All posts by csb10.top

Dear Ian,Thank you for your very frank, though concerned, email to me.I will be equally frank with you, and as concerned. I have known you for many years and you know that I will call it as I see it, which is something you also do exceptionally well in your present profession. In fact, this is what makes you one of the best commentators in the world.Essentially, cricket is the core function of the Board On that basis, the Cricket Committee is our most important committee. This very simple view has not been adhered to and the Board previously spent most of its time on ancillary matters instead of addressing its core issues.We now start our Board meetings by focusing first of all on cricket. Our Strategic Plan, now being drafted, is based on our goal, our determination really, to re-establish the West Indies at the pinnacle of world cricket. Whatever is in harmony with that goal will be kept. Anything in our strategic plan that does not contribute to the development of West Indies cricket will not be considered.Given that approach, the Cricket Committee has to be at the centre of our plans, policies and programmes for cricket, not just the playing and player aspects, but in terms of our development.We need the Committee to meet face-to-face frequently to deal with the many issues confronting us now and to develop the blueprint for the future. The core of the Committee must be available and accessible and ready to meet in the Caribbean at short notice. Teleconferences are fine but right now they do not serve our best interests.This is why we rethought what we wanted from the Committee and how it should operate. We kept Clive (Lloyd) although at this period he is in South Africa but he will have other options later. Deryck (Murray) as deputy chairman is in Trinidad and the other core members are in Barbados, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Nevis.As a special advisor you and the other special advisors will get copies of agendas and minutes and if you could be physically present you would be welcome at all meetings. Efforts will be made to have teleconferences but these will be a desperate last resort for emergency use only.We value your experience, expertise and, more recently, your exposure. You have a major contribution to make to our planning and our strategy. However, it is very difficult to do this from distance or to coincide with your schedule and working hours. I will ask Clive and Deryck to make a special effort to keep our advisors informed, to seek your views individually or collectively, and to ensure that your perspectives enlighten our decision-making. You have my commitment on that.If you felt slighted, overlooked or insulted, you were not. Perhaps I should have explained better, but we cannot change the past. We can only move on and make the best use of the resources we have available. You are one.If this episode has served any purpose it has demonstrated to me the depth of your commitment which is as broad as your expanding knowledge of the game and your impact on it. You will always be one of us and your views will always be welcome. Feel free at any time to talk to me or write.I hope this helps to explain what I intended and that we can now agree to move ahead together in the interests of West Indies cricket.All the best,Julian R. Hunte

Technology is not the answer to improving umpiring standards because the science behind several innovations is not 100% accurate, according to a senior sports executive with Australia’s . Poor decisions from the on-field officials in the Sydney Test between Australia and India have led to suggestions that the third umpire should have access to extra assistance on top of straight replays. uses its snickometer to demonstrate the sound of edges behind, Hawk-Eye and the strike-zone to judge lbw decisions and the infra-red Hot Spot camera to display whether the ball has hit the bat. However, Steve Crawley, an executive sports producer with the network, said some of the innovations could not be entirely relied upon.”I’d hate us to be involved in the judicial system of cricket,” Crawley told the . “We’ve only got one thing 100% backed up by science and that’s Hot Spot; the others aren’t 100%.”Snicko is very well informed but it’s not 100%, and Hawk-Eye’s not 100%. And also there’s the time-frame. Yesterday, with one of the decisions, Snicko, like all computer systems, went down and it had to be rebooted and it was four minutes before we got it up. Mostly, it’s only a couple of deliveries but those sorts of things can happen.”Crawley said assisting umpires with side-on angles for run-outs was one thing but the lengthy process of using extra devices would provide too many interruptions to the game. “It’s a long, dour game as it is but, from our point of view, we don’t want that power,” Crawley said. “But, if the ICC decides to go down that path, we’ll co-operate.”Crawley’s comments came as Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of the ICC’s Cricket Committee, said there was little chance the neutral-umpire rule would be removed any time soon. Steve Waugh wrote in his newspaper column that there was no reason the world’s top official, Simon Taufel, should not stand in matches involving his own country, Australia.”The reason the ICC and the world cricket community accepted third-country umpires was to eliminate the element of bias, or any suspicion that might have been pointed at umpires,” Gavaskar told the . “That will be there for a while.”I know there is some talk about having only the best umpires come in, but rather than have any controversy regarding decisions I think that [the current system] is probably a lot better. If a third-country umpire makes a [questionable] decision, it won’t be as acrimonious as if a home umpire made that decision.”

Mark Ramprakash has turned down an offer to be on standby for England’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, reports the .Ramprakash was told he would be called up for the tour in case a senior batsman was injured. “I really don’t understand that,” Ramprakash said at a Surrey educational open day at The Oval. “I said ‘No’ given that wording because there’s so much ambiguity about it. I don’t understand the logic of saying I would only go if a senior batsman was injured. What constitutes a senior batsman? It’s not as if England have an ageing side. I felt it was an unfair offer.”The 38-year-old Ramprakash was overlooked for the tour despite being the leading run-scorer in the Championship in the last two seasons at an average of over 100.However, Ramprakash indicated that he was still eager to play for England. “I hope my opinion is understood, reported back to whoever needs to hear it and is treated fairly,” he said. “If England want to pick me for the New Zealand tour in the New Year or next summer I am available, motivated, committed and ready, but it would not be the be-all and end-all for me.

“I can’t see why we can’t just pick our best seven batsmen and get on with trying to win matches because with that comes momentum, but if in the opinion of the selectors I am not one of the best seven batsmen I can accept that.”Ramprakash said he wasn’t perturbed by not earning an England call-up. “I thought my chances of going would be improved when they decided not to take Andrew Strauss. But it’s fine, it’s not my burning ambition to play for England again.”I am totally committed to Surrey, have two years left on my contract and will continue to enjoy playing for them. I don’t touch alcohol, my fitness tests are as good as ever and I’ve lost no hunger for playing as I approach my testimonial year.”

New Zealand have ensured there will be extra focus on Shaun Tait if he plays on his home ground on Friday after refusing to clear his action. The coach John Bracewell would not comment on Tait, who stunned New Zealand in the Twenty20 on Tuesday, after Daniel Vettori said there would be speculation over the validity of his deliveries because of their extreme paceTait’s shoulder-strong technique, low delivery position and flexible wrist are behind the power that has pushed him to 160kph, but when asked whether he was happy with Tait’s action Vettori said: “You ask Braces (John Bracewell) that one.”I haven’t looked at it in-depthly enough. I think people are going to speculate on it whenever someone bowls fast, it’s always the first thing people look at. It’s up to people that are on a position to comment on it to comment on it.”Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has made a regular habit of stirring the Australians in previous series and was not talking. A team spokesman said it was a matter for Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee.Mahanama said New Zealand had not approached him. “It has not come up for discussion at all,” he said, “so there is no special comment on that.”Cricket Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland, was not alarmed. “This is the first time I’ve heard Shaun’s action called into question and don’t regard it as an issue that he needs to worry about,” he told . “I’ve always subscribed to the theory that you shouldn’t make a fast bowler angrier than he already is.”If Vettori was tight-lipped on Tait, he did admit that New Zealand had carried over their problem of dealing with pace from South Africa, where they recently lost both Test and one-day series, but suggested it was merely a dip in form. “We have had some problems with it, how we played Dale Steyn,” he said. “I can also cite times when we’ve played pace very well so we’ve got to find a balance between the two.”It’s almost the case of now we know how Australia are going to attack us, although we did before that first game, we’ve got a clear vision of what they’re going to do. It’s up to the guys to counter that.”Vettori said his side was out to prove a point, as well as retain the trophy which they won with a thumping 3-0 result last time. “We have to show them that we can play,” he said. “There are some guys in the team that feel they can.”Jacob Oram is one in particular, the batsman taking the attack back to Australia in the Twenty20, although it was too late to affect the result. “It’s a nice confident boost for the rest of the team,” Vettori said. “Now we’ve got to make sure we give a guy like him a chance when we’re 200 for 3 or 4, where we can come in the last ten overs and make the most of his hitting ability.”He’s set at seven because we fit the extra batsman, in Mathew Sinclair, in there. If we’re going really well, he can bat as high as three. If we’re going well he could easily go up the order.”Vettori denied the players were losing interest in either one-dayers or the Chappell-Hadlee Series. “In the team we still enjoy the game and in spots around the world you still get very good crowds.”

It was sweet revenge for Chemplast who trounced India Pistons by sevenwickets in the final of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup in Hyderabad today. Amammoth undefeated stand of 217 between Jatin Paranjpe and SujithSomasundar helped Chemplast make light of a target of 281 to canterhome with almost seven overs to spare in what finally transpired to bea ridiculously one-sided affair.JR Madanagopal added another sorry episode to his past with anotherfateful dropped catch to let off another Mumbaikar. A dolly miss atlong off from the bowling of Robin Singh relieved Paranjpe, then on 63out of a total of 177, who had already turned towards the pavilion, inall preparedness to walk off. Robin fumed, Madanagopal squirmed butChemplast just laughed all the way to the bank.It was not all hunky-dory for the victors in the morning after theleft-handed Hemanth Kumar pillaged a bustling century to lift Pistonsto an imposing 280/9. Yet to play in a first class match, Hemanthsurely on the evidence of his showing here, is just weeks away frombeing blooded by Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy this season.The match started on the hallowed lawns of the Gymkhana Ground onwhose precincts the first edition of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup had kickedoff in the season of 1930-31. In that year such exalted personages asJack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe opened the batting for theMaharajkumar of Vizianagaram’s XI and a few years later the WestIndian Learie Constantine gave a well rounded account of his multipletalents.Just outside the main entrance there is a plaque which pompouslyannounces the structure beyond as the Hyderabad Cricket AssociationStadium. Well, stadium it may not be but the ground still retains apicturesque charm, surrounded on three sides by wide open spaces suchas the Parade Ground, the Polo Ground and a Hockey Ground, and thepanoramic view from what masquerades as a press box is a real steal.From 70/3, Hemanth and Madanagopal added 65 for the fourth wicket,the two looking in control and firmly milking the singles with fivemen stationed on the boundary. Then Madanagopal played a foolhardyshot against the grain of play, lofting the ball in the air knowingfull well there was a fielder at sweeper cover. Robin walked in at135/4 and was warned for running onto the wicket almost immediately.He put that behind him and added a brisk 110 for the fifth wicket withHemanth. The latter grew more innovative in his stroke play in Robin’sreassuring company, stepping two inches outside off stump andpersuading the ball away on the leg side on more than one occasion.All hell broke loose in the 44th over bowled by Dinesh Mongia, whichwent for 20 runs including two sixes over midwicket, Hemanth movingfrom 90 to 110 in the space of five balls. Soon after, Robin holed outfor 44 (51 balls, 2 fours) to deep midwicket just after beingcautioned a second time for trespassing onto the pitch. The score atthat point was 245 but Hemanth coaxed another 30 runs in the companyof the tail, audaciously running byes more than once when the ball hadbeen collected by the keeper. When he was run out from the last ballof the innings, he had accumulated an effortless 134 (126 balls, 10fours, 2 sixes). Veeranan had the best figures among some badly mauledanalysis, taking 2/34 from seven overs, but Ganesh Kumar had done afine job too, bowling ten overs on the trot in the middle overs for ameasly 37, without taking a wicket.Having beaten Chemplast by eight wickets in the final of the KSCADiamond Jubilee tournament a few weeks ago, Pistons must haveexperienced a feeling of deja vu at this point. Sujit Somasundar andGanesh Kumar kept them on their toes with some fairly frenetic runningas the 50 came up in 40 minutes inside eight overs. Ganesh Kumar wasthe more adventurous of the two, once picking Shahabuddin overmidwicket for six.In the 11th over, Shahabuddin, who plays his cricket for Andhra in theRanji Trophy, had Ganesh caught behind by the keeper Vasudevan. Andthree runs later, in his next over, the disappointing Badrinath wasconsumed by first slip. Dinesh Mongia walked in with a weight ofresponsibility on his shoulders. Flailing wildly at one outside offstump, he was snapped up by Vasudevan for a fourth ball duck tocomplete a double wicket maiden for Shahabuddin, who had scalped threewickets in eight balls at this stage. Mongia’s fall must have sentpanic waves through the Chemplast dressing room and at 67/3, Pistonswould have been licking their lips in anticipation of the kill, whichhad been well fattened up.They had reckoned without one Jatin Paranjpe. He signalled hisintentions immediately by picking on R Satish, who had replacedShahabuddin from the Plaza end, for three boundaries in his firstover. Railways leg spinner WD Balaji Rao was generating good nip andbounce off the wicket with an action that exuded vitality but hecontrived to floor a return catch offered by Paranjpe with the batsmanon 44. To be sure, the ball was fiercely driven back at him and Raocould not close his fingers around the ball in a one-handed parry.To add injury to insult, he went off the field to receive treatment onhis finger. Then followed the kindergarten miss by Madanagopal and afrustrated Robin bowled a rank bouncer off the last ball of the over,promptly called no ball. Indeed the bowling and fielding completelywent to pieces in the end, with wides, no balls, byes, even a beamerfrom Shahabudin, and fumbles in the field abounding.Just outside the ground a group of 64 city probables were limbering upfor their forthcoming Under 19 tournament and Paranjpe scattered themwith two clean hits over midwicket that landed in their midst, almostdecapitating one unfortunate lad. He hit 21 off the over, the 36th, byMuthupandian and brought up his 100 off 81 balls with his fifth six,also in the same trademark fashion, this time off Balaji Rao.If Somasundar has been ignored for much of this chronicle, theoversight can be rectified here and now. Having accumulated his runswith stealth, Somasundar finally abandoned such a covert, eveninsidious, manner of run making for some more unabashed hitting. WhenRao tossed one up, he obligingly hit him over wide long off to enterthe nineties. Robin finally invited Hemanth for a bowl in a gesture ofsurrender. He bowled a short one that sat up and beseeched to be hit,Somasundar carted it way out of the ground to end the mismatch of acontest and take his individual score to 97 (129 balls, 9 fours and 3sixes). For his part Paranjpe had settled at a personal tally of 115(91 balls, 10 fours and 6 sixes).That brought down the curtain on a curious tournament in which neitherlast year’s winner MRF, nor runner-up, ONGC took part. The Moin udDowlah Cup was presented to Chemlpast captain D Vasu who promptlyraised it over his head with a violent gesture, only to watch inembarrassment as the cup rolled off its pedestal and plummeted to theground. But that was a minor and easily forgiven blemish in what wasotherwise a moment to savour for him and the entire Chemplast team.

Saeed Anwar is set to bring an end to his international career after being overlooked for the forthcoming series against Bangladesh.Anwar told the Press Trust of India that retirement was on his mind, but that he wanted to do so in a way that would be beneficial to Pakistan cricket. “I don’t want to sever all my ties with cricket which has given me a lot of fame and wealth,” said Anwar. "But the time has come to call it a day.”I’ve enjoyed playing for Pakistan and it has always been a great honour for me to wear the national blazer," he added. "I relished the challenge of facing the world’s fastest bowlers and scoring runs against them.”Anwar, 34, made his one-day international on New Year’s Day 1989, and entered Test cricket two years later. In 55 Tests he scored 4052 runs at 45.52, including 11 hundreds, but he achieved global fame through his exploits in ODIs.His defining innings was his 194 against India at Madras in 1997 – the highest score by any batsman in one-day cricket. He went on to score 8823 runs at an average of 39.21, with 20 hundreds. He was one of the few batting successes of Pakistan’s disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign, but even his fine 101 against India at Centurion couldn’t avert defeat.Anwar’s priorities in life altered in 2002, following the tragic death of his baby daughter, and he spent several months out of the game in the build-up to the World Cup. In its aftermath, however, he was one of eight players dropped from the squad as the rebuilding process began.

Suriname provided a major upset on the final day of the ICC Americas Division 2 Championship, not only beating odds-on favourites Bahamas, but doing so so convincingly that they leapfrogged them to the title and promotion to Division One.On the eve of the match, we wrote that “Suriname will need an extraordinarily comprehensive win to have any chance of overtaking the Bahamas”, and that’s just what happened. Needing only 83 to avoid being pipped to the title on net run rate even had they lost, Bahamas were utterly woeful as they crashed to 57 all out and a thumping 146-run defeat.Suriname did well to post 205, but on a good batting track it looked a below-par total. Shazam Ramjohn made 48 off 48 balls, but nobody else really dominated the attack. Bahamas’ reply was bemusing in its incompetence, with no batsman managing to reach double figures. Troy Dudnauth (5 for 21) and Carlton Baker (3 for 27) bowled unchanged for 20 overs, and by the time they finished their quota of overs the same was done and dusted.In the other game, Panama, who also finished level on points with Suriname and Bahamas, eased past Turks & Caicos Islands by 95 runs. In reply to Panama’s 188 all out, Turks & Caicos only managed 93. Panama’s Munaf Kachalia took the Man-of-the-Match award with 4 for 19, while Irfan Tarajia chipped in with 3 for 33 and 31 off 42 balls.

Nick Knight has been confirmed as Warwickshire’s captain for the 2004 season, following a poor run of form for his predecessor Mike Powell, who stood down last week.Knight, who retired from international one-day cricket after the World Cup, was Powell’s deputy in 2003, and enjoyed a superb season, in which he scored 1012 runs at first-class level, and excelled in the one-day competitions as well, in particular the new Twenty20 Cup.”It is an honour for me to be appointed as captain of such a great club,” said Knight. "I very much look forward to the challenge." Since his Warwickshire debut in 1995, Knight has played in almost 100 first-class matches, averaging over 54.”Nick is a natural successor to captain the club, ” said Warwickshire’s chief executive Dennis Amiss. "He brings with him tremendous experience and we all wish him well."

ScorecardIt took just 40 minutes on the final morning for West Indies to take the final Zimbabwean wicket and seal, by 128 runs, Brian Lara’s first victory away from home as West Indies’ captain.Zimbabwe resumed on 90 for 9 and, thanks to the resolution of the lastpair, who showed more fighting spirit than any of their predecessors, managed to lift their score into three figures, and to 104, before the inevitable. They were even cheered on by a few hundred voluble spectators, who had turned up for what might well have been a single ball.Corey Collymore and Merv Dillon began with a couple of maidens before two nervous fours off the edge of Heath Streak’s bat got Zimbabwe going. Blessing Mahwire held up his end well, but his stonewalling effort finally came to an end when a ball from Dillon proved too good, breaking through his defences to hit his stumps and end the series.Streak, who ended up undefeated with 33, should have sent himself in earlier than No. 9, as he seems to be the only batsman in the team at the moment who is capable of holding his nerve in a crisis. He had a fine series with both bat and ball, although his bowling figures did him little justice. He was the bowler the West Indian batsmen were content to keep out while they scored runs at the other end.At least Zimbabwe matched West Indies for most of this too-brief series, which contained much thrilling cricket. Had they still possessed batsmen of the ability and temperament of Andy Flower and Murray Goodwin, they might today have been celebrating victory instead of going down at the final hurdle in such humiliating fashion.

Harare Sports Club seems such an incongruous place to be at the centre of a highly controversial tour. Near the heart of the city, it is nevertheless lined by trees and situated in peaceful surroundings. The predominant colour is green, the light green of a beautifully maintained outfield and the dark green of the trees both inside and outside the ground. There was an air of tranquillity as Duncan Fletcher oversaw the England team training on the outfield yesterday.The tour that England faced with much trepidation has so far been totally uneventful. Andy Walpole, the team’s media liaison officer, and members of the press contingent whose dilemma had almost caused a last-minute abandonment, confirmed that the only unusual aspect so far was the heavy media attention they had received. There had been no demonstrations, no excessive security, no hostility from anybody they had met, and the only sign of discontent was some graffiti on a wall advising them to go home.But appearances can be deceptive. The immediate parallel that springs to mind is South Africa during the apartheid years. There, the opulent white areas were a world apart from the real life in Soweto, and it was easily possible to visit that country without encountering any evidence of the latter’s existence. Here in Zimbabwe, a visitor unaware of the plight of this beleaguered country can still come and go, in certain areas only, and leave the country under the impression that there is little wrong.But there is always another side of the coin. Just across the road, in fact. The main entrance to the club overlooks the high walls of State House, the personal dwelling place of Robert Mugabe, the ruler who continues to hold on to power against the will of the people and seems prepared to destroy his entire country so as to maintain that power. Unwary visitors wandering down the wrong side of that street have had traumatic experiences at the hands of the president’s security guards who patrol the area with itchy fingers on automatic weapons. The England team have been worried about the possibility of Mugabe meeting them and wanting to shake hands with them. They need not worry. There is a frightened little man hiding behind those walls, terrified as to what might happen to him should he lose power, and he will never dare venture anywhere he might be seen by ordinary Zimbabweans.It does not do to take the comparison with apartheid South Africa too far. Sport played its part in toppling apartheid, even though it took more than 20 years of boycotts to achieve its objective. No amount of sporting boycotts would have any significant effect on the Mugabe regime. A refusal by England to tour would have been a totally futile gesture politically. But, as Andy Flower has pointed out, the presence of England will once again bring the plight of this unhappy country under the world spotlight. Mugabe would prefer it to be forgotten, as was communist Albania for so many years.Robin Brown, the groundsman and the the man accused of deliberately sabotaging the pitch when Sri Lanka bowled the new-look Zimbabwe team out for 35 last April, is none too pleased by the changed programme, whereby the Harare matches will be played on Sunday and Wednesday instead of Friday and Sunday. A good cook cannot readily delay the moment his creations emerge from the oven by a few hours when it is half-ready, and expectant mothers are seriously inconvenienced if requested to hold on for a couple of days. Similarly Brown’s pitches were prepared with the original dates in mind, and the delay will not see them at their best. They will be slightly overbaked, and he estimates 250 rather than 300 will be a winning score. As long as there is no more sabotage …And so, under beautifully warm, sunny skies, England trained, and later in the day, so did Zimbabwe. England looked like a well-oiled machine, established in its regimen and looking impressive. Zimbabwe appeared a reasonable club side, not altogether used to heavy practice but deciding to give it a good shot anyway, with some laughs along the way. There was not the intensity of the Australians, but neither was there the laxity that the West Indians have shown at times. The traditional fabulous Zimbabwean fielding was not much in evidence. A team of callow youths will face England.Yet there is one factor that could make this match much closer than would appear likely on paper. England are basically playing under protest; they do not want to be there. Zimbabwe are fired with enthusiasm and eager to go, while England are simply eager to go home. One cannot expect the best possible performance from a team that does not want to be there, while a large dose of enthusiasm can cover a mass of inexperience and give a large rise to limited ability.It is very much a David and Goliath confrontation – except that this time David does not possess any artillery unknown to his opponent. Goliath should still win easily, but they might find David an awkward little customer in the process.And behind the scenes, Mugabe’s thugs continue to seek out supporters of the opposition, children continue to starve and the country’s economy continues in freefall as the government tries in the only ways it knows how to regain its long-lost support from the masses.Guilty though the English visitors may feel, they can do nothing to influence that situation. The best they can do is aim to give Mugabe’s cricket team – as it virtually is now, although the current players are not to blame for this – the biggest hiding they can muster.