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The Nagpur-based Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), one of the oldest cricket bodies in India, is set to introduce a pension scheme for former Ranji Trophy players of the region.The pension amount would be Rs 5000 per month and the VCA would bear a financial burden of approximately Rs 50 lakh per annum, according to a report in . “The modalities of the scheme will be worked out shortly by an empowered executive committee and the cut-off date has been fixed as March 31, 2004,” VCA president Sudhir Dabir said.”However, a section of players who had initially played for Vidarbha and later moved to Indian Railways will be excluded from the scheme,” VCA’s media manager Rajan Nair, who is also a former Ranji allrounder and currently in the BCCI media committee, said.Similarly, those players who are drawing pension from the BCCI will not be eligible for the VCA pension scheme, as they are already receiving an amount of Rs 10,000 per month.According to Dabir, there were about 268 former Ranji players who had represented Vidarbha in various zonal and national level tournaments but looking at the criteria and the cut off date, only 94 would be eligible for pension.”As per the plan, we are involving all those senior members of the VCA who came forward with the proposal in the process to finalise the modalities of the scheme,” Dabir said, adding that it should be finalised within two months.The proposal to introduce the scheme was approved at the annual general body meeting of VCA held recently.

ScorecardUnited Arab Emirates extended their domination over Bermuda with a thumping 134-run win at the National Stadium. Captain Khurram Khan led from the front with a half-century, followed by three wickets to keep Bermuda down to a paltry 168 in response to a massive 302.It was a combined effort from the UAE batsmen which set up the win. Saqib Shah added 47 with opener Amjad Ali and then 67 with Khurram. Both Saqib and Amjad fell in their thirties. Khurram managed to score a half-century before he was dismissed by Tamauri Tucker. The innings got a real surge when Abdul Rehman and Amjad Javed got together to add an unbeaten 134 for the sixth wicket in just over 15 overs. Rehman hit 57 off 61 balls while Javed faced the same number of balls but blitzed 89. His knock included seven fours and five sixes.The Bermuda batsmen struggled to put up those kind of partnerships and hence were no match for UAE. They were pegged back by Shoaib Sarwar’s early strikes and couldn’t keep with the required rate. David Hemp resisted with 37 but after he was dismissed, in the 28th over, UAE strengthened their grip. Khurram took three lower-order wickets to round off a good day.

Andrew Strauss faces an important period of one-day cricket as he aims to reaffirm his credentials to be England’s 50-over captain at next year’s World Cup. Although he has slotted back into the Test side with two comfortable victories against Bangladesh, following his absence from the tour in March, England’s World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean has thrown the spotlight on their limited-overs plans.The last time Strauss played in coloured clothes for his country was back in November when he helped the side to a 2-1 series victory in South Africa, their first in that country in one-day cricket, which came on the back of an improved showing in the Champions Trophy where they reached the semi finals after being thrashed 6-1 by Australia last September.Strauss had not played since the 2007 World Cup when he was handed the one-day captaincy by default in early 2009 following the messy departure of Kevin Pietersen. In 21 matches since then he has scored 647 runs at 32.35, which is almost identical to his career average, with one hundred and four fifties. Although Geoff Miller, the national selector, confirmed he would be retained as captain for the forthcoming ODI campaign, Strauss was surprised when asked to defend his place ahead of the match against Scotland on June 19 then the five-game series against Australia.”I have had a reasonable amount of success in one-day cricket over the last 12 months but I should and can play better,” he said. “That is going to be the challenge for me. Everyone has been very supportive so far. One of the great challenges of being captain is to make sure that you are worth your spot in the side.”In Strauss’s absence Alastair Cook led the side on the Bangladesh tour and opened the batting. Cook enjoyed a strong series with the bat as England won 3-0, but it isn’t attention from Strauss’s Test opening partner that is increasing the pressure on his place, but rather the dynamic style of cricket the team produced in West Indies.Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb opened for the Twenty20 team which was led by Paul Collingwood, who will return from his rest period when the one-day squad is named on Thursday, but has insisted he has no desire to reclaim the 50-over captaincy. The new first-wicket duo gave England the type of starts they have rarely achieved in the Powerplay overs.”The Twenty20 team has obviously moved on,” Strauss said. “But we have made some quite significant changes and improvements in the 50-over game over the last nine months or so. Clearly we will have the likes of Paul Collingwood back, which is going to be a massive addition to the squad. I am excited about having him back.”It will be great to sit down and talk about some of the things they are doing in the Twenty20 game and see whether that is transferable to the 50-over game. I am excited about one-day cricket in general. I think we have started to play the style of cricket which is so important if you want to win consistently away from home. There is no plan to change that. We are going to continue with that and it would be wrong not to.”Kieswetter, who made his ODI debut in Bangladesh and hit a hundred in his third game, is expected to be named in the squad this week, possibly at the expense of Matt Prior, and there is a school of thought that Lumb should be allowed to recreate his successful pairing.However, since returning from the World Twenty20 where he made 137 in seven innings at a strike-rate of 141.23, which was the highest among the England team, Lumb has struggled for Hampshire with scores of 5, 0, 0, 0, 31 and 38.

Scorecard
Essex predictably completed a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh at Chelmsford today – but not before they suffered some anxious moments. Left with a target of only 130 after bowling out the tourists for 211 in their second innings, Essex lost half their side for only 78 in pursuit of victory.But then skipper Grant Flower and Adam Wheater shared in an unbrokenhalf-century partnership to see them home. Resuming at 148 for 6, Bangladesh found themselves in more trouble form the fourth delivery of the morning when Shafiul Islam, displaying little or no footwork, edged Tony Palladino to Wheater behind the wicket.Two more wickets quickly followed. Naeem Islam became another Wheater victim, this time providing fast bowler Maurice Chambers with success, as he sparred at a wide ball, while Shahadat Hossain was dismissed by Palladino as Billy Godleman held a skier at mid-off.But if Essex thought they would bring the innings to a swift conclusion they were mistaken. The last wicket pair of Abdur Razzak and Robiul Islam, with a mixture of edges and authentic strokes, added 46 before the arrival of Michael Comber ended the resistance.The young paceman tempted Razzak with a legside delivery and he pulled it to Godleman at deep square leg. Palladino and Max Osborne each finished with three wickets while Comber and Chambers shared the others.Although left with a modest target, the top order were soon undone by the new ball. Robiul again produced superb deliveries which cut back to remove John Maunders and Godleman, while Imrul Kayes held a fine diving catch at second flip to get rid of Jaik Mickleburgh when Hossain found the edge to leave Essex in some trouble at 37 for 3.They suffered two more setbacks with the total in the 70s. Hossain,working up a decent pace, bowled Matt Walker while Tim Philips edged left-arm spinner Razzak to the wicketkeeper. But Flower batted confidently to gather six boundaries in an unbeaten 34 as he and Wheater (19 not out) knocked off the remaining runs in 15 overs.

Shamsur Rahman, the uncapped right-handed batsman, will leave for England to join the Bangladesh Test squad which has been hit by fitness issues. Rahman, 21, was included after the captain Shakib Al Hasan was diagnosed with chicken pox and the team’s leading batsman Tamim Iqbal in doubt with a wrist injury.”The Bangladesh team management requested a batsman as a back-up and the selection committee felt Shamsur would be the right choice as he is comfortable batting anywhere in the top five and is in form,” chairman of selectors Rafiqul Alam said. “He will also get ample opportunity to get acclimatised to the English conditions before the Test series starts.”Rahman was in good touch for Bangladesh A at home against South Africa A, scoring 268 runs in the two unofficial Tests, averaging 67. He was earlier part of Bangladesh’s Twenty20 squad for the World Twenty20 in 2009.Bangladesh play a three-day tour match against England Lions at Derby starting May 19, before the first Test at Lord’s on May 27.

Overview

Ireland will hope to recreate the spirit that has brought them so much success in their previous outings in global tournaments•Gallo Images

When Ireland dumped Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup it was a shock. When they followed that by making it past the group stages in last year’s World Twenty20 their position as the strongest Associate nation seemed established. With a clutch of gritty competitors they were a well-honed outfit with dreams of Test status.This time round things must be different. The price of their success is the expectation now that they must perform. It brings a pressure of its own that they have never experienced in a global tournament. Yet Ireland are grouped with England and West Indies – on paper at least, an easier prospect than South Africa and India, the teams facing the other qualifier, Afghanistan. With six Ireland players boasting county experience and fast-bowler Boyd Rankin returning from injury their good record in global tournaments might just be extended.

Twenty20 pedigree

Ireland’s recent form has been patchy, losing 3-0 against a West Indies XI but their overall record is good. In last year’s tournament in England, Ireland beat Bangladesh in their opening game at Trent Bridge and put in strong performances against Sri Lanka and eventual winners Pakistan.Their path to this year’s event was smooth, beating all but an emotionally-charged Afghanistan in Dubai as they progressed to the final with an injury-depleted squad. Though the usual names – Trent Johnston, Niall O’Brien, William Porterfield – were crucial, Ireland uncovered some young players with star potential. Spinners play a central role in Twenty20 cricket and 17-year-old left-arm spinner George Dockrell was pivotal in their semi-final win against Netherlands in the qualifiers.

Strengths and weaknesses

Ireland’s instinctive competitiveness seems to add an extra dimension to their game and they are a well-drilled bunch, having been in the West Indies preparing for longer than any of the other sides. However the batting remains overly reliant on Niall O’Brien and the bowling resources look sparse if Rankin fails to find form immediately after a long lay-off.

Key men

Trent Johnston was captain on the heady St Patrick’s Day win over Pakistan three years ago and despite passing on the reins to William Porterfield he remains the team’s pivotal man. He was their joint leading wicket-taker in the qualifying tournament and has top-scored in Ireland’s last four Twenty20 matches.William Porterfield made his 100th appearance for Ireland during the recent series against West Indies XI, and as captain and opening batsmen he has a crucial role setting the tone. He frequently got starts in the qualifying tournament but failed to pass 35. Ireland will need more from him if they are to make it to the Super Eights.

X-factor

Lurking in the Ireland side are a couple of gifted youngsters who are unknown to most on the world stage. Paul Stirling already has a contract with Middlesex and unlike Eoin Morgan, who followed a similar route from Dublin to Lord’s, has committed his future to Ireland. He is still raw but could bring dynamism previously missing from the top order.

Vital stats

Rohit Sharma, the Deccan Chargers’ middle-order batsman, believes that despite a five-match losing streak, his side are in with a chance to reach the semi-finals of the IPL.”Yes, the boys are disappointed, but we are not down and out,” Rohit told in Bangalore, where Deccan plays their next match on Thursday. “No excuses for losing, but these things happen in Twenty20. We still have five games left. If we win even four of those, we can make it [to the semis], if our run-rate is healthy,” Rohit said.Rohit, whose selection to the Indian team for the World Twenty20 raised eyebrows, has justified his spot with a consistent run in the IPL, where he leads Deccan’s run-charts with 258 runs. However, his performances have failed to inspire his team, which crashed to their sixth defeat of the tournament, against Rajasthan on Monday. Rohit was the last wicket to fall, caught in the outfield with three required from two balls, at the end of an abject collapse where seven wickets fell for 45 in six overs. “I don’t want to prove anything to anyone. I don’t want to take unnecessary pressure on myself. Whenever we have lost, we take it as the failure of the entire team. We don’t blame or single out individuals when we lose a match,” Rohit said.While most IPL teams play half their league games at home venues, political issues in Hyderabad have denied Deccan a homebase this year. Rohit singled this out as a major reason for their indifferent form. “That’s the biggest disadvantage. We played Mumbai Indians at DY Patil [one of Deccan’s designated ‘home venues’, in Mumbai] and not one spectator supported us. Sometimes the crowd factor plays a part. Your supporters give you that extra push in crunch matches,” said Rohit.The inability to stem the flow of runs in the end overs has been another problem area through the tournament, but Rohit acknowledged the marked improvement in the last game. “I know that’s an issue. But on Monday, we gave away only 31 runs and picked up six wickets in the last five overs. Isn’t that a positive,” Rohit said.Rohit praised his captain Adam Gilchrist for ensuring that his side did not get bogged down by failures. “He is a very supportive captain. He brings about a lot of positivity and tells us to forget about setbacks,” Rohit said.

MCC have departed for their seven-match tour of the USA. The tour starts in California on March 17 before heading east to Florida, culminating in two matches at Central Broward – the new national cricket stadium – against USA and a West Indies XI.The 16-man squad is captained by Michael Foster, the former Australia Under-19 batsman, and includes Matthew Friedlander, who has played for both Northamptonshire in England and Boland in South Africa, and actor Torquil Deacon.MCC’s first match is against the Southern Californian Cricket Association (SCCA) at Woodley CC in Los Angeles. They play two more games at Woodley – against the South West Region of the SCCA, and the Hollywood All-Stars on March 19 and 20 – before moving on to San Jose to play the North West Region and North West Region Under-19s. They then travel to Cupertino, just outside San Jose, to run a coaching session, before flying east to Miami.”North America has great cricket history – USA and Canada played the first ever international match back in the 1840s – and we hope it’s got a bright future too,” said John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket. “MCC believes the USA is a massive potential growth area for the game and we’re delighted to do our part to encourage interest in California and Florida.”MCC teams have been regular visitors to the USA, having toured five times in the past twenty years, most recently in 2004.

Two uncapped players – the batsman Greg Lamb and allrounder Shingirai Masakadza – have been included in a 15-man squad for Zimbabwe’s upcoming five-ODI tour of the Caribbean. However there was no place in the squad for Dougie Marillier or Andy Blignaut, whose hopes for international comebacks had been boosted when they were named in a 30-man provisional squad on February 1.Lamb, 28, has been in top form during the domestic season since he returned home to Zimbabwe after five years with English county Hampshire. Shingirai, the younger brother of Zimbabwean vice-captain Hamilton Masakadza, has also been in stellar form.Prosper Utseya has been named captain of the touring side that also included Tatenda Taibu. Sean Ervine, who was one of the rebel group which openly clashed with Zimbabwe Cricket in 2004, and Anthony Ireland, who has also returned to Zimbabwe ahead of the domestic Twenty20 competition, are still restricted by contracts with teams overseas.Zimbabwe will play one Twenty20 and five ODIs against West Indies ahead of the ICC World Twenty20, which begins in late April.Squad: Prosper Utseya (capt), Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, Hamilton Masakadza, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Charles Coventry, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Shingirai Masakadza, Timycen Maruma, Chris Mpofu, Kyle Jarvis.

New South Wales 4 for 413 (Hughes 192, Forrest 141) v South Australia
ScorecardPhillip Hughes has 192 and 149 in his past two innings•Getty Images

Phillip Hughes brought up his second century in consecutive matches as New South Wales powered to 4 for 413 against South Australia on the first day. Hughes, who got 149 on Sunday, was dismissed late in the afternoon for 192 while Peter Forrest was a crucial figure with 141 in the run avalanche.It is a timely streak for Hughes, with the Australian Test team for New Zealand soon to be selected, and it gives the Blues a chance of moving off the bottom of the table. He started strongly, grabbing 10 boundaries in the first hour, and didn’t slow for long as many of his runs came between third man and cover.Hughes struck 24 fours and two sixes during his 259 deliveries before being bowled pushing at Aaron O’Brien, the left-arm spinner. The performance put Hughes in second on the Shield run-scoring list for the summer with 794 at 56.71.While Hughes purred, Forrest was also in fine touch in the partnership of 265 for the third wicket. Forrest was assured as he built his strong innings, which ended when he was too ambitious and was caught lifting Peter George (2 for 66) to third man. He left with 18 fours and two sixes during his third first-class century.After the visitors won the toss, Phil Jaques (6) was an early departure when caught behind and Simon Katich (32) also went before lunch. The wickets didn’t bother Hughes and he and Forrest gave the Blues a strong start as they attempt to stay in contention for the final. New South Wales are on eight points while the Redbacks are third with 16, but the hosts will begin the second day well behind.