All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard

Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson showed little rust after a seven-week break as Australia cruised to victory in their only warm-up match in Darwin as they prepare to take on Bangladesh. In a low-scoring contest on a slow pitch, Australia beat the Australian Institute of Sports by 54 runs thanks largely to Johnson, who tore through the less experienced side with 3 for 5.Hussey was the only man to master the tricky conditions at the Marrara Cricket Ground, where the three-match ODI series begins on Saturday. Hussey made 69 as Australia ground their way to 177 – they were eventually dismissed in the 50th over – in their first real hit-out since returning from the Caribbean in early July.Cameron White provided some support with 31, while the Queensland fast bowler Grant Sullivan made best use of the up-and-down pitch for the AIS and collected 3 for 37. But Sullivan’s former Bulls team-mate Johnson proved the difference in class between the teams with his four-over spell.David Hussey picked up 2 for 15 with his part-time offspin as his rookie Victoria colleague Michael Hill top scored for the AIS with 34. No other AIS batsman could post more than 16 and it took Australia only 33.5 overs to wrap up the innings for 123.Johnson’s bowling was a positive sign for Australia, who will be without their spearhead Brett Lee for the three ODIs. Johnson and his fellow left-armer Nathan Bracken will help lead the attack in Lee’s absence, while the batting department is missing Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden.”At the moment we’re putting out the strongest team we’ve got – injury and personal circumstances have come in – but for us this is the best side we’ve got on the paddock,” Bracken told the . “Losing Brett’s a massive loss for the team and it’s up to the guys who come in and take the reins, including myself, to put their hands up.”Bracken said there was no chance Australia would take their opponents lightly on Saturday. Bangladesh have beaten Australia only once in 13 one-day clashes but the loss was so unexpected – a five-wicket defeat in Cardiff in 2005 – that it sticks in the minds of Australia’s players.”We want to win every series we play in, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we want to win and win convincingly,” Bracken said. “They’ve done it [upset Australia] before, but we’ve got to go out and perform. If they pressure us then we’ve got to match them.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has launched an “addictive behaviour programme” which will help players deal with problems of drug abuse, alcohol and gambling.The programme, which has been developed along with the ECB and Performance Healthcare, will be delivered to all county academies and professional cricketers. “We are fortunate not to have widespread problems with addictive behaviour issues within the game, but there have been a few documented cases and it would be naive to think that it will never be an issue for players,” Jason Ratcliffe, PCA’s assistant chief executive, said.”The PCA prides itself on being proactive on behalf of the players especially with educational issues. Ultimately, our wider personal development programme is about driving performance. We aim to de-clutter all aspects of players’ lives to enable them to fulfil their maximum potential, giving players every chance to be as good as they hope to be.”The PCA will make a video available to all 18 first-class counties’ first XI coaches on November 8. The video includes advice from former cricketers who suffered addictions and staged scenarios with actors portraying players who are drawn into addictive behaviour.Ratcliffe was in the same Warwickshire dressing-room as Paul Smith, the fast bowler who revealed after his retirement in 1996 that he had used drugs throughout his career, and Keith Piper, who tested positive for cannabis in 1997 and 2005. “They were using substances but at the time I didn’t know anything about it,” Ratcliffe told BBC Sport. “That is one of the areas we are trying to get over in the programme.”You might not know what’s going on and the programme might educate you to see these instances and judge whether you might have a problem and what to do about it,” he said. “Hopefully if someone’s worrying about a colleague they will know what to do about it and hopefully we will nip the problem in the bud.”Piper talks about his drug use in the video, also available as a powerpoint presentation. Richard Doughty, the former Gloucestershire and Surrey bowler, is also featured, and he describes how addiction jeopardised his career and personal life.The move follows the PCA’s helpline set up in 2005, a service available to present and former players to assist with any problems. “In all honesty, when we set it up [the helpline] we thought it would be minimal numbers – maybe six in a year – who would call, but in two years we’ve had over 25 people call.”Probably half of the calls that come in would be in relation to addictions but the demand is greater than we thought and we are sending the message out that we are here to help.”

Scorecard

Canada had no answer to Dwayne Leverock’s left-arm spin as his match haul of 10 for 129 guided Bermuda to a 106-run win at the Maple Leaf North-East ground. Leverock almost matched his first-innings effort to finish with 5 for 60 to hasten Canada’s collapse to 151, on what was shaping to be an intriguing final day.Resuming their precarious overnight position at 32 for 4, Ian Billcliff and Sunil Dhaniram proceeded cautiously for close to an hour before Leverock broke through. Billcliff fell to a controversial leg before decision by the umpire Roger Dill and that triggered a collapse as Dhaniram popped a bat-pad catch to Chris Foggo off Leverock. Canada felt the pressure as Leverock bowled to a packed field with as many as five close-in fielders.Karun Jethi became Leverock’s fifth victim, stumped by Jekon Edness and at 74 for 7, Canada were effectively out of the contest. The first sign of resistance came when Arvind Kandappah counterattacked, hitting three fours and a six. His cameo, though, ended when he was caught at deep square-leg by Stefan Kelly off Rodney Trott as Canada went into lunch at 120 for 8.Eion Katchay and Rustam Bhatti delayed the inevitable with some aggressive strokes before the combination of Trott, who finished with 3 for 28, and Kelly sealed the contest. Bermuda in the end were the deserved winners thanks to their ground fielding and catching to complement Leverock’s efforts.Bermuda return home with a 2-1 series win in the ODIs which preceded this match, and now host Scotland, starting July 10. Scotland then head to King City for their next fixture, starting July 16.

Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland has pushed for the introduction of the Test championship after the end of the current Future Tours Program (FTP). In his address to the ICC Members’ Forum, he also stressed the need to ensure that the Twenty20 format “complements, and not compromises” international cricket.”Let’s face it, generally speaking, the FTP is currently a hotch-potch of bilateral tour arrangements that, given the current volume of international cricket, produces matches that no longer linger in the memory or have lasting meaning,” he said.Cricket Australia stated that the championship, leading to semi-finals and a final, and a world champion in each four-year cycle, would provide the context which Test cricket currently lacked.While Twenty20 is proving to be immensely popular and lucrative, Sutherland emphasised the importance of international cricket. “It is not only our foundation, but for all members, possibly with the exception of India, we couldn’t survive without it. International cricket is our lifeblood … we compromise it at our peril.”To that end, Twenty20 cricket … whether it is IPL, Champions T20, Pro20, The Big Bash, whatever … Twenty20 must be designed, structured and promoted so as to complement, not compromise, international cricket.”Sutherland also warned that the introduction of private ownership of teams – like in the IPL – will also provide challenges to international cricket. “Given the significance of IPL and its relationship with the BCCI, it is not unreasonable for us all to expect that IPL will seek to preserve and protect international cricket on behalf of all ICC members.”He also said that international cricket’s success depended on all three of its formats being in good shape. “Unfortunately, in my view, there is currently too much talk of ODI cricket as the problem child or the ugly duckling .The financial success of the modern game has been built on ODI cricket,” he said. “We owe it to ourselves to ensure that ODI cricket continues to be a popular force in the game.”

Cricket South Africa has implemented major changes to its selection policy following the recent controversies regarding quotas involving Andre Nel and Charl Langeveldt. The CSA president – Norman Arendse is the incumbent – no longer has the power of veto over selection, while the captain and coach have been removed from the selection panel, although will still be consulted.The key change involves divesting the board president of his veto power. “The present system in terms of which the president has the right to veto the selected team should be abolished,” a CSA statement said.”The president and board of CSA should continue to be the custodians of the transformation policy insofar as the national team is concerned,” it added. “In this regard, [they] should continue to monitor the progress in achieving acceptable levels of representivity that will eventually reflect the demographic make-up of the country, but there should be a change of process whereby the CEO and convenor of selectors are required to manage the process and report regularly to the CSA president/board as the ultimate oversight and policy body.””In selecting the national squad, the selectors shall consult with and have regard to the input of both the coach and the captain,” the statement said. “The coach and convenor shall be responsible for the selection of the final eleven players to take the field. The captain takes charge once the playing eleven have been selected.”The issue of quotas, whereby every 15-man South African touring squad should include seven coloured players, has long been a thorny issue, but it came to a head before the tour of India in March. Nel was left out of the squad, in favour of Langeveldt, who later pulled out himself saying he was uncomfortable with the selection policy. In the end, Monde Zondeki was drafted in although didn’t play on the tour.Langeveldt has since signed a Kolpak deal with Derbyshire, effectively ending his international career, although Nel has resisted the temptation and has been named in the touring team for England.The South African board set up a committee to review the transformation policy, and all 12 of the recommendations were approved at a recent meeting.”The board also decided that the committee should continue its mandate and make further recommendations on how to increase black African representivity in South African cricket at all levels and focus on other areas of transformation,” said Arendse.The changes are a significant erosion of Arendse’s powers and there is also a shift in emphasis to transformation needing to start at grass roots level and move up, rather than beginning with the international team.”CSA must focus on lobbying the state and other stakeholders to make possible the main thrust of the transformation policy which is to provide facilities, resources and access in previously disadvantaged communities, with particular emphasis to black African areas, as no sport has the resources to achieve these goals on its own.”Another recommendation was to ensure the selectors have “the necessary experience, expertise and knowledge of the game and, additionally, are trusted to ensure that the team is representative and reflects the broad ethos of democratic South Africa and the principles of CSA’s transformation policy.”

A South African team, clearly on a mission to show their strength early on in the series, soundly beat the Pakistan team. Should the Pakistanis have any thoughts on a World Cup win, they had better rethink on the basis of the performance at Kingsmead. Except for their stalwart Wasim Akram, the rest looked totally out of touch. They displayed no intensity whatsoever and in the end, will leave the city of Durban wondering what went wrong.For South Africa there were many positives. Smith at the top of the order did what was asked of him and then Rhodes was quite brilliant. He definitely deserved his century and should be disappointed. It was an innings that not only stabilised the middle order but also placed the match beyond doubt. Shaun Pollock was rampant and showed his true all round qualities.The Pakistan bowlers generally bowled too short and were slaughtered continuously. They seem to be very slow learners as it happened so many times that the poor captain was eventually at wit’s end. Shoaib Akhtar will no doubt be able to add some firepower but even he will know that in South Africa it’s about getting the ball in the right areas more often.At the top of the order, Pakistan need some experience as well as someone who can play well off the back foot. How Imran Nazir cannot make this team is just beyond comprehension. Afridi would even suffice and could make a contribution in the bowling department as well.South Africa winning the first match immediately transfers the pressure onto Richard Pybus and his men. While he may have rejoiced at the clubbing of a desperate Zimbabwe team, his own coaching test has only now begun. The experienced Pakistan players will need to remind him and the rest of the squad that although there are still four matches to go, a loss in the next one means that every match played thereafter will be to stay in the series. This continuous pressure wears the moral of the team down and is something that the Pakistan team doesn’t need right now. They have plenty of work to do before the next match in Port Elizabeth – it should be played as if it is the Final!Lets hope they realize it!

BARBADIAN alLrounder Ryan Hinds is keeping his head up as he faces a brief pause in his cricket career.The left-handed allrounder tore ligaments in his right knee when fielding as substitute during last Friday’s fourth match at Ahmedabad and will need four to six weeks for the damage to heal."I hit one of the markers in the inner circle and it was very painful," the 21-year-old Barbados vice-captain said. "I didn’t realise the full extent of the damage until I tried to make a catch at long-on and landed on the knee again."I’m disappointed that I have to be out of the game as I was hoping to make the trip to Bangladesh, but this is part of the game. It has set back my preparation for the World Cup [February to March 2003], but I will be staying focused and thinking positively."Today Hinds will know definitely how long his recuperation will take when he visits Jacqui King-Mowatt, the Barbados team physiotherapist.The injury was diagnosed by West Indies’ new medical advisor Dr Akshai Mansingh, who told Hinds he would be out for four to six weeks.He returned home from India on Wednesday evening and his knee is still badly swollen."Right now I don’t know the full extent, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m hoping to be back out there before Christmas," he told WEEKENDSPORT from his home yesterday."I was told to receive treatment and after the third or fourth week I should be able to get back into serious training."Hinds was badly out of touch during the two Test matches he played on the tour, making just 34 runs in four innings. He lost his place to Marlon Samuels for the final match."Basically, I didn’t adapt as quickly as I should have and that was one of the reasons I didn’t get going."Hinds said that after the massive defeats in the first two Tests the entire team did some soul-searching, and this was the reason why they bounced back in the final Test and the ongoing One-Day series."The guys worked harder in the nets and we all pulled together in a big way," he said. "This was great for the team and we realised we could still salvage something from the tour."

Test wicket-keeper Rashid Latif was examined by Pakistan Cricket Board’s panel of doctors Tuesday.Tauseef Razzaq and Meesaq Rizvi, PCB’s medical experts, checked Rashid who flew back Sunday midway Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe because of neck injury. Rashid was advised to appear for another medical check up Friday.However, the panel diagnosed nothing serious about his neck injury and gave him a verbal clearance after Rashid was sent to a local hospital here for an MRI test.Rashid, in the meantime, will do some physical exercises as well as continue physiotherapy in Karachi.

Leicestershire are to conduct an independent review of the club’s constitution and management and executive structure.A five-man committee, which will include Leicestershire’s former secretary -manager Mike Turner, will look into all aspects of the way the club is run and submit their findings by the end of January.Newly appointed general manager Kevin Hill explained: “We felt it was time that we had a look at ourselves, and it is something I was keen to have implemented.”The findings of the independent inquiry will be submitted to the club by January 31 and the committee will then look at the contents of those findings.”In addition to Mike Turner four other people have been asked to form the review body. They are John Sinnott, chief executive of Leicestershire County Council and chairman of the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Board; John Allen, an accountant and Leicester Tigers committee member; Adrian Weston, a retired solicitor and legal adviser to the club for many years; and Barrie Pierpoint who has joined the club as a marketing consultant.Hill said: ” They have been asked to present a written report to the club and myself by January 31.”The new general manager has also jumped to the defence of his predecessor James Whitaker, insisting that all the contractual negotiations he has conducted have been at the instruction of the committee.Hill said: “After handing in his notice James was asked by the committee to conclude and handle the contractual situations.James has done that under very strict control of the cricket chairman, Paul Haywood.”There is a misconception that James has made some unilateral decisions. Despite what has been put in the press and alleged, I can assure you that is not the case. Every decision that James has carried out has been at the instruction of the committee.”

Worcestershire 213 (Haynes 47, Crocombe 3-44) and 315 for 4 (Libby 125*, Haynes 62, D’Oliveira 56*) beat Sussex 264 (Carson 87, Orr 52, Leach 5-68) and 263 (Ibrahim 94, orr 57, Leach 4-68) by six wicketsJake Libby overtook David Bedingham to become the leading run-scorer in the LV=Insurance County Championship this summer as Worcestershire chased down a 315 target against Sussex at New Road.Libby scored his fourth Championship century of the campaign and he overhauled the 945 run tally of Bedingham who was not in action because Durham’s game against Surrey was called off because of COVID-19.He finished unbeaten on 125 and now has a total of 951 runs and the former Nottinghamshire batsman received excellent support from Jack Haynes, Ben Cox and Brett D’Oliveira as Worcestershire triumphed by six wickets with 24 balls to spare.Related

• Toby Roland-Jones makes five-star comeback to end Derbyshire resistance

• Ross Whiteley to leave Worcestershire after declining white-ball contract

Worcestershire picked up 20 points to emerge as the early pace-setters in Division Three. But they were pushed all the way by a young Sussex side containing no capped players and with an average age of nineteen and a half, showing great potential.Sussex resumed on 199 for 6 and the last four wickets went down for 64 runs in 15.5 overs.Adam Finch made the first breakthrough when Archie Lenham went for a pull and top-edged a head-high catch to keeper Cox. Finch struck again when Jack Carson, on seven, aimed a blow on the leg side and Josh Baker pulled off a fine low catch after running in from deep square leg.Dillon Pennington came into the attack and soon accounted for Henry Crocombe ,who was caught off a leading edge by Ed Barnard at cover.Dan Ibrahim went within six runs of becoming the youngest century-maker in the history of County Championship cricket before falling to Worcestershire captain, Joe Leach. The 17-year-old tried to hook Leach but only gloved through to Cox.When Worcestershire launched their reply, Daryl Mitchell and Libby put on 39 until the former on 19 was bowled by a delivery from Crocombe to the last ball before lunch.Tom Fell survived one chance behind the wicket before he was caught on four off a top edge at midwicket attempting to pull Crocombe.Haynes joined Libby and the third-wicket pair consolidated Worcestershire’s position.Libby reached his half-century off 121 balls with five fours and Worcestershire went into tea on 129 for 2, requiring a further 186 off 34 overs in the final session. An excellent half-century was completed by Haynes from 83 deliveries with six boundaries.But Fynn Hudson-Prentice ended the partnership on 105 when Haynes was caught and bowled for 62.Libby went into overdrive with 6-4-4 off successive balls from Crocombe and Cox, promoted up the order, also scored freely. A single off James Coles took Libby to three figures off 190 balls with one six and eight fours.Cox (37) holed out to long on off Lenham to end a stand of 86 in 18 overs with Libby. But D’Oliveira ensured the momentum was maintained and successive sixes off Hudson-Prentice enabled him to complete a 26 ball fifty.