Michael Vaughan defended his team following the unsavoury scenes between Simon Jones and Matthew Hayden, during the washed-out one-day international at Edgbaston. The flashpoint of the match occurred in the sixth over when Jones fielded a drive in his follow-through, then attempted to throw down the stumps, but instead clattered Hayden on the shoulder. Hayden reacted angrily and then exchanged words with Paul Collingwood, causing the umpires to become involved to calm the situation.But Vaughan did not want to blow the incident out of proportion: “I think they [the umpires] just wanted to make sure that both teams weren’t stepping over the line. It’s always tough cricket when England play Australia and Simon apologised straight away and probably a little bit of the incident was untoward.”This England team are all together and I think we have been for two years. Whether we are batting, bowling or fielding we stick together and that incident probably shouldn’t have taken place, but we didn’t need calming down because we know that you don’t want to see those kinds of incidents on the cricket field.”However, Vaughan admitted this latest exchange probably wouldn’t be the last of thesummer: “We play it pretty tough and so do they. I wouldn’t say it will be the last time that England and Australia exchange a few words, I’m sure it will happen throughout the summer.”Ricky Ponting also played down the confrontation, even though he felt it necessary to go up the pitch when Jones and Hayden clashed. “I just wanted to make sure that he was focused and ready for the next ball and he dealt with it and got it out of his system. He is very good at doing that, he’s great a switching on and off and he was fine afterwards.”It was just something that happened in the heat of battle. I don’t think there was any malice or that he meant to hit Matty. But I think when the ball actually did strike him you’d expect there to be some retaliation from the batsman’s point of view. Obviously there were a few words and it was all over and done with very quickly.The Jones-Hayden eyeballing was not the only controversy in a match which threw up plenty of incidents, despite only going just over half the distance. Kevin Pietersen took a low catch at third-man to dismiss Damien Martyn, who stood his ground before the umpires gave him out.Ponting said he was happy with the catch, having seen the replays, and both captains indicated that they would sit down before the Test series to discuss the issue of disputed catches. “What we try and to is to take it out of the umpires’ and third umpires’ hands,” said Ponting. “In Damien’s defence, all he was trying to do was get it from Kevin that he had actually caught the ball.” Vaughan added: “Kevin was confident that he’d taken it, and he said he’d taken it, that’s why the umpires gave it out.”As expected, both captains had differing views on how that game may have turned out if the rain hadn’t arrived. Vaughan was delighted with the England fightback, which restricted Australia’s final onslaught: “At one stage we could have kept them to 250 but when they were 222 for 4 with eight overs left you were looking at 280 or 290 with someone like Symonds in. For us to come back in those last 10 overs was a real positive.”But Ponting was confident his team had enough runs and says the game emphasised how closely fought the summer could be: “We know that we are in for a good contest this summer. I think that has been made apparent so far. There is a challenge there and all of our guys are certainly ready for it.”
Group A Zimbabwe U19 74 for 3 (Williams 37*) beat Australia U19 73 (Panyangara 6-31, Chigumbura 4-17) by seven wickets Scorecard
Australia’s destroyer Tinashe Panyangara collects his Man of the Match award
The Under-19 World Cup produced its first major shock when Australia were routed by Zimbabwe after being bowled out for 73 in front of a capacity 15,000 crowd at the Bogra District Stadium. To add insult to injury, it was Australia’s lowest score in the tournament.Australia won the toss and batted, and Tim Paine (19) and Theo Doropoulos (26) gave them a solid start as they reached 50 for 1 after 10 overs. But then the wheels came off as right-arm fast bowler Tinashe Panyangara ripped through their top and middle order. In a devastating nine-over spell he grabbed 6 for 31, the second-best bowling figures in the tournament’s history. Four of his victims were caught by wicketkeeper Brendon Taylor.Elton Chigumbura picked up the remaining four wickets for 17 runs as Australia succumbed in 19 overs.Australia briefly harboured hopes of snatching a remarkable victory when Zimbabwe lost two wickets in the first three overs, but that was as good as it got and Zimbabwe coasted to a seven-wicket win with 32 overs to spare.”Winning the game today was a great feeling,” said Zimbabwe’s captain Tinotenda Mawoyo. “Our morale is now very high. We played very well today and we hope to do the same in our next matches.” Australia’s coach, Bennett King, on the other hand, was understandably downcast. “Everything about [Zimbabwe’s] game was perfect. I can’t remember a game where we have been so completely dominated.”Australia must now beat Sri Lanka at Rajshahi on Friday (February 20) to keep alive their hopes of retaining their U19 title.
Stuart MacGill will have what might well be his only bowl on South African soil this weekend when Steve Waugh’s Australians meet a South Africa `A’ team in a four-day match at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth starting on Friday.The Australians have rested Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden for this match on the unsurprising premise that all four had outstanding matches during the Wanderers Test.Working on the assumption that it would be unlikely for Australia to feel the need to change a team that has just won its last match by an innings and 360 runs, this weekend’s game should provide MacGill, along with Andy Bichel, Darren Lehmann and Shane Watson, with their first outing of the tour.From a South African point of view, the match will provide players like captain Daryll Cullinan, left-arm spinner Gulam Bodi and Western Province left-arm seamer Charl Willoughby to press for inclusion in the side for the second Test match at Newlands next weekend.The South African side for the second Test is expected to be named on Monday.TeamsSA `A’ team: Jacques Rudolph (Northerns), Graeme Smith (WP), Martin van Jaarsveld (Northerns), Daryll Cullinan (Capt, Gauteng), Hashim Amla (KZN), Justin Kemp (EP), Robin Peterson (EP), Gulam Bodi (KZN), Thami Tsolekile (WP), Dewald Pretorius (FS), Charl Willoughby (WP). Twelfth man: Garnett Kruger (EP).Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee.
Zimbabwe’s two Test match series against India will be refereed by SouthAfrica’s Denis Lindsay, the former Springbok wicketkeeper batsman, the ICCsaid in a press release on Monday.International panel umpire Daryl Harper of Australia will standwith Russell Tiffin in the first match in Bulawayo (June 7 to 11).Sri Lanka’s Asoka De Silva will officiate with home umpire IanRobinson in the second Test in Harare (June 15 to 19). This willbe Asoka’s first overseas match since joining the ICC panel duringthe recent series in Sri Lanka against England.Lindsay, 62 will also referee the seven One Day Internationals inthe triangular series which follows the Test series. India, WestIndies and Zimbabwe are the competing teams.
Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be keen to join Aston Villa because of Steven Gerrard’s influence, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Phillips rumours continue
The 26-year-old has endured an injury-plagued season for the Whites, proving to be mostly helpless in their battle to stave off the threat of relegation.
At the same time, Phillips has been continually linked with a move away from his boyhood club this summer, as he potentially eyes up a fresh challenge with a side chasing European football rather than running from the drop.
Villa are one of those to have shown an interest in the midfielder, who has been lauded as ‘phenomenal’ by former England manager Fabio Capello, with Gerrard reportedly plotting to launch a £60m bid this summer.
[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]
The Latest: Gerrard influence key?
Speaking to Give Me Sport about those rumours, Jones believes Gerrard’s legendary reputation in the game could be enough for Villa to snap up Phillips in the summer:
“I think if Kalvin Phillips were to leave Leeds, he would be looking for certain aspects to fit what he’s looking for. Aston Villa have got Steven Gerrard and that, obviously, is a massive positive for them in terms of persuading him.
“They’re going to be pushing for European football from this point on and that’s the aim, so that’ll suit him.”
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-39/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Perfect mentor?
While Gerrard is clearly a legend of the game and someone any midfielder would want to learn from, a move to Villa still wouldn’t feel like a big enough step up for Phillips.
Granted, they are currently faring better than Leeds, but if the England international is to leave the club, it should be for a team playing in the Champions League rather than one currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Only Phillips knows what his decision will be – so much may hinge on whether or not Leeds are relegation – but moving solely because of a manager who may not be at Villa Park forever would feel a little like a sideways move.
In other news, Leeds are thought to be keen on signing a defender. Find out who it is here.
It took nine days for the series to finally witness an absorbing battle between bat and ball. While Chennai produced a featherbed and Ahmedabad saw a track with generous sprinklings of green, Kanpur laid out a crackling surface that assisted turn. South Africa made the most of winning the toss, grinding out 265 at the end of a tense first day, but India’s spinners, with some good support from Ishant Sharma, ensured they remained in the hunt.A bone-dry pitch with conspicuous cracks gradually deteriorated through the day. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla thrived when conditions were best for batting, steering South Africa to 152 for 1, before India clawed their way back through turn and bounce. Seven of the ten wickets fell to spinners, both specialist and part-time, but plucky contributions from the lower order stretched the score past 250. With the ball stopping on the batsmen, and a few starting to stay low, it could well turn into a match-winning total.South Africa ensured they didn’t miss out on scoring opportunities. Smith led the early charge and the plucky duo of AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher made valuable contributions down the order. None of the batsmen were completely assured at the crease – they survived vociferous appeals every once in a while and the ball regularly beat the outside edge – but made sure they scored at a healthy clip.India’s shoddy fielding hurt them, as did their inability to sustain pressure. Barring Harbhajan Singh, who was miserly throughout the day, the rest regularly doled out loose deliveries that allowed the batsmen to break free. Both Piyush Chawla, in his second Test, and Ishant struggled with their accuracy and a number of misfields only hurt them further. How Anil Kumble would have wished to be out in the middle rather than nursing a groin injury back in the dressing room.Kumble’s absence, for the first time since December 2003, meant that Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to captain India. He didn’t have a great start, though, losing the toss and then watching his faster bowlers squander the new ball. Sreesanth had a perilously close lbw appeal turned down in the fourth ball of the match – against Neil McKenzie, who shouldered arms to one that came in – but didn’t go on to make the batsmen play enough. Ishant’s first six overs cost 35 and allowed South Africa’s openers to lay a solid base.
Sreesanth didn’t cause too many flutters through the day but Ishant came back with renewed enthusiasm. Managing reverse-swing at a pace close to 140kph, he broke through Amla’s defences during his mid-afternoon spell. He returned late in the day to nip out Boucher, with one that jagged back and kept low, and polished off Paul Harris with one that uprooted leg stump.The spinners, though, had most of the say. Chawla created the first breakthrough, beating McKenzie in flight and luring him out of the crease, while Yuvraj foxed Smith with one that fizzed off the surface. It was a crucial wicket, especially because of the confidence with which Smith was handling the spinners. He appeared to have sussed up the situation perfectly – clattering the loose balls and showing the temperament to overcome the nervy moments. Along with Amla, who milked the spinners with wristy manoeuvres, he was threatening to take the game away.Yuvraj, though, should have had Smith with his very first ball, when the batsman was on 50. Turning one across Smith, he caught him on the shuffle with a ball that would have gone on to rattle leg stump. Undeterred with the decision, Yuvraj struck a few overs later and triggered a mini-collapse – Amla, who had added 91 with Smith, was undone by Ishant’s reverse-swing, deflecting a pacy ball onto his stumps, and Kallis lasted only seven balls, playing on to the stumps to Harbhajan.The rest of the day was a cat-and-mouse battle – South Africa’s middle order snaffling runs at the slightest chance, the spinners beating the bat, appeals flying and puffs of dust appearing on the pitch. Ashwell Prince was bogged down by 21 dot balls in a row while de Villiers refused to be tied down, doing his best to use his feet against the spinners. Boucher held the lower order together – with Morne Morkel and Harris chipping in – but just when he appeared to shut India out, the bowlers mopped up the tail. Harbhajan ended with 3 for 52 in a marathon 32-over effort but on another day, with more luck, he could have easily doubled the wickets tally.
Graham Ford was appointed India’s coach on Saturday, filling a two-month-old vacancy and ending a search that seemed to have come to life in only the past week. Ford, the players’ choice for the job, has been offered a one-year contract and is expected to start work during India’s tour of Ireland later this month.After hearing the presentations of both Ford and John Emburey, the former England offspinner, the BCCI decided to go with Ford. The decision has to be ratified by the working committee of the Board of Control of Cricket in India, which meets in Delhi on June 12, but that is expected to be a mere formality.Addressing a haphazard and chaotic press conference soon after hearing presentations from both candidates, and then further deliberating among themselves, N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer, said, “The committee constituted to select the next Indian coach met and it was decided that the name of Mr Graham Ford would be put forward for the job of Indian coach.””It is now for the working committee of the BCCI, which meets in Delhi on June 12, to make the appointment final,” Srinivasan said. It is now up to Ford to indicate when he can seek a release from Kent, the English county where he is currently contracted till 2008.Just as there seems to be no defined season as far as the organising of matches is concerned, it appears that there’s no real system when it comes to the holding of meetings. The action began to heat up at the Park Sheraton well before 5pm, as Sharad Pawar was present in the hotel and a massive posse of policemen, in uniform and plainclothes, “secured” the area. From the portico outside the hotel to the main lobby, to the elevators, all passages were dotted withcops.The first real signs of activity began at about 7.20pm when both Emburey and Ford walked into the hotel. They’d both arrived in Chennai on a British Airways flight in the wee hours of Saturday. Once they’d posed for the gathered television cameras and still photographers, they were ushered up to the room where they would make their presentations.After the arrival of the candidates came the committee. The trio of board officials – Niranjan Shah, the secretary, Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer, and Mohinder Pandove, the joint secretary – made their way to the meeting room well before the appointed hour. Next to arrivewere two former captains, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. The last man to arrive – and he was pulled away from his holiday in Goa – was Sunil Gavaskar, who clocked in at 8.20pm.Just over two hours later, Ford had the job. Kent will doubtless be reluctant to see him leave mid-season, but if that issue is resolved quickly, Ford’s first assignment might be a three-match series against the team that he coached with distinction for three years at the turn of the millennium.
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”) Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIndia need to make changes to their side for the St Lucia Test, says Sambit Bal, Cricinfo’s editor, and Ramesh Powar would be a better inclusion than Harbhajan Singh. Listen to him explaining why to Amit Varma.Bal also says that both teams are not just equally matched, but they’re equally mediocre. Barring Anil Kumble, their bowling attacks are equivalent to those of first-class sides, and their batting is equally good, though Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 7 gives India the edge. Bal also explains why Irfan Pathan will never be another Wasim Akram, and should be groomed as a No. 6 batsman and a fifth bowler.<bDownload MP3 (right click and select “save target as”) Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Paul Marsh, the son of Rod Marsh, will take over from Tim May as chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association. Ian Healy, the former Test wicketkeeper and president of the players’ union, announced the appointment today following May’s resignation in March.Healy said Marsh, who was the association’s manager of member services and operations for three years, would be an outstanding leader of the organisation. “We consider the role of ACA chief executive to be one of the most important and influential positions within the cricket community and it was essential that the role be filled by a person with a passion for the game and its players,” Healy said.The brother of Tasmania’s captain Daniel, Marsh said he was ready for the challenges of the role, which will include major dealings with Cricket Australia. “My vision for the ACA is to ensure we make a genuine difference in the lives of our members,” he said. Marsh holds a bachelor of commerce and is studying for an MBA. He will start in the position on July 1.
Nathan Hauritz fell six runs short of his maiden first-class century, as Queensland clambered to a first-innings lead against Western Australia at Perth. Hauritz, whose previous highest score was 41, batted for nearly four hours and added 134 for the eighth wicket with Ashley Noffke. But by the close, WA had marched onto 148 for 2, with Justin Langer reaching the close on 88 not out.Queensland had resumed the day in some strife at 280 for 7, and it took Hauritz 38 minutes and 35 balls to get off the mark. He enjoyed some luck as well, as Michael Hussey dropped a hot chance in slips when he was on 12. But the pair grew in confidence, and were closing in on the first-innings points when Beau Casson struck twice in quick succession to complete his five-wicket haul.But Hauritz kept his cool with Joe Dawes for company, and was looking set for a hundred when he was cruelly adjudged lbw to a delivery that appeared to be heading down the leg side. Hauritz’s previous best of 41 had come on his Pura Cup debut against Victoria in 2001-02. He had not scored more than 20 in any of his subsequent outings.Buoyed by their unexpected batting success, Queensland removed the dangerous Mike Hussey in the 15th over. Hauritz then got in on the act with the ball as well, as Chris Rogers was caught behind for 34, slashing wildly at a wide delivery. But Langer was unmoved, and by the close, he was grinding ever closer to his fourth first-class century of the season.