All posts by csb10.top

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have both been named in Pakistan’s 30-man preliminary squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship, which takes place in South Africa in September.Shoaib and Asif last week escaped sanction from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after failing drugs tests in 2006. Both men missed the recent World Cup in the Caribbean through injury, and without them to spearhead the campaign, Pakistan slumped to a humiliating first-round exit at the hands of the Associate nation, Ireland.The squad – which will be captained by Inzamam-ul-Haq’s successor, Shoaib Malik – will be trimmed to 15 names in August.Squad Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Yasir Hameed, Fawad Alam, Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Imran Farhat, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Naveed Latif, Faisal Iqbal, Shahid Yousuf, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanveer, Zulqarnain Haider, Mohammad Irshad, Najaf Shah, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rehman.

He may not enjoy the iconic status that an Andrew Flintoff does, but noone in these parts doubts the qualities that Jacques Kallis brings to thisSouth African side. His 119 spanned 160 balls, and was the slowest evermade by a South African in ODIs, but it was 28 more than India’s battingline-up made on a pitch that was nowhere near as menacing as Kingsmead canbe at times.Kallis assessed the conditions beautifully, playing some magnificentdrives early in his innings before settling down to shepherd the middleand lower order right to the end. “It was one of those wickets where therewas a lot of bounce,” he said, soon after picking up the Man-of-the-matchaward. “It wasn’t a free-scoring wicket. It just needed someone to batthrough the innings, and for others to bat around him. There was a periodin the middle when we could have picked it up a little bit more but myexperience told me to just hang in there. I realised that 250 was a verygood score.”India had done well to reduce South Africa to 63 for 3, but Kallis and ABde Villiers regained the initiative with a steady 87-run partnership thatlaid the platform for a solid total. “They all bowled well on a wicketthat was more bowler-friendly than some we’ve played on,” said Kallis. “Asa unit, they bowled pretty well. But maybe they were one bowler short.They made it difficult for us to score, especially in the middle period.”Graeme Smith, who departed early, leg before to Zaheer Khan, was delightedwith the result, saying that he was fairly confident once the runs hadbeen put on the board. “We knew the wicket would bounce. We were happywith 250. At times, we were a bit rusty and on another day, we could havegot 270. Jacques played superbly, and there were some good knocks aroundhim.”India’s response saw them collapse from a relatively healthy 62 for 2 to91 all out, with the exits of Dravid and Tendulkar heralding a depressingcollapse. “They didn’t start that badly,” said Smith. “We had them twodown early on, but they were pretty solid up to a point. I thought AndreNel’s spell was superb. He hit really great areas at pace and bowled witha lot of aggression. We knew that if we could get them three or four down,we could get stuck into the middle order.”The middle order subsided in embarrassing fashion, and Smith admitted thatinexperience may have played a part. “They’ve got experience at the top ofthe order with Tendulkar and Dravid,” he said. “Kaif has been around for along time. Maybe in the middle order, they’re a little bit inexperienced.This is Dhoni’s first tour out of the subcontinent, apart from theCaribbean. For him, it’s going to be a big challenge in these conditions.We just bowled really well tonight, and our energy in the field wasgreat.”He was adamant though that South Africa wouldn’t be looking at India as atwo-batsman team, even though the onus is clearly on Tendulkar and Dravidto deliver big runs. “In any team, you have a couple of guys who’ve beenaround a long time and have records behind them,” he said. “The young guyshave to take the responsibility and perform. We concentrate against everybatter. Obviously, the guys with records behind them are going to be morecrucial wickets.”Though Makhaya Ntini went wicketless and Charl Langeveldt went for a few,Smith was delighted with the collective effort in the field. When askedhow this fast-bowling quintet shaped up against their predecessors, hesaid: “I wouldn’t like to compare them to the past. I think this is a newera and these guys are setting their own standards. We’re proud of thepast, but this team wants to have its own style and create our ownrecords.”South Africa experienced a similar low recently, when they were thrashedby New Zealand on a pitch of questionable quality during the ChampionsTrophy, and Smith, who chuckled when asked what advice he would give theIndians, said that he had been delighted at the manner in which theybounced back from that. “For us, it was about stepping up our work-rate attraining and asking the guys to raise their levels,” he said. “I know whatwe’re capable of. The guys have proven that to me and everyone else inone-day cricket over the last two years. I don’t know how Rahul will workwith the Indian team. I don’t know their dynamics.”With both teams still feeling their way into a pivotal season thatclimaxes with the World Cup, Smith was clearly jubilant about the firststeps taken on home turf. “I think we were very good as a unit,” he said.”The batting was rusty in some areas. Game time is needed. We feel likewe’ve gone from net to net to net. We need time in the middle. As a team,we’re working well together and we’re happy. We’ve moved away from thefear of failure.”It’s a fear that will be uppermost in many Indian minds after a lamentabledefeat.

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes, as both England and Sri Lanka have been discovering on the eve of the first Test at Lord’s. While Sri Lanka’s preparations have been undermined first by some untimely criticism from the chairman of selectors, Ashantha de Mel, and latterly by the impending return of their veteran opener, Sanath Jayasuriya, England have a more intangible problem. They just can’t lay the Ashes to rest.Admittedly, it is the nicer problem to have. England’s first home Test after the summer before is set to take place almost eight months to the day after the Ashes triumph at The Oval last year, and for England’s stand-in captain, Andrew Flintoff, enough is enough. “There’s still an excitement about cricket and people are still talking about last year,” he told reporters on the eve of the game, “but at some point we’ve got to move on, and that’s going to be tomorrow morning.”Lord’s in the spring sunshine is a living, breathing metaphor for rebirth and renewal, with the smell of cut grass and the verdant greenery leaving you in no doubt that summer is round the corner. And when England take the field tomorrow, with a team comprising at least four men who’ve never played in a home Test before, they’ll have no option but to accept that the future is, in fact, the present.One of those new faces seems certain to be Sajid Mahmood, the Lancastrian paceman who endured a tough baptism in a one-day defeat against New Zealand two years ago, before re-emerging with mixed success against India this winter. “I’m sure he’ll have a few nerves jangling about,” said Flintoff, “but he’s a laid-back lad and he’ll get on with it. He’s quick, tall and gets bounce as well, so there’s definitely a good future for him.”England have delayed naming their team until they’ve taken one last look at a pitch that Flintoff imagined would be a good, flat batting deck, but with Alastair Cook already guaranteed his place at No. 3 ahead of Ian Bell, the final name seems a straight choice between the spinner Monty Panesar, and the extra seamer, Jon Lewis, who destroyed the Sri Lankans with nine wickets for England A at Worcester last week.

For all that England start as overwhelming favourites, to go into the match without a recognised spinner would be a huge gamble. As Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, pointed out, visiting sides have a tendency to raise their game whenever they visit Lord’s. In three separate visits since 1984, five Sri Lankan batsmen have added their names to the dressing-room honours board, including Jayawardene himself, who led a Sri Lankan run-fest in 2002 with 107 out of a towering total of 555 for 8.Only three of England’s players were around to witness that performance, but seeing as they were the key triumvirate of Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Matthew Hoggard, it’s a safe bet that their team-mates will be guarded against complacency. Hoggard endured a particularly torrid time, disappearing for 160 runs in 39 overs. Four years later, however, he stands on the brink of becoming the ninth England cricketer to take 200 Test wickets.”It would be fantastic to join an elite group of Englishmen,” said Hoggard, whose own Test debut also came at Lord’s, a gripping two-wicket victory over West Indies in 2000. The identity of his new-ball partner has yet to be confirmed – but it won’t be Steve Harmison, whose return to competitive action for Durham against Middlesex has been postponed because his wife has gone into labour.”I don’t think you’ll find a like-for-like replacement for Steve Harmison,” added Flintoff, as if to underline both England’s loss in this match, as well as the burden on his and Hoggard’s shoulders. Between them they have taken 97% (364 out of 372) of the wickets shared by England’s anticipated attack.As ever, Flintoff was his cheery phlegmatic self as he fronted up for the cameras. “I don’t think you can put the England captaincy and burden in the same sentence,” he reiterated when asked about the workload that has been forced upon him in the absence of Michael Vaughan.And besides, he still seemed a little starstruck after performing a duet with Elton John at his benefit dinner in Battersea the night before. “It was fantastic, something special for everyone there – though not me singing!” he said of his duet to the strains of Rocket Man. “But now I’m getting back to what I know best, playing cricket.”If only it were so simple for Sri Lanka, however. A desperately destabilising week shows no sign of abating, and the arrival of Jayasuriya midway through the match will only complicate matters further. However, their coach Tom Moody denied that the off-field issues had been a distraction. “We’re at Lord’s, we’ve had a couple of very good days of preparation, and we’re blessed with good weather,” he shrugged. “We’ll just concentrate on our game, and if we perform consistently, we’re sure we’ll be where we want to be after the fifth day.”Any side with Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas in their bowling attack cannot afford to be taken lightly, however, and for Murali, who has 611 wickets to his name but none as yet at Lord’s, the urge for a command performance in what is likely to be his first and last Test at the ground will be overwhelming.”I’m not the best one to ask!” joked Flintoff when asked what tips he had passed on to England’s youngsters. “Murali’s tricky, but he’s a great bloke as well. I’ll pass on advice, but when you face him, you’ve got to figure it out for yourself. Against someone as good as him, you just have to think on your feet.”England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Alastair Cook, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff (capt), 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Sajid Mahmood, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Monty Panesar.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Michael Vandort, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Farvez Maharoof, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Nuwan Zoysa, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.

The ICC needs to adapt to the demands of the present, its next chief executive has said. In an exclusive interview with Cricinfo, and later at a press conference in Cape Town, Haroon Lorgat, the South African set to take over from incumbent Malcolm Speed later this year, emphasised the challenges in different directions.Lorgat also stressed the image of cricket, which has taken a beating in recent years, needed to be looked after. “There have been certain incidents over the past few years that have impacted on the image of cricket,” he said. “Being such a global sport it is a challenge that is always going to be there, to protect the image and manage the potential conflicts that one might see coming.”There’s some work to done to ensure we better manage those sort of situations.”A few recent episodes, such as the Oval Test fiasco in 2006 and the subsequent handling of umpire Darrell Hair, as well as the shoddy organisation of the World Cup, had led to intense criticism of the ICC and Speed. Lorgat, though, said he would adopt a less confrontational when dealing with the member nations.”Whatever I say is not to be construed as a criticism of my predecessor but by nature I’m someone who has come through a team ethos,” Lorgat said. “I would prefer to make sure that as member countries we work together and that we come out with a common solution.”Lorgat was also unfazed by talk of India dominating affairs behind the scenes at the ICC, given their financial influence on the game. “I too have read various articles in the media about India’s influence on the ICC. But I have also read the views of various members, and they have not experienced anything of this sort,” he said. “So this could be a perception more than a reality. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all members to present a united front and assist the ICC in moving towards a common vision.”My understanding is that all member boards get along very well with each other. So once again, this could be a matter of perception more than reality,” he said. “I know the Board of Control for Cricket in India is very mindful of protecting and supporting the International Cricket Council in delivering the game across the globe. Working with India we can grow the game of cricket.”

Chris Gayle, the West Indies opening batsman, will miss the third and final Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, starting on Friday, to recover from heart surgery. Gayle underwent successful corrective medical surgery in Melbourne on Wednesday and was “awake and alert” according to a media release issued by the West Indies board.He will remain under observation overnight and is to be discharged on Thursday. “We are all happy to learn that his procedure was successful,” said Anthony Howard, the West Indies team manager. “The team was confident that Chris would have had a successful procedure and wished him well.”Gayle was forced to retire hurt while batting in the second Test after he felt an irregular heartbeat. He took the decision to undergo surgery after consulting with doctors, and will fly back to the Caribbean after a couple days in Melbourne. Apart from a short period of rest there are no other impediments to Gayle returning to play in the near future.The West Indies squad will now consist of 13 members and there has been no replacement sought for Gayle.West Indies squad
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt) Devon Smith, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Tino Best, Darren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Jermaine Lawson, Corey Collymore.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has assured its English counterparts (ECB) that security for the tour later this month will be “air tight”.Although the ECB carried out its own checks in June, recent bombings have again raised concerns over player and spectator safety.”The security will be air tight,” said Abbas Zaidi, the PCB’s director of operations, after meeting government officials. “We do not foresee any problems with the security arrangements for the England and their followers.”The issue of visas for visitors from the United Kingdom for the series was also discussed in detail. The government officials have been co-operative in the past and they are again extending all co-operation.”Karachi, a venue which has been under the spotlight of late in a city with a record of terrorist attacks, is understood to have been the focal point of the discussions.England leave for their three-Test, five-ODI tour on October 26.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball
How they were out

England wrapped up the second Test and series early on the third day, Matthew Hoggard taking the last two wickets to end with 5 for 73. It was another convincing win by a buoyant England side – their tenth in a row at home – who showed no mercy in either match. Bangladesh, who lost by an innings and 27 runs, have been totally outplayed, but they will take some consolation from their second innings effort in this match, with the 19-year-old Aftab Ahmed unbeaten on 82.After Michael Vaughan’s lunch-time declaration on the second day few expected that, come Sunday, England and Bangladesh would still be engaged in a contest. But Ahmed’s innings brought both teams back to Chester-le-Street, where he posted the highest score by a Bangladesh batsman against England, with Javed Omar’s 71 and Habibul Bashar’s 63 in the same innings the next best. Ahmed played with confidence again this morning, as Bangladesh edged past the 300-mark for only the ninth time in their short Test history. But he ran out of partners as Hoggard ran through the lower order to finish the game after just 17 minutes’ play.It wasn’t Hoggard’s best bowling overall, but two cracking awayswingers found the edge of Tapash Baisya – who had fought hard in a ninth-wicket stand of 60 with Ahmed – and then Mashrafe Mortaza. “I’m not quite in rhythm,” Hoggard admitted on Sky Sports afterwards, “but it’s nice to come out with a five-for. It’s nice to bowl badly and still take wickets.” And, as he collected the Man of the Match award, he promised to work hard on his no-balling in time for the Ashes.This has been a good allround performance for England, with Ian Bell in particular impressing throughout his maiden Test century and Steve Harmison bowling well. Bell has filled the No 4 spot well, while Vaughan batting at No 3 has paid off. Andrew Flintoff and Geraint Jones did not bat throughout the series, but Duncan Fletcher said that, with the Ashes firmly in mind, he did not want to disturb the batting order. England were rarely troubled throughout this series, but they know stiffer tests lie ahead.

How they were out

BangladeshTapash Baisya c G Jones b Hoggard 18 (311 for 9)
Nibbled at awayswingerMashrafe Mortaza c Trescothick b Hoggard 0 (316)
Thick edge juggled at first slip

Darren Gough is back in the reckoning for one final World Cup appearance, after being named in England’s 30-man provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in October.Gough, 35, last played a one-day international back in July 2005. He seemed to have wrecked any prospects of playing again when he opted out of the tour of Pakistan last December, in favour of taking part in – and winning – the TV talent show, Strictly Come Dancing.But the failure of England’s new crop of bowlers to keep their lines and lengths at the end of an innings has persuaded England’s selectors to revert to their tried-and-tested option, a man whose trademark delivery is the reverse-swinging yorker.”I’m very pleased,” Gough told the Essex website. “My performances have been there this season and you can’t ignore them. This selection keeps my World Cup dream alive and although I’m realistic and know you have to take one month at a time I hope this will ultimately enable me to go to the World Cup – which has always been my aim.”The squad includes five players who have not played at international level – two young pacemen in Graham Onions and Stuart Broad, two allrounders in Ravi Bopara and Michael Yardy, and the veteran Lancashire batsman, Mal Loye, who toured with the A team as long ago as 1993-94 but has since slipped back in the reckoning. There was no place for another in-form county stalwart, Mark Ramprakash, despite his prolific run of form for Surrey.The list is pretty much a Who’s Who of English one-day prospects, which means that the absence of Worcestershire’s Kabir Ali is noteworthy, after his confidence was destroyed by the Sri Lankans in July – his last six overs went for 72 runs. Neither is there any room for England’s Man of the Moment, Monty Panesar.”I’ll probably ring him to explain that the door is not completely shut,” said England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, “but for him the best thing is if he concentrates on Test cricket.”Andrew Flintoff is included, despite the likelihood that he will miss the tournament while he recovers from ankle surgery, as are four other players still recovering from injury: James Anderson, Ashley Giles, Ian Blackwell and Liam Plunkett. Andrew Strauss continues as captain.”The medical advice we have received is that there is a good chance that they will be available for the tournament,” explained Graveney, “but we will need to review their progress before the squad has to be reduced to 14 on September 7.”We have kept faith with the bulk of the squad who appeared against Sri Lanka as we feel there were encouraging individual performances in that series despite the disappointing results overall.”Batsmen Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Ed Joyce (Middlesex), Mal Loye (Lancashire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, capt), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset)Allrounders Ian Blackwell (Somerset), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Glen Chapple (Lancashire), Rikki Clarke (Surrey), Paul Collingwood (Durham), James Dalrymple (Middlesex), Alex Loudon (Warwickshire), Michael Yardy (Sussex)Wicketkeepers Geraint Jones (Kent), Chris Read (Notts)Bowlers James Anderson (Lancashire), Stuart Broad (Leicestershire), Ashley Giles (Warwickshire), Darren Gough (Essex), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Jon Lewis (Gloucestershire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Graham Onions (Durham), Liam Plunkett (Durham).

Islamabad, who are languishing in the relegation zone, were facing an uphill battle to avoid an innings defeat against leaders Karachi Whites on the third day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I Cricket Championship match at the KRL Stadium here on Wednesday.Islamabad were tottering at 139 for eight in their second innings after conceding a lead of 201. Left-arm mediumpacer Ali Raza was the main wrecker-in-chief with four for 38 and Test all-rounder Shahid Afridi claimed two for 31.Earlier, Karachi Whites, who resumed their first innings at 299 for three, added 109 before applying closure at 408 for eight. Hasan Raza, who was 73 overnight, went for 75 but Saeed bin Nasir went on to score 54 off 96 deliveries with five boundaries.

Corey Collymore, the West Indies fast bowler, has signed for Sussex as a Kolpak on a one-year contract.Collymore replaces Ryan Harris, the Australia allrounder, who was embroiled in a contractual farce last month. He originally joined the club as a Kolpak but, during Sussex’s first match of the season against Hampshire, Harris signed a three-year deal with Queensland. Although he holds a British passport, ECB regulations stipulate that players cannot perform in another country as a local, and Harris was forced to abandon his county contract.”Obviously with the departure of Ryan Harris, we have been keen to bring in a new bowler,” Mark Robinson, Sussex’s cricket manager, said. “With his international experience and excellent work ethic, Corey fits the bill perfectly.””The call from Sussex the other day was a very welcome one,” Collymore said. “I’ve been itching to come over and play county cricket and to be picked by the champions has filled me with confidence. I’m ready to give it my all and can’t wait to get started.”