All posts by csb10.top

Australia’s decision to travel with a team doctor for the first time in 20 years paid off immediately as a stomach bug floored Michael Clarke in the hours leading up to his century on Saturday. Clarke reportedly woke at 1am on the morning of the match severely ill and only an intense course of medication allowed him to play.Clarke showed few signs of the illness as he compiled 130 at nearly a run a ball at Bangalore, although his good work was partly wasted as rain washed away Australia’s hopes of victory. Without help from the doctor John Orchard, the Australians believed Clarke would not only have missed the Bangalore game but potentially Tuesday’s match at Kochi as well.”I was certainly giving him [Orchard] a high five when Pup got his hundred,” Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, told the . “Pup was up all night with gastro and without a medical professional there is no way he would have played.”The reported Clarke had 12 hours of intense antibiotic and rehydration treatment before his lengthy innings and had eaten just four pieces of plain toast prior to the match. He made it through with the help of constant deliveries of tablets and drinks from the dressing-room and his batting partner for much of the day, Brad Haddin, saw no indication the illness had lingered.”He was in a better state than me at the end, I don’t know what happened but he was going all right out there,” Haddin told the . “I heard he had a rough night [but] he came through well and there’s no signs of it.”

Ice delaying the start of play at Old Trafford and Derbyshire having to move their opening fixture because their ground is underwater – sure signs that the new domestic season is here. As England complete a tough winter in the 45-degree heat of Indore, county players the length and breadth of the country have been shivering their way through pre-season nets. The real action starts today as MCC take on Nottinghamshire in the traditional curtain-raiser at Lord’s.For all the hype that surrounds the never-ending cycle of international cricket there is something special about the anticipation of a new season. Everything is possible, places are up for grabs, names to be made and the thought of those long, warm summer days soaking up the action (but probably not until about August).County cricket always faces a tough fight with the summer now so packed with Tests and one-day internationals. Last year it had to battle for attention against the extraordinary Ashes and while the exploits of Andrew Flintoff and Co. will again, understandably, take centre stage for most of the summer the domestic game has much going for it. In many ways, the team fielded by England on their tour of India showed county cricket in its best light for a number of years.Shaun Udal was the most uplifting story; a player who has consistently tried his hardest for Hampshire year in, year out and suddenly he helped England pull off one of their greatest victories. Owais Shah was another who showed that county cricket can produce Test match batsmen, while if the game was as ‘soft’ as it is sometimes described then Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar would not have been as comfortable on the international stage.With Duncan Fletcher adding his voice to those fearing player burn-out the chances of England’s main players making county appearances once the internationals start is very slim – save a one-day final in the C&G Trophy or Twenty20. But that, in no way, means that there will be a shortage of talented players and exciting matches to enjoy.The main target, for those nine teams in the first Division, will be the Championship title, which currently resides with Nottinghamshire following their superb allround performances from 2005. They have a mature squad, but as the Australians have shown, if results continue to go your way age is only a number. However, they are far from sure of retaining their title and, if anything, don’t actually start the season as favourites.

Some bookmakers have Lancashire, fresh from promotion, as odds-on to claim the title that has proved elusive since 1934. But they start without any overseas players – Brad Hodge will join in early May after his wife gives birth – and are so far settling for just the one, although don’t be surprised to see Andrew Symonds arrive for a late-season stint. Expect a strong charge from Sussex, who have the services of Mushtaq Ahmed and a strong top-order with Chris Adams, Murray Goodwin, Matt Prior and Michael Yardy, while Warwickshire are stronger this season with two established overseas names in Heath Streak and Daniel Vettori.Hampshire will again rest heavily on Shane Warne, so long as his shoulder stands up to even more bowling, but he has the ability to bring the best out in younger players and keep an eye out for Chris Tremlett who will want to remind the selectors he is still around. Kent have never suffered Championship relegation and shouldn’t be pulled down in 2006, even if they struggle to bowl sides out twice, while Middlesex are also likely to be more troubled by the search for wickets than runs. Durham and Yorkshire will have to fight hard to hold onto their hard-earned top division slots with squads that are set to be pushed to the limit.In the second division, Worcestershire and Surrey are best placed to secure the two promotion slots as their squads have reasonable depth and experience. Essex have an exciting bunch of young players balanced with the experience of Andy Bichel and Darren Gough. Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire will need to battle against limited squads and Glamorgan have been dealt a tough blow with the loss of Matthew Elliott and Michael Kasprowicz. Watch out for the Aussie spin-twins, Cameron White and Dan Cullen, who could spring a surprise at Somerset, but it is hard to see beyond another season of struggle for Derbyshire and Leicestershire.As always at this time of the season there is a wealth of possibilities. All teams feel that it will be their season while players are dreaming of runs, wickets, catches and greater honours. It is sometimes hard to see through the mass of Tests and ODIs and realise what is happening at the level below, but if you have a moment take a glance at the county scorecards. There are six fascinating months of cricket ahead and you may just catch a glimpse of the next Cook, Panesar or Udal.

The anti-monopoly watchdog in India, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), has initiated an investigation against the Indian board over its reported threat of a life ban to players joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL).The MRTPC took suo motu cognizance of press reports and directed its investigative arm, the Director-General of Investigation and Registration (DGIR), to look into the threats, if any, made by the board to players joining the ICL. The DGIR was also asked to investigate the sacking of former cricketers holding positions with the board who had joined ICL.”Every individual has a right to choose whether he wishes to associate himself with the BCCI or any other organisation”, a statement issued by the Indian board had said on August 8. “However, if he associates himself with any other organisation, he will not derive any benefit or be connected to any of our activities in any way.””Such players should not have any expectations from us,” Rajiv Shukla, the board vice-president, had said after a meeting in New Delhi of the board’s top officials.The DGIR, it is understood, will also inquire into the board’s refusal to share infrastructure with the ICL. It has been asked to submit its preliminary investigation report within 60 days.If the investigation reveals that the board is adopting restrictive trade practices contrary to the interest of players, the MRTPC may pass a cease and desist order against it.The MRTPC’s directions come days after the Delhi high court asked public sector companies like Air India and Indian Oil Corporation to refrain from sacking its employees who join the ICL. The court had passed the interim order on August 27, after it was brought to its notice that Indian Oil Corporation and Air India had threatened employees – who are also cricketers – with immediate dismissal if they joined the ICL.This is not the first time the DGIR would be investigating the BCCI for restrictive trade practices. In 1994, it was asked by the MRTPC to look into agreements between the BCCI had entered into with the players that restrained them from writing in newspapers, magazines and journals. Players were also not entitled to take part in activity related to TV or broadcasting, and they could not publish columns after the completion of any tour. Moreover, the players were not entitled to wear the logo and any form of advertisements on clothes or equipments. They were not entitled to participate in a game other than cricket, or even to play in matches not ‘recognized’ by the board.That case saw the board being found guilty and fined.

The trial of Mark Vermeulen, who is charged with arson attacks on the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and the Zimbabwe board’s headquarters, was postponed until December 6 after a brief hearing in Harare.Magistrate Omega Mugumbate agreed to a defence application for the adjournment in order to allow Eric Matinenga, Vermeulen’s lawyer, to free up his schedule. Matinenga is a leading advocate who also represented Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirayi, after he was accused of engaging the services of a Canadian political consultancy firm to assassinate President Robert Mugabe and topple his government in a coup.Vermeulen was released on bail but has to report to the police on a daily as well as surrender his passport. He faces two counts of arson and if found guilty he could be convicted to up to 25 years in prison with hard labour.

A soil shortage at the SCG threatened to end the pitch’s reputation as a spinner’s paradise, but the discovery of a new source of dirt will preserve the surface’s distinct characteristics. With the groundsman’s stores of Bulli soil dwindling and development covering over the previous hotspots, Tom Parker, the curator, learned the Wollongong Golf Club was reconfiguring its layout and had found two seams of the treasured product.The SCG Trust was able to remove about 2000 tonnes of the dirt, which will be enough to satisfy the nine pitches at the ground through to the next century. “Bulli soil has been in use at the SCG since day one and we’re talking of more than 150 years,” Parker said in The Australian. “It’s volcanic in nature with 65 percent clay content.”The soil is normally found at the base of the Illawarra escarpment [south of Sydney], but sadly a lot of the area is now built out. The high clay content in the soil makes the pitch set hard and provides true bounce.” It also lights up the eyes of the spinners and Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Bob Holland, Allan Border and Murray Bennett have starred in Sydney Tests. MacGill, who plays for New South Wales, even refers to the ground as “my house”.”This new stockpile of Bulli soil will certainly see me out in the job, good and proper,” Parker, 39, said. “We had originally acquired a very small quantity of Bulli soil from the same club not long after I first started here ten years ago. But that was only one-tenth of the soil we’ve managed to recover this time from the original 7000 tonnes of earth removed from the site.”The pitch for the fifth Ashes Test, which starts on January 2, is expected to be a typical Sydney wicket and the news is not good for the English batsmen who have struggled to play Warne and MacGill. “By the fourth, and certainly on the fifth day, it will break up and take spin,” Parker said. “It will take maximum spin for the likes of both Warne and MacGill to bowl in tandem against the Englishmen.”

Glenn McGrath was installed as Worcestershire’s Player of the Year after a defiant but ultimately unsuccessful bid to snatch promotion with victory over Northamptonshire at New Road.The Australian took eight for 41 – the second best return of his career – to dismiss the Second Division champions for 125 and become the leading bowler in the Championship with 76 wickets.But Worcestershire were unable to clutch the last straw when set to make 262 in 43 overs. They could only hold on for a draw at 119 for six with Ryan Driver unbeaten on 47 when bad light brought about an earlyclose.Openers Paul Pollard and Elliott Wilson to leg-side catches in the first two overs from Darren Cousins and Paul Taylor.The long-serving left-armer, Taylor, went on to take four of the first five wickets, including danger man Vikram Solanki, who played one big shot too many after racing to 30 out of 41.So Northamptonshire head for the top-flight while Worcestershire stay in the lower division – and with no McGrath to boost their chances next year. He will be touring with Australia before returning to the county in 2002.An all-action last day began with Worcestershire needing to add 61 to their overnight 50 for five if they were to head off the threat of the follow-on.This was achieved in quick time by David Leatherdale (46) and Steve Rhodes (42) before a declaration at 124 for seven presented Northants with a lead of 136 but only 80 overs in which to conjure up a result.The possibility of setting a target was taken out of their hands as McGrath bowled Adrian Rollins first ball and captured five for 31 in his first spell. Kevin Innes and Toby Baiiley then added precious runs before their tormentor returned to polish off the last three wickets in 11 balls.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, has resisted from hitting the panic button following his side’s 167-run loss to England at Headingley. Though Pakistan have lost the series 2-0 with one Test to go, Woolmer firmly maintained that he would fight calls for players to be axed.”What we need to do is to keep this team solid and not to panic. We have been outplayed by a better team at home and we need to work on our cricket,” he told reporters. “I don’t want to throw individuals out of my team, I want to make sure they get better. We just need to go back to the drawing board and make sure we get things right. We don’t need to make wholesale changes. I shall resist that. It’s important we remember this team has done well for almost two years.””Some teams might have rolled over but we fought through all of this Test match. We fought back when England scored 500, got a lead and then bowled them out. We conceded the game in the morning, unfortunately. We had a realistic chance of winning but we threw our chance away in the first hour,” Woolmer added.Woolmer gave England their due while lamenting the spilled chances. “England played very well. They played better than us throughout the series, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “We made too many mistakes. We never quite got it together as a team. There were good individual performances but when we dropped catches and gave England a lifeline it cost us the series. England’s record at home has been outstanding for the last four years and you have to be at the top of your game to beat them. We weren’t.”The other area of concern was the fitness of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Both fast bowlers have been sidelined with injury and did not take part in this series, but Woolmer said he would not rush either of them. “Shoaib hasn’t bowled for about six months [and] Asif hasn’t bowled for a month,” he said. “We’ll have a look at Shoaib [in Pakistan’s next tour game] but to rush him back after six months of not bowling, I think any bowler would shudder at the thought if they were not fit. It’s going to be up to him to prove that he is fit. If he isn’t, he won’t play. Our three seamers bowled very well on Monday and to bring in players who have not played for a long time would be wrong on those people.”The final Test begins on August 17 at The Oval.

CloseScorecardUnlike the men on tour of the subcontinent, England’s women have only one dart at Test glory. Unfortunately they got it badly wrong on the second day of the only Test after a hostile bowling display by India and they closed on 103 for 7, still 37 short of the follow-on.Jhulan Goswami started the rot at Delhi, ripping through their top order to swing the match in India’s favour, bowling a good line and finding some bounce. She forced both Laura Newton and Charlotte Edwards to play on then found Claire Taylor’s edge, and all in a blink. At 25 for 3, England were in trouble and Rumeli Dhar soon made matters worse, trapping Jenny Gunn for 5 and bowling Lydia Greenway for 6 (49 for 5).In dire straits, England dropped anchor, but Laura Harper fell for 10 after giving Shravanthi Naidu the charge. To seal a gloomy batting display for England while applying the icing to her cake, Goswami prised out Arran Brindle for 37 just before the close. This is a key wicket for India, Brindle having shown her stickability to save the first Ashes Test with a fine hundred at Hove this summer.England’s plans had hatched perfectly in the morning, with Harper taking her first five-wicket haul to give the visitors a bright start to their day as they made good their aim to remove India for below 300 on a turning pitch. Harper bowled all morning from one end until India were shot out. India’s tail was not for the wagging, rather it was sagging, with Harper bagging four of the last five wickets which fell for 45.Then it was England’s turn to fold. But India thoroughly deserve to be in pole position following an assured display of bowling on a blameless pitch which is showing signs of turning, but which contains few demons.Richard Bates, England’s coach, pulled no punches in assessing the batting performance. “We can only point our fingers at ourselves,” he told Cricinfo at the close of play. “We had planned to get stuck in to their bowling.Tomorrow we will need to show a bit of character. If we can save the follow-on and bowl well we will have a sniff.” On today’s evidence that’s a big if.

A one-day tournament so soon after the ICC Champions Trophy probably won’t excite many, but all three teams will have a point to prove when the Paktel Cup starts in Multan tomorrow, when Pakistan take on Zimbabwe. The peculiar tournament schedule means that the third team in the fray, Sri Lanka, don’t play a game until next Wednesday (October 6), but then will probably end up playing five matches in a row over 11 days.Going into the competition, Pakistan are probably the favourites. Since Bob Woolmer took over, there has been a noticeable change in attitude, and it has shown in the results as well – they reached the finals of the tri-nation tournament in Holland, eventually losing narrowly to Australia, and then beat India in the Champions Trophy. They’re still a work-in-progress side – the spineless collapse against West Indies in the Champions Trophy semi-final was a throwback to their old, erratic ways – but there have been enough positives of late to suggest that this might be a side which could realise its potential.There’s much at stake for Pakistan here. As the home team, there will be immense pressure on Inzamam-ul-Haq and the rest of the team, and any result other than a win in the final will be taken as a failure. Especially after the fiasco at the toss at the Rose Bowl against West Indies, a decision which still hasn’t been explained satisfactorily by the captain or the coach.Pakistan’s only realistic threat in the tournament comes from Sri Lanka, who have won 16 of their last 18 one-day internationals. That is a slightly misleading stat, though – five of those wins came against a second-string Zimbabwe – but their annihilation of South Africa in the five-match series was impressive, all the more so because Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t figure in any of those games.Murali will no doubt be missed – by both the Sri Lankan team and the spectators – but if the series against South Africa was anything to go by, the team is gradually learning to win without him. This series should be a good opportunity to give an extended run to Dilhara Fernando, who has finally regained full fitness after a string of back injuries. And in conditions that should be excellent for batting, expect the likes of Jayasuriya, Atapattu, Sangakkara and Jayawardene to come into their own.What of the Zimbabweans? No-one expects them to pull off a win, or even come close. Tatenda Taibu and his band have been game tryers, but it’s hard to see them being anything other than target practice for the big boys. Zimbabwe do get four games, though, in which to show the world that they can compete at the highest level. The tournament hasn’t yet begun, but come October 16 it’s easy to imagine Inzamam and Atapattu walking out for the toss in the final. Anything else will require a major miracle … or two.Squads
PakistanYasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Bazid Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan (wk), Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Iftikhar Anjum.Sri Lanka Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Saman Jayantha, Avishka Gunawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Thilina Kandamby, Rangana Herath, Kaushal Lokuarachchi.Zimbabwe Brendan Taylor, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Mark Vermeulen, Dion Ebrahim, Tatenda Taibu (capt & wk), Elton Chigumbura, Douglas Hondo, Alester Maregwede, Tawanda Mupariwa, Mluleki Nkala, Tinashe Panyangara, Edward Rainsford, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer.

ScorecardGlenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill shared eight wickets to end Victoria’s ambitions for a berth in the final. The 114-run defeat inflicted on them by New South Wales meant they failed to secure the two points for a place in the ING Cup decider. Tasmania, only a point ahead, will now take on Queensland in the final on Sunday.McGrath dismissed the first four batsmen to leave Victoria reeling at 4 for 61. MacGill then claimed one before coming in for severe punishment, particularly at the hands of Cameron White, whose 61 contained four sixes. But MacGill struck back, removing White and Shane Warne within an over to effectively halt Victoria’s tournament. The match ended with Victoria all out for 152.A blazing 96 by Brad Haddin took New South Wales to 4 for 266. NSW’s innings began with a 106-run stand between Simon Katich and Michael Clarke. Katich’s 78 took 100 balls, but Clarke, who scored 35, had a strike-rate of less than 50. Clarke’s dismissal brought Haddin to the crease, and the runs began to flow immediately. Haddin’s innings contained three sixes, five fours and gave the innings an impetus it did not lose even when Katich and Matthew Phelps fell within four balls of each other.