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Nottinghamshire draw but go top of Division One

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Division One

Murray Goodwin’s 101 denied Nottinghamshire a victory on the final day of Sussex’s match at Hove. However, Nottinghamshire nevertheless went to the top of Division One. Sussex needed a solid batting performance today – not a common occurrence for them this season – and duly got it, with Goodwin and Michael Yardy (93) putting on 158 in 50 overs. Yardy, who was particularly strong against Darren Pattinson, fell seven short of his hundred, handing Rob Ferley a simple return catch, but Goodwin motored onwards to record his fifth hundred of the season and guided Sussex to safety. Nottinghamshire took 12 points, Sussex 8.Lancashire’s match against Surrey at Blackpool was abandoned without a ball being bowled, owing to a “boggy” pitch and outfield and consistently miserable conditions.Click here for John Ward’s fourth-day report from Scarborough, where Yorkshire were made to fight for a draw against Kent.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts
Nottinghamshire 13 4 2 0 6 1 149
Somerset 12 3 1 0 8 0 146
Kent 13 4 4 0 5 0 140
Durham 12 5 3 0 3 1 139
Hampshire 14 3 4 0 7 0 138
Sussex 13 2 2 0 9 0 133
Lancashire 13 3 2 0 7 1 130
Yorkshire 13 2 5 0 6 0 128
Surrey 13 0 3 0 9 1 110

Division Two

Chris Rogers fell 26 runs short of a 112-year record as Derbyshire’s clash against Warwickshire drifted towards a draw at Edgbaston. Rogers was left stranded on 248 not out as Derbyshire’s tail were swept aside, and the Australian was 26 runs short of breaking the club’s record for the highest individual score: George Davidson’s 274 in 1896. Warwickshire had the best part of a day for some batting practice, and Darren Maddy eased his way to a hundred, putting on 176 for the second wicket with Tony Frost, who fell for 54 when he edged to slip.Jamie Dalrymple’s 74 handed Glamorgan a hard-earned draw, denying Northamptonshire what should have been a straightforward run-chase on the final day at Wantage Road. David Hemp briefly threatened before he was cleaned up by Monty Panesar, and once Mike Powell was trapped in front for 12 just before lunch, Glamorgan were stuttering on 95 for 4. There followed a fighting partnership between Dalrymple and Mark Wallace, who was struck a nasty blow on the hand by Andrew Hall, worth 85. Wallace fell to Jason Brown, however, and it was left to Dalrymple to set Northamptonshire a target of 38 in five overs. They began in fraught fashion, losing two wickets in the second over, and although David Sales went on the attack, he then holed out to Adam Shantry. Even with Lance Klusener at the crease, he couldn’t cracked the 16 needed from the final three balls.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts
Worcestershire 13 6 1 0 6 0 179
Warwickshire 13 3 0 0 10 0 162
Northamptonshire 14 3 2 0 9 0 158
Essex 13 5 5 0 3 0 145
Derbyshire 13 3 2 0 8 0 139
Middlesex 13 2 5 0 6 0 123
Leicestershire 13 2 3 0 8 0 122
Glamorgan 12 2 4 0 6 0 99
Gloucestershire 12 0 4 0 8 0 97

Former New Zealand bowler Bob Cunis dies aged 67

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Besides playing for and coaching New Zealand at cricket, Bob Cunis was a handy three-quarter at rugby © Getty Images
 

Bob Cunis, the former New Zealand medium-pacer, has died aged 67 at his house in Northland. Cunis played 20 Tests between 1964 and 1972, taking 51 wickets at the average of 37, including one five-wicket haul, and was also a useful lower-order batsman. He went on to coach New Zealand between 1987 and 1990.One of the highlights of Cunis’ international career was his battling 96-run association with Mark Burgess for the ninth wicket in the second innings against Pakistan in the third Test in Dhaka in 1969. The partnership helped New Zealand save the match and sealed their first series win on foreign soil.He was good enough to earn a place in the World XI side, containing the likes of Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Sunil Gavaskar, and Zaheer Abbas, which toured Australia in 1971-72, but was plagued by knee injuries throughout his career.Cunis, who had an unorthodox action which made it seem like he was bowling off the wrong foot, had a 16-year first-class career with Auckland and Northern Districts from 1960-61 to 1976-77. In 132 first-class matches, he took 386 wickets at 26.65, including 18 five-fors and two ten-wicket hauls. His best season was with Auckland in 1968-69, when he took 30 wickets at the astonishing average of 12.6 to take them to victory in the Plunket Shield.John Arlott, the famous BBC commentator and journalist, once described Cunis as being “neither one thing or another”.He was also a handy rugby three-quarter. His son Stephen was also a first-class cricketer and played for Canterbury between 1999 and 2005.

Smith and McKenzie give South Africa escape route

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Graeme Smith produces a rare expansive shot as he set about saving the Test for South Africa © Getty Images
 

After three days of being a distant second best, South Africa have a chance of leaving Lord’s with a draw after Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie produced an opening stand of 204. Both players struck fine rearguard hundreds as England’s attack toiled on a surface getting flatter and slower. James Anderson claimed the lone success, but South Africa still trail by 104 and will need to be batting at tea on the final day to complete their match-saving mission.The 22 yards of pristine pitch produced by Mick Hunt has provided some heartbreak for bowlers in recent times, and when clear blue skies greeted play it signalled a day of hard toil for England’s attack. South Africa had learnt their lessons from the previous day. For 80 overs the bats of Smith and McKenzie looked feet rather than inches wide.Michael Vaughan tried everything, but in the end it was that conventional weapon, the second new ball, that finally brought a wicket with Anderson removing Smith for 107. England, although never completely flat at any stage, were clearly lifted and produced a concerted effort in the final hour. Hashim Amla was given a working-over by Anderson, but came through unscathed. With Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince still to come South Africa have the batsmen to complete the job.There were the occasional alarms for Smith and McKenzie, especially against Monty Panesar. McKenzie survived a confident lbw shout on 13, when the ball was heading for middle and leg although Daryl Harper thought otherwise. Smith had three let-offs, firstly when no one appealed for a faint under-edge off Anderson then, on 26, when an inside edge scooted through low to Ambrose against Panesar and most clearly an outside edge off Kevin Pietersen in the final over of the old ball.Even though Smith and McKenzie have only been opening partners for seven Tests, they have experience of long partnerships. In Chittagong, against Bangladesh, they ended the first day intact with 405 between them, a considerably higher scoring rate than they managed today, in a considerably different situation. Midway through the final session they were shaping to repeat their whole-day effort, but the second new ball brought success for England when Smith aimed to pull and got a top edge to point.

Smart stats
  • The 204-run stand between Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie is the highest opening partnership for South Africa in their second innings of a Test.
  • It was the first time openers had put on a 200-plus partnership after their side had been asked to follow on.
  • Smith became the first visiting captain to score two centuries at Lord’s.
  • McKenzie scored off only 16.41% of the 323 balls he’s faced in his unbeaten 102, and his strike-rate of 31.57 is among the slowest for a ton in this decade.
  • Smith and McKenzie are the leading run-getters in Tests in 2008.
  • In 37 matches where they have followed on, South Africa have drawn nine and lost 28. Nineteen of those Tests have been against England, with 13 losses and six draws.

It wasn’t an elegant innings from Smith – they rarely are – but after the match he has experienced it showed his character to respond with such a knock in adversity. He has also batted very little of late, just the one innings against Middlesex since pulling his hamstring during the IPL. His century, coming off 186 balls, was greeted with a look skywards and a calm salute around the ground. However, when he walked off for 107, he knew his team were far from safe.McKenzie has been a revelation since returning to the side and he complements Smith. Partly it’s the left and right-hand combination, but also the playing styles with McKenzie quite content to score at his own pace and his hundred took 307 deliveries. He was rendered virtually scoreless at times and for one period before lunch he added two runs in 60 balls, but that wasn’t a concern for South Africa.England have recent memories of finding it much tougher dismissing a side second time around at Lord’s. In 2006 they enforced the follow-on against Sri Lanka, who then batted for 199 overs to save the Test. So Vaughan, even though he wasn’t in charge for that match, will have been very aware of the task ahead when he sent South Africa back in. But he would have expected more than one wicket in 92 overs.England worked hard on the ball to try and extract some reverse swing. There was a hint of it for a struggling Ryan Sidebottom, who spent time off the field during the day for general stiffness, and Anderson’s afternoon burst was testing. Vaughan was at his quirkiest in the field, never afraid to set unusual fields when there was very little happening with the ball, which was most of the time. England can still force victory from this position, but they will have to defy a comatose surface and resilient opponents to leave with a series lead, which looked theirs for the taking a day earlier.

Sri Lanka prevail over spirited UAE

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Amjad Ali’s 77 gave a spirited start to UAE’s chase © AFP
 

Sri Lanka secured their second big win in two days, this time over UAE, to progress to the second round of the Asia Cup with two points in the bag. Chasing 291, UAE looked like they would make a match of it as opener Amjad Ali hit a spectacular half-century but they hurtled to defeat after his departure, losing their last six wickets for 15 runs as Ajantha Mendis finished with career-best figures of 5 for 22.Shrugging away any exhaustion from having kept wicket earlier, Amjad took three consecutive fours off the opening over from Nuwan Kulasekera. A wristy flick over square leg, a fine glance past fine leg and a punch between mid-on and midwicket proved Amjad was not going to wait for the bowler to make a mistake.Perhaps the shot of the day, though, came in the next over when a forward punch from Amjad, powered by a Lara-esque high backlift, sent the ball racing past mid-off. Even the loss of his opening partner Arshad Ali, who was beaten by a brilliant pick and throw by Chamara Kapugedera early on, didn’t hinder Amjad’s approach.His cavalier approach took UAE to 83 for 1 after 15 overs and even forced Mahela Jayawardene to delay taking the third Powerplay. Although their reaching the target in 39.1 overs – and so pipping Bangladesh to the second round – was unlikely, they were still in with a chance to pull off an upset. Those hopes faded when Amjad fell trying to clear the long-on boundary off Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 24th over and the tail proved unable to deal with Mendis’s mystery spin.Despite the huge margin of defeat, this wasn’t the easy game Mahela Jayawardene would have expected. Having elected to bat first Sri Lanka received an immediate jolt when Wednesday’s centurion, Kumar Sangakkara, was trapped plumb low on his back leg by the accurate Zahid Shah. Bowling a tight line and hitting the seam hard, Shah kept the batsmen guessing and was easily the best fast bowler on the day.After that initial setback, Sri Lanka picked themselves up and sped to 76 for 1 by the end of the first Powerplay. Shah didn’t get any support from Fahal Alhashmi, his new-ball partner, who was, at best, erratic. After bowling two wides in his first over, Alhashmi delivered four more in his next, conceding 15 runs off that over, including an exquisite straight boundary by Mahela Udawatte, who went on to make a patient 67.There was a brief lull before Shah was clubbed by Jayawardene for four consecutive boundaries. But it was important to keep the tempo going in the muggy heat and Jayawardene, who had reached his half-century, looked tired after the drinks break and was run out off a direct hit when going for a tight single.

Mahela Udawatte’s half-century helped Sri Lanka post an imposing total © AFP
 

At one stage, Sri Lanka seemed likely to cross 300 for the second successive day but a mixture of exhaustion, poor shot selection and impatience helped UAE, who had only played 10 ODIs coming into the game, restrict them.The two Chamaras, Kapugedera and Silva, didn’t show any patience and, attempting to force the issue, threw their wickets in quick succession. Though Sri Lanka raced to 147 in 20 overs, they had lost four top-order batsmen and were left with their last recognised pair of Udawatte and Tillakaratne Dilshan at the crease. The run-rate started to dip as just seven boundaries were scored after the 15th over. And there was not one six in the entire innings.The onus fell now on the tiring Udawatte and Dilshan. But UAE sensed they had an opportunity as runs dried up in the middle overs. Alhasmi came back in style to first get rid of Udawatte, who mistimed while trying to clear the rope and holed out to midwicket. Dilshan then chased a wide off-side delivery and managed a thick edge to the keeper.With just the tail to deal with and Sri Lanka stuttering at 189 for 6 after 30 overs, UAE failed to curb Kaushalya Weeraratne and Nuwan Kulasekara, who stopped the slide and constructed a valuable 53-run eighth-wicket partnership.UAE managed to put on a much better show than the other Associate nation in the tournament, Hong Kong, but the big boys proved too strong for them.

Clark wobbles Windies on tricky pitch

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Andrew Symonds finished unbeaten on 70 from 115 balls © Getty Images
 

If there were any doubts how important Ricky Ponting’s first-day 158 was to this match, they evaporated on the second day as batsmen from both sides struggled and Stuart Clark and Fidel Edwards thrived on the unpredictable pitch. Only Andrew Symonds, who made an unbeaten and entertaining 70, looked like mastering the up-and-down surface and by the close West Indies were wishing they had not given the visitors such a head-start.Clark’s three wickets late in the day left West Indies at 115 for 3 at stumps with Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 25 and Runako Morton on 23. Their 47-run partnership was important in steadying West Indies, who need a further 117 to avoid the follow-on after Symonds pushed Australia to 431. In a way the home side was lucky; Clark was the only one of Australia’s bowlers to find his rhythm and the scorecard could have been more worrying for West Indies had Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart MacGill fired.Instead Lee was unusually out of step, figuratively and literally as he sent down six no-balls including three in one over, although a couple of his deliveries that stayed low caused major concerns for the batsmen. Johnson shared the new ball with Lee and was wayward, spraying across the right-handers and failing to find any swing, while MacGill spun the ball prodigiously but dropped too short too often. It was not until Clark’s strikes that West Indies’ top order began to battle.They had started confidently, in particular Devon Smith, who was searching for his first Test half-century in 17 innings. He looked ready to break the drought that began at the Gabba in November 2005, rattling along to 32 with some vicious square cuts off Johnson. But Clark’s nagging line troubled Smith and he was bowled off his pad, sparking a mini-collapse as they lost 3 for 21 in seven overs.Ramnaresh Sarwan became Brad Haddin’s first Test victim when Clark surprised the batsman with extra bounce and Sarwan’s attempted cut turned into a top edge that Haddin grasped at head height. Haddin added another when Brenton Parchment, softened up by a Clark ball that jagged back sharply and hit him in the groin, wafted at the next delivery, which pitched in the same spot but moved away.Whereas Clark’s consistency was the problem for West Indies, earlier in the day it was Fidel Edwards’ speed and swing that troubled several Australians. Edwards sparked a rejuvenated West Indies – their bowlers were confident, their fielders were brilliant – with 5 for 104 that ended Australia’s hopes of a 500-plus total. But things had already slipped away from the home side through Ponting’s first-day efforts and West Indies slipped further due to some late slogs from Symonds.By the time he had the comically inept MacGill at the other end, Symonds decided one-day mode was the only option and he brought up his half-century with a brutal bottom-hand aerial drive to long on, where the ball burst through the hands of Sarwan on the rope and over for six. He picked up 16 off that Darren Sammy over, and later deposited Edwards for six more wide of long on. Edwards finally removed MacGill’s middle stump to end the frustration of a 32-run last wicket stand and bring him his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests.It was a well-deserved result for Edwards, who was far and away the most threatening bowler in the absence of the injured Jerome Taylor. Edwards should also have had a key victim earlier in the day when Symonds somehow survived an lbw shout on 18 from the first delivery after lunch. Russell Tiffin had worked himself into the habit of saying “not out” – albeit correctly – through the first four sessions and he finally got one wrong when Edwards found late swing that struck Symonds in line.When Edwards did get a reward from Tiffin it was in unusual fashion as Lee ducked what should have been a steepling bouncer, but it stayed so low it struck him on the thigh as he took evasive action. Although Lee was upset at getting out for 4 the thought of bowling on such a surface must have pleased him.The worrying wear on the pitch prompted Tiffin to give Edwards two warnings for running down the middle during the first session but the cautions proved a bonus for the bowler. He came wider of the crease to fix the problem and the angle in, combined with some extra bounce, cramped Brad Hodge (67) as he tried to cut square and a thick edge from high on the bat flew to the diving Denesh Ramdin.It was one of a series of magnificent efforts from West Indies in the field; bodies were repeatedly thrown around athletically to save runs and Dwayne Bravo completed his second screamer of the match when he hurled himself to his right at mid on to remove Clark. A more straightforward chance for Ramdin ended Haddin’s first Test innings when he tried to pull and tickled a catch through off Sammy when the ball failed to rise as much as the batsman expected.Even at that early stage, just before lunch, the pitch was a threat and as it wears on it could become a minefield. Enthusiasm in the field is one thing, but it will take remarkable resolve from Chanderpaul or one of his colleagues for West Indies to escape their predicament.

England's Ashes dreams melt away like spring snow

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In common with the Barmy Army and thousands of less vocal England supporters, I love watching the national team play well. Day one at Adelaide, like day two at Brisbane, was a joy. But when Michael Vaughan fell in that last over to the cunningly introduced Andy Bichel, I doubt if I was the only one to utter an expletive. Beautifully though Vaughan had batted, phlegmatically though he had ridden his luck, my overriding sense was one of trepidation as to what might happen the following day.When Australia are the opponents, England supporters derive double satisfaction from a day on top. They need to, because the suspicion, not to say the knowledge, is that there will not be another one for a while. This is not to belittle England’s efforts. Apart from Vaughan, Steve Harmison, Craig White and Richard Dawson in particular showed big hearts as Australia chiselled out another chilling total. But nothing alters the perception that this is an average team attempting to grapple with a titanic one.Five of Australia’s players – Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath – would walk into a world XI. Although on current form Vaughan would at least be in with a shout, no other England player is. Indeed if you picked a best of the rest team to meet Australia, they would still be tough nuts to crack.As with the West Indies 15 to 20 years ago, Australia’s strength in depth is the envy of every other cricketing nation. Like his two predecessors, Steve Waugh is a great captain, but like Viv Richards, he also had the good fortune to inherit a world-beating team. The fact that they have missed around 20 chances in their last five Tests (all of which they have won) simply emphasises their supremacy.Can any comfort be drawn from England’s predicament? After this series it is nearly three years until the Ashes blaze again, by which time several of the giants in the present Australian team may have been replaced. Waugh certainly, while McGrath and Warne will both be nearer 40 than 30. Like Allan Border’s team in the 1985 series, England have players young enough to learn from their present plight, and hopefully proud enough to thirst for revenge. They need to learn every available lesson, pick up every single trick, from their rampant opponents.Waugh himself said recently that the wheel will turn, and that he does not want to be playing when it happens. He need not worry. But here is a sobering question – where else in the world would a 28-year-old batsman score two double centuries against the same touring team, yet fail to command a Test place?England are taking a hiding, the like of which has left other decent sides sore in the recent past. Ask Shaun Pollock. Ask Waqar Younis. Admittedly Pakistan were below strength for their three-nil annihilation, but the manner of it still looked portentous at the time. Nasser Hussain’s words at the start of the tour – that there would be nowhere to hide, that England needed everything to go right off the field as well as on it – are haunting now.England’s plague of injuries is the stuff of nightmares, and can hardly have enhanced morale. With hindsight Andy Flintoff’s double hernia operation should have been carried out sooner, and the gamble on Darren Gough proved misguided. For the rest the tourists have had bad luck by the bucketful. But catches are not necessarily about luck, and as in England last year, too many have been missed.The year before, England and their supporters derived special pleasure from beating the West Indies at last, winning back the Wisden Trophy that had eluded them for 31 years. It was a triumph that 15 years earlier had seemed almost unimaginable. It even fostered hope that they could give the old enemy a run for their money again. A forlorn hope, repeatedly crushed by a mighty juggernaut.One day, for sure, England will regain the Ashes. Not this time it seems, not this decade perhaps. But it will happen. I just hope I’m around to see it.

Gilchrist to lead Warriors against Warne's Bushrangers

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The Western Australian cricket selectors have named a 13-man squad for the Pura Cup match against Victoria starting at the WACA Ground on Thursday.Australian Test stars Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn have all been named in the provisional squad.Gilchrist will captain the Warriors for the first time this season. Langer is vice-captain, after the Test opener led the team in last month’s RE/MAX Cup game against England.World renowned leg-spinner Shane Warne will lead the Bushrangers.Fast bowler Paul Wilson has been chosen to make his first-class debut for the Warriors. Wilson joined the Warriors in July after a distinguished career with South Australia.Wilson, 30 next month, earned his call-up following outstanding form with club side Melville. He has taken 16 wickets at an average of only 8.44, in three matches, including two five wicket hauls of 5-29.The Warriors squad is:Adam Gilchrist (captain), Justin Langer (vice-captain), Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Shaun Marsh, Damien Martyn, Matthew Nicholson, Chris Rogers and Paul Wilson.

Bowden enjoys his taste of overseas exposure

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New Zealand umpire Brent ‘Billy’ Bowden has joined the list of people wanting to see the players’ dispute resolved as soon as possible.Just back from South Africa, where he was an International Cricket Council (ICC) appointment to the three South Africa-Bangladesh One-Day Internationals, Bowden was looking to a week of activity at New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) High Performance Centre at Lincoln University to build his preparation for the summer next week.However, he learned from New Zealand exchange umpire to South Africa this year Gary Baxter when he met him in South Africa, that the players had withdrawn their services until their dispute with NZC had been resolved.”I hope it is going to be settled soon. It doesn’t only affect the players, but sponsors, umpires, the whole package.”It is unfortunate but standing in cricket games is important to umpires. I always like to stand in club cricket because that is where it all starts, but in order to get extra time in the middle I am standing in some school games.”The Academy programme at Lincoln University is always good for getting your eye in and also to have a look at some of the newer players on the scene and who is coming up.”The best part of umpiring is umpiring out in the middle,” he said.Should things not be resolved sooner rather than later, then Bowden would be looking at overseas opportunities just to get some time in the middle.”I would have to talk to Brian Aldridge [the national umpiring manager] about that,” he said.Bowden, who is on the ICC international panel of umpires, the level below the elite group, enjoyed his experience in South Africa, mainly because it reinforced his desire to keep trying for a position on the elite panel.”It was a good start, I learnt a lot. There is always something you can learn and I wanted to see how I felt about being away from home in unfamiliar conditions and how I coped with the pressures.”It confirmed for me that this is what I want to do,” he said.Bowden stood in matches at Potchefstroom, Benoni and Kimberley. He enjoyed all three grounds although he said Potchefstroom was the most enjoyable because of the facilities, outfield and outlook there.Benoni, which is being used for World Cup games, would be a high-scoring venue with its short boundaries while Kimberley had been another enjoyable experience especially for the manner of its grass banks around the ground.The one-day series had been one-way traffic for the South Africans with the Bangladeshis struggling to make an impact. But he said the international cricket new boys needed the exposure to improve.”South Africa played hard cricket, but not to their full potential. They were sorting out players for the World Cup.”Herschelle Gibbs was in fantastic form and if he gets going, especially during the first 15 overs of games if South Africa bat first in their World Cup games, he will cause some real problems.”Shaun Pollock was there and abouts with his bowling while Mark Boucher was another key man. Those three are critical for South Africa in the World Cup. They have to fire for South Africa,” he said.Bowden said that Lance Klusener was clearly suffering in the confidence department and was possibly a victim of sides having worked him out.”He likes the ball coming onto the bat, but they [Bangladesh] cramped him up, and added to that he didn’t have a lot of time in the middle. He had no chance to really fire,” he said.Bowden said the atmosphere was building in South Africa for the Cup and he was in no doubt it would be a fantastic tournament.”The grounds are all prepared and there will be no problems with the weather. It is a big event for them and they won’t be letting this one slip,” he said.Meanwhile, the appointments for India’s tour of New Zealand have been made. Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka and Daryl Harper of Australia will stand in both Test matches. De Silva will stand in the first four ODIs, once with Bowden and three times with Doug Cowie while Harper will stand in the last three, twice with Bowden and once with Cowie.The full appointments are:December 4: Super Max International at Jade Stadium, Christchurch – Dave Quested, Evan Watkin, Gary Baxter (TV umpire); Dec 6-8: Tour match v Central Districts at McLean Park, Napier – Brent Bowden, Doug Cowie; Dec 12-16: 1st Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington – Asoka de Silva, Daryl Harper, Brent Bowden (TV); Dec 19-23: 2nd Test at WestpacTrust Park, Hamilton – Asoka de Silva, Daryl Harper, Doug Cowie (TV); Dec 26: 1st ODI at Eden Park, Auckland – Brent Bowden, Asoka de Silva, Doug Cowie (TV); Dec 29: 2nd ODI at McLean Park, Napier – Doug Cowie, Asoka de Silva, Brent Bowden (TV); January 1: 3rd ODI at Jade Stadium, Christchurch – Doug Cowie, Asoka de Silva, AL Hill (TV); Jan 4: 4th ODI at John Davies Oval, Queenstown – Doug Cowie, Asoka de Silva, AL Hill (TV); Jan 8: 5th ODI at WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington – Brent Bowden, Daryl Harper, Doug Cowie (TV); Jan 11: 6th ODI at Eden Park, Auckland – Brent Bowden, Daryl Harper, Tony Hill (TV); Jan 14: 7th ODI at WestpacTrust Park, Hamilton – Doug Cowie, Daryl Harper, Brent Bowden (TV).

Pakistan face uphill battle to avoid whitewash

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A battered and bruised Pakistan side, still nursing the wounds of the disastrous second Test defeat, face the prospect of another mauling from Australia when the two teams clash here Saturday in the third and final Test at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.With the series already clinched the cock-a-hoop Australians, who prefer to do the talking on the field rather than off it, are determined to complete the second successive clean sweep against a demoralised squad further weakened by the latest withdrawal of their ‘cry baby’ Shoaib Akhtar, declared unfit after complaining of a minor back niggle.It is now a common ploy by self acclaimed world’s best bowler to get himself ruled out by unseen injuries when things do not go his way. As usual Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has agreed to dance to his tune deciding not to risk him but declaring he would be fit to undertake next month’s tour of Zimbabwe and followed by visit to South Africa.Shoaib and the already sidelined Abdul Razzaq, if one believes in the working of the PCB are scheduled to leave for Pakistan early Saturday.Another Australian victory here which cannot be ruled out considering the form and fortune of the two sides will make it sixth successive Test triumph and further plunge Pakistan cricket into crisis, self inflicted by the antics of Pakistan cricket management for whom everything is satisfactory.As for the match itself the current form of Pakistan team carrying players whose fitness are in doubt, including skipper Waqar Younis and wicket-keeper Rashid Latif, makes it easy to predict anything but another facile victory for the Aussies who have no injury problems and are expected to field the same eleven that was brutally cruel in the second Test.Pakistan, on the other hand, are likely to throw in the den possibly middle-order batsman Hasan Raza and rookie all-rounder Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan besides Shahid Afridi, who was flown in as replacement for the out-of-action Razzaq.The men likely to get the axe are Imran Nazir and Misbah-ul-Haq, both on present form are not Test material. One other change could be return of either of the two fast bowlers Mohammad Sami or Mohammad Zahid in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, a poor man’s Shane Warne.Unlike the second Test when the temperature soared to 51 Celsius the weather is expected to be more amiable and offer comfort to the players.Reuters adds: The form of the Waugh brothers is not a concern as long as Australia keep winning, captain Steve Waugh said Friday.Pakistan coach Richard Pybus provoked a row by suggesting that Waugh and his 37-year-old twin Mark might be reaching the end of their Test careers after failing to notch a century between them in 11 Tests since last year’s tour of England.”I want to score runs and we want to win every Test we play and that’s the goal,” said Waugh.”I think when you see Australia play, you see a result and that’s not happened everywhere. It’s a very successful side and time will be the judge. We guys can still raise our side.”Steve has scored 31, 0 and 0 in this series while Mark has made 55, 0 and two but, more importantly to the Australia skipper, Australia have won seven, drawn three and lost just one of the tests since a Waugh last hit a hundred.”Both of us got runs in the first innings for first Test in Colombo and then Shoaib turned the match for a while. We won the match in the end and that’s what counts,” he added. “We want to win every match we play. That’s our thinking.”We want to win the series 3-0. But the job will be a lot harder this time as I am sure Pakistan must have worked out some game plan of staging a comeback.”Pakistan would surely welcome two such experienced Test batsmen as the Waughs into their side after collapsing to their lowest scores of 59 and 53 in losing the second Test by an innings and 198 runs.To add to his problems, Waqar will take to the field with a weakened bowling attack. “What has happened in the past can’t be reversed, but we are looking for a much improved performance in this Test,” said Waqar.”The wicket is slow and we have an extra option with the inclusion of Shahid Afridi in the team. The loss of Shoaib Akhtar is a big blow, but then there is nothing we could do about it.” “We are not concerned about the bowling department, but our batting has been pretty vulnerable.”Waugh said the one-sided nature of the second Test was not just caused by Pakistan’s weakness, which augured well for the Ashes series against England starting next month.”We played outstanding cricket (in the series) so you got to give credit the way we played and not concentrate on how badly Pakistan played,” Waugh said. “We played excellent cricket and pressurised Pakistan batsmen into making mistakes and took our opportunities. We are ready for this Test and ready for the England contest.”Teams:Pakistan (from): Taufiq Umar, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Hasan Raza, Rashid Latif, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis (captain), Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Zahid, Misbah-ul-Haq, Imran Nazir, Danish Kaneira, Imran Farhat.Australia (probable): Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh (captain), Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, Glenn McGrath.Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India).TV umpire: Asad Rauf (Pakistan).Match referee: Clive Lloyd (West Indies).

Malcolm Speed puts Dalmiya in the dock

by csb10.top Uncategorized

There are plenty of signals that the two Malcolms from Australia – Gray and Speed – are preparing to make a move against the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Jagmohan Dalmiya. That fact became very apparent during the media briefing at the Taj Samudra in Colombo on Wednesday.Malcolm Speed cleared the air regarding the events that lead to the players’ contract issue, one that almost resulted in leading Indian players boycotting the ICC Champions Trophy.Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, was categorically said that it was not AC Muttiah who signed the controversial ICC contract. Speed also explained that there were essentially three basic contracts, and the one that Muttiah signed on behalf of the BCCI was the Cricket Events Agreement “that locks in the ICC’s agreement with the Global Cricket Corporation and agrees to play in all ICC events for the next seven years and field its best team.””That was the agreement Dr Muttiah signed,” said Speed. “The boards have had the Participating Nations Agreement since December last year. Dr Muttiah was defeated in October last year and was no longer the president of BCCI in December. Dr Muttiah is right; the player terms were not included in the agreement he signed and were included in the agreement signed by his successor.”That successor is none other than Dalmiya, who had earlier tried to pin the blame on Muttiah for having compromised player interests by signing the controversial contract.There were indirect but definite barbs aimed at the Kolkata businessman who is presently at the helm of Indian cricket. In the coming days, Dalmiya will have a handful of issues to deal with, especially with the Indian players.Speed was quick to admit that there was some confusion about the terms, causing a delay in resolving the crisis, and that he sympathised with the Indian team for that. The chief executive of ICC said that during his successful negotiation meeting with the Indian players in London, a few important issues came to the fore.”One of the issues that came up is that the players wish to have a player representative group,” said Speed. “What I have urged the Indian team to do is to go through the correct processes and go to the Board and to seek this group. I would strongly urge the Indian board to give very careful consideration to the players’ request when it comes forward.”Speed explained in detail the dramatic events of the last few days of negotiations between the ICC, BCCI and the Indian players. He said that the ICC put forward the idea of talking to the Indian players to get the issue resolved. It was upon the submission of a written request from the BCCI to the chief executive of the ICC that negotiations with the players were held.Speed quickly added, “Shortly after that, the Indian board then asked that there be no further contact between ICC and the players.”The boards have had the player terms under this agreement since December last year,” added Speed. “They have had it for the last nine months. If there was a serious problem, we would have expected to hear about it. We only heard about it only when we were approaching the deadline for this event”.Speed’s revelations only left one thought at the forefront of one’s mind – whose rights and interests were Dalmiya and the BCCI actually trying to protect through these days of complete uncertainty?To put things in perspective, Speed said that the Indian players have signed the same document with one amendment, the post-tournament contractual obligations being reduced from 30 days to 16 days for the Indian players.