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Stephen Fleming has ruled himself out of replacing John Wright as New Zealand’s coach, declaring he is not ready to return to the grind of constant touring

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2012Stephen Fleming has ruled himself out of replacing John Wright as New Zealand’s coach, declaring he is not ready to return to the grind of constant touring. Fleming has not dismissed the possibility of pursuing the head coach position in the future but said the timing was not right and he would prefer to spend time at home with his young family.Fleming’s only coaching involvement is leading Chennai Super Kings and his side nearly won the IPL title on Sunday, narrowly losing the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders. He said the relatively abbreviated nature of the IPL was preferable to international coaching at the moment, given his desire to have plenty of time at home.”Not really, from a selfish point of view,” Fleming said on radio when asked if he would consider the New Zealand coaching job. “I enjoy these two months [in the IPL] because it’s my cricket fix and it’s done and dusted, whereas with the national side you’ve got constant development and requirements with trave, not dissimilar to when you’re playing and I’m still, I guess, weaning my way off playing for 15 or 20 years.”I don’t know if that’s the path I want to go down. I have a good relationship with a number of the players, I enjoy talking about their game … and that might pull me back at some point but I certainly can’t see that in the near future.”Fleming, 39, retired from international cricket in 2008 and the following year ended his ties with Wellington and focused on his sports management business. In October 2009 he was considered a candidate to replace Andy Moles as New Zealand’s coach but, like this year, ruled himself out due to his family commitments.”I’m enjoying the four years I’ve been away [from playing] to develop new skills, meet new people and dabble a little bit in cricket,” he said. “The timing really is the main point for me, I’m not quite ready to get back onto that roundabout of international cricket. I’ve got a young family that I love spending time with and while I do care deeply about the New Zealand side and the direction they’re going, the timing’s just not right for me to jump back into that touring lifestyle.”New Zealand Cricket wants to have appointed a new coach by the end of July, with Wright set to finish after the two-Test tour of the Caribbean in July and August. Wright took over from Mark Greatbatch as coach in December 2010 but decided against extending his contract this year, in part due to his differences with John Buchanan, who as NZC’s director of cricket will play a key role in appointing the new mentor.

Derbyshire secured their fourth win of the season, by a ten-wicket margin over Essex, to establish a lead at the top of Division Two

Alex Winter at Chelmsford25-May-2012
ScoreboardKarl Krikken has been head of cricket at Derbyshire for just over a year and the anniversary was toasted with a thumping victory. It was reward for his work not only in charge of the first team for 12 months but in his previous job as academy director.The team he has moulded together totally dominated an opposition many others had tipped for promotion. The Derbyshire dominance was confirmed by the 18 overs it took to reach their target of 94. Martin Guptill, perhaps the best overseas player in the game currently, thumped a 42-ball half-century to polish off a wonderful three days – three days that saw Derbyshire win a fourth game in seven.Guptill missed out in the first innings with a poor stroke but atoned in sublime fashion, lifting Charl Willoughby over his head for six, then over mid-on for four, then through cover off a length for four more. It was an emphatic innings and highlighted how he caps off a squad nicely blended by Krikken with home-grown talent and astute acquisitions.Of the home-grown, Paul Borrington, a Repton schoolboy, needed runs and got a confidence-boosting 30 not out, playing a couple of commanding drives of his own and lifting Tom Craddock past mid-off for four, then through midwicket to finish the game. Another four players in the XI have been part of the Derbyshire academy, which was only established eight years ago but is now beginning to bear fruit.”We always knew some of those academy guys would come through,” said Krikken, who was Derbyshire’s first academy director before replacing John Morris as head coach last May. “And fortunately we’ve signed some very good players, some from out of the wilderness really.” Those from the wilderness include Wes Durston, whose century continued his excellent form and whose part-time offspin claimed the key wicket of Owais Shah during a morning session where Derbyshire took three wickets and effectively won the game.Shah was far too early on a short ball and lost his leg stump. Durston also claimed the catch from Mark Pettini’s top-edged pull – a similar shot to that which saw David Masters very well caught by Jon Clare running back from midwicket to gave David Wainwright his eighth wicket in the match.Wainwright was also brought in from the wilderness. In the morning he produced another classic to take out Ben Foakes’ middle stump. He provides a service the envy of all sides – a genuine match-winning bowler. “He has been brilliant,” said Tim Groenewald, who joined from Warwickshire in 2009. “He’s fitted into the side really well and it’s been the case with a lot of guys from other clubs, you move elsewhere you come to life.”Groenewald was alive on the second evening with two wickets while Essex were still behind. He had Tymal Mills lbw to complete an outstanding match haul of 5 for 52 in 31 overs. Groenewald’s smile was evidence of a side filled with belief. Their players, some hungry from a lack of cricket elsewhere, are joyful to be playing the game; Wainwright could have bowled every over himself, such was the way he charged back to his bowling mark to skip in again. It was his first-innings haul that set up the win.Also behind the success has been the new captain Wayne Madsen – unexpectedly given the job before the start of the season after Luke Sutton’s retirement. “After we lost Luke we wondered if we had a leader in the side but Wayne’s come in and been immense,” Krikken said. “And our overseas player, Martin Guptill, has also been immense and he’s one of the lads, in the field he chases things, he throws himself about, we even had him doing twelfth-man duties last year. They’ve all bought into what we’re doing; it’s a really good dressing room.”We’re a good side. They’re young players who are still learning. We’ll even take a lesson from today, in how we bowled at James Foster.”Foster made 96 largely slog-swept runs, some from a guard outside off stump, as he tried to farm the bowling from seven wickets down. He and Willoughby, who was 0 not out, added 39 for the tenth wicket, the only thing Krikken had to criticise his players.There is a slight cautionary note to go with Derbyshire’s positive start. They are yet to play Kent or Yorkshire – second and third at the moment – and they will lose Guptill after the Friends Life t20. But Usman Khawaja is a talented replacement and this win was a sign that Derbyshire have a squad capable of outperforming everyone’s expectations.

A century from Alex Gidman was swiftly followed up by four wickets taken by brother Will as Gloucestershire took control

Ivo Tennant at Bristol31-May-2012
ScorecardA century for Alex Gidman put Gloucestershire in charge against the Division Two leaders•PA Photos

This was a tale of the Gidman brothers. A century from Alex, the elder and arguably still the better, was swiftly followed up by four wickets taken by Will, bowling in gloomy light at a quickish medium pace. The upshot is that Derbyshire, five second innings wickets intact, lead by a mere 12 runs. They did bat with more conviction than when they were bowled out for 95 on Wednesday, but will do well to avoid a heavy defeat.That Gloucestershire gained as sizeable a first-innings lead as 199 was chiefly down to Alex Gidman making his first century of the season. Hitherto this summer he had gone past fifty only once. Now, with less movement to contend with than that which confronted Derbyshire’s batsmen on the first day, he punched his drives through the cover ring and cut savagely at times.Resuming on 72, Gidman reached his century off 196 balls with 11 fours. He had made 129 in all when, facing Tim Groenewald, he slightly over-balanced in the crease and was leg-before. By then, Ian Cockbain had also gone, held down the leg side off Tony Palladino, as had Chris Dent, who pluckily came out to bat after fracturing a finger the previous day. Such gestures, noble in concept, rarely seem to work, however. Driving at Jon Clare, he edged to second slip.Will Gidman stayed with his brother for a while before he was leg-before to Palladino, who finished off the innings by removing David Payne’s off stump. Gloucestershire by now had quite a sufficient lead and when Matt Lineker drove airily at Will Gidman to be caught at gully and two further wickets fell before tea, they might even have countenanced a two-day finish.Martin Guptill showed glimpses of his undoubted class in reaching 42 with seven fours – his cover and straight driving was a delight – but, like Lineker and Wes Durston, rather gave his wicket away. He swiped at a rising ball outside off stump from Ian Saxelby and succeeded only in edging to Jon Batty. Durston, whose innings was barely underway, shaped to play Will Gidman as if providing catching practice for the slip cordon: another victim for Batty.Still, Wayne Madsen added 97 with Dan Refern, which represented solidity. Had the captain, who reached a half-century with five fours and drove firmly off the front foot – he is not one to loft the ball – remained until the close, Derbyshire might just have had some hope of a recovery along the lines of the one they memorably managed here two years ago. Yet, having reached 72, that man Will Gidman had him lbw on the front foot.Meanwhile, off-the-field celebrations were continuing apace over the decision by Bristol City Council’s development control committee to grant planning consent to Gloucestershire. The building of 147 dwellings within an apartment block effectively will replace the Jessop Stand opposite the pavilion. Rex Body, the chairman, dispensed champagne to all the staff. Well, not the players until the close.The club has spent £900,000 in securing this consent, which safeguards the future of cricket at Nevil Road. Paul Russell, the former chairman of Glamorgan who was instrumental in the development of the SWALEC Stadium at Cardiff, impressed upon councillors at their meeting on Wednesday evening the amount of revenue the city of Bristol would accrue from staging international cricket. This, of course, is on the basis that the one-day fixture scheduled for 2014 between England and India will go ahead. The club should be on course to have completed a sweeping redevelopment by then. That match alone will attract millions of television viewers. Nothing like cricket to put Bristol on the map in India.

Steve Harmison’s initial appearance as an honorary Yorkshireman is not one he will particularly relish

Ivo Tennant at West End14-Jul-2012
ScorecardSteve Harmison wants to finish his career wearing the Durham kit•Getty Images

Steve Harmison’s initial appearance as an honorary Yorkshireman is not one he will particularly relish. Endless coach journeys, endless rain and, when he did finally have a bowl well into the third day of this weather-ruined fixture, inactivity and a lack of match practice were responsible for an opening over of wild misdirection. His first ball was a wide, as was his third and then his fourth. Another followed in his next over.His five overs went for 25 runs and further rain on the final day ensured he would not bowl again. Harmison, with just six first-class wickets to his name this season, has begun a month’s loan to Yorkshire unless he is recalled in the event of injuries or Test calls. He has been recommended by Durham’s members for a benefit next year and, even if at 33 he is clearly not the fast bowler he was, still intends to play on for two or three more years. Preferably for Durham.”I still want to play for Durham. I still have the burning desire to play cricket for my home county.” In reference to joining Yorkshire on loan, he said: “I feel like I’m a proud man and an honest person so if I’m representing a side that has given me the chance to play, I’ll do everything I possibly can. The most important thing is for Yorkshire to get back into the first division. If I can play any small part in that, I’ll be delighted.”I’ve not played cricket for two years properly and it’s frightening how much I have missed it. I’ve probably got two to three years left in the game, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. The only thing I’ve ever been able to do is play cricket. It’s one thing being frustrated not playing when you’re injured like I have been over the last few years, but when I’m not playing cricket because of the weather or through not being picked, it’s doubly frustrating.”The Yorkshire coaching hierarchy of Martyn Moxon and Jason Gillespie, an old foe of Harmison’s during Ashes encounters, were not particularly influential in him joining Yorkshire. He had had enough of second XI cricket and inactivity during the t20 period and felt he had to play in the first-class game, not least because of better facilities.”I would have gone anywhere. It was a case of who needed a bowler – and that county was Yorkshire owing to Ryan Sidebottom being injured. I have nothing against second team cricket but I have enjoyed every minute since I began practising with them at the start of the week.”Harmison’s next appearance for Yorkshire will be against Derbyshire at Chesterfield next week. Pitches of old on that attractive ground had the trampoline bounce he desired, whereas too often this summer, one in which he has played just three Championship matches, they have been dampened and dulled by the rain. No-one wants to see his career peter out or for him to play on too long through not knowing what to do next, but there is clearly a possibility of both occurring. He has not been so in need of a few wickets since, well, he was about to open England’s bowling at Gillespie and company in 2005.

The Kent faithful supporting the opening day of this 161st Canterbury Week match with Essex left St Lawrence fearing their side’s promotion push had all but run its course after seeing their hosts skittled by their lowly neighbours for 226.

Mark Pennell at Canterbury08-Aug-2012
ScorecardThe Kent faithful supporting the opening day of this 161st Canterbury Week match with Essex left St Lawrence fearing their side’s promotion push had all but run its course after seeing their hosts skittled by their lowly neighbours for 226.Though six of Kent’s top eight batsmen reached double figures, only former Glamorgan veteran Michael Powell reached a half-century and showed the required resolve to survive in seamer-friendly conditions.Though it remained overcast throughout much of the day and there appeared a good covering of grass on the pitch, Kent had elected to bat first and it proved a controversial choice once Essex seam triumvirate David Masters, Graham Napier and Maurice Chambers got to their work with the new ball.Key was soon shot out, to the 22nd ball of the match in fact, as he worked across the line to clip a firm, low return catch to Chambers off a leading edge.Sam Northeast’s cameo ended when he fended one from Chambers, this time for the Pavilion End, toward second slip where Harbhajan Singh dropped a dolly only for James Foster to snaffle the rebound.Having dropped Ben Harmison through lack of form, the ex-Durham left-hander has scored only 311 runs at an average of 20 since his move south, Kent gave Alex Blake a rare opportunity to shine at No. 3 but his luck ran out with only 19 to his name. Shouldering arms to a Napier offcutter, he lost his off stump and Kent limped into lunch on 82 for 3.Two balls after the resumption Brendan Nash sparred at Masters to unerringly pick out Harbhajan at second slip, then Stevens perished for 20 after toe-ending an attempted drive against Napier onto leg stump.Powell duly dug-in for a watchful 98-ball 50, but his former team-mate at Abergavenny Cricket Club, Geraint Jones, endured a much shorter stay and perished leg before for five when playing down the wrong line against Masters.On the cusp of the tea interval Powell undid all his good work by chasing wide outside off to snick off into the cordon leaving Azhar Mahmood to see Kent through to a solitary batting bonus point. Making his maiden championship appearance of the summer, Mahmood went down with an attack of cramp when on 30, but called on Northeast to do his running and further frustrate Essex.Matt Coles lamely chipped to mid-on, Adam Riley perished to the first delivery with the second new ball and then, just one short of his 50, Mahmood was scuppered through the gate by Napier to end the Kent innings just before 6pm.Essex suffered few alarms in the nine overs remaining in the day and will go into Thursday trailing by 212 runs.

The bids for the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, which has been put up for sale with its owners facing serious financial issues, will be opened in Chennai on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2012The bids for the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, which has been put up for sale with its owners facing serious financial issues, will be opened in Chennai on Thursday. It is not yet known how many bidders have entered the fray with only Videocon, an Indian business conglomerate, coming on record with an expression of interest.The bid amount itself will be deposited with one of the franchise’s lenders, ICICI Bank, and the Bombay High Court has ruled that the money can’t be utilised by the owners without its permission. The court has also appointed an officer to oversee the sale process.Thursday’s auction will have a lot more at stake, though, than the future of Chargers and the financial health of its owners Deccan Chronicle. On trial will be the ability of the IPL model, now in its fifth year, to attract interest from potential franchise owners. Deccan Chronicle’s issues with their lenders will further complicate the matter.This is the first time an entire IPL franchise has been put on the block by its owners, although Rajasthan Royals sold a small stake in 2009 to the actress Shilpa Shetty and her partner Raj Kundra. That gave Royals an effective valuation of $140 million, more than double the $67 million the owners, Emerging Media, paid for it in 2008.Franchise valuations in the IPL have sky-rocketed in the short time the league has been in existence. Mumbai Indians were the costliest franchise at $111.9 million in the first team auction in 2008, with Chargers third at $107 million. Two years later, the Sahara group bid a staggering $370m for Pune Warriors while the now dissolved Kochi franchise was bought by a consortium for $333 million.Two years later, the outlook is not remotely as rosy. Franchises have found it is not easy to make money in the IPL. Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore have delayed payments to their players; franchises with multiple owners, such as Royals and Kings XI Punjab, have reportedly been looking at selling stakes to raise funds.The days of heady valuations seem to be over. Reports have put potential bids for Chargers in the range of Rs 800 to 1000 crores ($145m-182m). Going by the mounting woes of Deccan Chronicle in the past few days, potential bidders could still encounter several issues before a deal goes through.Tim Wright, the former chief executive of Chargers, won a £10.5 million legal dispute against the franchise in London in July and is now seeking to enforce that judgment through a Secunderabad court.That, though, is not the biggest of Deccan Chronicle’s worries. They owe their lenders, including banks and other financial institutions, hundreds of millions of dollars and the franchise itself is mortgaged to some of them. Deccan Chronicle are looking to cut their debt with the proceeds from selling the franchise. How much money they can raise to that end will be known on Thursday.

Kumar Sangakkara has said that Sri Lanka will be one of the favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20, despite Sri Lanka’s pitches having become less spin-friendly

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2012Kumar Sangakkara has said that Sri Lanka will be one of the favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20, despite Sri Lanka’s pitches having become less spin-friendly. Pitches at Pallekele and Hambantota – stadiums built for last year’s World Cup – have suited seam bowling, while the relaid square at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has also seen bounce and carry in the last year. No team breached 200 in the Sri Lanka Premier League played in Colombo and Pallekele in August and four of the top five wicket takers in the tournament were seam bowlers.”Our sides have changed a little bit,” Sangakkara said. “We don’t depend on spin alone anymore or just one fast bowler in Chaminda Vaas. We have different sets of fast bowlers and different sets of spinners. With the change in conditions our sides have changed, but home advantage is not only about wickets. It’s about playing in your country, playing in front of the people who cheer and love you.”Sangakkara said the Premadasa pitch changed after the ground was renovated, and that winning the toss held no obvious advantage as it had once done. Fifteen of the 27 matches in the World Twenty20 will be played at the Premadasa, including both semi finals and the final.”When the wickets were relaid, in the first few games there was a lot of turn and now they’ve settled down into beautiful wickets where batting first or second you have an equal chance of winning. Batting under lights has become so much easier that some sides now prefer to chase,” he said.The wickets at Pallekele and Hambantota also offer challenges not traditionally associated with Sri Lankan venues, Sangakkara said.”Pallekele seems to have a lot in it at night. It seams and swings around and that will be an interesting challenge for us being a Sri Lankan side playing in our conditions to encounter those conditions. Hambantota is completely different. There is quite a strong wind from one side and the pitch can be a bit up and down. The vicious turn that [Sri Lankan pitches] used to have is no more, so sides have to adjust accordingly.”Sangakkara said that in addition to a home crowd that will give Sri Lanka “a massive advantage”, the team’s recent history of good performances at ICC events would also be a source of confidence. Since 2007, Sri Lanka have been runners up in successive World Cups, and were finalists in the 2009 World Twenty20 and semi finalists in the 2010 tournament.”Sri Lanka have always been favourites in my view in any tournament that we play because we’ve been able to rise to those big occasions really well as a unit and adjust accordingly. If you take our last 4-5 years, it’s been an amazing run in big tournaments. We just need to believe in ourselves and believe in that fact and keep playing.”Sangakkara missed the SLPL due to a fractured finger, but is expected to be fit for the World Twenty20 which starts on September 18. Sri Lanka play Zimbabwe in Hambantota in the tournament opener. South Africa is the other team in their group.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Sydney Sixers

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya13-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 14, 2012
Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)Pat Cummins returns to the venue where he shot into the limelight•Associated Press

Big Picture

A big crowd greeted the opening day of the main tournament in the 2012 Champions League, and the first game of the second promises enough excitement to draw a similar, if not better, response on Sunday. Chennai Super Kings have some big names in their batting, the Sydney Sixers have two of the best upcoming fast-bowling talents. Super Kings have an impressive spinner who’s had plenty of success bowling in the Powerplay, Sixers have an allrounder who’s made the opening slot in limited-overs cricket his own in recent times. Both teams have wicketkeeper-captains who are also attacking batsmen, and players with all-round ability and an approach ideally suited to the T20 format.Super Kings have won the Champions League before, in South Africa, and the IPL twice, the Sixers are the current Big Bash League champions. The Sixers have fewer players who’ve had experience of South African conditions, but that’s not to say they won’t relish them. In a group comprising two big-name IPL teams, the Sixers provide an excellent counterbalance.

Watch out for…

It was in South Africa, at the same venue, that Pat Cummins made a dream Test debut, picking up seven wickets to set up his team’s series-levelling victory. He bowled quick, swung the ball, got purchase from the conditions, and his partnership with Mitchell Starc will be one to watch for. Starc, who’s troubled batsmen with his inswinging delivery, had a productive World T20 and a successful limited-overs series against Pakistan in the UAE, in conditions that suited the slower bowlers more. He shouldn’t mind bowling in South Africa. They’re 19 and 22 respectively, and Sixers and Australia should think they’re blessed.Albie Morkel is the most experienced Twenty20 cricketer, with 202 matches. Unlike South Africa, who’ve dropped him from the XI in the past, Super Kings retained him ahead of the auction before the fourth IPL season. He didn’t have a great World T20, amid talk that he’d been underutilised with the bat, and had an off day against Pakistan with the ball in a game that South Africa lost after being in control. He’s back at home now, and it’ll be interesting to see how best Super Kings use him, especially with the bat.

Stats and trivia

• Ashwin is three wickets away from taking 100 in the shortest format of the game.
• Nathan McCullum’s next Twenty20 game will be his 100th.
• The South African-born England batsman Michael Lumb is the most experienced T20 player in the Sydney Sixers squad, with 119 games.

Quotes

“He has confidence in Ashwin to bowl in the Powerplays. Ashwin has also been bowling a few new balls with a new action. He comes up with something new every day so to have a guy like him in the team gives more options to the captain.”
“We’re actually lucky that in Australian cricket, at the moment, we’ve got a crop of quicks that are pushing the speed gun up to where we like it.”