Matches (16)

ENG vs WI (1)

ENG-A vs IND-A (1)

WCL 2 (1)

TNPL (2)

Vitality Blast Men (8)

Vitality Blast Women (2)

ENG-W vs WI-W (1)

RESULT • 1st T20I • Chester-le-Street

ENG

188/6

(20 ov, T:189) 167/9

England won by 21 runs

Schedule Report Series

Stumps • Starts 10:00 AM • 2nd Unofficial TEST • Northampton

IND-A

(83 ov) 319/7

LIONS

Day 1 - Eng Lions chose to field.

Schedule Report Series

Beyond the Test World

All people want is fairness

Astounding as it seems, the slanted reporting from certain journalists in Kenya's Nation newspaper has continued in recent weeks.

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Astounding as it seems, the slanted reporting from certain journalists in Kenya's Nation newspaper has continued in recent weeks.

The Nation's cricket coverage is now so slanted as to be damaging its international reputation, as well as its domestic one. It is Kenya's leading and most respected newspaper and yet it one or two of its staff repeatedly attack the board of Cricket Kenya, whereas at the height of the battle between stakeholders and the old Kenyan Cricket Association it barely raised a whimper.

Skewed reporting aside, other questions need to be asked. Why does the Nation pay so little time actually talking to board officials and players? Tsuma is not rated by most of the team and that accounts for the fact they will not deal with him. Earlier this month they attacked Cricket Kenya's deal with Nimbus, calling the details "sketchy". Well, Cricinfo knew the details because we asked. But no reporter from The Nation attended the press conference despite assurances from Chris Tsuma and Richard Mwangi that they would be there. The excuses given were lame and they made no attempt to follow up.

Full post

Scotland send for extra supplies

Scotland's cricketers last night sent an SOS home for extra supplies of a special energy drink after going through a six-week supply in just over a fortnight.

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Scotland's cricketers last night sent an SOS home for extra supplies of a special energy drink after going through a six-week supply in just over a fortnight.

Officials admit they were caught out by the fierce heat and humidity in Mombasa during the recent Tri-Series with Kenya and Canada.

Read the full story in The Herald

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Uganda and Tanzania set out their stalls

While most attention outside the Test world centres on the World Cricket League which gets underway next Monday (January 29), two of the sides providing opposition in warm-up matches will be taking those games far more seriously.

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Uganda and Tanzania have been brought in by the tournament organisers to provide opposition for the six countries in the WCL, but both will be looking to impress. Uganda have been talked up by many in the last year, but they suffered heavy defeats when Kenya toured there at the end of last year.

"Everybody is in good frame of mind,” former Uganda Under-19 captain Hamza Saleh told The Monitor. “We have played with these guys (Tanzanians) in different age group events before and we will handle them cautiously."

Full post

Lessons being learned insists Romaine

Time is running out for Bermuda’s under-fire players to prove to the national selectors that they are the men to take the side into the World Cup.

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Time is running out for Bermuda’s under-fire players to prove to the national selectors that they are the men to take the side into the World Cup.

Back-to-back defeats in warm-up matches in Trinidad has added to deepening concerns following a poor tour of Africa at the end of last year, but Irving Romaine, their captain, remains upbeat … in public at least.

“It’s all up to us because we have the talent and can match our opponents talent-wise … it’s just that they are more disciplined than we are at the moment. But if we can get control of our discipline and play to our full ability then we should win because we do go into games definitely looking to win.”

Read the full interview in The Royal Gazette

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Cricket 'an immigrant's game in Canada'

An interesting article in the Montreal Gazette on immigrants in Canada who are spreading the cricket gospel

Will Luke

25-Feb-2013

An interesting article in the Montreal Gazette on immigrants in Canada who are spreading the cricket gospel. But this raises a bigger question … if the game is played predominantly by first-generation expats, can it be said that game is growing?

Since beating higher-ranked Bangladesh at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Canada has stepped up recruitment of immigrants like him, as well as Canadians living abroad, to play on the team.

And with organizers spending more money on the sport - paying for cricket classes in high schools and colleges, building indoor arenas in Ontario and investing in such specialized training equipment as automatic bowling machines - the future of Canadian cricket looks bright.

Full post

Stillborn in the USA

Contrary to reports at the weekend, it is highly unlikely that a planned one-day series between India and Australia in North America will be able to include matches in the USA

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Contrary to reports at the weekend, it is highly unlikely that a planned one-day series between India and Australia in North America will be able to include matches in the USA. At present, there are no venues in the country approved by the ICC to host a one-day international. In fact, there are none even close to being recognised.

While Canada might conceivably host a few games at the quaintly named Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, the failure of Project USA - which was intended to develop the US market - has set the game back in the continent at least until 2008.

A new deal between the largely dysfunctional USA Cricket Association, whose utter inability to run the game led to its suspension by the ICC, and a marketing company called Centrex should give cricket in the USA a commercial stability hitherto absent. But it won't happen in time for this series.

To many - mainly the marketing men who so dominate the way cricket is run - the USA remains the untapped Holy Grail. Crack that, so the thinking goes, and the rewards are almost unlimited. Millions of dollars of income - up to $6 million per game for up to seven matches - was touted as a likely reward for the venture. Up to 10 million first-generation Asians make for a lucrative market, even if the average American doesn't care one jot for the game.

Full post

Bermuda beaten in Trinidad

Bermuda's very soggy tour of Trinidad finally got under way yesterday...but they crashed to a 47-run defeat to a local club side, W Connection Wanderers.

Will Luke

25-Feb-2013

Bermuda's very soggy tour of Trinidad finally got under way yesterday...but they crashed to a 47-run defeat to a local club side, W Connection Wanderers.

Batting first at the Gilbert Park Ground, Wanderers scored 243 for 9 in their 50 overs with Jason Samuel top-scoring with 68. Clifton Hall (43) and Kenroy Williams (41) - the former Barbados youth captain - also contributing useful knocks. Dwayne Leverock took 3 for 46.

Clay Smith, the opening batsman, made 37 for Bermuda - and David Hemp 35 - but their innings fell away in the middle order, losing their last three batsmen for ducks.

Full post

Mixed messages from Dubai

Martin Williamson looks at what message is being sent to the Associates by the ICC deciding to appoint Darrell Hair to officiate in their tournament ..

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

Martin Williamson looks at what message is being sent to the Associates by the ICC deciding to appoint Darrell Hair to officiate in their tournament ... and do the ICC even know where they stand.

So Darrell Hair has been appointed to stand in the triangular one-day series in Mombasa next week, the first time he will don the white coat since that gloomy Sunday afternoon at The Oval in August when his world turned on its head.

The announcement - which caught the ICC on the hop as it only intended to release the news on Sunday - caused, inevitably, a flurry of media comment. Some were surprised that Hair was still an umpire, so intense was the criticism of him between the Oval Test and the ICC's decision to bar him from standing in major matches which followed in November.

There are two sides to this. The first is that this is actually a really good move. Hair, for all his stubbornness, was, up to four months ago, one of the top officials in the game, a fact underlined by the ICC's own internal rankings which placed him second only to Simon Taufel. There is no doubt that in Kenya his presence will benefit sides who will for the first time play in a game with such a senior official.

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Bermuda benefit from Gomes's experience

Larry Gomes, the former West Indies batsman, has been helping Bermuda train for the forthcoming World Cricket League

Will Luke

25-Feb-2013

Larry Gomes, the former West Indies batsman, has been helping Bermuda train for the forthcoming World Cricket League.

"Larry is there to help with the technical areas and give feedback on cricket specifics and let them know the demands of playing at the top level.

"He's Trinidadian, he knows the conditions, he knows what is required mentally to succeed. We also have Tony Gray, Bernard Julien and Raphick Jumadeen to work with the bowlers.

"It's a chance for all of them to make the most of this opportunity to learn from these guys.

"They have a wealth of experience to pass on. We will be getting information from everyone."

Middle-order batsman Lionel Cann said yesterday that it had been useful to work with Gomes, who he said had analysed all the batsmen and given them pointers on how to improve.

The Bermuda Sun has the full story.

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Bermuda announce squad for WCL

Ryan Steede, the medium-pacer and Kwame Tucker, the wicketkeeper, are the two notable omissions of Bermuda's squad for the World Cricket League to be held in Kenya later this month

Will Luke

25-Feb-2013

Ryan Steede, the medium-pacer and Kwame Tucker, the wicketkeeper, are the two notable omissions of Bermuda's squad for the World Cricket League to be held in Kenya later this month.