ICC scrutinies Australia-New Zealand WC match

Karachi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has carried out a scrutiny of the Australia and New Zealand World Cup match played in Ahmedabad after Australian

openers, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin batted slowly in the first 10 overs.

The two openers scored just 28 in 11 overs and 53 in 15 overs in a match that Australia eventually won comfortably but the slow rate of scoring in the first two overs was scrutinized by the ICC anti-corruption and security unit.

Sources aware of developments said the ICC ACSU had carried out a quiet review of the match after questions were raised over the slow start taken by Watson and Haddin.

With the spectre of spot-fixing now looming over international cricket following the bans on three Pakistani players for spot-fixing last year on the England tour, sources said the ICC ASCU was keeping a vigilant eye on all matches in the World Cup and the slow start by the Australian openers caught their attention.

"They are taking no chances at all and all matches are under the scanner for possible indications that any spot-fixing has taken place," one source said.

Australian team coach Tim Nielsen has defended his openers saying they played slowly according to the situation.

"I thought they played well in game one. Everyone had this perception that they went slowly. But if Zimbabwe were going to be competitive against us, they needed to take early wickets with their spinners. We`re playing the way we think is the right way to play," said Nielsen after the match.

Pakistan former test captain, Rashid Latif has already expressed fears that the format of the World Cup has opened a window for bookmakers to try to corrupt players in the tournament since most of the top teams are certain to make the all-important quarter finals from the group matches stage.

In spot-fixing bookmakers take bets on particular moments and stages of a match for example how many runs would be scored by a team in five overs or after ten overs and so on or in a certain over how many runs will be scored or if it will be a maiden.

Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were hauled up after being found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls during the fourth test against England at Lords last year.

Plenty of fuss was also raised over the India and England match after former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne correctly tweeted seven hours before the start of the match that it would be a tie.

England skipper Andrew Strauss claimed that Warne had shown he was a cricket genius with his correct prediction but others also observed that it was strange how one could predict a tie so early before a match.

Pakistan`s former captain, Moin Khan said the Warne tweet could have been just a hunch but felt it had raised questions by many people.

Pakistan`s test pacer, Sohail Tanvir said that the ICC needed to keep a close eye on all matches of the World Cup as it was a mega event and a big attraction for bookmakers in the subcontinent.

Pakistan`s former captain, Aamir Sohail ruled that if any Pakistani or Indian player had made the same tweet about having a tied match lot of hue and cry would have been raised in the western media by now.

"But since this prediction comes from a Australian player it is declared a stroke of genius," he added.

Source:-http://www.zeenews.com/

WI vs Ned: West Indies crush Netherlands by 215 runs

West Indies beat the Netherlands by a massive 215 runs in their World Cup Group B match at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. 

Chasing 331, the Dutch were bundled out for 115 in the 32nd over with Tom Cooper's unbeaten 55 being the only bright spot in their innings.

Earlier, the West Indies piled up 330/8 in their stipulated 50 overs thanks to impressive batting performance by Chirs Gayle (80) and Kieron Pollard's 27-ball 60. 

The Netherlands began to show signs of pressure early with their first wicket falling in the first over. Kemar Roach scalped Wesley Barresi on the fourth ball of the first over with Chris Gayle performing the final honours. He could not even open his account.

But that was just the beginning of the carnage that the West Indians had in mind for the Dutch players. 

Even their most experienced player Ryan ten Doeschate could not save his teammates from the destruction as wickets after wickets fell and sounds of West Indies players making merry filled the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium. Ryan fell to Sulieman Benn on 7 with an LBW written against his initials in the scoreboard.

The Netherlands' scoreboard looked like a phone number with most of their batsmen getting out on single digit scores. By the end of the 11th over The Netherlands were down to 36/5 with left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn claiming three wickets while paceman Kemar Roach two.

Soon paceman Darren Sammy too joined the party claiming the opposition captain Peter Borren in the 19th over. He fell for 10 and the Dutch team slumped to 56/6. 

In his second spells Roach proved to be even more devastating claiming fours wickets to finish with impressive figures of 8.3-0-27-6. The Dutch could only 115 on board.    

West Indies innings

West Indies opener Chirs Gayle scored 80 and Kieron Pollard hammered a 27-ball 60 as West Indies scored 330/8.  

The West Indies openers Devon Smith and Chris Gayle batted on to put 100 runs on board. But, no sooner had they reached the mark that Smith fell with Bernard Loots claiming him in the 17th over. Smith tried to cut away but the ball stayed low and a thin edge got carried to the keeper Wesley Barresi. He scored 53 off 51 balls.

Post Smith's dismissal, Gayle and Darren Bravo got on with a partnership that contribute 68 runs to the West Indies total. The two could have carried on but for an impressive bit of bowling by Pieter Seelaar. 

Seelaar pitched the ball outside off tempting Bravo, who tried to play it and eventually ended up giving a catch to Alexei Kerveeze at long on. He scored 30. West Indies were 168/2 at the stage.

But big-match player Gayle was still at the crease and he continued to score briskly, until Ryan ten Doeschate struck. In the 37th over on the very second ball of the batting Powerplay ten Doeschate got rid of Gayle on 80. A good length ball was hammered towards long off, but Kerveeze cut it short with a fine catch and West Indies lost their opener on 196/3.

Then it the turn of Kieron Pollard to go all guns blazing. His half-century came in just 23 balls clearly suggest the rampage he was. And while he was at it, the Dutch managed to remove Sarwan and then added Shivnarine Chanderpaul's name to their list of victims. Finally, the lady luck smiled on them and Pollard too fell after scoring a blazing 60 of 27 balls that included five fours and four over the fence shots.

A Mudassar Bukhari ball in the 48th over was pumped high into the air and ten Doeschate came under it to cleanly collect it at long on. But by then the damage was done as the Windies were sitting pretty on 312/7. In the end, final West Indies total turned out to be an impressive 330/8 in 50 overs.

Source:-http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/131127/sports/wi-vs-ned-match-report.html

ICC World Cup 2011: New Zealand beat Kenya by 10 wickets

Pacer Hamish Bennett picked up a career-best four-wicket haul as New Zealand trounced Kenya by 10 wickets in a totally lop-sided World Cup Group A encounter at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. 

Electing to bat first, the Kenyans were sent packing for their lowest World Cup total of 69 in just 23.5 overs before the Kiwis overhauled the paltry target in eight overs.

With just 31.5 overs played, New Zealand recorded the second fastest World Cup victory. In fact, it was a match which lasted less than a third of what a full cricket one-dayer would be.

Kiwi opener Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum scored quick-fire knocks of 39 and 26 respectively to take their team home within three hours.

Earlier, Bennett, who will turn 24 on Tuesday, was the wrecker-in-chief for New Zealand, who came into the mega-event rather low on confidence after losing successive ODI series to Bangladesh and India a few months ago.

His four wickets were instrumental in reducing the Kenyans to their lowest score after the 104 against the West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. This was also the fifth lowest by any team in the World Cup history.

Playing only his ninth ODI for New Zealand after taking 11 wickets from six matches against Pakistan at home recently, Bennett ripped through the clueless Kenyan batting line-up by claiming four wickets in the space of 10 balls as his dream first spell read 5-0-16-4.

Bennett's earlier best came a fortnight ago against Pakistan in Auckland when he took 4 for 46.

Bennett's pace partners, Tim Southee (3/13) and Jacob Oram (3/2) shared the other six Kenyan wickets.

For Kenya, only three batsmen - opener Seren Waters (16), Collins Obuya (14) and Indian-origin Rakep Patel (16 not out) - got into double figures.

Such was the capitulation that the last three Kenyan players - Nejhemiah Odhiam, Shem Ngoche and Elijah Otieno - departed without even disturbing the scorecard.

The Kenyans, opting to bat first on a grass-less wicket, were totally exposed and they lacked technical prowess mostly going across to get rapped on their pads.

Their top five batsmen were adjudged leg before including Maurice Ouma, who went in for a referral, which only confirmed the umpire's original decision.

As the match started, the openers, Alex Obanda and Waters were seen to be well up to their task taking time to analyse the conditions and plodded to get their eyes in while stealing some quick singles.

New Zealand Captain Daniel Vettori decided to open the attack with both pace and spin in operation, bringing in Nathan McCullum from the far end.

But it was Southee, who provided the first breakthrough by dismissing Obanda leg before.

Obanda, who misread the angle of a good length delivery, made 6.

Thereafter, it was Bennett who ruled the roost dismissing Waters, the experienced Steve Tikolo (2), who is playing his fifth world cup, Obuya and Maurice Ouma (1).

With the top five batsmen wilting under pressure, the remaining five batsmen added just 20 runs and Oram polished off the tail in quick time.

The chase was never meant to cause much hassle for the Kiwi batsmen and Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill went after the Kenyan bowling attack from the very start.

While Guptill's 39 runs came off 32 balls, including five fours and a couple of sixes, McCullum took 17 balls to knock off his 26 runs, 16 of which came in boundaries.

Nehemiah Odhiambo ended up being the costliest of the Kenyan bowlers, conceding 21 runs in his two overs, while Thomas Odoyo was no better, giving away 25 runs in his three overs.

Source:-http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/130401/world-cup-cricket-2011/icc-world-cup-2011-kenya-vs-new-zealand-live.html