend more than 162, but once the Super Kings chase began, Royals never looked outright favourites. Ajit Chandila continued to have success with his seemingly harmless and variation-less offspin bowling, dismissing M Vijay cheaply, but Hussey began with a barrage of boundaries, including a six over midwicket to ensure Super Kings kept pace. It was a shot he used often and effectively as he shed his usual role of anchor, and turned into an aggressor.Raina was no slouch either, playing two of his trademark strokes – the slog over midwicket and the inside-out lofted hit over extra cover – as the pair, helped by some erratic bowling, powered Super Kings past 100 in the 10th over.Faulkner gave Royals some hope by getting Raina lbw, but with Cooper bowling too many wide deliveries that were easily guided by Hussey to behind backward point for four, and the finishing expert, Dhoni, in the middle, Super Kings were still ahead.A spot-on direct-hit from Dravid to send back Hussey renewed Royals’ fight, before Faulkner bowled two superb death overs, getting rid of Ravindra Jadeja for a duck, and then dismissing Dhoni caught at wide long-on. It was down to Bravo to score 11 off the final over, off Watson who has only recently re-started bowling. Watson missed the length on one and was drilled over sweeper cover for six to virtually kill off the contest.It was a bittersweet match for Watson, who had been in imperious touch earlier. The carnage started in earnest from the third over, as he coolly launched Mohit Sharma’s first delivery over the bowler’s head for six. Chris Morris was helped over deep backward square leg for six, the giant West Indian fast bowler Jason Holder proved ineffective on debut and by the end of the seventh, Royals had whooshed to 71.The over which defined the innings was the 17th, bowled by Jadeja. The first ball was a hit-me full toss that was clobbered over long-on for six. Jadeja, already taken for 27 in his first two overs, was flustered by the big hitting, and sprayed the next ball miles outside off stump. It was followed up by another full toss that was deposited for six, and another shocking wide, several metres outside off.Watson ended that over on 99, and brought up the first hundred of the season with a gentle nudge behind square leg in the next over. With Stuart Binny regularly scything the ball over the off side, Royals ran up what seemed a terrific total of 185. Not against Super Kings.

Xavier Doherty has said Shane Warne’s words of advice helped both him and Glenn Maxwell keep their confidence up as they struggled for impact

Brydon Coverdale 04-Mar-2013Xavier Doherty has said Shane Warne’s words of advice helped both him and Glenn Maxwell keep their confidence up as they struggled for impact on the difficult second day in Hyderabad. Doherty and Maxwell eventually earned some rewards after toiling through a 370-run stand between Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay, the third-highest Test partnership ever compiled against Australia for any wicket by any country.Maxwell broke the stand when he had Vijay caught tucking a ball to leg slip and it started a more pleasant period for the team in which they collected 9 for 116. Maxwell finished with 4 for 127 and Doherty picked up 3 for 131. After the day’s play, Doherty said the 20-minute meeting Warne had with the players after the loss in Chennai had reminded them that even the best foreign spinners have found India a tough assignment.”We knew it was going to be hard. They’re very good players of spin,” Doherty said. “Warnie came down and spoke to the spinning group post first Test and he said he averaged 45 over here, Murali averaged 47 or something like that – I’m not sure if they’re accurate but that’s what he said. So some of the best bowlers in the world do battle over here.”We knew it was going to be tough but it’s just about grinding away. They weren’t just going to walk off. You’ve got to keep going and really try to apply some pressure and move your field and just try little things, which is what we did. Maxi got that breakthrough and after that it got a little bit easier. I was prepared. The two Tests I’ve played previously were that tough. I know how tough it can be.”Doherty turned a few balls past the bat and had a very close lbw shout turned down when Pujara was on 174 but eventually claimed his first wicket when R Ashwin edged to second slip. Before that delivery, Doherty’s Test bowling average had crept up to 143.33, but by the end of the innings his three wickets had brought it down to 72.83. He conceded that until the edge from Ashwin, it felt like a breakthrough just wasn’t going to come.”It was starting to look that way, particularly with that close lbw which I thought was pretty good,” Doherty said. “Things just didn’t seem to be going my way. I was trying to work out my Test bowling average there at one stage because I came into the game at a hundred. In the last five or six overs, it was just more pleasing how the ball started to come out. It did take a while for it to take a bit of rhythm. To get a couple of wickets was nice as well.”Doherty knows that his place in the team is far from secure and that offspinner Nathan Lyon will be in contention for a recall for the third Test in Mohali. A phlegmatic type of player who takes criticism in his stride and knows his game well, Doherty said he was not fussed by the debate around his place in the team, including comments from Stuart MacGill last week that he “is not a Test bowler”.”I am well aware there are people that want me in the team and people that don’t want me in the team,” he said, “but that is the nature of being at this level.”

John Hastings and Darren Pattinson held their nerve to steer Victoria to a tense two-wicket victory over South Australia that confirmed their place in the Ryobi Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2013
ScorecardCallum Ferguson’s century went in vain•Getty ImagesJohn Hastings and Darren Pattinson held their nerve to steer Victoria to a tense two-wicket victory over South Australia that confirmed their place in the Ryobi Cup final. Callum Ferguson scored his first one-day hundred of the summer to push the Redbacks to 7 for 255 but his efforts went in vain, as did a five-wicket haul from Kane Richardson, as David Hussey and then Hastings anchored a chase that went down to the last over.Both teams knew that victory would secure them a place in the final and when Hussey was bowled by Richardson for 87 off 86 balls and then Will Sheridan was caught behind next ball, Victoria were 7 for 187 and the Redbacks appeared all but home. However, Hastings and Scott Boland put on 31 for the eighth wicket and then Pattinson joined Hastings for an unbeaten 38-run stand that got the Victorians to their goal.The Man of the Match, Hastings, was the key with an unbeaten 69 from 57 balls, including three sixes, but Pattinson was the unlikely batting hero in the final over, bowled by Daniel Christian. The Bushrangers needed eight from the last six balls and instead of worrying about giving the strike to Hastings, Pattinson thumped the first ball over long-on for six and the remaining two runs then came easily.It was a remarkable recovery after Richardson (5 for 61) demolished the top order and reduced Victoria to 4 for 60 and then 5 for 124. At that stage, South Australia’s total appeared more than enough, set up as it was by Ferguson and Michael Klinger in a 162-run second-wicket stand. Klinger fell short of a hundred, trapped on 87 by a wrong’un from the legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who was playing his first Ryobi Cup game.Ahmed was very impressive in collecting 3 for 47 from 13 overs, finding plenty of turn and beating several batsmen with his googly. But Ferguson’s solid innings of 110 from 125 balls, including seven fours and two sixes, kept the Redbacks moving along, although the captain Johan Botha (24) was the only other batsman to reach double figures.Although the result was disappointing for South Australia they still have a strong chance of making the final, needing only one win from their remaining two matches to lock in a spot and prevent the third-placed Queensland from advancing.

Geraint Jones’ innings kept Derbyshire at bay on the first day of a crucial tie in the promotion race at Canterbury

David Lloyd at Canterbury04-Sep-2012
ScorecardGeraint Jones was needed to prevented Kent being blown away•Getty ImagesNo-one, least of all Derbyshire’s long-suffering supporters, expected the last leg of the second division title race to be a stroll in the park. But just in case anyone associated with the county was starting to get even a little giddy as Kent lost half their wickets for only 93 runs, up popped Geraint Jones to dampen down premature excitement.Kent, it must be remembered, are themselves in the thick of a promotion battle that has twisted and turned for most of this season. And in Jones, the former England wicketkeeper, they had an ideal man to transform a sickly-looking innings into something reasonably healthy.Jones is 36 now and in negotiations for a new contract. Well, he may have failed by 20 runs today to record his first Championship century of the season but it was still the sort of knock that should help to convince the Canterbury hierarchy that he is well worth another couple of years.The innings, spanning 136 balls and including nine fours, was timely on two counts. Firstly, it kept third-placed Kent well and truly in this match. And secondly it was a fitting way to mark a fine achievement: by playing today, Jones has totted up 100 consecutive Championship appearances – something only nine other Kent players have managed in the long history of the county.Whether Kent will be playing their four-day cricket in the first division next season is very much undecided. But it will take a horrible “choke” for Derbyshire to miss out on promotion – and on the evidence of what was witnessed today, they look to be made of sterner stuff than that.Kent’s decision to bat first in glorious sunshine seemed straightforward. But the visitors bowled with such discipline that the hosts could not get away to anything like a fluent start.Tony Palladino and Tim Goenewald, with 87 championship wickets between them going into this match, have been an excellent opening pair all season. This time, though, it was first change Mark Turner who achieved the initial breakthrough – removing Rob Key with the help of a stunning leg-side catch by Tom Poynton, who reached a genuine glance after a full length dive.Groenewald then got to work and, before they knew it, Kent had lost half their wickets with fewer than 100 runs on the board. And there were a couple of opportunities for Derbyshire to turn the screw good and tight.Before he had scored, Jones edged Palladino towards second slip where Usman Khawaja appeared to reach but could not hold the chance. Then, on 11, Jones pushed to mid-off and went in search of an extremely risk single – so risky, in fact, that he would almost certainly have been out had Wayne Madsen’s throw hit timber instead of narrowly missing the non-striker’s wicket.From then on, the hosts began to recover with Mike Powell, Matt Coles and Mark Davies all contributing to useful stands with Jones. A couple more opportunities came and went but Derbyshire never looked remotely ragged and duly cleaned up the tail once the second new ball became available.Jones was ninth out, edging Groenewald to the keeper. But Kent were not quite done for the day. With opener Paul Borrington having broken his nose (he is expected to bat on day two) through deflecting a ball into his face while fielding at mid-wicket, Khawaja moved up a place in the batting order. But not for long. He looked aghast to be given out lbw when well forward to Davies.

Afghanistan Cricket Board chief Hamid Shinwari has said the one-day game scheduled to be played between Afghanistan and Australia, on August 25 in Sharjah, has been creating a lot of “excitement” back home

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2012Afghanistan Cricket Board chief Hamid Shinwari has said the one-day game scheduled to be played between Afghanistan and Australia, on August 25 in Sharjah, has been creating a lot of “excitement” back home. This will be Afghanistan’s second ODI against a Full Member, following the game against Pakistan, at the same venue, in February.”The value of the match in terms of increased experience as well as confidence and skill building will be immeasurable,” Shinwari said. “Our players and supporters greatly admire and love cricketers from Australia, and the opportunity to play them has created widespread interest and excitement. They are anxiously waiting for the day to come.”Earlier this month, Cricket Australia had confirmed that their team – which will be in the UAE at the time for the series against Pakistan – would play a one-off match with Afghanistan, in an effort to assist with Afghanistan’s cricketing development. Afghanistan have qualified for September’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, and they have one-day international status valid until 2013. They have had wins over Kenya, Canada, Netherlands and Scotland, and won more than half of the games they have played.Waleed Bukhatir, vice chairman of Sharjah Cricket Club (SCC), also extended Afghanistan support. “Afghanistan has a national team that is definitely on the rise. I think it’s the responsibility of every cricket-loving country to develop the game and to reach out to a country in need,” he said. “We [the SCC] hope Afghanistan’s matches against top teams in the world will go a long way in honing their competitive edge.”

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten at the close but Stuart Broad’s five wickets after tea ensured England evened the honours

The Report by David Hopps17-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryStuart Broad took five wickets during the evening session to swing the match back England’s way•Getty ImagesThat Shivnarine Chanderpaul values his wicket like few others is not a matter for debate. His team-mate Darren Bravo felt it, the umpire Marius Erasmus felt it and, most painfully of all, the England bowlers felt it. All three found at the start of an international summer that getting him to leave the crease is no easy matter.More than 18 years since he made his Test debut, Chanderpaul is ranked the No. 1 Test batsman in the world, which is proof enough that, at 37, his appetite for batting has not diminished. He finished the opening day of the first Test unbeaten on 87 from 175 balls, with his average against England in England climbing beyond 69.That England could claim nevertheless to have got the job done was down to the competitive zeal of Stuart Broad, who became stronger as the day progressed and who took all five wickets in the final session, with old ball and new, as West Indies faltered from 181 for 4. But as well as he bowled in a session that Chanderpaul was threatening to flatten, and as fulfilled as he looked as he acknowledged the applause, it still felt like a coda to a Guyanese day.Chanderpaul’s innings was not without collateral damage as he played a central role in the run out of his team-mate Darren Bravo in mid-afternoon. He was guilty of ball watching when he clipped Graeme Swann backward of square, took a couple of paces forward, enough to lure Bravo into attempting a rash single, whereupon he made a timely return to his crease shortly before Bravo arrived alongside him. Matt Prior’s transfer of Ian Bell’s throw to the bowler’s end was inaccurate enough for Swann to have to dive to his left to retrieve and complete the run out with a measure of relief.England came close to dismissing Chanderpaul on three occasions. Three overs after the run-out of Bravo, umpire Erasmus upheld James Anderson’s appeal for lbw, around the wicket, after Chanderpaul raised arms and was hit on the pad. But Chanderpaul reviewed it with the calm demeanour of a batsman who knew his angles and Hawk-Eye suggested the ball was comfortably missing off stump.Swann could have had him lbw on 63, but England failed to review. By the time he was on 74, England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, gambled on Stuart Broad’s conviction that he had him lbw – never a wise move – and the ball was shown to have pitched outside leg stump.England’s seam bowlers bowled wide of off stump at Chanderpaul until tea, often to 7-2 fields, respectful of his strength through the legside. They attacked the stumps more in the final session. Graeme Swann invited the sweep and his offspinners went for 14 in an over. Through it all, Chanderpaul’s river rolled along, not as rapid as the Demerara in his native Guyana, more a languid plotting of the safest route through the mangroves. He bats to his own moods, at No. 5, because he is comfortable doing so; to question that, as has Brian Lara among others, is to invite his failure.A cool, inhospitable English spring was a daunting challenge for the West Indies and when Anderson, England’s player of the year, has a Dukes ball in his hand, the task is all the more challenging. He predictably made inroads in what for him were near-perfect bowling conditions with two wickets by lunch, bowling Kieran Powell with a superb delivery that snaked back to take the top of off stump and disorientating Kirk Edwards first up with an inswinger out of the Harry Potter school of wizardry before removing him with a full and straight one. Anderson even gave the on-field pep talk before play began. He is a man of few words and has probably found that an equally difficult skill to master.Smart stats

Shivnarine Chanderpaul continued his great run in England. He has now scored 1044 runs in his last ten Tests in England at an average of 80.30. It is also his ninth fifty-plus score in the ten matches.

Chanderpaul’s half-century is his 60th in Tests. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Border, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting are above him on the list of batsmen with the most half-centuries.

Stuart Broad picked up his first five-wicket haul at Lord’s. It is also the eighth five-wicket haul for an England bowler at the venue since the beginning of 2007.

Broad’s five-wicket haul is his fifth in Tests and second against West Indies. The performance is the fifth-best bowling performance by an England bowler against West Indies at Lord’s.

James Anderson is now level fourth with Brian Statham on the list of England bowlers with the most wickets at Lord’s (45 wickets). Ian Botham is on top with 69 wickets.

The 81-run stand between Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels is the fifth-highest fifth-wicket stand for West Indies at Lord’s. Chanderpaul was also involved in the highest (125 runs) with Dwayne Bravo in 2004.

It is now 24 years since a West Indian opener scored a century at Lord’s. Gordon Greenidge did so on that occasion as West Indies won by 134 runs.

It was no surprise that England chose to bowl. The pitch was white and gleaming but it was what lay above and below that mattered. The groundsman, Mick Hunt, regarded underlying moisture as inevitable and up above the cloud cover added to the sense that batting would be difficult. As it turned out, there was more swing – and mostly for Anderson – than seam and the surface was slow. Anderson was outstanding as he swung the ball lavishly before lunch; Bresnan was steadfast and economical. But Broad’s final-session flourish salvaged a more difficult day than they might have imagined.But West Indies’ recent history also made Strauss’ decision a logical one. West Indies sides coming to England used to invite a sense of awe. These days, for many they bring a sense of regret, a regret at their inability to stand alongside the first-tier nations, illustrated by their record of two wins in their past 30 Tests.The great West Indian sides could strut their stuff in midsummer in conditions that were more in their favour, but weaker West Indies sides have become the English season’s support act and so must play their Test cricket earlier when conditions are stacked against them. It makes their task of recovery doubly difficult. They often came close to having a good day, particularly at 181 for 4, at which point Marlon Samuels, who had added 81 with Chanderpaul for the fifth wicket, drove uncertainly at a fullish, wide one from Broad and edged to backward point.England followed their two wickets before lunch with two more in the afternoon. Adrian Barath, who had included some cultured cover drives in his 42 – nine boundaries in all – fell to a gully catch by Anderson, who fell backwards as he parried, but caught at the second attempt. England had failed with an lbw review against Barath earlier in the over, but retained their two reviews because Broad had overstepped.Bravo had fortunate moments even before his run-out. There was reason for England supporters to rue Andrew Strauss’ conservatism when Bravo edged his first ball, from Anderson, at catchable height through a vacant fourth slip. Swann should also have caught him at second slip off James Anderson in the previous over, the ball rebounding off his chest. There is something about catching the ball out of the egg-and-bacon backdrop in the Lord’s pavilion that can defeat the best of slip catchers.But England’s catching sparked up in the final session as Broad picked off Chanderpaul’s unreliable allies at regular intervals. Denesh Ramdin was undone by extra bounce. Then came three wickets with the new ball: Darren Sammy, working too square on the leg side and caught off a leading edge; Kemar Roach, chipping a return catch; and Fidel Edwards, caught at the wicket to end the day after Chanderpaul had got off strike from the first ball of the final over.Broad walked off to the flattery of a contented crowd. But there, somewhere in the corner of his eye, was a batsman of immense durability. He remained not out, and is still England’s unsolved challenge for the Test series that lies ahead.

Ireland resume their quest to qualify for the 2015 World Cup next month with two World Cricket League ODIs against Afghanistan.

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2012Ireland resume their quest to qualify for the 2015 World Cup next month with two World Cricket League ODIs against Afghanistan. It is their first series since securing a place at the World T20 with victory in the qualifying event in the UAE.Stuart Thompson, a 20-year-old allrounder, has been added to the squad for the two matches on July 3 and 5 at Clontarf. Thompson has been rewarded for his form for Ireland A, scoring 93 in helping his side to a record chase against Gloucestershire second XI and making 71 against Scotland A.”Stuart’s been very impressive this season and has a sound technique which will stand him in good stead at the higher level,” Ireland coach Phil Simmons said of Thompson’s inclusion. “He’s also bowled pretty well at times and gives the squad plenty of options.”These are two vital games – two wins would put us in a fantastic position to qualify but we’re well aware of just how dangerous Afghanistan can be. We’ve had some tremendous tussles with them over the past few years.”Ireland currently lie joint top of the World Cricket League Championship with five wins from their first six games. Afghanistan are joint fifth with three wins from six games. The top two from the Championship automatically qualify for the 2015 World Cup.Ireland also play an Intercontinental cup match against Afghanistan from July 9 to 12 at Rathmines, where Kevin O’Brien will captain a much-changed squad.Fixtures
Ireland v Afghanistan, World Cricket League Championship, Clontarf, July 3 and 5Squad
William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Max Sorensen, Stuart Thompson, Andrew White, Gary WilsonFixtures
Ireland v Afghanistan, InterContinental Cup, Rathmines, July 9-12Squad
Kevin O’Brien (capt), John Anderson, Andrew Balbirnie, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Paul Stirling, Max Sorensen, Stuart Thompson, Albert Van der Merwe, Andrew White, Ben Wylie

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has stepped down from his position as captain of the Mumbai Ranji team

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2012Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has stepped down from his position as captain of the Mumbai Ranji team in order to focus on his batting. Jaffer had captained Mumbai in the Ranji trophy over the past four seasons and under him, Mumbai emerged winners in 2008-09 and 2009-10. However, Mumbai failed to make the Ranji final this season, losing to Tamil Nadu in the semi-final.”I want to concentrate more on my batting. I didn’t have a good Ranji Trophy season and for me batting is more important than captaincy,” Jaffer told the . Jaffer had been struggling throughout the season, recording an aggregate of 406 runs in nine matches across twelve innings with just one century.”Once you are captain it is very important to lead by example,” Jaffer said. “The word ‘captain’ is only nice to say but it’s a lot of pressure to lead a team. If the team doesn’t do well, then the captain is always made a scapegoat. When you don’t score, it doesn’t look good.”Jaffer was dismissed for zero in the semi-final and managed just one run in the quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh. After Mumbai were knocked out of the tournament, coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said that one of the “biggest factors” behind Mumbai’s loss was Jaffer’s batting. “We needed him the most in the last two matches. It was a big loss to us.” Kulkarni was also critical of Jaffer’s leadership, calling him a “defensive captain with defensive approach”.”I was disappointed, I’m not a perfect captain,” Jaffer said of the coach’s remarks. “Everybody makes mistakes; if there was any problem I should have been told inside the dressing-room, not in public. I was never told about my captaincy the entire season.”Suddenly I was told I lacked attitude. Four months ago I was the best captain and after losing I’m no good.”Jaffer said that India batsman Rohit Sharma, if available, would be the best choice to lead Mumbai in the next season, but said that “whoever is picked, should be given adequate time”.