A lot
happening on Cricket field…….. at Harare, in 1st T20, India beat Zimbabwe
convincingly by 54 runs. The Indian openers Murali Vijay, Ajinkya
Rahane, followed by Uthappa all made 30s – Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan, Bhuvaneswar
Kumar and Axar Patel bowled well. The score
in brief : India 178 for 5 (Uthappa 39*, Mpofu 3-33) beat Zimbabwe 124 for 7
(Axar 3-17) by 54 runs.
Today, there
were 7 debutants - : STR Binny, KM
Jadhav, MK Pandey, AR Patel and Sandeep Sharma (India); N Madziva and T
Muzarabani (Zimbabwe) – some of them have been playing T20 for long courtesy
the muddled IPL.
One such case
is Sandeep Sharma, 22, who has already
played 43 matches in the format - many of them for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. His
success last year earned him this spot, but today he found the game to be much
different. Chamu Chibhabha lifted his
very first delivery over long-on, holding the pose after his shot. Hamilton
Masakadza scooped his fourth delivery for a second six. There have been 10 bowlers who have conceded a six off their
first legitimate delivery in T20Is. Sandeep Sharma is the latest to join the list, which includes
Muttiah Muralitharan. The other debutant Neville Madziva found it even tougher
conceding 46.
At home, Bangladesh is celebrating. Even after recording series wins against
India and Pakistan, Bangladesh still had their doubters, but by overcoming
another tough challenge from South Africa, they have finally made the
cricketing world sit up and take notice.
Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez has been banned
from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after his action was found
to be illegal for a second time since November 2014. He will be able to have
his action reassessed by the ICC only after this period is completed. Hafeez,
34, had undergone testing at an ICC-accredited lab in Chennai on July 6, after
his action was reported following the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in
June. The tests revealed Hafeez's action exceeded the permitted 15-degree
limit.
At Lords runs showered – finally, Michael Clarke
declared Australian innings closed after just one over of the final session on
the second day. Mitchell Johnson and
Mitchell Starc added four runs to the total before Johnson holed out to mid-off
from the final ball of the over to give Stuart Broad his fourth wicket and
leave the score at 566 for 8, which prompted Clarke to call his men in. On a friendly batting surface, it appeared
Steven Smith could not get out at all - Smith and Chris Rogers had 284-run partnership, an Australian record for
any wicket at Lord's, that once set this is a beautiful pitch on which to bat.
Rogers missed the chance for a double-hundred but Smith got one in style and
got out at 215.
Rahul Dravid,
Rajasthan Royals' team mentor, has said he respects the Justice Lodha Panel's
decision to suspend Royals and Chennai Super Kings' owners for two years, but
felt the court's decision was a massive blow to the prospects of the younger
players in the two teams. Dravid, who is currently the coach of the India A
team, was speaking at a press conference in Chennai ahead of India A's four-day
match against South Africa A. While he refused to get drawn into the specifics
of Lodha's verdict, Dravid said the entire episode would affect "everyone
involved with Indian cricket". The top players and coaches always find
stuff to do afterwards. It's not difficult for top players to be picked by
other franchises. However, the young players who don't easily get an
opportunity, they miss out. I feel disappointed for them, but we respect the
decision the court has taken. In my opinion, not everyone at Rajasthan Royals
or Chennai Super Kings are bad. There are lots of very, very good people."
When asked if
his association with Royals would forever be a blot on his career, Dravid
diplomatically insisted it was "for the people to decide", but said
had he been aware of any wrongdoing in the team, he would have "dealt with
it".
It is for the
people to decide … !
With regards –
S.Sampathkumar
17th
July 2015.
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