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The excitement of the World Cup is already in the air, at Newlands in the beautiful city of Cape Town. The first encounter is going to set the tone for this World Cup – host South Africa taking on West Indies.

© CricInfo

On paper South Africa might look like a stronger team, and many pundits wouldn’t even dare to give West Indies a chance of pulling off a big upset. I think West Indies will give their best to make this a close and entertaining encounter.To my thinking, both the teams are evenly balanced. West Indies batting can be very explosive and tear apart any attack. The likes of Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Carl Hooper should never be taken lightly by any side. The resilience of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the talent of Ramnaresh Sarwan makes the West Indies batting line-up an awesome one.

© CricInfo

It will be interesting to see whether the stylish batsman Marlon Samuels makes it into the side. If he has recovered from the injury and is fit to play, any bowling attack will find it hard to have a crack at the West Indies batting.I would think that West Indies would go in with four fast bowlers, with Hooper and Gayle wheeling their arm over to fill in the fifth bowler’s role. Merv Dillon, Drakes and the extremely quick Jermaine Lawson have it in them to cause panic in the South African batting line up.What might possibly give South Africa the slight edge over their opponents from Caribbean is their better fielding talent and the number of allrounders they possess. The likes of Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs are simply brilliant in the field, and surely they will try to set the tempo by stopping valuable runs, putting pressure on the batsmen, effecting run outs, and importantly taking stunning catches. Yes, someone like Jonty flying across the turf is something people travel miles to watch.

© CricInfo

The old warhorse Allan Donald still has it in him to strike like a lightning, and the most improved fast bowler in recent times – Makhaya Ntini provide wonderful support to the extremely efficient South African skipper Shaun Pollock. The South African batting looks a well-oiled machine and is capable of posting huge scores, with someone like Mark Boucher scoring consistentlylow in the order.The availability of Jacques Kallis for this important game is going to make a huge impact. Kallis is possibly the best allrounder in world cricket today, and if he were to miss the game, that will only help the happy-go-lucky Windies team’s cause. Possibly the one thing that will go against the home-crowd favourite South Africa is their uncanny knack of crumbling under pressure.When the two teams met last in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka last September, South Africa almost choked and scraped through to a narrow win.I am sure that the first game of the competition is a very important one, and I for one won’t be surprised if both these teams qualify for the Semi Finals.

New Zealand will have three less One-Day Internationals to play in what was shaping as a full scale ODI summer after Bangladesh withdrew from three planned matches in the New Year.The Bangladeshis will play only two Tests in New Zealand in December. The proposed dates for the ODIs clash with matches in the Asian Test championship.That will make New Zealand’s leading players available for a much greater percentage of the domestic one day competition than was originally thought.New Zealand Cricket is also looking to assist the six major associations provide a suitable career path for coaches by support funding full-time coaching positions in each association.The move was agreed at Friday’s NZC board meeting and will provide a level of continuity and consistency not always available due to the part-time nature of several of the positions in the past.The funding will be individually negotiated with each association and conditions will be attached to the funding to ensure that time is managed properly in providing quality coaching, not only to senior provincial teams, but through the grades as well.The initiative is expected to lift the standard of coaching experience available in New Zealand and provide a realistic career path that does not exist at the moment.Umpires are also to be contracted to NZC to provide some financial security for their commitment to being available on a required number of days during the summer.Also benefiting from an input of opportunity will be New Zealand’s fringe internationals. A New Zealand A team will play in India’s Buchi Babu tournament from August 15 to September 5 this year. The tournament will be played in Chennai.A New Zealand Academy team took part in the event last year and played well enough to secure a more permanent invitation to take part.Coaching and management personnel for the side will be announced later.New Zealand’s only woman Test double century maker Kirsty Flavell has been added to the selection panel for the CLEAR White Ferns to join Lesley Murdoch, Eileen Badham and Mike Shrimpton. Diana Goodall of Wellington has been appointed to the new position of national junior selector.NZC’s women’s cricket administrator Catherine Campbell said the need for an extra selector arose out of the increased playing programme for the women and reflected the growing demands of the women’s game.A New Zealand A team is to travel to Australia this summer while the selection load will be spread wider while Shrimpton is away with the national team in India.Flavell has been convener of the Canterbury women’s selection panel for the last two years. She will relinquish that position in order to take up the national role.The Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright has accepted the invitation to serve as patron of New Zealand Cricket. Dave Hoskin has been re-appointed for a second year to the position of president.The long-awaited strategic vision for the grassroots development of the game is near fruition and is expected to be announced soon.Details on New Zealand’s hosting of the under-19 Youth World Cup will also be announced soon after the formal agreement was reached on the hosting of the event.

While Tottenham star Harry Kane continues to hunt down the goal-scoring record for England, one of his Three Lions teammates could well have been playing alongside him at club level: Ollie Watkins.

The 26-year-old was initially reported to be of interest for Spurs back in the summer of 2020 when Jose Mourinho was still in charge, and Football.London’s Alasdair Gold admitted at the time that the striker’s arrival in north London would tick a lot of boxes.

He said: “This makes more sense than the Benrahma links, with the 24-year-old Englishman having struck 26 goals in the Championship this season for Brentford.

“With his homegrown status he ticks a few boxes and could prove to be an exciting back-up or partner for Kane. As with Eze though, it would be all about that game time and other Premier League clubs would be able to offer more. Brentford reportedly value him and Benrahma at more than £25million each which would put off Spurs.”

Watkins would of course instead make the switch to fellow Premier League side Aston Villa where he has blossomed into a star earning international honours with England – the striker was of course on the score-sheet against Ivory Coast in mid-week when he started in place of the rested Kane.

In September of 2021, it was suggested that Spurs were back in for the Three Lions ace as they looked to bolster their attacking options, but once again, couldn’t strike a deal for the 26-year-old.

The striker was a key reason behind Villa’s successful campaign last year, bagging 16 goals in all competitions and netting in home and away fixtures against Liverpool (including a hat-trick at Villa Park) and also against Arsenal.

This season has seen him continue to be a fine performer for Steven Gerrard’s side, netting seven times in the top-flight, and scoring against the likes of Manchester City and Spurs themselves.

Dubbed a “machine”, the £75k-a-week earning Watkins has proven himself to be a fine Premier League striker in his time at Villa Park, and it certainly comes off as a bit of a disaster that Spurs saw two attempts at signing him fail to materialise.

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The £34m-rated star would have been a perfect foil for Kane at Spurs.

AND in other news – Left for £0, now worth £40m: Spurs suffered huge howler over “very explosive” U21 star

	Yasir Arafat: Headed for Kent again © AFP

Kent have signed Yasir Arafat as their overseas player for the 2008 season. Arafat has received clearance from the Pakistan board, and is expected to be available for the entire season unless on international duty.”We are delighted that Yasir is coming back to play for us again,” Graham Ford, Kent’s director of cricket, said. “He made an immense contribution to the playing squad last year and I know he is keen to repeat his performance for the club again this year.”Arafat was one of Kent’s overseas players along with Andrew Hall last season, but the rules this season allow for only one overseas signing. Arafat was Kent’s second highest wicket-taker during their successful campaign in the Twenty20 Cup, and also played for Pakistan during the ICC World Twenty20. He subsequently made his Test debut against India in Bangalore, and picked up a five-for on debut.

Latest league tableEasterns put themselves on course for the Logan Cup title with a crushing nine-wicket win over Westerns at Bulawayo. Their success was, however, marred by a scuffle between Hamilton Masakadza, the Easterns captain, and Westerns batsman Thabo Mboyi.The pair clashed during a ninth-wicket stand which ensured Easterns avoided an innings defeat. Masakadza, who had already appeared to sledge Mboyi, clearly blocked the batsman as he looked for a second run and the two clashed and had to be separated by team-mates. The umpires penalised Easterns five runs and at the end of the match the pair were summoned to appear before a disciplinary committee. Masakadza was subsequently fined his entire match fee and banned for his side’s crucial last-round match against Centrals. Mboyi was also fined but not banned.The incident overshadowed an excellent result for Easterns who started the match trailing Westerns. They batted first and made 432 for 8, their top five all passing 40 with Masakadza leading from the front with 84. Westerns, who had won all three of their games in the competition coming into this match, were always struggling, and only Tawanda Mupariwa, who made 64 not out and 50, looked likely to steer his side to safety.At Kwekwe Sports Club, Kenya Select ended their losing streak in a tame draw with Centrals, the home side meandering to 78 for 4 in the second innings after the Kenyans opted for batting practice rather than trying to force a result. Click here for a more detailed report.Southerns and Northerns drew their match at Masvingo Sports Club.

We regret that we do not have scorecards or more details for some of the matches. This is entirely down to Zimbabwe Cricket which refuses to make details available to the media.

29Dec

Raina: cheeky, yet calm under pressure

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Logan Cup

	P	W	D	L	Pts
Easterns	4	3	1	0	34
Westerns	4	3	0	1	30
Centrals	4	2	1	1	24
Northerns	4	0	2	2	8
Kenya Select	3	0	1	2	4
Southerns	3	0	1	2	4

Rahul Dravid on Raina: ‘For a 19-year-old to have such a temperament is something special’ © Getty Images

In mid-April last year, in the final of the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament at Mumbai, one batsman, touted by many as an India prospect, made a couple of selectors’ jaw drop. He walked in at 12 for 1, with Uttar Pradesh chasing 249, spanked nine fours and a six in his 33-ball 48 before rushing off to catch a flight to complete his class 12 exams. One year on and he delivered a performance, on the international stage, that had both captains gushing. When Andrew Flintoff uses the word “fantastic” three times, you know you have witnessed something special.Suresh Raina’s was a calculated effort; one where sense blended beautifully with cheek. He made sure he cashed in on the lollypops; but occasionally summoned the courage to walk right across the stumps and execute lap sweeps to the vacant fine-leg region. “It was a tough time to bat when he came in at 90 odd for 5 but he got his head down,” said Flintoff at the post-match press conference. “We tried to squeeze him and try and get him to hit through the off side but he stayed patient. He works hard for his runs and it was a fantastic knock.”The secret probably lies in the cricketing nurseries of Uttar Pradesh. Raina, like Mohammad Kaif before him, was groomed in the state’s hostels and matches him not only on the field, but also with his calm temperament. “For a 19-year-old to have such a temperament is something special,” said Dravid, who has used adjectives like “stupendous” and “extraordinary” in his past references to Raina. “He’s an exciting talent and we’re happy that he’s developed into such a good player in his first year of international cricket.”Raina surged India to their 14th successful run-chase on the trot, a record that comes as a pleasant shift from the days when they invariably choked while faced with a target. “It’s got a lot to do with the good learning environment we have,” Dravid explained.” These young guys have come in and shown that they enjoy pressure situations. It’s also got to do with us trying to be flexible in the past. We have given the guys different challenges in different positions and it comes of use when put under pressure.”England might have gone down but Flintoff will be encouraged by the “mightily improved” batting performance after the Delhi debacle. “Andrew Strauss batted well at the start and I thought Kevin Pietersen played magnificently,” Flintoff continued. “We can take a lot of heart from this performance, taking India down to the wire. Their bowlers tied us down and it wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on. Ramesh Powar took the pace off the ball and we found it hard.”Powar’s effort might have been overshadowed by Raina’s spunk but it was an impressive return for a man playing in just his fifth one-day game. It must be tough to be perennially on the fringes but Powar, extracting considerable turn and varying his pace, showed virtues which had made him the highest wicket-taker in this year’s Ranji Trophy. “I thought he bowled beautifully,” said Dravid, “and with a bit more luck he could have had more wickets.”It was a triumph of sorts for Powar, ending with his best figures in one-dayers. One of cricket’s strengths lies in accommodating men of all shapes and sizes, and the roly-poly Powar, sporting red goggles and increasingly looking like a modern-day Duleep Mendis, managed absolutely fine in athletic company. If one had to pick the moment of the day, it had to be when he tried to run-out Ian Blackwell, when the pillars in the stadium creaked and when every single cricketer silently applauded.

Scorecard
Khuram Khan and Syed Maqsood took just eight overs to knock off the 41 runs needed as UAE completed a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in the Intercontinental Cup at Sharjah. Resuming at 144 for 3, UAE reached the target without the loss of further wickets with both Khuram and Maqsood managing half-centuries.Khuram, who had made a crucial 56 in the first innings, carried on his fine form with a breezy 55, which contained seven fours and a six. Maqsood was more patient during his 51 but managed to strike six fours and a six.Both teams had fallen for 127 in their first innings before Hong Kong appeared to be seizing the initiative on the second day. But Ali Asad, who ended with four wickets, and Khuram Khan triggered a collapse and Hong Kong mustered only 184, a target that UAE easily surpassed.

Scorecard

Karen Rolton’s century set up Australia’s win © Getty Images

A superb hundred from Karen Rolton, a devastating spell of fast bowling from Cathryn Fitzpatrick, and a tremendous allround display from Kris Britt inspired Australia to a comfortable 78-run victory over New Zealand in the first of six one-day internationals at Eden Park in Auckland. Having made 4 for 225 from their 50 overs, Australia then bowled out New Zealand for only 147.Fitzpatrick, considered by most to be the world’s fastest female bowler, made the early inroads, and finished with 4 for 11 from eight overs. Britt, a legspinner, then drove home the advantage by dismissing both Haidee Tiffin and Aimee Mason. Tiffin top-scored with 39, and Mason made 26, while Maia Lewis, the captain, was run out for 33.Britt had earlier made an impact with the bat as well, slamming 34 from only 28 balls as Australia finished strongly. Melanie Jones contributed a steady 36, but the undisputed star was Rolton, who made 102 off 133 balls, with 11 fours. Coming to the crease at the fall of Lisa Sthalekar’s wicket (17 for 1), she was unconquered at the end as Australia finished with a total that was well beyond New Zealand.It was Rolton’s fifth one-day hundred, and her third against New Zealand.

Shane Warne has arrived back in Australia after being sent home from the World Cup following the news of his positive drugs test. The leg-spinner, who is fighting to save his career in the game, was obviously tired after his flight and the traumatic events of the past two days.At a press conference at Melbourne airport, he said, "I still feel a bit in shock and devastated at the news."Obviously, I would prefer to be in South Africa congratulating Andrew Symonds on a wonderful innings and the rest of the boys on the great start to the World Cup. While my best wishes are with the team and I wish I was there being my last one-day international for Australia. I felt it was important to address these issues personally.”Warne had to chose his words carefully with a formal hearing to be faced, probably next week, but he was able to confirm some of the facts of the case."I can confirm that the fluid tablet I took before appearing to announce my retirement from one-day cricket was given to me by my mum," he said. "Contrary to speculation, taking it had nothing to do with the treatment for my shoulder injury or for masking any banned substance."I did not give it another thought until contacted by the ASDA (Australian Sports Drugs Agency) this week. My most recent previous ASDA test was on 12 December and it was negative."He reiterated his stance on drugs. "I do not, never have and never will take any performance enhancing drugs. They have no place in cricket and I do not condone them in any way.Warne then gave details about the next stage of the formal process. "The B sample test is to be held as soon as it can be arranged, which will, hopefully, be before the end of the week. I don’t know yet how long the tests will take or when the hearing will be held, but hope it is sooner rather than later."The Australian Cricket Board has confirmed that Warne himself notified the team management in South Africa of the test results, at which point it was agreed that he should return home to deal with the issue. It is not a matter for the ICC because the events in question occurred in Australia and not at the World Cup.If the test on the B sample proves positive, Warne has a period of seven days in which to challenge the validity of the test. He can waive this right, in which case the ACB will receive immediate notification of the result. If found guilty, Warne faces a ban from cricket of at least two years. At the age of 33, he would find it hard to get back to increase his tally of Test wickets, currently standing at 491.The drug he is accused of taking – a diuretic known as Moduretic – is available on prescription and is widely used in the treatment of hypertension, high blood pressure and fluid retention. It is banned because it has the potential to act as a masking agent for steroids. It achieves this by diluting traces of the substance in the urine.Even if found guilty of taking a prohibited substance, there is a chance that his ban might be less than two years. ACB Anti-Doping medical advisor may provide reports, statements and evidence to the committee which it may use to consider lowering the penalty.There is even an outside chance that he could return to South Africa to take part in the later stages of the World Cup, as he said himself. "I am hopeful of returning back to South Africa to play a part in the World Cup."Although the ACB is considering an approach to the ICC’s World Cup Technical Committee to draft in a replacement, no final decision will be taken until after Warne’s hearing and, should he be cleared of any offence, the ACB can apply to have the player reinstated to the squad.It has to be said that this is a long shot and a moment of stupidity might well have cost Warne the chance to end his one-day international career on the great stage of the World Cup – and robbed that stage of one of its most charismatic players.

One-day cricket is the best!

Zimbabwe- will brighten the occasion Photo CricInfo

Well, before complaints come flooding in or wiser voices point out the error of the above statement, let me say that from a photographer’s angle, pardon the pun, one-day cricket played in coloured clothing and under lights is the best. Why?Some of the answers are obvious. Cricket is normally played in whites, so the appearance of coloured uniforms gives the photographer something else to capture. The vivid yellow of the Australians against the rich red of the Zimbabweans is an extra challenge. Colours bring an added dimension to the coverage. And there is revenue generation for the photographer. One-day uniforms often change, sometimes subtly, sometimes less so, and with the constant demand for up-to-date quality images, there is no shortage of work for the lensman.Photographing the one-day game played in colours requires the photographer to make adjustments to obtain the “correct” exposure. Slight over-exposure is normally used when photographing cricketers in whites, to combat the effect of glare from the clothing. But with coloured clothing, for example the rich green of Pakistan, the photographer may under-expose, to reduce the risk of misleading exposure readings. In both cases the photographer must cater for the effect of light on the players’ clothing.Photography under lights can also produce spectacular results, providing opportunities that simply don’t exist by day. The image you see here of Trent Bridge, Nottingham, taken at the recent lively encounter between Pakistan and Australia in the NatWest series, shows the ground bathed in the fading light of day, while the increasing influence of the eight floodlights creates a remarkable effect.

TrentBridge under lights Photo CricInfo

The aim was to show the ground under lights, but without creating silhouettes of the players, or making the picture so dark that it is difficult to spot the stands. An image taken about 30 minutes later would not have shown such a spectacular sky, but would have drawn a more dramatic contrast between the artificial lights and the darkening night.Exposing for images in low light is not always easy, and care must be taken in judging exactly what you want the end result to be before releasing the shutter.Test cricket sorts out the cricket lovers amongst the photographic fraternity from those who just turn up to do the job. Most sports photographers aren’t keen on the longer version of the game, and see the one-day bash as tolerable at a time when there is no football to photograph. For those of us who love cricket in all its forms, the limited-overs version is another opportunity to show how much the game has to offer.