Mawoyo stripped of A-team captaincy

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Tino Mawoyo has been stripped of the Zimbabwe A captaincy following misbehaviour by him and other players in camp in Bulawayo early last month.A Bulawayo-based newspaper reported how players broke camp rules by bringing women into their hotel rooms during their matches against South African National Academy played at Queens Sports Club. The same publication also reported that Mawoyo was arrested outside a sports club for public drinking but was not taken to the police station after the police were paid off.The publication of the story sent shockwaves through Zimbabwe Cricket leadingto a disciplinary inquiry. National selector Vumi Moyo, who was the teammanager at the time, was asked to submit a report and he did not deny the that that the players had brought women into their rooms.Sources said if the police had charged Mawoyo, he would have been suspended.Pace bowler Blessing Mahwire has replaced Mawoyo for the South AfricanAirways Challenge pool B match against Gauteng at Bulawayo and ZC boardmember Cyprian Mandenge has taken over as team manager.Mawoyo, who captained Zimbabwe at the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004, remains a vital member of the Zimbabwe A squad at the top of the batting order. He was promoted to the senior team against India A and South Africa A but struggled and was demoted back to the A team.

Watson needs to play domestic cricket – Fleming

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Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist console Shane Watson as he leaves the field with hamstring trouble during Australia’s Super Eights clash against Sri Lanka © AFP

Damien Fleming, the former Australia fast bowler, has advised Shane Watson to play domestic cricket for an extended period of time to deal with his persistent hamstring injuries. Watson missed the opening games of the ICC World Twenty20 with a hamstring problem and broke down in his first match of the tournament as the injury flared up again.”I have a lot of empathy for him because I had a lot of injuries as well,” Fleming told the . “You can’t give it 100% and state cricket, let alone international cricket, is really unforgiving.”The only way you get over it is by having a prolonged run of injury-free [games] to get that confidence up, and I think coming back straight in to international cricket every time, it’s just not holding up. He needs to start building up a block of not only confidence in his body but confidence mentally as well.”The best thing for him is to start playing state cricket over a period of time and give himself a chance to play, and it does open up options for the selectors to start questioning his longevity. He has to give them a fair bit in injury-free games before he will play again.”Watson has been ruled out of the seven-match ODI series against India which kicks off on Saturday in Bangalore. He has had an array of injury concerns that have contributed to his Test tally stalling at three matches, the last of which was against West Indies in 2005-06.He was in doubt for the World Twenty20 with hamstring trouble but was cleared for the trip. He had a start-stop campaign in the World Cup due to a calf strain, having already missed much of the 2006-07 season – including the Ashes – with hamstring injuries. His most serious setback came when he dislocated his shoulder while attempting a dive in his most recent Test, nearly two years ago.But Adam Gilchrist, Australia’s stand-in captain, has come out in support of Watson. “People might look and say it’s silly to pick him but that’s not the case,” Gilchrist told . “He keeps presenting himself when he’s fully fit, and when he is fully fit, he can form a vital cog in that wheel of success for us.”He’s just a young, exciting cricketer in both forms of the game. He’s got the power and touch with the bat. There’s talk that he could even open in Test cricket, that’s how highly regarded he is with the bat.”And bowling, he just adds that extra dimension we may have lacked or certainly we may need in the absence of [Shane] Warne and [Glenn] McGrath. He’s highly regarded in the Australian cricket set-up and he knows that and that’s why it’s even more disappointing for him to break down like this.”

Security beefed up ahead of Guwahati ODI

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Mindful of last year’s crowd riots, 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 © Cricinfo Ltd

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.

Langer 'emotional' after watching Jaques

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Justin Langer struggled as he watched Matthew Hayden bat with a new partner © Getty Images

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.”

Gooch pulls out of selector race

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Graham Gooch: ‘I do feel that whoever does the job will have to devote themselves fully to it, to the exclusion of other interests’ © Getty Images

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.

Vettori and McCullum thrash Bangladesh

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

Daniel Vettori became New Zealand’s highest ODI wicket-taker © Getty Images
 

The last day of the year was a memorable one for Daniel Vettori, who won another toss, grabbed five easy wickets to become New Zealand’s highest limited-overs wicket-taker, and basked in his first series victory since taking over the captaincy after the World Cup. For Bangladesh, it was an utterly forgettable day, as they slumped to their worst defeat ever in one-day internationals, by ten wickets with to spare. In the history of ODIs, only three times has a team won with more deliveries remaining.Rain was expected but the weather held up in sunny Queenstown, New Zealand’s “Vegas by the Lake”, and Vettori played all his cards right to spin Bangladesh out for just 93, a total overhauled by Brendon McCullum’s murderous 29-ball 80 before the local caterers burned lunch. Against the backdrop of the scenic Remarkables hill range, Bangladesh were simply annihilated, a 3-0 sweep was completed, and the hosts went into the New Year in a festive mood ahead of a busy season.Before this game Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s captain, demanded his side improve from an “unacceptable” performance in the second match, but it appeared no one was listening. Vettori’s good luck at the toss continued and he had little hesitation in giving his bowlers a crack at a struggling Bangladeshi top order, whose penchant for driving on the up had them in knots. They got away with it in Napier, to an extent, but struggled in seam-friendly conditions where the ball didn’t come onto the ball all that easily.Kyle Mills’ good series continued as he bowled Junaid Siddique in the third over, going for an expansive drive and inside-edging back onto his stumps. Mills and every seamer included bowled accurately and asked plenty of questions of the batsmen. Michael Mason, sporting a bit of hair dye in his first game since the World Cup, picked up an out-of-sorts Tamim Iqbal in his second over, the 16th. Struggling to time the ball off the square, Tamim saw some width and poked at it, but was smartly snapped at slip by Scott Styris, diving to his left. His laborious 13 from 56 deliveries summed up Bangladesh’s predicament.Ashraful began to take some risks, giving himself room to carve boundaries through and over point but trying to pull Mason into Lake Wakatipu was neatly picked up by Jacob Oram just inside the ropes at deep backward square. Oram was soon into action with the ball as well, picking up Tushar Imran. An extra bit of bounce did it for Tushar, pushing forward and getting a thick outside edge to McCullum; that made it 46 for 4 after 19 overs.Vettori held himself back until after the 25-over mark but didn’t waste any time leveling himself with Chris Harris on 203 one-day wickets for his country. Aftab Ahmed failed to curb his enthusiasm and a tame sweep went nowhere but into square leg’s waiting palms. But the one to cherish came three deliveries later, as Shakib al Hasan went to cut but dragged onto his stumps, taking Vettori to the top of the list.The field required batsmen to play the ball late, with soft hands, but the Bangladeshis were eager to flash hard. There were no demons in the track but the batsmen, struggling to get the timing they wanted, were unsuccessful in working the ball square of the pitch. Vettori varied his flight, stuck in two slips and bowled as if it was a Test match. The lack of confidence from the batsmen was evident from the start but this was a whole new low as some reckless shot selection continued. Vettori took the pace off the ball, got it to bounce and spit, and Bangladesh folded for a paltry total in 37.5 overs. Vettori’s five-wicket bag also made him the highest one-day wicket-taker of the year, with 42.

Brendon McCullum thumped 80 from just 29 balls to seal a sweep © Getty Images
 

New Zealand’s openers found themselves padding up well before the scheduled interval and McCullum gave the Monday morning crowd the perfect entertainment after Bangladesh flopped with the bat. Setting about like he had a pre-New Years lunch to attend, he plundered 21 runs in the second over, survived a drop at third man in the next, and celebrated by sending the ball out of the park for the first of his six sixes. It was sheer carnage, McCullum thumping Shahadat for 38 in two overs and Shakib for a couple more dingers in the fifth over; anyone tuning in at that stage could be forgiven for thinking it was a Twenty20 highlights reel.Cover, point, midwicket, long-off, long-on were all pinged with alarming fluency by McCullum. Either giving himself room or sauntering down the track, he was unstoppable, and his short-arm jabs were packed with power. Ashraful and his bowlers – he turned to spin after four overs – had no answer to such hitting. With a grin on his face, McCullum raised his fifty from just 19 balls, a New Zealand record and the third-fastest ever, before finishing a terribly one-sided affair in six overs. Jamie How, at the other end, scored just 7 in a thumping 95-run stand, such was McCullum’s brilliance. Seldom has a batsman so dominated the initial stages of a one-day match.Exactly a year ago New Zealand clinched a one-wicket thriller against Sri Lanka at this very venue and it was, once again, a great way to end the year.

On-field umpires should be given more powers

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Ian Chappell: “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” © Cricinfo Ltd
 

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.)

Lee believes IPL difficulties will be worked out

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Brett Lee: “The IPL poses a brilliant opportunity for Australian and other world cricketers to play Twenty20” © Getty Images
 

Brett Lee is confident Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association will work out their sponsorship problems with the BCCI so their players can appear in the Indian Premier League if the tour of Pakistan is called off. CA has raised objections about its contract holders endorsing products that clash with the home board’s deals and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has said he will not budge on CA’s demands about global protection of its partners.”We will listen closely to what CA and the ACA are saying,” Lee said in Melbourne. “It’s a matter now of waiting and seeing. They are confident of coming up with a plan which will make everybody happy”.The Pakistan tour is due to start next month but the Australians are waiting on a security visit to determine whether it goes ahead. If not, the players could be free to travel to India for the IPL before the tour of the West Indies in May.”It’s very hard for us because we are so focussed on what’s happening here in Australia, which is good,” Lee said. “We don’t have to focus on what is happening elsewhere, we have people who are doing it for us.”If the opportunity comes up, then great. The IPL poses a brilliant opportunity for Australian and other world cricketers to go out there and play in the Twenty20 format. I am sure it will all work out and people will be happy with the outcome.”

Pakistan confident of India touring

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There could still be no respite in India’s schedule if the BCCI agrees to the Pakistan tour © AFP
 

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sent the BCCI an official proposal for a short three-match ODI series to be played in Pakistan in March. Though the Pakistan board is confident the series will go ahead, a cramped Indian itinerary means the tour is still not a certainty.The series has been under discussion between the two boards following the hesitancy shown by Australia in coming to Pakistan as scheduled in March-April. It was decided recently that Australia’s tour – if it goes ahead – would be considerably shortened. Pakistan are now keen to utilise the free period in the first half of March.”We have spoken to the BCCI about it and the tour is 99% done,” an official told Cricinfo. “If Australia do come, it will not be over the same period as it was before, so we want that period to be used as well. The series will involve three ODIs, and we are aiming for it to start around March 12. For ease, the ODIs will be played in Lahore.”Though the Pakistan board is fairly confident of organising such a high-profile contest in such limited time, the BCCI is still undecided about the series. An official confirmed to Cricinfo that the BCCI had received the proposal. “We have received a proposal from the PCB. The board needs to decide yet. It depends on India’s schedule then. Nothing is confirmed yet.”India’s participation in the ongoing CB series only ends on March 7 at the latest – provided they qualify for the best-of-three finals – and are then scheduled to begin their Test series against South Africa on March 26. The official pointed out that fitting in a three-match series into this gap may be very tough.Pakistan has been desperately trying to fill up considerable gaps in its FTP and the uncertainty over Australia’s tour hasn’t helped. But bilateral talks with boards and discussions in Kuala Lumpur have borne some fruit at least with the estimated addition of nearly 38 ODIs into Pakistan’s commitments over the next two years.As well as plans for a tri-nation series before the Asia Cup in June, New Zealand are also expected to visit Pakistan for a five-match ODI series in September this year, before the ICC Champions Trophy, which Pakistan is hosting. South Africa and Sri Lanka have also agreed to play five-match ODI series in Pakistan in 2009, but concerns over Pakistan’s Test schedule remain.Apart from three Tests against India in November-December this year, Pakistan have no Test commitments until November 2009 when they head to Australia.

Irish venues announced for European Championship

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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.”