Category Uncategorized

Andy Roberts, the pace giant of West Indies, believes that Bangladesh shouldshake off the idea that they would not be able to produce genuine fastbowlers. He thinks that the country is capable of sprouting quick bowlers;therefore, they should evade any sort of negative attitude. A press briefingwas arranged in Navana Tower, the newly built office of BCB, where thisformer pace demon shared his ideas with the journalists present there.Roberts, who came to guide the bowlers of Bangladesh-A and Under-19, isquite optimistic about Bangladeshi pace bowlers. He came here to run afifteen-day crush program on fast bowling and he found latent talents amonghis students who may appear as real fast bowlers if properly groomed.He believes that Bangladeshi journalists should cut off their rotten ideathat the boys here are physically too poor to bowl at 90- miles per hour.Kowshik and Talha, the due of Under-19, are quite fast and they are going toemerge as fearsome bowlers for the country within two or three years. Hefirmly believes they are going to get the ability to generate pace nearing90 miles per hour soon.He spoke from a different angle that real quickies don’t need very goodheight always. Fast bowling has nothing to do with height or the strength ofshoulders, a physic does not bowl fast he believes. Attitude should comefirst and then the power of the legs. Most of the real quickies of the worlddon’t possess a very good height Malcolm Marshall, Lillie or Imran werebarely six-footers.He refuted the journalists saying that fast bowlers could thrive on slowpitches too. It would never be an impediment. The only thing that matters is"aggressive attitude" and it would sound good that he has located suchattitudes in some of his students.After the briefing, Roberts divulged the secret of reverse swing to everyonewith a ball having black marks on one side. The way he was conducting theact of reverse swing, enthralled the journalists present there.Andy, who is prone to give hostile pitchers, is regarded as the mostformidable of the famous pace-quadrant of West Indies in the seventies. Hehas a busy schedule in front at BKSP with the boys before his departure onSeptember 13.

Nasir Hossain, the Bangladesh allrounder, has said that Bangladesh A’s upcoming series against India A will be ideal preparation for the home series against Australia in October. Nasir is one of 14 national players included in the Bangladesh A squad, who are scheduled to play three one-dayers and a three-day game against India A, as well as a three-day match against Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka.”Doing well in India will keep us well prepared for the Australia series next month,” Nasir said. “I think this is why there’s a number of national team players in this team. We are going there to win the one-day series. It is better that we are playing the three-day matches in the latter part of the tour. After we play the two three-dayers, we play against Australia.”Expecting a tough opposition from India A, Nasir feels the tour will be helpful for the national players. “We have returned to training after a break. We will have a number of national team players in the side.”This tour will be good for our individual performances. It will be harder because India A will not make it any easier for us. I feel it will be a good contest,” he said.After being dropped for the Zimbabwe series last year, for the first time in his international career, Nasir completed his comeback in all three formats in July this year when he was picked for the second Test against South Africa. He was unbeaten on 13 the end of the first day, but the rest of the game was rained off.Nasir continued to stay in the limited-overs squads after he was picked for the World Cup, but did not spend a lot of time in the middle, the longest stretch being 44 balls against South Africa in the first ODI. Instead, his bowling flourished as Mashrafe Mortaza persisted with him in critical phases of one-day games.He said that he does not have a personal target for the India tour but he will be looking to grab any chance that comes his way. “I played in the last Test so I don’t really have to make a comeback. I play each match to perform. We have to play well in India. They are a strong side. We will be more focused in this tour.”I don’t have a personal target. I want to make use of any opportunity that comes up,” he said.

It is, in many ways, appropriate that the Adelaide Oval is the venue for the inaugural pink ball Test.The pitch is less abrasive and kinder to the experimental ball than other Australian wickets. In fact, an extra few millimetres of grass will top the drop-in pitch in an effort to ensure the pink ball holds up for the required number of overs. On top of that, there are only three pitches on the wicket block, leaving an unusually lush square.The cricket-loving Adelaide crowd also guarantees a positive backdrop for television. While empty seats served as a sobering wallpaper to Mitchell Johnson’s final international overs at the WACA and to Australia’s bowlers holding sway at the Gabba, 40000 fans are expected for the first day of the Adelaide Test and ticket sales – described as “Ashes-like” – are tracking strongly for the following days. Again, there has been extra assistance, with cheap “twilight” tickets available for $20 after 4 PM local time, effectively giving spectators two sessions for a bargain price.But, while Cricket Australia is nurturing the conditions to create the best possible chance for the concept to succeed, it’s in Adelaide that they have possibly the most willing ally possible.SACA chief executive Keith Bradshaw, the former Tasmania cricketer, has long been a staunch supporter of day-night first-class cricket. During almost five years (2006-2011) as secretary and chief executive of MCC, he has helped pioneer the pink-ball concept when he pushed for the traditional curtain raiser to the English season, MCC v County Champions, to be moved from Lord’s to Abu Dhabi.”I feel really proud, but also really privileged, to have been involved with the development of the pink ball for such a long period of time,” Bradshaw said. “I think it’s an innovation that is here to stay and I think we’re only going to see more and more day-night Test cricket.”We were really concerned. Test cricket is the pinnacle and we really want Test cricket to survive into the future. During my time at MCC nine or ten years ago we recognised the falling numbers, particularly in the subcontinent, and we needed to innovate and bring in day-night Test cricket, hence the development of the pink ball.”But we also needed to preserve the integrity: the balance between bat and ball, the contest that takes place. That was very important. Now, we’re at a point where the pink ball is going to deliver us that contest. I think this is the start of a really important journey, and we really have an exciting future ahead of us.”While the players’ enthusiasm for the pink ball is hardly universal – many have expressed doubts about the concept and the quality of the ball – their reservations are unlikely to carry much weight with the game’s administrators if the inaugural Test proves to be a hit with television audiences and, to a lesser extent, spectators within the ground.While many officials around the world will be watching keenly from afar, members of the committee Bradshaw once chaired will have a first-hand view of preparations. The MCC World Cricket Committee will gather at the Adelaide Oval during the two days leading into the Test and Bradshaw will use the opportunity to push for further breaks with tradition when he delivers the welcome address to the conference.Bradshaw has thrown support behind former Australia captain and current Cricket Australia board member, Mark Taylor, in calling for the introduction of four-day Tests and a Test world championship. ECB chairman Colin Graves has also publicly voiced his support for shorter Tests.”I think it has a range of benefits that it could offer us as a game,” Bradshaw said. “You would look at four-day Test cricket with a number of other initiatives, such as [counting for] points for a Test world championship.”With day-night Test cricket, with four-day Test cricket, with a Test championship, I think it’s a case of let’s fish where the fish are. I think that’s what people would like. It would also enable us to start Test matches on a Thursday, finish on a Sunday, the players have a three-day break and back into the next Test match. I think it’s definitely worth looking at.”If we had four-day Test matches there would be incentives to get results in four days, and I think we would see pitches prepared that would produce results within the four days. I can see many, many benefits of four-day Test cricket, and not a lot of downside.”While the concept has its supporters, many traditionalists – not to mention spinners – strongly disagree. It remains to be seen which side of the fence the World Cricket Committee plants its flag.

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.

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).

On why the selection meeting took so long
We discussed other things besides the selection. It was a constructive meeting, and a healthy discussion.On Parthiv Patel, and why he was retained in the side
He’s had a poor game. That happens to cricketers. Batsmen have bad games, so do bowlers, so why can’t a wicketkeeper? I’ve seen him do much better than this, and I have faith in him. The team has faith in him. Besides, even Adam Gilchrist had a bad game, and no-one is raising any doubts about him, because he is one of the world’s best players.On whether Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were happy that Patel has been retained in the side
I spoke to both of them before the selection meeting. Both felt that Parthiv should be given another chance.On the Test, and whether he feels India were denied a victory
This game was fifty-fifty, in the balance. Anybody could have won. We were well-placed, chasing 200, but it could have gone either way.On whether the game was a moral victory for India
I don’t believe in moral victories. Either you win or you lose. The Australians showed character. I’ve seen a lot of teams get rolled over on better pitches. [Damien] Martyn and [Jason] Gillespie showed a lot of steel.On who will open at Nagpur
We’ve got three openers in Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Aakash Chopra. We’ll decide which two to play just before the Test.On Sachin Tendulkar’s fitness
He’s getting better. We’ve got our fingers crossed.On this Australian team
They’ve come here with a definite plan. And we have changed our plan after Bangalore. These days, when teams come to the subcontinent, they are smarter and better prepared. You’ll notice that when England came here last, under Nasser Hussain, they had also prepared really well.On his side
This is a side with character and will. We have done well over the last three years, and we’ve come back here from a bad three months.On the next Test
We’re going into it knowing that we’re playing a top side, and the Australians know the same thing.Indian squad
Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly (capt), VVS Laxman, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel (wk), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik

The Sri Lankan board is on the verge of signing a lucrative television deal with a broadcasting company for the next four years. Mohan de Silva, the president of the board, termed the amount involved as an “unbelievable figure” during a press conference at the board headquarters yesterday.However, de Silva refused to reveal the figures because he said that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was meeting on Monday to send out bid documents to prospective television companies to try and match the amount which the existing broadcasting company had quoted. “We had difficulty in attracting television rights last year,” de Silva said, “because of the instability and the adverse publicity that was levelled against SLC.””After I assumed office as president one of my priorities was to redeem the image of SLC and re-establish its credibility.”De Silva said that he was able to put this deal through successfully with the help given to him by Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, when they met in Lahore last month. “He gave me a lot of advice and guidance to negotiate with the broadcasting company. He certainly helped us obtain this lucrative offer.”

A record third wicket stand of 191 by Chris Bassano and Andrew Gait saw Derbyshireto a comprehensive seven wicket victory over Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in their fourthround tie in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.The day had begun well for Dominic Cork as he won the toss, and elected to bowl first on a wicketthat was slightly damp. Any thoughts that Cork may have entertained of claiming early wickets werequickly erased as Robert Croft, the acting Glamorgan captain, and his partner Ian Thomas prosperedagainst some wayward new ball bowling.The introduction of Tom Lungley and Graeme Welch slowed Glamorgan`s progress, with Welch alsotaking the wickets of Croft and Powell. When Ian Thomas was run out for 34, Glamorgan were85-3, and in the absence of David Hemp who had a stomach virus, 22 year old batsman Jonathan Hughesjoined Matthew Maynard at the crease.The young tyro lost his partner when Maynard edged Shahid Afridi into the gloves of Derbyshirewicket-keeper Luke Sutton, but Hughes remained level-headed and reached his maiden one-day fifty. Withthe help of the lower order, they added 57 in the final ten overs and saw Glamorgan to a quiterespectable total of 248-9.Mike Kasprowicz raised Welsh hopes by dismissing both Shahid Afridi and Michael Di Venuto in his firstsix over burst, but Bassano and Gait then began their match-winning partnership. They kept the scoreboard ticking overby astutely rotating the strike and milked the bowling with a series of well judged singles.Bassano was also quite severe on any loose deliveries, and despite being handicapped by stomach cramps,Bassano reached his second century in the competition after hitting 9 fours and three huge sixes, all of whichwere struck high over the Taff Stand from the bowling of Dean Cosker. He was eventually bowled by Kasprowicz fora career-best 121, but opening batsman Andrew Gait remained resoloute and was unbeaten on 87 when Derbyshire reachedtheir target with 49 balls to spare, and inflict upon Glamorgan their first one-day defeat of the season.

Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson has paid tribute to the hundreds of fans who had wished Somerset well before the Lord’s final last weekend and those who have sent their coingratulations since the victory.Talking at The County Ground this afternoon he told me, “I would like to send a personal message to all of the hundreds of people who have made contact with the club by e mail, by letter or by telephone before and since the final. We have been overwhelmed by the response of the public to our Cheltenham and Gloucester victory. There are far too many to thank individually but I want everyone to know how much their good wishes have been appreciated by us all at the club, and in particular the players themselves.”A film has been shot to record the historic day at Lord’s and details of how this can be obtained will be announced by the club in the near future.

What was Michael Clarke thinking then, as he swung lustily at Stuart Broad’s first ball to him? The scoreboard was showing 29 for 5 and Australia’s Ashes hopes were hanging by the same thread that still connects him to the captaincy of the national side. What was Clarke thinking?”I was thinking if he pitches it up I’m going to hit it as far as I can,” Clarke said. “I watched guys around me get out trying to defend, and I thought like I’ve always said, the better the bowling, the more aggressive you’ve got to be. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.”And so die Clarke did, Australia’s Ashes chances and more than likely numerous careers also. Clarke said this day was as bad as any in his career, comparable to being bowled out for 47 by South Africa at Cape Town in 2011. But he refused to apportion much blame to his batsmen, instead insisting Stuart Broad and the seaming Trent Bridge conditions were largely to blame.”It’s up there. That and being bowled out for 47 against South Africa is not a nice one to remember. That’s as tough as they come today,” he said. “There’s no doubt we didn’t bat well but they were good conditions to bowl in. That’s as tough a batting conditions as I’ve faced in my career.”It’s always a lot easier watching than it is playing. The guys have worked extremely hard in the nets in conditions that have swung and seamed. Shot selection is a critical part of being a successful batsman, there’s no doubt about it. It might look like a lot of the guys could have let those balls go but the class of Stuart Broad, he was bringing the ball back into the right-hander where he normally takes it away.Michael Clarke played a rash shot to hasten Australia’s demise•Getty Images

“So that makes you feel like you have to play a lot more. I don’t want to take anything away from Stuart, I thought he bowled really well. When you look at a replay on the big screen and you see where the three stumps are and you see where the batter gets out it looks like you don’t have to play it. But that’s the way it goes.”Clarke and the selectors are already facing criticism for a team composition that had Mitchell Marsh dropped for his brother Shaun, allowing Clarke to move down to No. 5 but also leaving him with a bowling attack composed of three strike bowlers in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson, but no allrounder.In contravention of his assertion two days out from the game, Clarke said that the plan this morning would have been to bowl first had he won the toss. “The team, at the end of the day the selectors pick the team and I respect what they do,” he said. “We’ve got some very good selectors to be honest. So, I think their reasons for the eleven players they gave me and that we spoke about were very good.”I think we’ve seen at Edgbaston, Mitch Marsh didn’t bowl too many overs. We knew this wicket was going to have enough in it, the plan was to bowl first. And the extra batting – knowing that if we didn’t win the toss it was going to be hard to bat. So the selectors wanted that extra batting as well to make as many runs as we could.”I think the selectors have been fantastic all series, they’ve been very open and honest with me. They’ve kept the faith with certain players. It doesn’t matter what XI you pick, you’ve got to play as well as you possibly can and we didn’t do that today.”Clarke conceded that Australia’s batsmen needed to spend more time in conditions like they witnessed at Trent Bridge in order to have a chance of succeeding more often away from Australia. “It’s hard to bat when the ball is swinging and seaming and that’s something the guys have experienced over here,” he said.”You face that a lot in South Africa as well and even in Shield cricket. We can obviously improve against seam, swing, and spin. You’re looking to get better in any way possible, and the best way to do that is to play in those conditions.”