Kenya tour of Pakistan, Pakistan A v Kenya at Lahore, Dec 13, 2014

Kenya 167 (38.3/45 ov)

Pakistan A 127/1 (21/45 ov)

 

Kenya rolled over for 167 

Concerns grow over Kieswetter's career

Matt Maynard has admitted that Craig Kieswetter's career could be in jeopardy as a result of the eye injury he sustained in July.

Kieswetter announced his withdrawal from professional cricket on Wednesday to gain further treatment and assessment. Although he returned to county cricket before the end of the county season and has just completed a spell in South African domestic cricket, he has conceded that his ability to perform has been compromised and is now seeking a permanent solution to the issue. As a consequence, he was replaced in England 30-man provisional World Cup squad by Kent's Sam Billings.

Now Maynard, Somerset's new director cricket, has conceded that while Kieswetter will be given every assistance by the club, the player remains anxious over his future.

"There are concerns about his playing career, yes, The worrying question is whether he will ever recover 100% of his vision.He will see some world-class eye specialists in the near future. We are fortunate in that, during his time with England, his eyes were thoroughly tested so we will be able to compare and contrast how they were then and how they are now. There are no plans for an operation at this stage and I imagine surgery would be the last option. But that's a decision for the specialists.

"There is no time frame on his return at all. If it turns out to be May, then great. If it's August then fine and if it's at the start of 2015, then that is okay, too. We will put him under no pressure and help him get the very best treatment. Then, when he is ready to return, we will welcome him back with open arms."

While Kieswetter initially appeared to have made a good recovery from the incident, he admitted at the time that his vision was not 100% and has since grown concerned by the lack of progress.

"He came back and played well against Middlesex and that knock gave him a lot of confidence," Maynard said. "He thought his sight would continue to improve, but instead the progress has stagnated.

"He could probably still go out there and average 35, which might be enough for other players. But he sets himself very high standards, he is desperate to play for England again and he wants to get this problem resolved so he can return to his best again."

Kieswetter's absence leaves Somerset looking short of batsmen. While the club have signed Jim Allenby from Glamorgan, they have also lost Nick Compton and Chris Jones in recent months and remain over-reliant upon having retired and Marcus Trescothick, who will be 39 later this month. They also lost Jos Buttler to Lancashire at the end of the 2013 season.

"If an opening batsman became available now then, yes, we would probably be interested," Maynard said. "But there is not a lot of chance of that in the short-term.

"Alex Barrow did a really good job when he came into the side last year and I have every confidence in him as our keeper. James Regan [the reserve keeper] also looks an exciting young cricketer, so we are not in the market for another keeper. And it will be good to give our younger batsmen, the likes of Tom Abell, more of an opportunity.

"The way I see it, there was always a good chance we could lose Craig to England. Just as we could lose the likes of the Overtons or Lewis Gregory. So we have to cope with that and hope it provides opportunity to other players in the squad."

But former keeper Steve Snell, who recently re-joined the club in a coaching role, will not be considered as a replacement for Kieswetter.

Shaun Marsh to replace injured captain Michael Clarke

Australia have summoned Shaun Marsh to replace injured captain Michael Clarke, who doubts he'll play any further part in the Test series against India.
Clarke was sent for scans after limping from Adelaide Oval on Saturday's final day of play in the first Test against India with a right hamstring injury.
He said scan results were "not fantastic".

Clarke will miss the second test starting in Brisbane on Wednesday and admits he'll struggle to be fit for the third and fourth matches.
And Clarke's latest hamstring injury also threatens his participation in the World Cup, starting February.
Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is expected to assume the test captaincy.
Australia called on West Australian batsman Marsh and also added left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc to their squad for the Gabba test.

Clarke was passed fit to play the series opener which Australia won by 48 runs after overcoming a left hamstring strain suffered in a one-day match on November 14.
But he suffered a recurrence of his long-term back injury while batting on Tuesday's opening day which forced him to retire hurt.
Clarke had injections to soothe spasms in his back and returned to the crease the next day to complete a century.
But he was injured again when fielding a ball in India's second innings on Saturday.
Clarke collected a ball in his left hand and shaped to throw but didn't release the ball, instantly pulling up lame.
He limped from the field accompanied by Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris and briefly grabbed his right hamstring while exiting.
After Clarke suffered his back injury, Kountouris described it as "significant".
Clarke has three degenerative discs in his lower back which were first diagnosed when he was aged 17.
"This is his right lower back. This is his old injury, what he's had in the past," Kountouris said on Wednesday.
"I don't think it's directly related to his (left) hamstring (strain) because it's the other side.
"We believe it's related to his old disc injuries. With that comes a lot of muscle spasms and other things that cause pain."

Kumar Sangakkara made England pay for dropping him

Alastair Cook had a nightmare in the sixth one-day international. He dropped a catch then, as evidence of a scrambled mind, was lbw to his second ball playing across a straight one.
England, at this early stage of their white-ball evolution, can afford a captain who opens the batting but does not score at a run a ball. They cannot afford a captain who drops a simple chance offered by the opposition’s ace batsman.

Kumar Sangakkara had scored 41 – not much by your standards if you have reached 50 in one-day internationals on no fewer than 110 occasions, as he had at the time – when he stepped back to Ravi Bopara and drove a low catch to Cook at mid-off.

The ball travelled to Cook at knee-height. It was middled, but not really leathered, and anyway Sangakkara’s weight was falling away from the shot. At almost every level of the game you would have expected it to be caught.

Cook went down on one knee as the ball reached him. England’s captain must have been tempted to go down on both after the ball left him, trickling to earth.

Sri Lanka 292 for 7 , Sri Lanka v England, 6th ODI, Pallekele

In Summary

• England chasing 293 to win sixth ODI
• Cook & Taylor fall cheaply
• Sri Lanka 292-7 after winning toss
• Sangakkara - dropped on 41 - makes 112
• Dilshan 68; Woakes 2-51, Finn 2-53
• Sixth ODI in Pallekele; SL lead series 3-2

Kumar Sangakkara punished a dropped catch by Alastair Cook to take Sri Lanka to a challenging total in the sixth ODI of the series against England at Pallekele.

Sangakkara made 20th century as Sri Lanka reached 292 in their 50 overs. 

Sangakkara’s previous scores in this series were 2, 67 not out, 63, 86 and 91. Inexorably he went on to convert his 41 into 112 off 112 balls,

England’s bowling lacked penetration, as it has throughout this series. If the fielding had been top-notch it might have papered over the cracks, but it was not quite there. Jos Buttler had his worst game of this series to date, which is not to say it was a bad day, but he conceded too many byes and dropped a very hard chance running back towards fine-leg.
England chased 240 on this ground earlier this week. A target of 293 is a very different kettle of fish.

Murali Vijay's dismissal was turning point

Adelaide: India captain Virat Kohli was graceful in defeat admitting that Murali Vijay's dismissal might have just been the turning point in their 48-run defeat against Australia in the first cricket Test on Saturday.
Asked if Vijay's dismissal when he was batting 99 became the turning point, Kohli replied,"Could be. If me and Vijay added about 40 runs there, the game would have been different. You see one opening and the team capitalises, and that's what Autstralia did."

"I was trying to hit it much more in front of square. But it was one of those mistakes I'll reflect back and say may be I could have done better and played a different shot. It was a great spell by Nathan Lyon and he bowled in right areas," the stand-in skipper, who scored 115 and 141 in the match, said. 
Kohli said that he had backed to win the Test match and doesn't have any regrets.
"I told the guys last evening that whatever be the target, we will chase it. You have to play with passion and commitment if you have been chosen to play for your country," said the skipper.
He showed his humane side when he congratulated the Australian team for playing the Test match in the backdrop of the emotional turmoil that they have gone through post death of Phillip Hughes.
"I would like to congratulate the whole Australia team.
Actually participating here after all that happened in the last 10 days is commendable. They are also a team that plays with passion and commitment," said Kohli.
Kohli was all praise for his boys and the "character" that they showed.
"It was a great game of cricket, proud of the boys, the kind of character they showed in tough situations it was a really good effort. Pretty pleased with the way we played, but Australia did better than us," said Kohli.

Lyon has done it for Australia

Test that had begun in sorrow a week after the death of Phillip Hughes was given a dazzling finish that highlighted the greatness of this game. Australia beat India by 48 runs.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli was the star of the show for a majority of the final day but was ultimately upstaged by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon who spun his team to an emotional 48-run victory in the first Test at Adelaide.
Chasing 364 after Michael Clarke declared before the start of play on the final day, India were finally out for 315 in the 88th over.  Murali Vijay gave good company to Kohli as India were cruising at one stage with the score on 242 for 2. But just when it looked that India were on the right path, Nathan Lyon gave Australia the all important breakthrough by trapping Vijay right in front of his stumps as India succumbed in front of an average Aussie attack. Rohit Sharma and Wridhimman Saha both got out cheaply which gave Australia a sniff into the Indian middle-order and once the Aussies were able to smell victory there was no looking back.
The Test was decided when Kohli pulled Lyon and was caught at deep midwicket, leaving Australia with 60 to defend and three wickets to take. 

Off-spinner Lyon was the pick of the Australian bowler as he exploited the rough on the track to good effect to finish with figures for 7/152 for an overall haul of 12 wickets in the match. Lyon was adjudged Man of the Match for his superlative effort. 

India captain Virat Kohli was graceful in defeat admitting that Murali Vijay's dismissal might have just been the turning point in 48-run defeat. "I told the guys last evening that whatever be the target, we will chase it. You have to play with passion and commitment if you have been chosen to play for your country," said the skipper.

"I would like to congratulate the whole Australia team.
Actually participating here after all that happened in the last 10 days is commendable. They are also a team that plays with passion and commitment," said Kohli.

The umpiring was below average as Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane had to bear the brunt of it as India came down to ashes from heights of Everest to lose the Test match and trail the series 1-0. 

India in Australia 2014-15: Clarke ruled out of the rest of the series

Australian captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of the ongoing four-match Test series against India with a torn right hamstring.

Clarke, who will miss the next three Tests, had to leave the field early on Day 5 of the Adelaide Test after experiencing a discomfort on his right leg. Clarke was accompanied from the field by the team physio Alex Kountouris. He went to hospital for scans. 
Had a scan, results are not fantastic Going to struggle to take any more part in the series. Probably better of not talking about it, Clarke said.