All posts by csb10.top

With the cricket world’s attention on sledging after the controversial Sydney Test, former Australian captain Ian Chappell, Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara and former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said the problem could be tackled if more power was given to on-field umpires, and called for players to act with more responsibility.”If you have a CEO who is not even in the country and not even in the ground trying to call in and say, ‘Well I saw this’, that is never going to work,” Sangakkara said during Cricinfo’s Round Table, a fortnightly audio show. “Even a match referee is quite far removed from where the action is. The two guys who are in charge are the umpires and they should be allowed to handle it as they see fit.”Chappell was critical of the ICC for undermining the authority of the on-field umpires. “[The ICC have] diluted the decision-making process of the umpires on the field and in doing that, they have diluted the authority of the umpires on the field. They have also put layers of officials between the umpires and the players.”The three thought that while banter on the field was always going to be present, there are lines which should not be crossed. Sangakkara said a player’s colour, race, country or family should not be dragged into the debate. Chappell agreed, “There is gamesmanship, which has always been around and there’s always place in the game for that. But there’s no path for personal abuse or inane chatter.”Sangakkara also stressed that incidents should be left on the field. “Players have to be very honest with themselves that if they do engage in gamesmanship and banter, that is always something you can leave on the field. You should not go running around and complaining to the media or to the match referees.”Manjrekar was of the opinion that television was also a contributing factor to players displaying more aggression on the field. “Some players have realised that if they behaved in a certain manner, if they said some things or glared at the opposition, they would get a lot of attention via the television cameras,” he said. “Obviously, this is the cricketer who perhaps doesn’t get enough wickets or runs to get the attention. So he realises: ‘If I behave in a certain fashion that is slightly over the top, I tend to get lot of attention’.” (Click here to listen to the show or read the transcript.)

Graham Gooch has pulled out of contention for the role as England’s new national selector, saying the commitment wouldn’t allow him to maintain his other interests and also raising concerns over where the final selection decisions would lie.Gooch had been the biggest name linked to the position, but said after weighing up all his options he decided it isn’t a job for him.”The job is very appealing for someone like me who has a big interest in English cricket and a strong desire to see us succeed at international level,” he told the . “Initially I was interested but, after weighing up all the options, I do feel that whoever does the job will have to devote themselves fully to it, to the exclusion of other interests. Mainly on that basis I’m ruling myself out.”If I were to be appointed there is no way I could continue with the coaching work I do at Essex,” he added. “I feel I’ve been able to help in the development of Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara on their road to the England team and that has given me great satisfaction. The other issue is that it seemed unclear to me who would actually have the final say over selection.”David Graveney, the current chairman of selectors, is having to reapply for the role, but the ECB job description says that international playing experience is “desirable although not essential.”Chris Adams, the Sussex captain and former England batsman, is reportedly interested in the role. The closing date for applications is December 17, with interviews taking place early next year. The new selection panel, which will also include two part-time members, will take up position at the start of the 2008 English season.

Walking towards the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati is like gradually entering a sea of . You notice pockets of security officers patrolling street corners, large chunks manning the gates, and an entire ocean flooding the premises of the Assam Cricket Association.More than 1500 security men – picked from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Para-military forces and State Battalions – swarmed the outer part of the ground, receiving instructions on their duties for the next two days. In April last year, Guwahati was witness to an ugly riot, when the India-England game was abandoned due to a wet outfield. The incident – when a section of the crowd broke down stands, burnt paper and pelted missiles – jeopardised Guwahati’s standing as an international venue.An India-Pakistan match is usually accompanied by heavy security but the local administration, with backing from both the central and state governments, is trying to cover all bases. “In view of past incidents, as well as the fact that this is an India-Pakistan match, we have taken additional steps,” said GP Singh, deputy inspector general of the western range police.”We have been informed that a number of Pakistan fans and media will be accompanying the team and we are ensuring appropriate security measures across the city.” Around 250 fans and close to 50 mediapersons are expected to make the trip from Pakistan. “There is no separate enclosure for the Pakistan fans. They have been allotted tickets in various parts of the ground. We are keen to have an incident-free match.”Amid this throng of security men is a giant poster announcing the match, with Sunny Deol, the Bollywood star, welcoming both teams with folded arms. There are also big hoardings announcing the National sub-junior Kabaddi Championships in January 2008 and the upcoming Bordoloi Trophy football tournament (involving club teams from India and abroad).The Nehru Stadium, a multi-sport arena, has staged 11 ODIs and the pitch has generally tended to favour bowlers who can move it around. Only twice have teams crossed 250 and locals mention a score of around 230 being a realistic target. Matches in Guwahati start earlier than other centres in India, what with the sun setting as early as 5 pm, and the initial dew is conducive for the faster bowlers upfront. However, Sunil Barua, the local curator, felt it was a “300 pitch”, with the batsmen free to drive through the line. “There will be a lot of dew early but the pitch is a very good one.”Both teams are scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon and there will be no practice session, with the series trophy set to be unveiled.

Justin Langer has revealed watching Phil Jaques head out to bat against Sri Lanka with his former Test opening partner Matthew Hayden was painful. Langer quit in January after the Ashes and he revealed that seeing Jaques take his place was “quite emotional”.”It was the first time since I’d announced my retirement that I realised that that was it, particularly the moment I saw Haydos and Phil Jaques walk across the white line,” Langer said during Western Australia’s Pura Cup match against South Australia in Adelaide. “That was quite an emotional time for me, but life goes on and I’m sure the decision I made was the right one. But having done it for so long – people know how passionate I was about playing for Australia – that was an emotional first morning.”However, he took pleasure in seeing the heat on Jaques and Chris Rogers, who were vying for the opener’s spot, and it was a relief for Langer not to be in the media spotlight for the first time in 10 years. “That was quite nice for me,” he said. “It was interesting to see both of them struggling [in domestic cricket] and I’m sure it was because they were putting so much pressure on themselves. Having lived through that, I was watching with a smile rather than having to worry too much about it.”Jaques has reserved his place for now, with two centuries and a fifty in his three innings against Sri Lanka. He has impressed his predecessor, too. “His insatiable hunger for runs – that’s the thing that strikes me most about him,” he said. “He’s shown it in Test cricket, but whether he plays club cricket or state cricket or county cricket, he makes so many runs. You see the great sportsmen – [Roger] Federer playing tennis – and Phil Jaques watches the ball so closely, and that’s the sign of a very good player.”Langer, meanwhile, is happy to be enjoying domestic cricket away from the Test arena. He captained Somerset to promotion in the County Championship over the winter, and is happy in the Warriors’ set-up. Tom Moody, Langer’s new coach and old friend, who is godfather to his third daughter, has helped change the mood of the squad.”We’ve been mates a long time and we’ve played together, so it’s nice to be playing in this very professional environment again,” he said. “It’s been something Western Australian cricket has probably lacked for a long time, and it’s just brilliant to be playing in this environment again.”

A massive 305 run first wicket partnership between T Suman (169) and PShashank Nag (141) put Hyderabad in a formidable position on the firstday of their Cooch Behar Trophy South Zone League match against Keralaat the Gymkhana Ground on Sunday. The stand helped Hyderabad to ascore of 345 for 3 at close of play.Winning the toss the Kerala skipper M Vipin Lal put Hyderabad into batbut he was in for a shocker as the Hyderabad openers took hold of theproceedings. Both Suman and Shashank Nag were unstoppable right fromthe start and brought up the 100 before the lunch interval. Suman, whoscored his third century of the tournament, was more severe on theKerala attack while plundering 20 boundaries during his 310 minutestay at the crease.The post Lunch session saw the two going from strength to strength andbefore long took the team score past the 200 run mark. The Keralaskipper was probably bereft of ideas and tried all his might to breakthe partnership. The spinners especially bore the brunt of the openersbats so much so that Aneesh Kumar and Sooraj went for 185 runs betweenthemselves. Shashank Nag was not far behind and matched his partner inpacing his innings. During his 348 ball stay he managed to find theropes 8 times while clearing it on five occations.Kerala bowlers found their first success in the form of Suman only inthe post Tea session when he was caught at deep extra cover by sujitoff Sooraj in the 77th over of the innings. His partner Shashank Nagdeparted seven balls later, being caught at deep mid wicket by Soorajof Aneesh. The new bat Arjan Yadav offered a return catch to Aneesh inthe 88th over. AT Rayudu (15) and Ibrahim Khaleel (6) safelynegociated the end overs and made sure of no further casualities forHyderabad.

Adrian Le Roux, the physical trainer of the Indian team for the last year, has decided to quit the post and join the South African team as their trainer. Le Roux, whose contract with South Africa extends till 2005, will join the squad later this week.The Indian board (BCCI) was initially caught unawares by this development, but later issued a statement saying that it respected Le Roux’s decision, and would start searching for a replacement.Speaking to the Times of India, John Wright, the India coach, said, “it has come as a surprise. However, he has made a decision as a professional and we can only respect his judgement.” He added: “But he has left a schedule to follow for Indian players and I am sure everyone will try to live up to it.”Le Roux had joined the Indian team early last year, and had won the praise of the players after significantly improving fitness levels. Impressed by his performance, the Indian board had increased his salary and extended his contract by a year immediately after the World Cup.”He blended so well within the team and its structure and contributed immensely to the boys’ fitness. He took immense pains and spent time with individuals to improve their mental and physical toughness,” Wright said. “I can safely say that we all, including the boys, will miss him. But he had to make a personal decision and one could only wish him good luck.”In a statement, Le Roux said that he enjoyed his stint in India, but was delighted to get an opportunity to work with the South Africans. “It was a wonderful experience working with India, in a very different cricket culture, and I learnt a great deal with them,” he said. “It is obviously a great privilege to have the opportunity to work with one’s own national team and I am looking forward to the challenge of helping the team’s performance.”I wish the Indian cricket team and its management all the best for the future and I hope that they will continue to be a winning team.”Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian board, said that he understood Le Roux’s stand perfectly. “We have received a communication from Le Roux, resigning from the position of fitness trainer,” Dalmiya said. “Adrian did a wonderful job with the team and this was reflected in the results. The BCCI, however, respects his national sentiments and, therefore, a suitable replacement is being explored.”Working for his own country would obviously mean much more to Le Roux and the BCCI understands his sentiments. It will also give him an opportunity to stay with his family.”Dalmiya ruled out any action against Le Roux for breach of contract. He said that the board had already started the process of looking out for possible contenders for the post, and would announce the replacement soon.

ICC Europe has announced the schedule and venues for the ICC European Division 1 Championship to be held in Ireland from July 25 to 31, 2008.The 50-over round-robin tournament will see Europe’s top six Associate and Affiliate countries – Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Scotland – fight it out for Europe’s top spot. Six cricket grounds will be used to host a total of 15 matches that will see each country come face to face over five days.Current European champions Ireland will be looking to retain their title on home soil, and their campaign will begin against tournament newcomer Norway at The Hills Cricket Club on July 25. ICC Affiliate Member Norway gained promotion to Division 1 after finishing top of Division 2 in 2006, overcoming second place Jersey, and other Associate members including France, Gibraltar and Israel. The other opening matches will see Denmark face Scotland at Malahide CC and Italy take on the Netherlands at North County CC.”Winning the European Championships and retaining the title is still a hugely important goal for Ireland,” said Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, Warren Deutrom. “Although last year’s World Cup success gave us an exciting glimpse of the world beyond, we still consciously compare ourselves to our European neighbours, particularly our counterparts in ICC’s High Performance Programme. If nothing else, the fierce competition among traditional rivals makes for highly competitive cricket which, in turn, helps raise the bar for European cricket.”

England 111 for 3 (Solanki 50) beat South Africa 107 (Anderson 3-50, Gough 2-9) by seven wickets

England added the NatWest Series trophy to their cabinet with a crushing seven-wicket win over a demoralised South Africa at Lord’s. England’s bowlers skittled a sorry South Africa for only 107 – their fourth-lowest score in one-day internationals and their lowest against England – as what promised to be a classic turned out to be a cake-walk.Michael Vaughan’s decision to field first proved to be a masterstroke as James Anderson and Darren Gough again led from the front for England, making the best of the early bowling conditions in a display fit for any final. The pitch held no demons, but South Africa never recovered from a disastrous start, showing no fight against controlled and disciplined bowling from England – in which even Ashley Giles took a wicket. It was an unworthy display from South Africa, as the pressure and the big-match nerves got the better of them.The tone of the day was set as early as the third over when Smith, who was dropped second ball of the match, edged a beauty of an awaycutter to Marcus Trescothick at first slip (10 for 1). It’s been a nightmare series for Herschelle Gibbs – 117 runs from seven innings, even allowing for a 93 not out – and he again looked as if he had two left feet as his touch and timing still eluded him. And Gough put him out of his misery in the eighth over when he nicked a full outswinger to Chris Read, the wicketkeeper, for 9 (30 for 2).Morne van Wyk, making his international debut, came in at No. 3 and was understandably a touch nervy. And after he gave Anderson a bit of stick, he was cleaned up with a fullish ball which cut back and beat his expansive drive (39 for 3).England had dug South Africa in to a deep hole, and not even South Africa’s man of the moment, Jacques Kallis, could get them out of it. Kallis is to fly back to South Africa tonight for family reasons and his mind looked to be elsewhere in his short and subdued stay at the crease. Gough continued his controlled line in a remarkable opening spell of 2 for 9 from seven overs, and he got one to leave Kallis, who edged it through for Read to take a good tumbling catch (43 for 4). It was a forgettable 12-ball duck for Kallis, and a forgettable start for South Africa.Jacques Rudolph and Mark Boucher did their best to rebuild the ruins and they put together a partnership of 32 – the highest of the innings – before Rudolph was snaffled by Andrew Flintoff (75 for 5). While England had fought hard for their early wickets with attacking, yet controlled, seam bowling, Boucher then gave his wicket away. He played a lazy drive to a wide Richard Johnson delivery to give Read his fourth victim of the innings and leave South Africa in even deeper trouble (75 for 6).And, believe it or not, it got even worse as the middle and lower-order self-destructed with mindless shots when they should have been looking to eek out runs on a good batting track. Martin van Jaarsveld and Shaun Pollock put on a valuable 27 including a few handsome fours from Pollock, and then something of a rarity happened when Giles took a wicket to dismiss van Jaarsveld. Attempting to turn the ball through the on side, van Jaarsveld was undone by a hint of turn and spooned a leading edge back to a delighted Giles, for whom it was only his first wicket of the series, and second one-day scalp of the summer (102 for 7).Andrew Hall, coming in at No. 9 today, has batted in virtually every position during this series, but he self-destructed with a shot that would have shamed a batsman of any ability. Just when Pollock needed some support, Hall tried to pull a full ball from Anderson and top-edged to Vaughan at mid-on (103 for 8). Nel then didn’t do any better with a horrible heave to a straight ball from Giles and was plumb lbw (107 for 9). And Pollock rounded off a dismal batting display when he edged a swishy drive off Flintoff to Read as South Africa crashed to the lowest ODI score at Lord’s and eradicated any hopes of a repeat of last year’s England-India epic.Vikram Solanki and Vaughan then made quick work of polishing off the runs to get their hands on the pot. Makhaya Ntini did make an early breakthrough when Trescothick flashed a flat-footed drive to Hall at first slip for a duck (1 for 1), meaning Solanki was temporarily forced to curb his natural attacking instincts, and it wasn’t until the eighth over that he hit the first of his eight fours.Vaughan also made a cautious start, but picked up the pace in the ninth over with two boundaries in a row off Pollock. The first was a lofted square drive, and the second that old swivel pull. And that signalled the charge for victory from the captain.Smith gave Ntini and Pollock five overs each, after which he turned to Nel and Kallis as the trophy slipped even further away from him. However, they failed to conjure any miracles and Kallis, as he has been all series, was expensive. Solanki, in particular, took a liking to him, smacking him all over Lord’s, including a nonchalant leg-side flick for six, followed by a spanking straight drive on the up to bring up his fifty from only 52 balls.Kallis, however, didn’t take a liking to Solanki, giving him a few words of advice as Kallis – who had a stinker of a final – went for an embarrassing 33 from three overs. Nel did pick up the consolation wicket of Vaughan, who miscued him to Ntini at mid-on for an accomplished 30 (88 for 2), and Solanki chopped one on to his stumps off Andrew Hall (89 for 3) for a dazzling 50, but by then England were home and dry.Click here for the Wisden Verdict

All Today’s Yesterdays – July 20 down the yearsJuly 19| July 211981
The most amazing day of a famously amazing Headingley Test. Ian Botham scored 145 of his 149 not out to give England an outside chance of beating Australia after following on, a chance Bob Willis took with his 8 for 43 the following day. This was also the day when England’s odds slipped out to 500-1, an offer that Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh couldn’t refuse. Then Botham and Graham Dilley gave it some humpty, and the rest is history.2000
On the first day of the match at Galle, an opening partnership of 193 between Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya set Sri Lanka on the way to their first Test win over South Africa. That only tells half the story, though. Jayasuriya bashed 148 off only 156 balls – imagine an Englishman doing that on the first day of a Test series – 96 of them in a scintillating morning session. Sri Lankan reached 522 – and then came Murali, who brushed South Africa to an innings defeat with 13 for 171.1990
In a one-day international at Trent Bridge, Robin Smith scored a hundred in 101 balls, but India won to take the Texaco Trophy for the first time. It was the story of the Judge’s life: all of his one-day hundreds came in England defeats. And only two of his nine Test hundreds came in English victories.1971
Controversial seam bowler Ed Giddins was born. He received an extensive ban for drug use, but took one five-wicket haul in Test cricket, against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2000. Two Tests and one wicket later, Giddins was dropped.1900
Birth of that famously combative Yorkshireman Maurice Leyland, who saved the best till last. His final Test innings of 187 was played during a partnership of 382 with Len Hutton at The Oval in 1938, still England’s highest stand for any wicket against Australia.1909
Birth of the confident and supremely patient Eric Rowan, who was often the mainstay of South Africa’s batting. Against England at Johannesburg in 1948-49, he batted for six hours on the last day to make an unbeaten 156 that saved the match. At Headingley in 1951 he followed his Test best 236 in the first innings with 60 not out in the second. His brother Athol also played for South Africa.Other birthdays
1911 Baqa Jilani (India)
1934 Doug Padgett (England)
1975 Atiq-uz-Zaman (Pakistan)
1976 Debasis Mohanty (India)

Western Australia have named an unchanged squad for their ING Cup game against Queensland. Luke Ronchi, the Warriors’ wicketkeeper-batsman, was asked to prove his fitness in a test on November 18 so a decision could be taken on his participation.Ronchi strained his left hamstring during the thriller against Victoria on Sunday, but expressed confidence about playing. Ryan Campbell was expected to be selected if Ronchi’s strain didn’t improve.Adam Voges, who aggravated a groin injury, and Peter Worthington, who injured his left ankle against Victoria, had both recovered and were named in the squad.Western Australia Michael Hussey (capt), Brett Dorey, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Brad Hogg, Steve Magoffin, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Luke Ronchi (wk – could be replaced by Ryan Campbell), Adam Voges, Darren Wates and Peter Worthington.