All posts by csb10.top

Looking out across a sunny County Ground in Taunton earlier today Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson reflected on England’s defeat in the first Test match of the Ashes tour.He told me:"In messages back to the club both Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick have expressed their complete disappointment over the result and don’t offer up any excuses."The chief continued: "I am backing both of our players and we should not be drawn into stinging criticism after only one match. Australia are a very good team, but there are still four matches to go.”He continued: “The time for criticism if any is warranted is at the end of the series and not after the first Test."Regarding the Cidermen’s paceman he added : "With all of the bowling injuries, England are very lucky indeed to have Andy Caddick who never shirks anything."

Leicestershire fell short by 55 runs in their bid for victory in the Second X1 Championship clash with Essex at Oakham School.Set a target of 304 they were bowled out for 249 after Tom New and Damien Brandy had put them in with a chance with a century stand.But in the end the extra experience of an Essex side which included Mark Illott proved decisive, and Leicestershire were unable to achieve what would have been a memorable win.Coach Lloyd Tennant was more than satisfied with the effort however, and said that despite defeat there were a lot of plusses to come out of the match.Tennant said:”New batted really well to make 89,Brandy scored another 48 to follow up his half-century in the first innings, and Stephen Adshead returned to form as well with a fine 50.”When you consider that the oldest batter in our side was Ashley Wright at 21, then it was a good effort to go as close as we did.We have gone down the path of playing youngsters this season, and we knew it would be tough for them in many of the games.”But there are real signs of improvement,and the good thing is that we are now starting to compete and give the opposition a run for their money.”

KARACHI, Sept 4: The Pakistan team for this month’s ICC Champions Trophy is expected to be changed in the backdrop of recent performances in Nairobi.A meeting of the selectors has been convened by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board in the next 48 hours to make the necessary changes.The selectors are expected to meet sometime early next week as the tournament begins Sept 12 with the opener between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The winner will be guaranteed a place in the semifinals as the other team in the group is Holland.Indications are that Misbah-ul-Haq, who was initially overlooked for the Colombo competition, would be included in place of Imran Nazir who has been a complete flop in the last four weeks.Shoaib Malik’s place also appears to be under threat as off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is expected be recalled. It may be added here that Saqlain was keen to play in Colombo but was overlooked after he refused to tour Nairobi to look after his wife who is expecting a baby.However, if Saqlain fails to get the selectors nod, wrist spinner Danish Kaneria might be drafted in. Kaneria was initially recommended by the team management for the Champions Trophy. He was, nevertheless, not included in the 14-man squad.The selectors will also be taking a decision on Inzamam-ul-Haq who has missed three matches in the ongoing triangular tournament because of a bad knee.

Selling of rights for next year’s World Cup in South Africa is going well and deals have recently been completed in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, World Sport Group chief executive Seamus O’Brien said today.WSG has made several deals and the only problem areas in regard to television rights had been in Britain and Australia.However, O’Brien said today that Newscorp, who now had full financial control of the World Cup, were dealing with their own people in those countries.Deals had earlier been done in New Zealand, where Sky has the rights, and South Africa.O’Brien added that some large deals had been done for the World Cup in India and there were eight or nine that had been completed and the marketing was on track for the event.O’Brien also clarified an earlier report that his company was to be sold to Newscorp.It was the Global Cricket Corporation that had been fully acquired by Newscorp, he said.

Fast bowler Steffan Jones has set himself the target of bowling at 90mph this season.To help him achieve this target Steffan, who joined the county in 1997, has built a home gymnasium in his garage .”I’ve always wanted a gym of my own, so I saved up some money and kitted it out. I’ve painted the garage and put a carpet on the floor. I’ve bought some free standing weights, and other equipment to help me do some power work.”During the winter Steffan has spent at least two hours a day , six days a week in his home gym, and feels he is well on the way to achieving his target.”I’m not there yet, but since I joined the club I reckon that I’ve increased my speed by six or seven miles per hour.”Steffan has been helped this year by Richard Johnson who joined from Middlesex during the winter. “As an opening attack they have worked together well and forged a good relationship, which has been a great benefit to Steffan,” said Somerset coach Kevin Shine.

Canterbury’s cricket clubs are being asked to consider some far-reaching changes for the benefit of cricket throughout the region.New chief executive Richard Reid has written to all clubs seeking comment on some suggestions he has made.Among the suggestions he has made are:A region-wide premier club competition in three divisions.The club season to start later and to run from November-April.Later starts on Saturdays at 12 noon, with finishes around 7pm.Automatic promotion-relegation between divisions.A guaranteed place for the nine senior clubs, and involvement of no more than seven teams from the Suburban and Districts’ associations.Integration of the two-day and one-day competitions.A new points format.Implementation of a region-wide subsidised coaching policy.Initiatives in schools and lower grade cricket.Reid stressed that he was seeking comment on his suggestions and has asked all clubs to consider them and report back with their own thoughts.Reid said the delay in the start of the season would need a change of thinking in several codes.”Ground availability, cricketers who play winter sports, dew, day-light hours, are all relevant points but conceptually I need to know what you think.”I am aware that if cricket is to go down this path it cannot do it alone. There needs to be a quantum shift in the thinking of other sporting codes. It would require their buy-in and co-operation,” he said.Coaching was an area where improvement was vital.”This is a crucial area and something that we, as a body, do not do well.”Canterbury Cricket will be moving towards next season offering each club/district a coaching subsidy to assist in this key component.”My personal view is that we need a Canterbury (Inc) approach in coaching and development.”What I mean by this is that we should agree on a philosophy in all that we do and replicate it throughout the region. This allows for continuity of approach and makes it easier for players as they know what to expect as they progress through the grades,” he said.However, he warned the coaching subsidy would come with hooks.These would be dependent upon a coaching and development plan for each club and district, regular checkpoints which would be the decider of whether the subsidy would continue to be paid and clubs and districts would be responsible for prioritising the coaching and development areas within their organisation.

July 13th will always be remembered as a golden day in the annalsof Indian cricket hence. Under clear blue skies and with Lord’sbathed in golden sunshine, the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly wentdown on his knees to kiss the hallowed turf after what could betermed as the greatest comeback win in one-day cricket history.The eventual win had looked highly improbable when India had lostfive of their top batsmen, including Sachin Tendulkar, with just146 runs on the board in 24 overs. But thankfully Saturday was towitness a miraculous recovery by the Indians and an end to ablighted sequence of nine straight losses in the finals of multiteam limited overs tournament.

As far as I was concerned, the most satisfying aspect of this winwas that the heroes were two young men, who refused to give up inthe face of almost impossible odds, and went on to ensure thatall of India rejoiced in sweet victory. Mohammad Kaif and YuvrajSingh have indeed infused a new life into Indian cricket whilealso instilling a new-found belief in the millions of fans whosupport their team.One of the best matches played at Lord’s witnessed a deluge ofruns – 651 runs were scored in a matter of 99.3 overs – in whatturned out to be a summer treat for everyone present at theheadquarters of world cricket, including even the prim and MCC members.No one would have imagined at the start of the day that thefortunes of the would fluctuate sodramatically from one team to the other.I was a bit bemused by the Indian management’s decision to dropAjit Agarkar, who it has to be said has had a brillianttournament with the ball. It is another matter altogether thatHarbhajan Singh, his replacement, contributed with the bat at thedeath. Had India lost the match, the decision to play twospinners would have definitely come in for some much-deservedcriticism. There, however, is nothing like winning, and theycould be forgiven this faux pas after a win of suchincandescence.England have been playing some smart cricket under the ableleadership of Nasser Hussain. I have only deep respect forHussain’s leadership qualities; here is a man who has instilled alot of character into the England team. His decision to bat firstagainst an Indian side, which went in with just two mediumpacers, was by all counts right.Having said that, Hussain disappointed with his decisions towardsthe closing stages of the game; the field placements were allawry and there was a certain complacency in his team’s approachwho it seemed almost expected India to buckle under the pressureof having to score 326 runs. In my opinion, Hussain, then, giftedIndia a memorable win.

This after Marcus Trescothick had ignited the England inningswith a luminescent start in the morning. Trescothick, in myopinion, must rank right up there in the order of merit with thevery best in the world. Along with Matthew Hayden, he must rankas the best opening batsman in business today.He played an impeccable innings, not resorting even once to anunorthodox short on a placid track; there were runs to be scoredand he showed how to get them in style without the slightestfuss. When you have efficiency, class and character blending likethey did in Trescothick’s innings, there is very little thatbowlers can do.In contrast to Trescothick, Hussain looked like a man who haddragged excess baggage with him into the middle. I was not amusedby his antics after scoring his maiden ODI hundred – pointing hisnumber three on the shirt to a few of his detractors. It was nota polished hundred by any stretch of the imagination.The England captain wasted too many scoring opportunities bytrying to play the reverse sweep. There is a time and place foreverything; a big final at Lord’s is simply not the place to trythings out – that is what nets are for.It is a completely different story that Andy Flower plays thatstroke to perfection; the many indefatigable hours of practicethat he put in has made Andy a master at it. I am sure that ifHussain had played sensible cricketing shots, England would havescored 20-odd runs more in the end. There were 59 dot balls inhis innings and on a belter of a track that simply wasunacceptable.Coming to the Indian challenge, it threatened to vapourise afterGanguly and Sehwag had given their team a good start with somebrave and innovative hitting. Yes, India has been playing somegood cricket in England. But on the day of the big final,Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were guilty of notapplying themselves. Everyone knows that Tendulkar is a classbatsman, and this makes it the more difficult for me to believethat someone like Giles actually gets the better of him inpersonal duels.When it all looked dead and buried, the two young men – Kaif andYuvraj – refused to accept defeat, a very positive attitude thatmight soon change the face of Indian cricket. We have seen somany times in the past, the Indian team folding up when victoryis well within their grasp.

No words are enough to praise Kaif for a wonderful exhibition ofbatting; it was simply sublime, not one wild slog even whenthings looked so desperate. Yuvraj Singh also played yet anotherinnings of character, taking his time to settle before openingout to punish the part-time bowlers.The temperament, self-belief, natural talent and hunger forsuccess that they displayed, makes these two guys real matchwinners. I sincerely hope that the selectors take note of thisand retain them for the Test series too.Andrew Flintoff bowled very well in the end and almost gaveEngland a realistic shot at victory. But Kaif put paid to hishopes; the Indian middle-order batsman kept a cool head and tookhis team to a sensational victory.Great indeed as Kaif’s and Yuvraj’s contributions were, I cannothelp remarking that Hussain made it easier for the duo by somestrange field placements. Kaif was finding the ropes at midwicket with such ease and yet most of the fielders were on theoff-side.I am sure India will take the belief gained from this victory tothe upcoming Test series. The morale must be sky high in theIndian camp, and they now have a real chance of upsetting Englandin the Test series. This indeed is the time for a whole nationto rejoice.

Just when you thought Australia couldn’t become any stronger, it duly appeared to emerge from today’s Carlton Series encounter against Zimbabwe in Sydney in even more formidable shape. Beyond the mere matter of a crushing eighty-six run win, this was a game which offered it a great chance to experiment. And it did so in particularly successful style.In again reshuffling its batting order, in again rotating its playing list, in setting Test-style attacking fields, and in turning to unlikely change bowlers, the home team’s most difficult challenges today were again provided by its own brains trust – and not the opposition. Captain Steve Waugh conjured up one of the sternest tests of all, perhaps, when he won the toss and decided that his team would bat in possibly the most demanding conditions of the day.But, after Adam Gilchrist (63) and a slightly-tentative Mark Waugh (36) had weathered the swing and seam extracted by new ball bowlers Heath Streak (1/56 from ten overs) and Bryan Strang (1/50 off ten) in muggy, humid conditions, this proved another stroll in the park. The fifth successive Australian opening stand to exceed the half-century mark in this series provided the platform for a brutal onslaught that ultimately took the Australians to within twelve runs of their highest ever one-day international score against Zimbabwe.Ninety-eight runs had been added by the time that the Gilchrist-Waugh stand was eventually ended – by means of a bizarre run out. Waugh was the unlucky batsman, departing after Gilchrist had powered back a straight drive with such force that his partner had no chance to regain his ground at the non-striker’s end as the ball went past him. He could only watch in horror as it took a thin deflection from bowler Brian Murphy’s fingers back on to the stumps. Gilchrist made his own exit shortly afterwards, when he was deceived by a Strang delivery and lofted a simple catch to mid wicket.For as much encouragement as the sight of the two openers returning to the pavilion must have provided, though, there was only more in the way of punishment for the Zimbabweans to follow. Characteristically, Michael Bevan (74*) proceeded to anchor a succession of productive stands.Importantly for the Australians, theirs was an innings which offered valuable time in the middle for a number of players who have barely been required to bat in this series. Together with Bevan, Steve Waugh (36) and Andrew Symonds (21) also capitalised upon chances that have been far from readily forthcoming.The Zimbabweans, for their part, toiled manfully. With the new ball, Streak and Strang were steady and also generated sideways movement and variable bounce at different moments. Spinners Murphy (0/38 from eight overs) and Dirk Viljoen (3/62 off ten) also bowled tidily during the middle stages of the innings.But there were times when the bowlers and fieldsmen looked helpless, powerless even. At no point was this more obvious than during the closing eleven overs of the innings, when Bevan, Darren Lehmann (36) and Symonds combined to help themselves to a gargantuan 110 runs and clobber the total toward 6/291. It was a feast of brilliantly improvised strokeplay and electrifying running between the wickets that again served to underline the vast gulf that exists between Australia and its opponents in this series.Despite a gallant stand of ninety-two for the third wicket between Stuart Carlisle (44) and Andy Flower (39), Zimbabwe never really looked like challenging the rival score. Let alone overhauling it. Carlisle and Flower responded attractively upon being joined in the fifth over after another poor Zimbabwean start. In composed style, they defied excellent new ball bowling from Damien Fleming (2/21 from six overs) and Glenn McGrath (1/26 off 6.5) before cutting loose against the pace of Nathan Bracken (0/25 from five) and, more specifically, the leg spin of Shane Warne (2/52 off ten).It was Flower who frustrated the Australian star early with some contemptuous reverse sweeping through the off side. But Carlisle was quick to join in. He hit two massive sixes over mid wicket in quick succession to have Warne looking unsettled at the bowling crease for one of the few times in recent memory.However, a dubious shot and a dubious decision soon had matters reverting to type again. Ironically, Flower was removed almost as soon as Steve Waugh had turned to another unlikely slow bowling option, left arm wrist spinner Bevan (1/25 from seven overs). He cut, in rash fashion, at a ball spinning well away and landed a comfortable catch in the hands of Symonds at point. Carlisle was far more unlucky, harshly adjudged lbw by Umpire Peter Parker after being struck in line with off stump by a Warne delivery that appeared to be turning even further away.And that was about the end of that. Another disappointing Zimbabwean batting collapse ensued around some valiant strokeplay from Viljoen (31) and Grant Flower (30) as Waugh threw the ball to Symonds (2/35 off eight overs) and medium pacer turned off spinner Ricky Ponting (1/12 from five) just for good measure. Paradoxically, it was Australia – delighting in its success at stumbling upon new strategies – which seemed the team more interested in staying on the field by then.

Uma Bharti sees no hurdles for India’s participation in ICC KnockOutThe Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday said in Ahmedabad that there would be no hurdles in India’s participation in the ICC KnockOut tourney next year. Talking to reporters, Bharti said the decision not to allow the team toparticipate in Sharjah was a collective decision of various ministries. Bharti denied that the Sports Ministry had unilaterally decided not to permit the Indian cricket team to participate in the triangular series.”Cricket is played for commercial considerations in Sharjah”, Bharti said. She added that other ministries like the External Affairs had also influenced the decision. Moreover, together with Singapore and Toronto, Sharjah was not recognised as a cricket venue by the ICC, she added. On the recent notice by the IT department to the BCCI seeking details, the sports minister said she was unaware of it.We have a very good seam attack: TendulkarFormer Indian captain and master player Sachin Tendulkar said he was in favour of the board’s decision to include seven seamers in the list of probables for the forthcoming tour against Zimbabwe. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, the batting maestro said “The ball in Zimbabwe might seam around and probably spinners will not be assisted by the wicket there, so it is better to have seamers in the attack.” Tendulkar, who was in Delhi to inaugurate a sport-goods showroom, said India could now boast of a “very good seam bowling attack”. He added”We have got a lot of youngsters who have experience at the international level and we can expect a good performance from them…I am sure we will have an even better attack in years to come.”On the recently concluded Australian tour, Tendulkar said “In the previous Australian series, I had scored 440 runs. This time I have scored 330 plus…So both the series were good for me personally. In the last six Test matches against Australia, I have scored three hundreds and four or five 50’s..It’s not a bad performance,” the star batsman said.On breaking milestones, the little master said “Once you have achieved something, obviously you feel proud of it and feel happy that after playing for so many years you have achieved some goals,” he said. On the youngsters, Tendulkar opined that “the junior players in the last series really played well. The Australian series was big one for all of us and the way youngsters like Shiv Sunder Das, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan performed is really commendable. They all contributed a lot to the team.”Marsh calls for high standard of wicketsThe BCCI consultant and former Australian coach Geoff Marsh on Wednesday said in New Delhi the quality of the three Test wickets that produced a fantastic series between India and Australia should hold good for all the wickets in the country if India were to excel in world cricket. “All the three wickets on which the Test matches were played during the recent Australian series were excellent. But every wicket in the country needs to be of a very high standard. It is also important that the trainees, selected for various zonal cricket academies for a two-month training stint, are provided with good wickets if good results are to be achieved,” Marsh said.Marsh, on a whistle-stop visit here, examined the pitch and interacted with the 20 trainees of the North Zone cricket academy undergoing practice at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds. “The best 120 kids are undergoing training at academies all over the country – the results can only be good, to say the least. This is going to do a lot for Indian cricket,” Marsh said. The ex-Aussie opener said the boys were extremely fortunate to undergo training under former cricketers of great repute. “India is lucky to have former cricketers who have immense experience and knowledge of the game. The boys are really lucky to have this opportunity to interact with the best cricketers at the age of 16 or 17”. He said the boys must appreciate this and make full use of it. “They are already enjoying their training stint. They are very enthusiastic and I did not see them complain about anything.”ICC anti-corruption unit submits preliminary reportThe International Cricket Council’s (ICC)anti-corruption unit has submitted its preliminary report to Lord Griffiths, head of ICC’s code of conduct committee. Confirming that it has been submitted, an ICC spokesman said in London on Wednesday that Lord Griffith would now convene a panel to consider the report, which would be forwarded to the ICC board scheduled to meet here on June 15.The board would consider the confidential report on June 18, the spokesman said. He, however, said that details of the report would not be made officially known till then. According to sources, the scourge of match-fixing was still going on in international cricket and at least a couple of the matches in the recent one-day series between Pakistan and New Zealand might have been affected, quotes PTI.Sir Paul Condon, head of ICC’s anti-corruption unit said the probe into the match-fixing scandal would go beyond allegations made in India’s CBI report on bribery and corruption in the game. His team’s investigation would cover a “whole realm of charges not contained in the CBI report and it will expand to further material not in the public domain.”Sir Paul, who is currently in Sri Lanka as part of the world-wideinvestigation, said he would not be part of any cover-up. “I can assure you that our investigation will be independent. Nobody will be spared. Nothing will be kept from my inquiry,” he told journalists in Colombo. Condon said two ICC investigators, both former Scotland Yard detectives, would remain in Sri Lanka for a week to help the local cricketing authority conduct its own probe. Sir Paul will travel to Pakistan in a few weeks to monitor the inquiry there.

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, has said he will seek clarification from the PCB on the reasons for his continued exclusion from the national squad. Kaneria was not included in the 30 probables for the 2010-11 World Cup. He had also been overlooked for Pakistan’s Test squad for their on-going tour of New Zealand.Kaneria was one of three players – the other two being Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik – who were asked to appear before the PCB’s inquiry committee in order to gain clearance to play for Pakistan. The players had to submit details of their bank accounts, assets and property holdings from the last three years to the committee. Pakistan had delayed the announcement of their 30-man World Cup squad till January 5 in order to complete their investigations of the three, but only Kamran was included in the preliminary list for the tournament.”I have asked my barrister Steve Haurigan to talk to the PCB and clear up this problem and the damage to my name,” Kaneria told . “He is in Karachi and has requested a meeting and is waiting for a reply from the PCB.”After a meeting with the board’s integrity committee on December 15, which he at the time described as “fruitful and positive”, Kaneria had said he was confident of returning to the national squad and was providing the board with whatever details they required.He stuck to his stance after being left out of the World Cup probables. “I fully cooperated with the PCB and submitted all the documents they wanted from me,” he said. “I am disappointed to be left out as I was also overlooked for the series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates in October-November last year as well as the New Zealand tour.”Kaneria was actually in the original squad to play two Tests against South Africa in the UAE, but was told moments before he was about to leave for the airport that he hadn’t been cleared to play. The reason for his exclusion from the World Cup probables is not clear. “There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding clearance or otherwise of players by the integrity committee of the PCB,” Pakistan’s chief selector Mohsin Khan said. “The integrity committee has given its views on some players to the selection committee which has taken into consideration that input and has selected the 30 players for the World Cup.”The last ODI Kaneria played for Pakistan was in March 2007, so his exclusion from the World Cup could be because the selectors don’t see him as a limited-overs bowler. He was playing Tests for Pakistan, though, up until their controversial tour of England in July-August. Kaneria was the subject of a criminal investigation in August by Essex police over allegations that he was involved in spot-fixing during a county game. He was released without charge in September.Essex have not retained Kaneria for the 2011 season, but he says that is down only to financial reasons. “I have played my cricket clean,” he said. “After being cleared by police in England, Essex sent me a letter saying that because of the financial crunch they did not want my services after 2010.”Kaneria has taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests – the most by any Pakistan spinner in tests. He has been performing well in domestic cricket, having taken 38 wickets in eight matches in Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.