England eased to safety on the fifth and final afternoon at Colombo, thanks to a trio of half-centuries from Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, a sensible fourth-wicket stand of 46 between Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, and a tea-time deluge that wrote off a potentially tricky final session. With grey clouds lurking all day, the draw had always been the odds-on result, but until the rains finally came, England could not rest easy. Their lead at tea was a meagre 53 with seven wickets standing, and when Muttiah Muralitharan is involved, no cause can ever be entirely written off.England’s progress in the first two sessions was serene but Sri Lanka never sensed that the task of victory was beyond them, largely because each of the top three gave their wickets away when well set. Vaughan and Cook resumed with England on 48 for 0 overnight, and duly went on to post their second century stand of the match – the first time it had been done by the same English opening combination since Boycott and Edrich at Adelaide in 1970-71. But as in the first innings, neither man could push on to record a century of his own, and in fact England have now made 10 fifties in the series, but a highest score of 87.Despite the threat of rain, Vaughan and Cook did not bat as if they had one eye on the heavens. Instead they set about eating into their 197-run deficit with calculated aggression, and Vaughan set the tone from the very start of the day, lacing Lasith Malinga for four fours in his first two overs. The first was a touch streaky, as it sped along the ground through the slip cordon, but the next three were shots of the highest class – two clips off the toes followed by a sumptuous and trademark drive through the covers.Vaughan continued to bat with complete fluency and as long as he was at the crease, England’s survival was assured. But, on 61, Dilhara Fernando served up a full-length slower ball, which Vaughan popped straight back into the bowler’s midriff. He was aghast as he trudged off the pitch but his replacement, Bell, started with equal confidence. He cracked two fours in an over from a subdued Chaminda Vaas, and signed off the morning session in style with a lofted drive over mid-on against Muralitharan, just to demonstrate that England were not going to be cowed on this final day.Cook, whose first-innings 81 had been a laborious but essential performance, chugged along to 62 not out at lunch. His morning’s work was interrupted by a 20-minute rain break, but he seemed happy once again to play the anchor role. His most attacking moment came with consecutive driven boundaries in Vaas’s opening over. But, with the first ball after the resumption, Cook reawakened England’s anxieties as he steered a gentle legbreak into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at slip. The bowler was none other than Chamara Silva, whose only previous international bowling experience had come at the Twenty20 World Championship.
That wasn’t the only surprise that Jayawardene sprung as he strived for the breakthrough. He even dusted off his own offbreaks, after a two-and-a-half year hiatus, presumably as a reaction to Muttiah Muralitharan’s appeal for spin-bowling support. But predictably, it was Murali who made the next breakthrough. Bell had batted with consummate class all throughout this series, but he simply cannot convert his starts at the moment. Since the start of the Ashes last November, he has made 11 fifties in 14 Tests, but converted only one of them to a hundred. Today was a gilt-edged opportunity to notch up a red-inker, but instead he hoisted Murali straight to Michael Vandort at mid-on. The intent was plain, but the execution flawed.England at that stage were effectively 7 for 3 with more than three hours of the match still scheduled, but Pietersen and Collingwood knuckled down for the rearguard. Pietersen as ever was the dominant partner with 45 from 79 balls, including a swatted six over midwicket off Silva, while Collingwood was ever circumspect for his unbeaten 23 from 67. Then the clouds burst on the stroke of the interval, and that was emphatically that.
Ireland have gone to the top of the ICC Associate ODI rankings after the previous leaders Scotland were beaten by Kenya at Mombasa.The rankings, which indicate how the five teams below the top 11 are faring, look set to change further over the coming weeks with the ICC World Cricket League and World Cup on the horizon and with all these sides set to play a large number of ODIs.Kenya’s victory by a margin of 192 runs dropped the Scots’ win rate down to 71%, four percentage points below Ireland. Scotland will get the chance to repair some of the damage on Thursday, though, when they take on Canada at Mombasa as part of an ongoing ODI Tri-Series. Victory in the fixture will take Scotland level with Ireland at the top, while if Canada win they will move off the bottom of the table, above Bermuda into fourth place.ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done said: “The ranking system is in place now to provide an opportunity for the top Associate teams to rate themselves in relation to their immediate competitors.”It also provides a context to the ODIs which they now play and gives them a constant benchmark and incentive to improve. But more than that, it gives them a definite pathway towards qualification for the LG ICC ODI Championship,” he continued.The rankings were set up in 2005 following the ICC Trophy, when the top five were awarded one-day status ahead of the 2007 World Cup. The countries are Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. Kenya are not part of the competition, but results from matches against them count towards the Associate rankings table.
Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute have been released without charge some 36 hours after they were arrested by police in Harare. The Attorney General’s office ruled that the pair had no case to answer. They were arrested on Monday night and charged with offences under Zimbabwe’s tough Exchange Control Act.But Chingoka and Bvute will not attend today’s stakeholders meeting called by Ahmed Ebrahim where it is expected that there will be an attempt to remove them from office. “How can I attend meetings I haven’t been invited to,” Chingoka told Reuters. “I do have a bit of etiquette.” Ebrahim claimed he has made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the pair.Their release does not change the reality that both remain deeply unpopular among many factions inside Zimbabwe cricket, and if they remain the crisis is likely to drag on.
With Pakistan’s tour of India drawing closer, the BCCI conveyed to the Pakistan Cricket Board that tour schedules would be ready within a fortnight, after the PCB’s president, Shaharyar Khan, had expressed that the process needed to be speeded up for logistical reasons.SK Nair, the secretary of the BCCI, said that the board had to clear a few logistical issues of its own before the schedules could be announced. He told Cricinfo that matters were “in their [the BCCI’s] control”, and refused to state what the problems were, but added that the PCB had been informed.In response to Shaharyar’s apprehension about Pakistan playing in Mumbai, Nair said, “They have to give us logical reasons against a particular centre, and then we will examine them.”While both boards seemed to have come to an understanding over the delay, time and the BCCI haven’t been the best of friends. This incident was the latest in a number of delayed decisions taken by the board. The recent television rights bids, for example, were held uncomfortably close to the end of the previous rights holder’s tenure, and when the matter ended up in court, the BCCI took unprecedented measures to ensure that the Australian and South African tours of India sailed smoothly.
Studying cricket at secondary school? It sounds a sixth form cricket player’s delight. But that is what is on offer at Auckland school St Kentigern College next year.It is the first time players who are looking at a career in cricket will be able to undertake a New Zealand Qualifications Authority approved course of study in cricket at school, before taking their credits on to tertiary levels. International umpire Doug Cowie is a director of the Frontline (New Zealand) St Kentigern College-based venture while the coaching director is Roy Goodyear, a former first-class coach from Zimbabwe and Natal who is coaching at the school.The course, which opened for applications today, will not be restricted to New Zealand pupils only. Students from international cricket-playing countries will also be accepted. “The unique course will be personalised for those who wish to take advantage of top-level coaching, specialist sport science lessons and the high quality educational environment of Saint Kentigern College,” Cowie said.The school is the only New Zealand college allowed to offer the Level 3 course, Certificate in Cricket. “This is an ideal combination for those who want an early start to a professional cricket career whilst maintaining academic options for school and tertiary study,” Cowie said.Students who take up the course will have a daily mix of four hours classroom schooling and four hours of technical and tactical coaching in a secure cricket focused environment.”The full course can take two years – however one year options are also arranged. Ongoing opportunities are in place for Frontline (NZ) Academy graduates to secure tertiary study places in Sports Diploma and Degree courses at UNITEC,” said Peter Langsford who began the successful Tennis and Golf Academies two years ago. “We take over 50 boys and girls into the Academy from many different countries where tennis and golf are now serious career options for young players with talent and potential.””Cricket seems a natural extension as first-class facilities are developing at Saint Kentigern College. This year we opened an indoor practice net, there is an extensive gymnasium, both grass and artificial practice and playing pitches, and good relationships with nearby cricket clubs at Howick-Pakuranga and University-St.Heliers.”To celebrate the opening of the Academy, a match will be held on Sunday and Monday between the Auckland Aces squad and the Saint Kentigern College XI. The Mark Richardson Trophy will be presented – Mark is an ex-pupil and New Zealand Test opening batsman.Local and international cricketers have pledged support and involvement in the Academy programme. These include: Auckland coach, Mark O’Donnell; Aces captain Brooke Walker, Mark Richardson and Matt Horne. Future plans include access and reciprocal exchanges with Academies throughout the cricket world to prepare for a truly international career.Other unique aspects include – specialist physical training from NZ Sports Academy coach Kerry Hill; video analysis, mentoring for personal development based on research from the New Zealand Centre for Notational Analysis, and mental skill and practice approaches from Lewis McGill.International agents are being appointed to select and recruit students for the academy in cricket nations throughout the world. Asoka de Silva is taking enrolments in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while others are in the process of taking up agency contracts.
Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh played a 40-over match in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Plate Championship in Auckland today with 18 of the overs being enough for Bangladesh to take a nine-wicket win.PNG were all out for 75 in the space of 22.5 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Three PNG batsmen made it into double figures. Clive Elly scored 11, Mahuta and Kohu Dai each scored 10. But that was the only small hint of positiveness in the PNG batting where the extras 12 were the highest score.Wassel Uddin bowled five overs and took three for 13 while Shafaq Al Zabir took four for 29 from his six.Aftab Ahmed Chaudhury provided the only solace for PNG when Bangladesh batted. He was bowled by Peter Arua for eight. Shafiul Alam hit 31 not out and Nafis Iqbal was 25 not out as the winning runs came in the 19th over.
Paul Pollard and a determined innings by David Leatherdale took SecondDivision front-runners Worcestershire to 232-7 in their championship matchagainst Essex at Chelmsford. They came together at 75-3 and shared afourth-wicket partnership of 117n in 49 overs. Pollard followed his two half-centuries in the previous game by making 77,his best score for Worcestershire since coming to them from Nottinghamshiretwo years ago. He was at the crease for 255 balls in 315 minutes beforefalling to 18 year-old fast bowler Andrew McGarry in his first championshipmatch. Leatherdale was equally adamant in scoring 62 with five fours and asix. McGarry had a happy debut – he had been brought into the team onlybecause Ashley Cowan and Ricaldo Anderson were injured – in bowling 16 oversfor just 29 runs. His first seven overs cost 11 runs during the course ofwhich he had Philip Weston caught and in his third dismissed Ryan Driver,and concluded by having Pollard l.b.w.”It was a superb effort by the lad” said Geoff Arnold, the Essex bowlingcoach. “He put the ball in the right areas and got his reward. Obviously hehas got the ability to make a name for himself in the game, but it is up tohim to work hard and make the best of it.”
Having joined West Ham United on a free transfer back in the summer of 2018, it initially appeared as if the club had secured themselves something of a bargain on Ryan Fredericks – a 25-year-old right-back who had highly impressed for Fulham in the season prior.
Indeed, over his 44 Championship appearances in 2017/18, the £1.8m-rated defender was in remarkable form for the Cottagers, helping his side keep 14 clean sheets, registering seven assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of one key pass, 0.7 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 2.6 clearances and winning 5.2 duels per game.
These returns saw the former England U19 international earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.97, ranking him as Fulham’s ninth-best performer in the second tier of English football.
As such, Manuel Pellegrini’s comments upon the right-back’s signing may well have been echoed by many of the Hammers fanbase, with the Chilean manager stating: “Ryan has good experience, with more than 150 senior appearances already but, at 25, he is still a young player with his best years ahead of him.”
However, after handing the defender a four-year deal on a reported £75k-per-week, three and a half years on, the signing of Fredericks had proven to be something of a nightmare for West Ham, as the now-29-year-old never managed to ever truly establish himself as a first-team regular at the London Stadium.
Indeed, the player who Football.London’s Tom Clark claimed had a “shocker” in his last outing against Newcastle United has started just 44 Premier League games in three and a half seasons in East London – making a further 16 appearances from the bench.
Furthermore, over his three complete league campaigns for West Ham, the defender has earned well below-par seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 6.67 in 2018/19, 6.78 in 2019/20 and 6.75 in 2020/21, as well as averaging an extremely disappointing 6.27 match rating over his four top-flight outings in the current campaign – ranking him as David Moyes’ worst performer in the league.
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As such, considering all of the above, in addition to the fact that Fredericks has cost the Hammers roughly £14.5m in wages over his 191 weeks at the club, there is, unfortunately, no conclusion to draw other than Pellegrini had a nightmare when signing the right-back back in 2018 – as the 29-year-old has been rinsing the Irons for the best part of four years.
In other news: Roshane Thomas drops update on worrying West Ham development, Moyes will be fuming
India A turned a 250-run deficit into a 359-run lead to give West Indies A a scare in the four-day game at Kent county cricket ground in Beckenham, before they had to settle for a draw. India’s bowlers reduced West Indies to 188 for 6 in the chase but Raymon Reifer followed his 52 in the first innings with a stubborn 11 not out of 74 balls to deny India.When Rahkeem Cornwall was dismissed – trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem – India A needed three wickets in 6.1 overs to pull off a coup. Reifer and Jomel Warrican then soaked up 31 balls to hold off India.The first day was also as dramatic with India tumbling to 133 all out in 42.1 overs, with seamers Chemar Holder and Sherman Lewis claiming four wickets each for West Indies A. At stumps on the first day, West Indies moved to a 15-run lead with seven wickets in the shed.Sunil Ambris, who had made his Test debut against New Zealand last year, made 128 off 165 balls to swell the lead to 250. Ankit Rajpoot, who had toured South Africa as a net bowler earlier this year, was the pick of the bowlers for India with 4 for 76.Out for a first-ball duck in the first innings, Prithvi Shaw, who already had five first-class centuries coming into the game, led a strong response with 188 off 169 balls, including 28 fours and two sixes. He had put on 181 for the opening stand with Mayank Agarwal, who contributed 68 off 82 balls.Agarwal’s Karnataka team-mates R Samarth (137) and Karun Nair (93), in the running for a Test spot for England, then propelled India to 609 for 6 before they declared. But just as India threatened a come-from-behind victory, West Indies’ tail found an escape route.
Samir Inamdar, the Cricket Kenya chairman, has told Cricinfo that the national elite league will proceed despite the ongoing problems affecting the Nairobi province.The original intention was for the league to launch in December when availability is likely to be at its highest because of holidays. But logistically that might not be possible as Kenya host Under-15s and women’s tournaments that month. It now seems likely that the league will be staged in early January.The finances are already in place after the African Cricket Association pledged US$35,000 to the competition. CK is seeking corporate sponsors for each region to help offset travel costs, and also an overall tournament sponsor.CK is planning a stakeholders meeting in early December to discuss how the league will work among other matters affecting the game in the country.The proposals are for a four-side zonal league in which teams will play in three formats – three-day, one-day and Twenty20. The zonal sides are likely to be geographically based, with two probably coming from Nairobi, one from the Coast and one from the other regions.Players in the centrally-contracted national squad will be divided between the four sides to ensure there is balance between the teams and to ensure that the standard of all matches is as high as possible. In practice, that will probably mean that each team has seven local players supplemented with four members of the national side.