World Of Cricket

London: England for the first time defeated Australia at Lord’s since 1997. Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 89 runs took England to a 15-run victory over arch-rivals.

Stuart Broad of England is congratulated after taking the wicket of Clint McKay of Australia © Getty Images

Michael Clarke – Captain of Australia won the toss and decided to field because of overcast conditions but England openers Cook and Bell flew to an awesome start when they were saved by DRS. Bell was given out by the umpire in the 6th over when he was playing at 3 but he reviewed and the decision was reversed.

Cook scored 40 runs & Bell scored 41 runs. Trott once again stood up and scored 54 vital runs before Morgan started hitting. Bopara didn’t last long and went back to pavilion after scoring 15 runs. Kieswetter was caught out at the last ball of the match by Warner.

Morgan remained not-out at the score of 89, in his stay of 98 minutes, he faced 63 balls and hit 5 FOURS & 4 SIXES.

England ended-up with 272/5 which wasn’t a bad score. Lee, McKay, Cummins, Doherty & Watson all took 1 wicket each.

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Australia started its chase carefully but lost Watson in 6th over who wasn’t given out by the umpire but than England reviewed and were right that the ball did kiss the bat before going into the gloves of Kieswetter. Bailey scored 29 but than got bowled. Warner stretched his stay at the crease and scored 56 runs off 61 balls, he was also undone by Anderson.

The wickets kept on falling as Hussey and Smith also followed Warner. Aussie captain Clarke tried to become the barricade and was almost succeed before he caught himself in a run-out situation where Wade (27) sacrificed himself for his captain.

Australia was 59 runs away from the victory and 4 wickets were in their hand but Clarke was given lbw at the ball of Bresnan, he was absolutely plumb. McKay and Cummins were the next ones to get  out.

Lee entertained the crowed by 4 FOURS & scoring 29 off 21 balls, he remained not-out with Doherty (10). Australia managed to scored 257/9 in 50.0 overs. Anderson, Finn, Bresnan and Broad bagged 2-wicket each.

The 2nd ODI will be played at Oval on July 01, 2012.

Eoin Morgan of England hits out © Getty Images

   Result: England won by 15 runs.

   Man Of The Match: Eoin Morgan (England).

London: England’s test captain Andrew Strauss reveals continued passion to lead England. He is enjoying test cricket both as a captain and as a batsman and isn’t looking to surrender his test job.

Andrew Strauss at Trent Bridge cricket ground in Nottingham © Reuters

Captaincy in international cricket is a challenging job, a test of mental stamina on top of the physical demands of playing the game with a high intensity. Andrew Strauss, the senior of England’s three men’s captains, admits that a five-day Test can leave him shattered on both counts. Time off is vital, he says, especially when one Test follows another, back to back.

“When you are playing in such a crowded schedule you need to use your time off wisely, to recharge the batteries, but it is important to do things like this,” Strauss said. “If we disassociate ourselves from the grass-roots we miss a great opportunity to help the game flourish.”

Strauss dismissed the idea that the pressures of leadership might be something he would give up. He surrendered the one-day captaincy last year, but has no intention of passing on the Test job.

“I love captaincy, I love the challenge, it is what makes me get out of bed in the morning,” he said. “As a batsman, it can be a double-edged sword. If you are going through a bit of a bad patch and you need to spend time on your own game you can find your opportunities are a bit more limited, but on the other hand it can help you in that you have less time to think about it. In my mind thinking is overrated when it comes to batting because you want to be on autopilot as much as possible.

“It has been a fantastic learning curve for me, the leadership stuff, learning how to manage people, learning how to try to bring everyone together, to get the best out of them. These are things I find exciting at this stage of my career.

“Coaxing the best out of individuals is the big challenge, bigger than the tactical side of the job. You listen to commentators and they will talk about bowling changes or fielding positions but I don’t think that’s what wins you Test matches. I believe that what creates performances on the pitch is having the right off-field environment. It’s about what sort of team ethos you have, what sort of work ethic. It is those things that enable you to get people to play close to their potential, for the side to be greater than the sum of its parts. We work very hard on that.

“When you first start [as a captain], you are a bit more conscious about what you are doing and you try to prove yourself to everyone else. After a time you get a bit more comfortable in the job. I don’t find it difficult now but I’m still loving the challenge.”

London: English cricketer Mervyn Westfield who was found guilty in spot fixing case & has been jailed for four months yesterday alleged Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria for being the middle-man in that spot-fixing plot in which Westfield conceded a set number of runs from an over during a televised Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in 2009.

ECB may start its investigation against Kaneria because of the allegations of Westfield

Kaneria, who was arrested along with Westfield in 2010 only for charges to be dropped due to a lack of evidence. Essex police will now hand over the evidence to the ECB which will decide whether to hold its own investigation. The maximum penalty, if Kaneria is found guilty, is a lifetime ban from all cricket worldwide.

Westfield allegedly admitted to Palladino (team-mate Tony Palladino whose testimony was a key evidence in the case) that Kaneria was the go-between. According to Palladino, Westfield told him that Kaneria had a friend who would give him money if he agreed to concede a certain amount of runs from an over in a given match. Kaneria allegedly was to receive a fee of £4,000 for securing Westfield’s involvement.

Mark Milliken-Smith, Westfield’s defence counsel accused Kaneria for forcing Westfield to under-perform. According to Milliken-Smith, Kaneria took his client (two Asian men in August 2009, initially described as having interests in oil) out to dinner with some friends and said he had a way that the young cricketer could make money more quickly. Westfield was then pressurised into accepting a proposal to underperform, with one of Kaneria’s associates telling Westfield that he had already placed a bet on the subject. “They would not take no for an answer,”

Kaneria was warned by the ICC in 2008 about his links to a bookmaker called Arun Bhatia, who is believed to live in England, and was told he was keeping “highly inappropriate company.”

Kaneria has persistently pleaded his innocence since the initial arrest and he was selected for a Test series against South Africa in late 2010 before being withdrawn by the PCB because he was not able to obtain the required documentation from Essex police.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on talking with ESPNcricinfo said: “We do maintain zero tolerance toward corruption, but since nothing is yet proven against the cricketer the status remains same as it was so he will continue to play the final (Pentangular Cup) as captain (of Sind province).”

An official of PCB told ESPNcricinfo that: “His integrity was obviously under observation and this is why we asked him to satisfied the integrity committee. He was a bowler we actually wanted to play but there were so many questions that he could never satisfy.”

“He always pledged his innocence but was never able to get an Essex police clearance letter. For us the Westfield imprisonment is neither a development nor sign of guilt for Danish, but now we can apply for the transcription of the investigation record from the police.”

Kaneria’s lawyer – Farogh Naseem said: “I think we can only take any step once the inquiry is finished. It is Westfield’s words against Kaneria and a lot will depend on what evidences he puts before the court against my client.”

Naseem reiterated that Kaneria was cleared: “At the time of the police inquiry, Kaneria was not charged and cleared,” he said. “The ICC cleared him. We feel that Kaneria was discharged in the case.”

Farogh on talking with Associated Press said: ”Such allegations have no strength and it holds no water. I fail to understand when British police cleared Danish, when [the] ICC cleared Danish, then why now these allegations against him?”

London: Key middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen is being urged to recapture his best form in 50-over cricket for England in India to be a force to be reckoned with during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Pietersen must recapture form on short tour to India to be a force in 2015 World Cup

Skipper Alastair Cook suggested that KP will be a force at the next World Cup in 2015 and described his return for a trip to India as “fantastic”.

But according to The Telegraph, away from the microphones there were mumblings recently that there was more to Pietersen being “rested” for last month’s one-day series win over India and that the selectors were close to leaving him out for this trip too.

The absence of Eoin Morgan with a shoulder injury meant that Pietersen had to be selected to provide the propulsion needed in the mid-innings period, which will become even more crucial on this tour thanks to the tinkering of Powerplay rules.

The optional Powerplays will now have to be taken between the 20th and 40th overs, meaning fielding restrictions will be in force and batsmen expected to clear the ropes at a time when spinners are normally in operation.

Pietersen has the power and array of strokes to hit the big shots, but his last one-day hundred was in India in 2008 when he was captain and England could only dream of being the world’s best at any form of the game.

A lean trot of one-day hundreds is not rare for English batsmen in one-day cricket but his return of just two half-centuries in 32 innings since that century in Cuttack, at an average of 22.86, is mysterious and includes a period when he was dropped by England in the summer of 2010 for the one-day series against Pakistan.

England believe Pietersen can still contribute and as a fit, dedicated professional there is no reason why he could not be playing at the age of 34 when the next World Cup.

London: England ended a hugely successful summer on a low note as they slipped to a shock 25-run defeat at the hands of West Indies in the second NatWest International T20 at the Kia Oval.

Spirit of winning the game was in the blood of West Indian players

After restricting their opponents to a seemingly meagre 113 for five – the lowest score batting first on this ground – Graeme Swann’s young side appeared well placed to follow up their 10-wicket triumph on Friday with another comprehensive win.

However, debutant left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin returned 3-9 from four overs with the new ball to undermine England’s chase and they subsequently fell some way short.

Four run-outs typified the hosts’ struggles as they failed to reach three figures for the first time in the shortest format of the game.

Scott Borthwick had earlier impressed on his Twenty20 bow with figures of 1-15 from four overs as England’s three-pronged spin attack excelled.

Jade Dernbach becomes a fourth run-out victim as England are bowled out for just 88, comfortably their lowest total in Twenty20 internationals

Ben Stokes, who struck 31 from 23 deliveries, was the only batsman to make any sort of impression during the run-chase.

Many would have anticipated England to romp to victory once again following their dominant display in the field, which came after Swann won the toss.

However, they made heavy weather of their pursuit after losing Alex Hales, who put on an unbroken 128 with Craig Kieswetter two days ago, in the second over.

The Nottinghamshire opener was deceived, and bowled, by a wonderful slower ball from left-armer Krishmar Santokie, another Windies debutant along with top-order batsman Miles Bascombe.

Mathurin, a seemingly innocuous presence dealing predominantly in flat deliveries that skidded on to the batsmen, then took centre stage, sending Kieswetter, Ravi Bopara and Jonathan Bairstow back to the pavilion in successive overs.

England’s wicketkeeper-batsman was bowled by one that skidded on, Bopara had no answer to a rare delivery that turned sharply, and Bairstow was bowled around his legs as he looked to sweep.

Samit Patel was then run out at the non-striker’s end by Devendra Bishoo’s direct hit having been called for a single by Stokes, who was subsequently trapped in front by the leg-spinner, having taken three boundaries from his first over.

Graeme Swann was left to ponder a losing end to the season, England v West Indies, 2nd Twenty20, The Oval, September 25, 2011

When Tim Bresnan holed out to Mathurin at long-off to give Andre Russell his first wicket, England’s position appeared perilous.

Borthwick and Jos Buttler steadied the ship, but the latter was run out by Darren Sammy, who produced a direct hit from mid-off after the Somerset youngster had set off for a run before realising his error.

Another run-out followed, Borthwick responding to a call from his captain only to be sent back with Marlon Samuels collecting the ball at cover.

When Jade Dernbach failed to make it back for a second to deep midwicket, West Indies were able to celebrate a remarkable triumph.

Just nine boundaries were struck in the tourists’ innings, which saw runs prove hard to come by from the outset.

Bresnan, adopting regular changes of pace, conceded just 12 in three tight opening overs from the Pavilion End.

Yet it was Dernbach who made the initial breakthrough, trapping Dwayne Smith plumb lbw for 11 as the batsman failed to get forward to one that nipped back.

Patel, who had shared the new ball with Bresnan, was reintroduced in place of Dernbach and had Bascombe leg before for three, playing back to a full one.

Johnson Charles is bowled through the gate by a Scott Borthwick googly. The leg-spinner's four overs cost just 15 runs and limited West Indies to an apparently inadequate 113

With just 25 runs coming from the six powerplay overs, West Indies seemed to be in disarray.

Johnson Charles briefly raised spirits by launching Patel over long-on for an enormous six, but he became Borthwick’s maiden international victim.

A delightful googly in the Durham leg-spinner’s second over bowled Charles through the gate for 21 and only 57 runs were on the board by the time Borthwick finished his spell by completing the 13th over.

With a slow hand clap ringing around sections of the ground in response to the laborious scoring rate, Christopher Barnwell attempted to launch Patel into the stands, only to be caught superbly by Hales, running around from long-on.

Marlon Samuels, having scored just 10 from his first 20 deliveries, finally registered the first boundary since the eighth over by punching Patel through the covers, but West Indies’ progress continued to border on the torturous.

Runs finally started to flow in the closing overs and Sammy clubbed Bopara down the ground for the innings’ second maximum in the 18th over.

The captain connected cleanly with another powerful strike five balls later, but succeeded only in picking out Borthwick at long-off.

Samuels finished unbeaten on 35 from as many balls and Russell added an unbeaten eight-ball 12, but few could have imagined West Indies’ total would prove enough.

Result: West Indies won by 25 runs.

Man Of The Match: Garey Mathurin (West Indies)

London: Ravi Bopara returned outstanding figures of 4-10 – England’s best in Twenty20 cricket – and openers Alex Hales and Craig Kieswetter shared their side’s highest partnership in the shortest format as West Indies were subjected to a 10-wicket thrashing in the first of two NatWest International T20s at the Kia Oval.

Ravi Bopara's 4 for 10 were England's best figures in Twenty20

Bopara was chiefly responsible for restricting the Windies to 125 all out after openers Dwayne Smith and Johnson Charles had set a solid platform with an opening stand of 51 inside six overs.

The Essex all-rounder picked up two scalps in as many balls in his second over and wickets once again fell from successive deliveries, the first courtesy of a run-out, in his next set of six as the tourists crumbled. Their last eight wickets fell for the addition of only 28 runs.

Bopara’s final analysis comfortably eclipsed the 4-22 previously achieved by both Paul Collingwood and Jade Dernbach in T20 internationals and England, who had inserted their opponents in Graeme Swann’s first match in charge, had no problems in chasing down a modest target with 28 balls unused.

Hales, who was last night voted as the ‘NatWest PCA young player of the year’, prospered to the tune of 62 from 48 deliveries in only his second international appearance, while Kieswetter contributed 58 from 49 balls.

The duo’s unbroken alliance of 128 represented a new record for England in this form of the game – surpassing a stand of 112 between Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan against Pakistan last February.

In truth, those in attendance at the Kia Oval this evening are unlikely to witness a more one-sided fixture and Darren Sammy’s side face a stiff test to restore their pride when they return to this venue to face a vibrant and confident England outfit in two days’ time.

Alex Hales helps England make short work of their modest target. In his second international appearance, he struck 62 not out from 48 balls

After Swann, leading England in the absence of Stuart Broad, had called correctly and chosen to bowl, a mere five runs came from the opening two overs, but it wasn’t long before Smith and Charles, who hit 33 and 36 respectively, settled into their stride.

The former collected four boundaries, including pulled sixes over long-on and square-leg, in Tim Bresnan’s second over, which yielded 22 runs.

Charles, adopting a somewhat agricultural approach, then picked up three fours down the ground in the space of four balls from Steven Finn, one of three Twenty20 debutants for England along with Jonathan Bairstow and Ben Stokes.

Smith was fortunate to survive a tricky caught-and-bowled chance in Jade Dernbach’s first over, but then fell to a wonderful delivery from Samit Patel that turned sharply to take off stump.

With Patel, who finished with 2-23, and Swann each exploiting a surface offering notable assistance to the spinners, West Indies struggled to maintain their momentum and a frustrated Marlon Samuels was bowled through the gate by England’s skipper as he looked to drive expansively.

Swann’s figures took a significant dent in his final over as Danza Hyatt, the only other West Indian to reach double figures, drove back over the bowler’s head for six before picking up another maximum with a slog-sweep over midwicket.

Charles made it three sixes in 10 deliveries by clearing long-on off Patel, but his attempts to repeat the trick from the next ball led to his downfall as he provided Steven Finn with a simple catch.

West Indies were soon in further trouble when Bopara, whose opening over had yielded just two, struck with consecutive deliveries. The Essex all-rounder bowled Nkruma Bonner via pad for three before having Christopher Barnwell superbly caught behind by Kieswetter, who sprung to his right to pull off a one-handed take.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter takes the aerial route during a record-breaking stand of 128 - England's highest in Twenty20 cricket

Andre Russell survived the hat-trick delivery, but was then run out in Bopara’s next over as Stokes provided an accurate throw to the non-striker’s end from long-on.

Hyatt was bowled next ball, for 28, as he swiped across the line and, after Derwin Christian had been superbly yorked by Dernbach and Devendra Bishoo run out by Jos Buttler’s throw from backward point, Bopara wrapped up the innings by having visiting captain Sammy caught at deep midwicket.

Sammy opened the bowling for West Indies and was immediately guided through point for four by Hales.

Kieswetter made the most of a no-ball in Fidel Edwards’ first over by thumping the resulting free hit over cow corner for the innings’ first six and runs continued to flow freely as England surged ahead of the required rate.

After Hales, fluent off front and back foot, had clipped Edwards wide of mid-on and fine-leg respectively for his third and fourth fours, an impudent lap-sweep from Kieswetter took England to 50 in the sixth over.

Russell was then pulled for six and four by Hales and, by the time leg-spinner Bishoo was called upon to bowl the eighth over, West Indies were in a dire position.

Hales moved past 50 – and took England into three figures – with consecutive swept fours off Bishoo and Kieswetter swiftly followed his partner to the landmark one ball after striking the hapless Bonner, whose two overs contained a number of abysmal long hops, for a mighty straight six.

Pietersen and Morgan’s record stand was soon overtaken and Kieswetter, who had been content to work the ball around for much of his innings, ended the match in fitting fashion by flaying Smith to the cover fence.

Result: England won by 10 wickets.

Man Of The Match: Ravi Bopara (England).

Derwin Christian had his stumps shattered by Jade Dernbach