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.”
Pakistan have included both Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in their provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup, despite uncertainty remaining over their doping cases.Shoaib and Asif were cleared last month by a Pakistan Cricket Board committee of taking the banned steroid nandrolone knowingly, having previously been banned from cricket for two years and one year respectively.However, the World Anti-Doping Agency has since challenged the lifting of the ban, while the PCB insists that both are eligible to play. Asif is at present in South Africa with the rest of the Pakistan squad, while Akhtar is due to fly out on Thursday after being named as a replacement.Wasim Bari, the chief Pakistani selector, said: “As far as we are concerned both Asif and Akhtar are free to play. We will cross the bridge when it comes.”Bari added that he was confident Pakistan would fair well in the tournament: “We have a decent side and if we improve our fielding we can match any side in the world”.Shabbir Ahmed, the quick bowler who recently served a one-year ban for an illegal bowling action, is also included in the provisional squad for the tournament, which Pakistan won in 1992. The final names will be announced on February 13, and the side will be captained by Inzamam-ul-Haq.Pakistan squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir, Danish Kaneria, Yasir Hameed, Shabbir Ahmed, Mohammad Sami, Abdul Rehman, Salman Butt, Faisal Iqbal, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Khalil, Bazid Khan, Mansoor Amjad, Zulqarnain Haider, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Hasan Raza.
Two of Bangladesh’s most exciting young prospects were watching a Dhaka Premier Division league match in progress on the eve of the tri-nation Under-19 tournament final last month, when they were asked who, in their opinion, was the best U-19 side in the world at the moment. Sakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal took about half-a-second each to decide and then replied almost in the same breath: “I think we are.”The next day Sakib turned in an outstanding allround show while Tamim, an opening batsman, unleashed some trademark fierce shots as their side rolled past Sri Lanka in the final at the Bangladesh Institute of Sports (BKSP). It completed a highly successful year for the youth side, who lost just three matches and won 13 in all U-19 competitions. They played in Australia, India and at home and their list of conquests included the reigning U-19 world champions Pakistan, as well as Australia, Sri Lanka, England, South Africa and Zimbabwe.The results haven’t gone unnoticed and, as a result, a serious challenge is expected when the U-19 World Cup gets underway in February. The fact that almost the entire squad possesses first-class experience, places them right at the top of the list of favourites. While interest in youth sides can be casual at best in most Test-playing nations, here in Bangladesh it is a little different. Young blood is seen as the harbinger of all the beautiful future cricket dreams of this success-starved nation and the present U-19 side has managed to spark genuine enthusiasm in this regard.After winning their last three matches of the Afro-Asian competition against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and South Africa, the Bangladesh side then made went on an eight-game winning spree with victories over England (thrice) and Sri Lanka (twice) in the league phase of the tri-nation event in Dhaka. This was the longest winning streak by any Bangladeshi national side and, by the time the toss of the final was in progress, Tamim, Sakib and a couple of other names had already evoked enough curiosity in some 20-odd cricket journalists to dash down to the BKSP. They didn’t want to miss a single ball. For a few who had followed their progress it was more a case of being there while Tamim batted.Tamim is the younger brother of the Test opener, Nafis Iqbal, and comes from a cricket-oriented family. Their uncle Akram Khan is a living legend of Bangladesh cricket while another uncle Afzal once represented the Bangladesh U-19s. However, the youngest of the lot is a bit different. He bats left-handed unlike the others and to put it bluntly, he is a butcher with the willow and is probably the hardest and biggest hitter of the ball in domestic cricket. Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, was there when he blasted a 71-ball 112 against England in the tri-series and was heard uttering approvingly, “outrageous”. The happy-go-lucky teenager also reportedly has fans in Sri Lanka where he had toured with the High Performance squad last year. To call him exciting would be an understatement.While Tamim is the crowd-puller, the undoubted star of the team is another left-hander, Sakib. I had taken Wisden’s youth special, where his name featured in the elite list of 21 to shape the future of world cricket, to the ground. I wanted to give it to him before the final so that he could understand the responsibility he has to shoulder on wearing that green and red cap but I could not hand the magazine over in time and looking back, I’m glad I didn’t. He took three wickets with his left-arm spin, pulled off a run-out and a catch and then strode in imperiously with Bangladesh on 51 for 1 chasing 217. In his next 86 balls, he pulled, drove, cut, swept and cleared the fielders to notch up exactly 100, never looking in any hurry and departed four runs shy of victory. The boy who nonchalantly sings to himself before going out to bat is as natural as cricketers come and apparently doesn’t need reminding what is expected of him.Despite Tamim and Sakib’s presence, what makes this unit a formidable one is its balance. The calming influence in the team’s top order is provided by Raqibul Hasan and Mehrab Hossain (Jr.) while Shamsur Rahman and the captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, the only player with Test experience in the side, are there to fall back on any time. There is no real tail with a host of allrounders battling for a promotion up the order. The pace bowling department is not the team’s strength but both Dollar Mahmud and the left-armer, Kamrul Islam, have the pace to hurry opposing batsmen.Once the shine is off the new ball, then the spinners take over and here Rahim has a real headache because there are around eight blokes with one hand up and wanting to bowl. Mind you, all are proven wicket-takers. If you are looking for left-arm spin, then there is the enviable choice to make from Sakib, Nabil Samad, Sohrawardi Shuvo and Mehrab. For a bit of offspin there is Rezaul Islam to turn to. Close fielding is an area where they can excel also.They head for the World Cup with performances behind them. All the players have been given the chance to experience the pressure of the Dhaka Premier Division and all have been among the runs and wickets at every level they have been exposed to. They have played non-stop cricket around the world over the last 12 months and have trained in earnest under the fatherly tutelage of their coaches, Allister de Winter and Nazmul Abedin Fahim. Their body language exudes the spirit and confidence of a winning team. While watching the Bangladeshi run-chase in the final, a relaxed fellow journalist remarked: “I don’t feel any tension. The only thing possible and certain is a Bangladesh win. How long before we feel as comfortable with the main side in action?”When Bangladesh beat Australia in the Plate final of the last World Cup, it was viewed as a major upset. The present team, which does not have a single face left from the 2004 tournament, have emerged as one of the teams to beat going into this year’s competition by virtue of their on-field exploits and not through any emotional analysis. If they don’t make it to the last four of the Cup phase, consider that an upset.
Brett Lee will not now play for New South Wales in the Pura Cup final, after the possibility of a last-minute dash from Wellington to Brisbane was ruled out. Lee, who missed out on selection for the first Test at Christchurch, is expected to be named 12th man for the second Test as well, but a combination of inopportune flight times and NSW’s reluctance to risk his late arrival has meant the idea has been shelved.Lee starred in Australia’s one-day campaign but has been an irregular starter in Tests, and Cricket Australia confirmed that his lack of match practice was sufficient reason to grant permission for his appearance against Queensland in the final at the Gabba. But Brad Haddin, Trevor Bayliss and Brian Taber, NSW’s troika of captain, coach and chief selector, reasoned that if he could not arrive in time for the first day of the match, there was little point in having him at all.Trevor Hohns, the national selection chairman, originally said a decision would not be made until Australia’s team for Wellington was named, adding that no player could leave New Zealand until the Test had started. “We haven’t picked a side and that won’t be happening for a day or so and we don’t see any reason to change what is normal policy,” he said. “There are lots of things to be taken into account if somebody was to leave and obviously the captain and team management have to be satisfied that it’s okay.”
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.
The depth of Australian cricket was on display again tonight as opening batsman Jimmy Maher made a well-paced 94 to guide Australia A to victory over South Africa in their day-night limited overs match at Adelaide Oval.It followed Tuesday’s comfortable win over New Zealand in Brisbane, giving the second-string Australian side a clean sweep of its matches against the touring sides.Maher’s innings, which took 120 balls and included eight boundaries, set up tonight’s win, which came with five balls to spare and five wickets in hand.Wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell added the finishing touches, with an unbeaten 20 from 16 balls, which included a six over cover and a four through midwicket fromthe 48th over, bowled by Jacques Kallis.South African captain Shaun Pollock won the toss and elected to bat first in near-40 degree temperatures, but the Proteas’ top order failed badly.Australia A opening bowlers Nathan Bracken and Jason Gillespie both took early wickets and leg spinner Stuart MacGill claimed a wicket with his second ball ofthe match, in the 24th over, to reduce South Africa struggling to 5-79.Bracken finished with 2-28 from eight overs and Gillespie 1-28 from his 10.But a 94-run sixth wicket partnership between Jonty Rhodes (69 from 97 balls) and Pollock (56 from 76 balls) at five per over helped the South Africans to acompetitive total.Australia A captain Darren Lehmann broke the partnership, having Rhodes caught at deep midwicket, then fellow part time left arm spinner Simon Katich took three late wickets as South Africa finished at 9-215 from its 50 overs.Lehmann and Katich finished with 4-33 between them from six unremarkable overs.Australia A lost the early wicket of Greg Blewett (five), but Maher and Katich combined for a 55-run second wicket partnership dominated by the Queenslander.Maher and Lehmann (41 from 57 balls) then put on 72 for the third wicket.Maher’s innings involved one moment of controversy when he survived an appeal for obstructing the field while on 92.The two umpires conferred after he made contact with bowler Makhaya Ntini, who was attempting to gather a ball close to the wicket while the batsmen took asharp single.But it did not alter the course of the match, with Maher out two balls later after skying a ball to mid-off from the same bowler without a run being added.Mike Hussey was unbeaten on 25 from 28 balls and hit the winning boundary through mid-on to complete an unbeaten partnership of 37 from 27 balls withCampbell.”It was a good performance against a quality side. They were going flat-out, we were happy to be able to chase 215 on and up-and-down wicket,” Lehmann said.”Jimmy Maher held the innings together and Hussey and Campbell played really well at the end.”Lehmann also praised the bowling of Bracken and Gillespie and said the fact they were in the A-side rather than the senior Australian side was a testament to thenation’s depth.”Australian cricket is in a really good position, hopefully the number one side can play really well over the next few weeks and keep that roll going,” he said.
The Guyanese national cricket team romped to a comfortable victorythis past Wednesday at the Ronald Webster Park in the Valley, Anguillaover the newcomers of the Cayman Islands in the 2000 Red Stripe Bowl.Guyana, who are one of the firm favourites in the 2000 Red StripeBowl, were graced with the presence of former West Indies’ masterclass batsmen, Carl Hooper, who returned to the Guyana National squadto help bridge the gap between the youngsters and first-class cricket.The Cayman Islands, who won the toss, asked Guyana to bat on atypically hard and fast Anguillian batting track which was once againproduced by ace curator Dale Rogers and his ground-staff crew.However, the Guyana team, initially made hard work of scoring runs asopeners Richardo Mohammed (15) and Azeemul Haniff (40) started slowlyagainst a very disciplined Cayman Island bowling attack that kept to agood line and length and continued to frustrate the young Guyaneseopening pair. However, when Mohamed fell to the bowling of KenuteTulloch, former West Indian one-day batsmen, Keith Semple tookadvantage of the inexperienced Cayman bowling attack and blasted 79from a mere 100 balls with seven blistering boundaries. After Hanifffell, offering a simple catch to mid-on, Semple was then joined byHooper, who played an equally important role as he charged to a quickfire 41 from 43 balls. Both he and Semple communicated well androtated the strike consistently as they were the beneficiaries of somegood luck and some poor Cayman fielding. Both were dropped early intheir innings and a total of 5 catches were put down throughout theinnings.After the fall of Hooper and Semple, however, the Guyanese battingfell away badly as they eventually laboured to a score of 224 for 9from their allotted 50 overs. The Caymnans must have been pleased withtheir bowling as they restricted one of the better batting sides inthe tournament. Off-spinner and former Jamaican bowler, larryCunningham, was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped 4 for 31 from 7overs.In reply, the debutants started well and were at one point 50 for 2from some 14 overs. After some light showers, the score was revisedand the Caymans were to chase 215 from 46 overs. The openers seemed tocope satisfactorily against the pace twins of Colin Stuart and ReonKing. However after Christopher Wight (one of four Wight brothers whomade their regional debut on Wednesday) was dismissed for 23 and LarryCunningham for 22, the Caymans folded inwards and collapsed for a mere75 for 9 from just 29.5 overs. Charles Greaves was unable to bat as heinjured his leg earlier in the day whilst diving to stop a ball atmid-off. West Indian leg-spinner, Mahendra Nagamootoo was the leadingwicket taker with his career best regional one-day figures of 5 for 13from his full ten overs.It was a convincing victory for the Guyanese as they hope to storm tothe next round in Jamaica later this month and once again stake theirclaim as ‘regional beaters’. With Carl Hooper back in the fold Guyanadefinitely have the resources to produce a winning streak. Hooperseems refreshed and there definitely appears to be a renewed spiritwithin himself as after the match he was openly speaking to manycricket fans with his wife and his young son, Carl Junior who himselfseemed to be very pleased with his fathers success.
Celtic loanee Boli Bolingoli looks set to return to Parkhead in the coming days.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by The Celtic Way, who claim that, following the news that FIFA will allow foreign players can suspend and/or cancel their contracts with Russian Premier League sides, the left-back could be set to make a return to Glasgow from FC Ufa in the very near future.
The 26-year-old had agreed a temporary move to the relegation-threatened Russian club towards the end of February, however, considering the horrendous situation currently ongoing in Eastern Europe, the Belgian defender will more than likely be returning to Celtic after just two weeks of his loan spell.
Postecoglou will be gutted
While it goes without saying that the safety of footballers is and always will be the priority in circumstances such as these, the fact that Celtic had been trying to get Bolingoli off of their books for over a year, only for the player to make a return to the club a little over a fortnight after finally agreeing a move away, is sure to have left Postecoglou gutted.
Indeed, it is clear that the £1.35m-rated left-back does not feature in the 56-year-old’s first-team plans, having made just two appearances under the Greek-Australian manager this season, as well as being completely left out of all but one other of Postecoglou’s Premiership matchday squads this term.
Furthermore, Neil Lennon also expelled the defender from his squad after Bolingoli was found to have broken lockdown restrictions back in 2020, with the former Celtic boss labelling the £15k-per-week man a “rogue.”
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As such, considering just how badly things have gone for Bolingoli since his £3m move to Celtic back in 2019, not only will the player’s impending return to Glasgow be a source of frustration for Postecoglou, but it will also be for the Belgian himself – as it is certain the defender would have greatly appreciated the opportunity to kickstart his career again after a nightmare stint at Parkhead.
In other news: Left for £0, now worth £58.5m: Celtic had nightmare on “complete” £160k-p/w “monster”
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 has been an article of faith ever since the squad for this Ashes series was announced. Regardless of what mood he might find himself in on tour, Steve Harmison was bound to have one matchwinning spell lurking somewhere up his sleeve. Surely. Maybe. Possibly …The longer this series has gone on, and the more he has struggled with his demons, expectations and assorted technical malfunctions, the further that assertion has slipped from view. Harmison’s horrible first delivery at the Gabba was so far removed from his frenzied assault on the Aussie batsmen at Lord’s last summer, it was tempting to believe that his mojo had been lost for good.Harmison has, after all, been an anonymous tourist almost throughout his eventful career. Aside from that fantasy tour of the Caribbean three years ago, he has travelled almost as well as a piece of illegal fruit through the customs at Perth Airport. He managed just nine expensive wickets on an enigmatic tour of South Africa in 2004-05, never made it to Sri Lanka a year earlier after succumbing to a back problem, and on this very ground four years ago, he had such an attack of stage fright, he completely lost his run-up.His fondness for the quiet life has become the stuff of cliché – a round of darts at Ashington working men’s club is said to be his idea of heaven – but it has a serious subtext. What did Harmison, whose role in last summer’s Ashes can never be erased from his records, have left to prove in a game he’s always seemed to tolerate rather than enjoy? Waiting for Godot was never as tedious as waiting for Harmy to locate his inner ignition key.Opinions were divided before the start of this Test. The “bin him now” camp were eventually shouted down by the residents of the last-chance saloon who argued, as Alec Stewart did earlier this week, that England had a match to win, and a matchwinner in their ranks. Even so, his series figures from the first two Tests were 1 for 288, and his spell in that despairing second innings at Adelaide had been so anodyne, that his eventual selection for this game can only have been borderline at best.Sensibly, he was not trusted with the new ball, as Andrew Flintoff hurtled in with the clarity of purpose that his closest friend so lacks, but when he did enter the attack in the 10th over of the day, he immediately located a patch on the pitch that offered his favourite thing in the world – bounce. You’d expect such goodies at the WACA, but amid all the mutterings about the declining standard of these pitches, it still came as something of a surprise.
Suddenly, Harmison was hunting with the alacrity of old. It brought to mind his Jekyll-and-Hyde showing at The Oval last summer. Before the match disappeared in a puff of litigation, Harmison went from abysmal (22-3-98-0) to respectable (30.5-6-125-4) in the space of 8.5 frenzied overs. Such is his way. As Stewart pointed out, confidence is the key for Harmison. Give him an inch and he’ll help himself to a mile.”He was bowling very well today,” said his partner-in-crime, Monty Panesar, afterwards. “It was fantastic to see the ball coming out of his hand and the bounce he gets off a normal natural length. I think he does help me when we bowl in tandem together, and it reminded me of Old Trafford.”Old Trafford? Oh yeah. That was a match that took place four months and a lifetime ago, in which Harmison and Panesar took 19 wickets between them to stun Pakistan. The attack that day also featured Matthew Hoggard and Sajid Mahmood – four bowlers who also wrapped up wins at Headingley and (by default) The Oval. Quite why England’s think-tank felt so compelled to change a winning team will remain one of the two great mysteries of this series. The other, of course, is Harmison himself.