All posts by csb10.top

Fear of the dark
Just after seven o’clock, the players were warming up when the lights went out and the laser show started. Most of them just stood around looking rather helpless. This is supposed to be a cricket league, but entertainment clearly comes first.Southern Spice
A day after Mohali triumphed over Delhi in the battle for northern pride, it was the south’s turn. Quite a few Chennai Super Kings’ fans were present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and their bright yellow shirts and cheers were in evidence as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Hussey went berserk in the final stages of the innings. After dinner, with the Bangalore Royal Challengers making a good fist of the chase, the locals discovered their voices, with chants of “Chennai, go back” greeting every big hit.And the band played on
Suresh Raina is one of India’sspecial talents, and he showed it again with a superb little cameo. One six down the ground was struck so cleanly that it bounced on to the elevated stage where the band had played earlier. Music to the [Chennai] supporters’ ears.Umpiring’s a dangerous job
When Michael Hussey propelled one down the ground at blistering pace, Billy Doctrove had next to no time to react. The ball struck him on the shoulder, and almost certainly saved Bangalore four runs. Good thing the game wasn’t that close.Pace like fire
Quick bowlers are certainly hit and miss in this form of the game, and bowling them at the end of an innings is always laced with risk. Dale Steyn had conceded just 16 in his first three overs, but when Dhoni started to tee off, he had no answer. Even yorkers were smashed away with a bat-swing that resembles a whiplash. The over cost Bangalore 24 runs, and perhaps the match.Despair to ecstasy
Against the Mumbai Indians, Palani Amarnath conceded 57 in his four overs, the most expensive spell in the IPL’s short history. When Wasim Jaffer was dropped by Manpreet Gony off the first ball he bowled today, the man named after a temple town in Tamil Nadu where people usually get their heads tonsured must have felt like tearing his hair out. Two wickets later, the follicles were a bit safer.Optical illusion?
When Jaffer clubbed Albie Morkel over midwicket for six, there were more than a few gasps of disbelief. That turned to joy when he flicked one effortlessly over fine leg for six more. For a man with no great pedigree even in the ODI arena, a 33-ball 50 was someeffort.Much ado about drumming
After Chennai clinched victory, Sivamani, the drummer rushed on to the field, drum-kit in tow. As officials and police tried to stop him, Dhoni intervened on his behalf. A few triumphant beats of the drums later, Sivamani was done. Both thedrums, and Bangalore, were beaten into submission.

The day and the surface demanded unglamorous qualities; some toil, somegraft and liberal helpings of discipline. Happily for Brian Lara, the WestIndies provided precisely that, in restricting Pakistan to below threeruns an over and importantly, removing two-thirds of a heavy scoringmiddle-order triumvirate.”I was very satisfied with the bowlers,” Lara told reporters at the end ofthe day. “On such a pitch it was very tough for the bowlers and to keepthem under three an over was a very good effort. We had to bowl in theright areas, keep the runs down and take any chances that came our way. Wetook four of the five that did and I can’t fault the bowlers for theirefforts.”And some mammoth efforts they were. Corey Collymore might walk under aladder, break a mirror and let a black cat stroll across him repeatedlyand he’d still have more luck than has thus far come his way on this tour.Despite beating batsmen as if it were slipping out of vogue, he has thesolitary wicket to show for it and 16 overs today drew no reward butsympathy. He might try some of what Jerome Taylor is having, for though heeventually redeemed an iffy morning spell, his wickets came off widedeliveries Collymore would scoff at.

Cruel to begrudge him success though, especially on a surface Larareckoned was made for batsmen. “The pitch again is made for batting. Justone day gone and we expect, in this part of the world, for it to continuelike that. There will be some deterioration of course, from bowlers’footmarks but as far as I can see it is full of runs. We’re hoping on thispitch we can get some good runs.”One man who won’t have the opportunity is Ramnaresh Sarwan, not includedin the team for this Test to the surprise of some. Sarwan’s recent formisn’t prolific – 137 runs in six matches during the Champions Trophy and112 in five DLF Cup matches – but Lara argued it was a decision based onthe needs of the team. “It wasn’t designed as a drop. I think it was asituation where the best team combination was chosen to get a result. Wealso made another change in dropping Fidel Edwards.”Two fifties in his last two Tests earlier this year in New Zealand,coupled with some ODI form, meant though that Runako Morton was adeserving replacement. “Runako has also had a couple of opportunities overthe last 12-18 months and he’s produced in it. Unfortunately, he foundhimself out of the team so he has an opportunity now. But it is just amatter of picking what we feel is the best team and Sarwan still remainsone of our main players. He’s only missing five days of cricket,” Larareasoned.A couple of early morning wickets, especially of Inzamam-ul-Haq, and thelabours of today may yet bear sweet fruit. Even without Sarwan, thereis as much depth in this batting as there is flatness in the pitch.”Sometimes you get the results of it the following day and we have to comeback and wrap up the remaining six wickets,” Lara continued. “I was pretty happy with theposition of the match on such a pitch and when the opportunity comes forus to bat we have to make full use of it.”

The rankings might suggest a cosmic difference between the two sides, but, as the first one-day international showed, West Indies had it in them to fight tooth and nail. Despite their poor effort on the field, and despite stuttering in the middle overs, they managed to take the game to the penultimate ball. India’s much-vaunted batting line-up was no doubt tested and it ultimately boiled down to a few lucky breaks at the death.Brian Lara admitted as much after the match. “I don’t think we’re getting the respect we deserve. We might be No.8 in the rankings but we still have a very good game. It’s just that we need to deliver more consistently. India needed every last ounce of energy to beat us. We need to take our game one level up.”West Indies need to address two maladies urgently: the multitude of extras and the shabbiness on the field. India overwhelmed Sri Lanka and Pakistan mainly because of their superiority in the two departments. They conceded 28 extras yesterday, but that can confidently be termed an aberration. Greg Chappell admitted that the players were caught unawares in the morning: “We thought the chances of getting play were zero. Once it started the players took some time to adjust to the conditions. It was really hot and humid out there and we struggled because of that.”India will acclimatise soon. “We’ve done a lot of work on that area,” said Chappell about guarding against the dehydration of players. “Even as recently as the last few weeks, we’ve done a bit of work on finding out the best research, spoken to a few world leaders and discovered a few things that might make a difference. We’ve started testing the players from a few days up, making sure they’re keeping their fluids up. There are few other products available these days that weren’t available earlier. We’ll experiment with a few of those and come up with a few answers.”The two big positives for India came in the form of Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif. The first troubled the likes of Lara and Chris Gayle with turn; the second produced his first fifty in 15 games. One has often failed while bowling away from home, when he doesn’t have his favourite SG ball; the other, with nine single digit scores in the last 15 innings, would have seen the axe looming. “We see Kaif as an important member of our side while planning for the World Cup,” Chappell stated, “and we knew he would come out of the bad run. He’s a very experienced player and this will help his confidence.”On the eve of the game, West Indies had optional nets while the Indians, who were scheduled to have a light stint, were forced to have a pool session. Rain and sunshine alternated, keeping everyone guessing about the forecast. Weathermen predict Saturday to be another day with scattered thunderstorms in Kingston. One certainty, though, is that it won’t take too long for Charlie, the groundsman, and his boys to get Sabina Park ready for the clash. The lukewarm spectator response – the ground was hardly half full – disappointed the local authorities but they expect a larger turnout for Saturday’s contest.With another royal sweatfest on the cards, don’t forget to bring your handkerchiefs and towels.TeamsWest Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Fidel Edwards.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Rahul Dravid (capt), 3 Yuvraj Singh, 4 Mohammad Kaif, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Munaf Patel.

Aaron Nye’s impressive form in Queensland’s Ford Ranger Cup final victory has earned him a place in the Pura Cup squad for their match against New South Wales. Nye replaced Nathan Rimmington in the 12-man line-up to take on the Blues at the SCG starting on Thursday.Nye has not played first-class cricket since 2004-05 but made the selectors take notice with a vital ten-over spell in the limited-overs final against Victoria, in which he claimed the wickets of Cameron White, David Hussey and Adam Crosthwaite. Nye, an allrounder who bowls offspin and has a Pura Cup century to his name, gives the Bulls the option of a three-man spin attack for the Sydney clash.The Blues made four changes to their squad, promoting Peter Forrest, the rookie-contracted batsman, for what could be his first Pura Cup match. Forrest made 127 for the New South Wales Second XI last week, which was his second century in the Cricket Australia Cup this season.Forrest and Beau Casson were included at the expense of Greg Mail and Nathan Hauritz. Stuart Clark and Brad Haddin, who were unavailable due to their World Cup preparations, were replaced by Matthew Nicholson and Daniel Smith.Queensland sit second-last on the Pura Cup table but they are only six points shy of the Blues, who are first. Every team has two matches remaining, meaning only South Australia are out of the race for a place in the final.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Ryan Broad, Greg Moller, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, Craig Philipson, James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran.New South Wales squad Ed Cowan, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Peter Forrest, Grant Lambert, Daniel Smith (wk), Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Mark Cameron, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.

Mark Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week after the ECB decided it had to pursue a long-term solution to the problem which he has managed through the first six months of his international career.He was left out of the final Test against Pakistan, in Sharjah, as part of the ongoing management of his left ankle after he had received a cortisone injection following the match in Dubai, where he produced his most impressive performance in an England shirt.Wood had previously missed the third Test against Australia, at Edgbaston, due to the problem and Alastair Cook said that he had never been expected to play all three Tests against Pakistan.After the Test series finished, Wood was also ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the tour with a decision taken that he would return home for further specialist advice on the ankle. The outcome has been surgery, which Wood knew he would probably face the prospect of eventually, with a recovery time expected of at least eight weeks.That makes it unlikely that he will be ready for the one-day series against South Africa, which starts at the end of January, with a more realistic aim being available for the selection for the T20s in February and the World T20 in India during March.”I’ve had that many injuries so far in my short career that I never want to be thrown out of the team,” Wood said in August. “Long term, the ankle problem may need some work done to it – whether that’s time off or maybe an operation. That might be the case. It’s about fitting it in at the right time.”Meanwhile, Steven Finn, who has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa with the stress injury in his foot which kept him out of the contests against Pakistan, hopes to be available for the later part of the tour.”Reports of my South Africa tour being written off completely. Not the case, I am hoping to be available sooner rather than later,” Finn tweeted on Wednesday evening.An ECB statement said: “Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week and Finn will continue his recovery from a bone stress injury. Further details on their rehabilitation and back-to-bowling programmes will be provided in due course.”The injuries to Wood and Finn, plus the omission of Liam Plunkett, mean there has been a large turnover in the support pace bowling to James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and the uncapped Mark Footitt are now vying for the third frontline quick slot to make a four-man pace attack alongside Ben Stokes, who has been passed fit after his collarbone injury in the final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah.The combination of Wood, Finn and Plunkett had 168 Test wicket between them; Woakes, Jordan and Footitt provide 27.

John Wright’s relations with Sourav Ganguly might have turned bit rocky towards the end of his stint as the India’s coach but he retains lots of respect and appreciation for Ganguly.”He [Ganguly] was a special man,” Wright was quoted as saying in the . “He wore his heart on his sleeve and there was an arrogance that used to get up people’s noses. But I think that was good for us, it was good to have that feistiness as the country learned it was becoming such a powerhouse in world cricket.”I tested him [Ganguly] and he tested me but there was an inner trust between us. He would often do things which were the opposite to what we had talked about, which always kept me on my toes, but there was a bond that grew, despite how different we were. And we were always a really happy side.”Wright makes a rather surprising revelation about the Indian team’s attitude to fielding. “It took me about a year to convince them that running between the wickets and fielding were quite important in one-dayers,” he said. “We had a pretty strict regime when it came to training and I was probably almost too tough on them.” Did he ever attempt to coach Sachin Tendulkar, the master batsman? “I didn’t coach Sachin Tendulkar,” said Wright. “I gave him gentle advice when he asked for it.”He reveals that he didn’t have a contract for nearly half his tenure but was well supported by the management in BCCI. “I actually didn’t have a contract for about 40% of the time but it didn’t really matter because they were honourable people. I got paid every three months so that was the length of time I’d allow myself to look ahead. It was satisfying that I lasted so long, I certainly didn’t expect to walk away on my own terms, but I proved I could survive and proved that a foreigner could do the job.”Wright looks back at his Indian stint with lots of fondness. “It was probably the biggest adventure I will ever have in my life,” he gushed. “I miss that thrill of getting on that team bus and going to a big game, with the crowds clapping you all the way to the ground …”Talking about his future plans and in particular about coaching New Zealand, Wright said, “People always ask me about coaching New Zealand,” he said. “Who knows? I wouldn’t rule it out. I would like to help New Zealand Cricket in some way and be involved in competitive sport, whatever code that might be. It depends what crops up.”

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has admitted he is “totally frustrated” by seeing West Indian cricketers light up the Big Bash League while his Test squad battles to be competitive. Simmons said it was up to the WICB to find a way to keep the region’s best players and he cited the example of New Zealand, a team with similar resources but which has managed to retain its stars for Test cricket.Jason Holder’s young outfit collapsed to a three-day loss to Australia in the first Test in Hobart and they face the challenge of lifting themselves for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Andre Russell has been bowling with impressive pace for the Sydney Thunder, and Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle have turned out for the Melbourne Renegades, continuing their tour of domestic T20 tournaments.”I’m totally frustrated,” Simmons said. “It’s enjoyable to see Andre Russell bowling at 140 clicks, and Bravo hitting three or four sixes, and Chris back in it. It is frustrating that we don’t have them here playing the Test series.”But it’s something that’s been going on for a while and it’s up to the administration to work out how we get to the stage of, let’s say, New Zealand, because they have similar things and they’re getting all their players to play. It’s up to our administration and our bosses to find out how is the best way that we can get these guys on the pitch.”It is not as simple as to say that all three men would be in the Test team if available, for Gayle has a back injury that will affect his chances of ever adding to his tally of 103 Tests, and Bravo was not picked for a Test for more than four years before he officially retired from the format in January. This month, Bravo said he remained committed to West Indies cricket but was unhappy with the way players were treated in the Caribbean.”It’s gets frustrating … not only for myself but all the other cricketers: Gayle, Sammy, Pollard, Russell,” Bravo told the last week. “We’re all committed to West Indies cricket, but sometimes with the way we’ve been treated over the years, sometimes we second guess and ask ourselves why should we actually fight with West Indies’ cricket [administrators] when the rest of the world are opening their hands for us?”Gayle and Bravo are both in their 30s but Russell, at 27, is a man who could still offer West Indies many good years, but he has played only one Test five years ago and believes his knee would not stand up to Test cricket. But chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd said in January that Russell was one of the best allrounders in the world and could be in the Test side if he was willing to play.”It’s such a waste that we have a guy who could be a great cricketer who is now not thinking of playing both formats,” Lloyd said in the 2015 New Year’s Lecture in Cape Town. “We have contracts, probably not as exorbitant as others, but they are getting good money. It doesn’t seem playing for our country is paramount where these players are concerned.”Lloyd has arrived in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test, and will help mentor Holder, who at 24 faces the enormous challenge of leading a side of limited talent while also finding his own way in the game, having played only 11 Tests himself. In the absence of some of the region’s more senior players in the squad, Holder has had to rely heavily on the off-field staff of past legends to help him develop as a captain.”Off the field he’s getting help from the coaching staff,” Simmons said. “I’m sure he’s getting help from someone like Clive Lloyd. I’m sure he’s speaking to him, one of the greatest captains we’ve had. He’s getting a lot of advice from Clive too. Having ‘Lloydy’ around is always a good thing. Guys go and speak to him one on one. It’s a good thing to have him here.”

Brijesh Tomar, the right-hand middle-order batsman, has been named captain of a 15-member Madhya Pradesh squad for Ranji Trophy Plate League during the 2007-08 season.Tomar’s elevation to captaincy was necessitated by former captain Abbas Ali’s decision to join the Indian Cricket League; a move which made him ineligible to play in matches conducted by the Indian board.The squad includes Devendra Bundela and Naman Ojha, the wicket-keeper batsman, both former India A players. Ojha, 24, was in the India A team that toured Kenya in 2004.Madhya Pradesh’s bowling attack will be led by Anand Rajan, the promising 20-year-old medium-fast bowler, who also played for India Under-19 as well as the Australia Centre of Excellence in this year’s Cricket Australia Emerging Players Tournament. Rajan has taken 37 wickets in nine first-class matches at 27.75, including a five-wicket haul on his debut in 2005.Madhya Pradesh begin their upcoming domestic campaign by taking on Jharkhand in a Ranji game from November 3.Madhya Pradesh squad
Brijesh Tomar (capt), Naman Ojha (wk), Mudassir Ojha, Devendra Bundela, Rahul Bakshi, Zafar Ali, Murtaza Ali, Sanjay Pandey, Shantanu Pitre, Anand Rajan, Ashutosh Jadhav, Asif Ali, Jatin Saxena, Jalaj Saxena, Sunil Dholpure
Coach: Amitabh Vijayvergiya

The Court of Arbitration for Sports has been forced to dismiss an appeal by the World Anti Doping Agency over the reprieves for the Pakistan fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, saying it had no jurisdiction to overturn the decision.The CAS panel said in a statement that the conclusion had been reached “with some considerable regret”. Shoaib and Asif tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in internal tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last year, and were banned for two years and one year respectively in November 2006.However, a month later, both were controversially reinstated by a Pakistani appellate committee, prompting WADA to appeal to CAS in Lausanne. Dick Pound, the chairman of WADA, had told the BBC last December that the ICC – the game’s governing body – was “a signatory to the anti-doping code” and that Pakistan, as a full member of the ICC, was bound by its rules.However CAS, which set up a special panel to examine the issue, found that the PCB does not provide a right of appeal to the international sports court. Furthermore, it added, the ICC’s code did not contain any rules that obliged the Pakistan board to allow appeals to CAS.Shoaib and Asif were both removed from their country’s squad for the World Cup in March and April, although the PCB insisted they had missed the event because of injuries. That explanation, however, was countered by Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, who said at the beginning of the tournament in March that the duo had escaped a drugs test by not being selected for the World Cup.The PCB had announced beforehand that 11 of its 15-man squad and seven reserves had passed domestic, pre-World Cup dope tests, but Shoaib and Asif were left out of the testing.

Following in the footsteps of Bangladesh’s recent announcement to establish a women’s side, the UAE have announced their plans for a national team. The project starts this Saturday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.But they will have to get their skates on – UAE’s first engagement is in six weeks, with the Asian Cricket Council’s tournament which runs from July 11 to 17. Bangladesh will also play, alongside Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand.Two former India players, Smitha Harikrishna and Pramila Korikar, will help to establish the set-up. The pair have each played 22 one-dayers, while Korikar also has five Tests to her name.