All posts by csb10.top

PAARL, South Africa, Feb 25 AFP – Roland Lefebvre, captain of the Netherlands, predicted today that neither England, India nor Pakistan will win the World Cup.Instead, he reckons reigning champions Australia, hosts South Africa and New Zealand are way ahead of the rest of the pack to reach the March 23 final at Johannesburg.Lefebvre, leading the Dutch in only their second World Cup, was clearly unimpressed with England, India and Pakistan even though his team was routed by all three teams in the preliminary league.”I don’t think they have got what it takes. All three of them lack a bit of confidence,” the Dutch captain said.”England played solidly at Newlands against Pakistan. They probably are the best bet of the three teams to qualify for the Super Sixes.”Lefebvre’s remarks came after his team succumbed to a 97-run defeat to Pakistan today, their fourth successive defeat in a row.The 36-year-old, who played county cricket in England, has led the Dutch team since his retirement from professional cricket five years ago.His lone wicket against Pakistan was his 200th for the Netherlands.Lefebvre was proud the way his team played in the tournament despite the defeats.”The team was competitive and was not rolled over or thrashed by the big teams,” he said.”It is a big plus that we could take 19 wickets in the big matches against India and Pakistan.”The lack of pace bowling in the league back home and the high quality of spin in this World Cup have found us wanting a bit.”

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club will be holding a Press Call to welcomeJonty Rhodes to the Club at The County Ground in Bristol on Wednesday 9 April 2003 at 12.00pmIf you wish to interview Jonty please contact: Jon Fletcher, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, The Royal & Sunalliance County Ground, Nevil Road, Bristol. BS7 9EJTel: 0117 910 8046
Fax: 0117 924 1193Email: [email protected]

Little went right for South Africa against India in their first match of the TVS Cup. Thrust into the captaincy hot-seat, Graeme Smith learned some tough lessons as India first put 307 for four on the board and then skittled out South Africa for a mere 154. Only once before has South Africa lost a one-dayer by more than the eventual margin of 153 runs.Solid batting performances from Sourav Ganguly (75), Mohammad Kaif (95 not out) and Dinesh Mongia (55 from 38 balls) set things up perfectly for India. The South African batsmen simply did not have it in them to mount a serious challenge in conditions tailormade for spin bowling.Leading a side in one-day cricket is not easy at the best of times. Smith today found out what it’s like on a bad day at the office. Right from the toss, which he lost, it was downhill all the way for Smith.Virender Sehwag (37), dropped by Robin Peterson in the first over of the match, made the most of the opportunity. Whipping the ball through midwicket with aplomb and slashing hard through the offside, Sehwag made the bowlers pay, whichever side of the wicket they bowled. His fiery start gave Gautam Gambhir a chance to settle down and get his eye in. But after he did just that, Gambhir (18) played an awkward pull and gloved the ball to the keeper, giving Makhaya Ntini his 100th ODI wicket.An indiscrete shot from Sehwag in the 17th over cost him his wicket and forced Ganguly to put his head down and build a partnership with Kaif. The 86-run partnership that followed brought out the best in the two batsmen. Kaif sprinted like a man possessed, pushing his partner harder with every successive run.Ganguly’s effortless hitting against the slower bowlers took him to 75. Two cleanly-struck sixes and seven boundaries bolstered his knock, and his disappointment at missing out on a century would only have been offset by the satisfaction of playing a vital hand in building a big score.Kaif played second fiddle brilliantly, biding his time, until Ganguly played an ambitious drive off a slower ball from Dawson to be caught at mid-off (175 for 3). His dismissal was followed by the run-out of Yuvraj Singh (11), and there was a suggestion that the Indian scoring-rate might dip.Kaif and Dinesh Mongia had other ideas. With a flurry of strokes on either side of the wicket, the pair launched a ferocious assault on the South African bowlers. Sparing neither slow bowler nor fast, the pair bludgeoned 110 runs in 11.4 overs.Regaining a long-lost touch, Mongia unveiled an array of drives that pierced every available gap in the offside. Kaif joined the party, picking up length balls and clattering them over midwicket with regularity.He came tantalisingly close to a century, finishing unbeaten on a 103-ball 95, while Mongia provided just the impetus that India needed, slamming 55 from just 38 balls. The assault left South Africa gasping for breath and ragged in the field, as they dropped catches and conceded overthrows.South Africa have rarely looked more clueless on a cricket field. They needed a superhuman batting effort to lift them out of the mire that their bowlers had landed them in. All they got was staunch resistance from Mark Boucher (48) and a cameo from Herschelle Gibbs. A string of shaky batting performances added up to a mere 154 – not even enough to deny India the bonus point.Ajit Agarkar started the rot, claiming two wickets – Smith, chopping onto his stumps, and Jacques Rudolph, caught at slip – in a tidy opening spell. Pushed onto the back foot, South Africa never looked the part against Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and even the part-time off-spin of Sehwag. While Mishra picked up a wicket in his second over of international cricket, Harbhajan, aggressive as ever, returned two for 22, and Sehwag ended with three for 28 as South Africa skidded to a morale-deflating loss.Every team has a hard day at the office, and South Africa had theirs today. If they can look forward to anything after being crushed, it is their next game – against a Bangladesh that looked even more inept against India than they did.

Gloucestershire have signed the up-and-coming New Zealand fast bowler, Ian Butler, as a temporary replacement for their allrounder, Ian Harvey, who has been selected for Australia’s forthcoming one-day series in the Caribbean.Butler joins Gloucestershire next week, when New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka comes to an end, and will stay until the end of May when Harvey is due to return from international action.”I am really looking forward to playing for Gloucestershire and I cannot wait to get started," said Butler. “I have not had a lot of cricket in Sri Lanka but I have been doing a lot of bowling in the nets, but nothing beats playing out in the middle.”Butler, 21, has played four Tests and nine one-day internationals in his brief career, which began with an unexpected debut against England at Christchurch in 2001-02, after Shane Bond withdrew with an ankle injury. Described by Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s chairman of selectors, as "the biggest call he had ever made", Butler has the ability to become one of the quickest bowlers in world cricket.

Players guilty of possible transgressions against the Code of Conduct will now have to wait longer than two hours after a day’s play to know if they have been cited.Under new laws to eliminate code breaches from the game, the hours in which a citing can be made have been extended to 18 hours after play.While the International Cricket Council’s chief executive will have the right to lay a charge for five days after the event instead of the 24 hours allowed previously.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed explained the changes yesterday.It was a power that would be used sparingly and was what he described as “a failsafe” system.”It is to ensure that where an offence has escaped detection it does not avoid prosecution because of a technicality,” he said.Often one of the main causes for transgressions in behaviour was poor umpiring performances and Speed acknowledged that while the introduction of the elite system had led to some improvements, they were not coming as quickly as he would like.However, the new system was still in its early days and a lot of work was going into working with the umpires to improve standards. Improved methods of assessing umpires were being employed, Speed said.But he did make the point that if umpires didn’t improve they would not remain on the panel.

India A kick off their six-week tour of England with a one-day match against a combined British Universities XI at Durham today. Speaking to the press, coach Sandeep Patil said that the tour was an opportunity for many players to get a look-in into the national side, and that “it is up to these players to grab these opportunities”.Patil also stated that, except for Aavishkar Salvi’s torn webbing, all the players were fit and raring to go. “Even Salvi is also fit to play the first match, but we will take a decision on the day of the match.””I started my cricketing career here in 1979. Now I am here in a different capacity. It is a good challenge and good opportunity for all the 16 players,” said Patil. “We have a very talented and experienced team and 12 members have already played for the country in one-dayers or Test matches.”

Leaders BAT Sports can effectively knock third-placed Bournemouth out of immediate ECB Southern Electric Premier League championship contention if they beat the Dorset club at Southern Gardens tomorrow, 11.30am.They enjoy a 24-point lead over Bournemouth – and 17 over Havant – and know that Matt Swarbrick’s side will arrive in Totton in a positive frame of mind and looking for a positive result."Losing to Havant a fortnight ago has left us with a fair gap to make up, so we’ve got to be positive from the first ball," Swarbrick said."BAT haven’t lost an all-day `time’ game for two seasons or more, so we’ve got our work cut out in that respect, but we got plenty of self belief."Ironically, it was Bournemouth who halted BAT’s 15-match winning sequence in all-day cricket last season.Both teams change last week’s winning formulas, with all-rounder Chris Thomason returning for BAT, who are without Graham Noble and Archie Norris.Charlie Holcomb replaces Dan Jackson for Bournemouth, who will give a Premier debut to paceman Nick Reeves, if Dave Kidner (side strain) is unfit.BAT made a Premier record 330-4 at South Wilts last week, with openers Neal Parlane (150) and Damian Shirazi (98) sharing a new record first wicket stand of 249.Defending champions Havant have skipper Paul Gover back as they entertain Andover, who name an unchanged side after last week’s win at Calmore Sports.Improving Bashley (Rydal) play Calmore Sports twice in less than 24 hours – initially in tonight’s (FRI) New Forest President’s Cup final at the BCG (6.15), then again in the Premier League at Loperwood Park tomorrow (SAT), 11.30am.Matt King’s side consolidated its mid-table position after back-to-back wins over South Wilts and the Hampshire Academy.And with the returning Ben Nolan-Stone raring to bowl, Bashley will have plenty of spin and pace options against a Calmore side currently rooted to the bottom.But King and Kevin Nash, with a combined haul of 44 wickets this term, will take the new ball in probable damp, bowler-friendly conditions.South Wilts face the Hampshire Academy at Lower Bemerton minus Amsterdam-bound Jason Laney.Jimmy Adams strengthens the Academy batting which crumbled against Bashley last week and, like Iain Brunnschweiler and Chris Benham, should relish a flat Salisbury surface.Former Hampshire opener Giles White, who hit an unbeaten 68 at number 11 last week, intends to remain in `Jack’ position.Promising KES batsman Alex Richardson is back for the Academy, who chose from a squad of 12 players.Portsmouth are without Hampshire U17 batsman/keeper Michael Barnes, who has been struck down with a form of Hepatitis and is unlikely to play again this season.They visit Liphook & Ripsley in a match that will have an effect on the relegation situation.Portsmouth, who beat Liphook on the opening day of the season, are hovering on the lip of the danger zone.

There has been no let-up for Bangladesh following their innings defeat by Australia in the first Test at Darwin. On what should have been the fifth day of the match they had a two-and-a-half hour net session, although the bowlers were given a break and the batsmen faced machines.On Wednesday both teams leave Darwin to travel to the cooler climate of Cairns where the second Test starts on Friday (July 25). Bangladesh will feel a little more at home in Queensland as it was their base for the first three weeks of their tour.While, as expected, Bangladesh lost at Darwin, there were signs of improvement, but Khaled Mahmud, their captain, admitted that there was still a long way to go. “I won’t say that I am happy," he told Bangladesh’s Independent newspaper. "We are actually yet to perform at the level we would like to be at. When we came here, we had fears of facing the mighty Australians. But now we have got rid of it. At least we won’t give up before the game starts."The Test has done a lot for the boys. We showed that we are able to compete. The 118 overs we bowled, we were sincere. After losing five wickets, many other teams would have not been able to score so many runs. But they are the world champions. Everybody has to understand this."Bangladesh cricket received a boost with the announcement that Cricket Australia had agreed to a deal which would help improve the game in Bangladesh. Between now and 2006 there would be reciprocal U17, U19 and U23 tours, and there would be training courses run for Bangladeshi umpires. Four Bangladesh players would also be trained each year at the Adelaide Academy.

England v South Africa, 3rd Test, Trent Bridge, Day 4

This is how it was meant to be all along – two ferociously well-matched teams, asking no quarter and giving none in return. Forget, if you can, those hopelessly one-sided encounters at Edgbaston and Lord’s. The Trent Bridge Test has developed into a monumental series-deciding tussle.England have a remarkably good track record in backs-to-the-wall encounters, and on this evening’s showing, they will go into tomorrow’s showdown as favourites. But the desire shown by Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher has guaranteed that there will be one or two twists to come on a gripping final day. That same pair added 129 to transform South Africa’s first innings, and England are using a ball that can only get softer. They cannot afford any sighters tomorrow morning.Boucher, moreover, has the memories of South Africa’s 1998 tour to drive him onwards, in particular his fateful drop off Allan Donald on this very ground. Donald, who was in the midst of a legendary duel with Michael Atherton, was unable to lift himself to the same heights after that mishap. Then – as might be the case now – England capitalised to draw level in a series that they had no right to poke their noses into.Suspicions were raised about the Trent Bridge pitch as early as the second evening, so the loss of 14 wickets in 80 overs today should take no-one by surprise. In fact, had it not been for McKenzie’s first-innings masterpiece – a performance which drew the sting of England’s attack – a similar clatter of wickets could have been expected in yesterday’s play.There was no such durability from England today, although in Shaun Pollock, South Africa had a bowler tailor-made for the conditions. Pollock is a cricketer who has not been given his just deserts in recent times. He rarely exceeds 80mph these days, and astonishingly for a man with a Test average of 20.49, he had picked up more than two wickets in an innings just once in his last 20 attempts. But he remains a man from whom no liberty can be taken – just ask Andrew Flintoff and Ashley Giles, both of whom perished while attempting to force the pace. He is to miss the Headingley Test for the birth of his child, so his figures of 6 for 39 were the timeliest of gifts to the team.But England bit back to stunning effect, much as they had done at Headingley in 1998 when defending a meagre 219. Despite – or more likely, because of – his injured calf, Steve Harmison bowled as well as he has ever done for England. He was obliged to throttle back and concentrate on rhythm, with every ball thundering down from eight feet and bouncing disconcertingly.James Kirtley, on the other hand, showed the merits of a low-slung action on a dodgy track. His wicket-to-wicket deliveries, with more than a hint of swing, required a stroke to be played to every delivery, and must have raised a wistful eyebrow or two from Darren Gough, wherever he is watching from.England’s best moment, however, was the dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs, suckered by the positioning of a leg gully and holing out to mid-on. It was a trick straight out of Nasser Hussain’s book of tight finishes, and you can bet that Hussain will be on hand with one or two more suggestions before this match is out. Vaughan wants 11 captains on his field, and tomorrow, 11 responsible men is precisely what England will require if they are to secure their victory.Click here for the Wisden Bulletin

Tasmania and South Australia will battle for cricket redemption at Bellerive Oval tomorrow after both suffered first-round losses in the ING Cup.Tigers coach Brian McFadyen today said he had left the line-up unchanged after last weekend’s four-wicket loss to Queensland at the Gabba.”We felt we played some good cricket throughout,” he said.”We were really happy with our later order batting, our fielding and the pressure we were able to apply with the ball.”However, a “bit better effort” from the top order batsmen was needed to pull the hometeam through.Only two of the Tigers top seven – captain Dan Marsh and Sean Clingeleffer – managed to crack the 30-run mark last week.”If we can play five or 10 per cent better this week, I am sure we will have a good day,” McFadyen said.South Australian skipper Greg Blewett said the only change to the Redback’s line-up was the inclusion of 19-year-old Mark Cosgrove.The talented teenager replaces the injured Mick Miller, who strained his shoulder while bowling during the Pura Cup win against the Western Warriors at the WACA last week.The former Queensland all-rounder is expected to be out of action for up to a fortnight.Blewett said tomorrow’s match was very important given the team’s opening season ING Cup loss against WA last Friday.The Redbacks went down by 99 runs.”If we drop another one, it’s going to be very hard work for the rest of the season,” he said.”The boys trained really well today. The motivation is very high at the moment.”He said the wicket at Bellerive was looking “very batsman friendly”.The Tigers and Redbacks will also face off in a Pura Cup match next week, starting on Monday.TEAMSSouth Australia: Greg Blewett (c), Mark Cleary, Mark Cosgrove, John Davison, Shane Deitz, Callum Ferguson, Andy Flower, Mark Higgs, Ben Johnson, Graham Manou, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.Tasmania: Daniel Marsh (c), Shane Watson, Jamie Cox, Michael Di Venuto, Michael Dighton, Scott Kremerskothen, Sean Clingeleffer, Damien Wright, Xavier Doherty, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Andrew Downton.