Percy Sonn will continue as president of the International Cricket Council, extending his term at the helm to three years till June 2009. The announcement came at the end of a two-day board meeting of the ICC at Cape Town.The normal term of a president is two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension, and Sonn followed the precedent set by Jagmohan Dalmiya, Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Gray.Interestingly, the nomination committee did not make a recommendation to the board on the identity of Sonn’s successor. The committee was deadlocked on the merits of the two candidates, David Morgan of the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Sharad Pawar of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The matter now goes back to the governance committee.”I am delighted to accept the Board’s invitation to remain as President for a third year. I have had a busy but immensely enjoyable first year in the role that has seen many pluses for our great game,” said Sonn.He was keen to point out the advances made by the ICC in the recent past. “Chief among those have been the adoption of our new strategic plan and the WADA [anti-doping] Code, a successful Champions Trophy in India and our new broadcasting agreement with ESPN STAR Sports which will play a major role in promoting cricket and safeguarding its future by offering all of our members financial certainty.”Now, on the verge of a historic first-ever World Cup in the Caribbean and with the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships to come in September, I look forward to continuing as president for another two years as we seek to ensure our strong sport continues to grow stronger.”The ICC board also made a significant change in the laws of the game: the match referee, and not the on-field umpires, will now be the judge of when a match will be terminated, should such a circumstance arise. This follows the fiasco at The Oval involving England and Pakistan, where the first instance of a match being forfeited was recorded.”The board’s decision reflects the fact that the match referee is the chief executive of the match, the person who has overall responsibility for the way the game is played and officiated,” explained Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the ICC. “This decision does not, however, detract from the on-field role of the umpires and they would, of course, remain an integral part of the process of awarding a match in those circumstances.”
Battered and bruised on and off the field after defeat, injury and illness, England performed well beyond expectations on the opening day at Mumbai, laying the foundations to launch a serious attempt at a series-levelling win. Powered by a fantastic century by Andrew Strauss, and a curious decision at the toss by Rahul Dravid, England finished on 272 for 3.A severe personnel problem for England became even more critical on the morning of the match, when Alastair Cook was ruled out due to a stomach bug. Perhaps the Indian think-tank believed they could capitalise on the unsettled opposition top order; perhaps they were swayed by the tinge of green on the track, or by a bowling attack which included three seamers. The decision was strange, but England, to their credit, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, with Strauss’s 128 easily the highlight.Over the last few months, Strauss has struggled – his last nine Test innings have fetched him 150 runs in all. He threatened to match that number in just one hit today, with a superbly planned knock. When the ball was new and moving around, he was content to see off the bowling, scoring just 35 at lunch. The horizontal-bat strokes were closeted away, replaced by drives in the V and through the covers. Then, after he had done the hard yards, he capitalised – unlike makeshift opener Ian Bell, who threw it away in a moment of indiscretion.As the pitch eased up in the afternoon, Strauss opened out and unfurled his full range – the drives became more extravagant, and the slightest error in length was punished with crisp cuts and pulls.He did have a couple of moments of good fortune, though. On 92, a hard slash off Harbhajan flashed past slip before Dravid could get his hands to the ball, and on 123, Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped a more straightforward chance off Kumble. Strauss celebrated the first escape with a superb sweep to bring up his hundred – his eighth in Tests, and his first in the subcontinent – but could manage only five more after the second reprieve before nicking one off Harbhajan.
If Strauss’s knock was the story of the day, then Owais Shah’s performance on Test debut was a close second. From the outset, he oozed confidence, mixing intense defence with powerful drives and cuts. He started his innings with a smashing cut off Harbhajan, then stroked him delightfully through covers to bring up his fifty, and in between took full toll of the other bowlers as well. The fourth over after lunch was his highlight, as Shah waded into an utterly listless Pathan, slapping him down the ground, then flicking, and then driving through mid-on for three glorious fours in an over. Cramps in his hands curtailed the knock, but with an overnight rest, Shah should be back to try and inflict more damage to the Indian cause tomorrow.Kevin Pietersen ensured that Shah’s departure didn’t halt the momentum, playing with typical flair. The front-foot drives off the fast bowlers boomed as powerfully as ever, but there were moments of good fortune too, when top-edged pull shots evaded the fielders. And when he fell, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood were around to ensure that all the good work of five hours weren’t undone in a few minutes.Having erred at the toss, Dravid tried all the tricks to limit the damage, rotating his fast bowlers in short spells, getting the spinners on early when the fast bowlers proved ineffective, and changing the ends for Anil Kumble. However, India’s three-man pace attack was effectively reduced to two, with Pathan, bowling at medium pace with no swing, seam or accuracy, being completely off colour. Sreesanth was all fire and heart, but the best spell of the day came from Munaf Patel, after tea. Generating pace and bounce, he had the batsmen in plenty of bother, rapping Strauss on the pads, cutting him in half with an indipper, and forcing Pietersen to fend awkwardly. England survived all those moments, though, and ended the day with enough runs on the board to put pressure on India when it’s their turn to bat.
Ian Bell c Harbhajan b Sreesanth 18 (52 for 1) Andrew Strauss c Dhoni b Harbhajan 128 (230 for 2) Kevin Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth 39 (242 for 3)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary Photo Gallery Bulletin – Pakistan level series after fantastic run-chase Verdict – Clinical and full of steel Roving Reporter – Cut to the chase Quotes – ‘My contribution was very small’ – Inzamam News – Ganguly banned for six matches Plays of the Day – Can’t do nothing right Preview package Preview – Series comes alive before Ahmedabad clash Quotes – ‘Can’t say anything till the game begins’ – Ganguly Stats – A high-scoring trend
For the first time since England arrived in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, the rains failed to materialise yesterday afternoon. The irony was not lost on the England camp, who had looked on forlornly as the one-day series died the wateriest of deaths on Sunday. Instead, as attention shifted towards the first-class leg of the tour – which begins with tomorrow’s warm-up match against the Board President’s XI – Colombo was being basted in the sort of ferocious heat that England encountered on their previous visit in 2001.England’s 2-1 victory on that trip is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Nasser Hussain’s four-year tenure as captain, and though he is back in the ranks this time around, he was on hand yesterday to remind everyone just how tough the next month is going to be. “This is the most difficult place in the world to play cricket,” he said. “It is harder even than taking on Australia in Australia. The wickets are different to anywhere else in the world. The outfields are slow and, with the heat, you have to work hard for your runs.”Hussain is keenly aware that this is not his show any more, and he was at pains to stress than Michael Vaughan is his own man as captain. Nevertheless, it would be a surprise if England chose to deviate from their tried and trusted game-plan on the subcontinent. “My idea was always to stay in the game,” explained Hussain. “To still be in there on days three and four, when the pressure then shifts to the opposition. Whether it’s the crowds or the expectation that they ought to have beaten us already, they seem to feel the pressure more if you hang on to the end. All our victories came right at the death.”England’s top five are all familiar with the subcontinent, while Andrew Flintoff is a more rounded player of spin than the man who scraped 26 runs in five innings in India two years ago. But Hussain, who has returned from a three-week break after missing the one-dayers, warned that no amount of preparation can make up for time in the middle against the greatest bowler in the world today, Muttiah Muralitharan.”It’s a lovely game for Murali,” said Hussain. “He’s got that touch of genius, and a wicket is always somewhere around the corner. The rest of us have to work at our games. With him, it is never a matter of demolishing his bowling – it’s more a case of keeping him out. If he is going to take five wickets in a innings, make sure those are spread over 50 or 60 overs.””I don’t think there’s any harder job in world cricket, than when you first go out to bat in Sri Lanka, when Murali’s got men around the bat, with the ball spitting both ways out of the footholes. Every wicket out here is different so it’s a case of learning on your feet. As far as preparation goes, all you can really do is visualise your innings – decide what shots you can and can’t play – because the angles he achieves with his offspinners are unique.”If England had it tough in 2001, they were at least a team at the peak of their powers in the bowling department. This time around, however, Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick, and even that subcontinent specialist, Craig White, are all missing. “Those guys had a lot of experience,” said Hussain. “They could change their game-plans in a session. In the first Test at Galle, for instance, they came out after lunch and were bowling offcutters. This time we’ve got a lot of inexperience in our team, and you can’t win a Test unless you take 20 wickets.”It will take a repeat performance of the 2001 victory to wrench public attention away from England’s rugby heroes, something of which Hussain was wistfully aware. “It was obviously a great feeling watching that final, but at the same time I couldn’t help wishing we had done the same in our own World Cup. I’ve always felt the country are right behind us wherever we’ve played, and what hurts the most is thinking that you’ve let people down. We would do anything to have that feeling of going home as heroes.”It is a lesson to us all,” added Hussain. “If you put all your plans in place, if you get a great coach in Clive Woodward, and a superstar in Jonny Wilkinson, a good side can become a great one. Cricket, football, it can happen to all of them. From what I’ve read, we got plenty of credit for our victory in Sri Lanka last time. But there are two things that are permanently etched in people’s memories, World Cups and Australia. The rugby boys were very fortunate – they nailed them both in one afternoon!”Those are the two things that I didn’t put right as a captain. Now it’s up to someone else to do so.”
It was a good move by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)to postpone the start of the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals by two daysin order to give leading players the opportunity to play for theirstates in the crucial games. So often in the recent past have theRanji Trophy knock-out matches been played without the nationalplayers that the country’s premier national competition has beendevalued and the fare dished out has, predictably enough, beenmediocre. There is no doubt that the participation of players likeSourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia, VVS Laxman, Sanjay Bangar, Zaheer Khan,Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Deep Dasgupta, Jacob Martin and ConnorWilliams raised the level of the contests, and there was much goodcricket in the four matches.The quarter-finals were not devoid of surprises, and the most emphaticone was the manner in which Baroda scythed through Hyderabad. Grantedthat Baroda are the defending champions and they had the homeadvantage, but not even their most ardent supporters would haveexpected them to win by an innings and 256 runs just 12 overs into thefourth morning. After all, Hyderabad had done well in the leaguestages, registering a comfortable 10-wicket win over Himachal Pradeshin the pre-quarter-finals and having India caps Laxman andVenkatapathy Raju supplemented by in-form players like Daniel Manoharand A Nandakishore in their ranks.
But, having tasted success last year, Baroda are no more the diffidentteam under the shadow of Bombay and Maharashtra that they were forlong. Zaheer Khan produced a dream spell in the second innings thatbacked up some admirable batting feats from Williams (157) and Martin(271). At the moment, then, it must be said that Baroda look goodenough to take the title for a second year running.Baroda’s semifinal opponents Punjab were always expected to get thebetter of Orissa, especially with the match being played at Mohali.The presence of Shiv Sundar Das and Debasis Mohanty had much to dowith this eastern state making the semifinals for the first time lastyear. The two were around this year too, but Punjab were a superiorall-round side. With Ravneet Ricky, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh,Pankaj Dharmani and Dinesh Mongia in their ranks, they never let slipthe slim advantage that the two-run first innings lead gave them, andpurposeful batting and incisive bowling saw them complete an emphatic243-run victory that should do a world of good for their confidenceagainst Baroda.
On the face of it, Railways defeating Tamil Nadu by eight wicketswould also seem to be a surprise. But on closer scrutiny, it cannotaccurately be termed as such. Railways, after finishing runners-uplast year, are a very different team. Their confidence is at an alltime high, and the side today is very different from the one that lostthree times successively to Tamil Nadu – in 1972-73, four years later,and then in the title clash in 1987-88. Of course, they are also amuch stronger side now, with Sanjay Bangar, Murali Kartik andHarvinder Singh, besides the in-form JP Yadav and the evergreen YereGoud in their ranks. They bat well down the order and have a wellbalanced attack. The manner in which Bangar (212) held the inningstogether was exemplary and, riding on such feats, Railways must fancytheir chances against Bengal. For Tamil Nadu, it was a match to forgetin a hurry, with both the batsmen and bowlers failing to come goodwhen it mattered the most.In making the semifinals for the first time since 1993-94, two-timechampions Bengal put up a commendable show in prevailing over Gujaraton the back of a slender first-innings lead. Only 32 runs separatedthe teams after the first innings, and there was time for Gujarat tocome back into the game. But the manner in which Bengal shut them outof the match by splendid batting in the second innings was admirable.And while the established stars like Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar,Devang Gandhi and Sourav Ganguly did their job, it was theperformances of Subhomoy Das (77 and 107) and Sanjib Sanyal (123 and92) that played a vital role in Bengal’s victory.The two semifinals promise to be engrossing affairs, and with all theleading players taking part, the high standard of play is bound to bemaintained.
CARDIFF, Wales – Shrugging and rolling his eyes, Steve Waugh admits he doesnot have the faintest idea how Australia will perform in the one-dayinternational against Pakistan tomorrow.Australia is vulnerable after losing to Middlesex and snatching a tie fromrun-of-the-mill Northamptonshire this week while Pakistan is flying highfollowing Test and limited-over triumphs over England.Damien Martyn, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Ian Harvey are in good touchbut most of the tourists are still short of a gallop because of an extendedbreak between the Indian and England tours.A three-and-half-hour drive from Northampton to Cardiff last night was anuisance and Nathan Bracken (shoulder), Damien Fleming (calf) and Ponting(hip) are carrying niggling injuries.All Waugh could do was hope that playing by memory would be enough to gethis World Cup-winning side through against Pakistan in a game which startshere at 8pm (AEST).The Aussies then play England at Bristol on Sunday.”I’ve got to say our form’s been scratchy so far,” he said ahead ofAustralia’s back-to-back introduction to the tri-series.”It hasn’t been an easy preparation – we had to have some time off cricketand away from the game, which everyone needed really badly – but thedownside of that was that when we got back on tour we didn’t have much timeto get it right.”I must admit we’re going into our first game a fraction apprehensive.”We’re relying on what we’ve done before to get us there – our knowledge andexperience and know-how and obviously our talent – but we haven’t spent alot of time in the middle.”Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist was more upbeat, saying little should be readinto the Middlesex and Northants results because the team’s trademarksharpness and enthusiasm would return when needed.”We’re happy, settling in well, it’s very exciting now the real games arestarting – the competition games where the points are up for grabs,” hesaid.”The guys are very pumped up.”The Pakistan match should be a cracker and early psychological points forthe Ashes are up for grabs at Bristol.England’s batsmen crumbled twice to Pakistan this week and Australianpacemen Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie will be intent on kicking themwhile they’re down.Waugh rejected a suggestion that watching England crash and burn ontelevision would have given him great pleasure, but he did not soundthoroughly convincing.”It’s hard to be too harsh because they could say the same about the lasttwo Tests that we’ve lost to India,” he said.”We’ve collapsed under pressure as well.”Pakistan were always a chance if they could get one or two wickets becausethey have bowlers who can take wickets with reverse swing and all that sortof stuff.”I wouldn’t like to say the old signs were there because I think any sideput under that pressure on the last day is going to struggle to come up withthe goods.”Damien Martyn’s untouchable form – 108 against Worcester and 101 not outagainst Northampton – is tempting Waugh to leave him as an opener, where heaverages 232.5 in six starts for Australia.A possible XI to play Pakistan is: Stephen Waugh (c), Adam Gilchrist (vc),Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, Matthew Hayden, IanHarvey, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.Changes will be made against England under the Australian system of rotatingplayers in one-day tournaments to ease the workload on each individual.”I don’t like the word rotation – I’ve got to think of another word,” saidWaugh who, as an author, should be able to come up with one soon.
Rangers came from behind to return to winnings ways on Sunday as they won 2-1 in the Premiership away from Ibrox.
The home side took the lead early on as a brilliant cross went over Allan McGregor’s head and was nodded into an empty net at the back post. Whilst the delivery in from the left was superb, the Gers shot-stopper will be disappointed that he was unable to either collect or clear the ball in the air.
They eventually found their equaliser just after the hour mark, after missing a penalty through James Tavernier in the first half, as Aaron Ramsey was on hand to tap the ball into an empty net after Kemar Roofe saw his header saved from close range.
Connor Goldson then completed the turnaround as he finished on the volley after a deflection in the box in the 86th minute.
Although they picked up the three points in the end, a few players let themselves and the team down with their individual performances. One player whose display must come as a warning sign to van Bronckhorst was midfielder Scott Arfield.
The Dutch head coach must stop handing him starts as he has been on a horrific run of form in all competitions, with zero goals and zero assists in his last nine games – averaging a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.56 in that time. He also has two goals and zero assists in his last 20 outings, illustrating how little he has been providing in the final third.
In this match, the dud was abysmal on and off the ball. As per SofaScore, he lost 75% of his individual duels as he made zero blocks, interceptions or tackles. This shows that he offered almost nothing out of possession as he failed to win the ball back for his side to cut out Dundee FC attacks and set the Gers on their way.
On the ball, he struggled to offer a threat to the opposition. Via SofaScore, he had fewer touches (27) than goalkeeper Allan McGregor (29) in the game as he failed to complete a single dribble or key pass and he came off at half time without taking a single shot.
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He was deservedly hooked at the interval as he let the team down offensively and defensively, with Rangers losing 1-0 at the time of his departure from the match and winning 2-1 by the end of the game.
This latest showing, along with the eight previous matches heading into it, proves that he is not cut out to be a regular starter for Rangers in his current state. His form is off the boil and he must not start for the Gers again whilst playing at the standard he is at the moment.
AND in other news, Rangers may find Morelos 2.0 in swoop for teen predator who has 21 goals in 13 games…
Former Hull striker Dean Windass has admitted that he tried to commit suicide last week, after becoming depressed following the end of his playing career.
The bulky forward quit football at the age of 42, and has revealed the harrowing time that he has had since he has stopped playing.
“I have cried every day for the last two years since retiring,” he told People.
“People outside football think we have it all. But I was in a hole that I honestly didn’t know how to get out of.
“Just over a week ago I hit rock-bottom and decided to end it all.
“I first took an overdose and when that didn’t work tried to hang myself. I felt so alone and believed I had nothing to live for. I need to sort myself out which is why I’m speaking out now.
“People have this image of me as this big strong man who can take anything life throws at him. But I’m not ashamed to say I wanted to end it after a string of setbacks.
“I knew I’d been a fool but I couldn’t shake off the depression at feeling what a failure I’d become,” he concluded.
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This summer, football clubs throughout Europe will have to reconsider their usual transfer policies and contract negotiations as UEFA implements the first phase of its so-called Financial Fair Play policy. Designed to curb lavish spending far exceeding turnover and reduce the reliance on rich owners at clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City, the following three seasons will prove a testing time for football as a whole. By 2014, UEFA President Michel Platini hopes to impose sanctions and limits on clubs who don’t meet the new financial requirements and for the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona, the three richest in terms of income, this is unlikely to effect their future participation in European Competitions too severely. But what of the smaller clubs hoping to invest and make the step up to the highest level of club football?
Sadly these days football is not just about what happens on the pitch. Whilst the likes of Manchester United have achieved their position through consistent growth and fantastic commercial infrastructure, the likes of Chelsea have managed to invest heavily initially in players to gain a competitive advantage over rivals and build a title-winning side. Admittedly the London club’s commercial revenues have now caught up and, with the exception of the most recent transfer window, huge spending has slowed. But, the club was still able to grow courtesy of a rich benefactor.
In the case of Roman Abramovich, he is one of the richest men in the World and free to do as he wishes with his money. He has brought huge wealth into football which has filtered down through the game. For example, without his £50million outlay on Fernando Torries, Liverpool would not have spent so much on Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Similarly, the signing of David Luiz from Benfica allowed the Portuguese club to invest in three further players.
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However, for every Chelsea and Manchester City there is also a Portsmouth or a Leeds. These are clubs that tried to invest heavily to progress the club and did, in the short team, achieve success on the pitch. But, without the security blanket of an Abramovich or a Sheik Mansour, the growth was unsustainable, the clubs were liable and eventually crumbled.
There have been clubs to achieve European Football without excessive spending in recent years, however. The likes of Everton and Tottenham both achieved Champions League qualification through merit on the pitch alone. And, following their recent Carling Cup victory, Birmingham look to have qualified for next season’s Europe League.
But, without the financial clout to invest heavily, Everton didn’t make it past the qualification stage in 2005. Spurs have had a fantastic debut season in the Champions League but, even with seven games still to play, Champions League qualification is far from certain next year. And, despite qualifying through their Carling Cup success, Birmingham could still be refused the required UEFA license to participate in the Europa League due to their financial status. But will the new Financial Fair Play laws lessen this gap and reduce the vast difference in the game between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’?
Admittedly it will be a slow integration period as clubs will still be allowed to post losses of up to £38.5m for the following two seasons whilst commitments to transfers, amortisation and wages pre-June 2010 will be excluded from the rules. But, by 2014 clubs must be able to prove financial stability and ensure expenditure is covered by turnover. But with transfer fees and player wages seemingly spiralling out of control, where will this extra income come from? It would be a shame to see fans alienated by even more ticket price increases. And, bearing in mind the money the biggest teams bring into the game through Television revenues, would UEFA really have the clout to prevent the likes of Chelsea or Barcelona from participating in its flagship event?
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Financial Fair Play will, hopefully, encourage long-term planning and the building of profitable teams. But, bearing in mind the way wealth is distributed at the top-end of the game, it must be careful not to alienate those smaller teams hoping to achieve Continental status through strong performances on the pitch and, more importantly, the fans who watch the game week-in, week-out.
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has warned midfielder Javier Mascherano that he will not be allowed to leave the club on the cheap, despite continuing interest from Barcelona.
The 26-year-old was absent from the Reds squad for the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Monday evening, with Hodgson feeling that the Argentinian's head was not right for the game.
He warned after the game:"Unfortunately the fee the club thinks is the correct fee and the fee we are being offered are very far apart.
"Unless that can be resolved he might be unhappy for a long time to come. But I have no wish to create headlines over the Mascherano situation.
"The discussions between Barcelona and the club are being held at high club level and as a result I don't really want to get involved in it.
"It is not the first time these things have happened – there are quite a lot of clubs suffering at the moment by their players being courted by others and their players being unhappy at being required to fulfil their contracts.
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"It has happened to us now. Hopefully matters will get resolved, certainly before the end of the transfer window and I'll have a chance to pick him again, but last night would not have been a good time to select him.
"It will happen, I guess, a day when the offer for him matches our valuation, but until that day he stays with us."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email