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Knight taken to hospital after blow on head

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England’s one-day opener, Nick Knight, was taken to hospital after he was struck on the head while batting for Warwickshire against Somerset in the semi-final of the C & G Trophy at Taunton.Knight took his eye off a short delivery from Andy Caddick (who bowled with real aggression at close to 90 mph), and ducked into the ball, sustaining a sickening blow on his neck and the back of his head.Warwickshire physio Gerhard Mostert treated the batsman on the pitch for several minutes, before Knight, rather surprisingly, continued his innings. He was uncharacteristically subdued during his innings of 45 – taking 110 balls to score his runs.Warwickshire coach Bob Woolmer revealed: “Knight has gone to hospital for a check-up as a result of the blow on the head from Andrew Caddick early in his innings.”Ian Bell replaced Knight when Warwickshire took the field.

Only 11 overs possible at Scarborough

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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.

Titans defeat Boland to enter Standard Bank Cup final

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PAARL, Jan 17 – The Northerns Titans eased their way into thesemi-finals of the Standard Bank Cup, dishing out a first home-defeat in ayear to Boland on Wednesday night. The Titans made light work of thedefending champions, cruising home by six wickets with four overs and oneball to spare.Boland’s total of 185 for six from their 45 overs was never enough,especially with Martin van Jaarsveld in such fine form for the visitors. VanJaarsveld was in commanding form, anchoring the Northerns’ reply with anauthoritative 76 off 89 balls, with six fours.He was well supported by young Kruger van Wyk, the 20 year-old widelytipped for future success standing firm while the more experienced vanJaarsveld did the business. There were useful contributions from bothJacques Rudolph and captain Gerald Dros, but the man-of-the-match awarddeservedly went to van Jaarsveld for his all-round excellence.He had already picked up a the wicket of Gerhard Strydom in the Bolandinnings, Strydom offering a chance back to bowler on 29. His innings wastypical of the Boland batting effort, as several top-order batsmen madestarts, but failed to capitalise. After winning the toss and deciding tobat, 185 always looked below par, even on Boland Park’s notoriously slow andlow wicket.And so it proved. Boland now face the improbable challenge of winningtheir next two matches – against Western Province and Border – if they areto join the Titans in the semi-finals and continue the defence of theirtitle.

Tendulkar relives England win at awards night

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Sachin Tendulkar has said that the Test series win in England was one of his most cherished moments in international cricket. Speaking at the tenth Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence in Kochi, Tendulkar also praised the current crop of young players, saying it was great to see them enjoying their cricket and playing with a positive frame of mind.”Beating England in England recently was one of my most memorable moments,” he said of the 1-0 series win. Talking about the changes in the game in recent times, he said: “It’s definitely a lot quicker, a lot faster and there are more big shots.”At the awards night, Sourav Ganguly and Jhulan Goswami were among the players who were honoured. Ganguly was named the best captain in 75 years of Indian Test cricket . Goswami, who was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Year in September, was the first recipient of the Outstanding Indian Cricketer of the Year for women.India’s Test history was divided into six different eras and the best cricketers of each era were awarded. The list of awardees were: CK Nayudu (1932-47), Vinoo Mankad (1947-61), Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (1961-71), Sunil Gavaskar (1971-81), Kapil Dev (1981-97), Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (1997-2006).Some members of the team which won the ICC World Twenty20 were also presented with mementos.

Strauss wants aggressive approach

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Andrew Strauss: ‘If our batsmen learned one salutary lesson last year, it was that the only way to play the Aussies is to take them on’ © Getty Images

Andrew Strauss says England must fight “fire with fire” during the Ashes and not be overawed by the reputations of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.Strauss, who is Andrew Flintoff’s vice-captain for the tour, has called on his team-mates to repeat their efforts of the 2005 series when an aggressive approach was a key part of regaining the Ashes. Although Warne took 40 wickets, the England batsmen were not afraid to attack him and Strauss wants more of the same.”It’s easy to get lured into thinking that every ball from [Shane] Warne or [Glenn] McGrath is going to be an unplayable delivery, and that’s a trap we must try to avoid,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “One of the plus points of our performances against Australia last year was we did play the ball rather than the bowler, which is going to be important again this winter.”If our batsmen learned one salutary lesson last year, it was that the only way to play the Aussies is to take them on. When you try to hang around or you are content just to occupy the crease and survive, you are liable to come unstuck because they just swarm all over you. But if you answer fire with fire – and pick the right balls to go after – it is possible to live with them as Michael Vaughan showed on the last Ashes tour.”England are due for their first serious net session on Tuesday ahead of the tour opener against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on Friday. The first Test begins in Brisbane on November 23.

McMillan and Styris incur match referee's wrath

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Both Styris and McMillan were reprimanded© Getty Images

New Zealand’s victorious tour of Bangladesh ended on a slightly sour note as both Craig McMillan and Scott Styris were brought to book by Alan Hurst, the ICC match referee, after the third and final one-day international in Dhaka.McMillan was fined 25% of his match fee after a show of dissent and swearing at the umpire on being given out leg before, while Styris – who was Man of the Series – was given a severe reprimand for giving Mohammad Ashraful a tasteless send-off after dismissing him.Interestingly, New Zealand were the recipients of the Spirit of Cricket award at a ceremony organised by the ICC just two months ago.

West Indies race to seven-wicket win

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32.2 overs
Scorecard

Dwayne Bravo – three wickets in his last five overs© Getty Images

An unbeaten half-century from Chris Gayle anchored West Indies to a comfortable seven-wicket win over England at Trent Bridge, after an impressive bowling display, led by Dwayne Bravo, had left West Indies needing only 148 to win.It wasn’t all plain sailing for West Indies, however, and in their 62-run opening partnership, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Gayle had to battle through an aggressive opening spell from Steve Harmison, who was fired up and bowling at over 90mph.At the other end, Darren Gough could not match Harmison’s pace, but found plenty of movement with the new ball. He induced an edge from Chanderpaul, but Andrew Strauss couldn’t hold on as he dived to his left at fourth slip, and in the 11th over Marcus Trescothick was the culprit as another catch went down. He missed a slash from Gayle off Gough that went fairly high and fast, but should have been caught.England finally found the breakthrough they had been searching for, as the innocuous medium-pace of Anthony McGrath proved to be the undoing of Chanderpaul. He edged a wide ball back onto his stumps, and West Indies were 62 for 1. Dwayne Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan came and went fairly quickly, with both falling to James Anderson who followed in the footsteps of Harmison and Gough and extracted some movement and awkward bounce from the Trent Bridge pitch.However, Sarwan’s wicket brought Brian Lara to the crease, and as soon as he had stamped his authority, Michael Vaughan had no choice but to go for broke. Back came Harmison and Gough, but Gayle and Lara continued to dominate, and added 55 runs in just 7.3 overs to secure the victory. Harmison was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 10 overs for 28 runs, with two maidens, and was very unlucky not to have picked up a wicket after two impressive spells.Earlier, West Indies’ medium-pacers, Ian Bradshaw and the two Dwaynes – Bravo and Smith – took six wickets between them for only 68 runs in 23.2 overs, as England were skittled out for their lowest total at Trent Bridge.Bradshaw did the damage up front as England’s innings got off to a disastrous start. He dismissed Trescothick and Vaughan in consecutive overs to reduce England to 2 for 2. West Indies seemed to relax after the early breakthrough, and Strauss and Geraint Jones added a composed 82 for the third wicket, but once Jones had fallen for 35, England’s lack of experience became all too apparent.

Geraint Jones – a composed 35 on debut, but his dismissal sparked the collapse© Getty Images

After Ravi Rampaul bowled Jones (84 for 3), the wheels came off England’s innings. Paul Collingwood didn’t last long, getting a faint edge through to Ridley Jacobs off the fired-up Rampaul (102 for 4), and things went from bad to worse as Strauss, who had batted steadily for 43, edged an excellent delivery from Bravo to Jacobs to leave England teetering on 104 for 5.Ian Blackwell got off the mark in style, clipping Rampaul for four through fine leg, but in the next over pulled Bravo straight to Chanderpaul at midwicket and England were 115 for 6. Bravo was soon in action again, as Gayle took a tumbling catch at first slip to end McGrath’s long-awaited return to the team, after carrying the drinks in three consecutive series (118 for 7). West Indies had run through England’s middle order, taking five wickets for 34 runs, and Lara immediately went for the kill, bringing in two more slips.Rikki Clarke and Gough then battled gamely for 10 overs to try and keep England’s hopes alive, but neither looked comfortable, and Gough in particular struggled to lay bat on ball. He did finally get hold of one, pulling Jermaine Lawson well through square leg, but Lawson soon had his revenge, bowling Gough with a snorter of a delivery that jagged in off the pitch (139 for 8).Harmison survived just four balls, before he too was bowled by a ball that moved in a touch and knocked back the off stump (145 for 9). Lawson took full advantage of the inroads made by Bravo, Rampaul and Bradshaw, to finish with 2 for 36 from his nine overs.Smith was rewarded for bowling full and straight, as Clarke moved across his stumps and was trapped lbw to close England’s innings on 147. For his efforts with the ball Bravo was rightfully named Man of the Match.

ACB announces one-day international squad for 2003 Travelex Tour of the West Indies

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The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced today that the National Selection Panel (NSP) has chosen a 15-man squad for the one-day international leg of the 2003 Travelex Tour of the West Indies.The squad is:

 STATEAGECAPS
Ricky Ponting (captain)TAS28168
Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain)WA31162
Michael BevanNSW32205
Andrew BichelQLD3246
Jason GillespieSA2750
Nathan HauritzQLD215
Ian HarveyVIC3149
Matthew HaydenQLD3165
Brad HoggWA3225
Brett LeeNSW2665
Darren LehmannSA3395
Jimmy MaherQLD2921
Damien Martyn*WA31123
Glenn McGrathNSW33179
Andrew SymondsQLD2763
* Damien Martyn’s selection is subject to fitness, following recent minor surgery to a fractured right index finger. His fitness will be assessed next week in Perth.Commenting on the squad chosen to play the best-of-seven series against the West Indies, NSP Chairman Trevor Hohns said: "The group we have selected, with the inclusion of Jason Gillespie for Nathan Bracken, is basically that which won the World Cup last month."Winning a tournament as important as that is a fairly good indicator that at this point in time, we have the right player-mix at the one-day international level."The players we have selected all deserve their place in the squad," he said.Strike-bowler Jason Gillespie who was forced to leave the World Cup prematurely due to heel injury, returns to limited-overs action in place of his cover-player in South Africa, Nathan Bracken.Meanwhile Damien Martyn, who was ruled out of the Test leg of the Travelex Tour of the West Indies due to a fractured right index finger, will need to prove his fitness before the squad’s scheduled departure on 9 May.Trevor Hohns said: "Damien is currently undergoing the recovery work required to get him over the finger injury that has kept him out of the current Test series."We will keep close watch on his progress and make a decision on his availability for the series based on the relevant medical advice, closer to the time of departure," he said.

Food for Thought – Losing the wizards (Part III)

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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.

India Cements make it two out of two

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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.