All posts by csb10.top

Fears that Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, could be out of contention for the forthcoming series against Pakistan eased a little today.Fleming, who returned home from India suffering an abdominal strain, did not lead New Zealand on their tour of Pakistan. He had been described as being doubtful for Wellington’s State Championship match against Canterbury, which starts tomorrow at the Basin Reserve.However, he saw a specialist today and was given the all-clear to play. His reaction to his complaint will then be assessed, to determine his availability for the New Zealand team for the first Test, which starts in Hamilton on Friday next week.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said: “The specialist has advised that Stephen should play for Wellington tomorrow in order for us to determine how the injury responds. How he copes in that match will give us a clear indication of whether or not he is fit enough to be considered for Test selection.”

They are winless after seven County Championship matches, and staring relegation full in the face, but Kent’s prospects for the season have increased tenfold after it was announced that Muttiah Muralitharan would be joining them for the remainder of the season.Murali is the most prolific wicket-taker in world cricket, with 459 wickets in 82 Tests and a further 342 in 223 ODIs. He played a similarly truncated season for Lancashire in 1999, in which he picked up 66 wickets in just seven matches – and in one of those he didn’t even bowl. He returned two seasons later and repeated his success with 50 wickets in another seven-match stint, and almost single-handedly saved Lancashire from relegation.Murali will be available to play for Kent from July 21, initially as a replacement for Andrew Symonds, who will be on international duty with Australia. He will then fill in for Kent’s other overseas player, Mohammad Sami, who returns to Pakistan in September for their series against Bangladesh.”We are thrilled to have Murali with us for the latter part of the season,” said Kent’s director of cricket, Ian Brayshaw. “As we found with Steve Waugh last year, to have a player of such international standing has a huge impact throughout the Club and it will be a particularly good opportunity for our younger players to learn from one of the world’s greatest bowlers.”Murali’s first appearance for Kent will be on July 27, in the National League fixture against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

Former Hampshire medium-pace bowler James Schofield is set to make his ECB Southern Electric Premier League debut for BAT Sports against Liphook & Ripsley at Southern Gardens tomorrow, 11.30am.Schofield, 25, had intended to play for BAT at the start of the season, but has continued to suffer from the back injury which seriously affected and eventually curtailed his Hampshire career."Schoey had a run out for us in the SEC Cup a fortnight ago and is set to play his first all-day game tomorrow," said BAT skipper Richard Dibden."He got Matthew Hayden with the first ball he bowled in First Class cricket a couple of seasons ago. Let’s hope he can make a similar start for us !"BAT’s final selection will depend upon whether all-rounder Damian Shirazi is required for MCC groundstaff duty at Lord’s."The YC’s may have to be at Lord’s to bowl at the England and Pakistan players before Sunday’s one-day international, so we’re not certain how things stand selection-wise at the moment," Dibden added.BAT, two points ahead of South Wilts in the leadership race, will expect to beat Liphook, although Dibden acknowledges the toss could be crucial."Liphook drew six of their seven `time’ games last season and aren’t an easy side to bowl out – as Havant found out a few weeks ago," he said.Havant continue their title defence at fourth-placed Bournemouth – a match which commands BBC Radio Solent’s live coverage tomorrow afternoon.Luke Sears returns to the Havant side which had the edge in last week’s draw with BAT, but premier wicket-taker Phil Loat is unable to travel and plays in the 2nd XI against Rowledge."Not having Phil aboard is a bit of a blow, but we’ve got two other quality spinners in Richard Hindley and Matt Cox, so our attack remains well balanced," said Havant captain Paul Gover.Hampshire Under-19 all-rounder Chris Wright, who joind Havant from Liphook this season, has signed an Academy contract … with Middlesex.Bournemouth, with four wins in five matches, have begun the season in a positive manner and are liable to give Havant a run for their money.Western Australia’s Adam Voges is desperate to put a score on the board after bagging two ducks in the past fortnight."To be fair, he’s not really had the rub of the green, but Adam is liable to explode with a big one very soon," said Bournemouth captain Matt Swarbrick.David Kidner is out of the Bournemouth line up and replaced by fellow left-armer Matt Mixer.Second placed South Wilts are forced to shuffle the pack at Bashley, where Hampshire left-armer Jimmy Tomlinson and Tim Lamb notable are absentees.Adam Smith returns to the seam attack, with Dan Webb taking over the keeper’s gloves from Lamb.John Whiting is back for Bashley, who looked a much stronger outfit with Australian Brad Thompson back in their ranks last week.Andover have fitness worries over all-rounder Mark Miller ahead of their tough-looking visit to the Rose Bowl.Miller cricked his neck last night and may miss out playing against the on-song Hampshire Academy players for whom he prepares the Nursery Ground pitches. The Academy have won their last two games, beating Bournemouth and Portsmouth.Promising KES batsman Alex Richardson returns after a finger injury, while Charlie van der Gucht is added to the side which Giles White will captain.With both clubs in the bottom three, Calmore’s visit to Portsmouth’s Southsea seafront ground will have major implications in the relegation zone.The pair have each won only one game – Portsmouth’s solitary success coming against Liphook & Ripsley on the opening day of the season and Calmore’s against the Hampshire Academy one week later.Portsmouth’s lean run continued with a seven-wicket defeat by Corsham in the ECB Club Championship last weekend, whereas Calmore need to halt the habit of getting themselves into good positions … only to toss potential wins away."We ought to have beaten both Liphook and last week Bournemouth, but in both games we threw away a terrific advantage," lamented skipper Tom Pegler.

HASTINGS, Victoria, Dec 28 AAP – Muttiah Muralitharan bowled his first overs of the summer as Sri Lanka had its first win on tour, beating country Victoria by 80 runs at Hastings.But Wisden’s “best bowler ever” gave Geelong batsman Ben Patrick a story to tell for the rest of his life.Patrick, who top-scored for country with 41, hit Muralitharan for six.”It was all luck, it just hit the right part of the bat,” Patrick said.”I wanted to face him, it didn’t worry me if he got me out because of what he’s done. It was a great experience.”The off-spinner bowled three gentle overs for 0-13 in his first spell since a hernia operation in Melbourne last month.Muralitharan spent most of the day signing autographs and posing for photos, and his bowling further delighted the 8,150 gathered 70km south-east of Melbourne.His return put further gloss on the tourists’ break through win, after they made 7-219 from 40 overs and bowled out country Victoria for 139.Sri Lanka was hopeful of having Muralitharan return in early January but the off-spinner said his recovery was at too early a stage to predict a comeback date.”It’s coming along slowly, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to play (seriously),” he said.”Today was just for fun.”Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya said Muralitharan was given a bowl to determine where his recovery was placed.”He looked OK but straight away he can’t do much, he’s just started today,” he said.”We’ll have to see how he’s bowling and see how he goes.”Thilan Samaraweera (58) and Chaminda Vaas (15 not out) took Sri Lanka past the 200-mark with 20 runs off their last over.Samaraweera and Russel Arnold (41) put the tourists back on track after a slow middle stretch with a 54-run partnership.Arnold then took 3-44 to help Sri Lanka take 5-0 to clean up the country tail.The match was played in a carnival-like atmosphere, but Jayasuriya said a victory was vital.”Winning is very important at the moment because we haven’t done well and any win is very important for the confidence,” he said.”When you’re losing the confidence is down and it’s part of the game but I think the boys realise they can come back and we have to do well in the next game (Australia A on January 1 at the MCG).”Proceeds from today’s match went towards extending a cancer hospital in Colombo.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club retained their unbeaten tour record against a strong Kwa-Zulu Natal Invitation XI in Phalaborwa, on the edge of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, yesterday.On a slow damp wicket with movement for the ball off the seam, Worcestershire were asked to bat first and reached a final total of 189 all out. David Leatherdale top scored with 67 helped by Vikram Solanki with 42. In reply the Invitational XI struggled to reach a final total of 152 with David Leatherdale once again leading the way with 4 wickets backed up by Chris Liptrot with 3 wickets and Mark Harrity with two wickets to help secure a 37 run victory and a third successive victory.The final tour game will take place on Friday against an NCD Invitational XI before the squad fly home on Monday. The team will travel to Hove to take on Sussex next Wednesday and Thursday.Overseas Player Nantie Hayward flies in next Tuesday to join the team during the final weeks of pre season training before the opening 4 day game against Hampshire at New Road on Friday 18th April.

Concerns over the form of Allan Donald and Lance Klusener were balanced by further encouragement from the batting of Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph as South Africa’s tour match against New South Wales ended in a tame draw here in Sydney today.Three days ahead of the vital Second Test against Australia in Melbourne, the Proteas were left with major headaches after Donald and Klusener again failed to impress on the fourth and final day of the match.Veteran pace bowler Donald (0/27) was given a reduced workout, bowling just four overs after a late South African declaration left the match heading for only one possible outcome. But he was distinctly unthreatening, conceding 15 runs in an opening two-over spell before giving up another 12 runs in a later two-over stint as New South Wales ended at 2/135 in pursuit of an unrealistic victory target of 383 from just 39 overs.Captain Shaun Pollock later attributed the 35-year-old’s wicketless match to an ongoing battle with an injury sustained in Perth in an earlier game on tour, but conceded that there were doubts surrounding his readiness for a Second Test appearance.”I don’t know (about his chances); he is still battling with his foot so we will have to monitor that,” said Pollock.”It would have been nice had he have come through pain free.”Donald has claimed just one wicket to this point of the tour.All-rounder Klusener is another player without a guaranteed Test berth, after he completed a pair with the bat and claimed just one wicket in the match with the ball.More worryingly, he fell to a mistimed drive at a spinner for the third time in four innings today – this time playing all around a ball from left armer Mark Higgs (1/35) as the Proteas suffered a collapse that saw four wickets tumble for the addition of 11 runs shortly before lunch.”We haven’t selected the Test team as of yet but obviously it will be a discussion point,” said Pollock of Klusener’s hold on a berth for Melbourne.”We are aware of the fact that Lance is in the side as a batter and that’s how the number six position is decided,” he added.Pollock was understandably more upbeat about the readiness of batting tyros Dippenaar (31*) and Rudolph (28) after each had again looked composed in the midst of South Africa’s progress to a second innings score of 5/269 before a mid-afternoon declaration.”They’ve got a chance (of playing in the Test), though we discuss team selection only the night before,” he said.Both youngsters shone where others in the middle order failed, joining with opener Gary Kirsten (88) and Pollock (36*) to help the Proteas to their huge lead.They also looked comfortable for periods against Stuart MacGill (4/89), though the leg spinner was again the standout member of a New South Wales attack and reinforced his claims on a Sydney Test berth in just over a week’s time.MacGill had Kirsten sweeping off a top edge; Rudolph beaten down the leg side; and again mesmerised youngster Justin Ontong (0) into attaining a thin outside edge as he weaved his way to four wickets in the innings and nine for the match.”The wicket (for the Sydney Test) will not be massively different, it’s going to turn and the South Africans don’t play the spinners too well,” said New South Wales coach, Steve Rixon, in the wake of MacGill’s performance.”Unfortunately for us we had no one bowling down the other end … the other bowlers were not doing their job. He’s out-bowled everyone in this game.”Pollock also endowed MacGill’s effort with praise, and viewed the chance to practise against a top-class leg spinner as having been one of the great benefits of the match.There was less about which he could enthuse in the bowling as local openers Brett van Deinsen (61) and Greg Mail (54) batted through most of the lead-up to the game’s termination half an hour before its scheduled end.

Today during the Pura cup game v NSW, veteran Western Warrior’s pace-man Jo Angel reached another career milestone when he brought up his 400th first class wicket for Western Australia.Angel reached the 400 wicket milestone when he took the second wicket of NSW’s 2nd innings, having Brad Haddin caught by Kade Harvey at cover.It is the second time in the past six days that Jo Angel has achieved a significant personal feat for his cricket career. Angel became the all time leading wicket-taker in Australian domestic limited overs cricket during Wednesday night’s ING cup game v the NSW Blues.Speaking on his 400th wicket Angel said, “When I first started playing for WA I never really looked too far down the track towards these sorts of things. I really just want to thank all the guys I’ve played with over the years. I’m also really grateful that I’ve been able to play for the Western Warriors at a time when we ve had a lot of team success”.Chief Executive Officer of the WACA Kath White said, “Jo Angel has been a tremendous player for WA over the past decade. He thoroughly deserves all his success because he is such a fantastic team player. Jo’s willingness to work hard and get the best results for the team makes him a tremendous role model to all young people, not just young cricketers. The WACA is very proud to call him our own”.In recognition of Angel’s rare achievement, Kath White and Western Power Managing Director David Eiszele will present Angel with a special cake in the WA rooms at the end of today’s Pura cup game v the NSW Blues.The next major milestone looming in Jo Angel’s career is Terry Alderman’s record of 384, for the most wickets taken for WA in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup competition.The next opportunity for Jo to break Alderman’s record is during the Western Warrior’s next 1st class game v the Victorian Bushrangers at the MCG, from Thursday 28 February to Sunday 3rd March 2002.In total, Jo Angel has taken 440 first class wickets since his first class debut v NSW at the WACA ground during the 1991-92 season. The total includestaking 400 first-class wickets for Western Australia. The difference in the total has come from taking 10 wickets for Australia, 3 wickets for Australia A and 27 wickets for the Young Australians.Jo is the second Western Australian to claim 400 wickets for WA, with Terry Alderman the leading wicket-taker with 433. Angel is the 6th bowler to claim 400 wickets for the one State. First-class career totals of other leading Western Australian bowlers include: Graham McKenzie 1219, Terry Alderman 956 and Dennis Lillee 882.

Ian Botham must be relieved. At last English cricket fans can stop talking about the great escape of Headingley ’81, and can start banging on about The Oval ’03.It remains to be seen whether quite as many videos are sold of this one, but England’s comeback here was equally remarkable. You could have got long odds – 40/1 apparently – on an England victory on Thursday night, after a performance which left the watching journalists struggling for synonyms for “lacklustre”. Herschelle Gibbs had scored boundaries at will, Gary Kirsten was uncharacteristically positive, the umpiring breaks hadn’t gone England’s way, and the beer was too warm.England actually started to turn it around late on that first day, with three late wickets and a decent new-ball burst from Jimmy Anderson. Still, South Africa’s 362 for 4 seemed decisive. The revival continued next morning when they managed an early wicket – something they had signally failed to do in more helpful conditions at Headingley – and polished off the tail in a fashion that sowed the first seeds of a sensation.South Africa still finished with 484. Only six previous times in Test history had a score that big in the first innings of a match led to defeat (since you ask, these were: Australia 586 v England at Sydney in 1894-95; West Indies 526 for 7 dec v England at Port-of-Spain in 1967-68; Australia 520 v South Africa at Melbourne in 1952-53; England 519 v Australia at Melbourne in 1928-29; England 496 v Australia at Headingley in 1948; and Australia 490 v West Indies at Bridgetown in 1998-99).The optimistic best-case scenario then had England running up 600 and bowling South Africa out cheaply again on a belter of a pitch. Amazingly, it came to pass: Marcus Trescothick played within himself for 219, and Graham Thorpe played out of his skin for a comeback century. Alec Stewart mucked up the script by succumbing for 38, although his partnership with Trescothick was an important one. But even Sam Mendes would have ensured a wrinkle or two in the screenplay.And then came Flintoff. Another early wicket on the fourth morning would have put South Africa back in the box-seat for the draw they needed to claim the series. Instead Flintoff remembered his lines and smashed the ball to all parts, including one straight six off Makhaya Ntini that threatened those journalists in the airless Oval press box. A lead of 20 or so became 120, Martin Bicknell bananaed the ball around, Stephen Harmison conjured up one special over, and South Africa were gasping for breath.Even the weather was on England’s side. It saved them at Edgbaston, and it held off here (the original forecasts for Sunday and Monday were terrible). And it helped that the diffidence that marked the final Test of South Africa’s last two tours here, in 1994 and 1998, returned to haunt them. Graeme Smith will look back on this summer and wonder where it all went wrong.In the second innings Trescothick added a forthright 69 not out to his double-century, but despite his two fine knocks this wasn’t quite Tresco’s Test in the same way as ’81 belonged to Botham. Thorpe, Flintoff, Bicknell and Harmison played vital roles too, while Stewart’s long farewell kept the crowd involved throughout the match. This was a remarkably resilient team effort from a remarkably resilient team.Steven Lynch is the editor of Wisden CricInfo.Day 5 Bulletin: England square series with nine-wicket win

New Zealand gave itself a boost yesterday when taking a 29-run win from Pakistan in their ICC Under-19 World Cup warm-up game at Lincoln.After all the frustrations with New Zealand’s poor summer weather, both sides were just happy to get some cricket.New Zealand batted first and scored 233/8 with Jesse Ryder scoring 74 off 67 balls as New Zealand scored 81/1 in the first 15 overs.In the next 24 overs, however, the side struggled while losing four wickets for 84, including two run outs. But then the lower-order responded by scoring 70 runs off the last 10 overs.Coach Mark Greatbatch said the side’s feeling before the game was that it should have been looking to score between 260/270 runs.While Pakistan opening batsman Salman Butt scored 56, his was the only innings that really troubled the New Zealand bowlers. The only other innings of consequence was 38 not out by No 9 batsman Arslan Mir as Pakistan were dismissed for 204 in 47.1 overs.Rob Nicol took three for 44 from his 10 overs, Ian Robertson two for 36 off 37 and Peter Borren one for 20 off 8.1 overs.

New Zealand’s Cricket Academy was 160/6, a lead of 199 at stumps on the second day of their match with the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy of Australia.The Australians staged a lower order recovery to reach 169 after play resumed late on the second day following overnight rain.Cameron White (41) and Xavier Doherty (36) were the picks of the Australian lower order.Canterbury fast-medium bowler Wade Cornelius picked up five Australian wickets at a cost of 55 runs while Sam Whiteman took three for 59. All-rounder Chris Cairns, in his last match before joining the CLEAR Black Caps in Australia took one for 28 from his 11 overs, the last five spent bowling into the wind.New Zealand got into early trouble in their reply when Jamie How was out for 18, with the score on 24, when trapped leg before wicket without playing a shot.Luke Woodcock, who opened the innings with How, was in good form and played some sparkling back foot shots. Cairns scored 34, with 32 of his runs coming from boundaries.