Australia have again seized the No. 1 ODI ranking after seven weeks of sitting in second place behind South Africa. Bangladesh’s upset victory over South Africa combined with Australia’s comfortable defeat of England restored Ricky Ponting’s men to top spot.However, Australia have 128 points and are only three clear of Graeme Smith’s side, meaning the standings could change a number of times before the World Cup ends. South Africa timed their brief period at the head of the table to perfection – as the No. 1-ranked country at the end of the ICC year on April 1 they pocketed US$175,000.Australia stumbled from the top position after their 3-0 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy loss in February and it was the first time since the ODI rankings were introduced in October 2002 they were not No. 1.Sri Lanka have jumped Pakistan to take the No. 4 place, meaning the four favourites to make the semi-finals – Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka – are officially the four best teams in the world. England’s loss to Australia kept them in seventh position but a poor finish in the Caribbean could yet see West Indies leapfrog them.
Peter Chingoka, Zimbabwe Cricket’s embattled chairman, has launched a stinging attack on those who have criticised the way that the game is being run in Zimbabwe.Replying to a letter sent to the ICC by Charlie Robertson and Ethan Dube, two senior administrators, Chingoka questioned their credentials and claimed that they wanted “democracy is only when it suits your interests”.He continued: “It seems that you two reverend gentlemen would like to keep the sport in your perceived enclave and maintain the status quo to the disadvantage of those previously left out. It is sad to note your views on this subject yet some of the people who have benefited from the deliberate ZC policy of widening the base of talent are now being roped in by yourselves to think that such a policy is bad. We have irrefutable evidence of interference with the players by your lot. The true picture you are hiding from them is that you want continuous control at the helm of the game.”Chingoka went on to dismiss suggestions that the board was racist. “Allegations peddled from your corner on some such allegations are spurious and go on to show the die-hard nature of your past agendas” he wrote. “That is doomed to fail.”Turning to the current state of affairs, Chingoka claimed that the situation was not as dire as Robertson and Dube stated, but was getting better. “Our team is a young one being nurtured for bigger things to come. It is being developed for a better future and Test cricket status. Suspending Test matches was a deliberate policy by the board to ensure that the team grows and develops in the interim.”The current team is doing fine,” Chingoka explained. “We wish good luck to those who do not want to play for Zimbabwe because of enticements given to them. Zimbabwe Cricket has not denied any person from playing cricket for the national team. If you were genuine in your efforts to encourage team work, we would have seen the results from efforts to resolve perceived differences and talking to players to play for the country.”Turning to the involvement of the government’s Sports & Recreation Committee, which took control of the board in January and immediately reappointed Chingoka as chairman, he stated: “The SRC has done nothing wrong. Its actions have brought tranquility into sport. Its undue criticism by yourselves is not a surprise because you do not want the game to be spread in order for talent to be tapped nationwide. You are against the SRC because of their stance on this issue. It is sad to note that 26 years after independence you still hold on to archaic ideas.”He also brushed aside allegations that money was missing from the board’s accounts, pointing out that an independent auditor was now at work. “The police have finished their investigations. Our lawyers told us that the former board was guilty of contravening sections of the Exchange Control Act. Consequently no individual is to be charged but the board.He signed off: “Please be advised that it is always good to remove the log in one’s eye before pointing at the speck in another’s.”But the letter also made a number of extremely serious allegations against Ahmed Ebrahim, the former vice-president of the board and a former Supreme Court judge, who led the opposition to Chingoka last year. It also made allegations against Macsood Ebrahim, Ahmed’s son and a former leading administrator and national selector. Those are likely to ensure that this matter is far from finished.
Shane Bond and Jacob Oram will test their recovering bodies when they play for the New Zealand Academy in Cricket Australia’s emerging players tournament in Brisbane in July. Bond, who began his comeback towards the end of last season, and Oram are both returning from serious back problems and will be joined in the squad by Michael Papps, the batsman hit twice in an over by Brett Lee bouncers during an ODI in February.Dayle Hadlee, the team manager, said the outfit was selected as New Zealand prepared to install their short- and long-term succession plans. “There is an exciting blend of experience and youth within the team,” he said. Derek De Boorder and Te Ahu Davis, who are 19, and the 18-year-old Todd Astle will combine with a squad of regular first-class players.Hadlee said the focus of the tournament would be the one-day and Twenty20 matches with teams from the Australian Institute of Sport and an Indian Academy. A three-day match will conclude the series.New Zealand Academy Jacob Oram (capt), Graham Aldridge, Todd Astle, Shane Bond, Te Ahu Davis, Derek De Boorder, Peter Fulton, Bruce Martin, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Hayden Shaw, Ross Taylor.
Neil Mallender and Aleem Dar are to join the elite panel of Test umpires in April following an annual performance review by the ICC.Mallender, 42, played two Tests for England in 1992 and became a first-class umpire in 1999, while Dar, who played domestic cricket in Pakistan between 1986 and 1998, stood in his first Test during England’s tour of Bangladesh last October.”I’m very pleased to be given this opportunity. Making this panel was my aim and having made it to this level I will now be aiming to do my best," said Dar.Mallender, meanwhile, admitted the news was something of a surprise. He said, "I was quite shocked when I was told. To umpire at this level was my aim but it has come around sooner than I expected it would."They will join the established quartet of David Shepherd, Steve Bucknor, Daryl Harper and Rudi Koertzen. Meanwhile, the three umpires who joined in April 2003 – Billy Bowden, Darrell Hair and Simon Taufel – all retained their places.However, the unlucky three to be dropped by the ICC were Asoka de Silva, David Orchard and Russell Tiffin. When Venkat retires next month, the number of umpires to officiate in Tests will drop from 11 to nine.Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said the changes to the panel reflected the strong depth in umpiring round the world. “Over the past two years we have seen a strong group of new umpires emerge,” he said. “Aleem Dar and Neil Mallender have demonstrated that they are ready to take the next step in their careers.”
After watching a close encounter between South Africa and West Indies on Sunday night, I had high expectations when I walked into the Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein. Sadly, it turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Sri Lanka inflicting a thrashing defeat on New Zealand.Stephen Fleming is one of the most experienced captains in world cricket. So the Kiwi game plan for this crucial encounter came as something of a shock for me. Given that they are adamant about not going to Kenya and forfeiting the four points which they would have got otherwise, I would have thought that they would have wanted to win this game desperately.But it all went awry for Fleming and his team. Firstly, they left out possibly the best left-arm spinner in world cricket these days – Daniel Vettori. Secondly, Fleming’s decision to ask Sri Lanka to bat first also backfired as the Kiwi pace men struggled to make early inroads.Even from a distance one could make out that the pitch was devoid of grass and that the spinners would have a major role to play in the game. By opting to bat second, Fleming, then, invited the pressure of batting against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, which effectively meant that he played into the hands of the Sri Lankans.
Experience at the highest level counts a great deal in such high profile tournaments, where the expectations to succeed in every game you play is very high indeed. Sri Lanka were today well served by their experienced campaigners – skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and the evergreen Hashan Tillakaratne. They really made Fleming pay hard for his folly of dropping Vettori, as runs flowed at a brisk rate. Jayasuriya’s century was truly brilliant. The Sri Lankan skipper’s contribution to his team’s success in one-day cricket is simply tremendous to say the least.Even though the Sri Lankan spinners played a major role in squeezing New Zealand into submission, the role of Pulasthi Gunaratne early on should not be forgotten. It was Gunaratne who made the early inroads for Sri Lanka and put New Zealand under enormous pressure.As for Nathan Astle’s dismissal, I just cannot understand what the talented opener had in mind when he took off for that suicidal run. You don’t win a cricket game with such mindless deeds, let alone a World Cup.Craig McMillan’s continued failure might, meanwhile, even jeopardise his place in the team. Thankfully for New Zealand, Scott Styris is turning out to be a revelation. Yet again, he gave his very best, using his feet to the spinners and lashing out at anything loose that came his way. I am quite pleased for him, for it is always nice to see enthusiasm being rewarded. Styris’ hundred today is just a pointer to the more experienced batsmen of the job they failed to do.Congratulations to Sri Lanka. They are now definitely strong contenders to qualify for the Super Sixes from their group. The result must have been double sweet for Jayasuriya, after all the criticism that came his way following the dismal show in the VB series in Australia.The match has yet again showed that the World Cup is still wide open, and as days go by we will see the Super Six emerging. Now that England seems to have almost decided not to make the trip to Zimbabwe, the result of Tuesday’s game between Australia and Pakistan could be a crucial one for India.
SK Nair and S Haridas were elected president and secretary of theKerala Cricket Association in the elections of the Kerala CricketAssociation at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Nair, who is thechairman of the Finance Committee of the Board of Control forCricket in India has been elected president for the first timewhile Haridas was re-elected to the post.The other members elected for a four year period (2001 to 2005)were: Vice Presidents : Dr KN Raghavan, GK Shetty, S RamachandranNair, and C Sneharaj. Joint secretary : Niaz Ahmed Treasurer: TCMathew
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly plotting a summer transfer move for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison, according to The Telegraph.
The lowdown: Impressive top-flight exploits
The 25-year-old enjoyed a sensational breakthrough campaign in the Premier League at Elland Road having signed permanently from Manchester City for £11million in 2021 (BBC).
Harrison scored eight times and provided another eight assists in 2020/21 and a hat-trick earlier this season against West Ham put the former England youth international in the spotlight once again, despite this campaign seeing a slight drop-off in form overall.
Having made an enquiry during the January transfer window, Spurs could be about to renew their interest.
The latest: Summer swoop pending
As per the report, Tottenham are believed to be ‘planning’ a summer offer for the highly-rated left-winger.
Moreover, it’s claimed that sporting director Fabio Paratici has received a recommendation from Italian icon Andrea Pirlo – who was impressed by the two-cap England Under 21 ace at New York City FC.
The report also states that Harrison could be viewed as an alternative option to Adama Traore after Spurs missed out on the powerful Spaniard in January when moving from Wolves to Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.
The latest: A ‘brilliant’ signing?
Capable of operating in advanced wide positions as well as in wing-back roles (WhoScored), Harrison would appear purpose-built to flourish in Antonio Conte’s system.
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Despite the struggles at Leeds this season, the man recently described as ‘brilliant’ by Kevin Phillips has enjoyed a decent campaign in the top-flight, scoring seven times and providing two assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.
Valued at £13.5million and under contract in Yorkshire until 2024 (Transfermarkt), signing the versatile star would be a wholly affordable option and could see Conte cast aside an injury prone Ryan Sessegnon.
In other news: Journalist drops huge claim in Spurs’ pursuit of Serie A hitman. Read more here.
Outspoken former South Africa coach Ray Jennings believes there are better candidates to captain the national side than Graeme Smith.Jennings has no issue with Smith the batsman, who recently posted a new world Test opening partnership with Neil McKenzie, but does have reservations when it comes to him leading the side. “Graeme Smith is a superb cricketer. He has presence and mental toughness,” he told The Wisden Cricketer. “From a captaincy point of view I believe there are one or two other guys who are able to lead the team better than he does.”When pressed to name his preferred candidates, Jennings replied: “Names aren’t really important to me. I believe there are better guys to do the job but that’s my opinion. As a batsman there’s no doubt I’ll have Graeme in my side. He’s a solid cricketer and a fighter.”When asked to comment on the recent high profile fall out between senior administrators about racial quotas, Jennings said: “South African cricket has to understand that they don’t need to put issues like this in the media. They could have had the fight behind closed doors and iron it out there. It has put me and a lot of cricketers in an awkward position.”I’m sad that coloured players in the team could have a stigma attached, where they feel they are underprivileged when that’s not the case. It’s not about having a 50-50 or 60-40 split between white and coloured players. In our country the sides are picked on their cricketing ability because the players of colour are good enough to play.”Jennings, who served a six-month stint as national coach, also said he would take up the post if it came around again, but only under his own terms. “I would definitely take it up again but there would be a few conditions. I would look at the combination of the side: how it gets picked. I would also look at my management staff and how I put that together.”In a terse media release, Cricket South Africa said Jennings claimed to have been “misquoted” in the article.
Brian Belle, who played for Oxford University and Essex in the years immediately before the Second World War as a top-order batsman, has died at the age of 92. At the time of his death he was the oldest surviving Essex player.He appeared in one Varsity match, in 1936, where he made 48 and 26, although he finished on the losing side. Between 1935 and 1937 he played regularly for Essex as an amateur before his teaching duties led to him to pack in full-time cricket – he was to become headmaster of Orwell Park after the war.Perhaps his most memorable moment came a week after his county debut in 1935 when he cracked 63 in a sixth-wicket stand of 174 with Morris Nichols as Essex routed Yorkshire, the leading side of the decade, by an innings and 204 runs.After serving in the Royal Artillery during the war, he continued to play Minor County cricket for Suffolk, who had made his debut for in 1939, helping them to their first title in 1946 and captaining them between 1949 and 1953. He was subsequently county chairman.Belle was also a more than able footballer, representing Corinthians, the top amateur team of the time, as a full-back. He also won a Blue at football in 1935-36.
The start of the first day of the Intercontinental Cup play-off tie between Namibia and Nepal at Windhoek was washed out, and the prospects are that the whole match will be a stop-start affair.Namibia, like much of southern Africa, has had the wettest rainy season in 30 years, and over 500mm has fallen in Windhoek in the last six weeks alone, almost double the usual annual rainfall. On Tuesday night a massive storm dumped 70mm of rain in a little over an hour.Although the outfield at The Wanderers was very wet, the pitch itself remained dry. The forecast for the next few days is bleak and it is increasingly likely that the game might not even start. If so, then Namibia will qualify for the group stage of the tournament. If the teams do take to the field, then the side gaining the most bonus points will go through.