The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has decided to bring forward the start of the next domestic season to October to accommodate the Stanford 20/20 tournament. The season could also be extended to make up for the hectic regional and international schedule.According to the WICB’s draft itinerary the Carib Beer Series, West Indies’ first-class competition, will start on October 8 and run simultaneously with the KFC Cup, the limited-overs tournament. The two competitions are expected to close by December and the Stanford 20/20 will be played in January-February 2008. Last season the Carib Beer Series and the KFC Cup were held in January-February.In 2008 West Indies first tour South Africa in January and then play Sri Lanka and Australia at home. Tony Deyal, WICB corporate communications manager, said that the first-class championship was being reviewed as the board was concerned about players not playing enough first-class cricket. “We are looking at options and may have to split the season in two and extend the matches on a home and away basis,” Deyal told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). According to CMC Allen Stanford, the main backer of the Stanford 20/20 tournament, has reportedly offered the WICB up to US$121 million over 10 years for satellite rights for the tournament.
Having got their body clocks into some sort of rhythm, and having enjoyed a pleasant evening at the High Commission, the Indians finally began their first full training session of the tour in a pastoral setting on the outskirts of Kingston. A light open net session was the main highlight of a largely muted stint, with the pitch going from bouncy to dopey within two hours.Chedwin Park, home ground of the Catherine Cricket Club, is located 30 kilometres from the city. It is home to Jermaine Lawson, the West Indian fast bowler, and currently boasts six players in the Jamaica team. Part of the club was destroyed by the hurricanes in 2004, but recently required de-sanitisation of another kind. The International Cricket Council decreed that none of the grounds should be used for practice, keeping in mind the World Cup in 2007, and the authorities were required to specially de-sanitise a couple to enable India and West Indies to gear up for the series. When civil engineering terms are generously floated in cricketing discussions, you know something is cooking.The small size of the ground and the fact that it was a Sunday meant that the Indians had to pretty much fend for themselves. They used their own practice balls and didn’t get too much help from net bowlers (except near the end when two locals caused the batsmen some minor problems). Greg Chappell spent a considerable portion of the time retrieving balls that the batsmen were bludgeoning while Greg King tossed up a few deliveries for the batsmen to rehearse coming down the track.In a corner of the field, on a concrete practice pitch, Ian Frazer, the biomechanics expert, used differently shaped balls – square, hexagonal etc – and tested the batsmen with some rapid chucking. It’s a routine that helps batsmen watch the ball closely, from when it is delivered to when it reaches them, and Robin Uthappa and Mohammad Kaif were occasionally confounded by the bounce.The Indians are set to practice here again tomorrow before flying to Montego Bay for the game against the Jamaican side. No practice pitches at Sabina Park, which is under construction, means that they will go into the first one-dayer without any idea about the pitch, outfield and conditions. But nobody’s complaining, publicly at least. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, sporting a new shorter haircut, felt they had come to expect such circumstances, and preferred to use it as a challenge instead. “Travelling to different grounds means we spend more time with each other. It builds team spirit. We need to look at it as an advantage.” Away in Trinidad, West Indies had just completed their 5-0 blanking of Zimbabwe and chants of “We will murder you, maan” began to fill the air.
Ricky Ponting, whose team have stumbled at the start of the Ashes tour, has expressed the wish that Shane Warne will be able to concentrate on the forthcoming Test series despite the distractions engendered by the separation from his wife, Simone. In a joint statement earlier on Saturday, the Warnes had announced that there were parting ways after 10 years of marriage.Warne retired from one-day international cricket two years ago, and after his team’s emphatic 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Saturday, Ponting was moved to comment on the man who Australia still expects to be a matchwinner in the Ashes series. “That’s awful news for anybody, to be separated from your wife,” he said. “There’s no doubt that everyone in our squad will be in touch with Shane at some stage.”As far as it being a distraction when the Tests come around, hopefully it’s not. It’s obviously going to be a tough thing for Shane to deal with and cope with but hopefully he can do that as well as he can leading into the Test matches.”The Warne marriage had not been helped by relentless intrusion from the tabloids. As recently as last weekend, the Sunday Mirror carried lurid details of Warne’s alleged affair with a 25-year-old Englishwoman. Past indiscretions involving mobile phones and text messages had also been extensively documented.The statement issued by the couple said: “It is with regret that we inform you that we have decided to separate. We remain the best of friends and we will continue to be there for our three beautiful children. Please respect our privacy at this difficult and tough time.”It was on an Ashes tour, back in 1993, that Warne first proposed to his wife. They were married two years later, and have three children.
Zimbabwe’s capitulation in Sunday’s third one-day international against Sri Lanka, in which they were bowled out for a new record-low of 35, could have far-reaching consequences in the corridors of the ICC, according to Mihir Bose, the Daily Telegraph reporter who was deported from Zimbabwe last week.For most of the winter, it has been England, not Zimbabwe, that has been threatened with suspension from the ICC, for their unwillingness to fulfil their tour obligations in October. But, ever since the sacking of 15 white Zimbabwean cricketers – including the captain Heath Streak – the ICC has been concerned about the devaluing of international cricket. If yesterday’s humiliating result is compounded by a farcical first Test in Harare next week, the clamour for their removal will grow ever louder.Meanwhile, the escalating crisis in Zimbabwe cricket is something of a deus ex machine for the England & Wales Cricket Board, which had been bracing itself for an inevitable backlash, whatever the outcome of their deliberations. To tour would have flown in the face of government and public opinion; to stay away would have invited the wrath of the ICC, and might have resulted in a year’s suspension from international cricket, the cancellation of next summer’s Ashes series and up to £50 million losses.Instead, the prospects of an England suspension have receded dramatically. Senior sources within the ICC told the Daily Telegraph that it would require the backing of seven of the ten Test-playing nations to implement such a course of action. If England can present a good case for staying away, they are likely to escape punishment.That outcome, however, cannot be taken for granted, given the clumsiness with which the ECB have so far approached the issue. An emergency meeting of the First-Class Forum has been called in Gloucestershire today, which will be attended by the chairman, Mike Soper, as well as Tim Lamb and David Morgan of the ECB. One of the topics on the agenda is the role of Des Wilson, whose paper arguing for a moral stand against Zimbabwe yesterday received the support from the anti-apartheid campaigner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Support has been less apparent on the home front, however, and Wilson is contemplating resignation.
SYDNEY, March 6 AAP – Stuart MacGill’s spin almost cancelled out Ashley Noffke’s pace as NSW and Queensland found contrasting ways to humiliate each other on the opening day of their Pura Cup match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.On a day in which 20 wickets fell for less than 300 runs, Queensland led by 88 after dismissing NSW for 102 only to be bowled out for 190 in turn, with MacGill taking 5-52.While NSW was well behind, Steve Waugh’s men were not totally out of a contest which should end in a positive result one way or the other.NSW, searching for a place in the Cup final against the Bulls starting next week in Brisbane, looked like they’d lost the map this morning as Noffke scythed through the world-class line-up.Removing Michael Slater, Steve Waugh and Michael Clarke for ducks inside the first half-hour with a series of deliveries which swung and cut off the seam, Noffke finished with 6-24.It was his best bowling for Queensland but not quite as good as hauls of seven and eight wickets for Middlesex in English county cricket.He expected things to be tougher tomorrow when NSW bats to save its season.”Tomorrow’s probably going to the most important day of the year for them,” Noffke said.”Their future’s going to be determined by how they play tomorrow.”Having ripped through NSW so easily, Noffke wasn’t keen to nominate NSW as his preferred opponent for the final.”We’re not too worried about who we play. If we play good cricket we’re going to be pretty hard to beat.”Queensland did just that today but Noffke said the Bulls were disappointed they “took their foot off the throat a bit” to allow NSW a glimmer of hope with three days to play.Queensland attained first innings points about midway through the opening day and at 2-105 shortly after tea, the Bulls were well on their way to an outright victory.However, MacGill and fellow wrist-spinner Simon Katich (3-55) soon brought their side back into the contest.MacGill, on a hat-trick at one stage, also took two wickets in his final over of the day to wrap up Queensland’s innings, the Bulls losing their last nine wickets for 95 runs.While Noffke was happy with his own haul he put some blame on the batsmen from both sides for the day’s proceedings.”It wasn’t a 20-wickets-in-a-day pitch,” Noffke confessed.”Play from both sides was a little bit poor at times.”It was a timely effort from Noffke after Queensland suffered a tough blow on the morning of the match with pace bowler Joe Dawes ruled out with a back strain.Dawes, the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, flew home for scans while the Bulls sent down Damien MacKenzie to act as 12th man.Dawes’ absence left the Bulls with only two specialist pace bowlers – Noffke and Michael Kasprowicz – and with two spinners, including debutant Chris Simpson.
Gloucestershire batsman Matt Windows and Hampshire spinner Shaun Udal tookthe honours on an intriguing first day of the CricInfo Championship seconddivision match at Cheltenham.The visitors had to do without skipper Robin Smith and all-rounder DimitriMascarenhas, both late withdrawals through injury, and it looked as if theywould have an unproductive day in the field until Udal instigated a collapsewhich saw six wickets fall for 62 runs.Neil Johnson was the only Hampshire bowler to enjoy success in the morningsession, after Gloucestershire captain Mark Alleyne had won the toss.Johnson had Dominic Hewson caught behind by Adrian Aymes, as he tried towithdraw the bat, and Kim Barnett was dismissed in the same manner as hedrove at a wide delivery.But Windows and Chris Taylor regained control for Gloucestershire with athird-wicket stand of 137. Both players cut and drove the majority of theirboundaries through the off-side and it was good entertainment for the 3,000festival crowd.Taylor had moved smoothly to 56 before he was well caught by acting captainWill Kendall at mid off, and then Windows departed when he holed out to AlexMorris in the deep.His 91 came from 181 balls, contained 16 fours and a six, and signalled awelcome return to form for the England A batsman, who went into the gamewith a meagre average of 19.Alleyne, Jeremy Snape and Ian Harvey all got out after making a start andwhen Jack Russell also departed, it looked as if Gloucestershire would fallbelow 300.However, they were indebted to a ninth-wicket stand of 62 between MartynBall and Alastair Bressington, who is making hs first appearance of theseason after finishing his studies at university in Cardiff.Ball struck four boundaries in his 40 before he was caught by Johnson at second slip off Chris Tremlett, who promptly wrapped up the innings by dismissing Ben Gannon for a duck.
After seven years away from title glory, Frank de Boer has returned Ajax to the top of the mountain and maintained a level of success that has been hard to match anywhere in Europe. A 2-2 draw two weeks ago against Heracles helped to secure the Amsterdam side their fourth Eredivisie title in four years.
De Boer’s has been diligent since arriving at Ajax in December 2010. He’s taken in youth games, he’s promoted from within and helped to strengthen that aura which surrounds the club’s famed youth academy.
De Boer has also had time and comfort. We can adjudge that the success of the club over the past four seasons has been because the manager has had the freedom to work, the resources to succeed and the right personnel alongside him who understood what was required from the club and how to work to its ethos.
The fact that Ajax have spent so little in first re-acquiring the Dutch league title and then going on to retain it three times means de Boer is a favourite for clubs who work to lesser budgets and who want to maximise the output of what they already have.
The admiration for the Dutchman is widespread in England. Tottenham aren’t the only club to sound out de Boer for a future managerial role. Liverpool enquired after him before turning to Brendan Rodgers, and Manchester United kicked the tires on the possibility of landing de Boer not too long ago before turning their attention elsewhere.
De Boer, however, must understand that the life he knows at Ajax is vastly different from what managers have experienced in the past at Tottenham.
Under Daniel Levy, the shelf life of a manager is short. He’s moved on coaches who have a history of success with clubs in cup competitions (Juande Ramos), and he’s booted the polar opposite in managerial style, yet one who still gave Tottenham what they’d long sought to achieve (Harry Redknapp).
After each managerial sacking at Tottenham, we’ve gone over the mistakes that led to the final action of dismissal; for Andre Villas-Boas, there were plenty. Yet we’ve hardly ever gone over the problems and mistakes that exist in the boardroom.
Let’s call a spade a space: Tottenham aren’t a club who have a modern identity in the way Ajax do. They’re not trying to uphold one set of values. They’ve bought good to great players over the years – Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale – but they’ve been a stepping stone for each of them. Each time the club land on something good that could help to shape their future, whether it’s Villas-Boas or Redknapp, Levy is quick off the draw following any kind of setback.
Levy is a chairman who doesn’t really know what he wants – at least that’s what we can infer from his erratic behaviour on the managerial front.
Will de Boer be comfortable with life at Spurs, will he be given the freedom to carry out his work? Probably not. Franco Baldini is still floating about, and his isn’t a position which requires little to no work. Tottenham have been one of the clubs in the Premier League to embrace the idea of a director of football. Whether they’ve done it the right way is another matter.
We shouldn’t assume that de Boer will be a success wherever he goes. Tottenham, above all, shouldn’t assume he will either. The Dutchman has the right people in place who have helped him get Ajax where they are now. They’re on the same page, just as Ramos and Sevilla’s Director of Football Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo (Monchi) were.
What kind of relationship can de Boer expect with Baldini at Spurs? Probably a confusing one, if we’re going by what we saw during the first few months of this season with Villas-Boas in the dugout. The trio, Levy included, looked to be on the same page during the summer, seemingly spending the Gareth Bale money wisely. What we saw in on the pitch was a group of players who didn’t fit into the manager’s tactical setup. He couldn’t bring out the best in Roberto Soldado; when was the last time someone saw record signing Erik Lamela?
These uncertainties and inconsistencies eventually help to spell the end for managers, regardless of where they came from and what their history of success is.
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De Boer has stability at Ajax. He’s alluded many times in the past to unfinished business with the club. It should be remembered that this is one of Europe’s great clubs, a four-time winner of the European Cup. They may be dominating domestically, but they’re surely not happy to settle for their Champions League campaigns ending in December.
Tottenham may offer de Boer more in the way of resources to build a stronger team; the club would also offer the Ajax coach the excitement of something different, and no one is of the opinion that he’ll stay in Amsterdam for the rest of his career.
But is the structure at Tottenham right? Its history doesn’t provide confidence. Daniel Levy may not be the right man to offer de Boer the time he needs to be a success.
Former West Indian players Ian Bishop, Desmond Haynes, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh are back on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) cricket committee. The four players from the era when West Indies dominated world cricket were replaced last November but WICB president Julian Hunte has confirmed they were reinstated after he met with them in Antigua on February 22 to discuss the issue.Haynes said the meeting had been “very frank”. “We got to understand each other’s position,” he said. “We have always been very keen to contribute to the advancement of West Indies cricket and felt that we could more properly do so as full members of the committee, rather than as consultants as the president originally offered.”Hunte asked the four to meet with him “in the spirit of inclusiveness” after a report by this correspondent last month in which they expressed surprise and disappointment at their removal.”I would be the last person to deny our former great players the opportunity to contribute at any level of West Indies cricket,” Hunte said at the time.Hunte pointed out that the WICB had drafted a new strategic plan and that the cricket committee had to be at the centre of “plans, policies and programmes for cricket, not just the playing and player aspects, but in terms of our development”.Hinting at the reason why the four had been replaced, Hunte told Bishop that the committee needed to meet face-to-face frequently to deal with “the many issues confronting us now and to develop the blueprint for the future”.The implication was that the four had not always been available for committee meetings but this had been refuted by Roberts and Walsh.Whatever the differences, they were settled at the February 22 meeting and four individuals with 338 Tests between them are now back on the committee that is headed by Clive Lloyd, captain in the era of excellence in the 1970s and 1980s.
Darren Berry, the former Victoria captain, will return to the squad as its assistant coach later this month. Berry has spent the past two seasons guiding the Carlton Cricket Club in Melbourne and he will work alongside the head coach Greg Shipperd.”I’m looking forward to this role immensely, and contributing to the future success of the Bushrangers and Victorian cricket,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities presented to me at Carlton and I thank them for allowing my coaching to develop in my time there.”Geoff Tamblyn, the Cricket Victoria chairman, said Berry has outstanding credentials and has been an impressive leader on and off the field. “He led a strong list of candidates and we’re excited to have him alongside Greg,” he said. “Darren was a tremendous contributor to Victoria as a player and we’re confident he will perform impressively in his new role.” Berry led the Bushrangers to the Pura Cup in 2003-04 and immediately retired after 153 first-class matches.
Although they comfortably lost by five wickets, Zimbabwe’s young team will take great heart from their performance against the West Indies in the first of seven one-dayers at Antigua. On a two-paced pitch, chasing just 152, the West Indies made hard work of their task and rarely looked in complete control of proceedings.That they were made to struggle was down to Zimbabwe’s young bowlers’ control, and the energetic performance of their fielders. As early as the sixth ball of their innings, the West Indies lost their opener, Runako Morton, who carelessly drove one from Ed Rainsford straight to second slip. It was just the start they needed.Rainsford bowled intelligently. Using his height to good effect, he generated bounce – on what was a difficult pitch to bat all day – causing Chris Gayle several anxious moments. However, his and his team-mates’ inexperience told. The left-hand right-hand combination of Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan upset their lines, prompting Sarwan to punish Rainsford for several fours.After putting on 37 with a subdued Gayle, from 10 turgid overs, Sarwan was caught inches short going for a quick single; the running was lazy, if a little complacent, and handed Zimbabwe a fortunate wicket. Gayle batted with curious restraint and only briefly did he threaten to open his broad shoulders.He looked to be regaining his touch and power when he planted Prosper Utseya, the off-spinner, straight on top of the Richie Richardson stand at long-on – a remarkable one-handed shot of immense power. It appeared he and Denesh Ramdin, promoted ahead of his captain Brian Lara, were easing West Indies to victory until Gayle attempted to hit Utseya beyond the same stand and into the sea. Utseya, not afraid to toss it up, cleverly beat him in the air and had him caught at square leg.Worse was to come. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was relieved of the captaincy last week, continued his poor run of form when he tried to cut Utseya. Soon after, the same bowler should have had Lara caught at deep midwicket when, inexplicably, he tried to pull one wide of the off-stump. The three fielders converged in a potentially disastrous triangle, but the ball somehow evaded each of them. That blemish aside, Lara batted with his customary brilliance to late-cut the spinners and nudge singles with ease.At the other end, Ramdin – a compact, neat and correct batsman – grew in confidence until, with just 31 runs needed to win, he decided to late-cut a half-volley and was bowled by Utseya. It was a dreadful, lackadaisical shot.If their batting was lacklustre, the West Indies’ bowling performance was similarly uninspiring. Whereas Zimbabwe looked sharp in the field, the hosts lacked intent and spark. After removing Piet Rinke in the second over, the opening bowlers – Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor – lost their ferocity and didn’t look like a side determined to take 10 wickets.Terry Duffin, the Zimbabwe captain, then batted diligently for his 26, and put on a vital 64 runs with Justice Chibhabha, who made a very impressive 55. Though the pair batted well, rarely did they break into a trot which said more of their inexperience than anything else.Their wickets marked a dramatic collapse in which Zimbabwe lost 7 for 30 as the West Indies bowlers, Gayle and Dwayne Bravo in particular, found their lengths. But it was the batsmen’s inexperience that told. Panic set in during the final ten overs, and though they reached the milestone of 150, it was never likely to trouble the West Indies.Lara, clearly fed up with the injudicious strokeplay of his team-mates, clobbered a couple of late boundaries, including a huge six to win the game. It was a disappointing effort from the home side, and an encouraging one from Zimbabwe who can take heart not only for batting out fifty overs, but for making the West Indies work hard to reach what was a paltry total.
How they were out
West IndiesRunako Morton c Higgins b Rainsford 0 (1 for 1) Ramnaresh Sarwan run-out (Mahwire) 14 (38 for 2) Chris Gayle b Utseya (71 for 3) Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Taylor b Utseya (77 for 4) Denesh Ramdin b Utseya 37 (121 for 5) ZimbabwePiet Rinke c Smith b Taylor 1 (5 for 1) Terry Duffin c Ramdin b Smith 26 (69 for 2) Justice Chibhabha c Edwards b Smith 55 (105 for 3) Elton Chigumbura run out (Chanderpaul) 8 (121 for 4) Brendan Taylor c Bradshaw b Bravo 25 (126 for 5) Keith Dabengwa c Chanderpaul b Bravo 5 (135 for 6) Greg Strydom c Bravo b Gayle 8 (142 for 7) Ryan Higgins c Bravo b Gayle 0 (142 for 8) Blessing Mahwire c Sarwan b Taylor 6 (150 for 9