All posts by csb10.top

Youth Development Officer Pete Sanderson is setting his sights on recruiting new players for the youngest of the Somerset age group teams, the Under Elevens.Over the last few days letters have been sent out to two hundred and twenty youngsters inviting them to go along to one of the six trials that will be held at the Wells Cricket Development Centre on either November 17th or 24th.The Youth Development Officer told me: "From these trials we will identify the youngsters who will be invited to take part in the Corner Cricket matches, and then in February we will be making our selections for the county squad."

Canterbury have made no changes to their side for the latest State Championship match against Northern Districts starting at Rangiora on Thursday.The State Wizards team convincingly disposed of Otago and will be looking to continue their impressive start in this second match before their international players leave the side for the remainder of the summer.After dismissing Otago for 209 in the first innings, Canterbury went on to compile a massive 393 in reply. Otago could only muster 183 in their second innings, resulting in a resounding win to Canterbury by an innings and one run.Wizards coach Michael Sharpe was pleased with the successful start to the season and is confident it will continue into the next match.”The guys were fizzing after the win and are keen to emulate their performance against the Northern Knights.”Due to a nagging side strain, Wade Cornelius was not considered for re-selection. Warren Wisneski was again unavailable due to the delayed arrival of his second child.The State Canterbury Wizards team to play the State Northern Knights from December 5-8 at Dudley Park, Rangiora is: Gary Stead (captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Brendon Donkers, Andrew Ellis, Chris Harris, Gareth Hopkins, Chris Martin, Craig McMillan, Michael Papps, Paul Wiseman.

Somerset Sabres return to NUL National League action on Saturday when they travel to Sophia Gardens in Cardiff to take on Glamorgan Dragons.The Sabres are firmly rooted in the division one relegation zone and will be looking to get back to winning ways and gain four valuable points from the match to keep them in touch with the teams immediately above them.Currently the Sabres are in eighth position in the table, two points behind Durham, but with two games in hand, but twelve points adrift from Yorkshire, with just one game in hand.When the pair met at the County Ground in Taunton in June the match ended in confusion when six penalty runs were controversially awarded to Glamorgan before the start of the last over to effectively deny the Sabres of victory.Since their last meeting the Welshmen have strung together a run of good results and are currently in second place in the table, eight points behind the leaders Worcestershire, but with two games in hand.The Sabres on the other hand have lost both of their games since and have slipped further down the table, towards the division two trap door.Out on the pitch at the County Ground this morning I asked Somerset coach Kevin Shine for his thoughts ahead of the game at Cardiff. He told me: "We just have to get back to reality, wake up from the dream of yesterday and think into NUL mode.It really is a very different game, played with a different ball and needing a different game plan."He continued: "We have tried very hard with the NUL this season, but so far it just hasn’t come together for us. In the C and G we just seem to be able to lift ourselves to new heights. We have tried hard to find out why it’s not working in the NUL but we haven’t found the right recipe yet."Andy Caddick and Richard Johnson are both missing through injury,from the Somerset squad who made the journey over the Severn, but Johnson is set to return for the championship match against Kent at Canterbury on Wednesday , and the signs are also looking encouraging for England man Caddick to return in the same match.One of yesterday’s heroes Simon Francis, who is now fully fit is brought in to replace Johnson, and Pete Trego is also added to the twelve.The full Somerset squad is: Jamie Cox, Matthew Wood, Mike Burns, Peter Bowler, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Matt Bulbeck, Simon Francis, Steffan Jones and Pete Trego.

All I know about the sending back of Yousuf Youhana from Nairobi on disciplinary grounds is what I have read in the newspapers. If there is more to it than meets the eye, I am not privy to it. I don’t know Youhana all that well, indeed all I may have done was to shake hands with him a couple of times.But of all the players in this present Pakistan squad, he seemed to be the one without an attitude, someone least likely to flaunt authority or throw a tantrum. He most fitted Milton’s “they also serve who only stand and wait”. Did something in him suddenly snap that turned Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde? I don’t know.But one must assume some horrendous behaviour that left the team management with no choice but to send him packing and to deprive the team of its best batsman, after Inzamam-ul-Haq. I emphasise that I know nothing beyond what has appeared in the newspaper and on the evidence of that, the team management acted harshly. The PCB chairman, Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia has got it exactly right that the whole matter was overblown and should have been settled at a local level.Every touring team has problems and there are varying degrees of indiscipline and varying degree of punishment available to a team management to impose on alleged offender, fines for example. Sending a player home should be the last option after other options have been exhausted and warnings ignored.In other words, a player should be a habitual troublemaker. Youhana doesn’t fit the bill. Nor do I feel that Yawar Saeed is someone who will act on the spur of the moment. He has age and experience on his side. I must confess that I am mystified by it all. No one should challenge the authority of the captain, all the more reason why a captain should not find himself in a situation where his authority can be challenged.Youhana wanted to skip nets because he had a shoulder injury. There is a doctor and a trainer attached to the team. Surely, these were the best people to decide on the extent of the injury.Coming at a time when the team has a tough schedule ahead of it, it seems to be the wrong time to disturb the harmony in the team. Both the team management and the players have never had it so good. This is a player-friendly PCB and a compassionate one. The goals that the team should be scoring should be against its opponents, not against itself.I don’t know how much this has affected the team’s performance in the triangular series but so far the performance has been far from satisfactory and against Australia, it was unbelievably bad. The team just fell apart. It was a game that was lost in the dressing-room as it was lost on the field.Australia was sent in to bat in conditions that should have suited our pace attack. Yet Australia made 332 and bit for Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, spinners, would have made more. Wides and no-balls were given away as if they were free samples and Wasim Akram was the main culprit. Inzamam had played the first match against Kenya and was hobbling about and went off and rightly was denied a runner when he came to bat. If he was unfit, he has a sore knee, he should not have been played.With the weight of 332 runs on its back, Pakistan fiddled with the batting order and Abdul Razzaq was sent in to open the batting, not Saeed Anwar or Shahid Afridi. Someone, it seemed had pressed the panic-button.The key to chasing a huge total is to see the new ball off and have wickets in hand. In a twinkling of an eye, the top order was gone. Imran Nazir could have stretched a back-muscle trying to reach what was a wide ball. Instead, he got an inside edge. Afridi was unlucky as the ball went of his pad to dislodge a bail and Saeed padded up to a straight ball. There being no Inzamam and indeed no Youhana, it was something of an achievement that Pakistan got past the 100 mark. It was a match that Pakistan would do well to forget.Cricket may be a game of glorious uncertainties but not absurdities and it was a foregone conclusion, as the tournament started that the final would be between Pakistan and Australia. But before the final, Pakistan has to play against Australia. A strong showing in that match could do much to bolster Pakistan’s confidence.At last, Shoaib Akhtar was at his awesome-best even though it was against the wrong opponent. But he has into his strides and he bowled really fast and was unsmiling, as fast bowlers should be. The decision to give him the new ball was a good one. In a way, it was a vote of confidence in him and he responded.I think Wasim Akram should have been rested in the second match against Kenya and Mohammad Sami played in his place. Wasim should have spent the day in the nets and made to work on the wides and no-balls he had been bowling. Wasim has looked out of sorts and, perhaps, a little too intense and over focused.But Pakistan’s main worry remains at the top order of its batting. Saeed Anwar seems to be lacking in confidence and Imran Nazir should be made to bat bare-footed so that he becomes aware that he has feet and they are supposed to be used to get at the pitch of the ball. Inzamam has a dodgy knee and there is, of course, no Youhana.As I write this, the contract row is no nearer a solution. The ICC apparently objected even to India’s main sponsor Sahara which is a conglomerate which includes an airline. One of ICC’s sponsors is South African airlines and as far as I know Sahara is a domestic carrier and in way could it be considered as being in competition with SAA. The whole issue is becoming a farce. What happened to common sense?

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will have to fork out more than $500 000 in refunds if the murky weather that has hovered over Jamaica for the last three days completely ruins the first of this weekend’s back-to-back Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationals between West Indies and India.With no significant rain between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. yesterday, during which there was a big mop-up operation at Sabina Park, there was increasing optimism of getting a match, even if it meant having some alterations.The general consensus, however, is that any overnight or early morning rain will prevent any possibility of play.In the event that less than 10 overs are possible, most of the almost 11 000 fans who have purchased tickets will be refunded, WICB marketing manager for events and promotions, Darren Millien, confirmed.Since 1999 the WICB has taken out refund insurance for instances like this where there is a threat of rain and patrons will be refunded the full value of the ticket that was purchased, Millien said.It translates to a 100 per cent refund in the event of 10 overs or less, 50 per cent in the event of 15 overs or less. As long as there are more than 25 overs, the refund policy wouldn’t kick-in, but anything less than that there is either going to be a partial or total refund of the face value of the ticket.Millien also revealed that a capacity Sabina brings in gate receipts of just under US$300 000, and at least 80 per cent of the ground had been sold out by yesterday afternoon.The popular Mound, which accommodates 1 200 spectators who each pay US$55 entry fee, was completely sold out, while the big George Headley Stand had accounted for all but 200 of its 5 700 seats which are available at US$40 each.Even if the WICB has to refund patrons, it will not lose out completely on revenue because of the refund insurance policy.Insurance never really puts you back to the original position. In other words, you are not 100 per cent indemnified, but we do recover some of the monies that would have been lost by way of gate receipts in the event of rain, Millien added.There were suggestions in some quarters to put back the weekend’s double-header to tomorrow and Monday, but logistical problems, among other things, quickly dismissed the thought.When we did a cost benefit, the costs were adding up to ridiculous amounts. We decided that we were going to have to take our chances with Saturday and Sunday, proceed as planned and hope that the weather co-operates, Millien said.The WICB marketing manager was speaking late yesterday evening before International Cricket Council match referee Mike Proctor, along with umpires David Shepherd, Russel Tiffin, Eddie Nicholls and Billy Doctrove inspected the ground, which had improved significantly over 24 hours.It still remained somewhat wet under footing and the cause was not helped by a lack of sunshine on a highly overcast day that was to be extended for the increased 16-member ground staff, headed by Charlie Joseph.What we intend to do tonight (last night) is work whole night again like what we did last (Thursday) night until tomorrow (this) morning, Joseph said.We are hoping that we still get the breeze. If we get rain, we have some house tents to put on.The torrential rain, caused by a cold front which extends to beyond Cuba in the north, has already prompted officials to use the pitch that was used for the fifth Test which ended on Wednesday.The decision was influenced by the fact that the steady, heavy rain since the Test ended, made it impossible to begin early preparations of the strip that was intended to be used for the limited-overs matches.Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) chief executive officer Brian Breese disclosed that another option being considered is to bring in the boundaries in the area of the practice pitches in the eastern section of the ground. They have been under the covers since Wednesday.We’ve made significant progress on the pitches. They have now decided that they are going to play on the Test pitch. That has been rolled. The outfield has been cut and I think we’re in shape to start a match, maybe not on time, but certainly we should get a match in tomorrow (today), Breese said.The JCA chief executive was also hoping to have the services of a helicopter to assist with the drying process, but that did not materialise by late evening.

New Zealand have agreed to a match being dropped from the itinerary of their West Indies tour.New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Martin Snedden said today that a request had been received from the West Indies to drop a planned three-day game between the One-Day Internationals and the first Test.Snedden said the West Indians felt it would be better to have three days as rest days and he agreed, especially after the vigorous programme of games New Zealand will have had in Pakistan and in the ODIs.Apart from a one-day warm up game against the University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI in Jamaica, every other game on the tour will be an international.

Canterbury survived the fourth day to gain an honourable draw in the Shell Trophy match with Central Districts at Blenheim this afternoon.Canterbury started the final day with the home team heavily favoured to achieve an outright victory.Central Districts needed only six Canterbury wickets but had not figured on some stout red and black defence.In the event the game finished an hour early at 5pm in a draw with Central Districts gaining two points for their first innings lead.Canterbury batted all day to force a draw on a good Horton Park batting pitch.Captain Gary Stead (79), Shane Bond (66 not out), Carl Anderson (65) and Aaron Redmond (35) continued on to allow Canterbury to occupy the crease and to also reach 422/8. That meant Canterbury was 152 runs ahead when both captains agreed there was not prospect of an outright result.It was a game that was dominated by the batting of Jarrod Englefield for Canterbury with 172 and 90 and David Kelly for Central Districts with 212 not out.The bowlers of both sides never really held the ascendancy on an excellent batting pitch and played a secondary role to the batsmen in the contest. Leg spinner Tim Anderson had a long bowl in partnership with off spinner Glen Sulzberger. Anderson finished with four for 150 and Sulzberger two for 126.However, Central Districts looked the more competent unit and because of this thoroughly deserved their points for the first innings lead.

The working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) at New Delhi yesterday made a decision that has beenwidely viewed as the first step in a long drawn battle with the IndianGovernment. Following the Government’s ambiguous stance on playingagainst Pakistan, the BCCI has decided not to take part in any eventsinvolving Pakistan. This includes fixtures conducted under the aegisof the International Cricket Council (ICC) like the ICC KnockOutTrophy and the World Cup.”In the absence of clear-cut guidelines in this matter, the Board hasdecided to play only in bilateral or triangular series involving Testplaying countries. We will not participate in tournaments such as AsiaCup, ICC Knock-out series (2002) and the 2003 World Cup because we donot know whether we would be able to play certain sides, likePakistan, or not,” said Board President AC Muthiah. Only recently, theIndian Government issued a directive to the BCCI prohibiting them fromtaking part in tournaments in certain offshore venues includingSharjah, Singapore and Toronto. Citing the reason that these venuesfostered irregularities like betting and matchfixing, the Governmentmade a unilateral decision not to play in these venues for threeyears.The agenda for working committee meetings of the BCCI is always laidout well in advance. In this case, there was no mention of thiscrucial decision prior to the meeting although the BCCI made it clearthat it would discuss a host of issues, including the irregularitiesin ticket sales at Goa where the last One-Dayer against Australia tookplace, the appointment of the BCCI media manager and the affiliationof four new states to the BCCI. The fact the Board President came outwith this announcement soon after the meeting took reporters andanalysts by surprise.It is quite clear the BCCI has not taken kindly to the Governmentclipping its wings in this regard. After withdrawing from thetriangular series in Sharjah, India came up for a lot of criticism ininternational fora. As is to be expected the Pakistan Cricket Boardcame out strongly against the BCCI and went to the extent of askingthe ICC to take some disciplinary action. With the ICC ruling out thepossibility of any disciplinary action on the basis that the Sharjahtourney was not an ICC endorsed event, the controversy subsided.However the latest decision taken by the BCCI has put the Governmentin a spot. Only recently, India put in a strong bid to host the ICCKnockOut Trophy which is scheduled for September next year. Thehosting of the event was already in doubt, with the Indian Income Taxauthorities not withdrawing tax exemptions that were earlierprevalent. The BCCI is doing its best to secure the tax exemption andhas suggested that it would even go to the courts if necessary. ICCPresident Malcolm Gray has given the BCCI time till April 30 to securethe tax exemption. If the BCCI fail to secure the exemption, the eventwill be shifted elsewhere.In case the BCCI does secure the right to host the ICC KnockOut, theGovernment will be in a strange and very embarrassing predicament. TheBCCI has said it will not take part in the tournament unless theGovernment comes up with a “clear-cut” stance on the matter. It’s notoften that a team hosts an ICC event without taking part. Indeed,would be a case of throwing a party without taking part in theoccasion…

A brilliant all-round performance by Shaun Pollock led Warwickshire Bears to a comfortable victory over Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge.Following up his belligerent innings of 70 by removing the cream of the hosts’ batting in an aggressive opening spell, the South African showed his worth in an 85-run victory that saw the Bears remain top of the NUL first division.The Outlaws never looked likely to threaten the visitors’ total after losing their top three within the opening overs. Welton survived a confident lbw appeal second ball, but it did him little good as he was adjudged out next delivery to Pollock. Boje followed a few minutes later; slashing optimistically outside the off stump before Bicknell edged Pollock through to the keeper to leave his side reeling at 13-3.Although Usman Afzaal and Chris Read threatened to turn the game with a brisk partnership of 59, Pollock responded to being recalled into the attack with the wicket of Read. And when Afzaal, who batted well for his 51 (in 82 balls with three boundaries) was bowled charging down the pitch to Neil Smith’s off-spin the writing was on the wall. Shafayat, playing in place of the injured and much-missed Kevin Pietersen, skied a catch off Dougie Brown and Giles mopped up the tail to finish with 3-27.Earlier Pollock’s innings was the corner stone of a challenging Bears score of 236-8 after Notts Outlaws enjoyed the best of the early overs having won the toss and inserted the visitors. Tight bowling by Greg Smith led to Nick Knight, a certainty for England’s one-day squad and in fine form following his unbeaten 255 against Hampshire in the week, driving straight to mid off in impatience. But Pollock, once again batting at number three, struck two enormous sixes in his 76-ball stay and enjoyed excellent support from his captain Mike Powell in a 68-run stand.With Dominic Ostler (40 from 38 balls with two sixes) showing his value as he returned from injury, and Trevor Penney weighing in towards the end (34 not out from 32 balls) the Bears took advantage of some loose bowling in setting their testing target.Nicky Boje kept the Outlaws in the game. His miserly nine-over spell brought the crucial wickets of Pollock and Bell at a cost of just 25 runs, but in the end the absence of Jason Gallian, Paul Franks and Kevin Pietersen proved too much of a burden for the Outlaws.

Northern Districts’ English imports, Steven Croft and James Foster, played crucial innings in the 24-run win against Otago at Seddon Park, in the opening game of the HRV Cup. They came together in the eighth over, with Northern Districts on 42 for 4, and added 126 runs for the fifth wicket. The 100-run stand had come off only 62 balls. Croft made 81 off 49 deliveries and Foster scored 48 off 30. Both of them were dismissed in the last over and Northern Districts made 174 for 7. Neil Wagner took thee wickets for Otago but was expensive, conceding 39 in four overs.Anton Devcich struck two early blows in Otago’s chase, reducing them to 19 for 2 in three overs. Hamish Rutherford top-scored with 47, but Otago did not have the powerful innings that Croft and Foster had provided Northern Districts. They were always behind the asking rate, and finished on 150 for 6. Left-arm seamer Bradley Scott did not take a wicket for Northern Districts but he conceded only 23 runs in four overs.