John Buchanan, the Australian coach, described the pitch at Chinnaswamy Stadium as “terrible” as groundsmen scrubbed away the last remnants of grass with steel brushes and the head curator declared: “Spin.”The bone-dry wicket for the first Test at Bangalore could have passed for a 22-yard stretch of desert less than 48 hours before the first ball was due to be bowled on Wednesday, with a network of cracks running from one end of the barren surface to the other.Sourav Ganguly claimed Australia was fretting about playing his side and said they would miss Ricky Ponting more than India would miss Sachin Tendulkar, but the craggy pitch overshadowed any attempts from Ganguly to begin a verbal stoush.The track was obviously being groomed for Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble and possibly a third Indian slow bowler in Murali Kartik, but the kickback for Australia was that Shane Warne would also derive great benefit as he chases Muttiah Muralitharan’s world wicket-taking record.”By all reports it should hold together, but it looks terrible,” Buchanan said. “It looks like it’s going to break up. You’re just not sure what’s underneath, how much preparation.”We suspect it will gradually dust up a little bit. Who knows what it will be doing on the fourth and fifth day. I wouldn’t expect it to be breaking up on the third day. That sounds like a commentator’s comment, doesn’t it? There’s probably a key lost down there.”The upside is because it’s abrasive one would expect the ball to reverse swing [for the fast bowlers]. And it should be a little bit up and down. It might skid, so the ball could shoot along a little bit. That’s a positive for Warney.”Rahul Dravid smiled wryly but declined to share his thoughts on the state of the pitch before the Australian fast bowler, Michael Kasprowicz, said he could already feel a sore back coming on.Australia’s chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns, said the curator’s masterpiece was not a surprise and claimed it was unlikely to alter the makeup of the side, with Australia still expected to field three fast bowlers and Warne while giving young batsman Michael Clarke a Test debut. “It seems it’s going to be hard work everywhere,” said Hohns.Tendulkar is yet to be formally ruled out of the Test with his elbow injury but seems certain to be unavailable alongside Ponting, whose broken thumb will keep him out of the series until the third Test at Nagpur.
Paul Johnson may have switched to a coaching role at Trent Bridge this summer but his cavalier batting feats will be affectionately remembered for a very long time.Notts members and supporters will have the ideal opportunity to pay tribute to ‘Johno’ next year because he has been awarded a testimonial season by the Club for 2004.Johnson said: “It’s a very nice acknowledgement at the end of my career and I’m very thankful for the opportunity Notts have given me.”Next season will be my 24th at Notts and in that time I’ve been lucky enough to play with some great cricketers and at one of the best grounds in the world.”I thought Trent Bridge was a fantastic ground when I first joined the club as a 16-year-old and to see us win the Championship that year was a wonderful inspiration for me even though I wasn’t involved myself.”From that stage things have moved a long way and the reception I received from the Trent Bridge crowd at my last home game will always be with me.”Now I hope I can provide Notts supporters with some great memories in the future as a coach.”Johnson, who made his Championship debut in 1982, currently occupies 10th place in the all-time Notts batting list with 20,256 runs, including 40 centuries.Said Notts Chairman Albert Bocking: “Paul was an outstanding player who provided great entertainment for our members and supporters for more than 20 years.”The Club is pleased to award him a well-deserved testimonial in recognition of his efforts and we hope he will have a most successful year in 2004.”
New Zealand’s top order batting frailties were exposed again by Australian Jason Gillespie on another rain-affected at the Gabba in Brisbane today.New Zealand batted for 222 minutes on the day before storms forced the abandonment just after the afternoon session drinks break with the visitors 5/186, still 101 runs from avoiding the follow on.But that should prove academic now with only one more day’s play left.New Zealand had hoped that the combination of Mark Richardson and Matthew Bell would provide some long sought solidity at the top of the order for this Test series.However, they hadn’t had the best of preparation in the lead up to the series, and while Richardson looked to offer some hope before being trapped leg before wicket by Gillespie for 26 runs, Bell was undone by a superb ball which flew from the edge of his bat to Ricky Ponting at third slip.Captain Stephen Fleming got an absolute first ball pearler from Gillespie. There was nothing he could do to avoid getting an edge to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist and departing for a duck.Since scoring 91 in his first Test in Australia in 1997/98, Fleming’s Test scores in Australia read 0, 10, 4, 0, 0, 0. He’s too good a batsman for that to continue but he must be wondering where his next run is coming from.It was Gillespie’s first exposure to the New Zealand batsmen and he made the most of it, bowling with good pace, great line and occasional sideways movement off the pitch which left no margin for error.It was an outstanding demonstration of why he is rated so highly and threatened to completely undo the New Zealanders.Sinclair battled for 61 minutes and 43 balls against Gillespie and Glenn McGrath but having seen them off he succumbed to the first ball bowled on the day by Brett Lee. The ball was wide outside off stump and Sinclair unleashed a huge drive and the ball looked to be flying to the boundary behind point. However, he gave the ball just enough air for a diving Ricky Ponting to fly to his left and snare the ball superbly to send Sinclair on his way for three.New Zealand were 4/55.The temptation to chase the new bowler was too much and Sinclair undid himself when a little more patience may have seen him win greater reward for his perserverance.It was left to Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan to withstand the hovering vultures in the Australian attack. And they did by virtue of sensible batting, taking the short singles when they were on offer, punishing loose balls and growing in confidence as their stand developed.They went to lunch at 4/115. They played themselves back in after the break and were starting to bat positively when a faster ball from Lee undid McMillan who edged to first slip where Shane Warne made no mistake.The pair added 92 runs with McMillan out for 45.Any thought that Chris Cairns might be forced to contain himself were dispelled from the first ball he faced which was hurled to long on for three runs. And in the short time until the rains came, he never let up.His 25 runs were scored off 25 balls, including some lovely cover drives.Throughout it all, Astle played a fine anchor role. Statistically it is his best Test innings in Australia. And at 51 not out, he needs another 11 for his best score in all Tests against Australia.His 50 was scored off 116 balls and took 175 minutes, but he handled all the short balls the Australians threw at him, and in many ways it was one of the more responsible innings he has played for New Zealand.Warne had reason to be disappointed in the weather. He was shaping as a formidable force in favourable conditions with the Australians going into the day knowing that if they could enforce the follow on they would have around 210 overs to bowl at the New Zealanders in the two days.He was gaining appreciable turn and bounce, although Cairns was embroiled in a fascinating battle with the leg-spinner when the rains came.There may not be much hanging on tomorrow’s play, especially if there is more rain around, but a lengthy resumption of the Cairns assault and Astle’s continued defiance will be huge bonuses for the Kiwis from the game.
Jalaj Saxena and Harpreet Singh Bhatia hit half-centuries as Madhya Pradesh beat Goa by seven wickets to register their first win of the tournament.Chasing 215, MP lost Rajat Patidar in the first over. But Saxena and Naman Ojha added 73 for the second wicket to put the chase back on track. Ojha, hit seven fours and a six in his 47 before falling to Shadab Jakati, the left-arm spinner. The chase was then piloted for most parts by Harpreet Singh, who finished unbeaten on 74 as MP won with 46 balls to spare.That Goa managed to push past 200 was courtesy half-centuries from Swapnil Asnodkar and Saurabh Bandekar. Both batsmen made 68 on either side of Goa’s middle order implosion. Both batsmen were also involved in a 49-run stand for the sixth wicket that helped them recover from 95 for 5. Three other batsmen got into double digits, with the highest being 18.MP’s spinners – Saxena and Ankit Sharma – dismantled the tail, but the bulk of the damage upfront was done by the pacers. Puneet Datey and Chadrakant Sakure, the debutant, picked up two wickets apiece.Mohammad Javed, the medium pacer playing in only his second List-A game, starred with returns of 4 for 40 as Uttar Pradesh beat Bengal by four wickets to register their second win in as many matches in the 2015-16 Vijay Hazare Trophy.While Javed broke the backbone of Bengal’s batting line-up to restrict them to a modest 221, Umang Sharma, the opener, drove home the advantage by stroking a 94-ball 73 to help lay the foundation of UP’s chase. He was well backed up by Prashant Gupta (47) and Eklavya Dwivedi (45), but UP more wickets than they would have liked; ultimately finishing off the chase with 20 balls to spare.Mohammed Shami, returning to cricket after an eight-month layoff because of an ankle injury, picked up two wickets. The finishing touches for UP was lent by Rinku Singh, who finished with 30 not out.Opting to bat, Bengal managed 221 mainly due to Sudip Chatterjee’s 97, that included nine fours. No other Bengal batsman managed more than 35, as UP’s bowlers kept chipping at Bengal’s wickets, dismissing them in 48.3 overs.
Leeds United kicked off their tenure with Jesse Marsch as the new manager of the Yorkshire club at the weekend with a 1-0 defeat against Leicester City away from home.
The Whites are back in action once again on Thursday evening with a home clash against Aston Villa for their next attempt at moving away from the relegation zone.
With this match in mind, it seems as though the home side could see one of their key players make a long-awaited return to action when Steven Gerrard’s side make the trip to Elland Road.
What’s the news?
After the defeat at the King Power Stadium, Leeds journalist Phil Hay took to his official Twitter page to relay comments from the newly-appointed Whites boss regarding the current situation around Patrick Bamford and when he could be able to make a return after being out injured for the past few months with a hamstring issue.
Hay said that Marsch “expects Bamford to be involved against Villa on Thursday.”
The £18m-rated striker started all five of Leeds’ opening games of the season before an ankle injury kept him on the sidelines until December.
In a very unfortunate stroke of luck, upon his return to action, Bamford injured his hamstring whilst celebrating a late equalising goal he secured to salvage his side a point in their 2-2 draw against Brentford, which has kept him out of action since.
Fans would be elated
Taking into account how the centre-forward racked up a total of 17 goals in 38 Premier League appearances last season and has two goals and two assists to his name in just six league appearances in what has been a frustrating campaign for the Englishman, it’s safe to say that he is an important figure for the team.
His lengthy absence has been a big contributing factor in the club’s worrying results this season which suggests that his return in midweek would be a joyous event for Leeds fans to see, especially if he can hit the ground running and then manages to stay fit for the remainder of the campaign.
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If this were to happen, the 28-year-old would surely give his side a great chance of avoiding relegation by the end of the season if his goals can help them pick up some much-needed wins.
After all, this is a player who has been so important since being signed by former manager Marcelo Bielsa, as the striker bagged 45 times under the Argentine. Any team would struggle without their main marksman and thus, his return represents a colossal boost in their bid to beat the drop.
In other news: “A red Herring..”: Injury expert delivers huge blow to Leeds, it’ll leave fans fuming…
The Asian Test Championship final at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore starting 6 March is an occasion to celebrate for Pakistani cricket lovers more so, because they have starved long for a chance to enjoy international cricket on their own soil. The drought started when India backed out of a regular tour on political grounds two years back. Then came the fateful 11 September 2001 disaster that struck a further blow to hosting international cricket in Pakistan.Pakistan, which happens to be Afghanistan’s next door neighbour had to bear the brunt of the security concerns expressed by scheduled touring sides. The foreign teams cancelled their tours, not only causing the PCB a colossal loss of funds but also depriving the cricket loving public of the fun of watching international cricket live. Another fall out from the crisis boiled down to the Pakistan Cricket Team losing vital match practice.While New Zealand cancelled their tour, a compromise was struck with the West Indies Team to play the scheduled series at Sharjah instead of in Pakistan. Despite being out of practice, it was fortunate for Pakistan team to win both tests as well as the one-day encounters.The situation having eased up considerably, it is nice to see Sri Lanka coming over to play final of the Asian Test Championship at Lahore. This match is in fact the unfinished agenda of the championship that commenced last year. India having declined to participate, only three teams Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were left in the contest. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka having thrashed Bangladesh by an inning’s margin, the two teams jumped into the finals. It may be recalled that Pakistan won the first Asian Championship in 1999 also participated by India. Pakistan shall thus be defending their honour. Let us see who becomes the new Asian Champs?The two sides have not only been announced but have had also net practice sessions at Gaddafi. The Pakistan team has two major omissions. The prolific opener Saeed Anwar is either not recovered from his injury or is away on personal business. Former skipper Wasim Akram has been sidelined for doubtful physical fitness, an assessment of the selectors that he has refuted in the press. Out of those selected, Inzamam remains pathetically out of his elements. Surprisingly, a batsman of a very high caliber, the Pakistan vice-captain was seen struggling with the bat against Bangladesh, a rare phenomena for the big man who had never faced such a crisis in his career. He is, however, quite capable of striking back at any time or can even be a match winner on his own.Two youngsters who gave remarkable performances against the West Indies at Sharjah could not possibly be ignored. The budding all-rounder Shoaib Malik who played a match winning innings in the second one-day game at Sharjah fully justified his inclusion in the side. Same was the case with Mohammad Sami, who not only bowled Pakistan to victory but also joined the ranks of bowlers to perform a hat trick in one-day games.Sri Lanka also has a very balanced side. Giving Pakistan due credit, skipper Jayasuriya visualizes a tough battle between the two teams. He is of the view that his team is now on the right track and direction and with some excellent performance in the recent past, he expects his boys to do well in the final. With Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Tillekeratne and Jayasuriya himself, the Sri Lanka team has quite a depth in its batting line up. They, however, feel the pinch of not having played any cricket in the last 10 weeks compared to Pakistan who recently won the two Test series against the West Indies at Sharjah. One should not, however, lose sight of trump card Muttiah Muralitharan who can take Sri Lanka to the vistory stand single-handedly on his day. Both sides look determined to win which indicates that it will be an excitingly tough battle to watch.The teams were given a joint reception by PCB and the match sponsors at a local hotel last evening in which brief speeches were made. In a battle of wits, the two managers expressed their desire ‘to turn the tables on the other’, the whole thing ending up in good humour.The nature of the pitch would only be known just before the match starts but it is expected to be sporting. The weather is clear with excellent daylight required for good cricket. Athar Zaidi and Darrel Harper will be the field umpires while Saleem Badar will act as TV umpire and the ICC match referee will be AM Ebrahim (Zim).
The second event takes place on Friday at the foothills of Mount Kenya. The three-day event, designed to raise funds to support the Ol Pejeta Conservancy – a 90,000 acre wildlife park – which, it is hoped, will aid the development of schools and other local facilities.Each of the eight teams, split into two leagues, is required to raise a minimum of KS200,000 (USD2,900) – usually by sponsorship – to secure their place in the tournament. The cricket itself will be 10 overs per side with eight-ball overs.Cricket in the Wild last year raised KS6m, thanks to extra fund raising efforts by all teams that participated but especially Hugh Crossley’s Team from the UK who won the highest fundraising prize. These funds have been allocated to the building, rehabilitation and development of several secondary schools and medical dispensaries surrounding the conservancy.”We were very proud that last year’s tournament was won by a Kenyan team. Chris Outram’s team will be back again this year to defend their title,” Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta Conservancy’s director, said. “To keep the event light hearted, we will also be awarding a crate of Tusker to the most humorous sledger.”Entry will be free.
The crisis gripping Pakistan cricket intensified on Monday with the resignation of the PCB’s director of operations, Abbas Zaidi.”Abbas Zaidi has resigned and we have accepted his resignation,” Nasim Ashraf, the newly appointed PCB chief, told reporters after a meeting of the board in Lahore.Zaidi’s departure comes three days after the resignation of the former PCB chairman, Shaharyar Khan, and two days after Mushtaq Ahmed was sacked as assistant coach for the Champions Trophy.Pakistan cricket has been in the spotlight since August’s Oval Test against England when the captain, Inzamam-ul Haq, refused to take his team back on the field after it was accused of ball-tampering.Inzamam was acquitted of tampering but was handed a four-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute, and according to Zaheer Abbas, who was Pakistan’s manager on the tour, he had “lost the confidence” of senior board officials.Inzamam’s replacement, Younis Khan, last week refused to lead the side, saying he did not want to be a “dummy” captain. The refusal prompted Khan to resign, although he was reinstated by Ashraf on Saturday, hours before the team’s departure for India and the Champions Trophy.Ashraf said that Inzamam would captain Pakistan against West Indies, who are set to tour in November and December for three Tests and five one-day internationals.”Inzamam will lead Pakistan in the home series against West Indies,” said Ashraf. “Younis was only appointed for the Champions Trophy.”
Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain-turned-ICC match referee, has sounded a positive note about the future of Bangladeshi cricket, after inspecting four new venues that are awaiting international status.Lloyd, 60, went to see Bogra District Stadium in Rajshahi, FatullahCricket Stadium in Narayanganj, near Dhaka, Chittagong Divisional Stadium and Khulna Divisional Stadium, and will submit a report to the ICC in the next few days.”It was obvious they all looked impressive. But like all places, some adjustments will have to be made,” Lloyd said in a press conference in Dhaka. “I’m impressed with the amount of work done since my last visit a few years ago. Things are improving and I hope it continues to improve. I’m sure the ICC will do its utmost to make sure cricket in Bangladesh takes a step forward.”But he refused to speculate on when the stadiums will be awarded matches by the ICC: “If the venues are first passed by the ICC then they will have to look at their calendar. They just can’t give you a one-day game or a Test. It all depends on whether a venue can support it as well.”The way the pitches play, however, had not been scrutinised by Lloyd. “It is difficult to actually say which wickets were good or bad since I did not get the chance to see any matches played there. The ICC might also want see certain things built or games played at the venue because a venue cannot be passed without an acceptable pitch to play on.Lloyd also indicated that being involved with Pakistan and Indian domestic cricket would be “another way of cranking up Bangladesh’s [domestic] cricket. Bangladesh have a huge cricket-loving public that backs their team even though they are not doing extremely well at the moment. But once the [national] team performs in both Test and one-day arenas then it augurs well.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named four match referees and ten umpires to officiate the group matches during the ICC Champions Trophy in England. They will also be part of technology trials aimed at improving decision-making.Chris Broad, Clive Lloyd, Ranjan Madugalle and Mike Procter are those chosen from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees, while Billy Doctrove and Jeremy Lloyds from the Emirates International Panel join their elite panel counterparts – Simon Taufel, Steve Bucknor, Daryl Harper, Rudy Koertzen, David Shepher, Aleem Dar, Billy Bowden and Darrell Hair – on the umpiring list for the 12 preliminary games.The technological experiments will include umpires being wired to stump microphones – useful to detect faint nicks, and also coarse sledging? – and adjudication of no-balls by the third umpire.