All posts by csb10.top

Wizards, whether in the shape of players, administrators or other technocrats are not easy to find. Some of them are born and destined as such while others achieve top positions through dint of sheer hard work and relentless effort to enhance their basic talent. Each one is worth millions to any organisation.Letting go waste such people amounts to depriving an organisation of invaluable assets. Unfortunately PCB seems to have accepted letting go two of its wizards, Wasim Akram, slashed by the Selection Committee and Javed Miandad, walking out the door, said to be a victim of ‘palace intrigues and jealousies’.Wasim’s exclusion from the practice camp to prepare 27 probables for Asian Test Championship and the visiting New Zealand team has raised a hue and cry far and wide. Disappointment has been expressed at home and abroad about on inviting a number of ‘non-entities’ under the garb of “concentrating on young talent with an eye on 2003 World Cup”.The media is full of reports, articles and comments criticising the PCB for the shabby treatment given such a great cricketer. This also appeared in a panel discussion conducted by Radio Pakistan. Excluding Akram from the training camp and telling him to prove his form and fitness in two practice matches being held before the final selection, was considered to be ridiculous. Cricket observers attribute this Selection Committee decision as a downright insult of an outstanding cricketer of his times, who holds the world record of clinching over 400 wickets both in the tests as well as one-day internationals.The issue reflects two completely different sides of the picture. Skipper Waqar Younis who was thought to have opposed Akram’s inclusion among the probables has denied it by saying that ‘he only knew about the names of players and the omission of some top players when he arrived home from abroad’. When questioned, he even denied having called the former Pakistan Captain ‘problematic’, as some press correspondents termed it.Waqar Younis in fact came out in support of his dropped pace-partner by saying, “I never had any problems with Akram and to use the word ‘drop’ for a player of his calibre is not right. It all depends on his fitness and form…Akram can come back in the side through trial matches.”In contrast, Chief Selector Wasim Bari’s remarks on the subject carried a tinge of arrogance. He maintained that it was a unanimous decision by the selectors who picked the best possible combination from which the Pakistan side will be formed for the Asian Test Championship. Insisting on the form and fitness of the dropped players, he emphasised, ‘the players must show their worth again in the domestic first class season starting in September.’The Chief Selector’s attitude and the PCB’s endorsement of his theme ‘that upcoming fast bowlers who are working hard to earn a place in the national side should be tried in the home series which was the best opportunity for them to prove their worth’ indicate that there are no roses in the basket for Wasim Akram.Despite all his achievements he is almost back to ‘square one’. He is likely to be picked for the two matches to be played on August 17 and 20 between the Camp Trainees XI and the Rest, during which his performance will be evaluated like others. Congratulations Wasim Akram, you are being treated as a ‘youngster’ again! Then what else can be said, if a player like Chris Cairns considers you “the greatest cricketer he has ever played against”?My advice to the PCB is to not blindly follow the dictates of the selection committee but also use its own imagination to decide important issues. Let’s be clear one cannot win a tournament like the World Cup with a team comprising players having only two years international experience.While the Pakistan cricket team is set on the path of losing a great cricketer like Wasim Akram, the PCB has lost an illustrious figure in world cricket, Javed Miandad. The irony is that the people at the helm of Pakistan’s cricket do not feel sorry about losing these two invaluable diamonds. I only wish someone would realise that players of such calibre are born once in a century.Miandad has reached Bangladesh on a coaching assignment where he and former West Indies quickie Andy Roberts are to prepare the Bangladesh team for the Asian Test Championship. Though not a permanent assignment, Miandad’s act of withdrawing from all the assignments of PCB is shrouded in mystery.After recently serving as coach of the Pakistan team, he was appointed Chairman of the newly formed Management Committee that had the important mandate of looking after the affairs of domestic as well as international cricket. Not willing to carry on, he declined to hold the appointment on the pretext of ‘non-availability of time’.Surprisingly, before departure Miandad returned all the items issued to him by the PCB including the car and a mobile telephone – enough to indicate his disenchantment with the Board. His initial attachment with Bangladesh cricket is said to be of only 3 weeks duration and he could have done the task easily while holding his job in the PCB. Former Test cricketer, Iqbal Qasim who was appointed as his deputy was competent enough to carry on the job during his absence. His severing of relationship with the PCB smells of some sort of politics.Since his involvement in Pakistan’s cricket affairs, whether as a coach, member of the Advisory Council or Chairman of the Management Committee, Miandad did not really have a happy time. Troubles arose on different occasions turning him into a controversial figure. Whether it was on account of his inability to adjust himself or others’ unwillingness to accept him, only the Board would know.It was, however, a great gesture on the part of PCB Chairman to say that ‘the doors of PCB were open for him and he could resume again on his sweet will’ but somehow it is not enough. Apart from his status as a world-class cricketer and captain, Miandad is a wizard as far as knowledge of the game is concerned. A player of his calibre would be an asset for any cricket body and on any assignment. Like any other human being he may be have his idiosyncrasies but let us not forget that a king is a king who must be treated and respected as such.It is unfortunate that, the PCB is still inhabited by people who do not like the presence of those wiser or more competent than them. Thus differences still crop up, turning into conflicts and controversies.The principal officers of the Board need to involve themselves more actively and monitor closely, the working of all committees. There would be no harm in taking advice of some ‘neutral observers’ when required. It is wonderful to know that the PCB has hired the services of a psychologist. Besides looking after the players, let him also study the ‘attitude problem’ that badly ails the cricket body and find a remedy.

The BCB’s anti-corruption unit has cleared the 2014-15 National Cricket League match between Rangpur Division and Dhaka Metropolis of match-fixing allegations, according to the tournament committee chairman Akram Khan. Khulna Division had laid these allegations in March.”BCB’s anti-corruption unit couldn’t ascertain match-fixing in the Dhaka Metro-Rangpur match,” Akram said. “I have been told this verbally. We will issue letters to this effect in a day or two.”Khulna, Rangpur and Dhaka Division were all tied on 96 points ahead of the NCL’s final round of matches. On the third day, Khulna completed an innings-and-24-run win over Chittagong Division which helped them move to 120 points.Rangpur then needed 25 points to move ahead of Khulna and to achieve that, Rangpur had to bowl out Dhaka Metropolis on the fourth and final day after setting them a 361-run target with a minimum of 80 overs left in the day. Dhaka Metropolis were bowled out in the 80th over for 258.While this match was still going on, Khulna captain Abdur Razzak posted a status on Facebook alleging match-fixing in the NCL but didn’t specify any team or player. He later deleted the post.The BCB formed a committee to probe the matter in May, with the board’s new anti-corruption head Abu Mohammad Humayun Morshed doing the investigation. It followed a complaint on March 19 by Khulna officials to the BCB tournament committee. A recorded conversation between a Khulna official and a Dhaka Metropolis coach was also submitted. But Akram said that the contents of the audio clip couldn’t be connected to the match in question, and hoped to move past the issue quickly, now that the allegations were found unproven.”The audio clip couldn’t really prove anything linked to the match. The match referee’s report also didn’t mention anything suspicious,” he said. “I shouldn’t make a comment about the investigation’s outcome. I am pleased that we can put this issue to bed now that another National Cricket League is ahead of us.”

India Cements posted their second successive victory in the Moin-ud-Dowla Cup, beating Indian Airlines by 15 runs at the Gymkhana groundin Hyderabad today. A solid 67 by Tamil Nadu Ranji star S Sharathbolstered Cements to 214/8 in 50 overs. New ball bowler MR Shrinivasthen scalped 4/33 to send Airlines crumbling to 195 all out with fiveovers to spare, a gallant 87 (98 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) by HyderabadRanji player Youraj Singh going in vain.In the morning, Cements weathered a strong Airlines attack comprisingJavagal Srinath, Dodda Ganesh, Nikhil Chopra and Sarandeep Singh.Ganesh (3/43) took out the top three to leave Cements on the backfootat 45/3. Sharath was then associated in three useful stands withGeorge John, Sunil Oasis and J Gokulakrishnan. When he fell for 67(106 balls, 1 four, 1 six) in the 44th over, he had conferred a toneof respectability to the innings and the tail helped inch the score to214 before the overs ran out.Airlines had a horror start losing J Arun Kumar, skipper Vijay Dahiyaand star batsman VVS Laxman in the first nine balls of the inningswith just two runs on the board. Opening bowlers Shrinivas nadGokulakrishnan had done the damage and that Airlines finally reached195 was due entirely to the efforts of Youraj Singh.Although he lost Omkar Singh at 41, Saif Khan (39) gave him companyfor more than 17 overs as they added 94 for the fifth wicket in astirring fightback. After Khan departed at 135, next man Chopra alsodid his bit with 24. Srinath was run out at 170 and Sarandeep waseighth out at 187 in the 43rd over. One run later Youraj was dismissedby Jesu Babu and that spelt an end to Airlines’ resistance as theyfolded up for 195.

Surrey were unable to resume their second innings at Scarborough until 3.30 this afternoon, despite hours of bright sunshine, because heavy overnight rain had caused water to seep under the plastic sheeting which was covering the run-up at the pavilion end.Yorkshire expressed concern that conditions were dangerous for their fast bowlers and the umpires warned they would abandon play for the day if there were any problems but none materialised.When Surrey did get going on their overnight 53 for two, with an overall lead of 251, captain Adam Hollioake soon pulled a ball from Chris Silverwood straight into the hands of Vic Craven on the square leg boundary. Alistair Brown then remained until tea with Mark Butcher who was unbeaten on 49 at the interval with Surrey 89 for three and the weather closing in. A thunderstorm then wiped out play for the day with a total of only 11 overs having been bowled.Docked eight points on Thursday night by the ECB Pitches Panel because of the ‘poor’ condition of the Scarborough pitch, Yorkshire yesterday decided not to lodge an appeal against the decision.But Yorkshire cricket committee representative Geoff Cope said that club chairman Keith Moss would raise the whole matter of the inconsistency of pitch liaison officers through the season at a general committee meeting of the club with a view to making representations to the ECB at the end of the season.

JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso, who had both been nursing long-term injuries, have been included in South Africa’s squad for the upcoming Twenty20 series against West Indies.A release from Cricket South Africa said that while Duminy had made the squad, he “will not play the first two matches but should be available for selection for the third.” In Duminy’s absence, Faf du Plessis, who had been rested for the T20s in Australia, will lead the side.South Africa have also recalled wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk, in place of the injured Quinton de Kock. Van Wyk has not played an international game since the 2011 World Cup.Duminy had captained South Africa during their last T20 series, against Australia in November, but picked up a knee injury which ruled him out of the subsequent ODIs on that tour, as well as the home Tests against West Indies.Phangiso was also included in the squad for that Australia tour, but did not play a single game due to a finger injury. He last played for South Africa in September, going wicketless in the final of the Zimbabwe Triangular ODI series, against Australia in Harare.The selectors have stuck with the young trio of Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw and Kagiso Rabada, who all made their international debuts in Australia last month.”Once again we are resting a number of senior players who are involved across all three formats,” Andrew Hudson, Cricket South Africa’s selection convener, said. “This will be the last chance to rest them before we get into World Cup mode with the Momentum ODI Series against the West Indies.”South Africa will play the first of three T20 matches against West Indies on January 9 in Cape Town.South Africa T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Morne van Wyk, David Wiese

For the first eight overs of India’s innings, and the first 20 of Afghanistan’s, the Associate nation lost little at all by comparison to the World Cup holders. Trouble arose further along the line, as Afghanistan were unable to sustain their level of skill and composure for deep enough into either innings.Their captain Mohammad Nabi was frank in acknowledging this after India’s 153-run victory, and pointed to the establishment of a more long-lasting standard in future matches as the key to their chances of making an impact in the World Cup. In Hamid Hassan, Usman Ghani and Nawroz Mangal, Afghanistan showed the talent to succeed in this tournament, provided adequate reinforcements can back up their early forays.”It was quite a good start for the first eight overs, Hamid and Dawlat are both attacking bowlers,” Nabi said. “After that the pitch became more of a batting track and also our bowlers couldn’t bowl in the right places as well, and that is why they scored 364.”We started well in the batting for the first 20 overs as well, and after that R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowled well, brilliant line and length and the ball came onto the bat skiddy as well. That’s why we struggled later, but the plus is that we played 50 overs and it is good preparation for the World Cup.”We started well in both bowling and batting. We need consistent performances like that for 50 overs. Hopefully we improve for the next game and we learn from that, how to improve in the batting, and hopefully we perform better in the first match in the Cup.”Such consistency is, of course, the difference between most Full Members and their Associate counterparts. The occasions when the smaller nations have managed to overpower their better-known counterparts have invariably come when the gap has been closed.”It’s quite different playing against Associate Members and Full Members,” Nabi said. “The Associates have weaknesses, the Full Members not the same weaknesses. They are full of strong bowling attacks, spinners and batsmen, and their fielding as well. Associate teams have problems with not having the same good bowling or spinners, and just one or two quality batsmen. That’s the difference.”Afghanistan now go on to their final warm-up match against the UAE in Melbourne, and from there they face Bangladesh in their opener. Nabi was asked what he expected from India’s first match, against Pakistan in Adelaide on Sunday, and tried not to lean one way or the other.”I can’t say anything because both teams are good. And hopefully they just play very well, both teams’ supporters will pack the ground, and hopefully the supporters will enjoy that game,” he said. “From the last series in Australia, India did not perform that well, but you see today’s match they were back into form. Hopefully they perform well against Pakistan.”

Mohammad Tauqir sprinkled his words with “a bit of humour” when he said the only way UAE would avoid conceding 400 against South Africa was if they batted first, but there was no joking around when he was asked what he really thinks of his team’s chances against one of the pre-tournament favourites.”South Africa can be put under pressure. I don’t see them scoring 400 against us,” Tauqir said.South Africa’s penchant for melting under the right amount of heat was exposed by Pakistan, whose performance in the field has inspired Tauqir to believe UAE can pull off something similar. “We know South Africa have a very strong batting line-up but I think you were all expecting South Africa not to lose against Pakistan. It gave us a bit of hope as well,” he said.So far UAE have been blown away against the bigger teams in their group but they recognise the need to put up a fight, both for their own benefit and to stake a claim for inclusion in future World Cups. “The more we play against Test nations or their A sides the more exposure we get, the better we become. We cannot learn by simply watching them on TV. We need to play more cricket against them,” Tauqir said.UAE have the least experience of the Associate nations at this World Cup and are hungry for more. Tauqir joined the chorus of voices calling for the ICC to rethink its plans to shrink the next World Cup. “In 1983, there were 10 [eight] teams at the World Cup. In 2019, after about 40 years, to still get 10 teams at the World Cup – what improvement have you made?” Tauqir asked. “I would agree with Sachin Tendulkar when he said if ICC would like to develop the game amongst Associate members, they need to give them more opportunities.”For Tauqir, a possible solution could lie in splitting the tournament into two tiers to give Associates a better chance of staying in the competition longer. “I heard Simon Doull saying the top six teams as per ICC ranking should be listed in Group A and the rest in Group B and whoever performs well can proceed to Group A. That’s a good idea, that’s a fair deal for the rest of the Associates,” he said.It sounds similar to the qualification process which was in place for last year’s World T20 and would keep underperforming top tier teams on their toes as it gave the Associates an incentive to keep playing even though many of the cricketers are amateurs. “Everybody plays cricket for some ultimate goal, the World Cup is an ultimate goal,” Tauqir said. ” Everybody wants to be part of this event and would like to participate in this event. I hope and I request ICC to look into their decision and have many more teams in 2019 World Cup.”For now, UAE can only enjoy the experience of this World Cup as much as possible, because by the end of the week, they will be leaving. They would like to depart with a win, which Tauqir admitted may have to wait for their final match on Sunday, although it will be a massive bonus if it comes before that. “We saw Ireland beating West Indies and we are positive we can do that as well. But even for the South Africa game, we are positive,” he said.Even if they don’t manage that, Tauqir said his team has gained a lot from their time at the tournament which he hopes will show when they next compete against other Associates. “The whole experience has been good for the team and the boys got a lot of confidence from this event. Going forward we’ve got World T20 qualifying in July and we are looking forward to that. This experience will give us confidence for our next games against other Associate nations.”Before they look four months ahead, Tauqir was asked to glance towards the end of March and reveal who he thinks will be the last men standing? “The way India has been playing, they have been consistent and it seems unbeatable. India seems to be a very strong side.”

The fragile Ashes urn will never be handed to Australia despite pleas from cricket fans including Prime Minister John Howard.The Marylebone Cricket Club said it would refuse to part with the original 120-year-old urn even after Australia’s eighth consecutive Ashes series win.”The Ashes urn is not and never has been a trophy competed for between Australia and England,” MCC spokesman Iain Wilton said on Tuesday.”The trophy is the Waterford crystal trophy which will be presented to Steve Waugh at the end of the series.”But Mr Howard renewed calls for the Ashes urn to be put on display in Australia, describing it as the most treasured sporting trophy in the eyes of most Australians.”While the location of the Ashes trophy is certainly not going to strain diplomatic relations between Australian and the United Kingdom, I strongly support the Australian Cricket Board’s efforts to allow the nation’s cricket fans to view the hallowed trophy,” he said.”It would be a real gesture on the part of English cricket authorities for it to come to Australia. It would be a welcome piece of symbolism that would not be lost on the cricketing world.”Opposition Leader Simon Crean also backed the calls for the Ashes urn to come to Australia, saying it was no different to any other sporting trophy.”It should have been here for a long time,” he said. “Just about every other great sporting activity operates on the basis that the winner claims the trophy and houses the trophy.But the MCC owns the 10-centimetre tall urn which was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh in 1882-83 and displays it in its museum at Lord’s in London.It had planned to take the urn on a tour of Australia this summer but was advised it was too fragile and could suffer irreparable damage if it was moved and subjected to changes in humidity and pressure.Australians may still get a chance to see the wooden urn briefly next year, but Mr Wilton said it would never be held permanently in Australia or used as a trophy for series winners.”We remain committed to displaying the original urn in Australia,” Mr Wilton said.”We are hoping in a year’s time to take it to Australia to commemorate the centenary of the first MCC tour.”The urn has only once left London when it was taken to Australia for the 1988 bicentennial celebrations.A large crystal trophy based on its shape was commissioned in 1998 even though Australian teams have regularly held up a life-sized replica urn after winning recent series.Waugh’s team paraded one of the two replicas in existence around the WACA ground in Perth after winning the third Test last Sunday.After Australia beat England at The Oval in London in August 1882, the Sporting Times newspaper ran an obituary to English cricket saying “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.Later that year, when England won the series 2-1 in Australia, a group of Melbourne women burned a bail used in the third Test, put the ashes in an urn and gave it to Bligh.

Somerset all rounder Pete Trego finally put an end to the speculation about his future at the County Ground when he told me this afternoon that he has signed a two year deal with First Division Kent.He told me: "This is a great opportunity for me to fulfil what I have started at Somerset, and I am moving to Kent with the intention of filling the vacancy left by all rounder Matthew Fleming."The twenty one year old who hails from Weston super Mare made his debut for the Cidermen in 2000 but has been unable to hold down a first team place, despite some good performances for the seconds with both bat and ball, including an impressive 140 against West Indies A this season.He continued: " I really wanted to play cricket for my home county, but I feel that this is an opportunity for me to further my career and I have to take it. I hate leaving Somerset but I have to think of my future."But the young all rounder has no hard feelings about the way that he has been treated and went on: "Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson and Kevin Shine have all been very good about things and have handled the situation well."When he moves to the `White Horse’ county he will link up with Ben Trott, another Somerset old boy who made the trip to the south east to further his career.Pete Trego told me: "I have had phone calls from several of the Kent players, including Ben Trott, welcoming me to the club."Certainly Kent think very highly of their new signing. He continued: "They are pretty keen to have me which is nice to know, and after Christmas they are sending me out to Australia for six weeks where I will be working with Dennis Lillee."He concluded: "I would like to thank all of the Somerset fans for the support that they have given me over the years. I have got many happy memories of the times that I have spent here and will leave behind a lot of friends."The Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "We are sorry to see Pete Trego leave the club especially as he was a product of our Academy system. That said he has to take his opportunity and he feels that he has a better chance of first team cricket at Kent than here at Taunton."The Somerset boss concluded: "We wish him all the very best for the future and accept that he will probably score a century and take five wickets when he plays against us."

Match facts

Wednesday June 18, 2008
Start time 10.45 (9.45GMT)

Big Picture

England are on a roll. It’s taken a while for them to reach top speed, but since they turned their fortunes around midway through the Old Trafford Test, they have won four games in a row against New Zealand, and showed an increasingly clean pair of heels on each occasion. They may have lost the last one-day series between these two teams, 3-1 in New Zealand in February, but a repeat reversal does not seem remotely on the cards against a demoralised and outclassed opposition. Sunday’s contest in Chester-le-Street was over long before Kevin Pietersen started stretching the laws of the game with his astonishing switch-hitting, and if New Zealand cannot draw level at Edgbaston on Wednesday, the five-ODI series could also seem out of sight.

Form guide

England WLTWL (most recent first)
New Zealand LWTLW

Watch out for…

Kevin Pietersen Not many cricketers have required a special MCC meeting to discuss the legitimacy of their genius, but that was what Pietersen brought about this week when he flipped his stance against Scott Styris, and drove him clean over a lefthander’s long-on and deep square-leg for two outrageous sixes. Quite apart from the sheer brilliance of his batting, Pietersen showed that his confidence levels have been utterly replenished after a difficult winter. And with Pietersen’s former countrymen, South Africa, lurking around the corner, New Zealand cannot expect any let-up.Daniel Vettori New Zealand’s ship is close to sinking, and so all eyes are turning towards their captain, to see if he can find any inspiration to turn their fortunes around. Vettori cut a demoralised figure after the Twenty20 defeat at Old Trafford, and his mood has not been enhanced by the enforced absence of his best limited-overs allrounder, Jacob Oram, with a hamstring strain. It could require a virtuoso captain’s performance to reignite his team’s prospects

Team news

Alastair Cook is once again absent for England, having failed to recover from the right shoulder problem that hindered him during the third Test at Trent Bridge. His Test opening partner, Andrew Strauss, has been called into the squad as cover but is unlikely to break into a steady batting line-up that flourished as a unit in Sunday’s first ODI.England (probable) 1 Luke Wright, 2 Ian Bell, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Paul Collingwood (capt), 6 Owais Shah, 7 Tim Ambrose (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Ryan Sidebottom, 11 James Anderson.Oram’s hamstring strain is serious enough to sideline him for at least ten days, which means that the South Africa-born allrounder, Grant Elliott, has been called up from Surrey League cricket as cover. He has been thrust into the starting line-up, if only to provide an extra bowling option, because James Marshall has not taken his opportunities at No. 3, while the decision to relieve Brendon McCullum of the wicketkeeping gloves means that Gareth Hopkins is a fixture in the lower middle-order.New Zealand 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Jamie How, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Daniel Flynn, 6 Grant Elliott, 7 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Michael Mason, 11 Tim Southee.Umpires: Steve Davis and Ian Gould

Stats and Trivia