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The Zimbabwe left-armer talks about starting out as a fast bowler, and keeping the attitude when he moved over to spin

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi11-Aug-2011You were once pigeonholed as a Test specialist early in your career and you are now No. 3 in the world in ODIs.
I had a goal from when I was about 24 or 25 to be in the top 10. Heath [Streak] did it, and it was my one of my goals to beat him because he has always been a kind of hero of mine.It is quite a difficult job trying to catch up with Daniel Vettori because he is way up there on the points table. He is a fantastic left-arm spinner who has been playing from when he was really young, and that helps a lot. He has nice and easy action. I have learned a lot from just watching him.You started as a fast bowler, didn’t you?
I tried to be a Mitchell Johnson till I was 14. At that age everybody wants to be fast. I still want to be Mitchell Johnson. I would love to be that quick. Perhaps I should get some muscle and some tattoos.Basically I got into cricket because my dad, Tim, worked at the Royal Harare Golf Club, which is about 100 metres from the Harare Sports Club. I would go with him in the June holidays to work with him and also play a bit of golf. In the afternoon I would practise with the third team at the Sports Club. I met John Traicos, one of the first cricketers I saw. He would finish in the office at about half past 12, take his suit off and bowl for an hour by himself and then go and have a shower, put his suit back on and head back to office. He would be back later in the evening to practise again. That made a huge statement for me, just about how much work I would have to put in to become an international spinner. I made sure that I tried to spend more time bowling by myself, not just in normal practice but outside of practice. Those are the things that make you a cricketer, that time you buy yourself and do a little bit of extra work [in].I read in [one of] Sachin Tendulkar’s biographies about getting on buses to go for training at strange hours and coming home late at night. It is all those little things like that that make you into a cricketer at the end. You appreciate your practice more when you put in that much effort to get there. So you make it purposeful.Did that aggressive mindset help in your spin bowling?
Being aggressive works for me; it gets me into the zone quite quickly. Also, playing for your country, it is a very proud thing, and you should give it 100% each time you play. My dad always told me to make sure you finish the game knowing you tried everything you could. You can then relax in the change room and enjoy after that.You once said you like to have some sort of interaction with the batsman because you felt it helps.
I enjoy just having a nice chat with the guy. It is between you and him only, and it is lots of fun. I remember when I first started playing, I actually hated when guys used to chirp and make noise and get stuck into me. But after playing with the Flowers – Andy and Grant – they never really sought after it, but if someone came after them they were not afraid to have a word. I don’t try and get nasty. I don’t swear at people. I don’t believe in that.My dad had a wonderful sense of humour. He died last year. He told the worst jokes ever – they were terrible but you would have to laugh at them. He was the worst pun-maker. But he was very good at public-speaking, and a golf professional.Give us an example of a funny sledge you remember.
Jacques Kallis has lost a lot of weight in the last few years. When we played in South Africa two years ago, we were playing on the far left-hand square at Centurion Park, and one of the boundaries was just 45-50 metres away. Kallis went for a slog-sweep and got a four against me. I said: “In your older days when you were a little bigger you would have hit the ball out of the ground. But now that you are skinny, you can’t reach.” Both of us had a nice laugh.Have you ever tried to get into a duel with a batsman?
I tried against Brian Lara in the fifth ODI of the 2003 series, in Harare. He was just knocking the ball around and making it look easy. He got 41 off 42 balls, but he was going too slowly in the beginning and we had not set much of a target, so he was just nudging it around. After my first ball, which he blocked back to me, I said to him, “Come on, you are supposed to be the world’s best batsman. Let’s see if you can take me on.” Jeepers, he just tore me to shreds – he hit me over extra cover, hit me over cow, swept me, backed away and cut me past point. He lambasted me. My figures read 29 in three overs.I learned that you have to pick your batsman before chatting them up. Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting definitely are batsmen I would never chat to. There are few guys people are afraid to bowl to – like, Virender Sehwag is an absolute nightmare. He was one of the few guys I was afraid to bowl at. Sourav Ganguly was the other one.Why did you choose finger-spin?
I used to bowl out of the back of my hand, like Brad Hogg, until I was 17. I could spin the ball long way but I was not accurate. And once the batsmen work out you are going to spin the ball only one way, it becomes easy for them. My coach Simon Elliott suggested I bowl finger-spin. I was very accurate. In about the fifth game after I started bowling finger-spin, I got a hat-trick. That ball is in my cupboard. I keep all the balls that have earned me a name. I got Sachin to sign a couple. The first time I got him out he had made 176. He said he was going to make it difficult for me the next time.Claude Henderson, the former South African spinner, helped me a lot. He showed me how to let the seam go, how to use the crease cleverly and the variations.During the World Cup, Pat Symcox backed your brand of spin.
He is exactly the same as me. He told me about the things he had learned from Bishan Bedi, about different kinds of batsmen, how they use their feet, how some guys like to hit the ball on the up, so let the ball bounce, while others like to hit the ball right at their feet. Little things like that always are handy.

“Steve Waugh wrote me a little note: ‘To Pricey: love the attitude.’ You have to have the right attitude when you are playing”

Were you a good student?
Elliott was a very strange man but he taught us discipline. Two of my mates were late for the start of a match once, so Elliott plucked out two stumps and caned them. I have been caned often for doing silly things. I went to Watershed College, a boarding school 60 kilometres outside of Harare, where when the lights went out you were not supposed to talk. I would, and I’d get the stick. It kept us in line.Do you want to get a wicket every ball?
I don’t really think about wickets. Wickets, I believe, are something you cannot control. I like to work out the best delivery to bowl to a certain batsman and stick to that.There are few spinners like Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne who could say, “If I can get him to push forward I can get him caught at slip.” I am not that kind of a spinner, unless the wicket is really spinning. All I try to do, especially in the one-dayers, I pick a slight weakness, or something he does not like in my bowling, and [work on] that.Are you obsessive about your bowling?
A little bit, especially when I decide which line and length I want to bowl. I am hyper-critical of myself, especially in the middle, because I believe I have done enough work off the field to know where I’m supposed to be bowling. That helps me to keep my focus and helps me to be in the zone.Once, in a Test in Bulawayo, I was bowling to Herschelle Gibbs, who is a very good sweeper and hits very well through extra cover. He ran down the wicket at me and I pushed the ball wide. I’d normally never do that. He went for it, tried to slash at the ball and was caught at point. I was actually going to push the ball down the leg. That is why I say some days you can bowl badly and get wickets and other days not get a wicket at all, even off good balls.Who is the most difficult batsman you have bowled to?
Lara was such a difficult player to work out because he had so many different options of scoring. He was so good off the back foot as well as the front foot.Matthew Hayden was a destructive batsman, too.Then there was Adam Gilchrist. Like when Hayden made 380, Gilchrist made 100 off 84 balls. We had the problem dealing with Hayden, and Gilchrist was on fire as well. It was a nightmare.Did I sledge them? No. I did not have time to as I was trying to fetch the ball off the roof. I remember Heath getting out Gilchrist in Sydney. I remember running up and hugging him, feeling so happy. Gilchrist ran down against me in one over, and he was beaten in the flight, but he still hit me into the stands with just one hand. So when he was out I was completely happy.Have you ever got any compliments from batsmen?
I got six wickets in Sydney in 2003 and took a stump as a souvenir. We later went into the Australian dressing room. Steve Waugh was sitting next to me. I did not know what to say because he was a hero: a hard, gritty man who had made most of his opportunities, and the way he led Australia, how he changed the whole team into tough cricketers and all that. He took the stump and said, “Do you mind if I write something on it?” I was delighted and said it would be my pleasure. He wrote a little note: “To Pricey: love the attitude.” It just made me realise that you have to have the right attitude when you are playing.”I was so inspired and was dying to get ‘Price’ on the back of my bright red shirt. I was dying to play for my country – did not matter as a bowler or a batsman”•AFPWe were playing West Indies next. Waugh told me to make sure to put the mid-on back when Lara walked in. I was reluctant, but he said Lara would take me on and would love to dominate me from ball one. In that first Test, in Harare, I asked Heath to push the mid-on back. He was surprised but was fine. Off my eighth delivery, Lara ran down and was caught brilliantly at deep mid-on. I did thank Waugh later.It is so important to talk to people who have played so much because they have got a certain gut feeling and instinct for the game and they also look at other players and work out not just the way they play cricket but also the kind of people they are.You played your first World Cup this year. What did it feel like?
I was so excited to get to play. I missed 2003 because I wasn’t really a one-day player. Then I started to do well in the B League and forced my way back into the side. Brian Murphy, a good legspinner, good fielder, good friend of mine, got injured and I came back and have never looked back.I remember as a 16-year-old listening to matches from the 1992 World Cup on radio, and then watching it on the big screen at the Harare Sports Club over the weekends. I was so inspired and was dying to get “Price” on the back of my bright red shirt. I was dying to play for my country – did not matter as a bowler or a batsman. Those are the kinds of things that make you into the cricketer you are. I am happy I finally got an opportunity to live my dream. I don’t think I will play another one, but I could come in as a spin coach.What is your best cricketing memory?

One of my best memories was during one of my first games. I was playing for Zimbabwe A at SuperSport Park against the Northerns. It was my first day-and-night match. It was the first time my name was on the back of the shirt. I was given two. One I gave to my mother and the other is in my cupboard. It was a green-coloured one.I was standing at fine leg. I had never signed an autograph in my life. There were a group of 20 or 30-odd kids, waiting with stuff to be signed. I was really excited. I grabbed the first bat and signed and kept grabbing and signing. I remember I was being arrogant and thinking in my head that I had made it finally in cricket. “I am now a world player.” At the end of the day there were these kids, one about six and the other about 10 or 11. They had these big bats, probably their dad’s or grandfather’s. They were looking quite shy. It was the 48th over or something. The Zimbabwe batting line-up was on the scoreboard. I called the two and asked them to bring their bats and I would sign them. I started signing. Suddenly another kid walked past and said in the direction of the two shy kids: “Eh, you guys, what do you want his autograph for? Check his batting – No. 11!” I was completely deflated. It taught me to be humble. Don’t get too big-headed. Even kids can teach you lessons.

Twenty minutes with the chairman of the board

John Stern13-Jan-2009
Clarke: outspoken… when he wants to be © Getty Images
Giles Clarke claims not to be a politician. Yet here he is, at a school in a deprived area of Bristol, his hometown, opening a fitness centre that bears his name. He wants to talk about the ECB’s investment in the grass roots of the sport, but inevitably, at a time of great flux in world cricket (and this was before the Mumbai attacks), he is fielding questions about Stanford, the ICC, the Indian board. The list goes on. And inevitably he is being asked to defend himself against accusation and criticism. In that respect he is the consummate politician, not evasive as such but answering the question he wishes to answer rather than the one that is asked.Clarke has invited TWC and the to the newly opened Merchants’ Academy in the Withywood area of Bristol. This is a £22m state academy, part funded by the Society of Merchant Venturers, the 450-year-old commercial institution for Bristol’s movers and shakers of which Clarke is a member. He is understandably enthused, both about the project as a whole and about a boy he has just seen, who had never played cricket before, bowling inswing in the sports hall.TWC has 20 minutes with the chairman but they are ticking by as Clarke delivers a monologue on grass-roots cricket and sport’s role in the education of young people. The question “Can I ask you about some other stuff?” brings a knowing smile from Clarke. “I shall be offering no stroke outside off stump to many of your questions,” he replies. This is something of a surprise. This is the equivalent of Virender Sehwag saying he might leave a few during the first 15 overs of a one-dayer. Normally if you give Clarke balls to hit, he will go after them, which is why he enjoys a grudging admiration among most pressmen. They may not like him especially, or what he stands for, but he is accessible, voluble, clubbable and opinionated – and that is what really counts for the gentlemen of Fleet Street.Clarke’s apparent reticence relates to the ongoing saga of negotiations between the ECB and its Indian counterpart relating to England players’ availability for the Indian Premier League. This in turn impacts on whether Indian players will be allowed to play in the English Premier League, which kicks off in 2010. Without Indian involvement in that tournament, the television rights would have little value in Asia and so be less lucrative for the ECB. Not a politician, Giles? He and David Collier, chief executive, had just returned from Mumbai, where they had met their Indian equivalents but reached resolution only on India playing five Tests in England in 2011, a coup but a mere hors d’oeuvre compared with the meat of the IPL issue.Of course, Clarke is still outspoken – Sehwag has not become Alastair Cook. It is just that a year into this (unpaid) job he is defending himself and the board against all the inevitable brickbats rather than setting out his manifesto. ECB v BBCClarke launched a fusillade against the national broadcaster during the interview:
“Contrary to other inaccurate statements made, we put 27 different packages together and it was possible, should they have wanted, for any broadcaster to bid for an individual Test, ODI or Twenty20. There was competitive bidding but nobody chose to do so. As I said at the time, it was extraordinarily disappointing that we should end up with a situation where tax-payers’ money is being spent to pay for tax exiles to drive around a motor track on the other side of the world. I think it is thoroughly unattractive. Is that what tax-payers’ money should be spent on? I don’t think so and, as I have said, how many people play Formula 1? The BBC could have used that money to buy two Twenty20 internationals a year. “The BBC must have a policy towards the nation’s summer sport. They must recognise that 3.5 million people played this sport last year. They’re ignoring that our women’s team are the best in the world. When are we going to see some proper gender coverage of sport from the nation’s broadcaster, I ask? When are we going to see Charlotte Edwards given proper recognition as the ICC Women’s Player of the Year that she damn well was? Is the BBC going to put her up on the pedestals that they put some very ordinary individuals upon? Are we going to come back to for this? Roger Mosey, the BBC’s director of sport, responded:
“The BBC does have a policy for cricket. We have , one of the jewels in our crown. We have a fantastically popular online site. We brought television highlights back to the BBC with the Ashes in Australia and the Cricket World Cup. We’re actively looking at similar opportunities in the near future. “What seems distinctly odd is that the ECB claim we told them we weren’t bidding for live TV cricket at the end of March. They then kept silent all through April, May and June. They didn’t call the director-general or me or go to MPs or the papers or try to raise the issue in any way. Only after they’d done a reported £300m exclusive deal with Sky did they attack us and call for a debate about the BBC’s sports rights strategy.”Giles seems to have an ever-increasing number of targets. Lewis Hamilton is a hero to many Britons and more than 10 million people watched him win the World Championship. is a massively popular programme and we’re very proud of it. We have some great sportswomen on our Sports Personality shortlist and I don’t think any of them can be described as ‘very ordinary individuals’.”He accepts almost none of the criticism (of which there is plenty from inside and outside the game) that has been directed at him or the ECB. From within the game there is a concern that the EPL, the 20-over tournament that will replace the Pro40 in 2010, is a fudge (20 teams rather than the nine-team event suggested by MCC’s chief executive, Keith Bradshaw). In addition there is a fear that it is undervalued commercially because it is part of the £300m exclusive TV deal with Sky and Allen Stanford has an option on sponsoring it.The test for Clarke will come in March when he faces re-election. “I won’t be campaigning,” he says. “I’m running a national sport, not a political party.” Giving this interview might be seen as part of the campaign trail. He brushes off the concern about Twenty20 overkill, as expressed globally by many people, whether supporters, commentators or players. “All of the research that we did showed 69% of people who went to Twenty20 wanted more.”He is withering about the mass of criticism aimed at the Stanford Super Series in Antigua. He blames it on the press whipping up a self-interested storm. But what about the criticism from Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport? Surely you have to take that seriously? “Well, Andy Burnham made some remarks when he hadn’t been fully briefed by us. He put forward a certain type of view.” Burnham’s view, which a DCMS spokesman confirmed he still stands by, was that “he feels uneasy about a sporting contest being more about the money at stake rather than the competition itself and the pride of winning” – a view that would be shared by the vast majority of cricket supporters in the UK, despite Clarke’s belated attempt to shift the focus on to the investment in grass-roots projects in the Caribbean.A question about the future of cricket, about where the game will be in five years’ time, causes a deep intake of breath. Is the great schmoozer lost for words? Not quite. “The game has to decide what the ICC does, what is its role. It has to determine its calendar over a lengthy period. Four years is not practical. At the same time we have to respect quality. Test cricket is the summit of the game and it must be played by the best countries. There is no doubt that when Test cricket is good, it is wonderful.” So does that mean less Test cricket but better Test cricket?”Yes. That is the real test of the player in mental and physical strength, the tension and excitement we feel as a series develops. And we have to care about the World Cup as a major event. The 2007 World Cup was unsuccessful in virtually every feasible aspect. The 2011 World Cup is a huge thing for the ICC because they have to get it right.”There is a common sense and logic to everything Clarke has just said but common sense and logic often seem to give way to greed and self-interest in the international corridors of cricket power. Clarke, though, serial entrepreneur and ECB fund-raiser extraordinaire, would probably not see it quite like that.

Real Madrid have hit a stumbling block in their pursuit of Benfica's Alvaro Carreras, with Alex Grimaldo being eyed as an alternative.

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• Madrid keen on signing Carreras
• Benfica remain firm on selling him for €50m
• Grimaldo being eyed as an alternative if Madrid fail to sign Carreras

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Real Madrid’s pursuit of Carreras has hit a significant obstacle, with negotiations between Los Blancos and Benfica stalling over the defender’s release clause, according to (h/t Mundo Deportivo). While the Spanish giants have already reached a five-year agreement with the 22-year-old Galician full-back, the transfer remains on hold due to Benfica’s firm stance.

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  The Portuguese club is demanding the full €50 million buyout clause, while Madrid are attempting to negotiate a reduced fee in the region of €35–40 million. Talks have dragged on for several weeks without progress, prompting the club’s technical staff to begin exploring alternative options, reports . Carreras is seen as a priority target for both Xabi Alonso and Madrid’s recruitment team, who view him as the ideal solution at left-back. He is expected to be the third defensive reinforcement of the summer, following the signings of Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Madrid have until June 10 to finalise the deal before the Club World Cup roster deadline — a tournament in which Benfica will also participate. If an agreement cannot be reached in the coming days, Madrid may shift their focus to Grimaldo. The 29-year-old Spanish international has long expressed interest in joining a top-tier club, and if Carreras' move falls through, a high-profile switch to the Bernabeu could soon be within reach for the former Benfica full-back.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Madrid have ushered into a new era with Alonso at the helm, and they will kickstart their reign under the former Spanish midfielder in the first game of the Club World Cup on June 18, when they take on Saudi heavyweights Al-Hilal.

MatériaMais Notícias

De um lado, Pedro. Do outro, Germán Cano. A final do Cariocaentre Flamengo e Fluminense colocará frente a frente dois dos principais artilheiros do futebol brasileiro. Os centroavantes chegam para o primeiro jogo da decisão, neste sábado no Maracanã, como os maiores goleadores do país em 2023. O camisa 9 rubro-negro soma 13 bolas nas redes adversárias. O camisa 14 tricolor tem uma a mais: são 14. O duelo particular é um ingrediente a mais deste esperado Fla-Flu.

RelacionadasLibertadoresLibertadores 2023: Conmebol define datas e horários dos jogos da fase de gruposLibertadores28/03/2023FluminenseCano projeta final do Carioca e diz que Fluminense vai brigar por título da LibertadoresFluminense28/03/2023FlamengoFinal do Carioca tem mais de 50 mil ingressos vendidos; não há mais entradas para a torcida do FlamengoFlamengo28/03/2023

NÚMEROS E COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE PEDRO E CANO

A palavra que define as temporadas de Pedro e Cano é eficiência. Os dois se caracterizam pela necessidade de poucos espaços – e chances – para castigar os adversários. O centroavante tricolor tem uma média impressionante de 1,27 gols por partida, contra a de 1,08 do atacante rubro-negro.

+Flamengo x Fluminense: onde assistir, escalações e desfalques da final do Carioca

Por outro lado, Pedro ainda contribuiu com três assistências para companheiros de Flamengo. Assim, são 16 participações diretas em 12 jogos do camisa 9 em gols, número superior ao de Cano, que ainda não foi “garçom” de nenhum parceiro de Fluminense nas 11 partidas que atuou em 2023.

ARTILHARIAS NÃO SÃO NOVIDADES

A boa fase dos centroavantes não é de agora. Em 2022, o argentino marcou 44 gols e foi o artilheiro do futebol brasileiro, seguido por Pedro e Gabi, do Flamengo, e Hulk, do Atlético-MG, todos com 29. Em 2021, os dois também foram bem: Pedro, com 20 gols, e Cano, ainda pelo Vasco, com 22 gols.

MELHOR INÍCIO DE PEDRO PELO FLA

Em sua quarta temporada com o Manto, Pedro vive seu melhor início de temporada. Afinal, iniciou 2023 dando sequência à titularidade conquistada no segundo semestre do ano passado, formando dupla com Gabi. Se o coletivo do Flamengo ainda não engrenou, o camisa 9 segue em grande fase.

+Desgaste por viagem da Libertadores entre finais do Carioca é vista com preocupação

Foram quatro gols no Mundial de Clubes e um na Supercopa do Brasil, além dos oito no Estadual. A artilharia no Carioca está distante, mas Pedro é a esperança de gols para o Flamengo conquistar a primeira taça em 2023, o que diminuirá a pressão sobre elenco e comissão técnica de Vítor Pereira.

A TEMPORADA DE CANO: FAZ O L!

O centroavante não teve um início de ano animador e preocupou a torcida do Fluminense. Em branco nos quatro primeiros jogos que fez no ano, Cano só desencantou na sétima rodada do Carioca, diante do Audax. O atacante, contudo, fez em grande estilo: três gols no triunfo por 3 a 0.

+Cano projeta final do Carioca e diz que Fluminense vai brigar por título da Libertadores

A partir daí, Germán Cano não parou mais de fazer gols e neste momento é o artilheiro isolado do Campeonato Carioca e também do futebol brasileiro, este empatado com Lelê, que está deixando o Volta Redonda justamente para acertar com o Fluminense. São 14 bolas nas redes adversárias.

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe is raring to go after returning for pre-season ahead of the start of the new 2025-26 campaign.

• Real Madrid back in pre-season training
• Mbappe sends out 'hungry' message
• Team finished trophyless last season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Real Madrid are back in pre-season under new manager Xabi Alonso following a brief break after their exploits at the Club World Cup. Los Blancos finished last season without winning a major trophy, despite having added Mbappe to the squad from PSG, and will be aiming to get back to winning ways in the coming campaign.

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  Mbappe's Club World Cup campaign was disrupted by illness that even saw the France star hospitalised at one point. The forward also lost around 5kg while in the United States, due to gastroenteritis, but is now looking forward to the season ahead and seems eager to return to action.

• WHAT MBAPPE SAID

  He posted on Instagram: "New season. Hungry to do something great. Let's go all together, Madridistas! Hala Madrid!"

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

  Real Madrid has asked for their La Liga opener against Osasuna to be delayed after reaching the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. However, that request has been denied and the two teams are scheduled to meet as planned on August 19 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Alonso's side will play a friendly the week before against WSG Tirol in Austria.

South Africa and Zimbabwe did not send full strength sides to the Africa Games and did not want their matches to have full international status

Firdose Moonda25-Mar-2024

An oversight in communication has resulted in some matches at the recently concluded Africa Games being given T20I status while others were not.The ICC confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that fixtures involving South Africa’s men’s and women’s teams as well as Zimbabwe’s men’s team were not considered T20Is but games between the other six men’s teams and seven women’s teams were regarded as T20Is.Clarity over the official standing of the matches was required after Cricket South Africa wrote to the ICC over confusion around whether all the matches at the tournament were classified as internationals. In 2022, an ICC document titled “Classification of Official Cricket” recognised all T20 matches that are “played in accordance with the ICC Standard Men’s and Women’s Twenty20 International Playing Conditions and other ICC regulations pertaining to Twenty20 International Matches,” as internationals apart from matches involving A teams or age-group sides.With that in mind, South Africa opted to send an emerging women’s team and a university men’s team to the Africa Games, as they were unable to field full-strength sides due to player commitments elsewhere including at the IPL. Zimbabwe selected an under-25 men’s side but sent a first-choice women’s squad. They won gold in both events.The other participating countries, who are all Associate nations, sent their strongest available sides and understood themselves to be playing internationals, creating the confusion. It is not clear whether the onus lay with the African Games, the Africa Cricket Association (the continental body which successfully lobbied for cricket to be played at the Africa Games) or individual board to check on the status of the games or where the miscommunication occurred.However, when the uncertainty came to the attention of South Africa and Zimbabwe, who are both Full Members, they had queries over whether the results would impact their T20I rankings. South Africa also had a particular issue over one of their players: 16-year old wicketkeeper Karabo Meso, who played at the Africa Games and was then named in their senior squad to play Sri Lanka in a home series starting this week. CSA wanted to ensure that Meso, if capped, would get her debut with the full-strength national women’s team and not with an emerging side at the Africa Games which they did not consider a full international team.ESPNcricinfo understands that had the games been full internationals, South Africa would not have participated in the event.A separate concern was also raised about the infrastructure in Accra, especially for cricket. CSA was worried about the suitability of the venues and on the intervention of the Africa Cricket Association, a ground consultant from Zimbabwe traveled to Ghana to assist with readying the pitch and outfield.The cricket facilities were not the only ones which had questions over their readiness. The Africa Games were initially due to be held in August last year but postponed for seven months because not all facilities were completed in time. The event usually takes place every four years, in the year preceding an Olympic Games, and this was its 13th edition. This is the first time cricket has been played at the tournament.The Africa Games organisers were contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of writing.

Fresh off a title-winning summer with Netherlands U-19s, Kees Smit is now attracting interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

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Smit confirms Real Madrid and Barcelona interestTeenager impressed at Under 19 competitionAZ aim to retain the midfielder amid rising attentionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

AZ midfielder Smit has confirmed to that both Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown interest in him following his standout performances for club and country. The 19-year-old scored two goals and provided an assist in a recent friendly against Almere City and admitted that he is motivated to prove himself in the upcoming season.

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Smit, who was part of the Netherlands’ U-19 European Championship-winning squad this summer, is currently under contract in Alkmaar until June 2028. Despite reported interest from La Liga giants, the midfielder insists he is focused on improving his Eredivisie output.

Smit has made 43 appearances across all competitions in the 2024-25 season, recording 10 goals and seven assists. He scored eight times in the Eerste Divisie, Dutch football's second tier, before breaking into the first team, where he featured 18 times. He also played in the Europa League and domestic cup fixtures.

WHAT SMIT SAID

Smit admits he hasn't shown enough in the Eredivisie yet and intends to do better, he said: "I think the potential is there, but in terms of goals and assists, it hasn't been great yet. I could have had a few. This year will be different, but I have to start playing."

Speaking on the interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, he added: "Those are great things. The two biggest clubs in the world, I think. I thought it was nice to see and read about.

"I just want to show here that I can do it. The interest from Barca and Real is nice, but of course, you don't know if I'll play. I'm not really distracted by it."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR KEES SMIT?

AZ face Gent in their next pre-season fixture as Smit continues to fight for a regular starting role. The club remains focused on developing him internally, while interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona will likely be monitored over the next transfer windows. The player remains grounded, stating his desire to prove himself before considering a major move.

In-form Paige Scholfield adds half-century in hosts’ 107-run win over table-toppers

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2023

Alice Davidson-Richards celebrated her latest England call-up with a century as South-East Stars thrashed table toppers The Blaze by 107 runs at Beckenham to boost their prospects of a place in the end-of-season playoffs.The 29-year-old Kent batter, who will link up with England tomorrow in place of the ill Lauren Bell, struck 101 with a six and 11 fours in an innings of 128 balls.Davidson-Richards shared a stand of 119 for the fifth wicket with in-form Paige Scholfield as the hosts posted a daunting 278, Grace Ballinger returning 4 for 54 and Lucy Higham 2 for 32 for the visitors.Blaze, who dropped Davidson-Richards twice and Scholfield once in an uncharacteristically sloppy display in the field were no better bat in hand, Kirstie Gordon top scoring with 40 in an underwhelming reply of 171. Alexa Stonehouse’s opening spell of 1 for 4 put them on the back foot before Dani Gregory’s 3 for 32 cleaned up the tail.Ballinger ensured an explosive start to the encounter, trapping Jemima Spence lbw for a golden duck with her third delivery and when Kira Chathli inside edged one into her middle stump two balls later Stars were 1 for 2.Skipper Bryony Smith retaliated with a trio of boundaries off Cassidy McCarthy and Davidson-Richards caught the mood to cream one from Ballinger through the covers. Successive fours by Davidson-Richards off spinner Kirstie Gordon raised the 50 partnership in 42 balls, but Ballinger concluded her initial spell by removing Smith for 34.Davidson-Richards drilled the game’s first six over bowler Gordon’s head, before being given a life on 32, the spinner failing to hold on to a tough caught and bowled. She would make the most of the reprieve, her seventh four carrying her to 50 in 61 balls.Scholfield was also given an early reprieve, Ella Claridge shelling a routine catch at midwicket and the South African-born all-rounder’s response was to unfurl a series of cover drives as she sped to 50 from 55 balls.The pair raised the 100-stand and were sitting pretty at 180 for 4 at the second drinks interval. Scholfield departed soon afterwards and while Davidson-Richards reached her century, she was stumped almost immediately. However, a huge six from Stonehouse and a polished 33 from Bethan Miles meant stars had 278 to defend.Lizelle Lee soon showed her power, pulling one from Ryana Macdonald-Gay for six, but the bowler gained revenge when the former South African opener drilled a fuller ball straight to Scholfield at cover.Stonehouse was bowling superbly from the other end, yet ironically her worst ball got a wicket, Georgie Boyce tickling one down leg-side through to Chathli and when Macdonald-Gay flattened Teresa Graves’s off-stump with the first ball of the next over The Blaze were 41 for 3.As the clouds rolled in and the rate required rose, the expected onslaught from a team who’d won seven out of eight completed games never materialised. Miles, inspired by her batting cameo bowled Michaela Kirk for a painstaking seven and Munro was caught short in her bid to scamper back for two by Chloe Hill’s throw.Claridge chewed up 50 balls for 33 before falling lbw to Smith’s first delivery and only Gordon’s late resistance gave the score a more respectable look.

The hosts will be looking to pick themselves up after the shocks they suffered at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe

Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Jul-20233:53

Samson or Kishan? Jadeja or Axar? Kuldeep or Chahal?

Big pictureIndia are gearing up for a home World Cup, fine-tuning their combination with just over two months to go for the big event. West Indies will play no part in it.While ODIs will be the most keenly followed format of international cricket over the coming weeks, West Indies may wonder what exactly they’re trying to achieve when they play their 50-overs cricket. They’ll want to pick themselves up, of course, after the shocks they suffered at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, but pick themselves up to do what?With no World Cup to prepare for, there’s no wider context to ODI cricket for West Indies for now. There are no World Cup Super League points to win, and there’s no threat just yet that they’ll fail to make the 2027 World Cup, which will feature 14 teams who will qualify based on their ODI rankings.West Indies’ fans, however, would do well not to mistake the lack of a wider context for a lack of purpose. While it would be easy to look at the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup as a sign of their unstoppable decline as a cricketing force, the reality isn’t quite so abject. The top Associate teams have made white-ball cricket more competitive now than it ever has been, and the gap between the world’s ninth-best and 13th-best ODI teams has never been narrower. It just so happens that the sport is growing when its World Cup has shrunk.West Indies will do well, then, to put the Qualifier behind them, put the World Cup out of their minds, and stop worrying about history. Shai Hope and Brandon King shouldn’t have to feel worse about missing out on the World Cup than Brandon McMullen or Harry Tector do just because they happen to play for a team that once featured Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards.The future of West Indies cricket is too tangled up in the sport’s economics and geopolitics for one set of players to have any real influence on it. What they can do in this series, however, is stay in the present, pay attention to the next ball, and then the one after it, and let their opponents worry about things like World Cups.Form guideWest Indies LWLTL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LLWWWIn the spotlightHe has five ODI hundreds, including two against India, and has a 35-plus average and a 100-plus strike rate after 47 games. There aren’t too many cricketing reasons for Shimron Hetmyer not having played a 50-overs game for West Indies since July 2021; he’ll hope this fresh start will rejuvenate his career in maroon.8:32

Runorder: What should India’s pace attack look like in the World Cup?

Despite all the competition he faces in the spin department, Kuldeep Yadav has been a constant in India’s ODI attack this year, playing eight of their nine games and picking up 15 wickets at an average of 21.13. He has an excellent record in the West Indies, where he has 11 wickets in seven games at 20.00 – among the countries and regions he has played ODIs in, he has a better average only in South Africa (13.88). Another good series here will keep him clear of Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s premier 50-overs wristspin option.Team newsWith Hetmyer and Oshane Thomas back after long absences, Gudakesh Motie, Yannic Cariah and Jayden Seales back from injury, and Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul unavailable, West Indies will field a new-look combination as they try to make a new beginning as an ODI side.West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Kevin Sinclair, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie/Yannic Cariah/Oshane Thomas, 11 Jayden SealesIndia have lately adopted an ODI combination that features three allrounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and either Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur depending on whether they want to play an extra spinner or seamer. They’ll likely have that choice to make in Bridgetown, as well as two others, with Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson competing for the wicketkeeper’s spot and a possible three-way battle for the two seamers’ spots with Mohammed Siraj rested for the ODIs.India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Sanju Samson/Ishan Kishan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel/Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Jaydev Unadkat/Mukesh KumarPitch and conditionsKensington Oval hosted all three matches during West Indies’ ODI series against New Zealand in August 2022. The surfaces for that series produced first-innings totals of 190, 212 and 301, and had something in them for both seamers and spinners. While the top three wicket-takers were fast bowlers Trent Boult, Jason Holder and Tim Southee, the fingerspinners were hard to get away, with Kevin Sinclair, Akeal Hosein and Mitchell Santner finishing with economy rates below five.That series, however, featured day-night games. All three ODIs in this series will be day games, with Indian TV audiences in mind. The weather could affect the first ODI, with a 20% chance of rain on Thursday. The forecast for the second ODI on Saturday, however, is grimmer, with a 50% chance of rain.Stats and trivia India have won their last eight ODIs against West Indies. Their last defeat came in Chennai back in December 2019. Mohammed Siraj (20.72) has the best average of any India bowler to have taken at least 40 ODI wickets. Hope is 171 runs away from becoming the 11th West Indies batter to the 5000 mark in ODIs. Rovman Powell (975) and Brandon King (969), meanwhile, are nearing the 1000 mark. Jadeja needs nine wickets to become the seventh India bowler to reach the 200 mark in ODIs. If he gets there, he’ll become the first India player since Kapil Dev (3783 runs and 253 wickets) to complete the 2000 runs and 200 wickets double in ODIs.

Leicestershire pay for underpowered batting effort despite Callum Parkinson four-for

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2023

Birmingham Bears maintained their 100% record in the Vitality Blast with a five-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes at the Upstonsteel County Ground.The Foxes’ bleak start to the campaign continued after they totalled a modest 166 for 7 on an excellent pitch on which The Blaze had piled up 212 in 20 overs earlier in the day. Every dismissed batter except one passed 15 but only Nick Welch reached 30 as Danny Briggs bowled with his customary nous for 4-0-15-3.That looked chaseable for a Bears side including Glenn Maxwell for the first time and the debutant crunched a muscular 47 off 27 balls as his side reached 167 for 5 with 15 balls to spare. Sam Hain followed his unbeaten 83 in the Blast opener against Yorkshire with an unbeaten 65 off 43 as only Callum Parkinson (4 for 33) caused much interference to the Bears’ pursuit.After the Foxes chose to bat, Nick Welch and Sol Budinger provided a punchy start with an opening stand of 49 in five overs but then fell to successive balls. Welch’s middle-stump was plucked out by Chris Woakes before Budinger heaved Dan Mousley to deep midwicket.Briggs imposed a brake with a skilful spell and bowled Arron Lilley to secure his 240th T20 wicket. Number 241 soon followed when Colin Ackermann sought the crowd at long-on but found only Mousley just inside the rope, much to the disappointment of those in the stand who were jockeying for position in light of the dazzling prize, for any spectator who caught a six, of a ticket to see Tom Jones at the Uptonsteel County Ground on July 15.It’s not unusual to see Briggs among the wickets in T20 and when his third followed, Wiaan Milder top-edging to short fine leg, the Foxes had stuttered to 106 for 5. Rishi Patel and Rehen Ahmed landed a few blows in a stand of 38 in 21 balls but the Foxes appeared to have come in under par.The Bears reply raced to 22 from 13 balls before the early charge was halted by the introduction of Parkinson. He bowled Alex Davies and Paul Stirling in his first five balls but Mulder’s first over, which went for 18, returned the initiative to Birmingham and they never relinquished it.Bowling to Maxwell and Hain when both are in good nick is about as tough as it gets in world T20 and they broke the back of the chase with a stand of 90 in 51 balls. Maxwell lapped Will Davis to short fine leg, but Mousley kept up the impetus with an 11-ball 16 before ladling Parkinson to long leg.Three balls later, Parkinson had Chris Benjamin caught behind to complete his third T20 four-for, but Hain advanced to a 35-ball half-century and the Bears eased home, Hain striking the winning run to long leg with the Tom Jones ticket still unclaimed.