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Durham batsman Mark Stoneman enjoyed another red-letter day against Sussex togive his side a measure of control on the first day of the CountyChampionship Division One match at Hove

31-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Durham batsman Mark Stoneman enjoyed another red-letter day against Sussex togive his side a measure of control on the first day of the CountyChampionship Division One match at Hove.The left-hander has now scored two of his three first-class hundreds againstSussex after making his debut against the county in 2007. He was out six overs before the close for a career-best 128 from 254 balls with 19 fours and a six as Durham closed on 360 for nine, with Callum Thorp unbeaten on 33.It was often hard going for the 24-year-old, who came in in the sixth overafter Michael Di Venuto was caught behind trying to force off the back foot togive James Anyon the first of three wickets. Stoneman had reached 49 at lunch but after completing his half-century in the first over of the afternoon he concentrated on watchful defence, particularly against Monty Panesar, and only added 14 runs in the next 100 minutes while 73 were being added at the other end.He broke free from the shackles briefly by taking 11 when Amjad Khan returnedto the attack and then tucked into the new ball with three boundaries in a rowoff Wayne Parnell and another eight runs in the next over from Khan beforecompleting his hundred with a boundary off Parnell, the 15th of his innings.It was no surprise that Durham opted to bat first on a slowish pitch but theydid not really impose themselves until a fourth-wicket stand either side of teabetween Stoneman and Benkenstein who added 99 in 30 overs, Benkensteincontributing 64 off 99 deliveries with 10 fours.The partnership ended unnecessarily when Stoneman dabbed the ball into theoff-side and set off for a high-risk single. Benkenstein’s momentary hesistationcost him as Murray Goodwin returned the ball accurately with the batsman wellshort of his ground.It was a much-needed breakthrough for Sussex, who struck again two balls laterwhen Ian Blackwell top-edged a sweep to square leg to give off-spinner ChrisNash only his fourth Championship wicket of the season. Anyon, the pick of Sussex’s seam attack, returned with the new ball to have Phil Mustard caught behind and Scott Borthwick taken low down by Luke Wells for a duck four balls later.Stoneman apart, none of the Durham top order had gone on after making decentstarts. Opener Will Smith was well held by the diving Matt Prior at second slip as theEngland wicketkeeper returned to domestic duty to play only his fourthChampionship game of the summer. Paul Collingwood found the boundary twice off the first 33 balls he faced by hitting Anyon through the offside for successive fours.The former England player also pulled Parnell for six but the South Africanleft-armer had his revenge when Collingwood played back and edged to first skip,where skipper Michael Yardy held a juggling catch.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first IPL qualifier, between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo23-May-2011Match factsTuesday, May 24, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Bangalore comfortably won their last encounter against Chennai•Associated PressBig PictureIt began with a last-ball thriller, meandered in the middle, and ended with perhaps the most exciting match of the season. The IPL league phase is over, and though there were some spirited contenders, the four teams who looked strongest from the start are the ones that have progressed.Amid the randomness of the prolonged qualification period Royal Challengers Bangalore have provided some stability. With eight wins in their previous nine games, they are undoubtedly favourites, a concept so vital to most sporting contests, but considered taboo in the IPL. They have earned the tag, and not just through the belligerence of Chris Gayle. S Aravind and Virat Kohli have been consistent, Daniel Vettori has been effective in his unassuming manner, Zaheer Khan has shown glimpses of his abilities and, perhaps, most importantly they’ve been relatively safe with their catching in a tournament plagued by poor fielding.They beat Chennai in their last league game and a similar result in the first qualifier on Tuesday will ensure a berth in the final.Chennai, though, have the opportunity to play some MS Dhoni-endorsed “fearless” cricket, knowing that the lifeline Kolkata’s L Balaji and Mumbai’s Ambati Rayudu combined to afford them on Sunday night is a sturdy one. Their second chance, should they need it, will be in Chennai, where they won all seven of their games in the group phase.It will be interesting to see whether they take some risks to derail the Bangalore juggernaut; perhaps throw caution to the wind with the bat, or maybe put in some close fielders for the phenomenal Gayle.Form guideBangalore: WLWWW (first on points table)
Chennai: LWWWL (second on points table)Team talkIn three matches since Tillakaratne Dilshan’s departure, Bangalore tried three different opening partners for Gayle, all without much success. The latest move, to push AB de Villiers up the order, was the boldest, as it clusters Bangalore’s three best batsmen at the top, and leaves the middle order looking inexperienced.If they do stick with de Villiers up the order, Luke Pomersbach is rather wasted as a fourth foreign player. They could replace him with either Asad Pathan or Arun Karthik, and bring in Charl Langeveldt, who took five wickets in the three chances he was given, in place of Abhimanyu Mithun. Vettori also suggested after the previous game that Bangalore may bring in spinner J Syed Mohammad in place of a batsman if the pitch looks like it will turn.Chennai have not changed their XI in their previous four games, but may consider a couple of moves after the thrashing they were handed in Bangalore. Albie Morkel has not displayed the wicket-taking ability he did in the first half of the tournament, and with Chennai’s batting line-up already long enough, Tim Southee is an option.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.In the spotlightS Badrinath has failed in his previous two innings. The last time Chennai played at the Wankhede Stadium, he was sublime during his 71 not out off 48 balls. In last year’s semi-final, he was Chennai’s top-scorer with 37.AB de Villiers has had an ordinary second half of the season with the bat, but his talent is unquestionable. He likes being in the thick of the action, so won’t mind opening the batting again.Prime numbersDaniel Vettori is by far the most economical bowler of this IPL season (five overs minimum). His 40 overs have gone at a rate of just 5.40 an over. With five stumpings, MS Dhoni has the most such dismissals among the wicketkeepers in this IPL.The chatter”If you get Chris Gayle out and you’ve got a few [runs on the board], you have a chance; getting him out will be priority, number one.”

Cricket Kenya has withdrawn its revised contracts, which the players had declined to sign, instead offering them annual contracts as was the system previously

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2011Cricket Kenya has withdrawn its revised contracts, which the players had declined to sign, instead offering 20 players – 13 now and seven more by the end of July – annual contracts as was the system previously.The contracts include two reviews, scheduled in August and February, to monitor the players’ performance. Senior players like Jimmy Kamande, Thomas Odoyo, David Obuya and Maurice Ouma, who were part of Kenya’s World Cup squad, are not on the new contracts list released by the board.The board chief, Tom Sears, said the contracted players have the ability to contribute in more than one area of the game. “There is a blend of experienced players who have competed in World Cups and other ICC events, and some young players who have come through our development programme and age-group teams,” he said. “We have selected multifaceted players who have the ability to excel in more than one of the three disciplines – batting, bowling and fielding.”He also said a lot of emphasis is being laid on fitness. “We have to aim to excel in the two areas we have complete control of – fielding and fitness, and achieve genuine world class standards in these areas. If we achieve this collective performances and results will improve.”The newly contracted players will be subjected to regular fitness testing and expected to attain specified standards. The door is open to any player … if they can show they have the potential to reach the standards we expect.”The current central contracts expired on May 31, and the players reportedly refused to start training for the upcoming inaugural East African Premier league in Uganda, until their concerns with the new system were addressed. The board had announced four-month contracts for 12 players to cover the league to be played in August. At the end of the league, the selectors were to recommend a minimum of 12 players for nine-month central contracts, which were to be reviewed every three months by the selectors and coaching staff to monitor the players’ progress. The review would have determined whether a player was retained or let go.The change in the contracts system was part of a transformation being implemented in Kenyan cricket following their dismal World Cup campaign. Kenya went through the tournament without a win, after which coach Eldine Baptiste resigned, captain Kamande was sacked, a new selection panel was instituted and the domestic cricket structure was overhauled.List of centrally contracted players: Ragheb Aga, Runish Gudhka, Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Lucas Oluoch, Elijah Otieno, Rakep Patel, Hiren Varaiya, Seren Waters

A ferocious 145 not out from captain Andrew Gale put Yorkshire firmly incontrol of their County Championship Division One clash with title-holdersNottinghamshire at Headingley

21-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
A ferocious 145 not out from captain Andrew Gale put Yorkshire firmly incontrol of their County Championship Division One clash with title-holdersNottinghamshire at Headingley.The visitors have been second-best on all fronts since winning the tosson the first morning, and had to fight hard to avoid a two-day defeat, eventually closing on175 for 6 – with 18 runs required to make Yorkshire bat again.Yorkshire began the second day on 213 for 5 with a lead of 70 but things didnot go entirely to plan early on. Gale completed a watchful half-century off 91balls but Adil Rashid added only a single to his overnight 39 before he playedround a ball from Samit Patel and was bowled.Richard Pyrah had his stumps hit by Luke Fletcher after one kept low but DavidWainwright gave valuable support to Gale as Notts began to feel the handicap ofbeing without Andre Adams, who did not take the field because of a groinstrain.Just as he was beginning to settle in, Wainwright drove a gentle return catchto Patel and in the following over Ryan Sidebottom was lbw to Paul Frankswithout scoring, leaving Yorkshire on 254 for 9.It looked as if Gale, on 67, would be denied his century, but he managed toplunder the bowling while last man Oliver Hannon-Dalby offered solid support.Every ball the number 11 kept out was loudly applauded by the home fans.Consecutive boundaries for Gale advanced him to 101 off 169 balls, with 13fours, at which stage Hannon-Dalby’s contribution to the 34-run stand was a meresingle. It was Gale’s first century since flogging an unbeaten 158 against thesame opponents at Trent Bridge towards the end of last season.Gale moved into hurricane mode as he planted consecutive balls from Fletcherhigh over mid-wicket for six and when lunch came at 334 for 9 he hadcontributed 76 from the previous 80 runs. That exceeded the previous best forYorkshire’s last wicket against Nottinghamshire at Headingley, 73 betweenWilfred Rhodes and Abe Waddington in 1920.Only two were added after the interval, however, before Hannon-Dalby was caughtat second slip by Adam Voges of Charlie Shreck, Gale receiving a standingovation for his unbeaten 145 from 205 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.It did not take long for Nottinghamshire’s top order to hit trouble again,Franks’ middle stump being struck so hard by Sidebottom that it had to bechanged. Mark Wagh’s off stump was flattened by Pyrah’s 10th delivery and in thenext over Patel bagged a pair when he was bowled by Sidebottom.At 38 for 3, a two-day finish looked on the cards but the visitors’ resolvewas stiffened by a 105-run stand between Alex Hales and Voges, during which theformer completed his second half-century of the match by driving Rashid overlong off for six.The fourth-wicket pair looked assured against both pace and spin but once againHales was to move into the 80s without reaching three figures. After making hisway to 83 off 112 balls, with 12 fours and a six, he stood no chance of keepingout a shooter from Pyrah which hit the base of his off-stump.Pyrah was once more fulfilling a vital role with the ball and he went on toremove Voges for 42 before being rested with figures of 15-8-19-3, Sidebottomreturning to deepen Nottinghamshire’s gloom by getting Alistair Brown caughtbehind.

Cricket South Africa have announced the appointment of Russell Domingo as coach of the South Africa A side for both the four-day unofficial Test series and the one-dayers against Bangladesh A

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011Cricket South Africa have announced the appointment of Russell Domingo as coach of the South Africa A side for both the four-day unofficial Test series and the one-dayers against Bangladesh A next month. This is Domingo’s second appointment as head coach of the A side, as he was also took the squad to Bangladesh last year.”Russell has emerged as one of the outstanding young coaches in our cricket structures,” said chief executive Gerald Majola. “He did a top-class job last year when he took a very young South Africa A side to Bangladesh where they won the four-day Test series and also a triangular one-day series that also included West Indies A.”Two of the players in that squad, Colin Ingram and David Miller, have gone on to represent the Proteas with distinction while the West Indies team they beat in the final included Devon Smith, Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards of the current West Indies World Cup squad.”Russell has achieved great success with the Chevrolet Warriors both in terms of reaching and winning finals and in bringing young players through to maturity. This includes the likes of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell, Colin Ingram and Rusty Theron, who have become regular selections for the Proteas in the various formats, and the Smuts brothers who have just had outstanding Standard Bank Pro20 campaigns.”I would also like to thank the Chevrolet Warriors for making Russell available for this important position,” Majola concluded.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between South Africa and India in Durban

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya11-Jan-2011Match FactsAn impressive show in the Twenty20 match and strong batting skills could help Wayne Parnell make the final XI•Getty ImagesJanuary 12, Durban
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Big PictureThe Test series between the top two teams in international cricket was meant to be this tour’s biggest draw, but the ODI series that starts on Wednesday is almost as significant. Bilateral one-dayers are an after-party to a grand event, though not in this case with the World Cup just over a month away and with the teams required to finalise their fifteen-member squads for the event by January 19. Three of the five games in this series – the last official 50-over preparation for the two sides ahead of the World Cup – will be played out before the deadline and they are likely to influence the composition of the final squads.Injuries to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have led to call-ups for Rohit Sharma and M Vijay for the ODI series, though Virat Kohli appears to have done enough in the middle order for his place to be in any risk. There is more competition in the bowling, with a possible tussle between Sreesanth and Munaf Patel for a spot alongside Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra in the fast-bowling attack. Praveen’s eleventh-hour injury gives Ishant Sharma, who had an ordinary Test series, another go at the one-day level, though he is almost certain to miss the first game. Piyush Chawla returns to the 50-over format after more than two years, but R Ashwin is the favoured second spinner in the squad, while Harbhajan Singh will look to build on his performance in the Tests.South Africa have roped in legspinner Imran Tahir and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, as potential slow-bowling partners to Johan Botha; Colin Ingram, who scored a century on ODI debut, fills in for the injured Jacques Kallis at No.3, and could be in the running for a top-order spot in the World Cup, while David Miller will possibly be fighting for a middle-order slot along with the leg-spinning allrounder Faf du Plessis. The battle for the third seamer’s position will be between Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, though Ryan McLaren, not playing this series, has also done the job in the past.South Africa, at home on lively tracks, go in as the favourites. The team coming on top will go into the World Cup on a high, but individual performances in this series could be just as important as the scoreline itself.Form guideSouth Africa: WLWLW
India: WWWWWPlayers to watch out for…Virat Kohli: One of India’s in-form batsman, Kohli comes into this series with two centuries and two half-centuries in his last six matches. Almost a certainty in India’s World Cup squad, given a successful 2010, an impressive performance in tougher conditions – his only ODI series outside the subcontinent has been in Zimbabwe – should further reaffirm his chances.Faf du Plessis: He was signed up for US$120,000 at the IPL auctions and will be eager for an ODI debut here. An impressive List A batting average of 44.37 and his abilities as a legpinner makes him a strong contender as an all-round option in South Africa’s middle order.Team newsThe teams could shuffle their line-ups for the first few games. Sachin Tendulkar returns to the 50-over format after a self-imposed break – his last ODI was in Gwalior, where he scored that record-breaking double-century against the same opposition.Praveen’s absence puts Munaf in the frame for the third seamer’s spot, but India will want to take a good look at the conditions before taking a call on whether to go with two spinners and two fast bowlers.India (possible): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 M Vijay, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 R Ashwin / Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish NehraParnell’s impressive show in the Twenty20 match will make it tough for Smith to ignore him. Tsotsobe was in good form against Pakistan in the UAE when Parnell was injured, and the latter’s batting credentials could be the clinching factor.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis / Robin Petersen, 7 David Miller, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Wayne Parnell / Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Morne MorkelStats and trivia India’s have won only three matches and lost 16 against South Africa in South Africa – their worst record in any country Sachin Tendulkar has scored 1422 one-day runs in South Africa, but only 522 of those have come against the hosts, at an average of 26.10Quotes”It’s something that I have dreamt of throughout my captaincy.”South Africa captain Graeme Smith is excited at the prospect of having an attacking spinner in Imran Tahir in his squad

“You have to start respecting the bowlers right from the very start.”India captain MS Dhoni knows conditions in South Africa are different from the ones the India team is used to at home

Dan Kilpatrick has dropped an update on the reported Tottenham Hotspur interest in Youri Tielemans.

What’s the word?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Evening Standard journalist confirmed that, following reports of Arsenal’s interest in signing the Leicester City midfielder this summer, Antonio Conte’s side are also monitoring the situation of the 25-year-old ahead of a potential swoop at the end of the current campaign.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

After quote-tweeting Simon Collings stating Arsenal’s interest in a move for the Belgium international, Kilpatrick added: “Also being monitored by Spurs.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering how impressive Tielemans has been for Leicester following his £40m move to the King Power back in 2019, the confirmation that Fabio Paratici is plotting a move for the playmaker this summer is sure to have left the Tottenham Hotspur faithful buzzing.

Indeed, despite the Foxes’ struggles in the league this season, the £49.5m-rated talent has been one of Brendan Rodgers’ few shining lights over his 29 Premier League outings, scoring six goals, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.2 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

The £120k-per-week midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 43.3 passes and winning 4.7 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the 49-time capped international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as Leicester’s second-best performer in the English top flight.

As such, with it being reported that a new central midfielder is one of Conte’s priorities in the summer transfer window, when taking into account Tielemans’ proven Premier League ability coupled with his extremely reasonable £25m asking price, Paratici simply must make a move to beat Arsenal to the signing of the Belgian sensation ahead of Spurs’ 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Spurs deal setback as early Arsenal team news emerges, Conte will be fuming

The Titans welcome the Knights to the SuperSport Park like a spider inviting an insect into its web

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2010The Titans welcome the Knights to the SuperSport Park like a spider inviting an insect into its web. The only difference is that the hosts aren’t being cryptic about their intention – there’s no mystery in their luring, they simply want to destroy.The hosts, on an eight-match unbeaten streak, welcome back two national players and the competition’s most economical bowler to their ranks. The Knights have lost more matches than they won in the group stages, had to do without their captain Boeta Dippenaar, who was ruled out with injury before the campaign even started and have only just found something resembling consistent form in the competition. It’s clear who the favourites will be in the MTN40 final in Centurion on Friday.The Titans have the armoury to do just that. AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel will be in the starting line-up and Ethy Mbhalati returns from a thigh injury. They have an embarrassment of talent and it will be interesting to see who gets left out. Andre Nel and Mario Olivier may have to make way for Morkel and Mbhalati, while Gulam Bodi is the likely candidate to be dropped for de Villiers.”It means a lot to everyone in this squad to play in the final,” Jacques Rudolph, captain of the Titans told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s going to be tough to leave anyone out because everybody is in really good form and that’s been our strength this season. In the eight matches we’ve won, we’ve had eight Man-of-the-Match performances from different players.”That has been the theme of Titans’ season. One of their men is always on hand to deliver. In the semi-final against the Lions, Roelof van der Merwe was that man, with both bat and ball. Faf du Plessis, who has recovered from a cracked rib, tops the run charts with 456 runs from nine matches, including back-to-back centuries. Henry Davids has performed well in the opener’s role, Rudolph lies fourth on the batting rankings and Farhaan Behardien, Heino Kuhn, David Wiese and Albie Morkel are on hand to provide power hitting if needed.The Titans work like a well-oiled machine and are already the most successful franchise in the country. The only thing weighing on their minds must be the high expectation that engulfs them. “There’s always pressure to win a trophy but we are confident in our ability.” Rudolph said.By contrast, the Knights have no such anxiety since they have already ticked the box that represented their goal for the tournament. “The aim was to get to the semi-final and now that we have gone one further we just want to try our best and see what happens from there,” Ryan McLaren said. “There’s no pressure to win a trophy, we’ve gone about our cricket in a relaxed fashion and allowed the guys to really express themselves.”That attitude hasn’t filled the Knights with delusions about the calibre of the side they are facing, one that beat them twice in the group stages. “The Titans are a really well balanced side and with a few of the national guys back they have a very formidable line-up but we’ve found form at the right time.”The Knights, along with their captain, Morne van Wyk, had an average group campaign. They lost four matches and if it wasn’t for the abysmal form of the Cobras may not have reached the knockout stage. Then, they almost stumbled while chasing of a modest 226 against the Dolphins in the first leg semi-final, before Johan van der Wath stepped up to win that match. van Wyk and his team were better in the second leg. The captain scored a century and the bowlers defended 215.Their most promising player has been left-arm bowler Jandre Coetzee. “He is our prodigy and has been part of the system for a while. He comes from Springbok (a small Northern Cape Town), so it’s quite a drive for him to get to us, but he really wants to play. He’s done well in the twenty-over form of the game and now he is proving himself in the forty-over format as well,” McLaren said.The Knights did not display much of their batting prowess in the semis but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Rilee Rossouw has been their most consistent performer, with two centuries in the competition so far and McLaren believes he is the man who can turn the game in their favour.It’s a classic case of the mighty against the underdogs, with the Titans displaying supreme confidence and the Knights dogged spirit ahead of the encounter. The only thing that may prevent it from becoming an epic battle is the weather. The Highveld has been hit by thunderstorms for the past two afternoons and is forecast to experience the same on Friday.

Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2010Former England batsman Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC. However, ex-New Zealand international Hamish Marshall’s request to be allowed to play has been denied, meaning he won’t be eligible to play for Ireland until April.Both players last played international cricket for their respective former countries at the 2007 edition of the World Cup, and under normal ICC regulations would not have become eligible to play for Ireland in official ODIs until April next year. Looking to strengthen their squad, Ireland asked the ICC earlier this year to allow a slight shortening of the usual four-year qualification period to allow both to take part in the World Cup.”Ed was granted permission for his four-year standout period to be slightly reduced so that he could compete in the World Cup,” explained an ICC spokesperson. “This was done on the basis of exceptional circumstances and the unique facts of his specific case, which included his Irish background and his very strong ties to Irish cricket from childhood up to senior national representation.””It’s obviously tremendous news,” said Joyce, who had already joined Ireland on a pre-World Cup training camp in India. “Playing for Ireland again is something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last few years and to be given the opportunity to do so, a little earlier than expected and on the biggest stage, is absolutely fantastic.”Having seen the talent and work ethic of the squad over the last week or so in India, I feel Ireland will, once again, make a huge impact at the World Cup and I look forward to hopefully offering a lot to the team in the tournament and the whole of 2011.”Joyce, 32, was one of Ireland’s strongest batsmen at ICC Trophy level, scoring 758 runs in 14 matches between 2001 and 2005 at an average of 84.22. He had played in 50 games for Ireland – the last of which was in the ICC Trophy final against Scotland in July 2005 – before he switched allegiance to England and made his one-day international debut his former team at Belfast in June 2006.”It’s a huge boost to have Ed available for the World Cup, adding to the selectors’ headaches in an already strong squad – but that’s a nice problem to have,” said Ireland coach Phil Simmons. “Of course, it would have been fantastic to have both Ed and Hamish available, but it’s not to be.”I’ve seen first hand over the past 10 days here in Pune just what hard working and talented players both are. Their dediciation and professionalism is evident for all to see, and everyone has responded positively to their being with us. I feel very sorry for Hamish, but this squad will be at other big tournaments – of that I’m certain.”Marshall, 31, was born in Auckland and played the last of 66 ODIs against Ireland at the 2007 World Cup. He subsequently turned down a New Zealand contract so that he could continue his county career with Gloucestershire as a non-overseas player and also joined the ICL. But in April this year he made clear his intentions to qualify for Ireland as an Irish passport holder, and is also eyeing a coaching role in Irish cricket.”Cricket Ireland is delighted to welcome back Ed to the fold again, and we are sure he will make a massive contribution to the squad,” said chief executive Warren Deutrom. “We regret that Hamish has missed out on this occasion, but we have no doubt he will play a huge part in future World Cups and we are looking forward to him taking the field against England at the RSA Challenge ODI next August in Dublin.”We would like to thank the ICC for its positive consideration of the case for Ed, and express our special appreciation to both the England and Wales Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket for their great cooperation and generosity throughout this process in terms of facilitating Ireland to have its best possible squad at the sport’s showcase event.”

India opener Virender Sehwag has reaffirmed his support for the Umpire Decision Review System, asking for its implementation in all of India’s engagements leading upto, and including the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2010India opener Virender Sehwag has reaffirmed his support for the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), asking for its implementation in all of India’s engagements leading upto, and including the World Cup.”I am a big fan of the UDRS,” Sehwag said. “I want it to be there for the India-New Zealand series, India-South Africa series and in the World Cup. But this is my personal opinion. I was given out two times when I was not out and in such a situation could have gone in for a referral that would have helped me continue to bat.”Sehwag’s stand is in contrast to that of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) and most of India’s top players, including MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, while Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan are for its implementation. India were part of the first trial of the system during their tour of Sri Lanka in 2008. They struggled with their referrals, getting only one of them right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions.Since then, the BCCI have ensured that India have not had to face the system in their series against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. The upcoming Test series against New Zealand will also not feature it, while the ICC has asked the India and South Africa boards to decide on its implementation for the South Africa tour. Plans are afoot for the UDRS’ one-day debut during the World Cup.Sehwag’s next assignment is the home series against New Zealand, followed by the tour of South Africa in December. He was keen to play all the matches in the New Zealand series, though he is ready to go early to South Africa if the BCCI decides to send some of the senior players before the end of the one-day leg of the New Zealand series. “We would like to play a full team against New Zealand but the schedule is such that a break may be needed,” Sehwag said. “It’s up to the team management and the BCCI to decide on the matter. I would like to play as many ODIs as I can. But if the team management and the BCCI want us to go early to South Africa we will do it.”