ScorecardThis match was a great financial success, and there were 20,000 present on the last day when the gate realised £1,591.The MCC made 359 for 3 on the opening day. Herbert Sutcliffe and the Nawab of Pataudi making 283 for the second wicket–a record for the ground. Pataudi might have been run out when 71; otherwise he gave no chance and hit one six and twelve 4’s. Sutcliffe batted splendidly for nearly four hours, his chief hits being one six and 16 fours. Jardine made most of his runs on the leg side, while Hammond in his first match played very steadily and helped his captain in a fifth-wicket stand of 78.At the close of the second day’s play the Combined XI had scored 59 for no wicket. Heavy rain overnight made the wicket difficult on the last day, and Verity made the most of the conditions, McCabe alone playing with much confidence. Verity varied his pace and had five off fieldsmen and two leg fielders close to the batsman. Australian batsmen are not used to playing on had wickets, and most of them made the mistake of playing at too many balls.The later stages of the match were not treated seriously.
Stephen Fleming has been rested for the first two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka after New Zealand Cricket decided to adopt a rotation policy ahead of the forthcoming World Cup in West Indies. Daniel Vettori will lead the team in Fleming’s absence.Also missing from the first two games is Shane Bond, the fast bowler who will undergo a reconditioning program. Bond has had a long history of recurring injuries but is likely to be back in the team for the last three ODIs. John Bracewell, the coach of the New Zealand team, has embraced the rotation policy of giving key players enough rest before crucial matches, something that has worked well for the All Blacks rugby team.Vettori will be returning to the team after a short break himself, as he was rested from the two Twenty20 matches that New Zealand played against Sri Lanka following the Test series. He has prior experience of leading the team, having done the job on eight occasions when Fleming was either unavailable through injury or rested.The five-match series begins on December 28 in Napier, with the second match being played in Queenstown on New Year’s eve.Squad for first two ODIs Daniel Vettori (captain), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Hamish Marshall, James Marshall, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor, James Franklin.
Yashpal Sharma, former India cricketer and deposed national selector, has criticized Greg Chappell for targeting players he did not like.”Chappell wants [Sourav] Ganguly out while [Virender] Sehwag, Harbhajan [Singh] and Zaheer [Khan] are the other targets in his mind,” said Sharma, who was ousted from the selection committee last week. “Chappell questioned my integrity and his behaviour shocked me. He also alleged that I was [Jagmohan] Dalmiya’s man. I felt very bad because I have played with honour for my country and he has no right to question my credentials,”Sharma, a member of the team that won the 1983 World Cup in England, had reportedly pushed for Ganguly’s inclusion in the team for the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. Ganguly was earlier dropped from the one-day side due to poor form, an elbow injury and a damaging public spat with Chappell.Sharma, Pranob Roy and Gopal Sharma were last week removed from the national selection panel after Sharad Pawar wrested control of the board. They were replaced by Bhupinder Singh, Ranjib Biswal and Sanjay Jagdale, none of whom have played Test cricket.Sharma played 37 Tests for India during the 1970s and 1980s, scoring 1,606 runs with two centuries. He also figured in 42 one-dayers in which he aggregated 883 runs.
South Africa’s selectors have dropped Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla, while Charl Langeveldt was ruled unfit and released from the squad for the fifth and final Test against England at Centurion which starts on Friday.Andre Nel, who was on standby, will now cover for Langeveldt, who broke his left hand at Cape Town and, despite an improvement, could not grip the bat comfortably.South Africa’s selectors resisted pressure to make more wholesale changes despite the side being slammed by the media in the aftermath of the defeat at Johannesburg. Two players under the spotlight, Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar, have both been retained and will play.”We want to back the players. But there has to be a realisation that Test cricket is played over five days,” explained Haroon Lorgat , the selection convenor. “You’ve got to play and win each session. Too often in this series we have switched off. Look at the Durban match, we played well for two days and then we were hanging on to avoid defeat. We can’t have that.”Amla, who has scored plenty of runs at domestic level, failed to impress in two Tests, making 36 runs in four imnings, with serious questions being raised about his technique. Steyn showed signs of promise but lacked control and his eight wickets cost 52 each. Both, however, are likely to feature again in the Test side before too long.South Africa Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wk), Nicky Boje, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel.
The XXXX Queensland Bulls opening ING Cup match of the season against Tasmania at the Gabba on Saturday will double as a public celebration of the Multi-Cultural Cricket project.The pilot "MCC" program was conducted at Macgregor, Durack, Warrigal Road, Darra, Riverview, Inala, Goodna and Dinmore State Schools last season and involved 240 children, as well as a number of volunteer coaches.It was aimed at introducing cricket to children from non-traditional cricket backgrounds and utilised aspects of the successful Milo Have-A-Go program. There were 24 different nationalities represented in the program including children of Chinese, Vietnamese, Samoan, Tongan, and Aboriginal and Islander backgrounds.It was made possible through a Living in Harmony community grant to Queensland Cricket as part of the Federal Government’s Living in Harmony initiative.Saturday’s promotion will recognise the introduction of the "MCC" project, as well as a number of initiatives conducted by Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia to increase the interest and participation in cricket from non-traditional cricket backgrounds and indigenous communities.Children and coaches from the pilot MCC program will take part in on-field displays during the main break of the match.Additionally, the Federal Minister for Citizenship and Multi-Cultural Affairs, the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP, will announce the inaugural Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee – Queensland (ICACQ) during the break, which is scheduled to run from 1.30pm to 2pm.As part of the day, a naturalisation ceremony involving the Minister and more than 150 people will also take place in the Gabba Room at the ground.Tickets for the match were made available to a number of community cultural groups and the parents and children involved in the MCC Project.Queensland Cricket Chief Executive Officer Graham Dixon said cricket as a sport had much to offer Australians from non-traditional cricket backgrounds."Cricket draws heavily from the community through the army of volunteers who are so essential to ensuring cricket is Australia’s favourite summer sport," he said."One of the messages that we are promoting is that cricket is the Australian game for all Australians and through programs like the Multi-Cultural Cricket project, we can hopefully introduce the sport to children and parents alike who might not have encountered it," Dixon said."Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia have identified non-traditional cricket backgrounds and the ingenious communities as among those areas where we have to work harder as a sport to develop."We have made a number of initiatives in this are, including promoting Milo Have-A-Go cricket in Torres Strait through the Eddie Gilbert Program, which has made some promising progress in indigenous communities in Far North Queensland.""The formation of the first Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee – Queensland will also assist the growth of the sport at the grassroots", he said.Dixon said Queensland Cricket teams in the past had been culturally-diverse, with the current Bulls squad containing players from a range of different backgrounds.Opening batsman Daniel Payne has Japanese, Javanese, Aboriginal and Greek ancestry while injured pace bowler Scott Brant is originally from Zimbabwe and was granted Australian residency earlier this year.Saturday’s match commences at 10am with gates opening at 9am.ING Cup, XXXX Queensland Bulls v Tasmanian Tigers, Saturday, the Gabba: Stuart Law, Daniel Payne, Martin Love (c), Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Joe Dawes, Shane Jurgensen, Steve Farrell (12th man to be named).
“It is not who is right, but what is right that is of importance.”Ring out the old – ring in the new. For Canada, 2001 has been both full of promise, but frustrating because of still vastly unfilled potential growth.The ICC Trophy 2001 was a brand new and untried format, the largest event of its kind and yet was ” the best of the previous Events.” To the many people at ICC, CCA and the CCA organizing sub-committee, we again extend our congratulations and thanks for their sterling efforts. The CCA Boards of Directors that stayed the course, approving the Bid process and the Event, sometimes in trying financial circumstances we salute you.””When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.”Against many odds, we have qualified teams for the U-19 world Cup in New Zealand in January 2002 and for the Senior world Cup in south Africa in 2003. We thank the many coaches, umpires, volunteers, scorers, families and supporters, all essential to continue Canada’s path to excellence.Most importantly we thank the commitment and sacrifice of the players and officials who got Canada this far. Far greater commitment and sacrifice is now needed. Can we deliver? We have done it before. We shall do it again. The players need your complete support, however. We have training and multiple prep tournaments in 2002 and in 2003 leading up to the World Cup. Youth players need to be groomed and encouraged to step up.We wish our fellow World Cup bound colleagues in Kenya, Holland and Namibia, the best in the future and in the World Cup. Kenya we trust will shortly follow our friends in Bangladesh to FM status.We in Canada continue to strive to follow them initially to ODI member status, in the immediate future. It is a beacon of hope for development in the vast Americas television market. Time waits for no one. ” Set a stout heart to a steep hillside.”We at the CCA wish the Full, Associate and Affiliate members of International Cricket a peaceful and productive year. ” Either men will learn to live like brothers, or they will die like beasts.” Battles should be fought on the cricket field with bat and ball, not with bullets and accusations or provocations.Canada’s international diplomatic and safety record are avenues for renewed cricket international prime-time event marketing. Our World Cup bound teams will benefit profoundly, as will Americas’ development.We hope that we shall experience a “cricket-year”- no new crises, no alleged or real exposé’s, no new actions, incidents or confrontations that bring the greatest game in the world into disrepute. We need action, not words. “Clapping with the right hand only, will not produce a noise!”We seek a year of recovery and of growth in Canada, in the Americas and around the whole fraternity of world cricket.To all but especially to our players, officials and volunteers and in the Associates and Affiliates, our best wishes. We offer that:”In order to succeed we must first believe that we can.””In every thought and action, think excellence.” It must follow.If frustrated, consider that “Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit.” Press on. Respect and respectability shall come!” `God’ seeks comrades and claims love (respect?), the devil seeks slaves and claims obedience?”” To do all that one is able to do is to be a man, to all that one would like to do, is to be a God!” HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Southampton may have finally found their Virgil Van Dijk replacement at last in 6 foot 3 centre-back Mohammed Salisu, who signed for the club last season in a £10m deal with Real Valladolid – but it was another defender who caught the eye yesterday during their 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round victory at home to West Ham.
Yan Valery, who was standing in for Ghanaian 22-year-old Salisu who is out with “a little bit of a problem” was praised by manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was running out of superlatives for the Frenchman.
“Valery played a fantastic game as a centre-back,” said Hasenhuttl.
“Valery, very impressed, unbelievable performance. With the ball he can still be a little bit calmer, he didn’t want to take too many risks today, absolutely okay.
“He played a few more long balls, absolutely okay. Against the ball, how he defends now, I know that he can do this. His whole body language and his belief in what he has doing has changed completely for us and this is for me very important.
“When we played at Chelsea in the cup game, when he played in a back-three, I knew he was strong but now getting into a back four, sliding, defending, making decisions, it is much more difficult and you need to have more quality but fantastic, I must say, fantastic.”
The 23-year-old natural right-back was once described as the Saints’ “weak link”, but he’s now finally beginning to prove his harshest critics wrong. He has made just six appearances this season so far, with Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters ahead of him in the pecking order – so with that in mind, it was an excellent decision to begin transitioning the Saints star into a central defender.
He made a very impressive six interceptions and four clearances against West Ham, as well as making two tackles to win back possession and winning 75% of his aerial duels.
The last match before yesterday he played was against Coventry City in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and he was once again deployed as a central defender, this time on the right side of a back-three, and he also did very well – achieving a 7.4 match rating.
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Should the homegrown defender continue his solid form as a centre-back, he could save the Saints millions on a new defender in the future, and potentially even form a solid partnership with Salisu at the back.
In other news: £10.8m Saints star who lost possession 16x has just given Hasenhuttl a big headache
Andy Roberts, the former West Indies fast bowler, has won the Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Merit. The honour, Antigua and Barbuda’s second-highest civilian decoration, was conferred during the annual Independence Day parade at the Antigua Recreation Ground.Roberts, 56, who was the first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies, took 202 wickets in 47 Tests at 25.61 and 87 wickets in 56 ODIs at 20.35. He was part of the famed quartet of fast bowlers who took West Indies to the top of world cricket in the 1970s and early ’80s, the others being Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft. He was also part of the West Indies team that won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.Antigua and Barbuda was celebrating its 26th Independence Day anniversary.
Canterbury were forced to follow on after finishing 234 short of Otago’s 601, but half-centuries by Todd Astle, Brendon McCullum and Peter Fulton ensured that they comfortably drew the game. Otago were led by James McMillan, who took career-best figures of 7 for 105 to restrict Canterbury to 367, but in the 51 overs left in the day Canterbury cantered to 213 for 2.Resuming at 330 for 7, Canterbury added only 37 more before being bowled out, with McMillan adding two more wickets to the five he had on the third day. Chris Harris was the first batsman to be dismissed on the final day, being bowled by McMillan for 122. The tail didn’t contribute much, allowing Otago to have another shot at the Canterbury batsmen.Todd Astle and McCullum immediately eased the situation with a 111-run stand for the first wicket. When Astle and McCullum fell after getting half-centuries, Fulton took over, making an unbeaten 62 before play was called off. Otago took two points from the game, thanks to the first-innings lead they managed.
Ricky Ponting will consider introducing Brad Hodge to Test cricket at No. 4 in a move that would push Michael Clarke down a place against West Indies on Thursday. Clarke has struggled to make his mark since replacing Damien Martyn after the Ashes loss and Ponting said he would consult with both players and the selectors before making a decision.”When Michael went up there we saw him as being a long-term holder of that spot,” Ponting said in . “He has been given a few games there now. Whether it is the right thing to keep him there or move him is something we’ll have to work out.”Clarke made 39 and 5 in the Super Test last month and 5 and 14 not out against West Indies in Brisbane, and past players, including Steve and Mark Waugh, believe technical changes are necessary for him to seal the transition. While Clarke is trying to find his perfect position, the paper reported Hodge as starting at No. 4 in 152 of his 297 first-class innings. “It is probably my decision but I will speak to the selectors and some of the senior players,” Ponting said. “Michael and Brad will also have to be consulted.”Andrew Symonds is also a middle-order candidate and Ponting, who was launching his Ashes tour diary in Hobart yesterday, said the allrounder had “shown his character” to bounce back from the suspension for drinking before Australia’s loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff last winter. “I did what I had to do as captain of the team on that day,” Ponting, who wrote about his anger at Symonds, said. “We had to handle it as quickly as we could to get it sorted out.”I had to get my opinions across to Andrew and the other players and talk it through. I felt he let myself and all the other players down. ‘Simmo’ totally knew where I was coming from but, to his credit, he bounced back and played unbelievable cricket from that moment on.”