All posts by csb10.top

It was a remarkable finale to the season, the title race going down to the last ball of the last match. The day ebbed and flowed but in the end Lancashire fell agonisingly, tantalisingly short of ending 73 years of waiting for a Championship. The title was Sussex’s, but it was a damned close-run thing.Lancashire’s quest ended in heroic failure after a nail-biting season finale at The Oval. Having been set a county record 489 to win against Surrey, Lancashire fell 24 runs short as their last remaining hope, Dominic Cork, was bowled by Murtaza Hussain for 47 with the shadows lengthening and four-and-a-bit overs remaining.On what the groundsman Bill Gordon told Cricinfo was “still a decent track”, Lancashire lost two early wickets before VVS Laxman and Stuart Law set them on their way. At lunch they were 178 for 2, up with the asking rate of five an over, and they continued that pace in the afternoon, despite losing Laxman for a superb hundred. The match turned in the penultimate over of the afternoon session when Jade Dernbach removed Law and Steve Croft.Lancashire’s tail refused to buckle. Glenn Chapple made 29 and Sajid Mahmood 26, but Surrey continued to chip away to keep Sussex and Lancashire supporters on tenterhooks. When Oliver Newby was dismissed by Jade Dernbach for 4, Lancashire were still 37 runs adrift with only the No. 11 Gary Keedy to come, and valiantly though they tried, the requirement was just too much.The Championship trophy and cheque for £100,000 had been waiting at Hove but ECB officials were poised to rush back to London. In the end Cork sized up a sweep shot, Murtaza defeated his flailing bat, and the dream was over. At the end of it all, Lancashire’s captain Mark Chilton was in tears. “I am proud of what our guys have done today,” he said. “They’ve been fabulous. I thought to even get close was a phenomenal effort …the lads are just broken.”Meanwhile Sussex’s victorious captain, Chris Adams, had been looking on nervously in the Hove dressing-room. “It’s been the most excruciating afternoon,” he said. “We were panicking like hell in there.”Sussex had earlier completed their side of the bargain by wrapping up a comfortable win over an already relegated Worcestershire at Hove. The visitors resumed on 190 for 5, still 129 short of making Sussex bat again, and showed some fight to frustrate the home support and to extend the game to the brink of lunch.

Almost inevitably it was Mushtaq Ahmed that broke a fifth-wicket stand of 117 when he bowled Moeen Ali for 85, but still Worcestershire refused to lie down. Gareth Batty and Kabir Ali put on 43 for the sixth wicket before Robin Martin-Jenkins bowled Kabir and then Mushtaq completed his second five-for of the match when Batty was well stumped by Andy Hodd. Adams took a good, low slip catch, again off Mushtaq, to remove Richard Jones and the victory was sealed when Mushtaq, who finished with 7 for 132 and match figures of 13 for 225, had Nadeem Malik caught of a bat-pad at silly point.With the Lancashire result still to come, Adams, the captain, spoke to a large crowd on the PA to thank them for their support. “It’s strange,” he said. “People have turned out in huge numbers, we’ve said thanks to and we can do no more … we just have to sit and wait.” it proved to be a long wait as well.Adams praised the contribution of Mushtaq who he admitted he had “bowled into the ground … not that he’ll mind.” He continued: “It’s not only his ability, it’s his commitment, his desire to keep bowling overs. He just turns up and keeps churning out the overs and waning to take wickets. He’s a fabulous character and he inspires so many of the other players. It’ll be a sad day when he goes.”Sussex’s players all hugged each when the last wicket fell other but the celebrations were muted as the title was still not confirmed as theirs. The win took them above Durham but they could still have been caught if Lancashire had pulled off their remarkable rearguard.After a washout yesterday the match between Hampshire and Yorkshire at Headingley was abandoned.

Final Championship Table

The man who endorsed Bennett King as coach of the West Indies team four years ago has regrets today.Dr Rudi Webster, who suggested to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that King would be a good choice after observing him at the Shell Cricket Academy in 2000, also feels that King should be given his walking papers if his record doesn’t improve.”I’m seeing a side of him now that I didn’t recognise,” Webster said. “His motivation when he was at the academy was very different from what it is now. I think he saw the academy as a stepping stone to a higher level, so he was really excellent.”Webster was speaking during a conference for senior Caribbean sports journalists at which he said King sent his application and his CV to him before it was forwarded to the WICB.”I’m sorry to say that I’m the person who recommended him to the WICB,” Webster said, also expressing his displeasure over certain comments made by King. “Having achieved his goal, and having been given the enormous power he has, and being an academic coach who describes people like some of our great players, and some of the great Australian players as dinosaurs.”Dinosaurs. I think that is the greatest insult from someone who has not had any achievement in international cricket, just two or three titles with Queensland. We have a fellow in Barbados, Hendy Springer, who has six or seven wins.”I think it is dreadful that someone like that could say such things about these great players and his great cricketers from Australia when he himself has achieved nothing in international cricket.”

Indian board president Sharad Pawar has said that plans for an international Twenty20 tournament would be unveiled within the next “10 to 15 days” as the BCCI stepped up its response to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).”We don’t see any threat from the ICL,” Pawar told AFP. “The BCCI has been working for the past two years [on a tournament] that will involve current players, newcomers, retired players and foreign players. We will be announcing our plans in the next 10-15 days.”It had been reported that the BCCI was on the verge of forming a two-tier cricket league – the Professional Cricket Leagues – that would involve domestic leagues in four countries and an international league. It was believed to be along the lines of professional football, with clubs being able to hire players from wherever they like to play in a Twenty20 format. Cricket Australia (CA) was believed to be involved in the process and the International Management Group (IMG), the event manager, was putting it all together.Echoing warnings from other administrators, Pawar said Indian players who joined the ICL risked being excluded from official cricket. “The ICL is a purely commercial proposition. It doesn’t do what the BCCI does for cricket at all levels in India. The players associated with the BCCI have to choose in which direction they want to go.”The ICL, bankrolled by Subhash Chandra, who owns Indian media company Zee Telefilms, planned to hold Twenty20 tournaments between six teams for the next three years. ICL officials said they had signed up several international stars and 44 Indian first-class cricketers, adding that more top players from around the world were expected to join.Former Test captains Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul Haq lead the ICL roster that also included Pakistan players Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat, and South Africans Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje. South African allrounder Andrew Hall and former Australian batsman Damien Martyn have also been linked to the ICL.

India are set to play a two-day practice game against a Kwazulu Natal Invitation XI ahead of the second Test against South Africa on Durban, starting on December 26. The match will be held at Northwood Crusaders Cricket Club, starting on December 22.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, had talked about the considerable gap between the first and second Tests and how important it was for the players to keep themselves match-fit. “A lot of our guys have been sitting on bench and they could easily lose form, so it’s important to keep them in loop,” Vengsarkar had said. He’d stressed that such a game would benefit a player like Munaf Patel, the fast bowler who’d missed the first Test owing to a sore ankle.KZN Invitation XI Rivash Gobind (captain), Imraan Khan, Ross McMillan, Martin Bekker, Cedric Mabuya, Michael van Vuuren, Darren Smit, Robert Frylinck, T Pillay, Saidi Mhlongo, Ugasen Govender, M. Serame, Coach: Y. Ebrahim

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, has been summoned by the tribunal investigating doping charges against Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Darryn Lifsun, the team physiotherapist, and Murray Stevenson, the trainer, have also been summoned.Shahid Hamid, a renowned barrister who is chairing the three-man tribunal which includes Intikhab Alam and medical expert Dr Waqar Ahmed, told Cricinfo that the three are most likely to appear on Wednesday.”They are part of the team management and we would like to know their thoughts on this very important matter. They work with the players closely so speaking to them is important. Without hearing their views, it would be tough to reach a conclusion.”The idea for holding internal dope tests was Woolmer’s, and the tests were held soon after the team returned from the tour to England.Shoaib and Asif, who were pulled out of Pakistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy on the eve of their opening game, were cross-examined by medical experts on Saturday. Both bowlers have said they will not challenge the results of their positive tests for nandrolone carried out in a WADA (World Anti-doping Agency) laboratory in Malaysia, and declined to have their B samples examined.It emerged, in the immediate aftermath of the scandal, that the PCB had suspected Shoaib of substance abuse. Shaharyar Khan, the ex-chairman, told an Indian TV channel that he had suspected this was the case for several months. Additionally, rumours had circulated among journalists of this very problem.But Hamid was adamant that media reports and such speculation would have no influence on the inquiry. “We will rely entirely on the basis of the evidence presented before us and nothing else. Newspaper or TV reports, rumours and speculation will play no part in this.”Though reluctant to put a precise date on when a verdict is likely, Hamid revealed that it would be soon after Woolmer and his team appeared. “I cannot give an exact date but I imagine it would be very shortly after they have appeared.” That raises the possibility of a verdict by the end of next week.Both bowlers face, potentially, a two-year ban, the minimum for a first offence under ICC doping rules. However, the PCB said it will make its own decision on any punishment since the tests were conducted internally.

Skipper Hrishekesh Kanitkar’s fine batting display placed Maharashtrain a commanding position on the first day of the West Zone Ranji Matchagainst Gujarat at the Shivaji Stadium, Karad.Gujarat won the toss and invited Maharashtra to bat. The Maharashtrabatsmen made merry of the conditions with big partnerships in the daypiling a healthy 318 for five in 90 overs. Opener Bhave (71) andKanitkar (94) shared a 121 run partnership for the second wicket.Kanitkar and Abhijit Kale (35) added 82 for the third and the fourthwicket saw Kale and K Aphale (53 not out) add 60 in their turn at thewicket. Kanitkar caressed the ball to the fence on 14 occasions of 170deliveries and Bhave smashed the ball 13 times in his 131 ballinnings. Hitesh Majumdar bagged three of the five wickets to fall onthe first day.At the end of play K Aphale and Mandar Sane (5) were at the wicket.

Cricket Australia has cancelled 1300 Ashes tickets after an investigation into internet auction sales.James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, told reporters in Melbourne that people risked being turned away from match venues if they turned up with tickets bought off the web. “Where people purchase tickets from a scalper at a premium, they’re in breach of the terms and conditions,” he said. “We will, where appropriate, cancel those tickets.”Sutherland also took a swipe at online auction company eBay. “I’m disappointed. We had a number of discussions before tickets went on sale with eBay, unfortunately they have come to nothing. The position that we’ve taken all along with them is that they shouldn’t be assisting people to sell tickets in breach of our terms and conditions. What we’re trying to do is protect the Australian public here.”But an eBay spokesman told The Age that CA was also to blame. “Cricket Australia dumped hundreds of thousands of tickets in one day using computer and telephone systems that couldn’t keep up with demand,” he said, adding that eBay had requested details of the cancelled tickets so it could offer any affected customers compensation. He pointed out that CA had not done this.Sutherland went on to say that more tickets would in all likelihood be cancelled as the series neared. “We’ve still got an investigation agency out there that’s doing various checks and I would imagine that over the next few months that there will be more that are uncovered.”Demand for tickets has been unprecedented and the board was slammed for the way it handled sales on the first day they went on general release.The tickets were only made available to Australian residents but thousands of English supporters used contacts in Australia to bypass the system.

How important was it personally to follow up the 148 against Pakistan with an innings of real substanceIt was very important. The 183 not out [Jaipur] was very satisfying because the conditions were so different. Against Pakistan, we had batted first, but in this case, we were chasing a very big total.Did it give you extra satisfaction that three of your innings against Sri Lanka involved being there at the end of a run-chase, a familiar Achilles Heel of Indian sides in the past?I’m just happy that I fulfilled the responsibility that was given to me by the team management. It doesn’t matter whether it was batting first or chasing, I did what I was asked to do.How have you adjusted to being shunted up and down the order?It’s been a new thing for me. I’ve batted at a lot of different slots in the past few games, as high as No.3 and as low as No.8. But I’m getting used to it now.How have innings like the 148 and 183* affected your life, and added to the pressure?There’s always pressure to do well when you play for your country, but when I get to the middle, it all disappears. I never think of such things while batting.Which bowler have you found the hardest to face since making your debut?I think all international bowlers can test you. But Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Bond were certainly testing.How hard do you work on fitness, given the double-role that you have to play?We work very hard. It also depends on the preparation you do in off-season, and also the in-season training that we do with Greg King.Do you feel your wicketkeeping has improved, and do you think you might get a chance in the Test team now? I’ve worked very hard on improving my keeping, but that’s a question you should ask the selectors. When I’ve been given a chance in ODIs, I have done well. Hopefully, I can do well if given a chance in Tests too.Are there any areas of wicketkeeping that you have worked on specifically? Mainly just footwork. I’ve been concentrating on that.Is it difficult keeping to the likes of Harbhajan on Indian pitches? Of course. Both Anil bhai [Kumble] and Harbhajan are a real challenge. But personally, I find keeping to Veeru [Sehwag] even more difficult. Don’t ask me why! (smiles).How do you account for the dramatic turnaround in India’s fortunes since Zimbabwe?That’s a question that Greg Chappell, as coach, is best equipped to answer (laughs).

Murali Kartik, the Indian left-arm spinner, will join Lancashire for the remainder of the county season. Karthik has been signed as cover for Gary Keedy, who is suffering from a hand injury, and made his debut in the current championship game with Essex.The club also had an overseas player vacancy after Marcus North left to prepare for the Australia A tour to Pakistan. “Kartik will give us more depth for the remaining games of the season,” said Mike Watkinson, the team manager. “We are glad that a player of his quality has joined us at such short notice.”Kartik, who has picked up 24 wickets in eight Tests at 34 apiece, is familiar with Lancashire, having played league cricket for Ramsbottom before India’s recent one-day series in Zimbabwe.Playing for Ramsbottom last month, he helped his team win the Worsley Cup, taking three wickets and scoring 37 in the final against Todmorden.

The night before the third one-day international at Auckland, I told a colleague of mine in the UK that the expected slow wicket at Eden Park gave New Zealand a decent winning chance. “Why don’t you make all your pitches like that?” he asked. Despite New Zealand’s loss today, it’s a fair question.Rewind to the World Cup in the summer of 1992 when the names Greatbatch, Harris, Larsen and Crowe dominated match scorecards and became Kiwi legends. New Zealand racked up six successive wins in the pool stage, starting with the scalp of the defending champions Australia.Standing out like a lighthouse at Cape Horn was the offspinner Dipak Patel, New Zealand’s most unlikely and unexpected opening bowler. While his new-ball partners changed in virtually every game, New Zealand’s success was in no small way due to Patel’s ability to restrict runs in the first 15 overs. On slow tracks, the secret was not so much in deviation but in a lack of pace and clever field placements. It is unthinkable now that New Zealand’s new-ball duo in one match, against England, was Patel and the slow-medium bowler Chris Harris.If Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval was a fortress for the Caribbean quicks of the 1970s and 80s, Eden Park became the impenetrable battlefield of the lack-of-pace New Zealand attack in the World Cup. Batsmen of the calibre of Desmond Haynes, Imran Khan and Brian Lara found the wicket devilishly hard to score on and, in the 13 years since, little has changed. Australia’s 264 today was only the sixth time a total of over 260 had been achieved at Eden Park.Although New Zealand went into today’s match with just three frontline medium-fast bowlers, the question could be asked whether even that was too many. While Glenn McGrath was resting in the grandstand on his day off, Daryl Tuffey probably wished he had the same luxury after his new-ball effort went horribly wrong. Each of his first six deliveries were either no balls or wides en route to a 14-ball over first up and it came as no surprise that he was not seen at the crease again after conceding 25 runs from his opening two overs. At the other end Kyle Mills was removed after just four overs.In recent times New Zealand has struggled to take wickets or restrict runs inside the first 15 overs against Australia. Even back in the glory days of the 2002 VB Series when New Zealand won three from four, twice Australia got off to flyers – 95 for 2 in Melbourne and 70 for 2 in Sydney – before collapsing. Ditto the Chappell-Hadlee matches before Christmas – 95 for 1 and 101 for 1 – and the current series – 74 for 1, 96 for 1 and 81 for 1. Even the taming of Adam Gilchrist has not stopped the rot.The first 15 overs with the ball has become a battle for survival for New Zealand. Tuffey and Mills have been unable to find the swing which they are selected for and simply don’t have the pace to trouble Australia’s top order. Tuffey struggled with even the most basic of disciplines today, bowling straight.Perhaps then it is time to revert to the model devised by Martin Crowe and Warren Lees in ’92. And why aren’t all New Zealand’s pitches in this series Eden Park replicas? What would Stephen Fleming and John Bracewell do for the RPOs of 3.10, 3.44, and 3.81 achieved by Patel, Gavin Larsen and Willie Watson respectively? New Zealand showed today that they were no worse off using the lesser pace of Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan in the final ten overs.As a departing thought, is it best to bowl Daniel Vettori out with 15 overs remaining as happened today? Sure he’s turned in outstanding economical spells in this series but is that the best use of Fleming’s primary weapon? Crowe thought so in his column in the Sunday News last week when he compared Vettori to Larsen. However, with New Zealand’s death-bowlers so ineffective of late, there must be a decent case for Vettori being held back as Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh did so successfully with Shane Warne.Andrew McLean is a presenter of The Cricket Club, New Zealand’s only national radio cricket show.