This was a day as historic for India as it was disappointing for Pakistan, and predictably it led to a chaotic and emotional press conference, attended by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Javed Miandad. All manner of speculation on Shoaib Akhtar’s injury, his disruptive influence in the team, the ineffectiveness of the bowling, the poor fitness levels of the team and everybody’s favourite chestnut, the need for specialist coaches came in for questioning.
Inzamam-ul-Haq On the series defeat After Multan we came back well to win at Lahore where, for the first time, the bowlers performed close to their potential. But injuries to our bowlers really wreaked havoc with the line-up. Umar Gul’s loss in particular was a crucial blow.On the non-performance of big players and the line-up for Pindi If a player does not perform he should not be playing for the Pakistan team. It is as simple as that. I wanted to change the team for this game but in the end I had no choice at all, because there were so many injuries. Even some of the players in the team were not 100% fit. Changing the bowling attack made the difference for us.On the bowling Our bowlers didn’t perform at all and they have been generally poor throughout the series. We had bowling pitches to help us but to let the Indians pile up 600 runs on this track was a very poor effort. No bowler could take more than 7 wickets over the series for us. Bowlers win you Test matches and it just didn’t happen for us here.On the excessive injuries There were too many injuries in the camp for such a crucial series, and the bowling attack was never settled at all. It is worrying that our fitness has been so poor and I have identified this before and do so again now – we simply have to work hard and concentrate on this aspect.On the batting in Pindi It just wasn’t very good. We should have been much more responsible. Even though the ball was seaming around on the first day, we could have scored above 300 if we had batted a bit more cautiously .On the pitches The pitches that offered some help to the bowlers, as the Indians showed, throughout the Test series. We just didn’t bowl well on them. We all believed that the bowling was our strength and even the media hyped our attack up.On Shoaib Akhtar’s injury and differences between him and Inzamam There is nothing wrong between us, but I was also surprised at the way he batted today.On Shoaib Akhtar’s alleged phone call to Rashid Latif regarding differences with Inzamam If something like this has happened then we will take action against it. This sort of behaviour can cause disruption within the team. I think this series has highlighted the lack of professionalism in our side and action will be taken against something like this. There will be an inquiry into the matter and action will be taken.On reports that the team doctor was not happy with the excessive bowling in the nets There were contradictory reports about this but I will say one thing. Over the last two or three series none of my fast bowlers have been able to complete a whole series. They keep breaking down at some point. And there was a big fuss everywhere about the number of no-balls and wides that they were bowling in the one-day series. Now if I am not going to fix that during the nets then when I am going to do it? In their rooms while they are sleeping?
Javed Miandad On his alleged statement about Irfan Pathan I denied it at the press conference in Karachi [before the first one-dayer] and I am doing so now again. I never made any such statement.On the bowling Most of the frontline bowlers have been performing well for us until recently. They just didn’t perform well enough here.On the lack of strategy and planning Of course we always plan before we play a match and we keep to a strategy. But every player knows what type of wicket he is playing on and what he should do to benefit from that wicket, as a bowler or as a batsman. They are all Test players with a fair bit of experience now, and to tell them how to play all the time should not be necessary. We had a plan for Lahore and we went out and executed it well; in Multan and Pindi we didn’t. We just didn’t perform as well as we are capable of in any department.On the batting throughout the series No one, and especially the media, expected our batting to do well, but it performed better than the bowling. Mostly the batting was okay – obviously when you are facing totals of 600-plus then the pressure plays a big factor and so we failed a couple of times.On the opening partnership and Imran Nazir’s non-inclusion I don’t think Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat had that bad a series. Imran [Farhat] got a century so you couldn’t keep him out of the team and even Taufeeq looked good on a couple of occasions before getting out. Imran [Nazir] is still in our broader plans, obviously. Neither I nor Inzamam can exclude him from the team – if he performs, he will come in and if he doesn’t then his performance will take him out of the team.On comparing this Indian team to past teams Past Indian teams have also been very good. But this team has played together for a couple of years and is doing really well now. They have a very mature batting line-up and their bowling, which sometimes let them down in the past, is now much better. They have six or seven batsmen who average over 50 in Test cricket so that says a lot about their team. They are not invincible but they are very good. Their attitude is good, but a true marker of any team’s attitude is when they are losing or not doing well.On specialist coaches This is a matter for the board but I have no problem with it at all.
When the World Cup fixture list appeared and Pakistan saw they had a match against the Netherlands in the delightful surroundings of Paarl, they would have welcomed the prospect with relish. Now, however, they will be approaching the game with rather more anxiety after their thrashing at the hands of England on Saturday just down the road in Cape Town.Group A was always going to be tight, with Australia the favourites. Then it was thought that Pakistan, India and England would battle it out for the other two places in the next stage of the tournament. When England forfeited four points to Zimbabwe the equation took on a new element, for presuming that Zimbabwe pick up another eight points from matches against the Netherlands and Namibia, one more win would put them right in the shake-up.The fact is that Pakistan’s batting has taken on a fragile appearance that was ruthlessly exposed by England. They might have an impressive hand of match-winning bowlers, but the batsmen have to back them up and that has not been case recently.It is perhaps fanciful to imagine that Pakistan’s batsmen will fail to prosper against the Dutch collection of medium pacers but, given a receptive pitch, it is possible that they could make it very difficult for a side lacking confidence.The problem for the men in the dazzling orange kit is that they will find it extremely hard to score enough runs to put pressure on the Pakistani batsmen. That will be a consoling thought for Pakistan, but there will be another fear lurking in the back of their minds. The weather.Should rain prevent Pakistan from taking the expected four points from this match, and prevent them from enhancing their run-rate, their fate would rest with others as well as themselves. They would have to beat India and Zimbabwe in their remaining matches, and hope against hope that England can do to India what they suffered themselves.They will be encouraged to know that the forecast is fine for the Winelands area of the Cape, but forecasters have been known to get it wrong. Just as Pakistan did on Saturday. At least the Pakistanis can take heart from the fact the Dutch will want to play whatever the weather. Against Australia, there would have been every reason for Roland Lefebvre, the Dutch captain, to take a look at conditions and claim the two points for an abandonment. He decided not to do so but gain the experience from playing the game.Even so, Pakistan must hope that there is a bright blue sky and that this is not the day for the bright orange flags to be waving in celebration at the end.
Four applications have been received to date for the position of coach of the Northern Districts Knights this year.Applications close at the weekend.Overseas interest has been expressed in the position which will be a fulltime position. It is the first time ND will have had a fulltime coach.”There is such an extensive off-season programme now,” ND chief executive John Turkington said today.”I’m very happy with the quality of the applications,” he added.Interviews for the position will be conducted by a member of the ND board, operations manager for ND Pat Malcoln and Turkington.It is hoped the position can be filled quickly after the interviews.ND also has its long awaited resource consent hearing for floodlights at WestpacTrust Park with the Hamilton City Council from Tuesday to Thursday next week.Turkington said he was feeling quite positive about the hearing and that most people had been supportive of the ND initiative which will allow One-Day Internationals to be played at the revamped ground.Some issues raised during the protest process had been worked through and Turkington said he was 99% confident the lights would be approved.
Celtic midfielder Ben Doak is on the verge of sealing a move away from Parkhead.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that, despite Ange Postecoglou’s best efforts to convince the 16-year-old to remain at Celtic Park, the Scotland U17 international is now set to join Liverpool in a six-figure deal.
In recent comments made regarding the youngster’s potential departure, the 56-year-old Hoops boss said: “I’ve said all along that for me, this football club is everything that a young player should want. Particularly at the moment.
“I really want to bring young players into our first team and give them an opportunity as we have already. But they’ve got to be invested in our football club. They’ve got to want to be here and they’ve got to want to be here long-term.
“If they see their futures elsewhere or they’re not certain then I have total respect for that. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions. But I’m going to invest time and opportunity into the people who want to stay at our football club.”
Postecoglou can replace Doak with Scott
While the impending departure of a player as talented as Doak will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Celtic, should Postecoglou go on to replace the 16-year-old with Bayern Munich’s Christopher Scott – with whom the Bhoys have been heavily linked – it would rather significantly ease the loss of the Scottish youth international.
Indeed, a recent report by the Daily Record revealed that, after the 19-year-old made it clear he would like to secure a move away from the German champions in a search for regular first-team football, Bayern are now set to trigger a one-year extension in the attacking midfielder’s contract – in order not to lose the teenager for nothing at the end of the current campaign.
According to the report, a source close to the negotiations said: “Bayern Munich has the option of extending Christopher’s contract by one more year and this is one-sided on the club’s part. Munich won’t let him go for free because he’s one of the biggest talents in Germany and it would cost around €300k to €400k (£250k to £340k) for him.
“It’s about finding the best solution for a young player. The option for his contract is at the end of May and that will be taken up by Bayern Munich. Bayern, at the moment, aren’t well known for bringing players into the first team and Christopher is looking for a new challenge.
“It’s clear that Glasgow Celtic would be a massive option for him and they have been in talks but the English Premier League is also an option for someone who is a massive talent. Celtic are serious contenders because they are a massive club and they are very serious about trying to sign him.”
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As the source suggests, the £1.08m-rated starlet is indeed an incredibly exciting prospect, something that is proven by the forward’s record in youth and reserve team football – with Scott scoring 43 goals and registering 11 assists over 103 appearances for the likes of Bayer Leverkusen U17s, Bayer Leverkusen U19s, Bayern Munich U19s and Bayern Munich II.
As such, while Doak – who Brian McLaughlin dubbed an “infectious” talent – is certainly an extremely promising young player, the 16-year-old’s move south of the border will be quickly forgotten should Postecoglou go on to seal the Germany U20 international as his replacement.
AND in other news: The Scotsman drop huge 14-word Celtic update, unforgivable error may be inbound
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahzad’s 131* became the highest score for an Afghanistan batsman in ODIs•Chris Whiteoak
Afghanistan’s batting can be a bit like a teenager. Impulsive and reckless, with a tendency to play to the gallery when they should play the situation. But 2015 has witnessed their coming of age and they signed the year off with a victory that was built on a level-headed chase and their ability to withstand pressure when it came. Afghanistan ran down 254 with 14 balls in the bank and a top-order batsman out in the middle as Mohammad Shahzad recorded the highest score for his team in ODIs – 131 not out off 133 balls.Afghanistan will savour going 2-0 up, but they suffered a bit of stage fright as they came near the target. The Sharjah fans had begun thinking of an early finish and a lengthy party. Zimbabwe had been pushed to the limit and nothing had worked. Elton Chigumbura, who had bowled only twice since March 2015, was forced to bring himself on. It was a last throw of the dice.Four balls in, Mohammad Nabi was run out. First ball of Chigumbura’s third over took out Asghar Stanikzai and the last ball of his fourth over trumped Samiullah Shenwari. Afghanistan had cobbled together only 30 runs in nine overs until the 40th, and they went into the final 10 without the big-hitting Najibullah Zadran, yet another Chigumbura victim.A scoreline that read 169 for 1 became 198 for 6, but Shahzad was still there and he proved the difference. He has mirrored Afghanistan’s growth as a batting unit. The brain freezes of the past gave way to an innings of poise and control. His power was hidden away until he was well set enough to minimise the risk in those heaves over the leg side. He trundled through the Powerplay and emerged from the first 10 overs with only three fours. He reached his fifty with a six, but was still accumulating at less than a run a ball. The problem for Zimbabwe was that he had been out there for 19 overs – ample time to understand a slow and low Sharjah pitch and assess the opposition’s biggest threats.Shahzad got into the nineties having taken 41 runs off his last 39 balls. He finished with seven fours and eight sixes, the most by a batsman from an Associate nation in ODIs. The path to his hundred was painstaking – he spent almost six overs getting the final six runs and burst into a memorable celebration full of fist pumping and bat waving.Zimbabwe’s bowlers had done well to keep him quiet in that time, but they needed to take him out and the good work they themselves had done with the bat went in vain. They had to tackle the same pitch on which they made the lowest total by a Full Member against an Associate nation in ODI history. There were two marked differences from the record-breaking events of Christmas Day, though.Zimbabwe were chasing when Afghanistan’s spinners bundled them out for 82. Today, Chigumbura called correctly at the toss and helped his team avoid scoreboard pressure and the complication of batting under lights. And given the best conditions to bat in, Zimbabwe’s 11th opening pair in 31 ODIs made a promising start.In Peter Moor and Richmond Mutumbami’s care, only two of the first 10 overs did not feature a boundary. They took the score to 71 for 0 with sound planning and skillful execution. Moor for example, harvested half of his runs through and over mid-off, including two of his three sixes, to secure his maiden ODI fifty at a strike rate of 100.But the ball began to age after 15 overs and it was stopping on the batsman off a good length. Afghanistan picked up on that and trusted the experienced Nabi to turn things around. He did so with a beautifully crafted trap that turned the batsman’s strength against him. Moor had been eager to drive all day, so Nabi tossed the ball up wider, Moor lunged forward and his back leg left the safety of his crease, Nabi beat the outside edge, Shahzad completed the stumping.Five balls later, debutant left-arm spinner Rokhan Barakzai had Mutumbami caught and bowled and Afghanistan had effectively reset the match. Zimbabwe were up for it thanks to Ervine’s resourcefulness and helpful cameo from the returning Hamilton Masakadza.They were able to keep up the pace simply by using the pace offered to them. Ervine was so prolific at it that he found 39 of his 73 runs behind the wicket. And as an added bonus, his use of sweeps and reverse sweeps kept the pressure on the Afghanistan spinners. Masakadza was also quick to understand that his power game has a lesser chance of success of a slow, low Sharjah pitch. So he found 29 of his 47 runs through singles, and in doing so ensured Ervine took a lot of the strike. Their third-wicket partnership put 98 risk-free runs, barring one occasion when Williams could have been stumped on 43, and gave Zimbabwe’s lower order the freedom to play without worrying about wickets falling. In the end, they were still 20 runs short.
Michael Carberry struck a career-best 192 as Hampshire completed a fantastic run-chase against Warwickshire at the Rose Bowl. They were set 331 after some pleasingly aggressive negotiations between Shane Warne and Darren Maddy following the third day washout. Carberry was dominant throughout, adding 117 with Michael Lumb, to put the chase on course, then a match-winning 86 with Dimitri Mascarenhas. Carberry plundered 24 boundaries and a six as Hampshire completed a victory, one which closes the gap in a tight division. It was another example of Warne’s positive captaincy paying handsome dividends.Lancashire and Yorkshire completed their battle for bonus points at Old Trafford and the visitors edged ahead as Adil Rashid produced a highly impressive spell of legspin on the final afternoon, extracting sharp, if slow, turn. He troubled the Lancashire top order and trapped Brad Hodge with an impressive topspinner and had Stuart Law stumped off the final ball of the match to help Yorkshire claim an additional point. James Anderson produced a sustained spell of strong speed as Lancashire claimed a full hand of bowling points. His 5 for 98 was his first five-wicket haul since August 2005.
Team
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
Draw
Pts
Yorkshire
8
3
1
0
4
108
Lancashire
8
2
0
0
6
95
Durham
8
3
3
0
2
94.5
Sussex
8
3
2
0
3
94
Warwickshire
8
2
1
0
5
94
Hampshire
8
3
1
0
4
93
Kent
7
2
3
0
2
71
Surrey
8
1
4
0
3
65
Worcestershire
7
0
4
0
3
43
Division Two
Derbyshire pulled off a thrilling 15-run win against Middlesex at Southgate after the home side lost their last six wickets for 58. Jamie Dalrymple and Alan Richardson added 32 for the last wicket, but Graham Wagg had the final say when he bowled Richardson and handed Derbyshire their second win of the season. When Ed Smith was going well on 65 Middlesex were 208 for 4 and needed 74 more for victory, but Greg Smith trapped his namesake lbw and claimed two more vital wickets. Andrew Strauss fell early in the day for 53 and Ed Joyce failed to build on his promising start.Monty Panesar claimed six wickets as he bowled Northamptonshire to a 138-run victory against Gloucestershire at Northampton. Panesar struck quickly on the final morning as he removed the nightwatchman Steve Kirby and Chris Taylor for ducks and it was only a matter of time before the innings folded. Panesar helped himself to his best figures of a productive season before Steven Crook claimed the final wicket.Records continued to tumble in dream batting conditions at Chelmsford as Nottinghamshire amassed their highest first-class total, 791, against Essex. Chris Read made a career-best 240, the first time both wicketkeepers had made double-centuries in the same match after James Foster’s 204, while Graeme Swann fell three runs short of the seventh century in the match. The final session consisted of Nottinghamshire improving their over-rate and Read performed the rare triple of batting, keeping and bowling on the same day.It took Leicestershire only 25 balls to wrap up a 10-wicket win against Glamorgan at Grace Road. Arno Jacobs and Tim New knocked off the runs which carried Leicestershire to their first Championship win of the season.
“Not again. Not now…my hope is that common sense will prevail all around.” That was the comment yesterday by Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, in responding to reports of the latest dispute to surface between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players Association (WIPA).The sensitive issues involved include the WICB’s surprising exclusion of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo from a retainer contract as offered to seven others, and a planned meeting by the board with skipper Brian Lara to discuss recent controversial comments at the conclusion of the fourth Test in the series against India, including being handicapped as captain by the selectors.Mitchell confirmed to the Sunday Express that he had received a telephone call from WIPA’s president and chief exective officer Dinanath Ramnarine about implications for the future involvement of Lara and Bravo in the West Indies team.”But I am awaiting a promised letter from WIPA,” he explained, in order to also obtain the views of the board before considering what relevant approaches should be pursued with his CARICOM colleagues. “What is at stake is the future of West Indies cricket, at a time when we are collectively spending millions and millions of dollars in preparation for next year’s Cricket World Cup. This is not a time for us to be faced with another crisis in relations between the board and the association and I hope common sense prevails on all sides,” added Mitchell.In a statement issued on July 15, when the board disclosed the exclusion of Bravo from retainer contracts offered to seven other players, the board signalled that it may have to resort to “appropriate action”, even as Lara has himself hinted of reviewing his availability for captaincy of the West Indies team.The board said it had considered “at length recent statements and actions” of Lara during and after the conclusion of the final Test match against India at Sabina Park, Jamaica, and a committee, headed by WICB president Ken Gordon, was established to investigate “all matters” pertaining to his statements. The committee, which hopes to meet with Lara by this week, “will take such actions as considered appropriate” after hearing from him.Along with Gordon, three other committee members named are former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, ex-CEO of the board Gregory Shillingford and Sir Alister McIntyre, former vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies.In a circulated e-mail note, Shillingford has already warned that it appears from “various responses, through e-mails from the ICC and FICA and communication from WIPA and others, we are heading down the same disastrous path that we travelled down previously…”Responding last Wednesday to the WICB’s expressed concern over statements by Lara, as well as the exclusion of Bravo from a retainer contract that could be in conflict with an agreement with official sponsors Digicel, the Players Association accused the board of disregarding rulings by both FICA and the ICC pertaining to “respective commercial and promotional rights”.Claiming lack of “information promised to us by the board” by last week, WIPA have warned of their readiness to “take such steps as necessary to protect the rights and interests of their members”.
The Sri Lankan board have decided to enlist the services of Sandy Gordon, the leading sports psychologist, to assist the players with the mental aspect of the game, according to Tom Moody, the new coach. The appointment of Gordon, a Perth-based South African who has worked with players from Australia and India, is Moody’s first major decision since taking up his position as national coach.Gordon will fly to Colombo this week to conduct one-to-one and group sessions with the players during the first two days of a four-day training camp that will start on Friday. He will then continue in a consultancy capacity, holding quarterly workshops with the players and maintaining contact via e-mail and the telephone. Sri Lanka’s players have not previously been provided proper sports psychology support.”I think this is an area that is required now,” Moody told Cricinfo. “Players are given support in every other area and they should be given support on their mental skills, one of the most important areas. I understand that they have not had a lot of this stuff before and I would like to get Sandy involved quarterly and the players will have access to him on an ongoing basis via phone and email.”Sri Lanka are also set to make changes to the medical back-up team due to concerns over injury problems during the last year. CJ Clarke, the current physiotherapist, will concentrate on physical training and a new physiotherapist, probably with considerable cricket experience, will be hired. Moody hopes a new physiotherapist will be able to start in time for the training camp.Moody is also due to meet with the Sri Lanka board this week to discusscandidates for a full-time assistant coach, another new post that will be filled by a local candidate. Rumesh Ratnayake, the best fast bowling coach in the island, is tipped for the job.
Kevin Pietersen has settled his differences with Nottinghamshire and will play for them at least until the end of the 2004 season. Pietersen, 23, who was one of the few players to make an impression on England A’s recent tour of India, had been planning to sue the club for unfair dismissal – after assuming he had been sacked following a row last season. But has now kissed and made up.”We are delighted Kevin will play,” said Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. “He is a player with great potential and it is our aim to provide Kevin the best possible opportunity to play for England as well as helping Nottinghamshire win competitions.””I raised a number of issues with the club last season," said Pietersen, "and since I returned from the England A tour it has become clear to me the club has made a significant number of improvements during the winter. I will be sitting down with Mick Newell and Jason Gallian [the captain] in the very near future to discuss some key issues so that we can move forward in what I hope will be a great summer for cricket.”
The chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tim Lamb, has begun the process of rebuilding England’s relationship with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, after deciding not to appeal against the World Cup technical committee’s decision to award their World Cup match to Zimbabwe.”I accept this has been a very protracted and difficult issue and it has taken the gloss off not only England’s participation in this tournament but there’s no doubt it has detracted from the integrity of the event,” Lamb conceded.”It’s easy to be wise after the event, but I believe that throughout this whole process right from December 28 which was when the issue really started, as far as myself and the ECB are concerned, when the government said what it did about their view of us going to Zimbabwe, I don’t think there is anything we could have done differently.”It’s time to put this behind us, we’ve given it our best shot, we’ve done everything possible to try to persuade the ICC of the merits of our case and Ithink, in the wider interests of cricket and the need to start building bridgeswith our counterparts in other boards, it’s best if we put this issue behindus.”Referring to England’s relationship with the ZCU, Lamb stressed: “On a personal level everything has remained extremely cordial and friendly.”I personally phoned the chairman and chief executive of the ZCU on the day we announced our decision not to play, to express my sympathy to them and the regret in which we had come to our decision.”We knew it was going to be a massive event for them and I know how disappointed the ZCU would have been but I just hope that they would understandwhy we took the decision we did and we can move forward as friends in thefuture.”I haven’t received any specific assurance but I very much hopeful there won’t be any repercussions as far as the South African tour to the UK is concerned and certainly as far as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union sending their team to Englnad this summer as well.”I hope as part of the process of putting this behind us that both the toursthat Zimbabwe and South Africa are undertaking to the UK this summer and thetours that England are undertaking to Zimbabwe and South Africa in the winter of2004/5 will take place without any hitches.”Lamb believes that the death threat posed in the letter to the players from the so-called “Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe” was a serious one.”I can assure you it totally contradicted much of what we had heard before, it added to our disquiet and our concern about the whole nature of the advice that we had got up to that point and we’re still getting from various security, intelligence and police sources.”The ECB took the decision with the support of the players that in the circumstances and in the light of not having totally satisfactory assurances ofwhether the letter posed a serious threat that we had no alternative but toapproach the ICC and get them to try and locate the fixture.”The players and the ECB had a major concern about the wholly inconsistent contradictory and inadequate assessments of the threat posed by the letter sentby the Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe on the part of the police and of thesecurity and intelligence professionals in charge of security arrangements.”The new evidence put before the technical committee, including that of thepolice and security personnel, established that the England players were, in thecircumstances, entitled to take the overt threats against them and theirfamilies seriously.”