ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Australia-Lanka match called off due to heavy rain

COLOMBO: The World Cup match between defending champions Australia and Sri Lanka here today has been called after heavy rains.

The two sides take one point each after the match was abandoned.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were 146 for three in 32.5 overs when heavens opened up at the R Premadasa Stadium here.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera were batting on 73 and 34 respectively then.

PCB to discuss Warne's WC tie tweet in ICC meeting

Shane Warne's accurate prediction of the India-England World Cup match ending in a tie has raised eyebrows in the Pakistan Cricket Board which is planning to discuss the Australian's "strange" forecast in the next ICC board meeting.

"Doesn't it sound strange that he should predict it would be a tie. At the next meeting of the International Cricket Council board we would certainly like this issue to be discussed," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters in Lahore.

Butt said the recent spate of controversies involving spot-fixing in international cricket meant that the tweet, made hours before the match, had to be discussed in detail.

Three of Pakistan's top players - Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamer - were banned by the ICC last month for their involvement in spot-fixing on the tour to England last year.

Spot-fixing has been a hot topic in the ongoing World Cup as well with the Pakistan and Sri Lanka match and the Australia and Zimbabwe encounter being spoken about in this regard.

Pakistan's former Test pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz said he had no doubt spot-fixing was taking place in the World Cup.

"I have no doubt that spot-fixing remains an issue in this tournament and the bookmakers are trying to rope in some players," Nawaz said.

He said it was wrong to assume that only Pakistani players could be linked to bookmakers.

"I think India is the hub of betting and fixing in cricket and the Indian bookmakers are again active in this World Cup," he said.

Nawaz said the ICC anti-corruption unit officials needed to be very vigilant during the tournament.

"It is better if the ICC anti-corruption officials start being open about which matches they are investigating so that this can discourage those involved in this menace," he stated.

India vs England: Bell survives close shout, decision criticised by experts

BANGALORE: The crucial group B World Cup match between India and England on Sunday witnessed a controversial moment when Ian Bell was ruled not out by on-field umpire Billy Bowden to a delivery, which TV replays clearly showed, was hitting the stumps.

Bowling the final ball of the 25th over, Yuvraj Singh's delivery struck Bell on the pads and the ball-tracking system suggested it was going to hit middle and off. The batsman, shaping up for a sweep, was almost on his way back after watching replays on the giant screen, but Bowden was not convinced.

India called for the decision review but third umpire Rod Tucker somehow went with Bowden's decision as there was more than 2.5m between impact and the stumps.

The controversial decision was roundly criticised by commentators Nasser Hussain and Sourav Ganguly. The former England skipper said that irrespective of whether the distance was 2.5 or 3 metre the decision was wrong, and Ganguly nodded in complete agreement.

"I don't care whether it is 2.5 or 3.5 or 4.5, the ball was clearly going to hit the middle stump and he should have been given out," Hussain said.

Fellow commentator Ganguly said, "I do agree with you Nasser, I think Bell is very lucky to have survived."

Vettori grateful for decent break

Daniel Vettori is hopeful that the seven-day break until New Zealand's next World Cup match against Zimbabwe will give them a chance to have a fully fit squad to select from. A number of players, including the captain, are carrying injuries following the thumping defeat against Australia.

Scott Styris didn't take the field during Australia's run chase while Vettori also spent time off on the sidelines nursing a hamstring problem. Although New Zealand started with a strong 10-wicket victory against Kenya the seven-wicket hammering by their Trans-Tasman rivals suggested that the tournament will be a struggle even though they should still emerge from the group stage.

Kyle Mills, the team's most experienced pace bowler, and allrounder Jacob Oram were notable omissions against Australia as New Zealand retained the inexperienced pairing of Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett after their success against Kenya. Mills missed the first game with a back injury but was available for selection, while it was confirmed Oram had been left out due to form.

"Kyle [Mills] looks like he is almost fully fit; he probably is fully fit. We've got a long break between now and the next game so I'm pretty confident all 15 guys will be available," Vettori said. "I think Scott has a bruised finger and I'll think we'll find out more on that later on. Unfortunately, I've got ongoing hamstring issues but I should be fine."

However, even if New Zealand are able to draft in some experience from outside the current XI that will largely be for the bowling attack and not the struggling top order which hit 73 for 6 against Australia's pace bowling. It continued a regular trend of batting woes for New Zealand who have struggled for consistent contributions.

The trio of Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor have the potential to dominate any opposition but they have rarely fired as a unit. Taylor's form is a growing concern as he has made 114 runs in six one-day international innings this year with one fifty; he scored the last of his three ODI hundreds back in October 2008.

"Our batting has been part of our game that we haven't been happy with and have to continue to look to rectify it," Vettori said. "We have got very good players in our top four, top five, we just need to find a way to stand up and be counted. That is the same with the ball, as well. We have a good balanced squad here but that doesn't matter unless you perform and you have to get that out of these guys as quickly as possible.

"I you look at their [batting] records over the last year or so, they haven't been too bad. Jesse Ryder's coming off a good hundred a couple of weeks ago against Pakistan," he added. "They have got the skills there, but as a unit we have to lift.

"This 15-man squad is the team for this world cup and we are going to have to find a way to get the results. We have a chance in eight days' time against Zimbabwe."

Cricket World Cup 2011: everything you need to know about Dutch cricket

 

Holland do not rank among the leading nations but their history stretches back more than a century and includes some memorable victories against England.

Scaling the heights: Ryan ten Doeschate celebrates Holland's victory over England in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup



Does it have a long history?

Cricket has been played in Holland for more than a century and was said to have been introduced by British soldiers fighting the Napoleonic wars. The Dutch cricket association points to the 1930s as the sport’s golden period before it lost the fight against football after the Second World War. There are around 6,000 players now and most clubs are affiliated, and share facilities, with football teams.

What’s the state of play today?

Ten teams play in the top flight of Dutch cricket and the national side play in county cricket’s Clydesdale Bank 40 competition. The matted pitches and slow grass wickets are a long way from the dust bowls of India and many of the Dutch players have to take time off work to play overseas, limiting their chances to experience different conditions.

Yep. Dutch cricket’s finest moment was a Twenty20 victory over the hosts at Lord’s in 2009 and, although Holland have not won many 50-over matches against the top sides, they have beaten England twice. The first occasion was in 1989 when an England XI boasting Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart and this newspaper’s cricket correspondent, Derek Pringle (who claims it wasn’t his fault), lost by three runs. Four years later Hussain was again part of an England team who lost to Holland, this time when they were hammered by seven wickets in Haarlem, having failed to defend a total of 188.

Who are the Gullits and Van Bastens of Dutch cricket?

The father of Dutch cricket was Carst Posthuma, who played first-class matches for W G Grace’s team, London County, and there are pictures of him with the bearded one. Paul Jan-Bakker had five years with Hampshire and was their leading wicket-taker in 1989. Andre van Troost played domestic cricket in South Africa and for Somerset. Don’t forget the downhill skier turned Australian fast bowler Dirk Nannes, who played in last year’s World Twenty20 for Holland.

Have they relied on imported talent?

Oh yes. Captain Peter Borren has a strange accent mix of Kiwi/Dutch (he was born in Christchurch) while there are also players from Pakistan, Namibia, South Africa and Australia due to feature today.

Men for England to watch today?

Ryan ten Doeschate’s one-day international average of 68 is the highest for any player who has batted more than 20 innings and, unlike most England players, he has an IPL deal. Alexei Kervezee, Worcestershire’s Namibian-born batsman, has been compared to Graeme Hick in the past.

Any omens?

Well, there is that opening World Cup match at Lord’s in 2009, when Ten Doeschate steered a side featuring several of the 2011 squad to a thrilling final-ball victory against Paul Collingwood’s men. And Nagpur is the home of India’s orange farming industry.