West Indies A 274 for 8 (Smith 69, Joseph 59) v Sri Lanka A Scorecard Devon Smith jogged the memories of regional selectors with another half-century, while Sylvester Joseph and Narsingh Deonarine notched their own, as West Indies ‘A’ kept their Sri Lankan counterparts in the field for the entire opening day of the second unofficial “Test” at Warner Park yesterday.The left-handed Smith, who last played for the West Indies against Australia on the tour Down Under late last year, cracked an attractive 69, to help the hosts to 274 for 8 at the close. He hit a century in the drawn opening “Test” last week.Captain Sylvester Joseph, also seeking to stir the thoughts of selectors, stroked an enterprising 59, while Deonarine carved out 55.West Indies A’s total thrived on two major partnerships. First, Smith and Joseph added 88 for the third wicket to revive the regional side from 41 for two and then Deonarine and Darren Sammy (48) posted a further 80 for the seventh wicket when the score slipped to 178 for 6.Smith’s innings contained 12 fours from 103 balls while Joseph faced 82 balls and batted a shade over two hours, striking eight fours.
Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, has said that there are no plans to review Zimbabwe’s Test status despite the country’s dismal performances in the last 18 months.In an exclusive interview with Cricinfo, Mani said that any such decision was the responsibility of the Full Members (the ten Test-playing countries) and that while the possibility of suspending Zimbabwe to give them time to rebuild had been discussed, it was rejected as an option.”In all sporting competitions there are strong sides and weak ones and Test cricket is no different,” Mani said. “The history of the game is littered with examples of such teams going head-to-head resulting in one-sided contests. We recognise that some countries such as Zimbabwe are not at their strongest at the moment but also acknowledge they are in a rebuilding stage.”There appears to be an underlying assumption in many matters concerning the ICC that someone, be it the President or the Chief Executive Officer, has the power to pick up the phone to, for example, suspend a Member but that is not the case. It is the Members themselves that determine such policy within the framework of the ICC’s constitution.But while Mani acknowledged that the ICC were following events inside Zimbabwe closely – “any situation where conflict exists is obviously regrettable” – he was keen to empahise that the politics of any member country was not the ICC’s concern. “Our remit is cricket, not the internal politics of our Members.”Asked why the ICC acted against South Africa in the apartheid era and yet not against Zimbabwe, whose human rights record is the subject of widespread international concern, Mani said: “The issue of South Africa’s sporting isolation was confirmed by a decision made by politicians when the Gleneagles Agreement of 1977 was produced and the ICC accepted that document. Economic and sporting sanctions were imposed against South Africa but no member government of an ICC country has sought to take such a stance against Zimbabwe.”He also reiterated that any country refusing to fulfill its obligations to tour would face financial penalties, but that there would not be any ICC repercussions against New Zealand in the light of their government refusing to allow Zimbabwe to visit. “The decision to stop Zimbabwe touring by refusing to issue their players with entry visas was one made by politicians and, as we have said previously, we will always abide by such decisions.” However, he warned that such action could have consequences. “It would be worth observing that any unilateral or even multilateral action taken that may not be in accordance with the views of the majority might result in consequences. For example, if a Member wished to apply to host an ICC Event having earlier acted in a way that some of its fellow Members felt to be inappropriate then that might jeopardize its chances of securing that Event when the time came for a vote on the issue.”And Mani appeared to hint that he acknowledged the idea of assembling the best players in the world for the Super Series had not been that successful. Asked whether there had been any consideration given to raising an all-Africa side to replace Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa, he replied: “That argument says that a combined side might be able to boast more top-class players in its line-up than any side made up of the players from just one country. The Johnnie Walker Super Series has re-opened the debate about whether it is possible for players from more than one country to come together and form an effective team. The merger of teams into one line-up may also impact on players’ ability to represent their country of birth, something many of them would always aspire to do.”
They are known in the trade as “Duncan days” – performances so mediocrethat the only man capable of facing the media afterwards is the Englandcoach himself. And true to form, Duncan Fletcher did his best to put apositive spin on a disappointing effort from England’s cricketers, aftertheir batsmen and bowlers had both been given the runaround by a spiritedSouth Africa A side.”It is possible that one or two of our players were a bit ring-rusty,”conceded Fletcher as the day drew to a close, although he was quick topoint out what a good toss it had been to win, because the pitch swung andseamed for the South African bowlers throughout England’s innings. “Theseguys really know where to put the ball, and they managed to keep it movingfor 60 overs, instead of the usual 25.”The new arrivals for the Test series were especially caught out by theconditions, with Mark Butcher, Marcus Trescothick and Graham Thorpe allfailing to reach double figures. “Some individuals could have used theirtime in the middle more effectively,” admitted Fletcher, “althoughhopefully they’ll get another chance later when the wicket has flattenedout.”There were too many soft dismissals,” he added. “But in those conditions,there is no point in sitting around and trying to block, because youaren’t going to get on top of your game, and you’re liable to get outanyway. There was a decision to make – try and dominate or get out fornothing – but it was an important wake-up call for the batsmen. They mustutilise the time out there as effectively as possible.”After some less-than-taxing outings against Zimbabwe and Namibia, Fletcherhad no complaints whatsoever about facing a side that came at Englandhard. But he was also happy that the pitch had flattened out for hisbowlers by the time their turn came in the afternoon session.”I’m glad it is flat for the bowlers,” he explained. “The last thing theyneed now is a pitch that is doing something. That way they get no mileagein their legs, and they can also get fooled about what lengths to bowl.Today was a timely reminder of the disciplines that are required forTest-match cricket.”Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Cricinfo. He will be following England throughout their Test series in South Africa.
Hampshire enjoyed another good day at the wooden spoon contest against Derbyshire. The Indian summer disappeared into an overcast gloom day, but not gloomy for Hampshire who set up a useful 141 run lead before bad light ended play an hour early.Derek Kenway and Jimmy Adams continued their fine opening stand before both openers were removed within a space of 4 runs.Simon Katich and John Crawley then took up the mantle sharing a 153 run stand. Crawley became the first of Graham Welch’s first of three wickets when he was adjudged lbw. Katich moved onto his fourth century in his last Championship match for the county, hitting 19 fours and two sixes.Dominic Cork the Derbyshire captain, in the middle of some local controversy did not bowl on the second day, leaving the field early on with a ham-string twinge.Two wicket fell in the middle order to cause a blimp on the day, before James Hamblin who had already made a mark on this match with 6 wickets the previous day stayed together with Dimitri Mascarenhas for 90 runs, Hamblin with a season best 61* played the senior roll.Hampshire will be looking to extend their lead on the third day and are in a good position to record their second victory of the season.
New Zealand will not be tempted to do more development work by introducing new players when the Test side to play the first Test against Bangladesh is named on Thursday.The first National Bank Test will start in Hamilton on Tuesday next week.Selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee said today there was a thought before the Australian series that the selectors might look to advance Lou Vincent and Shane Bond by playing them against Bangladesh, but circumstances in Australia had changed that and they had taken their chances, come through, and were both likely to be in the side to be named.”There will be no letting up, we want to play well and positively and there will be absolutely no complacency in the New Zealand side,” he told CricInfo today.Hadlee had been delighted with the advances made in Australia, even if they did create some selection dilemmas for the selectors.”There were some very good signs but I was especially pleased with the attitude of the players. They worked and prepared hard and they took it to the opposition by playing positively.”They blunted Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne effectively while I don’t think the bowling figures tell the story of how they tried.”The grunt and firepower they had was a lot better than the figures showed,” he said.The sign of centuries being scored by the batsmen had also been welcome as that had been one area of concern in recent times.”The whole team has made progress. Last season’s injuries have given us more depth and better selection options.”Captain Stephen Fleming had a new dimension to his leadership and that had come about by his backing his players, and making declarations to try and win games.”He wants to play attacking cricket and that is important for the paying public,” he said.To continue the initiative shown in Australia would be very testing and very challenging for the players against Bangladesh.The mood of the team last year had been buoyant despite the injuries and that got the side through some tough times. But Australia had set a standard for the side and they now had to build on that.He was not satisfied the side had achieved its best yet.”There is still work to be done. We’ve got to be more attacking with the ball, we have to fine tune our bowling.”We can’t drop the standards. We have to keep the side going forward. It is going to be an exciting time ahead,” Hadlee said.There was still the issue to be decided over Vincent’s place in the side.Hadlee said that if the selectors were to be consistent, Vincent’s performances in Australia would have a bearing on the final selection.Hadlee said it would have been unfair on Vincent had he not done well in Perth to be dropped on the basis of one game and he would probably have been given the two Tests against Bangladesh to see what he could do.”His first-class average is only 29 but all it needs is an opportunity for any player and they can be away.”Hadlee repeated his comparison with Justin Langer’s situation in the Australian side when he replaced Michael Slater in England and then held his spot to such good effect against New Zealand, despite the luck he had in surviving an lbw in the first over of the first Test and being dropped in the first over of the second.”Mathew Sinclair is under pressure for his place. We expected better from him in Australia,” Hadlee said.Sinclair’s form in the latest round of State Championship matches could have a big bearing on the course the selectors look to take.If Sinclair doesn’t meet their standards there may be a temptation to recall Matthew Horne to open with Vincent playing at No 3.
Resuming on 152, Sriram continued to be in solid touch. Batting almost through the second day, he helped himself to another 136 runs before he was dismissed on 288, the third highest score by a Tamil Nadu batsman ever in the history of Ranji Trophy cricket. Helped along by a hundred from another Sridharan – Sharath Tamil Nadu ended the day on 599 for 4.It was more hard work for the Uttar Pradesh bowlers on Day 2. There was no joy for the bowlers as almost all batsmen made merry. JR Madanagopal (85) added just 5 runs to his overnight score before he was dismissed by young medium pacer Shalab Sriwastava.S Sharath who has been in national reckoning for a few years now, and scored consistently in the Challenger Trophy, joined the party. Batting fluently, the two southpaws took the game well away from Uttar Pradesh.Nearing his triple hundred, Sriram slowed down considerably after tea. However, the triple hundred proved to be elusive. Falling just 12 runs short of the mark, Sriram was caught by Sriwastava off the bowling of Raza. His innings lasted just over eleven hours and included a mammoth 38 boundaries.In the meantime, Sharath was motoring along steadily and remained unbeaten on 128 at stumps. Rajat Bhatia, known for his hard hitting, played an uncharacteristically slow innings and was not out on 7 off the 36 balls when stumps were called.
Speculation over the future of Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, is mounting with some reports claiming he is set to retire from Test cricket after playing in the second Test in Lahore against South Africa.Geo TV and , the Urdu-language daily, both reported that Inzamam had reached an agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board which would see the batsman play one last Test at home before bowing out – unlike many ex-cricketers in Pakistan – with some grace and dignity.The reports also suggested that the board may make a financial payment to Inzamam, a golden handshake of sorts, for announcing his retirement. This, however, was denied emphatically by a statement from the board, which stated “that all policy decisions regarding Inzamam will be announced in the next couple of days which will be in the larger interest of the game.”The newspaper report that the PCB has carried out a deal with Inzamam by assuringhim a guaranteed sum of 10 million rupees for his retirement from Test cricket, isabsolutely incorrect,” it saidNone of these reports, however, have quoted Inzamam directly. The only newspaper to quote him on the topic, the , another Urdu daily, has him denying any such plans. “I have no plans to retire at the moment. I am available for the second Test and have told the selectors of my desire,” Inzamam said. However, to add to the confusion, the same newspaper’s front page has also carried the retirement story. The Daily Express has also quoted Inzamam claiming he has cancelled his trip to London where he was expected to be present for hearings in the Darrell Hair case.Inzamam stepped down from the captaincy and retired from ODIs after Pakistan’s early exit at the World Cup earlier this year. He was initially keen to play on in Tests, but the board and selectors have, unofficially, been equally keen for him to step away and didn’t award him a central contract.To complicate matters further, Inzamam was also one of four players to sign up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a move which meant, according to the PCB’s stance, that he would not be considered for Pakistan selection.Yet Inzamam was, according to the selection committee, considered for the first Test squad against South Africa. He wasn’t picked because he made himself unavailable. If he does play one last Test, Inzamam has an opportunity to surpass Javed Miandad as the leading Test run-scorer for Pakistan as he needs 20 runs to go past Miandad’s haul of 8832.
Newcastle United royalty in Alan Shearer was far from happy with his dearest team’s abysmal showing in the Tyne-Wear Derby on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, after the dust had settled on the 1-0 defeat, the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer wouldn’t mince his words, branding the lifeless performance from the away side as “pathetic”, especially in such a high-stakes contest.
Shearer would also call into question Eddie Howe’s team selection, as the ex-AFC Bournemouth boss continues to skate on thin ice in the St James’ Park dug-out, with Anthony Elanga – in particular – dismissed as “awful” by the Magpies hero.
Elanga has nowhere to hide now with the former Nottingham Forest winger surely the first name to be dropped from Howe’s starting XI for Newcastle’s EFL Cup tie with Fulham tomorrow evening.
Howe's puzzling decision to start Elanga
The Swedish attacker would be thrown into the deep end of the starting lineup unexpectedly, with this reintroduction against Newcastle’s arch nemesis going down as only his seventh start of the season.
The 23-year-old’s minutes have been extremely limited for good reason, too, with the number 20 only boasting a single assist from 16 Premier League appearances this campaign so far.
This is a major drop-off from his City Ground peak, with six goals and 11 assists collected last season, seeing him be dubbed a “special” talent by his ex-boss in Nuno Espirito Santo.
He is nowhere near those heights now, having since completed a £55m switch from Forest to Tyneside, tallying up no shots, dribbles or crosses at the Stadium of Light, making the decision to start Elanga in such a key match feel very confusing.
It’s even more of a perplexing alteration when you consider Jacob Murphy has three goal contributions himself in Premier League action this season, leading to former St James Park attacker Craig Bellamy once hailing him as an “outstanding” talent, who often shines on the big occasion.
Elanga & Murphy vs Sunderland
Stat
Elanga
Murphy
Minutes played
59
31
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
0
0
Touches
27
24
Accurate passes
13/19 (68%)
11/15 (73%)
Key passes
0
1
Accurate dribbles
0/2
1/1
Total duels won
0/4
2/3
Stats by Sofascore
The 30-year-old also offered up a lot more verve and energy than his disappointing counterpart from his limited minutes on Sunday, with two duels won and one successful dribble mustered up, despite only being on the pitch for barely half an hour.
He isn’t the only option Howe has up his sleeve to replace the insecure number 20, with a long-term option for the future also in his plans.
Exciting youngster can replace Elanga at Newcastle
Howe could be prepared to think outside of the box when replacing the lacklustre 23-year-old, largely as he’s been consistently let down by senior individuals this season. 19-year-old Antonio Cordero is catching his eye as a potential replacement.
The Magpies’ purchase of Cordero this summer, after the expiry of his contract at Malaga, very much went under the radar, as Howe and Co jumped to the front of the queue for his services, ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But, when assessing his previous red-hot form in Spain, he could soon return to England following a loan stint at KVC Westerlo and become a surprise senior presence that makes Elanga’s first-team spot even less fixed.
A blistering seven goals and nine assists came the Spain U19 regular’s way from just 60 appearances, with his standout efforts in Andalusia nearly sealing promotion for Malaga up to La Liga.
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It’s led to rave reviews, notably from former Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell, who called him an “exciting talent,” while Como scout Ben Mattinson has previously suggested that he is “like Gordon and Murphy.”
He hasn’t set the world alight out on loan in Belgium just yet, with only 89 unmemorable minutes of action coming his way, leading to zero goals or assists being picked up.
But, with Howe clearly capable of getting the very best out of his youngsters at St James’ Park, as seen in Lewis Miley scoring against Bayer Leverkusen, Cordero might soon be fast-tracked to the first team.
Elanga does still have time on his side to turn around his disappointing stint to date, but Howe’s patience will be running very thin, as more no-show performances like the one against Sunderland could ultimately cost him his employment.
As bad as Woltemade: Newcastle star who lost 100% duels could now be sold
Eddie Howe could now cash in on this Newcastle star, who was as bad as Nick Woltemade in their narrow Tyne-Wear Derby defeat.
Shoaib Akhtar, handed a 13-match ban and a fine for various disciplinary breaches, has said he is looking forward to the series against India in November, a tour he will be available for after serving out his ban.”I want to go to India as it will probably be my last tour,” Shoaib told a television channel in Lahore. “I’m 32 now and I don’t think I’ll have an opportunity to go back in four years’ time. I just want to repeat what I’ve achieved there, [like] getting Sachin [Tendulkar] out off the first ball. I want to recall those moments.”Shoaib’s ban includes the seven matches of the ICC World Twenty20, the two Tests and the first four one-dayers against South Africa. Shoaib said he was not looking to play the fifth ODI against South Africa in Karachi as he wanted to get some match practice before returning to international cricket. “I’m match-fit but I don’t know about my match-bowling”, he said.”I want to play a four-day game at least before getting back. [I’d like to] bowl about 30-odd overs in a four-day game. I don’t want to stretch myself to the limit before starting to bowl again.”Shoaib was also optimistic about his career ahead. “If I play another 80-odd ODIs in the next four years I can end with 400 wickets. That’s my goal. The same with Tests – if I play another 35-40 Tests I could get 300-plus wickets.”It would be nice to look back and say I have done something for my country and maximised my talent.”
It’s been over a year since the historic Ashes series and Damien Martyn,the birthday boy and Man of the Match, admitted that Australia had beenwaiting for this game for quite a while. It was the first time the twoteams met after the never-to-be-forgotten final day at The Oval and Martyncashed in on some wayward English bowling.”It’s been a year since we last played England and that was a greatseries,” he said at the end of the day. “The boys did well and fieldedwell, Huss [Michael Hussey] and me had a great partnership. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay till the end. It was a good wicket and was nice to get runs on it.”The manner in which Martyn took on Steve Harmison was probably the sightof the night, when colourful Diwali firecrackers lit up the sky.Martyn was severe in his assault and peppered five fours in a space of tenballs, nullifying Harmison’s effect almost instantly. “They didn’t bowlgreat tonight,” said Martyn bluntly when asked about his innings on thenight. “When I walked in there I didn’t go with any set plans. It justhappened that way, with the Powerplays and the field in. And with Huss atthe other end, just shoring up an end, we were able to build a partnership.”Ricky Ponting, his captain, didn’t want to read too much into Harmison’sdismal performance but added that his batsmen wouldn’t let up during theAshes. “It’s pretty easy for bowlers to get their tails up in Australia,”said Ponting when asked for an assessment of Harmison’s expensive spell.”Damien in particular played him very, very well tonight and we put awaymost balls that he bowled. If he comes to Australia and bowls that way,we’ll be looking to do exactly the same thing.”Martyn might have stolen the show but the contribution made by MichaelHussey, who walked into a crucial situation, cannot be under-estimated. “Ihad a chat to Buck [John Buchanan] at the break,” said Ponting when askedabout Hussey’s promotion up the order. “With the wicket playing the way itwas, if we lost a few wickets in a row, it would be nice to have someonelike him to really shore things up. Having to chase such a small totaltonight, it was perfectly suited for him to go in. We had three peoplepadded up at the moment and I made the decision to send Huss out. Heplayed the way we expect him to play in that situation. As we all knowhe’s a terrific player, he sums up situations and plays verywell. With him and Damien and Michael [Clarke] we have a lot of options inthe middle.”Glenn McGrath’s first spell and Shane Watson’s continued failure at thetop of the order were the only negatives that Australia could take fromthis game. Ponting wasn’t too concerned about either, placing faith inboth the performers to deliver in the future. “You don’t end up having alot of concerns about one of the greats of the game that Glenn is,” hesaid when asked about McGrath’s insipid first spell. “He delivers anhonest performance everytime he takes the field and I think hisperformance today was that – it was honest. He’s fulfilling a differentrole at the moment, bowling first change something he’s done for only halfa dozen games in his career. So he’s probably still learning the role.”And would he back Watson to open even after another failure? “He has asound and solid technique and all the shots in the book. As a one-dayopener you want to combine both of those and do it well. He got outpulling but I know how instinctive the stroke is. Sometimes you see ashort ball and just decide to go for the pull, not taking into account thebounce. What you saw before he got out, I think shows that he will be avery good opening batsman for us.”