I told Dravid not to retire - Ponting

Ricky Ponting has said that he encouraged Rahul Dravid to fight through his struggles and continue playing when their sides met in the two-Test series in India last October. Dravid was going through a lean patch at the time - his only century in 2010 up till then had been against Bangladesh and he managed just one half-century during the series against Australia - but Ponting said he urged Dravid to ignore critics who wrote him off.

"I remember after our last series in India there was a lot of talk and speculation about Dravid being finished," Ponting told ESPNcricinfo. "I actually went and found him at the end of the series and said 'don't you even think about retiring' because I just saw some stuff in a few of his innings that suggested he was still a very, very good player. I just said 'don't let them wear you down, don't let them get you down'. I received a similar text message before and after the Ashes from him as well."

After that home series against Australia, Dravid scored two centuries against New Zealand before a string of low scores in South Africa. Since then, he has been prolific in tough conditions, with four centuries in seven Tests spread across West Indies and England. In the second of those tours, where England humbled India to claim the No. 1 Test ranking, Dravid was easily India's best batsman, with three centuries and 461 runs over the four Tests.

Ponting, 36, has not scored a Test century since January 2010, said it was nice to see the 38-year-old Dravid doing well. He believed players like Dravid were as much an inspiration for senior players like himself, as for youngsters.

"There are a few [who provide an inspiration for batsmen of advancing years]. Sachin [Tendulkar] and [Jacques] Kallis both had a great last year; Dravid is doing well now. It's not only good for guys of my age to see guys doing that, it's good for the younger blokes to see it as well; to know that if you keep doing the right things and working hard, and if you've got talent, then age is not a barrier in our game."

While young players have role models to look up to, Ponting said he worried that an excess of Twenty20 cricket played at youth level would hinder the development of Test batsmen.

"The big worry I've had about Twenty20 cricket and even other shorter forms of the game being played at really developmental times in kids' careers is that it won't teach them the art of concentration. Cricket for me when I was growing up meant batting until someone got me out, and if that took them a week then that's how long it took them.

"Now, even Under-17s and Under-19s are playing T20 games in national championships, and at the detriment of two-day games. Good state players these days are averaging 35; if you were averaging 35 when I was playing your dad would go and buy you a basketball or a footy and tell you to play that. So there are areas of concern there; I don't know how you change them."

Ponting is one of the few senior members left in what is a transitional Australia team that goes up against Sri Lanka in a three-Test series. He said India, who lost their No. 1 Test ranking in England, could also enter a similar phase once their experienced batsmen retired, but believed their barren bowling reserves were a bigger cause for concern.

"India still haven't reached that point that I thought they'd get to yet. They've still got that crux, those great batters in that side. Time will tell with India now. Dravid was probably one who was in the gun before the rest of them and he's found a way to come through. They [Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman] are all about the same age and they won't go on forever. They will be tested more than anything with their bowlers. I think we found even in the last few years that a lot of their spin bowling probably isn't as strong as it used to be, and if you take Zaheer [Khan] out of their fast bowling stocks there's not much left there either; so they've got an interesting couple of years ahead."

India's whitewash in England has led to criticism that there is too much emphasis on the shorter formats of the game in the country, and Ponting, who has not played in the IPL since the end of its first season, said the tournament was affecting India's cricket.

"They're probably prioritising Twenty20 cricket as much as anyone aren't they, with the IPL being based there and the commitment some players have to certain franchises and tournaments going on around that. I reckon a good example of where their cricket is now is the fact they played RP Singh in that last Test match, when he hadn't played a first-class game since January.

"While India have got the great players they've had they'll remain competitive, but once those guys move on it'll be really interesting for them, and I think South Africa will be exactly the same. Once [Graeme] Smith and Kallis and [Dale] Steyn go out of that team it'll be interesting to see how they rebuild as well."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Dernbach delivers in rain-dented contest

Dernbach delivers in rain-dented contest

The Report by Andrew Miller

England's new-look one-day team exacted a measure of revenge for their predecessors who were vanquished in that thrilling World Cup fixture in Bangalore, as Ireland's spirited bid for back-to-back victories against their nearest neighbours was thwarted first by the weather and then by a canny diet of slower balls and yorkers from Jade Dernbach and Ravi Bopara.

In what effectively became a match within a match after two lengthy rain delays had eaten 35 overs out of the day's allocation, Ireland were left needing 87 from the final ten overs of their run-chase, having gone into the second interruption on 42 for 2 after 13, following the early loss of both openers to Steven Finn.

In what looked suspiciously like a tactical decision, Will Porterfield ran himself out off the second ball of the resumption, whereupon the hero of Bangalore, Kevin O'Brien, monstered consecutive sixes off the debutant spinner, Scott Borthwick, to give a patient Dublin crowd the treat they had all turned up to see, and to give England an early reminder of the damage he could cause, following that seminal 113 from 63 balls at the World Cup.

While O'Brien was at the crease, anything seemed possible, as he bashed along to 26 from 15, with the pick of his strokes being an inside-out drive through extra cover off Samit Patel. However, Eoin Morgan, captaining England for the first time against his former countrymen, swiftly pulled his spinners from the attack, and turned to the seam variations of Dernbach and Bopara to regain control of the match.

The move was rewarded with three key wickets in as many overs. First, Niall O'Brien misread a slower-ball bouncer from Dernbach and holed out to deep square leg for 13; then Nigel Jones was exquisitely cleaned up by Bopara, whose back-of-the-hand delivery trimmed his bails as he went through his shot too soon. Kevin O'Brien added one more boundary to his tally when he picked a Dernbach slowie and pulled it through midwicket, but he wasn't ready for the change-up in pace, and was comprehensively yorked in the same over.

John Mooney, the unsung hero of that remarkable night in Bangalore, revived Ireland's hopes with a first-ball four and a crashing six over midwicket, but he too succumbed to Dernbach as he got underneath a lofted drive, and picked out Ben Stokes on the straight boundary.

With 12 balls remaining and 23 required, Patel returned to the attack with an exceptional over that went for four runs and included the wicket of Gary Wilson to an optimistic swipe, which left Dernbach to close out the game for figures of 3 for 30 in five overs, all but one of which came in the closing ten-over bash.

The frenetic finale was entirely at odds with the soporific start to the contest, in which Jonathan Trott - the only survivor of that Bangalore beating - dropped anchor in his habitual (and opinion-splitting) style to top-score for England with 69 from 105 balls. Morgan provided a spark of tempo against his former countrymen with a 65-ball 59, but Ireland's bowlers bowled with excellent discipline on a sluggish surface to restrict their opponents to 201 for 8 in 42 overs.

In showery conditions reminiscent of England's lucky escape in Belfast two years ago, run-scoring proved hard to master on a two-paced surface. Though he once again batted deep within his bubble in his first England appearance since he damaged his shoulder during the second Test against India at Trent Bridge, even Trott appeared frustrated with his progress at times, and when rain interrupted after 12.1 overs, he had reached 19 off 34 balls.

England lost two early wickets in that time. Craig Kieswetter's struggles against the moving ball continued in an unconvincing 26-ball 14, while James Taylor, the highly-rated young Leicestershire batsman, managed 1 from eight balls on debut before a short ball from Rankin got big on him, and he top-edged a loose pull to Wilson at midwicket.

Morgan's inventiveness, and a decent flurry from the tail, ensured England scraped over the 200-mark, but the rain prevented a proper contest from panning out. Given that Kevin O'Brien had been the one batsman all day to really get a grip of the surface, Ireland may well rue the overs that got away.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

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Ponting 'fresher' without captaincy burden

Ricky Ponting has said he is enjoying his new batsman-only role after giving up the captaincy following Australia's disappointing World Cup earlier this year. Ponting handed the leadership to Michael Clarke but decided against retiring, and it's a move that has allowed him to concentrate solely on his run-scoring.

In the last year of his captaincy, Ponting struggled to have an impact with the bat, and averaged 30.23 in one-day internationals and 29 in Test cricket. But half-centuries in his two innings in Sri Lanka over the past week have been encouraging, especially an unbeaten 90 that helped Australia to an eight-wicket win in Hambantota on Sunday, where Ponting earned his first ODI Man-of-the-Match award in 18 months.

"It probably has," Ponting said when asked if relinquishing the leadership had allowed him to focus more on his batting. "The World Cup didn't go to plan as I would have wanted. The one-day series in Bangladesh that I played when I wasn't captain, I felt like a played well there and I've started this series well.

"There's no doubt that for me to just be able to turn up to training and focus on my batting and my fielding only has been nice. I've been able to be just that little bit fresher and I've felt in control in the two games I've played here so far. Hopefully that continues for the rest of the tour."

By playing on after giving up as skipper, Ponting bucked the trend of recent Australian captains: he was the first since Kim Hughes nearly 30 years ago to play on. At 36, Ponting remains unsure how long he has left in the game, but he said for the time being he was keen to keep making runs at No. 3 and help Clarke in any way required.

"I thought long and hard about the decision I made," Ponting said. "Once I'd come to the conclusion that I wasn't the captain of the side anymore it was up to me to just be the best batsman that I could be for the side and another pair of ears for Michael if he ever wanted it. As the No. 3 batsman in the side there's a big responsibility for me to score runs more often than not. So far things have started well."

Australia have hardly been challenged in the opening two ODIs and they could wrap the series up with victory in the third match in Hambantota on Tuesday. So far their batsmen haven't had too much trouble against the Sri Lankan attack, so much so that the No. 6, David Hussey, has not yet been required to bat.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Carters ton denies India victory

A battling century from captain Ryan Carters helped Australian Institute of Sport force a draw against India Emerging Players at Endeavour Park No.2 in Townsville. However, India finished on top in the points table, thereby capping a successful series for them - they were also victorious in the Twenty20 tournament that preceded the three-day games.

Australia ended the second day at 93 for 2, still 236 runs adrift of India. Carters, who was unbeaten overnight on 56, continued to look solid. He and Glenn Maxwell had added 65 before stumps on day two, and they carried on the good work on the final day, adding a further 55 before Maxwell was dismissed for 73. Any hopes that India might have had of causing a collapse were dented as Tim Armstrong joined his captain and the duo put on 87 for the fourth wicket. Carters was finally dismissed for 115, but Armstrong (75) featured in handy partnerships for the fifth and sixth wickets to deny India a win, as Australia ended the day on 328 for 7.

Reeza Hendricks completed his double-century and Richard Levi reached a century but South Africa Emerging Players were not left with enough time to bowl New Zealand A out at Endeavour Park in Townsville. South Africa's only hope of notching up their first win of the three-day leg of the tournament was to score quickly on the final day and then hope for a New Zealand collapse. But Hendricks and Levi took their time, and South Africa used up 54.2 overs in the day to get 177 runs, which put them 169 runs ahead. New Zealand lost two wickets in the 34 overs they had to bat.

Hendricks' 218 was his second double-century of the tournament and his 566-run aggregate earned him the Batsman-of-the-Tournament as well as the Player-of the-Tournament awards. India's Iqbal Abdulla was named Bowler of the Tournament for his nine wickets.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Isaac backs Indian board on DRS

The ICC vice-president Alan Isaac has backed the BCCI's stance on the DRS, saying he too isn't convinced the technology works "well enough". The BCCI has expressed its reservations over the ball-tracking technology used for lbw decisions, saying it isn't fool-proof and Isaac felt the Indian board was "right". The BCCI, the other member boards and the ICC reached a compromise at the ICC's annual conference in Hong Kong earlier this year, making the use of ball-tracking optional for each series while agreeing to use Hot Spot for every international game subject to availability.

"In my experience they are very decent to work with," Isaac was quoted as saying in the New Zealand newspaper Southland Times. "Around the DRS [technology for umpires] for example the media have tended to give [India] the blame as to why the DRS is not being implemented, but it's not only them. I personally am not convinced the technology works well enough, so we've got to do something about that."

Isaac also claimed the BCCI was right about many issues concerning cricket but divergent views in the media tend to give the impression that they are muscle-flexing and difficult to work with. "Often when [India] hold a view, they are right, but various parts of the media have a different view, whether you're Geoff Boycott or whatever. So this perception has built up that A, [India] are hard to deal with and B, they control world cricket. But in fact they are good to work with and on the DRS I actually think they are right."

Cricket was hit by the spot-fixing controversy last year, plunging it into another crisis, and Isaac said a lot is being done to tackle the problem of corruption. "It is challenging. Allegedly there is a whole lot of money being spent betting on sport, not just on cricket and betting on sport in India is illegal so it's not like you can manage it.

"In New Zealand, Australia or Singapore it's legalised betting and you can monitor more closely where bets might take place.

"Part of what we are doing is making sure the education is there, making sure the sanctions are there, there's a heck of a lot of monitoring that takes place. You will be aware that guys are not allowed to take their cell-phones into the dressing room environment and all those types of things. There's a lot of surveillance in place."

Isaac, a former left-hand batsman who captained Wellington's second team, took over as chairman of New Zealand Cricket in 2008 and was nominated for post of vice-president of the ICC two years later. He will succeed Sharad Pawar as ICC president next year. 

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Vitori gets five again as Zimbabwe make it 2-0

Zimbabwe 191 for 3 (Sibanda 67, Taibu 61) beat Bangladesh 188 (Nasir 63, Vitori 5-20) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

    Brian Vitori made it ten wickets in his first two ODIs, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 2nd ODI, Harare, August 14, 2011
Brian Vitori made it ten wickets in his first two ODIs © Associated Press
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Zimbabwe stormed to another easy victory against Bangladesh, with another commanding all-round performance giving them a 2-0 series lead. After Brian Vitori carved up the Bangladesh line-up, with his second ODI five-for in as many games, Vusi Sibanda built the foundation for the chase, before Tatenda Taibu's half-century sealed the win.

The hosts rectified their problem of losing too many wickets in the middle order and held firm where they could have wobbled. Bangladesh also made gains, although much smaller. They bowled with a little more consistency, although failing to find enough bite, and only managed to score four more runs than they did in the first ODI. Their batsmen failed to apply themselves and succumbed to poor shot selection against a particularly precise attack.

Bangladesh started positively with Imrul Kayes pouncing on width from Chris Mpofu at the first opportunity. But the encouraging start proved to be a false dawn as Vitori's golden arm struck again. He bowled his usual tight line and was rewarded with his fifth ball, when Tamim Iqbal tried to smack him through point without moving his feet, gifting Ray Price a catch at first slip.

Mushfiqur Rahim was promoted to No. 3 in an attempt to repair the early damage, but the experiment failed. One ball short of completing five measured overs at the crease, he mistimed a pull to be caught at square leg. Instead of consolidating, Kayes followed Mushfiqur, trying to force a length delivery through extra cover, and offering Hamilton Masakadza a simple catch.

Shahriar Nafees was dropped in the slips off the next ball, giving Bangladesh a bit of a lifeline. But Nafees and Mohammad Ashraful withdrew into their shells as the run-rate stagnated though they managed to see off Mpofu's bounce and Vitori's movement, before Prosper Utseya provided respite. Elton Chigumbura's introduction offered them the ideal opportunity to forge forward, but instead, they regressed.

Nafees gave his wicket away, to the fielder extra cover, and in Chigumbura's next over, Ashraful, who had displayed real patience, gave up. He hung his bat out to a wide delivery and got an edge through to Taibu. The wicketkeeper snapped up his second catch when Mahmudullah misread the line from Utseya and played for turn that wasn't there.

At 58 for 6, Bangladesh were in a familiar mess, having slumped to 43 for 5 in the previous game. Shakib Al Hasan found an unlikely but welcome partner in debutant Nasir, who had a good tour of South Africa with the A side in April. Nasir showed the maturity that those before him should have employed. His handling of the short ball, and execution of the pull shot against Mpofu were of particular distinction.

Shakib's ability to come to Bangladesh's rescue is well documented and the captain's efforts were, once again, praise-worthy. His fault is that he hasn't been able to convert his starts into bigger scores and he stumbled again when Vitori returned for his second spell. Nasir was the senior partner in his time at the crease with the captain and continued in that vein when he was joined by Abdur Razzak.

Their partnership flourished at a run-rate of over six, with both application and assurance against the spinners. They found themselves needing to accelerate when Vitori returned for a third spell. Nasir took him on, but lofted straight to the fielder at long-on.

Vitori's dream introduction to the international arena continued with another stunning effort when he bowled Razzak with a full delivery. Bangladesh's innings ended limply when Rubel Hossain was run out, 15 balls short of their allotted 50 overs.

Bangladesh's effort in the field was a little more promising. Shafiul Islam struck early, removing Taylor in his second over, inducing him to push outside off stump. The ball took the edge and was dying on Nafees at second slip, who completed a good catch.

The early breakthrough gave Bangladesh something to work with, but as was the case in the first ODI, they were unable to maintain pressure, although their use of the new ball was markedly better. Abdur Razzak, however, had less success with his left-arm spin, with Sibanda using his feet well against him.

Shakib and Mahmudullah operated in tandem with better results, managing to squeeze and force the batsmen to work them around the field. Sibanda and Masakadza were up for the task and found the gaps without needing to play a shot in anger.

Shakib could have had Masakadza stumped when he was on 30 but Mushfiqur could not collect the ball. Mahmudullah ensured that the team only paid eight runs for their error. He lured Masakadza forward by tossing it up, and made him play for turn that wasn't there. Mushfiqur didn't repeat his mistake and took the bails off.

Sibanda struggled at times against the short ball, but his mistimed pulls did not cost him and his driving remained impressive. His half-century came up with a lofted shot over Shafiul's head. Taibu took eight balls to get off the mark but when he did, with a single, it opened the floodgates and his next scoring shot was a six over extra-cover.

Rubel was only given two overs and even Ashraful was allowed to turn his arm. He dismissed Sibanda, who was stumped after going too far down the track. Taibu took his time when he needed to, but showed off the footwork that he is renowned for, taking on the spinners and playing a dominant role in his partnership with Craig Ervine.

Taibu was dropped at deep midwicket on 46, a wicket that would have made no difference to the result, but it was fitting that he was there at the end. His exquisite pull off Ashraful took Zimbabwe home with 35 balls remaining.
Innings     Dot balls     4s     6s     PP1     PP2     PP3     Last 10 overs     NB/Wides
Bangladesh     182     13     1     32/3 (1 - 10)     14/0 (11 - 15)     29/3 (44 - 47.3)     57/3 (41 - 47.3)     0/4
Zimbabwe     186     16     2     41/1 (1 - 10)     21/0 (28 - 32)     -     32/0 (41 - 44.1)     0/10


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Dravid to quit ODIs after England series

    
Rahul Dravid has announced his retirement from international limited-overs cricket following the England series. In his announcement, which came hours after he was handed a shock recall to the one-day side for that tour, he said he wanted to retire from the shorter forms and concentrate on Test cricket.

Dravid, 38, is the seventh highest run-getter in ODIs, with 10,765 runs in 339 matches, averaging just under 40. He hasn't been a regular in the Indian one-day side since late 2007 - a couple of months after he reached his career-high ICC ranking of No. 5 - though he made a brief comeback during the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa. He admitted he hadn't expected a recall for the upcoming England series.

"Since I had not been picked for one-day cricket for the last two years, I was obviously a little surprised," he said after India's tour match against Northamptonshire. "To be honest, because I had not been picked, I had not informed the selectors or the board of my desire to solely focus on Test cricket.

"At the end of this one-day series, I would like to announce my retirement from one-day and Twenty20 cricket and concentrate only on Test cricket. I am committed, as always to give my best to India in this one-day series and obviously the Test series that follows.

"In the short term I am committed because now I have been picked for the series, but in the long term I think it is best for me and Indian cricket that I focus on Test cricket."

Dravid recently became the second highest run-getter in Tests, and has had a resurgence in form over the past couple of months, scoring three centuries in five Tests to end a relatively lean run in the last few years.

When he started his international career in 1996, he was seen as a batsman more suited to the longer form but he soon adapted to the challenges of one-day cricket. Among the highlights of his ODI career was the 1999 World Cup, where he was the top scorer and put on the then largest partnership in a one-dayer, 318 with Sourav Ganguly. Six months later he bettered that with a 331-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar that is still the biggest in the format.

As in his Test career, he routinely fitted into roles the team needed him to, notably in the 2003 World Cup, where in order to accommodate an extra batsman in the side, he took over the wicketkeeping duties. One of the lows of his career was the 2007 World Cup, when under his leadership, India crashed out in the first round.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.