30 januar 2012 00:21
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Winners from all corners of Europe in regional awards

ICC Europe has today announced the European regional winners of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards for 2011 with many countries and individuals across Europe being recognised.

The award for Best Overall Cricket Development Programme in 2011 was won by Cricket Ireland. This follows an exceptional year of success for Ireland on the cricket field, including a historical win against England in the ICC Cricket World Cup in India. Not since The Netherlands’ shock win against hosts England at the ICC World Twenty20 2009 has European Cricket been awarded so much media attention, and for this Ireland must be congratulated. Ireland’s continuing excellence in promoting and developing cricket participation, education, and public awareness of cricket from grass roots level through to elite performance was also recognised by the European judging panel making them worthy winners of this category in 2011.

Cricket Scotland has had a successful year collecting two awards, one in the Best Women’s Cricket Initiative category for the formation and management of the Women’s National League as well as general excellence in the development of all aspects of women and girls cricket to increase participation numbers in Scotland. The other was for Best Junior Participation Initiative in which Cricket Scotland introduced the National Primary Schools Competition (NPSC) open to all primary schools in Scotland to increase the number of young people exposed to cricket and to encourage team participation.

The prestigious Lifetime Service Award was awarded to Alex de la Mar of Netherlands after 25 years of dedicated service to the KNCB in administration. Formerly a first class player for Rood en Wit (Haarlem) between 1974 and 1999, de la Mar also represented Holland ten times in 1981 and 1982.

For the second year in a row, the Volunteer of the Year award goes to an individual from France, where Michael Selig, even though still studying for his PhD, has tirelessly involved himself in many activities in French cricket including youth cricket organisation, umpiring, and coaching whilst also serving as a member of the French Board.

The Spirit of Cricket Award was awarded to Israel for their Cricket4Peace project which involved 80 boys and girls from four separate playing centers in Israel and the Palestinian Authority being introduced to cricket for the first time using cricket as a tool to bring communities together.

This year’s winner of the Best Promotion and Marketing Programme was the Danish Cricket Association for their Spil Cricket project. The project promotes the game of cricket in the Danish school system using newly developed teaching materials that enables teachers to introduce cricket at their school free of charge from the Spil Cricket website.

The Photo of the Year was taken by Deryck Vincent of Ireland. The winning photo captures Clontarf's David Delany celebrating the third of his five successive clean bowled wickets in the Under 13 All Ireland Final.

ICC Regional Development Manager, Nick Pink commented: “The award winners reflect the great work that is happening across Europe in the ICC Pepsi Development Programme, with many different country winners and many others submitting some very good nominations. Each year the competition gets stronger and the winners deserve great credit and recognition for being selected and should be very proud of their achievements.”

The 2011 winners:
Best Overall Cricket Development Programme- Cricket Ireland
Best Women’s Cricket Initiative – Cricket Scotland
Best Junior Participation Initiative – Cricket Scotland
Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Programme – Danish Cricket Association, Spil Cricket Project
Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative – Israel Cricket Association, Cricket4Peace Project
Photo of the Year – Deryck Vincent (Ireland)
Volunteer of the Year – Michael Selig, (France)
Lifetime Service Award – Alex de la Mar (Netherlands)

Notes:
The Pepsi ICC Development Programme Annual Awards, which were first awarded in 2002, promote excellence in cricket development and recognise exceptional performance and service to the game in the ICC’s 95 Associate and Affiliate Member countries.

Nominations were received from national bodies, clubs, associations, teams, schools and individuals. The European regional award winners will now be put forward for the Global Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards.

The Danish Cricket Association- Spil Cricket Project website address is www.spilcricket.dk
 


Squads announced for Pepsi ICC WCL Division 5

Tournament to be played in Singapore from 18-25 February

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the 14-man squads for the six teams scheduled to compete in the upcoming Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) which will be held in Singapore from 18 to 25 February.

Six teams will compete for the opportunity to finish in the top two of the event and ultimately gain promotion to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 which will be held later in the year.

The teams, Argentina, Bahrain, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Malaysia and hosts Singapore will play across three venues - Kallang Cricket Ground, Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) and the Indian Association Ground (IA) - which also played host to the Pepsi ICC WCL Division 6 in 2009.

Former Australia opener Trevor Chappell returns as Singapore coach during the tournament, Chappell previously coached the side in September 2009.

Former Sri Lanka batsman Roy Dias will be seen taking charge of Malaysia during the tournament. Dias, who was earlier coach of Nepal and Oman, is now the new Director of Coaching at the Malaysia Cricket Association and will be performing the role of head coach during the tournament.

The full squads are as follows:

Squads

Argentina: Esteban MacDermott (captain), Grant Dugmore, Martin Siri, Pablo Ferguson, Gary Savage, Tomas Francis, Hernan Williams, Matias Paterlini, Pablo Ryan, Lucas Paterlini, Alejandro Tissera, Agustin Husain, Hernan Fennell, Lautaro Musiani

Bahrain: Yaser Sadeq (captain), Naeem Amin, Tahir Dar, Shehzad Ahmed, Adil Hanif, Mirza Ashraf Yaqoob, Zafar Zaheer, Halal Abbasi, Rizwan Baig, Qamar Saeed, Anasim Khan, Adnan Butt, Mirza Azeem Ul Haque, Fahad Sadeq

Cayman Islands: Abali Hoilett (captain), Steve Gordon, Ryan Bovell, Ainsley Hall, Alistair Ifill, Conroy Wright, Kevin Bazil, Zachary McLaughlin, Omar Willis, Troy Taylor, Ramon Sealy, Marlon Bryan, Pearson Best, Kervin Ebanks

Guernsey: Stuart Le Prevost (captain), Gary Rich, Jamie Nussbaumer, William Peatfield, Jeremy Frith, Tom Kimber, Stuart Bisson, Tim Duke, David Hooper, Tim Ravenscroft, Matthew Renouf, Ben Ferbrache, Ross Kneller, GH Smit

Malaysia: Suresh Navaratnam (captain), Rakesh Madhavan, Hammad Khan, Hassan Ghulam Muhammad, Ahmad Faiz Noor, Suhan Alagaratnam, Shukri Abdul Rahim, Ezrafiq Aziz, Rashid Ahad, Shafiq Mohd Sharif, Mohd Anwar Arudin, Suharril Fetri Shuib, Shahrulnizam Yusof, Hiran Ralalage

Singapore: Saad Khan (captain), Chethan Suryawanshi, Chaminda Kumarage, Anish Param, Buddhika Mendis, Kshitij Baliram Shinde, Dharmichand Mulewa, Shoib Abdul Razzak, Pramodh Raja, Amjad Mahboob, Narender Reddy, Munish Arora, Abjiraj Rajdeep Singh, Christopher Janik

The full schedule for the Pepsi ICC WCL Div. 5 is as follows:

Fixtures

17 Feb – Team Practices
18 Feb – Singapore v Cayman Islands (Kallang), Guernsey v Bahrain (SCC), Argentina v Malaysia (IA)
19 Feb – Argentina v Bahrain (Kallang), Malaysia v Cayman Islands (SCC), Singapore v Guernsey (IA)
20 Feb – Rest/Reserve Day
21 Feb – Malaysia v Singapore (Kallang), Argentina v Guernsey (SCC), Cayman Islands v Bahrain (IA)
22 Feb – Guernsey v Malaysia (Kallang), Bahrain v Singapore (SCC), Argentina v Cayman Islands (IA)
23 Feb – Rest/Reserve Day
24 Feb – Cayman Islands v Guernsey (Kallang), Argentina v Singapore (SCC), Bahrain v Malaysia (IA)
25 Feb – Final (Kallang), Third/Fourth play-off (SCC), Fifth/Sixth play-off (IA)

All matches are scheduled to start at 0930 local time



 

5 January 2011          ICC Combined AM XI v England

From January 7 to 9 an ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate Members (AM) XI will play a first class match against England at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai.

This fixture is the first of its kind and will form part of England’s preparation for their upcoming series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. It is also an exciting initiative for both the ICC Development Programme and the ICC High Performance Programme.

The team representing ICC’s Associate and Affiliate Members includes:

William Porterfield (captain, Ireland) Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)

Saqib Ali (UAE) Boyd Rankin (Ireland)

Kyle Coetzer (Scotland) Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)

George Dockrell (Ireland) Paul Stirling (Ireland)

Majid Haq (Scotland) Christi Viljoen (Namibia)

Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan) Craig Williams (Namibia)

As this Combined AM XI takes on the no. 1 ranked Test team in the world, I invite you to follow the match at www.icc-cricket.com where live ball-by-ball scores will be available, and where a link to a live on-line broadcast of the match can also be found.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and prosperous 2012.

 

Tim Anderson

Global Development Manager

International Cricket Council


ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 schedule announced

16 teams to battle it out in the UAE from 13 to 24 March for the two available slots in the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012

Tournament winner to join Australia and the West Indies while the losing finalist will be grouped with defending champion England and 2007 champion India

ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson: “This is one of the most important and prestigious events on the Pepsi ICC Development Programme’s calendar”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the schedule for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 which will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 13 to 24 March, 2012.

Sixteen sides from across the globe will feature in the 12-day tournament which will be played at five venues – Dubai International Cricket Stadium and ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds No.1 and No.2 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium and the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The 16 teams have been divided into two groups with Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal forming Group A and Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA comprising Group B.

The tournament winner will join Australia and the West Indies in group B of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 in September 2012 while the losing finalist will complete Group A which also includes defending champion England and 2007 winner India.

ICC’s Global Development Manager, Tim Anderson, said: “This is one of the most important and prestigious events on the Pepsi ICC Development Programme’s calendar in which 16 leading Associate and Affiliate Members will vie for the two available places in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka.

“This final qualifier is the last step of a pathway that comprised 13 ICC regional tournaments during 2010 and 2011 and saw the involvement of over 90 ICC Associate and Affiliate members. The 72-match format has been designed to give the best sides every chance of making the final.”

This will be the third ICC World Twenty20 qualifier. When it was last staged, also in the UAE in 2010, Afghanistan and Ireland claimed the qualifying spots.

Tournament format

According to the tournament format, the sides that top the two groups will feature in the 1st Qualifying Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday 22 March at 1400 (local time) with the winner sealing a place in the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 to be staged from 18 September to 7 October.

Meanwhile, the sides that finish second and third in the two groups will play cross-over matches. The two winners of those matches will progress to the Preliminary Final to be played on 23 March at 1000 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The 2nd Qualifying Final – for the second spot in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 – will take place on the morning of 24 March at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the loser of the 1st Qualifying Final and the winner of the Preliminary Final.

The winners of the two Qualifying Finals will play in the tournament final on the evening of 24 March at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Background of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier has grown in stature since it was first held in Belfast, Ireland, in August 2008. That event comprised the then six top Associate Members – Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.

Ireland and Netherlands shared the trophy when the final was washed-out without a ball being bowled. The two sides, along with Scotland which replaced Zimbabwe, qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 which was staged at Lord’s, The Oval and Trent Bridge in England. Pakistan won the tournament.

The UAE hosted the second edition in February 2010 which was contested by the top six Associate and Affiliate sides– Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland – as well as hosts UAE and United States of America (USA) who were specially invited by the ICC.

After 17 matches over six days at two venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan and Ireland reached the final and qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 which was staged in the West Indies and won by England. Afghanistan won the qualifying tournament when it defeated Ireland by eight wickets.
 


William Porterfield to lead ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI against England in Dubai

Three-day warm-up fixture to be played at the ICC Global Cricket Academy from 7- 9 January 2012

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced its Combined Associate and Affiliate (AM) XI which will take on England in a three-day practice match at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai from 7 to 9 January 2012.

This match is part of England’s preparation for the series against Pakistan which starts on 17 January with the first Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the Dubai Sports City.

Ireland’s William Porterfield has been named captain of the side which is made up of players selected from ICC Intercontinental Cup, five of those countries, Ireland, Scotland, Namibia, UAE and Afghanistan are represented. While the Netherlands players were unavailable due to other commitments, players from Canada and Kenya failed to make the final squad.

The ICC Combined AM XI has been selected after a nominations process which involved coaches of the eight sides. The list was then shortlisted to 24 players before a 12-member squad was finalized by the eight ICC Intercontinental Cup coaches, the two ICC Global Cricket Academy coaches – Mudassar Nazar and Dayle Hadlee – and ICC’s High Performance Manager Richard Done.

27-year-old Porterfield, who won the ICC Associate ODI Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Bengaluru in 2009, has played 60 first-class matches, 56 ODIs and 17 T20Is.

On his appointment as captain, Porterfield said: “It will be a great honour for me to lead out the Associate and Affiliate team against the number one team in the longer format of the game.

“If you look through their squad they are full of world class cricketers and it will be a great test for us against whatever eleven they put out. Another challenge we face is coming together as a group ourselves, we have played against each other a few times but we will have to gel pretty quickly in the few days’ preparation we have in order to put in a good performance.

“As this is such a great chance for all the individuals to showcase their talent against the number one Test team in the world, I do not see this being an issue at all.”

England Director of Cricket, Andy Flower added: “We are delighted to be playing a warm-up fixture against the ICC Combined AM XI in Dubai at the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy.

“I’m sure that the match will not only provide the England squad a challenging first warm-up ahead of the Pakistan series but it will also give the AM XI players, many of whom are part of the extremely successful Gatorade ICC High Performance Programme an opportunity to play a three-day fixture at the highest level. I am sure this match it will aid the current players to improve and provide a motivation for future players.”

Combined AM XI - William Porterfield (captain, Ireland), Saqib Ali (UAE), Kyle Coetzer (Scotland), George Dockrell (Ireland), Majid Haq (Scotland), Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan), Mohammed Nabi (Afghanistan), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Mohammed Shahzad (Afghanistan), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Christi Viljoen (Namibia) and Craig Williams (Namibia)

Coaching staff
Mudassar Nazar (head coach), Dayle Hadlee (bowling coach)

 


Results of the ICC Executive Board meeting in Dubai

The ICC Executive Board held its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year at the ICC headquarters in Dubai yesterday and among the decisions they made were:

Independent Governance Review

The ICC Executive Board received a progress report from Lord Woolf of Barnes in his role as chairman of the Independent Governance Review panel. Lord Woolf, who is supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers and advised by Judge Mudgal of India, praised the Board for embracing the concept of an independent review.

Lord Woolf said: ‘Organisations, whether global companies or international sports bodies, need to take necessary steps to ensure that their house is in order otherwise they would be extremely vulnerable. I think in cricket people recognize that they have to face the challenges and will be prepared to take the decisions that will allow them to function effectively.’

The independent governance review was identified as one of the most important initiatives in the new Strategic Plan 2011-2015 that was adopted by the Board in April 2011. The scope of the review is wide and includes:

• Clarifying the role and structure of the ICC and its committees to ensure that strategic goals are met effectively and that decision-making is made in the best interests of the game. This would include consideration of independent committee members and directors
• The ICC President nomination and election process
• The Member categories and criteria for membership
• The effectiveness of the regulatory environment
• The Constitutional framework and documents to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’
• Making recommendations to ensure that the ICC enjoys a reputation as a well governed and leading global sporting organisation.

Sharad Pawar, the ICC President, said: ‘Lord Woolf is a very eminent member of the judiciary in the United Kingdom and he has a clear picture of what is required of him and his support team. He was very open and frank with the Board and that was appreciated. Lord Woolf has made a positive start to his work and while acknowledging that cricket has already achieved many great things, he noted that there were challenges and important decisions to make to ensure that we continue to succeed in the future.’

“I am also pleased that the Board has agreed to make the report public after it has met with Lord Woolf in February 2012.’

PwC and Lord Woolf will continue their review and discussions with stakeholders and even though the time frame is tight they hope to report to the ICC Executive Board at their first meeting in 2012. Until the work is completed the ICC will not be in a position to make any comments.

ICC global event 2013

The ICC Executive Board confirmed their preference to host an ICC Test Championship in 2013 but recognized the significant commercial challenge in trying to replace the Champions Trophy. Without the support and consent of the ICC’s broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the Members and the development of the game would be significant.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: ‘It would be unfortunate if the Test Championship is delayed to 2017 but the board needs to balance several objectives.’

Decision Review System

Following recent experiences and the resultant concern about the effectiveness of Hotspot, the ICC Executive Board decided to revert to its previous position to allow the participating nations to decide bi-laterally whether they wished to use the DRS. The ICC Executive Board however, supported the use of technology and its continued development and were encouraged by certain Members who were willing to use and work towards improving the technology.

Haroon Lorgat said: ‘Although the DRS improves correct umpire decisions by around five per cent and corrects any blatant errors, there are some who are not convinced by its reliability. We will continue to work with interested parties to improve the system while permitting the participating teams to decide whether they wish to use it or not.’

The Executive Board also confirmed that DRS would be used in all ICC global events.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Qualifying system

The Board approved the new Associates and Affiliates qualifying system that would determine four teams to join the ten Full Members in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

The top two teams in the current eight team Associates and Affiliates ODI 50-over League played until October 2013 will progress automatically to the World Cup while the remaining six teams will join four other teams from the World Cricket League (i.e. teams placed 3rd and 4th in Division 2 and teams placed 1st and 2nd in Division 3) in a ten team qualifying event. The two finalists from this qualifying event will progress to the World Cup.

ICC Vice Presidency Nomination

In accordance with the current constitutional requirements of the ICC, the ICC Executive Board asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to submit their nomination for the ICC Vice Presidency 2012-14.



The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

Sharad Pawar ICC President
Alan Isaac ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat ICC Chief Executive

Ijaz Butt Pakistan
Peter Chingoka Zimbabwe
Giles Clarke England and Wales
Jack Clarke Australia
Upali Dharmadasa Sri Lanka
Dr Julian Hunte West Indies
Mustafa Kamal Bangladesh
Imran Khwaja Associate Member Representative
Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka South Africa
Keith Oliver Associate Member Representative
N Srinivasan India
Neil Speight Associate Member Representative
Dr Justin Vaughan New Zealand (alternate for Chris Moller)

In attendance

Inderjit Bindra ICC Principal Advisor

Apologies

Chris Moller (New Zealand)

 


Amendments to playing conditions for Tests, ODI, T20 Internationals take effect from 1 October

 

As has always been the practice, changes to the playing conditions for Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) take effect from Saturday 1 October, the ICC has confirmed.

The amendments have been approved by the ICC Executive Board following proposals made by the ICC Cricket Committee at its meeting in London in May.

It is important to note that the playing conditions are applicable to international cricket and must be read together with the Laws of Cricket. Whilst a playing condition may have the effect of amending the Laws of Cricket as they may apply to international cricket these changes are not amendments to the Laws of Cricket themselves.

In particular it should be noted that the changes to the playing conditions in relation to runners and to the running out of the non-striker, as set out below, are only applicable to international cricket.

The amendments to the playing conditions are:

Two new balls per innings (ODIs only)  

“Each fielding team shall have two new balls for its innings, to be used in alternate overs, i.e. one from each end.” (Clause 5.2)

Powerplays (ODIs only)

Whilst the total number of powerplay overs remain at 20 per innings with the first block of 10 being at the commencement of the innings (for an uninterrupted match), the remaining second and third block of powerplay overs (blocks of five overs for an uninterrupted match) may not be taken so as to commence earlier than the 16th over nor be completed later than the 40th over (Clause 41.2.5).

This restriction will not apply for reduced innings of scheduled duration of less than 40 overs.

Obstructing the field (Tests, ODIs and T20Is)

A new playing condition has been introduced clarifying that on appeal from the fielding team, if the umpire feels that a batsman, whilst running between the wickets, has significantly changed his direction without probable cause thereby obstructing a fielder’s attempt to run him out, the batsman should be given out obstructing the field. It shall not be relevant whether a run out would have been affected or not (Clause 37).
It should be noted that this playing condition enhances Law 37 and does not replace it.

The circumstances described in the new playing condition (i.e. a batsman significantly changing his direction of running without probable cause) are only one example of an action which will qualify as willfully obstructing the field. Accordingly, it is still possible for a batsman to be given out obstructing the field in circumstances where he has not significantly changed his direction of running provided that the umpire feels that by some other actions it is clear that the batsman had intended to obstruct the field. This will depend on the circumstances of each case.   

In making a decision in this regard, the on-field umpires are entitled to consult the third umpire in deciding whether the obstruction was willful or not with the final decision being made and conveyed by the relevant on-field umpire (Clause 2.4 of the relevant appendices of the DRS or TV replay system).

Runners (Tests, ODIs and T20Is)

“A runner for a batsman shall not be permitted” (Clause 2.1).

Unless nine wickets are down, the injured or ill batsman has the option of retiring hurt and returning to bat at a later stage should the need and/or opportunity arise.

Calculation of the period for which an injured or ill player who has been absent from the field shall not be permitted to bowl or bat i.e. penalty time (Tests, ODIs and T20Is)

A playing condition has been introduced to clarify that if at the commencement of an interruption in play through ground, weather or light conditions or for other exceptional circumstances, a player is on the field but still has some unexpired penalty time remaining from a previous absence, he shall automatically be allowed to count any such stoppage time as playing time (Clause 2.2.2)

Bowler attempting to run-out non-striker before delivery (Tests, ODIs and T20Is)

Previously, the bowler could only run out a non-striker backing up if he did so before he had entered his delivery stride. This meant that as the bowler’s back foot landed, the non-striker could move down the wicket before the bowler actually delivered the ball, gaining an unfair advantage.

The following new playing condition 42.11 addresses this point and reads as follows:

“The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one of the over. If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible.”

It should be noted that umpires shall deem the bowler to have completed his delivery swing once his bowling arm passes the normal point of ball release.

Extra time to complete a match (Tests only)

The standard Test match playing conditions (Clause 16.2.2) now provide that:

“The umpires may decide to play 15 minutes (a minimum of four overs) extra time at the scheduled lunch or tea interval of any day if requested by either captain if, in the umpires’ opinion, it would bring about a definite result in that session. If the umpires do not believe a result can be achieved no extra time shall be allowed.

“If it is decided to play such extra time, the whole period shall be played out even though the possibility of finishing the match may have disappeared before the full period has expired.

“Only the actual amount of playing time up to the maximum 15 minutes extra time by which play is extended on any day shall be deducted from the total number of hours of play remaining, and the following session of play shall be reduced by the amount of time by which play was previously extended under this clause.”

Delay of lunch interval when nine wickets down (Tests only):

As is currently the case with tea interval, the playing conditions now provide that if nine wickets are down at the time of the scheduled lunch interval, the interval shall be delayed by a maximum of 30 minutes (Clause 15.2).

Duration of interval between innings (ODIs only)

The minimum interval for an uninterrupted ODI match has been increased from 20 minutes to 30 minutes (Clause 12.4.1 (b)).

 

******************

The ICC Cricket Committee that met in May and made the recommendations that have been adopted was chaired by former West Indies captain and ICC Cricket World Cup winner Clive Lloyd and included former Australia captain Mark Taylor and Ravi Shastri, the ex-India captain, and New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive (NZC) Justin Vaughan.

It also featured Keith Bradshaw, MCC Secretary and Chief Executive, Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, chief ICC match referee and former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle, Trent Johnston, former Ireland captain, Gary Kirsten, the ex-South Africa opener who coached India to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 victory and is currently South Africa coach, former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, Tim May, former Australia off-spinner and the Chief Executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, former England women’s team captain Clare Connor, and David Kendix, a statistician/scorer and the man responsible for the creation and development of the Reliance ICC Rankings who has been nominated by the ICC to sit on the committee.

The ICC Cricket Committee meeting was administered by ICC General Manager – Cricket, David Richardson, and also included ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat as ex-officio.

The full playing conditions for Tests, ODIs and T20Is can be found by clicking here.


 

Dubai, 26 August 2011

Squads and fixtures announced for Pepsi ICC WCL Div. 6 in Malaysia

Tournament will take place in Kuala Lumpur from 17-24 September

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the 14-man squads for the six teams – Nigeria, Kuwait, Fiji, Guernsey, Jersey and Malaysia - participating in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div. 6) next month in Malaysia.

The finalists of the event, which will be played from 17 to 24 September, will be promoted to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 which will be staged in Singapore in early 2012.

The tournament will be played on three grounds in Kuala Lumpur, Kinrara Oval, Selangor Turf Club and Bayuemas Oval. These venues were also used for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2009.

The full squads are as follows:

Fiji: Joe Rika (captain), Viliame Yabaki, Iniasi Cakacaka, Sakaraia Lomani, Kitione Tavo, Sekove Ravoka, Jikoi Kida, Colin Rika, Waisake Tukana, Josefa Baleicicia, Tasheed Tawheed, Maciu Gauna, Joji Bulabalavu, Mohammed Khan.

Guernsey: Stuart Le Provost (captain), Gary Rich, Tom Kimber, Jeremy Frith, James Nussbaumer, Ben Ferbrache, David Hooper, Tim Ravenscroft, Ross Kneller, Chris van Vliet, Stuart Bisson, Lee Savident, Adam Martel, GH Smit

Jersey: Peter Gough (captain), Ed Farley, Thomas Minty, Sam de la Haye, Charles Perchard, James Faudemer, Ben Stevens, Anthony Hawkins-Kay, Ben Silva, Dean Morrison, Alex Cooke, Paul Connolly, Corey Bisson, Daniel Garton

Kuwait: Hisham Mirza (captain), Sibtain Raza, Muhammad Amin, Abid Mushtaq, Aamir Javed, Irfan Bhatti, Ahsan Naseer, Azmatullah Nazeer, Abdullah, Mohammad Murad, Sharjeel Tahir, Jagath Roshantha, Saud Qamar


Malaysia: Suhan Kumar Alagaratanam (captain), Sureah Navaratnam, Rakesh Madhavan, Hammad Ullah Khan, Hassan Ghulam Muhammad, Ahmad Faiz Noor, Shukri Abdul Rahim, Eszrafiq Azis, Abdul Rashid Ahad, Shafiq Sharf, Faris Almas-Lee Rosmanizam, Aminudin Ramly, Shahrulnizam Yusof, Hiran Brahman Ralalage

Nigeria: Endurance Ofem (captain), Ademola Onikoya, Obejide Bejide, Varun Behani, Chukwu James, Ramit Gill, Joshua Ogunlola, Saheed Akolade, Segun Olayinka, Chibuike Iteogu, Seun Odeku, Lekan Awolowo, Seye Olympio, Kunle Adegbola

The full schedule for WCL Div. 6 is as follows:

Fixtures

15 September – Team Arrivals
16 September – Practice
17 September – Guernsey v Jersey (Kinrara Oval), Malaysia v Kuwait (Selangor Turf Club), Fiji v Nigeria (Bayuemas Oval)
18 September – Malaysia v Nigeria (Kinrara Oval), Kuwait v Jersey (Selangor Turf Club), Guernsey v Fiji (Bayuemas Oval)
19 September – Reserve Day
20 September – Malaysia v Fiji (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Nigeria (Selangor Turf Club), Kuwait v Guernsey (Bayuemas Oval)
21 September – Fiji v Kuwait (Kinrara Oval), Nigeria v Guernsey (Selangor Turf Club), Malaysia v Jersey (Bayuemas Oval)
22 September – Reserve Day
23 September – Malaysia v Guernsey (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Fiji (Selangor Turf Club), Nigeria v Kuwait (Bayuemas Oval)
24 September – Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd/4th Play-off (Selangor Turf Club), 5th/6th Play-off (Bayuemas Oval)

All matches are scheduled to start at 1030 local time

 


 

 

Final day washout at Stirling

The Dutch finish top as the rain continues

Friday's matches (Ireland v Guernsey and Jersey v Scotland) have been lost to rain. Torrential downpours over the last three days have left both pitches at Stirling County's New Williamfield ground unplayable.

A third successive day of 'no results' means that the Netherlands, who defeated Jersey and Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, have finished in first place in this year's championship.

At the closing ceremony, held in Stirling County CC's pavilion, Tournament Director Chris Porter presented the championship trophy to Dutch captain Reinier Kalis. His team-mate, Hidde Overdijk, was awarded the prize for the tournament's 'Most Valuable Player'.


Further rain prevents play on Thursday

Further heavy and prolonged rain has forced the abandonment of play for the second successive day in Stirling. Standing water covers much of the squares and outfields at New Williamfield and the decision was taken early this morning that no play would be possible.

Scotland's clash with Guernsey and the Irish fixture against the Dutch are the two matches to have fallen foul of the weather.

The Netherlands thus retain their two-point advantage going into the last day, although they have now completed their fixtures. Guernsey are currently placed in second should the weather relent and should they beat Ireland tomorrow, they could overtake the Dutch by dint of a superior net run rate.

Rain forces abandonment of play on Day 4

Wednesday's matches re-arrangements of the fixtures abandoned due to rain on Sunday have been lost to the weather.

Neither Ireland's clash with Jersey nor the match between the Netherlands and Guernsey was able to begin, due to persistent rain and consequently water-logged pitches.

For these 'no results', each team is awarded one point and so the Dutch maintain their two-point lead at the top of the table.


Overdijk leads Netherlands to top of the table

As the Dutch go clear, Guernsey get off the mark with a win over Jersey

In glorious sunshine in Stirling, the Netherlands moved clear at the top of the championship table with a professional five-wicket win over host nation Scotland.

Only Michael Miller, with 34 from 84 balls, resisted the Dutch bowlers as the Scots – having been asked to bat first scored 132, helped a great deal by the 37 extras by the Dutch attack.

Of those Dutch bowlers, Saqib Zulfiqar (3 for 17) and Shahid Anwar (3 for 26) were the most successful, while there was a brace of wickets for both Adriaan Verbeek and Alex Kent.

Though defending only 132, the Scots had been given hope by a tremendous new-ball spell from Duncan Player. He struck twice in the first over of the Dutch innings, trapping Zulfiqar lbw before bowling Jochem Steenbergen.

However, for the second successive day, a mature and responsible innings from Hidde Overdijk guided the Dutch chase. Supported by Reinier Kalis (25) and Sikander Zulfiqar (27), Overdijk lasted the distance, taking his average for the tournament into three figures as the Dutch got home with seventeen balls to spare.

In today’s other fixture, the clash of the Channel Islanders, Guernsey ran out winners by 26 runs.


Chasing 208 for victory, Jersey had started brightly. A half-century from Elliot Corbel (56 balls; four boundaries) and 31 from James Duckett had manoeuvred Jersey into the strong position of 112 for 2, but a three-wicket burst from James Wilkes-Green removed both of the ‘set’ batsmen as well as skipper Dominic Blampied.

From there, the asking rate continued to rise and, as the Guernsey outfielders held their chances, Jordon Martel and Matthew Stokes cleaned out the tail to finish with three wickets apiece.

Earlier in the day, Wilkes-Green’s 54 (made from 84 balls, containing seven fours) was the bedrock of Guernsey’s total of 207. Supported by Stokes (26) and Toby Belton (21), Wilkes-Green had led his team to 129 for 2 before economical spells from James Duckett (2 for 17) and Rhys Palmer (1 for 27) reined in affairs.

Nevertheless, a rapid and unbeaten 22 from Alex Bushell, batting at number ten, took Guernsey past the 200-mark and how vital his runs were to prove in the end.

Should the forecast prove wrong and the rain stays away, tomorrow’s fixtures see Ireland play Jersey while the Netherlands – now in prime position – take on Guernsey. 

 

Brief scores:

Netherlands v Scotland at New Williamfield 2. Netherlands won by 5 wickets
Netherlands won the toss and elected to field
Scotland 132 (43 overs) M Miller 34, Saqib Zulfiqar 3-17, S Anwar 3-26
Netherlands 133-5 (42.1 overs) H Overdijk 46*

Guernsey v Jersey at New Williamfield 1. Guernsey won by 26 runs
Guernsey won the toss and elected to bat
Guernsey 207-9 (45 overs) J Wilkes-Green 54
Jersey 181 (41.3 overs) E Corbel 52, M Stokes 3-15, J Wilkes-Green 3-34, J Martel 3-40

Table:

                   P    W    T   NR    L   Pts    NRR
Netherlands        2    2    0    0    0    4    0.335
Guernsey           1    1    0    0    0    2    0.578
Scotland           2    1    0    0    1    2    0.005
Ireland            1    0    0    0    1    0   -0.392
Jersey             2    0    0    0    2    0   -0.553

Play gets underway as the rain relents in Stirling

Comfortable wins batting second for the Scots and the Dutch

As the rain stopped and as the waters ceded, finally play began in the ICC European U15 Division 1 Championship. Following hours of work from the groundstaff at Stirling County CC, both pitches were playable by late afternoon and thirty-over matches were completed.

On the top pitch at New Williamfield, the Dutch cruised to a seven-wicket victory against Jersey, overtaking the Islanders’ 140-8 with exactly three overs to spare.

Some observers felt that 141 would have been an imposing target on a rain-affected day and when the Dutch were reduced to 20 for 2 that seemed a reasonable conclusion.

However, Hidde Overdijk (62*) and Sikander Zulfiqar rescued the chase, taking on the Jersey seamers, running furiously between the wickets, and striking the ball powerfully over the leg-side infield. Zulfiqar fell at the final hurdle, caught at mid-on for 41, but the hard work had been done.

In Jersey’s innings, Elliot Corbel and James Duckett led the way with 37 and 32, respectively, while Adrian Verbeek starred with the ball for the Dutch, taking 3 for 15 in his allotted six overs.

On the bottom pitch, home nation Scotland won convincingly against traditional rivals Ireland. Chasing only 102, the Scots had stumbled to 15 for 2: a fiery and impressive opening spell from Mark Adair claimed the wicket of Michael Miller caught by Aaron Gillespie in the gully, while leg-spinner Rishi Patel had Thomas Galbraith snared spectacularly at first slip by Adair.

From there, though, it was relatively plain sailing for the hosts: skipper Andrew Umeed batted fluently for 42, punishing anything short on a pitch which had been slowed significantly by the rain.

The returning Adair may have dismissed Umeed with the score on 85 and Richard Taylor may then have played on to Padraic Flanagan but a patient and unbeaten 38 from William Edwards saw the Scots home by six wickets in the twenty-eighth over.

Earlier, Niall Alexander had spearheaded the Scottish bowling effort, claiming 3 for 16 as the Irish subsided from the promising position of 45 for 1. But for a few twists, the Scots could have been chasing even fewer: Adair was reprieved twice on the way to top-scoring and only a belligerent knock from Ruadhan Jones, left to shepherd the tail, saw his team into three figures.

Tomorrow, both of today’s winners – the Dutch and the Scottish – clash in what, given the inclement forecast, could be a championship-deciding fixture. On the second pitch, Jersey meet Guernsey in the battle of the Channel Islands.

Brief scores:

Scotland v Ireland at Stirling. Scotland won by 6 wickets
Ireland won the toss and elected to bat (30-overs match)
Ireland 101 (29.1 overs) N Alexander 3-16
Scotland 104-4 (27.4 overs)

Jersey v Netherlands at Stirling. Netherlands won by 7 wickets
Netherlands won the toss and elected to bowl (30-overs match)
Jersey 140-8 (30 overs) E Corbel 37, A Verbeek 3-15
Netherlands 141-3 (27 overs) H Overdijk 62*, Sikander Zulfiqar 41

Table:

                      P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR
Netherlands           1    1    0    0    0    2    0.556
Scotland              1    1    0    0    0    2    0.392
Guernsey              0    0    0    0    0    0    0.000
Ireland               1    0    0    0    1    0   -0.392
Jersey                1    0    0    0    1    0   -0.556

First day fixtures abandoned at Stirling Cricket Club due to torrential rain (U15 1.div)

Following a ground inspection by Tournament Referee (Jim McClymont) the decision was made to abandon both matches due to torrential rain during the night. As per the playing conditions the following fixtures will be replayed on the reserve day:

Aug 10
Ireland v Jersey Pitch 2
Netherlands v Guernsey Pitch 1
Tomorrow’s fixtures:
Aug 8
Scotland v Ireland Pitch 1
Jersey v Netherlands Pitch 2

 


 

Denmark clinch title with clinical win over Isle of Man

Wins for France, Israel, Belgium and Norway in play-offs

Denmark have won the ICC European Under 19 Division Two Championship after beating the Isle of Man in the final at King William's College today.

There was worry when the officials arrived at King William's College this morning for the final of the ICC European Under 19 Division Two championship to find a damp patch on the pitch right on a good length.

A heavily shortened game was feared, but some sterling work from the ground staff enabled play to start at 12:45, with the match only being reduced to 42 overs. The game got started in rather foggy conditions, with Denmark opting to bat first after winning the toss.

The sun eventually came out, with the hosts enjoying some significant local support, and that support inspired the hosts early on, and they had Denmark struggling on 80-5 after 20 overs, with Alex Stokoe taking three of those early wickets.

Denmark never really recovered; struggling against the Manx spinners in what was by far their toughest test so far in the tournament. They were eventually dismissed almost an hour before the scheduled lunch interval for 140, Sebastian Aycock being the pick of the bowlers with 3-24.

The Isle of Man reply got off to a terrible start, losing their first two wickets with no runs on the board, and the third with just two scored. They recovered from that point to reach 23-3 from 11 overs, at which point lunch was called, but they were still in a rather perilous position.

After the lunch interval, the Isle of Man managed to bat out the tricky first couple of overs, but lost two more wickets soon after, and were on the back foot at 45-5 from 20 overs. They never got back into the game from that point, and were bowled out for 80, losing by 60 runs.

Denmark will now play in the next European Under-19 Division One tournament, where they will come up against Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Jersey and Guernsey.

At Cronkbourne, Italy won the toss and elected to bat against France. An innings of 47 from Abdur Bhuiyan led them to a total of 167 before they were bowled out after 49 overs.

In reply, France initially collapsed to 29-5. But a fine sixth wicket partnership between Zika Ali and William Smati got them back into the game. When Ali was out for 40, Smati and his captain Liddiard then brought the scores level before Liddiard was bowled with one over to go.

Cool as you like, Smati stroked the first ball of the last over for four to secure a three wicket win and third place for France, taking his personal score to an unbeaten and match winning 59.

In the fifth place play off between Israel and Spain, Spain won the toss and elected to bowl first in what were initially damp and foggy conditions. With Michael Cohen out from the first ball of the innings, it seemed to be the correct decision.

As the sun began to shine, the runs began to flow. Tournament MVP Josh Evans scored 57, whilst Nir Dokarker scored a fine 68 from 74 balls to take Israel's total to 232-7 from their 50 overs.

In reply, Spain soon collapsed to 19-7, with Shalom Kristi taking four wickets and Shifron Waskar taking three. A late order recovery was not enough, and Spain were bowled out for 52, losing by 180 runs.

In the seventh place play off at Vagabonds, Belgium won the toss and elected to bat first. A fine innings of 83 from Shaival Mehta took them to a competitive total of 197-8 in their 43 overs, Fraser McRae also chipping in with 34 from 45 balls.

In reply, only Scott Chipolina reached double figures for Gibraltar as they were dismissed for 65, losing by 132 runs. Shalin Shah was the pick of the Belgian bowlers with 4-26.

The ninth place play-off at St Johns was between Germany and Norway, with neither team wanting to finish in last place.

Norway won the toss and elected to bat. After losing Tassam Ajaib from the first ball of the match, Norway recovered to score 182 in 41.5 overs, helped along by 34 extras. Oliver Filby was the pick of the German bowlers with 4-21.

In reply, Germany had no answer to a devastating spell of bowling from Syed Mosawar Ahmad, who took 7-27 to bowl the Germans out for just 57, losing by 125 runs. The Germans go home in last place and without a win.

Brief scores:

Isle of Man v Denmark at KWC1. Denmark won by 60 runs
Start: 12:45. Toss: Denmark. Reduced to 42 overs.
Denmark 140 (39 overs) S Aycock 3-24, A Stokoe 3-31
Isle of Man 80 (34.2 overs) C Peck-Thorsted 3-20

France v Italy at Cronkbourne. France won by 3 wickets
Start 11:10. Toss: Italy.
Italy 167 (49 overs) A Bhuiyan 4
France 171-7 (49.1 overs) Z Ali 40, W Smati 59*

Israel v Spain at KWC2. Israel won by 180 runs
Toss: Spain
Israel 232-7 (50 overs) N Dokarker 68, J Evans 57
Spain 52 (28.5 overs) S Kristi 4-10, S Waskar 3-13

Belgium v Gibraltar at Vagabonds. Belgium won by 132 runs
Start: 12:45. Toss: Belgium. Reduced to 43 overs.
Belgium 197-8 (43 overs) S Mehta 83
Gibraltar 65 (21.4 overs) S Shah 4-26

Germany v Norway at St Johns. Norway beat Germany by 125 runs
Start: 11:30. Toss: Norway.
Norway 182 (42.1 overs) A Nasir 37, O Filby 4-21
Germany 57 (24.2 overs) S Mosawar Ahmed 7-27

 


 

Isle of Man in final after easy win over Spain, Gibraltar record first win

 Another win for Denmark, Belgium collapse against Norway

The Isle of Man have qualified for the final of the ICC European Under 19 Division Two Championship after a big win over Spain at King William's College today.

After winning the toss, the hosts quickly elected to bowl first in overcast and slightly damp conditions. They then tore through the Spanish top order, reducing them to 29-6. Matthew Ansell took four wickets, including three in four balls, just missing a hat-trick when a ball bounced just over the top of the stumps.

Spain staged a mini recovery, but were eventually bowled out for just 79, extras being the top scorer with 21.

This was never going to be enough and the Manxmen easily knocked off the required runs in 13.3 overs to win by six wickets, Jake Rowlands hitting 39 from 40 balls including three sixes to secure his teams place in tomorrow's final against Denmark.

Over at Vagabonds, Gibraltar recorded their first win of the tournament, beating Germany by 7 wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, Germany collapsed from 88-2 to 113 all out, Guy Dumas taking 5-29. Konrad Fuchs was the top scorer for Germany with 33.

Gibraltar's reply started badly when Matthew Hunter was dismissed with the score on five, but Guy Dumas and Kayron Stagno then put on 69 for the second wicket before Dumas was out for 25. Stagno stayed in to the end of the innings, hitting 62 from 63 balls to secure a seven wicket win for his team.

Two days off for Denmark didn't stop their winning ways as they eased to a six wicket win over Israel at Cronkbourne.

Israel won the toss and elected to bat first. A 37 run partnership for the second wicket between Josh Evans and Raphael Schachat initially had Israel looking quite good, before Evans was out for 31.

But his dismissal saw something of a collapse take place and Israel were bowled out for exactly 100. Schachat stayed in until the end of the innings to score an unbeaten 26, whilst Aqeel Amjad was the pick of the bowlers with 3-25.

The target was little trouble for Denmark, and they reached the required runs in 25.3 overs to win by six wickets. Josh Evans bowled well for Israel, taking 3-31 in yet another fine performance by him.

Denmark will now play tomorrow's final against the Isle of Man, whilst Israel will play in the fifth place play-off.

At St John's the overnight rain meant that play didn't get underway until 2:30pm, with the match reduced to a 33 over contest, with Norway electing to bat first after winning the toss.

Norway were soon on 21-4, but Danish Ashfaq played a fine innings, scoring 54 not out to take Norway to 120, aided by some below par fielding from Belgium. Waqas Shafiq was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for just eight runs, though once he finished bowling, the Belgian attack struggled to contain Ashfaq.

That should have been a relatively straightforward run chase for the Belgians. But a much improved fielding performance from Norway, as well as some excellent bowling from Syed Mosawar Ahmad, who took 5-19, saw Belgium bowled out for just 70, losing by 50 runs.

Norway's performance wasn't enough to lift them off the bottom of the group though, and they will face Germany in tomorrow's ninth place play-off. Belgium will take on Gibraltar for seventh place.

Brief scores:

Isle of Man v Spain at KWC2. Isle of Man won by 6 wickets
Spain 79 (25.4 overs) M Ansell 4-26
Isle of Man 83-4 (13.3 overs) J Rowlands 39

Germany v Gibraltar at Vagabonds. Gibraltar won by 7 wickets
Germany 113 (37.2 overs) G Dumas 5-29
Gibraltar 114-3 (21.1 overs) K Stagno 62*

Denmark v Israel at Cronkbourne. Denmark won by 8 wickets
Israel 100 (38.1 overs) A Amjad 3-25
Denmark 101-2 (25.3 overs) J Evans 3-31

Belgium v Norway at St Johns. Belgium won by 50 runs
33 over match
Norway 120 (31.1 overs) D Ashfaq 54*, W Shafiq 3-8
Belgium 70 (22.3 overs) S Mosawar Ahmed 5-19, A Safi 3-23

Group A:

                      P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Isle of Man           4    3    0    1    0    7     3.27

Italy                 4    3    0    1    0    7     1.85

Spain                 4    2    0    0    2    4    -0.14

Gibraltar             4    1    0    0    3    2    -1.19

Germany               4    0    0    0    4    0    -2.86

Group B:

                      P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Denmark               4    4    0    0    0    8     4.31

France                4    2    0    0    2    4     0.18

Israel                4    2    0    0    2    4    -0.32

Belgium               4    1    0    0    3    2    -1.54

Norway                4    1    0    0    3    2    -2.54

 

Tomorrow’s Fixtures:

KWC 1                                                Isle of Man      v          Denmark
Cronkbourne CC                                 Italy                 v          France
KWC 2                                                Spain               v          Israel
Vagabonds CC                                   Gibraltar          v          Belgium
St John’s CC                                       Germany         v          Norway          


A win for Spain on a day of rain

 France and Israel win in poor weather

On a day of rain at Vagabonds, Spain secured their first win of the tournament, beating Germany when bad light finally brought an end to the match at 7.30pm.

In a match initially reduced to 43 overs, Germany won the toss and elected to bat first. A 45 ball half century from captain Steven Richards led them to a total of 122-6 from 28 overs before rain brought an end to their innings.

After a lengthy rain delay, play resumed with Spain needing to chase 154 in 28 overs to secure their first win of the tournament.

Spain initially seemed to be scoring at too slow a rate, but when bad light finally brought an end to the days play with seven wickets down, they needed to be at 124 and were on 129-7, winning by three wickets.

In the other Group A match at St John's between the Isle of Man and Italy, the weather prevented play from starting at all, and both teams received one point each.

Tomorrow's final matches in Group A will see the Isle of Man take on Spain, with the hosts needing a win to reach the final. In the other match, Germany will play Gibraltar.

Group B of the ICC European Under 19 Division Two championship saw both matches record a result, with France and Israel beating Norway and Belgium respectively.

A delayed start at Cronkbourne reduced the match between France and Norway to 47 overs, and France quickly had the Norwegians on the back foot with captain Thomas Liddiard bowling well with three wickets to reduce Norway to 21-4.

France let Norway back in a little though, conceding 21 runs in extras, and when rain brought an early end to their innings, Norway had scored 86-6 in 27 overs.

After a lengthy rain delay, during which both teams entertained themselves by watching the England v India Test match on television, play got back underway at 5.30pm, with France needing 93 in 25 overs to win the match.

Sensing the prospect of more rain in the air, France set about chasing down the target in rapid fashion. Usman Shahid scored 41 from 39 balls and William Smati scored 38 in 31 balls to secure a nine wicket win for France in their final group game.

In the Israel v Belgium game at King William's College, play started late, but it was the only game not to see a reduction in overs.

Put into bat by Belgium, Israel scored 195-9 from their 50 overs, Josh Evans leading the way with 65. Belgium experimented with their bowlers, using nine in all, but Waqas Shafiq was the pick of the bunch with 4-35.

In reply, Robert Sehmi scored a battling 42, but no other batsman reached double figures and Belgium were bowled out for 124, Raphael Schachat taking 5-23.

Group B concludes tomorrow with Denmark playing Israel and Belgium playing Norway.

Brief scores:

France v Norway at Cronkbourne. France won by 9 wickets (DL)
France target 93 in 25 overs.
Norway 86-6 (27 overs) T Liddiard 3-18
France 96-1 (13.1 overs) U Shahid 41*, W Smati 38*

Belgium v Israel at KWC1. Israel won by 71 runs
Israel 195-9 (50 overs) J Evans 65, R Schachat 38, W Shafiq 4-35
Belgium 124 (29 overs) R Sehmi 42, S Kristi 5-23

Isle of Man v Italy at St Johns. Match abandoned
Isle of Man 
Italy

Germany v Spain at Vagabonds. Spain won by 5 runs (DL)
Reduced to 28 overs. Spain target 154.
Germany 122-6 (28 overs) S Richards 50
Spain 129-7 (24 overs)

Group A:

                    P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Italy               4    3    0    1    0    7     1.85

Isle of Man         3    2    0    1    0    5     3.21

Spain               3    2    0    0    1    4     0.68

Gibraltar           3    0    0    0    3    0    -2.21

Germany             3    0    0    0    3    0    -2.81

Group B:

                    P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Denmark             3    3    0    0    0    6     4.93

France              4    2    0    0    2    4     0.18

Israel              3    2    0    0    1    4     0.11

Belgium             3    1    0    0    2    2    -1.54

Norway              3    0    0    0    3    0    -4.29

Tomorrow’s Fixtures 

Group A: Germany v Gibraltar (Vagabonds), Isle of Man v Spain (KWC 2)

Group B: Denmark v Israel (Cronkbourne), Belgium v Norway (St Johns)


Italy pull out win from jaws of defeat, Isle of Man thrash Germany

 Another big win for Denmark, Israel pick up first win

Italy eventually pulled off their third win of the tournament, but they did their best to lose the game after a batting collapse against Gibraltar at King William's College.

Gibraltar had won the toss and chose to bat first, a surprising decision given the initially overcast conditions and slightly damp pitch, which led to the match being reduced to 41 overs. They struggled against the Italian bowling, with Scott Chipolina the only player to reach double figures with 21, batting with a runner for part of his innings.

Gibraltar were bowled out for 78 in 27.3 overs, with Roshendra Abeywickrama and Muhammad Asghar both taking three wickets.

In reply, Italy started very badly in pursuit of such a low total. Matthew Hunter sliced through their top order, taking five wickets to leave them reeling on 25-5. The innings turned after Julian Freyone took the sixth Italian wicket.

He followed that wicket with six big wides in the same over, and Italy were back on track. Jakub Perat played a battling innings, scoring 29 from 48 balls, and helped by 29 extras, Italy passed their required target with more than 20 overs to spare.

Over at Cronkbourne, hosts the Isle of Man had a big win over Germany.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Isle of Man scored at a steady rate throughout their innings, reaching 215-8 from their 50 overs. Jack Rowlands top scored with 35, whilst Steven Richards was the pick of the German bowlers with 3-25.

Germany's reply started badly when in the third over of the match, pace bowler Dan Hawke, who has had a trial at Lancashire this season, clean bowled three batsmen in the same over, leaving Germany in tatters at 5-3.

They never recovered from that point and were bowled out for 42 with no batsman reaching double figures, losing by 173 runs. Hawke finished with 4-23 from his seven overs.

Tomorrow is a rest day for the tournament, and when this group resumes on Sunday, Italy will play the Isle of Man and Germany will play Spain.

Denmark continued their winning ways at the ICC European Under-19 Division Two Championship with another big win, this time over France at King William's College.

In what were initially overcast conditions, and after a slightly delayed start, Denmark captain Christian Peck-Thorsted didn't hesitate to bowl first after winning the toss. France initially made a reasonable start, and were 33-1 after 10 overs.

But that didn't last, and in the end they were bowled out for 74, with only three batsmen making double figures. Aqeel Amjad was the pick of the Danish bowlers with 3-20, Saif Yaqoob and Hamid Shah also taking two each.

The target was no problem for the Danes, and the big hitting Kamran Mahmood hit 54 from just 30 deliveries to take them to an 8 wicket win inside ten overs, the whole match being over by lunchtime.

Over at Vagabonds, Israel recorded their first win of the tournament against newcomers at this level Norway.

Batting first after winning the toss, Norway initially batted quite well, and were 51-1 after ten overs of their innings. However, they failed to capitalise on that start, and were eventually all out for 120, Raphael Schachat taking 3-30.

In reply, Josh Evans, more known for his leg spin bowling, provided the backbone to the Israeli run chase. He scored an unbeaten 56 to take his side to a six wicket win, helped along by 28 extras conceded by some wayward Norwegian bowling.

When Group B resumes on Sunday, France will play Norway and Belgium will play Israel.

Brief scores:

Gibraltar v Italy at KWC1. Italy won by 4 wickets
Reduced to 41 overs.
Gibraltar 78 (27.3 overs) R Abeywickrama 3-15, M Asghar 3-16
Italy 79-6 (19.2 overs) M Hunter 5-27

Isle of Man v Germany at Cronkbourne. Isle of Man won by 173 runs
Isle of Man 215-8 (50 overs) J Rowlands 35, S Richards 3-25
Germany 42 (23.5 overs) D Hawke 4-23

Israel v Norway at Vagabonds. Israel won by 6 wickets
Norway 120 (33 overs) R Schachat 3-30
Israel 124-4 (26.3 overs) J Evans 56*

Denmark v France at KWC2. Denmark won by 7 wickets
France 75 (33.1 overs) 
Denmark 77-3 (9.4 overs) K Mahmood 54*

 

Group A

                    P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Italy               3    3    0    0    0    6    1.848

Isle of Man         2    2    0    0    0    4    3.217

Spain               2    1    0    0    1    2    0.790

Gibraltar           3    0    0    0    3    0   -2.211

Germany             2    0    0    0    2    0   -3.440

Group B     

                    P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Denmark             3    3    0    0    0    6    4.926

France              3    1    0    0    2    2   -0.041

Israel              2    1    0    0    1    2   -0.690

Belgium             2    1    0    0    1    2   -1.597

Norway              2    0    0    0    2    0   -4.386


 

Belgium bounce back with win over France, Denmark thrash Norway

Spain collapse against Italy, easy win for the hosts

Italy won their second match at the ICC European Under 19 Division Two Championship in the Isle of Man after Spain collapsed after they were cruising to a seemingly straightforward victory.

After yesterday's big score against Germany, Italy found the going a little tougher against the Spanish bowling attack. The first two wickets fell with the score on 7, before a 25 run partnership for the third wicket.

From then on, it was a procession of wickets. Yesterday's big scorer Roshendra Abeywickrama was fourth out having scored just 8, and Italy found themselves in trouble on 62-9, before a 27 run partnership for the last wicket took them to 89 all out in 28.1 overs.

Only two batsmen made double figures for Italy, with extras the top scorer with 28. Ben Girling and Ravi Panchal both took three wickets.

In reply, despite losing both openers for ducks, Spain initially looked to be cruising on 49-3. But captain Joel Brook's dismissal just after the lunch interval sparked something of a collapse, and Spain found themselves bowled out for 83 to lose by 6 runs.

Muhammad Adnan sliced through the Spanish batting order with 5-12 from ten overs, whilst Muhammad Asghar also bowled well with 3-9 from his 4.2 overs.

In a rain affected game at Cronkbourne, hosts the Isle of Man made their bow in the tournament, taking on Gibraltar. Rainy conditions early on meant that he game was reduced to 42 overs, eventually taking place in sunny, if a little chilly conditions.

Put into bat after losing the toss, the hosts scored 176-3 from their 42 overs, aided by some occasionally poor fielding from Gibraltar. Carl Wagstaffe top scored with a well made 78, and was dismissed shortly before the end of the innings.

In reply, Gibraltar were bundled out for 53, thanks to some good fielding and tight bowling from the Isle of Man. Sebastian Aycock was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for just seven runs,  all wickets bowled, whilst Adam Killey was in fine form behind the stumps with three stumpings.

Tomorrow's matches in Group A will see the hosts play Germany at Cronkbourne and Gibraltar will play Italy at King William's College.

After yesterday's big defeat to Denmark, Belgium bounced back with a win over France at Vagabonds today in Group B.

In a game reduced to 42 overs due to rain, France won the toss and elected to bat first. They initially collapsed, and were 28-5 soon after the start of play, Cameron McRae slicing through their top order with three wickets.

A mini recovery took them to 70-7 and then to 130 all out, captain Thomas Liddard top scoring with 29.

Belgium's run chase started badly when the top three were removed cheaply with the score on 36-3, but they battled back, the fourth wicket partnership of Shaival Mehta and Robert Sehmi putting on an unbroken 98 to secure a seven wicket win.

Over at St John's Denmark put up another big total, though it could have been even more had they not had a rather big batting collapse towards the end of their innings.

Batting first after being put into bat, Denmark were at one point scoring at more than eleven runs an over. The opening pair put on 119 in quick fashion before Anders Bulow was out for 25, and the other opener, Kamran Mahmood went on to score 92 from 82 balls before he was out with the score  on 167-2 in the 15th over.

Denmark were on 271-3 at one point, but their batting collapsed from there. Led by Ali Nisar, who took 4-14, Norway managed to bowl the Danes out for 299, three balls short of their quota of 37 overs.

Whilst Norway did well to come back after the explosive Danish start, the target was always too much for them. They were 49-8 before the first real resistance came via a ninth wicket partnership of 24, and were eventually bowled out for 78, losing by the huge margin of 221 runs.

Only two of the Norwegian batsmen reached double figures, and Saif Yaqoob was the pick of the Denmark bowlers with 5-23.

Tomorrow's matches in Group B will see Israel play Norway and Denmark play France.

 

Brief scores:

Isle of Man v Gibraltar at Cronkbourne. Isle of Man won by 123 runs
Reduced to 42 overs
Isle of Man 176-3 (42 overs) C Wagstaffe 78, A Stokoe 39
Gibraltar 53 (25.2 overs) A Stokoe 3-7

Italy v Spain at KWC2. Italy won by 6 runs
Italy 89 (28.1 overs) B Girling 3-22, R Panchal 3-16
Spain 83 (31.2 overs) M Adnan 5-12, MW Asghar 3-9

Denmark v Norway at St Johns. Denmark won by 221 runs
Reduced to 37 overs
Denmark 299 (36.3 overs) K Mehmood 92, H Shah 53, A Nasir 4-13

Norway 78 (20 overs) S Yaqoob 5-23, R Javed 3-24

Belgium v France at Vagabonds. France won by 7 wickets
Reduced to 42 overs
France 130 (42 overs) F McRae 3-25
Belgium 134-3 (36.3 overs) S Mehta 44*, R Sehmi 48*

Group A

                   P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Italy              2    2    0    0    0    4    1.770

Isle of Man        1    1    0    0    0    2    2.929

Spain              2    1    0    0    1    2    0.790

Gibraltar          2    0    0    0    2    0   -2.261

Germany            1    0    0    0    1    0   -3.420

 

Group B

                   P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR

Denmark            2    2    0    0    0    4    4.471

France             2    1    0    0    1    2    1.217

Belgium            2    1    0    0    1    2   -1.597

Israel             1    0    0    0    1    0   -2.560

Norway             1    0    0    0    1    0   -5.973

 

Tomorrow’s Fixtures 

Group A: Germany v Isle of Man (Cronkbourne), Gibraltar v Italy (KWC)

Group B: Israel v Norway (Vagabonds), Denmark v France (KWC 2)


Denmark and France win comprehensively

Big wins for Spain and Italy

It was a day of comprehensive wins in Group A, with Spain and Italy beating Gibraltar and Germany respectively.

In the match played at King Williams College, Spain batted first after Gibraltar won the toss. It initially looked to be a fantastic decision by Gibraltar, as the two Spanish openers were back in the pavilion with no runs on the board 

Spain were soon 27-5, with Matthew Hunter taking four of the wickets to fall. But a 95 run partnership for the sixth wicket between Captain Joel Brook and Charles Cook got Spain back into the game, before Cook was out for 51, scored from 49 balls.

Brook stayed in to the end of the Spanish innings, and was unbeaten on 82 when the last wicket fell with the score on 182. Matthew Hunter was the pick of the bowlers with 5-22, whilst Guy Dumas also chipped in with 3-29.

Gibraltar's reply started similarly badly, losing their first six wickets for just 43. The seventh wicket partnership put on 33, but there was to be no comeback for Gibraltar, and they were bowled out for 97 to lose by 85 runs.

Jake Sunderland was the pick of the Spanish bowlers with 4-16, with Tom Vine polishing off the Gibraltar tail to end with 3-31.

At Cronkbourne, Italian captain Roshendra Abeywickrama won the toss and said he wanted to bat. He certainly did want a bat too, playing a chanceless innings to make the tournament's first century.

He put on 95 for the first wicket with Abdul Buyan, who scored 39. Abeywickrama remained totally in command for the rest of the innings, scoring 156 from 154 balls before he was eventually out in the 49th over.

That opening pair were the only real run scorers though, with the remaining nine only scoring 42 between them, with the remaining runs coming in extras. Mansor Mubarik was the pick of the German bowlers with 4-46.

Faced with a big target, Germany struggled in reply. The Italians fielded enthusiastically, Alamin Mia and Jakub Perat taking three wickets each. Only two German batsmen got a start, with both Steven Richards and Tushar Marwaha both scoring 25.

Germany were bowled out for just 116, losing by 171 runs.

The two matches in Group A tomorrow will see the hosts in action for the first time, playing the Isle of Man, and the two winners of today's matches playing each other.

Like in Group A, it was a day of big wins in Group B, with Denmark and France both picking up big wins over Belgium and Israel respectively.

Denmark made the biggest score of the day after being put into bat by Belgium. Aided by some poor Belgian fielding and a short boundary, two of their batsmen passed 70, and they reached 302-7 from their 50 overs.

In reply, Belgium appeared to struggle with the heat, with two delays caused by a batsmen with severe cramp. Denmark bowled well, with Hamid Shah the pick of the bowlers with 5-24. Aqeel Amjad took 3-19, and Belgium were bowled out for 134, Denmark winning by 168 runs.

France batted first after winning the toss against Israel, and scored 183, 49 of those coming in extras from the Israeli bowlers. Israel shared the wickets around, with three bowlers taking two wickets each.

Israel struggled in reply, with just one of their batsmen reaching double figures as they were bowled out for 55 in 19.1 overs. Zika Ali bowled superbly for France, taking four wickets for just five runs, whilst Rory Gribbell took 3-22.

Tomorrow's games in Group B will see Norway making their bow in the tournament, coming up against their Scandinavian rivals Denmark, whilst today's defeated teams will play each other.

Brief scores:

Spain v Gibraltar at KWC1. Spain won by 85 runs
Spain 182 (42.3 overs) J Brook 82*, C Cook 51, M Hunter 5-33, G Dumas 3-29
Gibraltar 97 (24.5 overs) J Sunderland 4-16

Italy v Germany at Cronkbourne. Italy won by 171 runs
Italy 287 (49.3 overs) R Abeywickrama 156, A Bhuiyan 39, M Mubarik 4-46
Germany 116 (33.1 overs) A Mia 3-24, J Perat 3-18

Denmark v Belgium at KWC2. Denmark won by 168 runs
Denmark 302-7 (50 overs) A Bulow 78, H Shah 70, R Javed 40
Belgium 134 (33 overs) A Amjad 3-19, H Shah 5-24

France v Israel at St Johns. France won by 130 runs
France 185 (46 overs)
Israel 55 (19.1 overs) Zika Ali 4-5, R Gribell 3-22

Group A

                   P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR
Italy              1    1    0    0    0    2    3.420
Spain              1    1    0    0    0    2    1.700
Isle of Man        0    0    0    0    0    0    0.000
Gibraltar          1    0    0    0    1    0   -1.700
Germany            1    0    0    0    1    0   -3.420

 

Group B

                   P    W    T   NR    L  Pts     NRR
Denmark            1    1    0    0    0    2    3.360
France             1    1    0    0    0    2    2.560
Norway             0    0    0    0    0    0    0.000
Israel             1    0    0    0    1    0   -2.560
Belgium            1    0    0    0    1    0   -3.360

Tomorrow’s Fixtures 

Group A: Gibraltar v Isle of Man (Cronkbourne), Italy v Spain (KWC 2)

Group B: Denmark v Norway (St Johns), Belgium v France (Vagabonds)


 

 

ICC European U19 Division 2 Championship squads announced

Fixtures announced for tournament


Ten Under-19 sides will contest the ICC European U19 Division 2 Championship in the Isle of Man this week, a pathway event for the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2014 in the UAE

The tournament will be played in two five-team groups, with cross-over semi-finals and a final.

In Group A Germany, who finished last out of seven teams in the last tournament two years ago, will be hoping for a big improvement this time. Unlike many of the competing teams to have played in the ICC European Division 1 Championship, none of their squad played in that tournament. Captain Steven Richards captained Germany Under-17s to 7th place in the Division 2 tournament last year in the Isle of Man.

Gibraltar include two players in their squad who played in the Channel Islands, as well as other players who have played for the national side such as Julian Freyone. They are coached by national team member Mark Bacarese. Gibraltar are going through a rebuilding phase at the moment after the retirement of a number of their long serving players, so this tournament will be a key part of that rebuilding.

Hosts the Isle of Man were runners-up the last time this tournament was played two years ago, and will be hoping to go one better this time out. Home advantage could be key, as it was last year when they hosted and won the ICC European U17 Division 2 championship. A number of that team have now graduated to the Under-19 team, including Daniel Hawke, who has played for the Lancashire Academy side this year.

Italy will no doubt be inspired by their senior side's performance in reaching the ICC World Twenty20 global qualifier, and former Lancashire and South Australia player Joe Scuderi will also be coaching this side, bringing a great deal of experience.

Spain are the only team in the competition not to have had their senior side play in the Channel Islands last week, but they are not to be underestimated. They finished fourth in the ICC European Under 17 Division Two tournament on the Isle of Man last year, narrowly losing to France in a play-off, and retain several of that squad for this event.

Favourites in Group B will be defending champions Belgium, four of whose squad, including seamers Faisal Khaliq and Waqas Shafiq, played in the ICC European Division 1 Championship in the Channel Islands. They will be captained by batsman Sebastian Shukla, who is one of three survivors of the 2009 title-winning side.

They will face a strong challenge, however, from Denmark, who has dropped down from Division 1 and whose squad includes three members of the Danish side which won Division 1 on Sunday. They are Hamid Shah, Kamran Mahmood and Raja Basit Javed, and the side will be coached by former Western Australian off-spinner Brett Mulder.

France will also be a side to watch, and they will be very keen to improve on the fourth place they achieved in 2009. Captain Thomas Liddiard is one of five survivors of that squad, and one of four who played in the ICC European Division 1 Championship. Zika Ali, indeed, shared the title of leading wicket-taker in that competition, with 15 wickets.

Israel finished one place below France last time, and three members of that side return this time. They will be coached by Herschel Gutman, who was captain of the Israeli team which played in the Channel Islands, and four of that side will accompany him to the Isle of Man.

One pleasing feature of the tournament will be the debut of Norway at European youth level, and all the more so because the majority of their squad are Norwegian-born. Captained by Danish Ashfaq, they will be something of an unknown quantity, and they will no doubt be seeking to emulate the rapid progress made by the Norwegian senior team when it first made its appearance in European competition.

Squads;
Belgium; Sebastian Shukla (Captain); Devendra Bhandari; Ajinkya Gothoskar; Adeel Ishtiaq; Faisal Khaliq; Shaival Mehta; Cameron Mcrae; Fraser McRae; Shalin Shah; Akshat Sanghvi; Sagar Shah; Robert Sehmi; Waqas Shafiq

Denmark; Christian Peck-Thorsted (Captain); Saad Hasnaat Ahmad; Aqeel Amjad; Anders Bulow; Glenn Molgaard Hedevang; Raja Basit Javed; Kamran Tariq Mahmood; Mati Malik; Siddique Akbar Raja; Ihyas Sawmy; Hamid Shah; Vijayasai Sasitharan; Saif Yaqoob

France; Thomas Liddiard (Captain); Zika Ali; Cameron Beauclerk; Henry Collins; Rory Paul Gribbelll; Sachinta Liyanaarachchi; Avishka Liyanaarachchi; Robin Murphy; Hamza Niaz; Daniel Nott; Usman Shahid; William Smati; Zain Zahir

Germany; Steven Richards (Captain); Ibrahim Awan; Hannes Bagge; Thomas Carter; Krishna Cholleti; Konrad Fuchs; Oliver Filby; Leonard Gerhards; Mohsan Hayat; Christian Hein; Ritvik Marwaha; Mansor Mubarik; Tushar Marwaha

Gibraltar; Scott Chipolina; Luke Collado; Rahul Daswani; Philip Dumas; Simon Dumas; Guy Dumas; Julian Freyone; Mark Gomez; Gareth Gomez; Matthew Hunter; Jeremy Perez; Karl Sene; Kayron Stagno

Isle of Man; Matthew Ansell; Sebastian Aycock; Jacob Hicklin; Daniel Hawke; Richard Jackson; Shaun Kelly; Adam Killey; Daniel Laughlin; Adam Mcauley; Jack Rowlands; Alasdair Slack; Alex Stokoe; Carl Wagstaffe

Israel; Raphael Schachat (Captain); Daniel Bergman; Ronel Borgharkar; Michael Cohen; Levi Divekar; Nir Dokarker; Josh Evans; Eitamar Kahamker; Levi Kamarlekar; Shalom Kristi; Matan Nagaukar; Oriyal Sampson; Shifron Waskar

Italy; Roshendra Suroshan Abeywickrama (Captain); Muhammad Adnan; Shah Rukh Ahmed Butt; Muhammad Waqas Asghar; Abdur Rahaman Bhuiyan; Muthumala Patabandige Inosh NeonDe Silva; Alamin Mia; Michele Morettini; Jakub Sebastian Peret; Charith Rajamanthri; Giorgio Scalco; Edoardo Scanu; Aamir Shaikh

Norway; Danish Ashfaq (Captain); Syed Mosawar Ahmad; Pratik Agnihotri; Abdul Wahab Ahmed; Prithvi Bhart; Junaid Ahmad Haji Razak; Majid Rafiq Khan; Junaid Mehmood; Jatharthan Muththulingam; Ali Nasir; Passon Rabani; Asama Jamal Rana; Abidul Haq Safi

Spain; Joel Brook; Charles Cook; Abdullah Danish; Ben Girling; Antonio Gomez-Brown; Alfie Harris; Faisal Muhammad; Callum Murphy; Akash Panchal; Ravi Panchal; Jamie Roper; Jake Sunderland; Tom Vine

Fixtures
Group A
27 July; Gibraltar v Spain (KWC 1); Germany v Italy (Cronkbourne)
28 July; Gibraltar v Isle of Man (Cronkbourne); Italy v Spain (KWC 2)
29 July; Germany v Isle of Man (Cronkbourne); Gibraltar v Italy (KWC 1)
30 July; Reserve day
31 July; Italy v Isle of Man (St Johns); Germany v Spain (Vagabonds)
1 August; Germany v Gibraltar (Vagabonds); Isle of Man v Spain (KWC 2)

Group B
27 July; Belgium v Denmark (KWC 2); France v Israel (St Johns)
28 July; Denmark v Norway (St Johns); Belgium v France (Vagabonds)
29 July; Israel v Norway (Vagabonds); Denmark v France (KWC 2)
30 July: Reserve day
31 July; France v Norway (Cronkbourne); Belgium v Israel (KWC 1)
1 August; Denmark v Israel (Cronkbourne); Belgium v Norway (St Johns)

Play offs
2 August; Final: A1 v B1; 3rd-4th: A2 v B2; 5th-6th: A3 v B3; 7th-8th: A4 v B4; 9th-10th: A5 v B5

 


ICC European Division 1 Championship squads announced

12 teams fight it out in the Channel Islands for two global qualifier spots



After 51 matches involving 15 teams, the European leg of qualification for the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Qualifier in the UAE reaches its pinnacle in the Channel Islands next week.

The two teams set to join 8 qualifiers from the other four ICC regions as well as the six ODI status teams as they look for a place in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

All but two of these teams will be looking for a first ever place in a global qualifier tournament. Denmark has appeared in seven ICC Trophies, whilst Italy made an appearance in the 1997 tournament, and those two teams will be amongst the favourites to progress to another global qualifier come the end of the ICC European Division One Championship.

Co-hosts Jersey are the defending champions at Division One having won the tournament at home in 2010. That was a 50 over tournament though, and anything can happen in the Twenty20 format, so they face a fight to hold on to that title. Seven members of that winning team return for this tournament, and they come into the event having finished as runners-up to the Netherlands A in the Continental Twenty20, ahead of Belgium and France, also taking part in this tournament.

Their fellow hosts, and oldest rivals, Guernsey won the 50 over ICC European Division 2 last year, and has nine of that winning squad returning for this tournament, including player of the tournament Jeremy Frith. The player to watch though could well be Tim Ravenscroft. The youngster is on the books at Hampshire and made his first-team debut this year against Leeds/Bradford MCCU. In the Second XI Twenty20 tournament in May, he smashed an unbeaten 103 from just 53 balls against Surrey. Guernsey will no doubt be hoping he can repeat that feat in this event.

Denmark will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Hong Kong that saw them relegated. Italy also played in that tournament; finishing fourth, and it is these two teams, along with the hosts that, on paper at least, are most likely to be contesting the semi-finals.

The other eight teams in the tournament shouldn't be discounted though. Norway will be hoping to regain the form that saw them win Division Two back in 2006, and they have made wholesale changes to their squad, with only four returning from last year's Division Two tournament in Guernsey. Gibraltar is another team going through a period of change with the retirement of the long serving Christian Rocca and Richard Buzaglo.

Promoted sides Belgium and Austria can't be discounted, and Belgium come into the tournament on the back of a win over France at the Continental Twenty20. Due to the previous scarcity of Twenty20 matches at this level, they have more experience at the format than many of the competing teams, which is likely to give them somewhat of an advantage.

Israel beat two teams at Division Two last year, and they will hope to go one better in 2011 and push for a semi-final spot. With spin being an important part of Twenty20, the talented young leg-spinner Josh Evans could be a key player, whilst Eshkol Solomon will hope to repeat the form that saw him score the highest individual Israeli score against Gibraltar last year.

Germany, runners-up at Division Two in 2010, have retained seven of the squad that finished third at World Cricket League Division 7 in Botswana earlier this year, and are probably the best bet to break up the likely semi-finalists.

Finally, Croatia are something of an unknown quantity, having only played one international since the 2008 Division Two tournament in Guernsey, whilst France will, like Germany, be hoping to break into the semi-finals, and come into the tournament as the sixth highest ranked side.

The twelve teams in the tournament are divided into two groups of six, with one group being played in Jersey and the other in Guernsey. Once the first round is complete, the whole tournament decamps to Jersey, where semi-finals, play-offs and finals will be played to determine the places from one to twelve.

The two finalists will qualify for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. The six associate/affiliate ODI status teams, Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland automatically qualified for the tournament, whilst Papua New Guinea recently became the sole East Asia Pacific representative. The two African qualifiers will be confirmed shortly before this tournament begins, the two Americas qualifiers will be determined during this tournament, whilst the three Asian qualifiers will come from the ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal later this year.

The squads for the ICC European Division 2 Championship is as follows:

Austria; Amar Naeem (Captain); Munir Ahmed; Amandeep Amandeep; Imran Asif; Erwin Grasinger; Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige; Satish Kaul; Benjamin Loader; Tiran Indika Perera; Syed Qamar Abbas Rizvi; Nitin Sharma; Andrew Simpson-Parker; Nandeep Soggi; Satyam Subhash

Belgium; Andre Wagener (Captain); Shaheryar Butt; Jamie Farmiloe; Amir Iqbal; Javed Iqbal; Faisal Khaliq; Shaival Mehta; Shahid Muhammad; Sheraz Sheikh Muhammad; Simon Newport; Ali Raza; Abdul Rehman; Nirvam Shah; Waqas Shafiq

Croatia; John Vujnovich (Captain); Jasen Butkovic; Nikola Davidovic; Anthony Govorko; Jeffrey Grzinic; Michael Grzinic; Pero Kastelan; David Lambasa; Paul Musin; Christopher Pivac; Vivek Sharma; Craig Sinovich; Paul Vujnovich; Craig Wear

Denmark; Michael Pedersen (Captain); Aftab Ahmed; Shehzad Ahmed; Sair Ahmad Nissar Anjum; Bobby Chawla; Kasper Rubin Hansen; Raja Basit Javed; Frederik Klokker; Jacob Larsen; Rizwan Tariq Mahmood; Kamran Tariq Mahmood; Martin Pedersen, Hamid Shah; Syed Bashir Shah;

France; Waseem Bhatti (Captain); Zika Ali; Shahid Arfan; Arunkamar Ayyavooraju; Rameez Ehsan; Usman Khan; Thomas Liddiard; Avishka Liyanaarachchi; Robin Murphy; Adnan Musharif; Hugo Pinsent; Abdul Rehman Qureshi; Williamdeep Singh; Ramesh Sithambaranathan

Germany; Asif Khan (Captain); Ayoma Abeywickrama; Imran Chaudhry; Benjamin Das; Milan Fernando; Shakeel Hassan; Kashif Haider; Rana Javed Iqbal; Mian Ehsan Latif; Kashif Mahmood; Dilshan Rajudeen; Fazal Rathore; Mudassar Razzaq; Syed Shah

Gibraltar; Iain Latin (Captain); Charles Avellano; Mark Bacarese; Aaron Baglietto; David Coram; Charles Cruz; Ian Farrell; Kieron Ferrary; Ross Harkins;Matthew Hunter; Jack Lutman; Andrew Reyes; Karl Sene; Kayron Stagno

Guernsey; Stuart Le Prevost (Captain); Stuart Bisson; Timothy Duke; Jeremy Frith; David Hooper; Thomas Kimber; Ross Kneller; Adam Martel; Kristoffer Moherndl; James Nussbaumer; Timothy Ravenscroft; Gary Rich; Lee Savident; GH Smit

Israel; Herschel Gutman (Captain); Shailesh Bangeral; Nir Dokarker; Josh Evans; Danny Hotz; Daniel Hyman; Eitamar Kahamker; David Massil; Yefeth Nagavkar; Yaniv Razpurker; Eshkol Solomon; Eliezer Samson; Raymond Talkar; Shifron Waskar

Italy; Alessandro Bonora (Captain); Din Alaud; Dilan Shameera Fernando Arsakulasuriya; Damian Graham Crowley; Gayashan Ranga De Silva Munasinghe; Luis Di Giglio; Chamara Kalum Siriwardane Hettimula Appuhamilage; Damian Claude Kithsiri Muthunamagonnage Fernando; Andrew Northcote; Hayden Peter Patrizi Dell'agnello; Peter Anthony Petricola; Michael Gino Raso; Stanly Hemantha Jayasena Samaraweera Kankanamage; Sivakumar Sivalingaperumal

Jersey; Peter Gough (Captain); Tony Carlyon; Paul Connolly; Samuel James De La Haye; Ryan Driver; Edward John Farley; Anthony Wilfred Hawkins-Kay; Christopher Jones; Dean Morrison; Alexander Noel; Charles Perchard; Benjamin Silva; Ben Stevens; Bradley Vautier

Norway: Muhammed Zeeshan Ali (Captain); Waheed Aamir; Zaheer Ashiq; Syed Waqas Ahme; Muhammad Shahbaz Butt; Mahammed Waseem Gill; Safir Hayat; Iftikhar Hussain; Adeel Ibrar; Faisal Qureshi; Moosa Rashid; Mofassar Saeed; Ali Saleem; Babar Shazad
 


WELCOME TO THE JULY ISSUE OF ICC NEWS EUROPE

 


ICC European Division 1 Fixtures announced

European World T20 qualification culminates in Jersey and Guernsey

The ICC European Division 1 Championship takes place in the Channel Islands this month, as the twelve teams fight it out to be confirmed as the European qualifiers for next year’s ICC World Twenty20 qualifier.

Jersey and Guernsey as co-hosts are welcoming teams from across continental Europe which are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy, Norway, including hosts Jersey and Guernsey.

The ICC European Division 1 Championship is the culmination of a summer of European T20 cricket pathway events, which leads to the ICC World Twenty20 global qualifier in Dubai, UAE in March 2012. 

The tournament is taking place between the 19-24 July, at eight venues across Jersey and Guernsey; five in Jersey Grainville, Farmers, FB Fields, Les Quennevais, Victoria College and three in Guernsey; KGV, Port Soif, College Field.

Co-host Tournament Organiser, Guernsey Cricket Board’s Mark Latter has led a fantastic team and is very pleased with the work done in the build up to the tournament: “When being accepted to host an ICC Europe event it is always both an honour, but also a huge administrative responsibility that is not taken lightly.

“It has been a fantastic build up to the championship which is a regional qualifier for ICC World Twenty20 2012, so it is extremely important that everything is as the best it can be. Guernsey and Jersey have formed a well drilled partnership and we are looking forward to welcoming all teams from across Europe to the Channel Islands,” said Latter.

Tournament Director, ICC Regional Performance Officer, Philip Hudson is very happy with the preparations so far; “The ICC European Division 1 Championship, is the culmination of three months of competition, which leads the top two teams into the Global qualifier next March in UAE. The two European qualifiers will be provided with a wonderful opportunity to test themselves against the other leading Associate and Affiliate countries, in the Twenty20 format.

“Jersey and Guernsey have a great record of being excellent ICC European tournament hosts and have done a fantastic job in getting the islands ready for the ICC European Division 1 Championship,” said Hudson.

Group A

19 July; Guernsey v Norway, KGV (1100); Italy v Croatia, College Field (1100),  Gibraltar v Austria, Port Soif (1100); Austria v Italy, KGV (1600); Guernsey v Croatia, College Field (1600) Gibraltar v Norway; Port Soif (1600)

20 July; Guernsey v Austria, KGV (1100) Italy v Gibraltar, College Field (1100); Croatia v Norway, Port Soif (1100); Gibraltar v Croatia KGV (1600); Norway v Austria, College Field, (1600); Guernsey v Italy, Port Soif (1600)

21 July; reserve day

22 July; Italy v Norway, KGV (1100); Guernsey v Gibraltar, College Field (1100); Croatia v Austria, Port Soif (1100)

Group B

19 July; France v Belgium, FB Fields (1100); Denmark v Israel, Grainville (1100); Jersey v Germany, Les Quennevais 1 (1100); Belgium v Denmark, FB Fields (1600); Israel v Jersey, Grainville (1600); Germany v France, Les Quennevais 1 (1600)

20 July; Israel v Germany, FB Fields (1100); Denmark v France, Grainville (1100); Jersey v Belgium, Farmers (1100); Belgium v Germany, FB Fields (1600) Israel v France, Grainville (1600); Jersey v Denmark, Farmers (1600)

21 July ; reserve day

22 July; Jersey v France, FB Fields (1100); Denmark v Germany, Farmers (1100); Israel v Belgium, Les Quennevais 1 (1100)

Cross over semis, play offs & Final

23 July; A1 v B2 TBC (1100); A2 v B1, TBC (1100); A3 v B4, TBC (1100); A4 v B3, TBC (1100); A5 v B6, TBC (1100); A6 v B5, TBC (1100)

24 July; 3rd-4th match, Grainville (1000); 5th-6th match, Farmers (1000); 7th-8th match, FB Fields (1000); 9th-10th match, Victoria College (1000); 11th-12th match, Les Quennevais (1000); Final, Grainville (1430)


Squads and fixtures announced for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the 14-man squads for the 10 teams participating in ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland. Host Ireland will be joined by teams from Afghanistan, Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, United States of America (USA) and Vanuatu.

The top six sides of the tournament, which will be played from 28 July to 9 August, will qualify for a place at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup to be held in Australia next year. The 10 ICC Full Members automatically qualify.

The tournament will be played on 14 grounds in Dublin and the North-West, namely Merrion, The Hills, North County, Leinster, Clontarf, YMCA, Oakhill, Coleraine, Bready 1, Bready 2, Limavady, Strabane, Eglinton and Drummond.

The full squads are as follows:

Afghanistan: Shir M. Shirzi (captain), M Jawed Ahmadi, Mohammad Y. Ahmadzai, Nasir J. Ahmadzai, Younas K. Ahmadzai, Aftab Alam, Abdur R Mangal, Abdul R.K. Naseri, Mohibullah Paak, Rahmatullah Sahaq, Hashmatullah Shaidi, Sayed A. Shirzad, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar K. Zazai

Canada: Kevasan Juvarajan (captain), Tristan Ali, Maninder Aulakh, Suddepta Aurka, Gurkaran Dhilon, Nikil Dhutta, Kyle Edghill, Nitish Kumar, Trevor Manoosingh, Rayankhan Pathan, Sarren Ramsany, Jobanjot Singh Sidhu, Akass Shah, Akhlas Umar

Ireland: George Dockrell (captain), George Adair, Richard Berry, Scott Campbell, Adam Coughlan, Shane Getake, Niall Hodgins, Ryan Hunter, Hugh MacDonnell, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, Sam Shannon, Jason van der Marwe

Kenya: Kennedy Ochieng (captain), Duncan Allan, Harrison Angila, Jignesh Hirani, Irfan Karim, Martin Ndandason, Joseph Ochieng, Rushabhvardhan Patel, Emmanuel Ringera, Raj Savala, Raj Shikotra, Vinit Shikotra, Siddhant Taneja, Rahul Vishram

Namibia: Stephen Baard (captain), Justin Baard, Luke Bolton, Christopher Coombe, Jason Davidson, Andre Engelbrecht, Gerhard Erasmus, Shalako Groenewald, Zhivago Groenewald, Gert Lotter, Tangeni Lungameni, Pelham Myburgh, Wian van vuuren, Johan Wessels

Nepal: Prithu Baskota (captain), Pradeep Airee, Naresh B. Budhaayer, Bhuban Karki, Krishna Karki, Avinash Karn, Subash P. Khakurel, Nischal Pandey, Shubhendi Pandey, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Sagar Pun, Fajlur Rahman, Rupesh K. Shrivastav, Rahul K. Vishwakarma

PNG: Christopher Kent (captain), Charles Amini, Dogodo Bau, Sese Bau, Nigel Boge, Albert Geita, Raymond Haoda, Gia Kelly, Raturima Maha, Alei Nao, Vagi Oala, Lega Siaka, Toua Tom, Norman Vanua

Scotland: Patrick Saddler (captain), Frederick Coleman, Matthew Cross, Henry Edwards, Peter Legget, Anjandeep Luthra, Thomas McBride, Scott McElnea, Ross McLean, Samuel Page, Peter Ross, , Kyle Smith, Stanley Shillington, Aman Bailwal

USA: Gregory Sewdial (captain), Salman Ahmad, Shayan Abdul Ghani, Abhijit Joshi, Cameron Mirza, Prashanth Nair, Mital Patel, Amarnauth Persaud, Gurpreet Sandhu, Hammad Shahid, Jodhbir Singh, Trevor Singh, Pranay Suri, Steven Taylor

Vanuatu: Patrick Matautaava (captain), Ravin Arutambean, Kaluwin Bangalini, Callum Blake, Jelany Chilia, Worford Kalworai, Kendy Kenneth, Nalin Nipiko, Jamal Ngwango, Joshua Rasu, Shem Sala, Jaxies Samuel, Apolinaire Stephen, Ronald Tari

The full schedule for ICC U19 CWCQ 2011 is as follows:

Fixtures

26 July – Scheduled team arrivals
27 July – Practice
28 July: Kenya v Vanuatu (Merrion), Namibia v PNG (The Hills), Scotland v Canada (North County), Afghanistan v Nepal (Leinster), Ireland v USA (Clontarf)

29 July: Ireland v Afghanistan (North County), Nepal v Scotland (Merrion), Canada v Kenya (The Hills), Vanuatu v Namibia (YMCA), PNG v USA (Leinster)

30 July: Rest/Reserve Day

31 July: USA v Namibia (North County), Vanuatu v Canada (Merrion), Kenya v Nepal (Railway Union), Ireland v Scotland (The Hills), Afghanistan v PNG (Leinster)

1 August: Nepal v Vanuatu (YMCA), Namibia v Canada (North County), USA v Afghanistan (The Hills), PNG v Scotland (Oakhill), Ireland v Kenya (Leinster)

2 August: Travel Day

3 August: Ireland v Vanuatu (Coleraine), Canada v Nepal (Bready), Namibia v Afghanistan (Limavady), Kenya v PNG (Strabane), Scotland v USA (Eglinton)

4 August: Rest/Reserve Day

5 August: Afghanistan v Scotland (Strabane), Kenya v USA (Bready), PNG v Vanuatu (Bready 2), Ireland v Canada (Limavady), Nepal v Namibia (Drummond)

6 August: Canada v ONG (Eglinton), Vanuatu v USA (Drummond), Ireland v Nepal (Bready), Scotland v Namibia (Bready 2), Kenya v Afghanistan (Limavady)

7 August: Scotland v Kenya (Eglinton), PNG v Nepal (Coleraine), USA v Canada (Bready 2), Afghanistan v Vanuatu (Bready), Ireland v Namibia (Strabane)

8 August: Rest/Reserve Day

9 August: Namibia v Kenya (Drummond), Ireland v PNG (Eglinton), Vanuatu v Scotland (Coleraine), Nepal v USA (Limavady), Canada v Afghanistan (Strabane)

 


Results from day two of the ICC Executive Board meeting

The ICC Executive Board concluded its two-day meeting in Hong Kong today (29 June) and the decisions taken on the second day included:

Independent Governance Review

The ICC Executive Board, following the strategic plan that was adopted in April and a firm recommendation from the Governance Review Committee today, unanimously agreed to undertake urgently an independent review of the ICC governance structures and processes. The Board therefore decided to defer the proposed constitutional amendment to the nominations process for election of the ICC President and accordingly withdrew its proposal to the Annual Conference in this regard.

The ICC Governance Review Committee had recommended that a wide-ranging, independent review should cover all governance-related matters including the possibility of appointing independent directors. The review will be required to be completed before the next ICC Executive Board meeting scheduled for October.

In the meantime, both the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have given undertakings not to nominate a candidate for ICC Vice-President before the external review is completed and the matter is again considered by the ICC Executive Board.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “I wholeheartedly welcome an independent review of the entire ICC governance and regard this as a major step to meet stakeholder expectations and the high standards of a world-class organisation.”

Pakistan Task Team

The Pakistan Task Team (PTT) has completed its work and presented a comprehensive report comprising 63 recommendations covering the key areas of governance, cricket administration, playing structure, financial viability and communications. The PTT comprises Giles Clarke (chairman), Mike Brearley, Peter Chingoka, Haroon Lorgat (ICC Chief Executive), Ranjan Madugalle, Ramiz Raja, and David Richardson (ICC General Manager- Cricket).

Mr Lorgat thanked the PTT members and the PCB for their constructive engagement during the past two years. He added: “The report was adopted unanimously by the ICC Board and I am pleased that the PCB will consider this report at its next Board meeting.”

The ICC Executive Board noted a request from the PCB to consider hosting an ICC event in Pakistan in 2018. No discussion was held and no assurances were given as the ICC has no confirmed event currently scheduled for 2018.

Mr Lorgat said: “We fully understand the PCB request and we will consider if it is possible to host an event in Pakistan subject to the standard safety and security clearances.”

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

There was a detailed report on the recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 held in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Although the event was universally acclaimed as a success and one of the best cricket events in history, the report highlighted certain shortcomings around ticketing and stadia construction.

Based on a recommendation from the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee, the ICC Executive Board confirmed a revised policy that stadia hosting ICC global events must be match-ready at least six months before the event. The directors also noted the appointment of forensic auditors to review ticketing during the ICC Cricket World Cup, including allegations of black marketeering.

Mr Lorgat said: “Even though the event was hugely successful, it is important for us to learn lessons so that we can continually improve our events.”

The report also acknowledged the high standard of cricket and praised the excellent pitches and outfields prepared during the event. It also noted that the three host countries now have a legacy of excellent cricket facilities following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Celebrating 2,000th Test match

The ICC Executive Board noted that the Test match between England and India at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London starting on 21 July will be the 2,000th Test match in history.

Mr Lorgat said: “We are planning to mark the occasion by celebrating this fantastic milestone. Test cricket is the pinnacle format of our game and I am confident that this series will confirm this enduring format in front of full houses.”

 


Results of Day 1 of the ICC Executive Board to meeting in Hong Kong

The ICC Executive Board began its two-day meeting in Hong Kong today (28 June 2011) and the decisions taken on the first day included:

Formats for ICC global events

The ICC Executive Board today reversed its previous decisions and approved a 14-team format for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be held in Australia and New Zealand and a 12-team format for the ICC World Twenty20 events in 2012 (Sri Lanka) and 2014 (Bangladesh).

The Board had previously decided in October 2010 that the ICC Cricket World Cup would comprise a 10-team event and that the ICC World Twenty20 events would involve 16 teams. In April 2011, the Board had agreed that only the Full Members would participate in 2015 and that all Members would be given an opportunity to participate in the 2019 World Cup through a qualification process.

In Hong Kong today, the ICC Executive Board opted to retain the 14-team format that was used at the highly successful and universally acclaimed ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka with the 10 Full Members being joined by four Associate or Affiliate qualifiers.

The ICC World Twenty20 in 2012 and 2014 will now remain as 12-team events (10 Full Members and two Associate/Affiliates), which has been the format for the ICC World Twenty20 events since its inception in 2007.

Following a presentation on the Reliance ICC Rankings system by statistician David Kendix, who devised and operates the system on behalf of the ICC, the Executive Board has confirmed that the Reliance ICC Rankings are suitable for use in determining qualification for ICC global events, subject to any regulatory amendments necessary to protect the integrity of the system.

In addition, the Board confirmed that the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 would be a 10-team event with the top eight in the Reliance ICC rankings earning their qualification automatically with the remaining two places being decided by a qualification competition. The Board also confirmed the introduction of the promotion/relegation system previously agreed.

The Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2020, which was proposed by the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) on Monday, was adopted by the ICC Executive Board. It was also agreed that compensation for unequal tours would remain unchanged.

ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) and Cricket Committee recommendations

The Executive Board agreed with the CEC recommendations on the Decision Review Systems (DRS) for Test matches and One-Day Internationals which would set a universal standard, taking into consideration availability and commercial issues, that infra-red cameras and audio-tracking devices should be used. The continued use of ball-tracking technology as a decision-making aid will depend on bilateral agreement between the participating Members.

The Board accepted that there should be no use of DRS in Twenty20 Internationals.

The Board agreed with the CEC and Cricket Committee on the following:

• that a Twenty20 International rankings table should be created from 1 October 2011
• revised formats for One-Day internationals
• the need for further research on the balls to be used in day/night Test cricket
• batsmen should be dismissed (obstructing the field) if they change their course while running to prevent a run-out chance
• the running out of a non-striker who is backing up unfairly
• the prohibition of the use of runners in all forms of international cricket.

Details of those recommendations were issued yesterday and can be found at www.icc-cricket.com. The ICC Executive Board meeting continues in Hong Kong tomorrow (29 June 2011).

 


Ireland v Namibia ICC Intercontinental Cup match

The ICC Intercontinental Cup match due to start between Ireland and Namibia in Belfast tomorrow will not go ahead as planned.

Cricket Namibia failed to arrive in time to play the match citing difficulties in securing UK travel visas for its squad members. It is still hoped that the two 50-over international matches will go ahead as planned provided the Namibia team arrives in time for those fixtures.

As previously stated, while the ICC offers assistance where it can, it is the responsibility of each team’s home board to arrange its own visas in advance of any tour.

Following due consideration and consultation, the ICC has given the two participating home boards the opportunity to propose an amicable agreement as to how best to deal with the I Cup fixture and any other relevant matters.


Host Belgium clinch title with emphatic victory

Spain's James Morgan is named Most Valuable Player


Hosts Belgium won the final of the ICC European Division 2 Championship at Royal Brussels on Saturday, as they completed an emphatic 73-run win against Austria.

They were always on top after posting an imposing 188 for 7, with Nirvam Shah (58) and Amir Iqbal (40) sharing an opening stand of 85. Simon Newport hit a brisk 30 from just 15 balls, and Abdul Rehman struck two sixes in his 23 from 12 balls.

Satyam Subhash (3-35) was the most successful of the Austrian attack, who seemed a bit jaded after their heroic display yesterday against Isle of Man, and whose task was made more difficult by some poor support in the field.

Shahid Muhammad (2-33) removed both Austrian openers early, and from that point, it was always difficult. Andrew Simpson-Parker (48) and Benjamin Loader (26) added 59 for the fourth wicket, but Faisal Khaliq took 4 for 11 to wrap up the innings, as Austria were bowled out for 115 in 17.5 overs.

Wicket keeper Ali Raza took six catches, to take his tournament total to 11.

In the third-fourth place play-off game, the Isle of Man bounced back from their loss yesterday, to beat Portugal by 13 runs.

Oliver Webster hit 68 from 42 balls (9 fours), while there were useful cameos from Peter Lewis (28 not out), and Gareth Morris (23), in their total of 155 for 4 in 19 overs. Khalid Izaz (2-17) was the pick of the Portugal bowling.

In reply, opener Nadeem Butt struck 53 from 31 balls, (6 fours, 2 sixes), as he shared in a partnership of 80 with Intesab Medhi (23) for the second wicket. Zafar Ali struck three sixes in his 33 from just 13 balls, but Oliver Webster completed an excellent all-round day as he took 2 for 1, as Portugal went from 134 for 4, to 141 for 9 in the space of two overs, finishing on 142 for 9.

At Ghent, Spain made sure of fifth place when they defeated Hellas by 35 runs. A solid batting display by Spain saw seven of their players make double figures, with Gary Crompton (26), Farhat Mahmood (25), and Pedro Venus Valiente (20), the main contributors in their total of 141 for 8.

Hellas then self destructed as they suffered no fewer than three run outs, and that coupled with the bowling of Mohib Hussein (3-13), meant they could only manage 106 for 9 when the overs ran out, with Alexandros Souvlakis 24 the only contributor of any note.

Spain had further good news when James Morgan won the Most Valuable Player, beating off the challenge of Amir Iqbal, Gareth Morris and Michael Caruana.

The afternoon game saw Finland edge out Luxembourg in the battle to claim 7th place. Joost Mees (19) and Tony Whiteman (16) added 39 for the first wicket, before an amazing collapse inspired by Madhu Bhandari (3-18) and Amrik Bhatia (2-17) saw them lose 6 wickets for just 13 runs. Nishith Gandhi and Piran Merkl both reached double figures as Luxembourg totalled 101 for 9.

A steady reply by the Finns ensured they were always in control, although they wobbled slightly going from 62 for 2 to 78 for 6, but MT Sarfraz (14no) held his nerve to seal the two wicket win off the first ball of the last over.

At Mechelen, Malta clinched 9th place with a thrilling 3-run win against Sweden in a contest reduced to 12 overs per side due to rain. Justin Brooke top scored with 36 from 28 balls (2 fours, 1 six) in a Malta total of 95 for 4 in 12 overs.

In reply, opener Bilal Zaigham anchored the innings with 31 from 30 balls, and looked to be taking his team to victory, until a leaping, one handed catch on the boundary by Michael Caruana turned the game.

Maltese skipper Andrew Naudi bowled the final over, off which Sweden required seven to win, with three wickets remaining. He bowled Hassan Zaigham from the first delivery, and Aman Zahid from the fourth, to leave five runs needed from the last two. They could only manage a leg bye, to leave Malta winners by three runs.

It didn’t get any better for Sweden in the afternoon game, as they lost to Cyprus by 78 runs, to finish in 11th position. Nimal Durayalage top scored with 56 from just 33 balls (6 fours, 1 six), after Cyprus had been given a great start by Syed Hussain. He scored 49 from 27 deliveries (3 fours, 4 sixes), dominating an opening stand of 65 with his captain Michalis Kyriacou.

Dineja Agathocleous (29) gave the innings a further late boost as Cyprus finished on 199 for 8. Ewan Prezens (3-6) and Azam Mohammed (3-43) were best with the ball for Sweden.

Bilal Zaigham (32) was again his team’s top scorer, and Azam Khalil made 27, but they were never really in the hunt. Their innings finished on 121 all out with 3.4 overs unused. Yasir Nazir (3-16), and Babar Ayub (3-21) both caused the Swedish batsmen problems.

The Cypriot bowlers were backed up by their fielders, and in particular, Stelios Michaelides, who took no fewer than five catches on the boundary.


Brief scores:

At Royal Brussels (Final): Belgium 188-7, 20 overs (Nirvam Shah 58, Amir Iqbal 40; Satyam Subhash 3-35)
Austria 115, 17.5 overs (Andrew Simpson-Parker 48; Faisal Khaliq 4-11)
Belgium won by 73 runs

At Royal Brussels (3rd-4th Place): Isle of Man 155-4, 19 overs (Oliver Webster 68)
Portugal 142-9, 19 overs (Nadeem Butt 53)
Isle of Man won by 13 runs

At Mariakerke, Ghent (5th-6th Place): Spain 141-8, 20 overs
Hellas 106-9, 20 overs (Mohib Hussein 3-13)
Spain won by 35 runs

At Mariakerke, Ghent (7th-8th Place): Luxembourg 101-9, 20 overs (Madhu Bhandari 3-18)
Finland 104-8, 19.1 overs
Finland won by 2 wickets

At Hombeek, Mechelen (9th-11th Place): Malta 95-4, 12 overs (Justin Brooke 36)
Sweden 92-9, 12 overs (Andrew Naudi 4-9)
Malta won by 3 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen (9th-11th Place): Cyprus 199-7, 20 overs (Nimal Duralanga 56, Syed Hussain 49; Azam Mohammed 3-42)
Sweden 121, 16.2 overs
Cyprus won by 78 runs


ICC European Division 2 Final Placings

1 Belgium
2 Austria
3 Isle of Man
4 Portugal
5 Spain
6 Hellas
7 Finland
8 Luxembourg
9 Malta
10 Cyprus
11 Sweden
 


 

Austria shock Isle of Man to reach final

Belgium overpower Portugal thanks to Butt

Austria and Belgium remain on pathway to ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012


Austria shocked favourites Isle of Man to record a six wicket win in their play-off game at Royal Brussels.

Having won the toss and elected to field, Austria fully justified their decision with a quite amazing start to the game. Gareth Morris and Oliver Webster both perished in identical fashion during the opening over, caught by Andrew Simpson-Parker at first slip - Muhammad Akhtar the successful bowler.

Things got even worse for the Isle of Man, when Peter Lewis slipped and was brilliantly run out by Qamar Abbas. Jaco Jansen was brilliantly caught by Benjamin Loader on the boundary, as he sprinted and dived full length to take the ball inches from the ground. Ahktar claimed his fourth wicket, when he trapped Max Stokoe in front, to give him the quite amazing analysis of 4 for 5 in his spell.

Daniel Hawke fell first ball, Simpson-Parker claiming his third catch off Satish Kaul, and the scoreboard at that time read a scarcely believable 6 for 6. Indeed it got worse for the Manxmen when Daniel Kniveton was run out backing up, after the bowler deflected the ball onto the stumps.

That made the total 10 for 7, and it looked like it could a very early finish. Their innings was given respectability by an 8th wicket partnership of 75 in 65 balls between Christopher Hawke and skipper Richard Kniveton.

Hawke benefited from a drop on the boundary by Benjamin Loader when he had scored 20, which was pushed over the ropes for six. He went on to score 58 from 47 balls (8 fours, 1 six), before being last man out with the score on 94. Satish Kaul (2-11) and Satyam Subhash (2-20) also bowled well in addition to Akhtar.

Sometimes a low total can be difficult to chase, but that didn’t prove the case for Austria, thanks primarily to the efforts of opener Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige, who played some delightful shots in his 43 from 31 balls (6 fours, 1 six). Andrew Simpson-Parker sealed the six wicket win in style, smashing a quite magnificent straight six, to spark off jubilant scenes amongst the Austrian camp.

The win means they are promoted to ICC European Division 1, and will take part in that tournament next month in the Channel Islands. They now play Belgium in the final at Royal Brussels tomorrow, where once again the underdogs will be hoping to defeat the fancied hosts

Belgium overpowered Portugal in Ghent on Friday morning to ease their way into Saturday’s final, and to make sure of a place in next month’s ICC European Division 1 Championship.

Portuguese captain Akbar Saiyad gambled on the success of his bowlers by putting the hosts in after he had won the toss, but the plan misfired as openers Nirvam Shah and Amir Iqbal put on 51 for the first wicket in just 38 deliveries.

Iqbal was eventually caught behind by Rizwan Khaliq off the bowling of Muhammad Shoaib for 27, but Shah and Jamie Farmiloe maintained the pressure, adding 70 from 44 balls, Shah reaching 69 before he was caught by Abu Butt off Babar Khan.

Three interruptions for rain did nothing to disrupt the momentum of the Belgian innings, and Portugal were to have no further success as Farmiloe and Shaheryar Butt plundered 115 from the final 45 deliveries to reach the highest total of the week so far – a massive 236 for two from twenty overs.

Butt’s 73 from 27 balls was one of the outstanding innings of the tournament, and included five fours and five sixes. Farmiloe gave him splendid support, making 40 off 26 deliveries and producing some extremely enterprising running between the wickets.

Portugal had no answer to the pace and accuracy of the Belgian opening bowlers, Shahid Muhammad and 19-year-old left-armer Waqas Shafiq taking seven wickets between them in their eight overs. Shafiq struck the first blows by removing Abu Butt and Shahzad Hassan with successive deliveries in his opening over, and went on to take four for 25, while Shahid claimed three for 26.

Only Nadeem Butt (18) and Zafar Ali (17) were able to handle the bowling with any confidence, and by the time the two Belgians had completed their spells Portugal were in desperate trouble on 52 for seven.

There was a little more resistance in the later stages of the innings, but only Intesab Medhi and last man Muhammad Shoaib were able to reach double figures as Portugal were bundled out for 91 in 17.1 overs, giving Belgium a 145-run margin of victory.

In the first match of the triangular play-off series for 9th to 11th places, Malta struck the first blow with a 39-run win over Cyprus in Mechelen, despite a fine all-round effort from Cypriot captain Mike Kyriacou.

The Maltese total of 158 for eight was built around an innings of 62 from Andrew Naudi, with Kyriacou taking three for 22.

Cyprus then collapsed to 49 for nine in their first ten overs, before Kyriacou led a fight back with an unbeaten 72. But it was not enough, and he eventually ran out of partners with the total on 119. Naudi took three for 23 for Malta, and Mike Caruana four for 16 to engineer the Cypriot collapse.


Brief scores (from morning games):

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Belgium 236-2, 20 overs (Shaheryar Butt 73, Nirvam Shah 69, Jamie Farmiloe 40)
Portugal 91, 17.1 overs (Waqas Shafiq 4-25, Shahid Muhammad 3-26)
Belgium won by 145 runs

At Royal Brussels: Isle of Man 94, 19 overs (Christopher Hawke 58; Muhammad Akhtar 4-5)
Austria 96-4, 13.1 overs (Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige 43)
Austria won by 6 wickets

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Malta 158-8, 20 overs (Andrew Naudi 68; Michalis Kyriacou 3-22)
Cyprus 119, 17.2 overs (M Kyriacou 72no; Andrew Naudi 3-23, Michael Caruana 4-16)
Malta won by 39 runs

Tomorrow’s fixtures:
Play offs & Final
25 June; Isle of Man v Portugal (3rd/4th play-off), Royal Brussels (1030); 5th/6th play-off, Ghent (1030); Sweden v Malta (9th/11th play-off), Mechelen (1030); Austria v Belgium (Final 1st/2nd) , Royal Brussels (1430); 7th/8th play-off, Ghent (1430); Sweden v Cyprus (9th/11th play-off), Mechelen (1430)
 


 

Belgium and Isle of Man top their respective groups

Rizwan Khaliq secures second place for Portugal


The most exciting game of the day came at Ghent, where Austria edged out Spain in Group B, by virtue of their point gained in a tied game with Hellas. They went into the game level on points with Spain, but knew they needed a positive result given their vastly inferior net run rate in comparison with the Iberian side.

It looked like rain might give them that point, but eventually the skies cleared to enable a 15 overs per side contest. Austria batted first and made 116 for 8, with Amar Naeem top scoring with 55 from 44 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes). He shared in a 3rd wicket stand of 52 with Satyam Subhash (21). Best with the ball for Hellas were Spyridon Goustis (2-15) and Stamatos Giourgas (2-21).

In reply, it was nip and tuck all the way, as Hellas recovered from the loss of early wickets to look poised for a win, thanks to a stand of 52 between Iordanis Kontarinis (42) and Stavros Nikitaris (16).

With 7 needed off the last over, Hellas came agonizingly close, with Goustis run out coming back for the 3rd run which would have won the game. Nandeep Soggi (2-13) and Satish Kaul (2-18) both bowled well for Austria who now take on the Isle of Man at Brussels tomorrow.

Portugal won a rain affected contest against Cyprus at Mechelen, to edge out Finland in the battle for second place in the group. The final calculations were very tight, as Portugal has a net run-rate of 0.45, compared to -0.31 for Finland after both had finished on five points.

The game itself was somewhat marred by two rain stoppages, firstly when Cyprus were in full flow, at 103 for 5 off 14.5 overs. The stoppage broke their rhythm as they had scored 34 from the last 11 balls before the rain came, while only managing 13 from 13 balls when play restarted.

Nimal Durayalage smashed three sixes and two fours in his 33 from 16 balls. Cypriot openers Syed Hussain (31), and Andrew Mulkern (21) shared an opening stand of 59 in 64 balls, to lay the foundations for a late assault.

Zafar Ali (3-22) was the pick of the Portugal bowlers, although Muhammad Shoaib must be commended for his economy rate, conceding just 15 runs in his four overs spell.

Any nerves Portugal had chasing a revised DL target of 124 in 17 overs were soon soothed by skipper Nadeem Butt smashing 20 from the first over bowled by his Cypriot counterpart Michalis Kyriacou. Abu Butt (0), went quickly, and the skipper followed soon after to leave the game in the balance at 39 for 2.

The crucial phase of the game came when Rizwan Khaliq was dropped twice when he had scored only 5 and 9. He proceeded to score a match winning 53 not out from just 32 balls, which included 7 fours and 2 sixes.

Portugal had reached 86 for 4 off 9.2 overs when another heavy downpour meant no further play was possible. Their margin of victory being 20 runs (D/L method).

Portugal will now face hosts Belgium, who earned their fifth consecutive win by beating Malta by 118 runs in a 19 overs per side game at Royal Brussels.

Batting first Belgium racked up an imposing total of 194 for 6, with teenager Jamie Farmiloe anchoring the innings, top scoring with 63 which included 4 fours and a six from 52 balls.
He was well supported by Shaheryar Butt (45) and Simon Newport (43). Simon Newport provided some late impetus scoring his 43 from just 18 balls (3 sixes, 3 fours).

Isle of Man completed the group stages unbeaten, but only just after being pushed all the way by Portugal – just nine runs separating the sides at the end.

Gareth Morris went early for just four, and when Oliver Webster followed soon after, an upset looked a distinct possibility. Max Stokoe however held firm, and he made a run a ball 59 which included three boundaries. He shared in a stand of 68 with Peter Lewis (29), and helped by 18 wides, Isle of Man finished on 142 for 8. Babar Khan (3-31) the most successful bowler.

In reply, Portugal made a sedate start, and looked to have no chance when the run rate climbed to above double figures. That changed however when Zafar Ali came to the crease – he smashed 5 sixes and a four as he raced to 38 from just 17 balls, before falling to Jaco Jansen.

Daniel Hawke (3-20), and Arne van Den Berg (2-19) both bowled well, as Portugal fell at the final hurdle.

Rain played a major role in the game between Luxembourg and Finland at Kampong. Batting first, a well disciplined Finland bowling unit restricted Luxembourg to 86 for 8 in 17 overs, with Sebastian Finch making a top score of 17.

Rain meant that Finland would need 70 in 13 overs in reply, and that proved no trouble as they coasted to the easiest of 9 wicket wins with two overs to spare. Michael Shaw (22*) and Roholah Sadiqui (15) added 40 for the first wicket, while skipper Jonathan Scamans (17no), eased his team over the line.

The Austria versus Sweden game was a thrilling encounter, with the Austrians claiming a one wicket win as they chased down Sweden’s 154 for 6. Sunny Sharma (83) and Bilal Zaigham (35) shared an opening stand of 106 for Sweden.

Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige hit 47 from just 33 balls (8 fours) to get the Austrian innings off to a brisk start, but two wickets apiece from Khalil and Khawaja pegged them right back. Andrew Simpson-Parker (29) and Erwin Grasinger (23) got them close, before a late wobble.

Needing four for victory, they lost two wickets in quick succession, before Satish Kaul held his nerve to score the winning runs off the last delivery of the game, to spark off scenes of great celebration from his team-mates.

Belgium won the top of the table clash at Royal Brussels, beating Spain by 26 runs, in a result which would ultimately dash Spanish hopes of promotion.

Belgium produced yet another solid batting display in posting 169 for 6, with Sherez Sheikh making 38, and Shaheryar Butt 30. Skipper Andre Wagener chipped in with a quickfire 37 from just 27 balls (5 fours, 1 six), and that late surge was to prove crucial, Farhat Mahmood with 3 for 35 was the pick of the Spanish bowlers.

In reply, Spain were always up against the run rate, despite useful innings from James Morgan (27) and Muhammad Shafique (25). Talat Nadeem Ali offered some late resistance, hitting three sixes in his 26, before being the last man dismissed. Amir Iqbal had the excellent analysis of 4 for 29, while Andre Wagener completed a fine all-round performance by claiming 3 for 24.


Brief scores (from morning games):

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Sweden 154-6, 20 overs (Sunny Shama 83)
Austria 155-9, 20 overs (Lakmal Kasturiarachchige)
Austria won by 1 wicket

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Austria 116-8, 15 overs
Hellas 116-7, 15 overs
Match tied

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Isle of Man 142-8, 20 overs (Max Stokoe 59; Babar Khan 3-31)
Portugal 133-9, 18.3 overs (Zafar Ali 38; Daniel Hawke 3-20)
Isle of Man won by 9 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Cyprus 115-6, 17 overs (Zafar Ali 3-22)
Portugal 86-4, 9.2 overs (Rizwan Khaliq 53no)
Portugal won by 20 runs (D/L)

At Maarschalkerweerd, Utrecht: Luxembourg 86-8, 17 overs
Finland 70-1, 11 overs
Finland won by 9 wickets (D/L)

At Royal Brussels: Belgium 169, 20 overs (Sheraz Sheikh 38, Andre Wagener 37; Farhat Mahmood 3-35)
Spain 143, 18.2 overs (Amir Iqbal 4-29, Andre Wagener 37)
Belgium won by 26 runs

At Royal Brussels: Belgium 194-6, 19 overs (Jamie Farmiloe 63, Shaheryar Butt 45, Simon Newport 43)
Malta 76-4, 19 overs
Belgium won by 118 runs


ICC European Division 2 Championship table (as of 23 June 2011)

Group A

Rank Team             P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Isle of Man          4 4 0 0 0     8 +4.48
2 Portugal              4 2 1 0 1     5 +0.45
3 Finland                4 2 1 0 1     5 -0.31
4 Luxembourg        4 1 3 0 0     2 -1.64
5 Cyprus                4 0 4 0 0      0 -3.57


Group B

Rank Team             P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Belgium               5 5 0 0 0     10 +2.43
2 Austria                5 3 0 1 0       7 +0.25
3 Spain                  5 3 2 0 0       6 +2.12
4 Hellas                  5 1 2 1 1      4 -0.10
5 Sweden              5 1 3 0 1       3 -0.83
6 Malta                  5 0 5 0 0       0 -5.90


Tomorrow’s fixtures:

Cross over semis, play offs & Final

24 June; Isle of Man (A1) v Austria (B2), Royal Brussels (1030); Portugal (A2) v Belgium (B1), Ghent (1030); Cyprus (A5) v Malta (B6), Mechelen (1030); Finland (A3) v Hellas (B4), Royal Brussels (1530); Luxembourg (A4) v Spain (B3), Ghent (1530)

25 June; 3rd/4th play-off, Royal Brussels (1030); 5th/6th play-off, Ghent (1030); Sweden (B5) v Malta (B6), Mechelen (1030); Final 1st/2nd, Royal Brussels (1430); 7th/8th play-off, Ghent (1430); Sweden (B5) v Cyprus (A5), Mechelen (1430)


 


Shafique Ali's fifty drives Spain to third victory

Luxembourg record first win thanks to Desai and Gandhi


Spain kept their qualification hopes very much alive when they timed a potentially difficult run chase to perfection to defeat Hellas by seven wickets at Mechelen.

A slow start from Hellas meant they were always on the back foot, and it took a late surge from Georgios-Chry Stogiannos to take their total up to 142 for 6. The belligerent right hander scored 45 from just 21 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes).

The early wickets of Mehmood Ahmed and Anastasios Manousis, both without scoring, meant Hellas required a period of consolidation. That was provided by Andreas Koutsoufis (26), Oliver Hutton (25), and Stavros Nikitaris (29).

In reply, Hellas were given an early boost by the run out of Sajad Ali, but a second wicket partnership of 65 between James Morgan (22) ans Shafique Ali settled the nerves. Shafique Ali scored exactly 50 from 34 balls (4 sixes, 4 fours), before being well caught on the deep midwicket boundary by Iordanis Kontarinis off the bowling of Mehmood Ahmed.

Tanveer Iqbal then proceeded to blast Hellas out of the game, hitting five sixes, two of which sailed out of the ground, to finish unbeaten on 39, as the win was secured with 15 balls remaining.

Spain now take on Belgium tomorrow at Royal Brussels, in a crucial game which will go a long way to decide on who tops the group.

In the bottom of the table clash at Royal Brussels in Group A, Luxembourg defeated Cyprus by 41 runs (D/L) to earn their first win of the competition. An unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 101 between Taral Desai and Nishith Gandhi was the bedrock of their victory. Desai top scored with 56 from just 42 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes), while Gandhi made his unbeaten 29 from 25 balls.

Luxembourg captain William Heath had earlier made 31 from 23 balls, having come in when early wickets fell. Babar Ayub (1-22), Michalis Kyriacou (1-23), and Yasir Nazir (1-27), were the wicket takers for Cyprus as Luxembourg scored 141 for 3 in 18 overs – two overs being lost due to a rain shower.

On the resumption, the Duckworth Lewis target for Cyprus was 143 in 17 overs, but in reality they were never in serious contention. That was due to the bowling of Piran Merkl (3-14), and Taral Desai (2-16) who blew away the Cyriots top order, reducing them to 36 for 5. A middle order rally saw them to a respectable total of 101 for 7, with Yasir Nazir scoring (26no), and Nimal Durayalage 23.

Malta’s batting woes continued at Ghent, when they were skittled for just 48 runs in 18.5 overs by Sweden. Only wicket-keeper John Grima, batting at number ten, managed double figures, as they had no answer to the accurate and penetrative Swedish attack. Usman Azim (4-14), and Azam Mohammad (2-12) claimed the bowling honours in their comprehensive victory.

Earlier, a consistent batting display, which saw six of the seven batsmen score double figures, saw Sweden post 160 for 5. Sunny Sharma (29) and Bilal Zaigham (28) shared an opening partnership of 54, while Piyal Rahman (37no) and Christopher Tebbutt (29) added 41.

Andrew Naudi and Michael Caruana each took two wickets, while Ronnie Sacco (1-26) also bowled well.

Malta finish the group stage with a game against hosts Belgium, while Sweden take on Austria.


Brief scores (from afternoon games):

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Sweden 160-5, 20 overs (Piyal Rehman 37no)
Malta 48, 18.5 overs (Usman Azim 4-14)
Sweden won by 112 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Hellas 142-6, 20 overs (Georgios-Chry Stogiannos 45)
Spain 146-3, 9.4 overs (Muhammad Shafique Ali 50, Tanveer Iqbal 39no)
Spain won by 7 wickets

At Royal Brussels: Luxembourg 141-3, 18 overs (Taral Desai 56no)
Cyprus 101-7, 17 overs (Piran Merkl 3-14)
Luxembourg won by 41 runs (D/L)


ICC European Division 2 Championship table (as of 22 June 2011)

Group A

Rank Team         P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Isle of Man      3 3 0 0  0      6 +5.96
2 Portugal          2 1 0 0  1      3 +0.55
3 Finland            3 1 1 0  1      3 -0.82
4 Luxembourg    3 1 2 0  0      2 -1.73
5 Cyprus            3 0 3 0  0       0 -3.80


Group B

Rank Team         P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Spain              4 3 1 0  0       6 +3.01
2 Belgium           3 3 0 0  0      6 +1.61
3 Austria            3 2 1 0  0      4 +0.37
4 Sweden          4 1 2 0  1       3 +1.13
5 Hellas             4 1 2 0  1       3 -0.13
6 Malta              4 0 4 0  0       0 -5.81


Tomorrow’s fixtures: Group A, Portugal v Isle of Man, Mechelen (1030); Luxembourg v Finland, Kampong (1030); Portugal v Cyprus, Mechelen (1530)

Group B, Austria v Sweden, Ghent (1030); Belgium v Spain, Royal Brussels (1030); Austria v Hellas, Ghent (1030); Belgium v Malta, Royal Brussels (1530)

 

 

Belgium remain unbeaten after victory over Hellas

Kasthuriarachchige in strong all-round performance for Austria


Belgium retained their unbeaten record in Group B on Wednesday morning with a seven-wicket victory over Hellas, largely thanks to an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 67 between opener Nirvam Shah and Shahreyar Butt.

The Greek side had set a fairly testing target of 150, although the tournament hosts had done well to haul their way back after a rather higher total had seemed on the cards at one stage. Anastasios Manousis (37 from 32 balls) and Andreas Koutsoufis (34 from 24) had given their side a good start, and they were well placed at 72 for three at the half-way stage.

But their cause was not helped by three run-outs, and with leg-spinner Amir Iqbal bowling a fine spell to take two for 22 in his four overs and Abdul Rehman conceding just 17 in three, Belgium were able to restrict the scoring rate well in the third quarter. Captain Stavros Nikitaras struck a couple of fine blows towards the end, and Hellas finished on 149 for nine.

Amir Iqbal then started at a gallop when the hosts replied, striking five boundaries in the first two overs, and by the time he was bowled by Manousis for a 26-ball 33 the total had reached 55 from just 41 deliveries.

A bizarre incident followed, when Sheraz Sheikh was given run out, only to be called back because the keeper had not had the ball in his glove when he broke the wicket. So Sheikh returned, only to depart three balls later when he fell to a magnificent catch by Koutsoufis at forward square leg.

Shah continued, however, first in partnership with Simon Newport, and then with Butt. Accumulating steadily, Shah made 43 from 46 deliveries with four boundaries, while Butt characteristically went onto the attack, hitting two sixes and six fours as he reached a 22-ball 45.

In the other Group B match, Austria maintained their pressure on the leaders with a comfortable 80-run win over Malta in Ghent.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Austrians made 171`for seven, with opener Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige smashing 22 from just 14 deliveries, and Amandeep Amandeep making a 38-ball 40. hen Qamar Abbas hit 29 from 19 balls, with five fours, and Ben Loader 30 from 21 as Austria piled on the agony in the closing overs.

Nowell Khosla was the most economical of the Maltese bowlers, conceding just 25 runs from his four overs, while Andrew Naudi took three for 26 from three. Malta reached 23 before losing their first wicket, but they were unable to score at a rate which gave them a real chance of reaching their target, and as wickets began to fall the gap steadily widened.

In the morning Group A match, Portugal and Finland only managed 6 overs before the rain came down and the match was abandoned.


Brief scores (from morning games):

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Austria 171-7, 20 overs (Aman Deep 40; Andrew Naudi 3-26)
Malta 91-8, 20 overs (Lakmal Kasthuriarachchige 3-20)
Austria won by 80 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Hellas 149-9, 20 overs (Anastasios Manousis 37)
Belgium 150-3, 18.3 overs (Shaheryar Butt 45no, Nirvam Shah 43)
Belgium won by 7 wickets

At Royal Brussels: Portugal 26-2, 6 overs v Finland
Match Abandoned


Tomorrow’s fixtures: Group A, Portugal v Isle of Man, Mechelen (1030); Luxembourg v Finland, Kampong, The Netherlands (1030); Portugal v Cyprus, Mechelen (1530)

Group B, Austria v Sweden, Ghent (1030); Belgium v Spain, Royal Brussels (1030); Austria v Hellas, Ghent (1030); Belgium v Malta, Royal Brussels (1530)
 


 

Isle of Man take control of Group A with third straight win

Austria pull off stunning run chase to defeat Spain


Isle of Man made it three wins out of three to assume control in Group A when they recorded a comprehensive nine wicket win against Finland at Royal Brussels.

A thoroughly professional performance in the field restricted the Finns to just 87 all out in 17.2 overs, with only Bilal Khan (26) reaching double figures. All six Isle of Man bowlers shared the wickets, with Ross Berry claiming 4 for 14. Jaco Jansen taking 2 for 9, but his championship tally of five is still well short of his colleague Arne van der Berg, who has 9 wickets, at an incredible economy rate of just 3.11.

A target of 88 was never likely to prove difficult for the powerful Isle of Man batting line up, and so it turned out, as they lost just the one wicket. Gareth Morris was the batsman dismissed, bowled for 26, which included 3 fours and 2 sixes. He is now the leading run scorer in the competition, with 262 runs at an amazing average of 131, and a quite incredible strike rate of 225.86.

Fellow opener Max Stokoe scored 29 not out from 41 balls (2 fours), as he shared in an unbroken second wicket partnership of 56 with Oliver Webster (27not out). Webster’s innings contained 3 fours and a six, and came from 24 balls.

Austria pulled off a stunning run chase to defeat Spain by six wickets at Mechelen. Chasing what appeared an unlikely 216, the victory was set up by a second wicket partnership of 123 between Amar Naeem and Qamar Abbas. Naeem top scored with 73 from just 39 balls (7 fours, 6 sixes), while Qamar Abbas scored 69 from 38 deliveries (7 fours, 5 sixes).

Both were dismissed by Armaghan Khan (2-35), but Andrew Simpson-Parker (20), and Satyam Subhash (17no) settled the nerves and pulled off a quite remarkable run chase with just a ball remaining.

Earlier Spanish captain James Morgan had been the mainstay of his side’s innings, as he raced to 71 from just 36 balls, which included 6 sixes and 3 fours. Boundaries were indeed a feature of the game – in total 28 sixes and 27 fours were scored, both sides favouring the shortish straight boundaries.

Shafique Ali scored a rapid 42 from 19 deliveries (2 fours, 4 sixes), while Tanvir Iqbal chipped in with 36 from just 20 balls at the end. Three Austrian bowlers took two wickets apiece, namely Subhash, Kasthuriarachchige, and Asif.

The Belgium versus Sweden game at Ghent was another high scoring affair, as the Swedes failed narrowly to chase down Belgium’s 196 for 8.

Opener Amir Iqbal anchored the Belgian innings, scoring 74 from 75 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes), while Abdul Rehman scored 29 from just 18 balls. Azam Khalil was the most successful of the Swedish attack, claiming 2 for 39.

In reply, Sweden were always in contention thanks to a 126-partnership between Sanaullah Habibzai and Bilal Zaigham. Habibzai top scored with 78 from 52 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes), while Zaigham scored his 55, taking 51 deliveries. Belgian skipper Andre Wagener (2-42) and Abdul Rehman (2-36) took wickets at vital times, as Sweden faltered finishing 22 runs short.

There were comprehensive victories for the Isle of Man over Cyprus in Group A, and for Spain over Malta in Group B in the morning games.

In Ghent, Isle of Man opener Gareth Morris followed up his 95 yesterday with a magnificent unbeaten 141, made from just 62 balls with ten fours and ten sixes, which took his side to an imposing total of 224 for four. He shared in a second-wicket partnership of 76 with Oliver Webster, who made a 24-ball 38.

Syed Hussain was the only bowler of note for Cyprus, taking three for 30 in his four overs.

In reply, Cyprus were never really in contention, being dismissed for 74 in 17.1 overs. Arne van den Berg was again among the wickets taking four for 15, while Jaco Jansen claimed three for 6 as the Isle of Man ran out winners by 170 runs.
Portugal took the honours in the Group A clash with Luxembourg at Royal Brussels, but the match went all the way to the last of the scheduled overs before a six by Zafar Ali settled the issue.

Zafar shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 55 off 56 deliveries with Intesab Medhi, which took the Portugese to within three runs of their target. Zafar finished with 41 from just 18 deliveries, with three fours and three sixes, while Medhi made 32 from 31 balls.

Luxembourg, defending a total of 139 for three to which Taral Desai’s 34-ball 59 not out, including four fours and three sixes, were ahead of the game for much of the Portuguese innings, and it was only in the final four overs that a flurry of runs saw Portugal home.

Wayne Codd, with one for 24, and Pirin Merkl (two for 19) bowled economical spells, but in the end it was Zafar’s blitz which gave Portugal the final word.

The Luxembourg innings had followed a similar course, Anand Pattabiraman and Joost Mees getting them off to a steady start with an opening stand of 44. The Portuguese attack kept things under control until Desai cut loose, with Muhammad Shoaib and Medhi the most economical.

The game between Spain and Malta in Mechelen was even more one-sided, as the Maltese could manage only 30 in 9.4 overs in response to Spain’s total of 215 for eight.

Top-scorer for Spain was opener Shafique Ali with 72 from just 39 balls, including nine fours and four sixes. He and his opening partner Sajad Ali (21) put on 60 for the first wicket, and then skipper James Morgan helped add another 51 for the second.

The real fireworks, however, came towards the end, as Mark Spencer smashed 46 from 15 deliveries, including five sixes, before he was forced to retire hurt. Ronnie Sacco with three for 24 and captain Andrew Lenard with two for 42 were the main wicket-takers.

Malta lost two wickets in the first over and swiftly collapsed to 8 for five and 15 for eight before the last two partnerships doubled the total. Talat Ali took five for 13 for Spain, and Tanvir Iqbal three for two.


Brief scores:

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Isle of Man 224-4, 20 overs (Gareth Morris 141no, Oliver Webster 38; Syed Hussain 3-30)
Cyprus 74, 17.1 overs (Arne van den Berg 4-15, Jaco Jansen 3-6)
Isle of Man won by 150 runs

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Belgium 196-8, 20 overs (Amir Iqbal 74)
Sweden 174-6, 20 overs (Sanaullah Habibzai 78, Bilal Zaigham 55)
Belgium won by 22 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Spain 215-8, 20 overs (Shafique Ali 72, Mark Spencer 46 retired; Ronnie Saco 3-24)
Malta 30, 9.4 overs (Talat Ali 5-13, Tanvir Iqbal 3-2)
Spain won by 185 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Spain 215-6, 20 overs (James Morgan 71, Shafique Ali 42, Tanvir Iqbal 36)
Austria 216-4, 19.5 overs (Amar Naeem 73, Qamar Abbas 69)
Austria won by 6 wickets

At Royal Brussels: Luxembourg 139-3, 20 overs (Taral Desai 59no)
Portugal 145-5, 19.2 overs (Zafar Ali 41no)
Portugal won by 5 wickets

At Royal Brussels: Finland 87, 17.2 overs (Ross Berry 4-14)
Isle of Man 88-1, 12.5 overs
Isle of Man won by 9 wickets


ICC European Division 2 Championship table (as of 21 June 2011)

Group A

Rank Team            P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Isle of Man         3 3 0 0 0     6 +5.96
2 Portugal             1 1 0 0 0     2 +0.55
3 Finland               2 1 1 0 0     2 -0.82
4 Luxembourg       2 0 2 0 0     0 -3.60
5 Cyprus                2 0 2 0 0     0 -4.42


Group B

Rank Team           P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Spain                3 2 1 0 0      4 +3.56
2 Belgium             2 2 0 0 0     4 +2.05
3 Hellas                2 1 0 0 1     3 +3.00
4 Austria              2 1 1 0 0     2 -1.44
5 Sweden            3 0 2 0 1     1 -1.26
6 Malta                2 0 2 0 0     0 -7.17
 


 

Home team Belgium starts with convincing win over Austria

James Morgan scores 70 for Spain in clash against recently promoted Sweden

Tournament hosts Belgium began their campaign in style with a relatively comfortable 60 win run win against Austria at Mechelen in Group B.

An opening partnership of 69 between Nirvam Shah (40) and Amir Iqbal (25), laying the foundation for their total of 183 for 6. Abdul Rehman smashed an amazing 8 sixes as he raced to 58 from just 18 balls, sharing in a match winning stand of 82 with Nadeem Khan (20no). Satyam Subash removed three of the Belgian top order to finish with the excellent analysis of 3 for 26.

In reply, Belgian opening bowler Waqas Shafiq dismissed three of the top order to reduce Austria to 28 for 4, and virtually seal the contest. Benjamin Loader played some delightful shots in a spirited half century from 46 balls (6 fours, 1 six), as he shared in a stand of 58 for the 6th wicket with Satyam Subash (26). In the end, Austria finished on 123 for 8, with Amir Iqbal (2-16) the other bowler of note.

Spain took the honours in their opening Group B match against promoted side Sweden in Ghent, who nevertheless made a promising debut at this level.

An unbeaten 54 by captain Piyal Rahman enabled Sweden to reach 141 for five after Bilal Zaigham and Sunny Sharma had put on an opening stand of 40. Farhat Mahmood finished with three for 25.

Hassan Zaigham then struck a couple of early blows when Spain replied, but a superb 44-ball 70 from James Morgan swung the game Spain’s way. By the time he was fifth man out only five were needed for victory, and the Spanish, too, had 16 balls to spare as they reached their target without further loss.

In the other Group B match, in Mechelen, the Hellas batsmen, given first use of the crease, set a cracking pace despite losing Andreas Koutsoufis to the first ball of the match, with Georgios Stogiannos hitting six fours in a 23-ball innings of 36. Iordanis Kontarinis chipped in with 21 from just nine deliveries and the innings closed on 98 for six. Mike Caruana was the pick of the Maltese bowlers with two for 7, and Ronnie Sacco also claimed two wickets.

Malta made a steady start in reply, but in the third over three wickets fell in the space of four deliveries, two of them for George Toulantas and the third a run-out, and the side never really recovered from these reverses. Spinner Mehmood Ahmed took three wickets for 15 for Hellas, and Malta could only manage a disappointing 68 for nine.

The weather was the winner in the Hellas versus Sweden clash at Royal Brussels. Just 8.2 overs were possible with Hellas reaching 53 for 2 before a torrential downpour left the umpires with no option but to abandon the game despite the efforts of the groundstaff. Both sides earn a point apiece from the game.

In Group A, Finland drew first blood with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Cyprus at the Royal Brussels CC.

Put in to bat, Cyprus managed 134 for nine in their twenty overs, with opener Syed Hussain making 24 from 25 deliveries, and Nimal Durayalage picking up the momentum in taking just 10 balls to reach the same score. Ekhpelwak Kuchey did most of the damage for Finland with three for 23.

Michael Shaw and Roholah Sadiqui got the Finns away to a good start, and then skipper Jonathan Scamans (47 not out) and Shabir Sheerzad (32 not out) shared an unbroken stand of 86 for the third wicket which saw their side home with 16 balls to spare.

Isle of Man produced a powerful batting display to record a convincing 125 run win against Luxembourg in Ghent.

They were always in control following an opening partnership of 121 runs in 14 overs between Gareth Morris and Max Stokoe. James Barker removed Stokoe for 42, well caught by Merkl, and immediately number three Oliver Webster fell first ball.

Gareth Morris was particularly severe on anything straying in length or width and his 95 came from just 42 balls. His innings included 8 sixes and 7 fours, and probably deserved a century, before Wayne Codd claimed his wicket. There was no respite for the beleaguered Luxembourg attack, as Jaco Jansen smashed an unbeaten 46 from just 22 balls (6 fours) to take the Isle of Man to a mammoth 200 for 3.

Luxembourg reached 50 for 5, when the rain intervened to give them a new Duckworth Lewis target of 184 in 18 overs. Captain William Heath top scored with 18, while Sebastian Finch and Joost Mees both made 11 in their final total of 58 for 9.


Brief scores:

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Cyprus 134-9, 20 overs (Ekhwelpak Kuchey 3-23)
Finland 135-2, 17.2 overs (Jonathan Scamans 47)
Finland won by eight wickets

At Mariakerke, Ghent: Isle of Man 200-3, 20 overs (Gareth Morris 95, Jaco Jansen 46no, Max Stokoe 42)
Luxembourg 58-9, 18 overs (Arne van den Berg 4-7, Daniel Hawke 3-18)
Isle of Man won by 125 runs D/L

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Hellas 98-6, 10 overs (Georgios-Chry Stogiannos 36)
Malta 68-9, 10 overs (Mehmood Ahmed 3-15)
Hellas won by 30 runs

At Hombeek, Mechelen: Belgium 183-6, 20 overs (Nirvam Shah 40, Abdul Rehman 58; Satyam Subhash 3-26)
Austria 123-8, 20 overs (Benjamin Loader 50; Waqas Shafiq 3-21)
Belgium won by 60 runs

At Royal Brussels: Sweden 141-5, 20 overs (Piyal Rahman 54no; Farhat Mahmood 3-25)
Spain 145-5, 17.2 overs (James Morgan 70)
Spain won by 5 wickets

At Royal Brussels: Hellas 53-3, 8.3 overs v Sweden
Match abandoned


ICC European Division 2 Championship table (as of 20 June 2011)

Group A

Rank Team        P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Isle of Man     1 1  0 0  0     2 +6.94
2 Finland           1 1 0 0 0       2 +1.09
3 Portugal         0 0 0 0 0       0 0.00
4 Cyprus           1 0 1 0 0       0 -1.09
5 Luxembourg  1 0 1 0 0        0 -6.94


Group B

Rank Team       P W L T N/R Pts NRR

1 Hellas           2 1 0 0 1       3 +3.00
2 Belgium        1 1 0 0 0       2 +3.00
3 Spain           1 1 0 0 0       2 +1.32
4 Sweden       2 0 1 0 1       1 -1.32
5 Austria         1 0 1 0 0       0 -3.00
6 Malta           1 0 1 0 0       0 -3.00


Tomorrow’s fixtures: Group A, Portugal v Luxembourg, Royal Brussels (1030); Cyprus v Isle of Man, Ghent (1030); Finland v Isle of Man, Royal Brussels (1530)

Group B, Malta v Spain, Mechelen (1030); Belgium v Sweden, Ghent (1530); Spain v Austria, Mechelen (1530)

 


 

ICC European Division 2 Fixtures announced

Qualifying road to ICC World Twenty20 2012 continues

The ICC European Division 2 Championship begins this month in Belgium, as the eleven teams fight it out for two places to take them one step further along the ICC World Twenty20 qualifying path.

Belgium are welcoming teams from across the continent which include Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Hellas, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Division 3 winner, Sweden and hosts Belgium.

The ICC European Division 2 Championship is a pathway event to the ICC World Twenty20 2012, with the winner and runner-up of this tournament taking their place in the ICC European Division 1 Championship co-hosted by Jersey and Guernsey in July.

The tournament is taking place between the 20-25 June, 2011 at four venues across Belgium; Royal Brussels, Ghent, Mechelen and Ostend.

Host Tournament Organiser, Martin O’Connor has led a fantastic team and is very pleased with the work done in the build up to the tournament, “This is a very large tournament with so many countries participating and one of great importance with two places in the ICC European Division 1 at stake.

“We will expect to see quite a few countries raising their game to a new level and setting a very high competitive standard. Our aim is to provide a platform on which both cricket and players can flourish and hope everyone will enjoy the tournament and the opportunities it offers both on and off the field,” concluded O’Connor.

Fixtures

Group A

20 June; Cyprus v Finland, Ghent (1030); Isle of Man v Luxembourg, Ostend (1030);
21 June; Portugal v Luxembourg, Royal Brussels (1030); Cyprus v Isle of Man, Ghent (1030); Luxembourg v Cyprus, Royal Brussels (1530)
22 June; Finland v Portugal, Royal Brussels (1030); Finland v Isle of Man, Royal Brussels (1530)
23 June; Portugal v Isle of Man, Mechelen (1030); Luxembourg v Finland, Ghent (1030); Portugal v Cyprus, Mechelen (1530)

Group B

20 June; Malta v Hellas, Mechelen (1030); Spain v Sweden, Royal Brussels (1030); Belgium v Austria, Mechelen (1530); Sweden v Hellas, Royal Brussels (1530)
21 June; Malta v Spain, Mechelen (1030); Belgium v Sweden, Ghent (1530); Spain v Austria, Mechelen (1530)
22 June; Malta v Austria, Ghent (1030); Hellas v Belgium, Ostend (1030) Sweden v Malta, Ghent (1530); Hellas v Spain, Ostend (1530)
23 June; Belgium v Spain, Royal Brussels (1030); Austria v Sweden, Ostend (1030); Belgium v Malta, Royal Brussels (1530); Austria v Hellas, Ostend (1530)

Cross over semis, play offs & Final

24 June; A1st v B2nd, Ground TBC (1030); A2nd v B1st, Ground TBC (1030); A5th v B6th, Ground TBC (1030); A3rd v B4th, Ground TBC (1530); A4th v B3rd, Ground TBC (1530)

25 June; 3rd/4th play-off, Royal Brussels (1030); 5th/6th play-off, Ground TBC (1030); B5th v B6th, Ground TBC (1030); Final 1st/2nd, Royal Brussels (1430); 7th/8th play-off, Ground TBC (1430); B5th v A5th, Ground TBC (1430)

For further information on the tournament please visit the ICC European Division 2 Championship website
 



 

Dates for first round of ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13 released

 

The International Cricket Council today announced the dates the for the first round of fixtures for the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13 which features teams from Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The teams that finish the competition in first and second place will go on to play in the Intercontinental Cup final scheduled to be played at the end of 2013.

Dates for ICC Intercontinental Cup first round fixtures:

21-24 Jun – Scotland v Netherlands, Aberdeen

28 Jun-1 Jul – Ireland v Namibia, Stormont

28-31 Jul – Kenya v UAE, venue to be confirmed by host board

2-5 Aug – Canada v Afghanistan, Maple Leaf CC

In addition to the ICC Intercontinental Cup fixtures, a 50-over competition is being played between the eight participating countries with two matches to be played alongside the ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament schedule. The 50-Over matches between the six Associate teams currently with One-Day International status will be classed as ODIs. The first round fixtures for these matches are listed below.

 

Dates for 50-over matches

28 and 29 Jun – Scotland v Netherlands, Aberdeen

4 and 5 Jul – Ireland v Namibia, Stormont

25 and 26 Jul – Kenya v UAE, venue to be confirmed by host board

7 and 9 Aug – Canada v Afghanistan, Toronto SCCC

Dates for the second round of matches will be released in due course.

 

The fixtures and windows for each round of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13 are as follows:

ROUND / WINDOW

HOME

 

AWAY

 

 

 

 

Round 1

Ireland

v

Namibia

Jun/Jul-11

Scotland

v

Netherlands

 

Kenya

v

UAE

 

Canada

v

Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

Round 2

Ireland

v

Canada

Sep/Oct-11

Namibia

v

Scotland

 

Netherlands

v

Kenya

 

Afghanistan

v

UAE

 

 

 

 

Round 3

Afghanistan

v

Netherlands

Mar/Apr-12

UAE

v

Scotland

 

Kenya

v

Ireland

 

Namibia

v

Canada

 

 

 

 

Round 4

Ireland

v

Afghanistan

Jun/Jul-12

Kenya

v

Namibia

 

Scotland

v

Canada

 

Netherlands

v

UAE

 

 

 

 

Round 5

Kenya

v

Canada

Mar/Apr-13

Namibia

v

Netherlands

 

UAE

v

Ireland

 

Afghanistan

v

Scotland

 

 

 

 

Round 6

Canada

v

UAE

Jul/Aug-13

Scotland

v

Kenya

 

Netherlands

v

Ireland

 

Namibia

v

Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

Round 7

Ireland

v

Scotland

Sep/Oct-13

Afghanistan

v

Kenya

 

Canada

v

Netherlands

 

UAE

v

Namibia

 

About ICC Intercontinental Cup

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception seven years ago. The ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.

There will be a total of US$254,000 in prize money for the Associate and Affiliate teams taking part in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13 with US$100,000 for the winners and US$40,000 for the runners-up.

Teams finishing in third and fourth place with receive US$20,000 and US$10,000 respectively while an outright win by any team during the course of the round-robin stage will see it walk away with US$3,000 per match.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event then evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

This year’s format will include eight teams - Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia and United Arab Emirates.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event, Namibia in 2007-08 while in 2009-10 Afghanistan won the competition.

 


 

Sweden book their ticket to Belgium with another commanding win

Turkey and Estonia join battle for second place

Sweden made sure of their place in the ICC European Division Two Championship in commanding fashion at Velden on Friday afternoon, dismissing the Czech Republic for 65 in just 13.3 overs and knocking off the runs in 7.5 overs for the loss of two wickets.

Aman Zahid did the early damage for the Swedes with two wickets in a three-over spell, but it was Azam Khalil with three for 13 and Imran Amjad with four for 15 who ran through the Czech line-up and completed the job.

Estonia were far too well organised for Bulgaria at Valburga, an unbeaten 51-ball 65 from Oliver Slobodetsky seeing them to a comfortable nine-wicket win, while in Velden Turkey also completed their second win of the tournament with a narrower three-wicket victory over the Czech Republic.

Stuart Clarkson top-scored for Bulgaria, making a solid 36 off 48 deliveries. This enabled the side to achieve their highest total of the week, but their 121 for eight was still not enough for their bowlers to put the opposing batsmen under any real pressure. Estonian skipper Tim Heath claimed three for 21 in his four overs, but the key factor was an excellent spell from seamer Kalle Vislapuu, who took three for 26. There were also three catches and a stumping for Estonian keeper Anil Puri.

Slobodetsky and Nand Lal Riar then gave their side a magnificent start with an opening stand of exactly 100, and when Riar was finally bowled by Saif for 46 from 37 deliveries, Heath supported Slobodetsky the big Ukrainian-born opener as he raced to the target with 26 balls to spare.

The other morning match, by contrast, went to the final delivery, when Turkey hit the winning boundary in chasing down a Czech total of 129 for nine.

Vojtech Hasa hit 38 for the Czechs, with two wickets apiece for Mecit Turkmenoglu, Mohammad Razak, Sajjad Haider and Hammad ul Haq. Brigham Smith grabbed two wickets as Turkey were reduced to 27 for three, but then Nabeel Munir and Sajjad Haider added 77 for the fourth wicket to bring their side to within striking distance of their target.

Chris Hampson eventually removed Sajjad for 37, triggering the loss of three further wickets, but Nabeel stood firm, making an unbeaten 39 and hitting a four off the final delivery which ensured the points for Turkey.

Hosts Slovenia recorded their second victory of the championship when they defeated Bulgaria by six wickets at Valburga.
Winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Slovenia's opening bowler Bradley Eve removed both of the Bulgarian openers with just 11 on the board. Vladimir Ruskov and Mohamad Hanif then came together in a partnership of 58 before both were dismissed with the score on 69. It was thanks to Lyubomir Zanev with a rapid 26 not out that Bulgaria were able to reach 107 when their overs ran out. Most successful of the Slovenian bowlers was Primoz Pustoslemsek who took three wickets for just 12 runs in his four overs.
Slovenia began uncertainly in their reply and were soon 25 for three. Mohammad Hanif then removed Pustoslemsek to claim his third victim and leave the home team tottering on 48 for 4. However, opener Mark Oman was still at the crease and, in partnership with Nejc Zupan, saw his team to victory in the final over and without further loss. Oman finished unbeaten on 39, made from 82 balls while Zupan made 24 from 45 balls.
The win leaves Slovenia sharing second place with Estonia and Turkey going into Saturday's final round of matches.



Scores:
Estonia beat Bulgaria by 9 wickets. Valburga, 13 May.
Turkey beat Czech Republic by 4 wickets. Velden, 13 May.
Sweden beat Czech Republic by 8 wickets. Velden, 13 May.
Slovenia beat Bulgaria by 6 wickets. Valburga, 13 May.
ICC European Division 3 Championship Results Table

Team P W NR L Pts NRR
Sweden 4 4 0 0 8 4.60
Slovenia 4 2 0 2 4 0.17
Estonia 4 2 0 2 4 -0.78
Turkey 4 2 0 2 4 -1.86
Bulgaria 4 1 0 3 2 -0.43
Czech Republic 4 1 0 3 2 -0.82


Tomorrow’s fixtures:
14 May
(10.00 am): Bulgaria v Sweden, Valburga
(10.00 am): Estonia v Turkey, Velden
(3.30 pm): Slovenia v Czech Republic, Valburga

 


Squads and fixtures announced for Pepsi ICC WCL Division 7

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the 14-man squads for the six teams - Nigeria, Japan, Norway, Germany, Kuwait and Botswana - participating in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 7 (WCL Div. 7) next month in Botswana.

The top two sides of WCL Div. 7, which will be played from 1 to 8 May, will be promoted to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6.

The tournament will be played on three grounds in Gaborone – Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2 and Lobatse Cricket Ground.

The full squads are as follows:

Botswana: Akrum Chand (captain), Karabo Modise, Omar Ali, Tshepo Mhozya, Mosa Gaolekwe, Segolame Ramatu, Karabo Motlhanka, Waseem Tajbhay, Aslam Chand, Denzil Sequeira, James Moses, Faisal Rana Rasheed, Abdul Patel, Noor Ahmad

Germany: Asif Khan (captain), Rana Javed Iqbal, Rajeev Vohra, Ehsaan Latif, Farooq Ahmed, Srinivas Satyanarayana, Milan Fernando, Kashif Halder, Rishi Pillal, Shakeel Hassan, Tarun Rawat, Andre Leslie, Ashwin Prakash, Khalid Butt

Japan: Masaomi Kobayashi (captain), Munir Ahmed, Gavin Beath, Tatsuro Chino, Patrick Giles-Jones, Takuro Hagihara, Ko Irie, Prashant Kale, Raheel Kano, Naoki Miyaji, Naotsune Miyaji, Satoshi Nakano, Kazuyuki Ogawa, Tomoki Ota

Kuwait: Hisham Mirza (captain), Saud Qamar, Azmatullah Nazeer, Abdullah Akhudzada, Mohammad Murad, Muhammad Akhudzada, Haroon Shahid, Mohammed Naseer, Saad Khalid, Irfan Bhatti, Sabtain Raza, Jagath Rosantha, Midhun Varma Pakalapati, Abid Mushtaq

Norway: Damien Shortis (captain), Iram Dawood, Suhail Iftikhar, Sheraz Khalid, Babar Shahzad, Usman M.Saeed, Ehtsam Ul Haq, Shahid Ahmad, Muhammad Shabbaz Butt, Shahid Mahmood, Muhammad Waseem Gill, Adeel Ibrar, Gulfam Butt, Umran Shahza

Nigeria: Endurance Ofem (captain), Adenkule Adegbola, Ademola Onikoyi, Saheed Akolade, Olalekan Awolowo, Olajide Bejide, Joshua Ogunlola, Akabogu Okwudili, Segun Olayinka, Temitope Olayinka, Oluseye Olympio, Femi Oduyebo, Ramit Gill, Sean Philips

The full schedule for WCL Div. 2 is as follows:

Fixtures

29 April – Team arrivals
30 April – Practice
1 May – Nigeria v Norway (BCA Oval 1); Botswana v Kuwait (BCA Oval 2); Germany v Japan (Lobatse)
2 May – Botswana v Japan (BCA Oval 1); Kuwait v Norway (BCA Oval 2); Nigeria v Germany (Lobatse)
3 May – Rest/Reserve Day
4 May– Botswana v Germany (BCA Oval 1); Norway v Japan (BCA Oval 2); Kuwait v Nigeria (Lobatse)
5 May– Germany v Kuwait (BCA Oval 1); Japan v Nigeria (BCA Oval 2); Botswana v Norway (Lobatse)
6 May – Rest/Reserve Day
7 May – Botswana v Nigeria (BCA Oval 1); Norway v Germany (BCA Oval 2); Japan v Kuwait (Lobatse)
8 May – Final (BCA Oval 1); third/fourth play-off (BCA Oval 2); fifth/sixth play-off (Lobatse)

All games begin at 0915 local time

 


ICC Europe Centre of Excellence begins next week

22 players from 11 European countries attending

Players and country leaders from eleven European countries will travel to the ICC European Centre of Excellence programme next week; as the third performance programme of the spring gets underway in La Manga, Spain.

The Centre of Excellence aims to identify talented young cricketers in Europe and develop the players’ key performance factors which are technical, tactical, mental, and physical and lifestyle. There will be a team of five coaches leading 22 players from 11 countries, and one team leader per country.

The camp will also offer a life experience for all players and leaders, as well developing oppourtunities for country leaders. The programme content consists of batting and bowling workshops and video analysis, fitness testing and training, nets and leadership awareness.  The coaches will also lead Twenty20 match situations and one day format situation.

The coaching team will consist of Chris Porter, ICC European Centre of Excellence Manager; Richard O’Sullivan, ICC European Centre of Excellence Director; and Gareth Dawson of Isle of Man; Gibraltar’s Mark Bacarese and Hershel Gutman of Israel as ICC Europe consultants.

Chris Porter, ICC Regional Development Officer is in great support of the importance of the programme and the effect it has on young developing European cricketers. “The European Centre of Excellence is an important programme within the European Player Pathway System. It offers a great opportunity to the player to develop their skills in a unique environment,” says Porter.

“For 2011 the Centre of Excellence has a great selection of Level 3 coaches attending, who bring a high level of knowledge and understanding. The players have a great opportunity to develop their skills and gain player specific advice from the coaches, whilst enjoying the fantastic facilities that the La Manga Club have to offer,” concludes Porter.

The ICC European Centre of Excellence runs from 14 March - 20 March and has been funded by the Pepsi ICC European Development Programme.

 

The squad and the country leaders are listed below:

Belgium

Robert Sehmi

Belgium

Faisal Khaliq

Belgium Coach

Kumar Manish Mishra

Denmark

    Mads Henriksen

Denmark

Adeel Ahktar

Denmark Coach

Lars Hedegaard

France

Avishka Lyianaarachchi

France

Zika ALI

France Coach

Michael Selig

Germany

   Krishna Cholleti

Germany

Leonard Gerhards

German Coach

Robert Plant

Gibraltar

  Mark Gomez

Gibraltar

Simon Dumas

Gibraltar Coach

Tim Reoch

Ireland

Rory Anders

Ireland

Cameron Shoebridge

Ireland Coach

Andrew Leonard

Isle of Man

Rowan Bird

Isle of Man

Adam McCauley

Isle of Man Coach

Tom Howard

Italy

Alamin Mia

Italy

Jakub Peret

Italy Coach

Stefano Zuddas

Jersey

John Donaldson

Jersey

Dominic Blampied

Jersey Coach

Joe Mayes

Netherlands

   Edward Price

Netherlands

David Pahladsingh

Netherlands Coach

Ollie de Geus

Scotland

Will Edwards

Scotland

Ben Wilkinson

Scotland Coach

Fraser Burnett


 

 

Emerging Players Programme gets underway today in La Manga

European performance programme to get into full swing

 

The ICC Europe Emerging Players Programme begins at La Manga today, for six days until 26 March.

The Emerging Players Programme caters for talented players from around Europe who are performing at a high-level for their age group.

The players will be subjected to high level coaching which will mostly be centered around one to one skill development work.  It is a great opportunity for the selected players from across Europe to develop their cricketing skills further

Emerging Player Programme Manager, ICC Regional Performance Officer, Philip Hudson is excited about the programme. “The EPP has an essential role to play in developing and educating young players from ICC European member countries. It is designed to create a player centered environment, which creates a unique opportunity for the individuals to develop their skill levels, in the three key areas of batting, bowling and fielding.

“We also introduce Strength and Conditioning principles, mental skills training, and aim to increase match awareness through high intensity centre wicket practice.

“The aim of my role as EPP head coach is to develop a programme that allows the players to return to their countries with a greater awareness of their game and further understanding of the development areas they need to work on,” concluded Hudson.

The programme consists of eleven players from eight different countries, supported by a five man coaching squad.

Sair Anjum

Denmark

Martin Pedersen

Denmark

Tarun Rawat

Germany

Kayron Stagno

Gibraltar

Matthew Hunter

Gibraltar

Josh Evans

Israel

Roshendra Abeywickrama

Italy

Luis Di Giglio

Italy

Steven Blackburn

Jersey

Santhos Rathakrishnarajah

Norway

Christian Mills

Spain


 

ESPN Player brings the ICC Cricket World Cup to fans

Exclusive live and on-demand coverage of all 49 matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup in key European markets

ESPN Player, the sports media company’s live and on demand video service throughout Europe, will provide cricket fans with coverage of all 49 matches taking place during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011*. ESPN Player will stream matches – both live and on-demand - throughout the tournament which begun on 19 February until and including the final on 2 April. The service will be available to cricket fans in Europe (except the UK and Ireland).

ESPN is offering several packages to cater for all cricket fans. Users can purchase a tournament pass for €14.99 (Europe). Alternatively, a day pass is available for € 1.99 (Europe).

Sports fans can access the ICC Cricket World Cup coverage on ESPN Player, by visiting: www.espnplayer.com/espnplayer/cricketworldcup

Tom Gleeson, vice president, digital media, ESPN International, said: “Cricket is growing as a global sport, and by delivering live and on demand coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup to fans across Europe and Japan through ESPN Player, we are making good on our mission to serve sports fans around the world. Our coverage on ESPN Player, along with our ESPNcricinfo coverage and newly-launched ESPNcricinfo mobile app all complement each other”

Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, the global production and broadcast partner of International Cricket Council and the global rights holder of ICC events: "We are delighted that ESPNCricinfo will be streaming the ICC Cricket World Cup matches into continental Europe and Japan, building on our recent success with Twenty20 cricket in driving growth and interest in the world