Beyond the Test World
Uganda hold off spirited UAE
Uganda held off a spirited bowling display from United Arab Emirates to ensure their match ended in a draw on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Uganda held off a spirited bowling display from United Arab Emirates to ensure their match ended in a draw on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi. Arshad Ali's hundred, with able support from Saqib Ali's fluent 77, had allowed UAE to declare at 282 for 9 to set Uganda an unlikely target of 271 to chase in their second innings.
Amjad Javed, Qasim Zubair and Shoaib Sarwar then combined to reduce Uganda to 36 for 5 less than 20 overs into the innings, but Ronald Ssemanda and Frank Nsubuga's impregnable defences salvaged a draw.
Full postCanada cricket reaches for the SkyDome
Cricket Canada has outlined ambitious plans to become a centre for staging international matches as part of a bid to raise the profile of the game, and a scheme for an indoor event features highly.
Sahil Dutta
25-Feb-2013
Cricket Canada has outlined ambitious plans to become a centre for staging international matches as part of a bid to raise the profile of the game, and a scheme for an indoor event features highly.
"We are working on investment in our infrastructure, money from government, and in addition we want some good international fixtures," Ranjit Saini, Cricket Canada's interim president, told Cricinfo. "We want to create a unique Canadian cricket event that people can look forward to every year.
"Annually we could have an event in the SkyDome [the Rogers Centre in Toronto], trying to create a mix of entertainment and cricket, that cricket lovers throughout the world can look forward to.
"It could be a sixes tournament like Hong Kong or could be Twenty20 as well, but we want to bring in an entertainment angle to it - perhaps with audience participation in some respect - but it's very early planning so that's all I'd want to say at this stage."
Full postUAE draw first blood with thumping win
Tony Munro
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
UAE 50 for 1 (Arfan 29*, Iqbal 12) beat Uganda 49 (Ben Musoke 12, Nawaz 4-16, Amjad 2-23, Ahmed Raza 2-2) by nine wickets
United Arab Emirates (UAE) thrashed Uganda by nine wickets and with 44 overs to spare, in the first one-day match at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Monday. Being put in, Uganda crumbled to 49 all out in 29.4 overs with allrounder Benjamin Musoke (12) the only batsman to reach double figures. Dubai-born bowler Amjad Javed caused early inroads removing experienced opener Roger Mukasa and captain Asad Baig to reduce Uganda to 10 for 2. Fellow opening bowler Qadar Nawaz, making his one-day debut, then capitalised to take 4 for 16 from 10 overs.
When UAE batted, another debutant made an impact as Arfan Haider belted 29 from 18 balls including thee fours and two sixes to propel UAE past Uganda's total in just six overs. Deusdedit Muhumza, in his first match for Uganda, took the consolation wicket of Mohammad Iqbal.
Full postAfghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong target Asian Games
Potential participants must apply to the Asian Cricket Council to take part in the men's and women's tournaments, to be played using the Twenty20 format
Tony Munro
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
Afghanistan, Nepal and Hong Kong are the latest non-Test countries to indicate they will apply for inclusion in the cricket section of the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.
Potential participants must apply to the Asian Cricket Council to take part in the men's and women's tournaments, to be played using the Twenty20 format.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are expected to field teams, although there is doubt their squads will be full strength. As the hosts, China are an automatic inclusion, while Japan had earlier said they will apply.
Full postWithdrawals blight South Asian Games
Afghanistan and India's Under-21 sides have withdrawn from the South Asian Games cricket tournament
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Afghanistan and India's Under-21 sides have withdrawn from the South Asian Games cricket tournament. The decisions mean only three Test teams remain - Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - along with two others - Maldives and Nepal. They will play a round-robin competition with the top two teams playing off. The tournament starts on January 31 and run to February 7.
Full postUAE favourites against Uganda
Tony Munro
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
Uganda and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will contest the outright lead in the ICC Intercontinental Shield when their four-day match begins in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Both teams won their only matches in the tournament, Uganda beating Bermuda by seven wickets last August in Bermuda and UAE defeating Namibia by four wickets in Windhoek last month.
UAE are arguably favourites on the basis of home advantage and recent form.
Full postFiji and Samoa face off
Fiji and Samoa will contest the Women's Challenge Series between February 2 and 5 in Apia, Samoa to determine the team that shall complete the pool for the 2010 ICC EAP Women's Cricket Trophy
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Fiji and Samoa will contest the Women's Challenge Series between February 2 and 5 in Apia, Samoa to determine the team that shall complete the pool for the 2010 ICC
EAP Women's Cricket Trophy. The winner is to be determined in a three game 50-over
series to be played at the pristine Samoa Gardens Ovals in Apia, Samoa.
ICC EAP Tournament Manager Nick Frayne commented, "This series is an extremely
important one and the first of its kind in the EAP Region. This is the beginning of the pathway
for the EAP teams to hopefully progress all the way to the next ICC Women's
World Cup."
Fiji has already commenced preparations for the encounter, hosting the inaugural Cricket Fiji Women's Cricket Championship over five days from January 12 in Suva, Fiji. The tournament boasts five teams from across Fiji, and the national squad to contest Samoa shall be selected from this group following the tournament's close.
Hosts Japan and defending champions Papua New Guinea have already booked their places to the 2010 ICC EAP Women's Cricket Trophy to be held in Sano City, Japan between 4 and 8 May. This will be the first time that the EAP Region has had more than two teams contest a Women's Regional Tournament, and with Tonga, Indonesia and several other EAP
Members continuing to grow the women's game these numbers are sure to increase.
Full postMoce win Fiji's inaugural women's championship
Despite a loss, Moce finished ahead of Suva thanks to their extra bonus points accrued during the tournament, ensuring they would take the first National Women’s Championship back to the Lau Islands
Tony Munro
25-Feb-2013
The Moce Islanders have won the inaugural National Women’s Cricket Championship despite a slight hiccup on the final day.
Moce lost their final game against Suva Flying Angels but still managed to lead the points tally at the end of the week long tournament. The game was a nail biter with Suva winning the toss and electing to bat first. Sera Kaukiono (17) and Luanne Rika (17) opened the batting and got Suva off to a good start before Kaukiono smashed a ball to square leg only to see the fielder hold the hottest of chances. Iva Volavola (16) batted patiently in the middle order to help steer her team to a competitive total of 103. Mereia Tilau was the pick of the Moce bowlers taking 5 for 21 while Ana Maidela also chipped in with three wickets.
The win looked all but assured for Suva as they raced through the top order to leave Moce struggling at 39 for 8, but the Islanders were not done yet. Miriam Talatoka was part of two partnerships that each put on 30 to bring Moce within striking distance of victory. However, when Luanne Rika bowled Talatoka for 28 the Moce innings was finished just four runs short of their target.
Despite the loss, Moce finished ahead of Suva thanks to their extra bonus points accrued during the tournament, ensuring they would take the first National Women’s Championship back to the Lau Islands.
Full postA cricket-playing island without an airport
Tony Munro
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
It is possibly the remotest cricket outpost in the world, and its national team is set to travel by ship to take the field for the first time.
St. Helena, with a population of 4000, is located about midway between Africa and South America. It boasts of a ten-team league, but no airport, and plans to send a squad to a Twenty20 tournament in Montserrat later this year.
When St. Helena’s officials attended the ICC Centenary Ball in London last year, they got there by the most direct route, a two-week South Atlantic voyage aboard the RMS St. Helena which stops in Tenerife.
Full postIreland-Afghanistan brought forward
The ICC has confirmed that the ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Ireland, due to be played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, has been moved forward by two days
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The ICC has confirmed that the ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Ireland, due to be played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, has been moved forward by two days. It will now be played from January 21 to 24 at the same venue.
With presidential elections due to take place on January 26, which had originally been scheduled as the final day of the game, Sri Lanka Cricket requested the move for reasons of security and logistics.
Full post