Warwickshire wrapped up an innings victory on the first session in Abu Dhabi, with Rikki Clarke taking three of the remaining six MCC wickets to fall

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013
ScorecardWarwickshire wrapped up an innings victory during Wednesday’s first session in Abu Dhabi, with Rikki Clarke taking three of the remaining six MCC wickets to fall.Joe Denly, who had recorded a century on the third day, and Peter Trego took the MCC score on to 350 before Oliver Hannon-Dalby broke through. Trego departed for 87 from 76 balls but, with 81 still needed to make Warwickshire bat again, the MCC innings rapidly subsided.Clarke and Chris Wright claimed the wickets, with Denly the eighth man out for 146. The last six wickets fell for 52 runs in 16 overs, Clarke finishing with 4 for 33 and Wright 8 for 110 in the match.”The way the MCC guys played in the second innings showed what good players they are,” MCC head of cricket, John Stephenson, said. “On paper this team is extremely strong, but after losing the toss and being asked to field first on a pitch like that, was always going to be a bit of a struggle.”With respect to the day-night format, the match went really well on the whole. All the pink balls stood up fantastically well, they were very durable, had good visibility throughout, and there were no complaints from any of the players. I’m really pleased with how things went from that perspective – I just wish we could have got a few more runs in our first innings.”

A round-up of the matches on the second day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2013
ScorecardCaptain Mohammad Hafeez led from the front to hit his second Twenty hundred that helped Lahore Lions humble Multan Tigers by 47 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. With a daunting total in sight, Tigers never looked in control during their chase. They lost their captain Shoaib Maqsood in the first over, caught brilliantly by Aizaz Cheema after he had fumbled it on the first go. Tigers started stuttering early as their top three batsmen departed with only 24 runs on the board.Rameez Alam (45) and Saeed Anwar jnr (11) resisted for a while with a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket, but both got bogged down against the spinners. Despite some late fireworks by Kashif Naved, Tigers kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out in the 20th over for 127.Lions, after choosing to bat, lost opener Ahmed Shahzad (2) in the first over as he flicked Rahat Ali straight to Zulfiqar Babar at midwicket. Thereafter, Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed dominated Tigers and added 66 runs for the second wicket before Jamshed was trapped lbw for 26. Akmal brothers, Umar (4) and Kamran (0), were out of successive deliverers – Umar edged one from Rizwan Haider to the keeper, while a mix-up for a single with Hafeez resulted in Kamran’s wicket.Hafeez, however, continued to consolidate. He was dropped three times, twice by the wicketkeeper. Along with Ali Azmat (29), he added 83 for the fifth wicket to take Lions to a formidable total of 175. He reached 102 off 64 balls with 18 boundaries, including two sixes off the last two balls of the innings.
ScorecardShoaib Malik led Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons in Gaddafi Stadium. Falcons batted first, but were reduced to 39 for 3 through some incisive bowling from Raza Hasan. Yasir Hameed (43) and Hammad Ali (30) were the only meaningful contributions, as the rest of the batting folded quickly, to leave them 135 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs. Hasan had best figures of 3 for 35.Shakeel Ansar was dismissed for a duck, and Faisal Naved and Shahid Yousuf didn’t last long either as Stallions were at a precarious 18 for 3. An 89-run stand between Shoaib Malik and Adeel Malik categorically took the game away from Falcons. Shoaib Malik top-scored with 68, and Adeel Malik with 36. The chase was finished off by Ali Khan and Mansoor Amjad, as Stallions won with four balls to spare. Falcons have lost two straight now, after losing to Multan Tigers yesterday.
ScorecardYasir Arafat’s four-wicket haul helped Rawalpindi Rams to overwhelm powerful Twenty20 side Karachi Dolphins by eight runs in the final match of the day in Lahore. Dolphins lost their way chasing 158, but bounced back through No.9 batsman Mohammad Sami who smacked a breathtaking 38 off 18 balls. But Rams held their nerves to complete a dramatic victory.Dolphins lost their top order to Arafat earlier who accounted for Khalid Latif (0), Shahzaib Hasan (11) and Asad Shafiq (0) in his first spell of two overs. Fawad Alam (29) along with Sarfaraz Ahmed (26) resisted the tidy bowling in a 40-run stand, but both were out in quick succession. Sami then launched a late attack that included three sixes to revive hopes, but Arafat returned to pick his wicket. Dolphins eventually were bowled out for 149, eight runs short.Rams opted to bat with openers Awais Zia (34) and Naved Malik (12) off to a positive start. But they lost seven wickets for 16 runs towards the end to finish with 157. Anwar Ali was the most successful bowler with four wickets.

Preview of the match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya26-Apr-2013

Match facts

Saturday, April 27, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)James Faulkner has something to offer with the bat as well•BCCI

Big Picture

As this season’s IPL approaches its half-way stage, the points table will, increasingly, come to dominate the attention of teams and players. Not much separates two team which were widely predicted to struggle, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals – Royals have played one game less and are two points behind – and both look good to remain strong contenders for a place in the top four as the competition for points intensifies. Both played their respective previous games against Chennai Super Kings, and lost in an almost identical fashion with the games decided in the final over of Super Kings’ chase.There was another striking commonality: allrounders who played a crucial role in helping their team post a competitive score slipped up in the final over – Ashish Reddy and Shane Watson. The teams are playing each other for the first time this season, on a Jaipur track on which seamers have had considerable success. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma will be aware, so will Shaun Tait – it remains to be seen if he plays – and Sreesanth. Shikhar Dhawan and Watson are fresh from impressive knocks at the top of the order, and there is plenty of spunk in the middle to surge in the death overs. Though Royals may sense a slight edge playing at home, these two teams seem fairly evenly matched with the way things have panned out this season.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LLWWL
Sunrisers Hyderabad: LWWLW

Players to watch

Cameron White has quietened down with the bat after his match-winning innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore more than two weeks ago. He’s batted in the top four over the last three games but hasn’t really got going.James Faulkner has been a valuable addition to the Royals XI, has been picked for the Ashes where he could have to play a greater role with the bat at No.7. His bowling skills have impressed many this IPL; he also has a decent record with the bat in the longer formats.

Stats and trivia

• Unheralded Sunrisers legspinner Karan Sharma has the best economy rate this season – 4.41 (min. 10 overs)
• Faulkner has the best average (9.45), best strike-rate 10.4 and third best economy-rate 5.42 this season (min. 10 overs)

Quotes

“We showed characteristics of a side that can fight till the last minute of the game and I’m very proud of each of the players.”

Preview of the Champions Trophy Group B match between South Africa and West Indies

The Preview by Firdose Moonda at Cardiff13-Jun-2013

Match Facts

Friday, June 14, 2013, Cardiff

Start time 10.30am (9.30 GMT)Dale Steyn has been declared fit and is available for the match•ICC

Big Picture

A glance at Cardiff’s pregnant skies is enough to set the tone for the knockout clash between South Africa and West Indies and it is not a positive one. What should be a fascinating clash between a team that dominates outside of major tournaments and a team trying to recreate their glory days may not even happen. If it does, it is likely to be interrupted by rain.Should the wet weather have the final say, South Africa will progress by virtue of a better net run-rate but they will not want to go into the real knockouts in such fortunate circumstances. Neither will West Indies want to exit the tournament in a drizzle of disappointment, although they have two poor batting performances to blame for their current standing in the group.While South Africa showed improvement, particularly in the bowling department, in their second game, West Indies remained static. As a result, they have not managed a total of even 240 so far and against South Africa, it would be safe to assume, they may need many more to win.But this is not a normal occasion for South Africa; this is a pressure game and that alone could scramble their minds. Even if Dale Steyn is fit and firing, their main battle will be with themselves as they try to rewrite their reputations as big-game bloopers.West Indies will fancy themselves more than usual, especially because they have been the team that have put South Africa out of tournaments the most. On three occasions, they have been responsible for South Africa taking the next flight home and their cavalier confidence has often given them the edge over a team paranoid of failure.

Form guide

(Most recent first)South Africa: WLWWL
West Indies: LWWWW

In the Spotlight

There hasn’t been much opportunity for a finisher like David Miller to show what he is capable of. The “in the arc, out of the park” hitter has had mixed results in a tournament where run-scoring has tapered as innings go on, but team management remains confident Miller will be able to make an impact at some point. Given a firm foundation and licence to thrill, it may be his big day.Sunil Narine has encountered South Africans at the IPL but has never played against South Africa and he may well be relishing the opportunity. Despite reams of video evidence, Narine remains difficult to pick – with both his offbreak and doosra bowled out of the front of the hand and made trickier by his pace. Although the stereotype about South Africa’s batsmen being spun into submission doesn’t apply anymore, he could still cause ample problems for a team under pressure.

Team news

With Dale Steyn declared fit and available, South Africa will likely go in with four seamers, one specialist spinner in Robin Peterson and JP Duminy as an allrounder. That will mean only one change for them with Colin Ingram occupying the top spot ahead of specialist opener Alviro Petersen and Farhaan Behardien missing out again.South Africa: (probable) 1 Colin Ingram, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Chris Morris, 10 Dale Steyn/Aaron Phangiso, 11 Lonwabo TsotsobeAn unchanged XI is expected and with Denesh Ramdin still suspended, Johnson Charles will keep wickets again.West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach

Pitch and conditions

Rain fell consistently throughout Wednesday and Thursday and more showers are forecast for match day with a window of clear weather predicted only between 2pm and 5pm. That could be enough to squeeze in a 20-over shootout, but both teams will want more than that. Should play take place, the moisture is likely to make conditions conducive for the pacers.The ground has seen one run-fest between India and South Africa and one low-scoring scuffle between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but both took place before the rains. So fairly fresh conditions can be expected for this match.

Stats and Trivia

• Chris Gayle has scored three hundreds against South Africa, two of them in losing causes.
• Three of the 12 ODIs played at Sophia Gardens have been washed out – 25%. South Africa have been involved in two of those.

Quotes

“They know if they lose, they are going back home. They have a tag of being chokers that do well in big tournaments, so that would be added pressure on them.”

“They always say batting second is easier when there is a bit of weather around. I’m not too fussed about that. Whether we play a shortened game or a normal game, it’s all about focus and team intensity off the field.”

An injury concern to Graeme Swann overshadowed an encouraging performance by the England bowlers and Tim Bresnan’s century

The Report by George Dobell in Chelmsford01-Jul-2013
ScorecardGraeme Swann was struck a painful blow on his right forearm by Tymal Mills•Getty Images

It says much for England’s lacklustre performance in their Ashes warm-up match against Essex that it has, at times, been hard to distinguish which was the Test team tipped to win the Ashes and which the mid-table Division Two team.While England’s top-order struggled for runs and their bowlers struggled for potency, Essex have had the fastest bowler of the match, a legspinner with a five-wicket haul and the only man in the top seven of either side to register a half-century. England also spurned three distinctly catchable chances. Few will recall performances in this match if England go on to retain the Ashes but, on the evidence of this game, they are some way short of their best heading into the series.There are some mitigating factors. England are lacking their two first choice seam bowlers – Stuart Broad and James Anderson – from this game and came into it having played several weeks of white-ball cricket. Much the same could be said for Essex, too.Perhaps more pertinently, England were without Graeme Swann throughout Essex’s first innings on the second day after he sustained a blow to his right forearm while batting. Swann was struck by a delivery from Tymal Mills, by some distance the quickest bowler on either side, and while he batted for another nine overs in recording his highest first-class* score since he made 97 here six years ago, he was then taken to hospital for an X-ray. That showed no fracture, however, and while Swann will continue to receive treatment for bruising, he is expected to play a role with the ball later in the game.That will be a huge relief for England. While James Tredwell, probably the second choice spinner bearing in mind Australia’s preponderance of left-handers, fared pretty well in the Champions Trophy, he has yet to take a first-class wicket this season while Monty Panesar was recently dropped by Sussex and has taken only 16 wickets in eight first-class games at an average of 43.37. Swann may have missed Champions Trophy games due to back and calf injuries, but he remains very much the first-choice option for Tests.Swann was not the only England batsman to sustain a nasty blow from Mills. Tim Bresnan was struck in the same over, failing to duck out of the way of a bouncer and taking the ball on the grill of his helmet, but shrugged off the blow to reach the fourth first-class century of his career and his first since 2007.It was a timely contribution. Not only did his stand of 187 for England’s eighth-wicket with Swann rebuild the innings from a precarious position, but it provided a reminder of his all-round qualities. With a decision yet to be made over who will fill the third seamer’s spot, Bresnan’s lower-order runs might yet prove crucial. He batted very well, too. He brought up his chanceless and increasingly dominant century with a pull for six and England declared immediately.Still, this was an impressive performance from Mills. England requested that both he and Reece Topley play in this match in order to gain practice against left-arm bowling but, with Topley rested after several tough weeks of cricket, it was left to Mills to fill the role.He only took up cricket in his mid-teens and currently cannot generate the in-swing that he will require to sustain a career at this level but, blessed with raw pace and a wonderfully uncomplicated attitude, he could develop into a significant player. He has a reputation, probably a fair reputation, for over-doing the short ball but on this evidence that is not such a fault. Few batsmen could enjoy facing him.”It was the time to let them have a few,” Mills said afterwards. “The bowlers union went out of the window for a while there; you have to do what you have to do to get some wickets. It was a good opportunity for me to impress people at Essex and England. Hopefully this game will have earned me a chance to get back into the Essex side.”Tom Craddock also impressed. The legspinner, who had not claimed a first-class wicket this season before this game, completed the second five-wicket haul of his career in the morning session as Swann, caught at mid-on as he tried to clear the infield, fell six runs short of what would have be his first first-class century since 2002 and Steven Finn missed the next delivery, a standard legbreak. Craddock does not currently have a huge amount of variation but maintained a consistent line and length and, albeit on a helpful surface, turned his legbreak appreciably.In Swann’s absence, Kevin Pietersen and Joe Root were both called upon to bowl offspin. Pietersen was tidy initially but was then hit for three successive boundaries by the impressive Jaik Mickleburgh, while Root claimed career-best figures to underline his improvement as a bowler.Root claimed only one first-class wicket in the 2012 season but here demonstrated his growing control and just enough spin to encourage the occasional mistake. He remains very much a support bowler and would be the first to admit he was somewhat flattered by his figures that included a slogged catch from Saj Mahmood and a cut shot that hit the back of Owais Shah’s bat and looped to the keeper.England’s seamers, in effect competing for one place, enjoyed less happy days. Graham Onions, the pick of them, saw two chances go down off his bowling; one to Pietersen at mid-on offered by Hamish Rutherford on 10 and another when Matt Prior put down an outside edge when Ravi Bopara had 7. Later Pietersen put down another relatively simple chance at gully off the bowling of Finn to reprieve David Masters on 12.Mickleburgh has a career average of just 25.99 and, before this game, had managed only 217 runs in 11 first-class innings this season but looked compact and patient in registering his highest score of the season. He may well have been unlucky with the umpire’s decision that denied him the fifth first-class century of his career.Mickleburgh rated Onions the toughest of the bowlers to face. “He showed great skill levels,” he said. “He was getting the ball to reverse and made me play 95% of the deliveries I faced from him. Finn ran in hard and bowled some good balls in decent areas.”The pitch, slowing all the time, offered little to England’s seamers but Onions and Finn were probably the more impressive of the trio. Bresnan’s only wicket came when Rutherford drove to mid-off, while Finn had Bopara caught behind by a beauty that demanded a stroke and then left the batsman; Tom Westley feeling for one outside off; and Masters, who will not bowl again the game after suffering what may turn out to be an Achilles strain, leg before playing across one.Onions, meanwhile, bowled Mark Pettini with one that reverse swung through the gate leading Bresnan to admit that, while the runs could do his chances no harm, it is bowling form that will define selection.”Lower-order runs could play a big part in winning Test matches so it’s nice to get some time in the middle,” Bresnan said. “But the bowlers will be picked on form. If I’m not bowling well enough, it doesn’t matter how many runs I’ve scored, the batting comes as a bonus. If it’s a straight shoot out it may help may cause but if I’m not bowling well enough it won’t matter at all. We’re backing the batters to get the runs.”*This match had first-class status removed on the third day

Opener Lendl Simmons scored an unbeaten 67 off just 44 balls to guide Guyana Amazon Warriors to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Jamaica Tallawahs at the Providence Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLendl Simmons guided the chase•Getty Images

Opener Lendl Simmons scored an unbeaten 67 off just 44 balls to guide Guyana Amazon Warriors to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Jamaica Tallawahs at the Providence Stadium. The win was Guyana’s second in as many games, and took them to the top of the table ahead of the Barbados Tridents on net run-rate.Simmons, the Man of the Match, struck five fours and four sixes, and put up an unbeaten 60-run stand for the third wicket with Ramnaresh Sarwan, to chase down a modest 118 inside 15 overs.Jamaica, put in to bat, got off to a slow start as Ahmed Shehzad was caught at long-off by Chris Barnwell off seamer Krishmar Santokie off the last ball of the fourth over, and off the very next delivery, Chris Gayle fell short of his crease trying to sneak an unlikely second run.James Franklin had an expensive night and conceded 38 runs in his four overs, but all other bowlers were economical, and bowled out Jamaica for just 117. Santokie stood out with figures of 3 for 20, including the wicket of Carlton Baugh, who top scored for the visitors with 32.Guyana, needing less than six an over, were comfortable throughout the run-chase as Simmons and Martin Guptill added 48 for the opening wicket. Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed Guptill and Mohammad Hafeez in quick succession, but Sarwan, coming in at No. 4, steadied the innings with a 19-ball 24 to take Guyana home with 33 balls remaining.

Fast improving Warwickshire registered their third Friends Life t20 victory in a row when beating Midlands/Wales/West group leaders Northamptonshire by three wickets at Edgbaston

20-Jul-2013
ScorecardRikki Clarke was the difference between the sides•Getty Images

Fast improving Warwickshire registered their third Friends Life t20 victory in a row when beating Midlands/Wales/West group leaders Northamptonshire by three wickets at Edgbaston.For a long time it seemed that Northamptonshire’s flimsy-looking total of 111 might be too good for Warwickshire as a tense, low-scoring contest unfolded on a sluggish pitch.David Willey put them on the back foot with wickets from the last two balls of the third over and they were seriously wobbling when William Porterfield was caught on the boundary off Steven Crook.It took the experience of Rikki Clarke – and one bad over – to keep them in contention. Clarke targeted offspinner Matthew Spriegel for three sixes in four balls, twice clearing long-off before lining up a much bigger hit to long-on.Although Willey came back to have Clarke caught at long on for 36, Northamptonshire had run out of seam options when Spriegel had to bowl the last two overs from the pavilion end. That proved to be decisive when Jeetan Patel, a player who thrives on spin bowling, smashed a six over midwicket with three balls to spare.Northamptonshire’s earlier struggle was largely caused Steffan Piolet, first with a brilliant piece of fielding and then with a spell of 3 for 24, a personal-best return in the competition.The 24-year-old all-rounder ran out Cameron White with a direct hit from mid-on when the Australian was backing up at the non-striker’s end. This meant Northamptonshire had lost their two overseas players from the first 15 balls. South African Richard Levi’s off stump was sent spinning by Clarke’s first delivery and the initial six-over power play yielded only 29 runs.A minor recovery was under way before Piolet intervened by taking his three wickets in 10 balls. The dangerous Crook holed out to long off and in the medium pacer’s last over, top scorer Kyle Coetzer fell at mid-wicket and Willey made too much room when he was bowled.Willey targeted the shortest boundary at long on for three of the five sixes in the innings but on a difficult surface for batsmen Northants were able to hit only three fours.

Michael Carberry, who is again interesting England with the bat, provided a turn up by starring with the ball as Hampshire booked a YB40 home semi-final

26-Aug-2013Hampshire 219 for 7 (Adams 64) beat Derbyshire 178 (Hughes 74, Wood 3-23, Carberry 3-37) by 41 runs
ScorecardMichael Carberry took three wickets as Hampshire reached the last four•Getty Images

Michael Carberry, who is again interesting England with the bat, provided a turn up by starring with the ball as Hampshire booked a home semi-final by beating Derbyshire by 41 runs in the Yorkshire Bank 40 match at Derby.Carberry took 3 for 37 with his occasional off-breaks to send Derbyshire crashing to 178 all out in the 36th over in reply to Hampshire’s 219 for 7 which was built around 64 runs from skipper Jimmy Adams.Chesney Hughes put Derbyshire on track with 74 off 80 balls but his dismissal sparked a collapse which saw the home side lose eight wickets for 56 in 13 overs.Batting was never straightforward and, although most of Hampshire’s players got in, only Adams got past 50 against a weakened Derbyshire side that was missing several key men including skipper Wayne Madsen.A slow pitch made fast scoring difficult and the only six in the innings came in the penultimate over when Dimitri Mascarenhas cleared the pavilion with a pull off left-arm spinner Tom Knight.Carberry looked in the mood to inflict serious damage until he pulled Ally Evans low to short mid-wicket in the seventh over and James Vince hit six fours in his 40 before he drove David Wainwright to long off. Wainwright bowled Neil McKenzie and when Sean Ervine was beaten by Wes Durston, Hampshire were 157 for 4 after 30 overs.When Adams was lbw to Alex Hughes two overs later, the visitors were in danger of falling short of a competitive total until Liam Dawson provided some momentum with three fours in five balls.Dawson skied Hughes to mid off going for another boundary but Mascarenhas picked up the pace with 24 off 17 balls until he holed out to mid off in the last over.Derbyshire had been well beaten by Essex on Sunday but Hughes launched the chase with some big shots in his last innings for two weeks before he flies to America to be with his partner for the birth of their first child.Hughes drove Mascarenhas back over his head for six and top-edged Chris Wood over the fine leg boundary after Durston had been caught behind for four in the fifth over.Hughes and Paul Borrington added 60 in 11 overs before Borrington was bowled stepping away to cut Danny Briggs but at the halfway point, the Falcons were well placed needing 112 from 20 overs.But the game changed when Hughes drove back a return catch to Dawson which was the first of three wickets to fall for six runs in 14 balls.Carberry bowled Billy Godleman, Richard Johnson was run out by a direct hit from Mascarenhas at backward point and the innings disintegrated against the spinners.Alex Hughes drove Carberry to mid off, Scott Elstone top edged a sweep and Wood completed the rout with two wickets in four balls to finish with 3 for 23.

New Zealand batsman Peter Fulton has said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing in Bangladesh, his first Test series in the subcontinent

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2013New Zealand batsman Peter Fulton has said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing in Bangladesh, his first Test series in the subcontinent. New Zealand play the first of their two Tests against Bangladesh starting October 9 in Chittagong. They will also play three ODIs and a T20 on their tour.Fulton, who has played 15 Tests since his debut in 2006, has been preparing for the series by practising on worn-out tracks with his team-mate Dean Brownlie.”The good teams, the good players are able to adjust to any conditions,” Fulton told the . “That’s probably the biggest challenge you have in international cricket. All around the world, you get different conditions, different types of bowling attacks and that’s what makes it exciting. There’s always something new to come to grips with.”Fulton, who was dropped from the side in 2009, earned a Test recall in 2012 against South Africa. His comeback, however, was cut short due to injury. Fulton, however, returned with a successful domestic season, scoring 1249 runs in 23 innings at an average of 59.47 and five hundreds. He carried that form into the Test series against England in March, finishing with 347 runs in five innings at an average of 69.40, including centuries in both innings of the Auckland Test. With a busy season scheduled for New Zealand, Fulton has set his sights on cementing his place for the home Tests against India.”Hopefully that’s the plan,” Fulton said. “In terms of Tests for New Zealand over the last few years, there’s sometimes been a bit of a shortage, so it’s good to see a pretty busy Test programme and it’d be nice to be part of that.”

It was déjà vu on Saturday for Suriname and Bermuda as the South American team repeated its 2013 upset of the island nation, beating them by seven wickets at the Indianapolis World Sports Park

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis09-May-2015It was déjà vu on Saturday for Suriname and Bermuda as the South American team repeated its 2013 upset of the island nation, beating them by seven wickets at the Indianapolis World Sports Park.Bermuda elected to bat and after losing Dion Stovell in the second over for 2, were stabilised by David Hemp and Tre Manders, the two adding 52 runs for the second wicket. However, Bermuda’s scoring rate was slow and not a single batsman had a strike rate above 100.00, the team finally ending its innings on 99 for 7.Bermuda’s modest pace was dented by Muneshwar Patandin who had Hemp stumped for 28 by wicketkeeper Khemraj Jaikaran standing up to the stumps for the medium pacer. Two balls later, Manders was caught by Troy Dudnath for 21 off Patandin. Bermuda had trouble re-establishing momentum. The only other batsman to cross double-figures was Jacobi Robinson, who made unbeaten 14 from No. 8.Wasim Akram was the main destroyer taking 3 for 15 with his spin to peg back the middle order. Akram then came out at the start of the chase with Patandin and added 60 for the first wicket to squash any chance of a Bermuda comeback.Janeiro Tucker had a hand in all three wickets for Bermuda, getting Patandin caught for 21 in the 12th before he ran out Akram from mid-on in the 13th for 39. One over later he had Gavin Singh out bowled for a two-ball duck. Suriname were 68 for 3 but held their nerve to get across the line with an over to spare.With scores level, captain Mohindra Boodram secured Suriname win with a towering six down the ground off the last ball of the 19th. Boodram finished 26 not out and added an unbeaten 35 for the fourth wicket with Shazam Ramjohn.Both teams ended the week at 1-5 but Suriname was set to be relegated back to Americas Division Two due to a vastly inferior run rate.