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Ricky Ponting has revealed Shaun Marsh’s elevation to No. 3 in the Australian Test batting order was a “long-term plan” of the captain Michael Clarke

Daniel Brettig10-Oct-2011Ricky Ponting has revealed Shaun Marsh’s elevation to No. 3 in the Australian Test batting order was a “long-term plan” of the captain Michael Clarke. Ponting said he was happy to move down to No. 4 for as long as he keeps on playing.As he prepared for a rare Sheffield Shield appearance with Tasmania against Western Australia at the WACA, Ponting spoke frankly of the Test batting order, which has been shuffled to accommodate Marsh at three while Ponting, Clarke and Michael Hussey all slip one spot.Clarke’s vision for the team has so far been made clear, as he is equally adamant that the vice-captain Shane Watson will not be moving down the order from his demanding position as an opening batsman and allrounder.”It was a long-term plan of Michael’s to have Shaun move to No. 3 and me move to No.4 and Michael move to five and Huss to six,” Ponting told reporters in Perth. “So that wasn’t just something I don’t think as a one-off for that game. Michael sees that in the best interests of the team going forward for a period of time. So I’ll be three this week, probably three in the one-dayers in South Africa and then probably drop back to four for the Test matches.”When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me. But three to four I don’t think is as big a change as three to six, or it certainly wasn’t in the last Test because I was in pretty early both times. Slight adjustment. It just gives me a little bit more time once our fielding’s over to get my head around what I have to do to bat.”Ponting also spoke of the state of flux the team is presently in while Cricket Australia decides on a range of appointments recommended by the Argus review. The position of team performance manager must be finalised first, allowing the appointee to have a say in the choices of coach, national selector and part-time selectors.This means that Clarke will go to South Africa with plenty of weight on his shoulders regarding decision-making, for the interim coach Troy Cooley has flagged his lack of experience as a selector and also an unwillingness to make any lasting changes to the set-up run with mixed results by the departed head coach Tim Nielsen over the past four years.”Unfortunately at the moment the way things are working out a lot more of the responsibility is going to come back on the captain for this next tour,” Ponting said. “So it’s important that the captain, the vice-captain and probably the senior players do as much as we can around the group on this trip.”Troy’s been around the group for a long time and understands everyone really well, but he’s sort of been thrust into that selection role at the moment as well which is something very foreign to him. We’ll make do with the best we can. It’s probably not an ideal situation, but we knew that a long way out and the boys have been playing that way so everything should work out fine.”Ponting said many of the changes wrought by the Argus review were designed to lessen the load on the captain, but reckoned the short-term would be difficult for Clarke while the new positions were filled and settled into.”Having been there and done that in the past you want to be able to focus on your cricket and the team’s demands and probably not much outside of that if you can,” Ponting said. “That’s why a lot of these roles are changing, to take a bit of that strain if you like off the captain. It’s hard enough work when you’re just out there being the captain and worrying about your own game rather than everything else that goes with it. We’ll see how it goes, but he [Clarke] understands he’s got great support from all his team-mates around him.”Ponting’s appearances for Tasmania, who won the Shield in his absence last summer, would not be quite so rare if the schedule was balanced to ensure the strongest domestic competitions possible, something the Argus review also recommended.”With the Australian summer as packed as it is internationally-wise, it just makes it too hard for the international players to play state cricket,” Ponting said. “We’d all like the chance to be able to do that a bit more. I know the states and even our clubs would probably appreciate it if we can get back and spend more time around the next crop of potential international players.”While Hussey is missing the match after his time at the Champions League Twenty20, Ponting said he was never in any doubt for the fixture, and flatly rejected all reports to the contrary.”Some confusion’s probably happened as a result of our leave dates being changed, the coach at the time of the Australian team in Sri Lanka had ruled us out because the leave date was different than it is at the moment,” Ponting said. “As it turns out I only found out on Thursday that I was playing the game but I’ve been excited about the chance to play the game.”

In January this year Paul Harris lost his South Africa contract but he tells ESPNcricinfo he still wants to play for South Africa

Firdose Moonda21-Jun-2011There is a side of Paul Harris not many people know. It’s the side he is lying asleep on in his profile picture on a popular social networking site, with a tiny baby boy tucked into his arm. His young son, Aiden, is eight weeks old and Harris is spending the South African winter learning how to be a hands-on father. That side of Harris is not the side that is looking for a fight, but people probably don’t know much about his aggressive side either.Harris has been South Africa’s defensive spinner in Test cricket for the last four years. The nature of his role called for little confrontation, he usually had to hold up an end and dry up runs. For 37 matches, he did that, earning criticism from some sides, but always the praise of his captain, Graeme Smith and his team-mates and taking 103 wickets in the process.In January this year, Pakistani-born legspinner Imran Tahir became eligible to play for South Africa. A month later, Tahir had played one ODI, against the West Indies in the World Cup and was awarded a national contract. At the same time, Harris lost his. “I was quite surprised when I lost my national contract,” he told ESPNCricinfo. “I was told they [CSA] were looking for a more attacking bowler, but I can’t say there is any bad blood between us.”That explanation means that Harris is faced with the very real possibility of not playing international cricket again and that prospect is what is going to make his fighting side emerge. “I was offered a Kolpak contract about a month ago but I turned it down because I definitely still want to play for South Africa,” he said. In a bid to prove his worth, Harris has left the Lions franchise and gone back to the Titans, where he played when he was first selected for the national team.There, he formed part of a duel-spinner line-up, where, ironically, Tahir was his spin twin. “When Richard Pybus was coaching us, Imran and I bowled a lot together and we won a few trophies.” The Titans won the SuperSport Series three times under Pybus with Harris and Tahir as key bowlers in their attack. Pybus now coaches the Cobras and Tahir has moved to the Dolphins, but Harris hopes to combine with Roelof van der Merwe in similar fashion to the way he did with Tahir.”I really want to help Roelof with his four-day game, which is one of the reasons I am going back to the Titans,” Harris said. van der Merwe has been a regular in the limited-overs line-ups but has not had a consistent run at first-class level. Of the pair, van der Merwe is without doubt the more aggressive, which probably means Harris will have to play a holding role again. That’s exactly the point he is trying to make to the national selectors, that the function of a defensive bowler cannot be underestimated. “The thing is that if you have Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Tahir, they are all attacking so there is no-one to hold up the other end and that’s also important.”Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors agrees. “We will need someone to keep the other end tight,” he said. “Now we have to decide if that will be a second spinner or a third seamer.” If they go with a third seamer, it cannot be Jacques Kallis, with the focus on managing the all-rounder. Lonwabo Tsotsobe may be tasked with the donkey work or it may be shared between part-time spinners JP Duminy and someone like Jacques Rudolph.The selectors could do worse than turn to Harris, who understands and accepts the job, albeit not the most glamorous one, well. “I really enjoyed the role,” he said. “And I think I could do it again, particularly on the subcontinent, where two spinners is a real option.” The truth is that Harris will do the job on any pitch, home or away, as long as he given the chance.Hudson has not ruled that out. “The door is definitely not shut on him, I still think he has a lot of cricket left in him,” he said. “But emergence of Imran Tahir and some really good performances by spinners at the World Cup has made things a little more difficult for Paul.” New bowling coach Allan Donald also believes Harris isn’t finished yet. “Paul Harris has some real competition, but it’s a good thing. It means he has to fight for his place in the side.”It’s a battle Harris is ready for come the start of the next season. For now, though, he is enjoying his time with Aiden. “I’m being a real at home pops,” he said proudly, but his voice gave away that hint of hope that maybe by the time the summer comes, he won’t have to be.

Kemar Roach has become the latest West Indian signing in country cricket and will be joining Worcestershire for the remainder of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2011Kemar Roach has become the latest West Indian signing in county cricket and will be joining Worcestershire for the remainder of the season as they scrap to stay in Division One of the County Championship. Roach will replace Worcestershire’s current overseas international Saeed Ajmal, who is returning to his national side earlier than scheduled next week, to participate in a training camp prior to embarking on Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe.”I am delighted to sign for Worcestershire and to be able to play county cricket for the first time,” said Roach. “Growing up in Barbados, every young cricketer aspired to play for the West Indies and to play county cricket. Many of my heroes like Lara, Walsh and Ambrose spent time in the county game and I view it as a huge challenge.”Even though I am only going to be joining for a short period, I believe this stint gives me the chance to make an impact on the club and on county cricket and hopefully be the start of a long relationship with Worcestershire.”Roach joins Worcestershire on the back of international duty in the Caribbean, having opened the bowling against India and Pakistan earlier this year. In his fledgling career, Roach has taken 40 Test wickets at an average of 29.90, and has a total of 87 first-class wickets in 31 matches.”To have one of the fastest bowlers in the world in our team for the last few games of the season can only be a huge plus factor,” said Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes. “Albeit a short stint, I know that Kemar is determined to make an impact on the county scene.”Ajmal, who arrived at New Road in June, has claimed 36 wickets for the county across all forms of cricket. He leaves as their highest wicket taker in the Clydesdale Bank 40 this season, having taken 11 wickets. His most notable performance came in the recent match against Derbyshire, where he picked up 4 for 24.”We’ve enjoyed Saeed’s involvement with the team and he’s been a model professional both on and off the field,” said Rhodes. “We’d like to thank Saeed for the time he has spent with us, and also for his help in guiding and inspiring some of our younger bowlers. Obviously we were disappointed that he’s had to leave us early but in the hectic international schedule we recognise that international cricket comes first.”

Pune Warriors finally ended their horror run of seven defeats by limiting fellow stragglers Kings XI Punjab to 119 in Mohali, a target which didn’t tax their batting too much

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran08-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Wayne Parnell took 2 for 12 to help restrict Punjab•AFPPune Warriors finally ended their horror run of seven defeats by limiting fellow stragglers Kings XI Punjab to 119 in Mohali, a target which didn’t tax their batting too much The defeat means Punjab are now putting together a losing streak to nearly match Pune’s – having gone five games without a win. Legspinner Rahul Sharma was once again the standout bowler for Pune, with South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell and Bhuvneshwar Kumar aiding him in shackling Punjab.Preity Zinta was back to cheer on her side, and the Mohali crowd had something to shout about early on as Paul Valthaty repeatedly crashed the ball through cover for boundaries. Adam Gilchrist came into this game on the back of two ducks, and he couldn’t find his timing today either, swinging Rahul to deep midwicket for 3 off 8 balls. Valthaty was cramped by the lack of room, and when he was given some, he cut at it but Rahul’s extra bounce meant it resulted in a top edge to backward point.Shaun Marsh has been Punjab’s best batsman this tournament, and he showed why with some lovely hits. Yuvraj Singh was dispatched over long-on, Rahul was eased through cover for four, and his younger brother Mitchell was pulled for a boundary. Dinesh Karthik wasn’t as fluent, but in the company of Shaun, the pair guided Punjab to a reasonable 71 for 2 in ten overs.That platform was wasted though as neither batsman went on to make a big score on a slightly sluggish track. A Bhuvneshwar Kumar slower ball accounted for Shaun, who dragged the ball onto the stumps, and a couple of overs later Punjab’s most expensive acquisition, David Hussey, nicked to the keeper. They were floundering at 94 for 4.Karthik couldn’t quite hit top gear and there was a wicket in almost each of the final six overs as the innings fell apart to a series of attempted big hits.Punjab’s bowlers needed to be accurate and incisive if they were to stand a chance, and they began well, with a maiden from Praveen Kumar. The next three overs, though, were plundered for 30 runs, and in a match where the fielding standards were shoddy, Jesse Ryder was given a let-off by Valthaty in the fourth over. There was more fortune for Pune as Manish Pandey survived a dead-on lbw shout in the fifth over, bowled by Bhargav Bhatt, two balls after Ryder was dismissed.Robin Uthappa came out swinging, and though they were several fresh-air swishes, he found the boundary three times to whittle down the target with a quick 22. Pandey was dismissed after a relatively quiet 28, which had two of his trademark forehand smashes down the ground. If the wickets of Pandey and Uthappa gave Punjab some hope, Yuvraj extinguished that by clubbing Bhatt for two sixes and two fours in an over.

Ozias Bvute, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, has hit back at suggestions that his organisation reneged on an agreement to host Ireland for a ODI and first-class tour in late 2011

Andrew Miller13-Apr-2011Ozias Bvute, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, has hit back at suggestions that his organisation reneged on an agreement to host Ireland for a ODI and first-class tour in late 2011. The change of heart, he said, came as a result of Zimbabwe’s commitments both to the Future Tours Programme and their own domestic competition, and not out of fear of being upstaged by a team that has been barred from participating at the 2015 World Cup, despite currently sitting above them in the world ODI rankings.”It is very unfortunate that recent media reports aim to portray Zimbabwe as unwilling to play against Ireland and insinuate that the reason is based on an attempt to ostracise them,” said Bvute. “Zimbabwe has suffered greatly from the politics of exclusion and we would not wish that on any one. Sport is about participation and increasing the numbers that participate to allow for the sustainability of any given activity.”Zimbabwe’s original proposal, in October 2010, had been for Ireland to play three ODIs and a five-day unofficial Test in October/November 2011, as preparation for their New Year visit to New Zealand. However, on March 23, a fortnight prior to the Mumbai meeting in which Ireland’s World Cup fate was sealed, that plan was shelved after New Zealand themselves confirmed they would be touring Zimbabwe in that period, having already postponed their scheduled visit in May/June.Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, confirmed that Zimbabwe had not been at fault in the negotiations. “Ozias is absolutely correct,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “In the recent Chief Executives Committee meeting, he was extremely supportive of the associates and spoke out strongly in their favour. There is nothing sinister in this whatsoever. We were initially in conversation about travelling to Zimbabwe at the end of the year, but as one of the smaller Full Member nations, they have to wait for the bigger members to organise their own schedules. Simply, there was a clash between the time we wanted to come down, and the contractual obligations they are required to fulfil through the FTP.”Bvute continued: “Cricket Ireland can confirm that when they toured here in September we voluntarily made them an offer to arrange fixtures against them and have since been in communication with their administrators.”Our last correspondence proposed January 2012 as a possible date. Zimbabwe has a full international and domestic calendar this season and we are not obliged to play against Ireland.”Our offer to arrange playing opportunities with them is spearheaded by nothing less than the spirit of sportsmanship and inclusion. With the Australian and South African A sides, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan all having confirmed to tour Zimbabwe between June and November this year there is simply no slot available to accommodate them in 2011.”In correspondence with ESPNcricinfo, Bvute emphasised the priorities for Zimbabwe cricket going forward, which are to build a sustainable domestic structure that will enable the team to hold its own in future ICC events, regardless of how future tournaments are organised. “So the question of having to possibly qualify for a slot in the World Cup poses no heartache for us,” he wrote. “Come the 2019 World Cup our strategy should have brought forth a crop of elite players who are able to stand their ground against any team, full-member or not.”Our long term strategy is to grow our domestic cricket and increase the spectatorship numbers for our local games. The people in Kwekwe, Mutare, Masvingo and Bulawayo will only support their franchises if they can expect to see players that they can identify. The greater the crowds the more likely the corporate world is to further support the game. It is our hope that in the future, with these efforts, we will have a domestic competition that is in itself financially viable and sustainable.”

In a thrilling final, Usman Salahuddin hit a four off the last ball to give Lahore Ealges a one-wicket win against Khan Research Laboratories at the National Stadium in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a thrilling final, Usman Salahuddin hit a four off the last ball to give Lahore Eagles a one-wicket win against Khan Research Laboratories at the National Stadium in Karachi. Lahore needed three to win off the last ball and seamer Mohammad Irfan pitched short. Salahuddin pulled it away to the midwicket boundary and took his side to the title.With seventeen required off the last seven balls, KRL were favourites, but Lahore’s No. 11 Emmad Ali hit the first ball he faced to long-off for four and then cleared the same boundary off the second ball of the final over. Emmad turned the strike back to Salahuddin, who was not out on 50, and he only managed two off the next two balls. But he held his nerve to take the required runs off the last ball.Lahore’s chase was looking on course, as they reached 200 for 2, with Hamza Paracha batting on 109. Parcha fell in the 39th over and the wickets kept falling as Lahore tried to keep up with the required rate. Mohammad Irfan took four wickets in his five-over spell between overs 41 and 50, giving him five for the match, and the required rate had gone up to 10.66 with three overs remaining. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Asif hit two fours in the 48th over before falling to Irfan, and then Emmad and Salahuddin did the job in the last two overs.Paracha set the base for Lahore’s chase with a measured innings and he was given company by first Mohammad Hamza, who made 24, Rana Adnan, who made 36, and then Salahuddin.KRL’s innings had got off to a slow start, and they found themselves 80 for 3 after 20 overs. Bazid Khan and Ali Naqvi concentrated on ones and twos, hitting only one boundary between overs 19 and 31. Naqvi got boundaries of each of the next overs and then smashed spinner Kashif Nizami for consecutive boundaries through the covers in the 34th over. There was another lull in the scoring before Bazid Khan took on legspinner Saad Nasim in the 40th over, smashing him over long-on for six to reach his half-century and then hitting him for a four to long-on off the next ball.Bazid was out two overs later, hitting Asif into the hands of long-off, but Naqvi, who had already got his half-century, kicked on. Naqvi smashed three boundaries in the 45th over, got to his century with a six in the 47th, and got a four and a six off the first two balls of the 48th, before becoming Nasim’s second wicket off the last ball of that over. Nasim went on to take three more wickets in the last over of the innings to fnish with figures of 5 for 55, but KRL had taken 90 runs of the last ten overs. Their total of 281, though, didn’t prove enough in the end.

For the tenth time in 11 seasons, Celtic have done it, they are the Scottish Premiership winners and few can argue that the Hoops don’t deserve it.

When Ange Postecoglou arrived in Glasgow, the Bhoys were in disarray. Their fiercest rivals had won the title and it looked as though a number of players would depart.

Indeed, as the likes of Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer all headed for pastures new, the future looked rather bleak.

Yet, Postecoglou’s transfer policy and the way he’s crafted and fine-tuned players this season has been nothing short of sensational.

The rebuild had no right to be this quick but it’s a testament to his hard work at Lennoxtown. He is a Premiership title winner in his first campaign in Scotland and even if they could only muster a 1-1 draw with Dundee United on Wednesday evening, the performance of a certain Anthony Ralston typified the graft that some have put in under Postecoglou’s tutelage.

The full-back only played once in the league throughout the entirety of last season but despite the arrival of Josip Juranovic last summer, Ralston has become vital and is now rather surprisingly one of the most consistent figures at Parkhead.

This term, the Scot has featured on 27 occasions in the Premiership, scoring four times and registering eight assists, the last of which came at Tannadice on Wednesday.

It came from one of the defender’s seven crosses throughout the game as he put in a tantalising ball for Giorgos Giakoumakis to fire home and seal yet another league title.

Throughout the encounter, Ralston took a whopping 130 touches of the ball – the most of anyone on the pitch – and also amassed 87 accurate passes, the third most of any player on Wednesday.

The fact he was so involved is a credit to the confidence he’s taken on this term and as a result, he’s gone from a bit-part player to someone who will only become more important to Celtic as the years go on.

Described as a “ballet dancer” and “superman” by Dominik Diamond, he was also compared to one of the greatest passers of a football in modern football by the Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, the Celtic blogger said: “The right-back produced a sensational 60-yard Andrea Pirloesque diagonal cross-field pass to Forrest before blasting a left-foot shot over the bar in the opening exchanges. He marauded forward at will and had a lot of joy down the flank. It was no surprise when he stood up a brilliant cross from which Giakoumakis buried a header seven minutes after the interval.”

That typifies his all-action nature and also why he’s one of the manager’s greatest successes since penning terms at Paradise.

Ralston has gone from underused and underappreciated to one of the real heroes of their title success in 2022. What a story.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Jota: Ange can form scary Celtic duo by signing “dangerous” £15m machine…

India opener Gautam Gambhir was the first player sold in the 2011 IPL auction, signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders for a record $2.4 million

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2011Gautam Gambhir sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for a record $2.4 million.Yusuf Pathan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.1 million.Robin Uthappa to Pune for $2.1 millionRohit Sharma to Mumbai Indians for $2 million.Irfan Pathan to Delhi Daredevils for $1.9 million.Yuvraj Singh to Pune for $1.8 million.Saurabh Tiwary to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.6 million.Mahela Jayawardene to Kochi for $1.5 million.David Hussey to Kings XI Punjab for $1.4 millionDale Steyn goes to Deccan Chargers for $1.2 millionMuttiah Muralitharan to Kochi for $1.1 million.AB de Villiers to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.1 million.Cameron White to Deccan Chargers for $1.1 million.Jacques Kallis to Kolkata Knight Riders for $1.1 million.Ross Taylor to Rajasthan Royals for $1 million.Angelo Mathews to Pune for $950,000Ravindra Jadeja to Kochi for $950,000Johan Botha to Rajasthan Royals for $950,000.Dan Christian to Deccan Chargers for $900,000Dinesh Karthik to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000Piyush Chawla to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000.Sreesanth to Kochi for $900,000Adam Gilchrist to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000.Zaheer Khan to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $900,000.R Ashwin to Chennai Super Kings for $850,000Ashish Nehra to Pune for $850,000Andrew Symonds to Mumbai Indians for $850,000S Badrinath to Chennai Super Kings for $800,000.Praveen Kumar to Kings XI Punjab for $800,000.Abhishek Nayar to Kings XI Punjab for $800,000Umesh Yadav to Delhi Daredevils for $750,000David Warner to Delhi for $750,000Munaf Patel to Mumbai Indians for $700,000Venugopal Rao to Delhi Daredevils for $700,000Cheteswar Pujara to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $700,000.Doug Bollinger to Chennai Super Kings for $700,000Kumar Sangakkara to Deccan Chargers for $700,000.Dirk Nannes to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $650,000.Tillakaratne Dilshan to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $650,000.Kevin Pietersen to Deccan Chargers for $650,000.Daniel Vettori to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $550,000Lakshmipathy Balaji to Kolkata Knight Riders for $500,000Pragyan Ojha to Deccan Chargers for $500,000Rahul Dravid to Rajasthan Royals for $500,000.Graeme Smith to Pune for $500,000.RP Singh to Kochi for $500,000.R Vinaykumar to Kochi for $475,000Manoj Tiwary to Kolkata Knight Riders for $475,000.Morne Morkel to Delhi Daredevils for $475,000Brendon McCullum to Kochi for $475,000.Ishant Sharma to Deccan Chargers for $450,000.Brad Hodge to Kochi for $425,000.Shakib al Hasan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $425,000Michael Hussey to Chennai for $425,000.Brett Lee to Kolkata Knight Riders for $400,000Stuart Broad to Kings XI Punjab for $400,000VVS Laxman to Kochi for $400,000Murli Kartik to Pune for $400,000Ashok Dinda to Delhi Daredevils for $375,000Eoin Morgan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $350,000.James Hopes to Delhi Daredevils for $350,000.Ryan Harris to Kings XI Punjab for $325,000.Brad Haddin goes to Kolkata Knight Riders for $325,000.Shaun Tait to Rajasthan Royals for $300,000Callum Ferguson to Pune for $300,000Aaron Finch to Delhi Daredevils for $300,000Amit Mishra to Deccan Chargers for $300,000Shikhar Dhawan to Deccan Chargers for $300,000.JP Duminy to Deccan Chargers for $300,000Mitchell Marsh to Pune for $290,000Manpreet Gony to Deccan Chargers for $290,000Parthiv Patel to Kochi for $290,000Naman Ojha to Delhi Daredevils for $270,000Tim Paine to Pune for $270,000Abhimanyu Mithun to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $260,000Jaidev Unadkat to Kolkata Knight Riders for $250,000Paul Collingwood to Rajasthan Royals for $250,000.Sudeep Tyagi to Chennai Super Kings for $240,000Ajit Agarkar to Delhi Daredvils for $210,000Owais Shah to Kochi for $200,000Scott Styris to Chennai Super Kings for $200,000Steven Smith to Kochi for $200,000Dwayne Bravo to Chennai Super Kings at $200,000Davy Jacobs to Mumbai Indians for $190,000Ramesh Powar to Kochi for $180,000Wayne Parnell to Pune for $160,000Ryan ten Doeschate to Kolkata Knight Riders for $150,000Jesse Ryder to Pune for $150,000Joginder Sharma to Chennai Super Kings for $150,000Charl Langeveldt to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $140,000Mohammad Kaif to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $130,000Faf du Plessis to Chennai Super Kings for $120,000Clint McKay to Mumbai Indians for $110,000Jerome Taylor to Pune for $100,000James Pattinson to Kolkata Knight Riders for $100,000Alfonso Thomas to Pune for $100,000Nuwan Kulasekara to Chennai Super Kings for $100,000Matthew Wade to Delhi Daredevils for $100,000Dimitri Mascarenhas to Kings XI Punjab for $100,000Colin Ingram to Delhi Daredevils for $100,000Ben Hilfenhaus to Chennai Super Kings for $100,000Nathan McCullum to Pune for $100,000James Franklin to Mumbai Indians for $100,000Wriddhiman Saha to Chennai Super Kings for $100,000Pankaj Singh to Rajasthan Royals for $95,000Rusty Theron to Deccan Charges for $85,000Suraj Randiv to Chennai Super Kings for $80,000Andrew McDonald to Delhi Daredevils for $80,000Thisara Perera to Kochi for $80,000Michael Lumb to Deccan Chargers for $80,000Michael Klinger to Kochi for $75,000Johan van der Wath to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $50,000Moises Henriques to Mumbai Indians for $50,000George Bailey to Chennai Super Kings for $50,000Roelof van der Merwe to Delhi Daredevils for $50,000Luke Pomersbach to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $50,000Rilee Rossouw to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $20,000Nuwan Pradeep to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $20,000Chris Lynn to Deccan Chargers for $20,000Travis Birt to Delhi Daredevils for $20,000Nathan Rimmington to Kings XI Punjab for $20,000Jonathan Vandiar to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $20,000Aiden Blizzard to Mumbai Indians for $20,000Robert Frylinck to Delhi Daredevils for $20,000Steven O’Keefe to Kochi for $20,000Unsold on Sunday: Shane Harwood, Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards, Andy McKay, VRV Singh, Andre Nel, Ian Butler, Chris Tremlett, Ryan Sidebottom, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Makhaya Ntini, Chanaka Welegedara, Graham Napier, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Jeevantha Kulatunga, John Hastings, Prosper Utseya, Jeevan Mendis, Aaron Redmond, Darren Sammy, Lou Vincent, Neil McKenzie, Jehan Mubarak, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Martin Guptill, Simon Katich, Jonathon Trott, Bryce McGain, Jacques Rudolph, Jason Krejza, Aaron Heal, Ray Price, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawardi Shuvo, Xavier Doherty, Tim Southee, Chaminda Vaas, Thilan Thushara, Kemar Roach, Peter Siddle, Grant Elliot, Elton Chigumbura, Dillon du Preez, Samit Patel, Justin Ontong, Zander de Bruyn, Vernon Philander, Wasim Jaffer, Upul Tharanga, Darren Bravo, Adam Voges, Ian Bell, Chamara Silva, Nikita Miller, Malinga Bandara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Sulieman Benn, Robin Peterson, MS Panesar, Rangana Herath, Paul Harris, Kyle Mills, Farveez Maharoof, Ryan McLaren, Jacob Oram, Dwayne Smith, Justin Kemp, Ravi Bopara, Michael Yardy, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tim Bresnan, Indika de Saram, Denesh Ramdin, Tatenda Taibu, Chris Hartley, Gareth Hopkins, Brendan Taylor, Dinesh Chandimal, Niall O’Brien, Luke Ronchi, Ricardo Powell, Xavier Marshall, Loots Bosman, Lendl Simmons, Thilan Samaraweera, Jamie How, Phillip Hughes, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Thilina Kandamby, Mohammad Ashraful, Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chabhabha, Hasantha Fernando, Gayan Wijekoon, M Pushpakumara, Rayad Emrit, Lee Carseldine, Akalanka Ganegama, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Mahmadullah, Tinashe Panyangara, Dammika Prasad, Daryl Tuffey, Stuart Clark, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Sajid Mahmood, Rory Kleinveldt, Nuwan Zoysa, Iain O’Brein, Mitchell Starc, David Miller, Adrian Barath, Peter Ingram, Darren Ganga, Imrul Kayes, Mahela Udawatte, Junaid Siddique, Joe Denly, Mark Cosgrove, Morne van Wyk, Glenn Maxwell, Tom Smith, Darren Stevens, Nathan Reardon, Naeem Islam, Farhan Behardien, Colin de Grandhomme, James Faulkner, Dilruwan Perera, Tim Armstrong, Yusuf Abdulla, Isuru Udana, Pedro Collins, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tyron Henderson, Ajmal Shahzad, Suranga Lakmal, Peter George, Michael Hogan, Shahriar Nafees, Neil Broom, Phil Jaques, Kane Williamson, Andrew Puttick, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Tharanga Parnavitana, Rob Nicol, Usman Afzal, Anthony McGrath, Angelo Perera, Danza Hyatt, Richard Cameron, Andre Russel, Steven Croft, Aaron O’Brien, Wes Durston, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Doug Bracewell, Johan Low, Saeed Rasel, Cornelius de Villiers, Tino Best, Michael Lewis, Simon Cook, Paul Franks, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Lionel Baker, Ghulam Bodi, Michael Vandort, Raqibul Hasan, Robert Quiney, Runako Morton, Malinda Warnapura, Gihan Rupasinghe, Ethan O’Reilly, Nicholas Buchanan, Tim Lang, Gary Putland, Jack Shantry, Jake Haberfield, Brendan Drew, Trent Copeland, Henry Davids, Daniel Harris, Ed Cowan, Michael Hill, Rhett Lockyear, Cameron Borgas, Floyd Reifer, Adrian Shankar, Tom Beaton, Greg Smith, Andrew Gale, Craig Thyssen, Adam Lyth, Dean Brownlie, Ahmed Amla, Shannan Stewart, Paul HortonUnsold on Saturday: Tamim Iqbal, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Dilhara Fernando, Luke Wright, Matt Prior, Mark Boucher, Graeme Manou, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle.

Derbyshire have signed the gifted Australia batsman Usman Khawaja for the first half of the 2011 county season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011Derbyshire have signed the gifted Australia batsman Usman Khawaja for the first half of the 2011 county season.Khawaja, 24, is still awaiting a No Objection Certificate from Cricket Australia but could be with the side from the beginning of the season through to conclusion of the Friends Provident t20 tournament. He would follow in the footsteps of fellow Australian Chris Rogers, who was with Derbyshire until the end of last season.Rogers has moved to Middlesex and John Morris, the Derbyshire head of cricket, is excited about his replacement. “He has scored runs consistently for New South Wales and is a very entertaining player to watch,” he said.After waiting on the sidelines for half a year Khawaja made a much-anticipated Test debut against England in the final Ashes Test at Sydney in the beginning of the year. Though his returns – 37 and 21 – were modest, the poise and temperament he displayed were warmly welcomed by the Australian media.His first-class average above 50 demonstrates the talent Derbyshire secured and Morris hopes the time playing county cricket will aid Khawaja’s development. “Successful stints in county cricket have played an integral part in the development of many successful Australian cricketers and I’m sure Usman will benefit hugely from this experience.”In all, Khawaja is eligible for eight Championship matches and six Clydesdale Bank 40 fixtures as well as the 16-match t20 campaign.

Tasmania jumped to a 10-point lead on the one-day table with a convincing five-wicket win over Queensland in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2010Tasmania 5 for 168 (Paine 71, Bailey 51) beat Queensland 9 for 167 by 5 wickets
ScorecardTim Paine, who spent the off-season with the national team, steered Tasmania with 71•Getty ImagesTasmania jumped to a 10-point lead on the one-day table with a convincing five-wicket win over Queensland in Hobart. The Bulls were dismissed for 75 and 96 in the Sheffield Shield last week and continued to have trouble with the bat, struggling to 9 for 167 in 45 overs.Only having the best Nos 10 and 11 in the game helped the Bulls get to the end of the innings, with Chris Hartley (27) and Ryan Harris (13) putting on an unbeaten 40 for the final wicket. The visitors had packed their batting line-up but were undone by Brendan Drew (4 for 38) and Gerard Denton (3 for 47).Tim Paine, who did so well for Australia in the off-season, set up Tasmania’s chase with a brisk 71 and George Bailey added 51. James Hopes and Luke Feldman picked up two wickets each but the hosts reached the target in the 32nd over. The Tigers moved to 21 points after five games, 10 ahead of Victoria and New South Wales.