Martin van Jaarsveld, Lance Klusner and Paul Adams are among seven players to be left without a central contract after the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) decided to cut down the number of contracted players to 13 from 20.Gerald Majola, the CEO of the UCBSA, was quoted by the News24 website as saying decision was in line with the selector’s wish to award contracts to those to played for the country regularly.Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson, and Monde Zondeki are the other players to miss out. Majola said: “We do not want to be in a situation where we have to carry players who do not play for South Africa regularly. It is quite simple. We will not enlarge the contracted group without good reason. This is an elite group and this is how it should remain.”However, Tony Irish, chairperson of the South African Players’ Association, said that the move was motivated by financial reasons. “It makes sense that players who regularly play for the country should be paid by the UCBSA. It does not help to pay players who do not play for South Africa on a regular basis. It is acceptable from our point of view that the UCBSA makes contracts more streamlined.”The new policy adopted by the board might increase the financial burden on the franchises, who will be forced to financially support more players. Neil McKenzie and Garnett Kruger, who represent the Lions, will now have to be paid by them. This could in turn force the franchises to offer fewer contracts.
Little has gone right for Shane Warne in recent weeks, and now it seems that he might be banned from training with Victoria after the federal government appeared to apply pressure on Cricket Australia (CA) to take action.Although he is serving a 12-month ban suspension following his failed drugs test, Warne has been training with his state and club sides in the belief that while he is barred from actually playing, that doesn’t extend to off-the-field activities. Now the government-funded Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has said that this is in breach of the terms of the ban. Officials from the Australian board will meet with the ASC next week.Warne’s brother and manager Jason said he was very disappointed at the government’s advice. “It’s something we have to look into,” he explained, “because it conflicts with the information we’ve had over the last few months.”James Sutherland, chief executive of CA, said that his belief was that Warne was clear to train. “Our own interpretation has been that training can be permissible in certain circumstances, such as when a suspended player is giving rather than receiving help, as long as there is no material assistance such as travel, accommodation or provision of equipment,” he said in a statement. “[We] have … a determination that there is no place for doping in cricket, but implementation of this ideal needs discussion.”Tim May, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, sought clarification from Sutherland yesterday on Warne’s status, after Sutherland was quoted as saying he was “not comfortable” with the prospect of Warne training publicly in Australian squad workouts.An arbitration case last month cleared Warne to play in charity matches during his suspension, and his advisers will examine that ruling to see if it also covers training.Given that CA receives federal government funding for game development, it is unlikely to take on the ASC if next week’s meeting does not change the advice.Cricket Australia distances itself from Warne
The first Test at Mohali ended in a predictable manner with the visitors caving meekly. The middle-order batsmen were incapable of countering the guile of the spin twins, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. There was not even an iota of resistance and, considering that the pitch still played well, the visitors would not be pleased with their performance. Nasser Hussain appeared courageous in his comments after the game, but if his side can fight back in the remaining two Tests, it would be a bigger surprise for him rather than for the Indian cricketers.
The openers, Mark Butcher and Marcus Trescothick, triggered the collapse with some very poor shot selection against debutant Tinu Yohannan. The Indians have gained a promising medium-pacer in Yohannan and, though he is short on experience, he showed good temperament for a rookie. He was wayward at times, but he came back well in both innings to account for the openers. The fact that he dismissed the openers means that he has the ability to bowl well with the new ball. He can only get better, especially if he bowls in tandem with Javagal Srinath once the latter returns to the side. Iqbal Siddiqui may be enthusiastic and jovial, but it does seem that he has been given a break rather late in the day. He is not quick enough to surprise batsmen at the top level, and his control over line and length is nothing spectacular.England were looking to Graham Thorpe to rewrite the script in this match, but his stroke-filled innings proved inadequate under the circumstances. He has shown that he is capable of tackling spinners and will be a thorn in the Indian flesh. Thorpe and Hussain apart, the current English batting line-up looks too inexperienced to handle the pressures of playing under Indian conditions. They have a couple of all-rounders in the side, but they will realize soon that the Tests are a different ball game altogether from the first-class matches. Matthew Hoggard looks to be a hard-working medium-pacer, and he must be pleased with the way he bowled in this Test.The Indian spinners have ample reasons to be pleased too. Harbhajan Singh has once again got into the wicket-taking act after a very ordinary tour of South Africa. He bowls better with the ball used in Tests at home, although he believes otherwise. Kumble, the Man of the Match, is back to his tormenting best, and the Englishmen must be dreading the proposition of facing him on more helpful tracks. Kumble must have enjoyed this haul, for this spell would have gotten rid of any doubts that he had in his mind. There was talk of him being dropped in Port Elizabeth, which upset him visibly, but he is too hardened a professional to let circumstances get the better of him. He seemed a bit emotional after the match, which is very unlike him, and Sourav Ganguly can be sure of Kumble delivering in the remainder of the series.Deep Dasgupta has done a good job in this Test, and it is imperative that he keeps his fitness levels up because of his dual role. The think-tank must give a lot of thought when they decide the combination for the next match and seriously consider sending Dasgupta in to bat lower down the order. Agreed that he has a ton at the top of the order, but if at all he has to be on the field for a day and a half, it will only compound his problems. Of course, the other way of looking at it is that the performance of the English batsmen does not encourage this line of thought.
Gujranwala, Feb 16: Sri Lanka took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in thethree-match one-day international cricket series against Pakistanafter winning the second game by 34 runs at the Jinnah Stadium here onWednesday in front of a capacity crowd.Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya led from the front with a superb all-roundperformance which earned the Man-of-the-Match award. He struck asplendid 65 to lay foundation of Sri Lanka’s impressive score of 263for six in 50 overs, and then took two wickets for 30 as Pakistan werebowled out for 229 in 45.1 overs.The last match of the one-day series, at the Qadhafi Stadium in Lahoreon Saturday (Feb 19), will now only be of academic interest.Benefiting from the first use of the wicket when Pakistan captainSaeed Anwar won the toss and opted to field for the second timerunning, the Sri Lankan batsmen prospered against some waywardbowling.Besides Jayasuriya, the in-form Marvan Atapattu also scored a fineknock of 57, followed by useful contributions from wicket-keeperRomesh Kaluwitharana (32), Chaminda Vaas (34) and Russel Arnold (36not out).Pakistan, who were docked one over because of a slow over-rate, onceagain failed to cope against the disciplined Sri Lankan bowling, whichwas backed up by brilliant fielding.A gallant knock of 68, the day’s top score, by Yousuf Youhana was notenough to pull the Pakistan team out of trouble. Even a late charge byWasim Akram, who hit four glorious sixes to electrify the crowd,proved a futile attempt by Pakistan to level the series.Wasim Akram hammered 34 off 29 balls and twice in succession hoistedoff-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan out of the ground. Arnold andPramodya Wickremasinghe were the other bowlers to suffer at Akram’shands.The rest of Pakistan batting was disappointing as only Aamir Sohail(23 off 32 balls), Saeed Anwar (17 off 13 balls), Younis Khan (28 off44 balls), Moin Khan (15) and Abdul Razzaq (14) managed to reachdouble figures.Saeed Anwar failed again when he tried to flick Vaas and was caught byUpul Chandana on the long-leg boundary. Imran Abbas was beaten by adirect throw from Muralitharan at the bowler’s end.After being well set, Aamir Sohail fell to a catch at square-leg byTillekeratne Dilshan off Wickremasinghe. That left the home team inall sorts of trouble at 50 for three.Youhana and Younis repaired the innings to some extent by adding 68runs for the fourth-wicket. However, at the total of 118, Younisplayed across to a sharply turning Muralitharan delivery and wasbowled through the gate.Jayasuriya, who bowls brisk left-arm spin, clean bowled Moin Khan witha full-length ball that hit the base of the off-stump as Pakistancrashed to 143 for five.Thereafter, the wickets kept falling atregular intervals.With the total on 176, Abdul Razzaq drove at a widish delivery fromVaas and but only succeeded in getting an outside edge. Azhar Mahmood,who was playing in his game of the series, fell cheaply when hespooned an easy catch to Dilshan at short mid-wicket off the bowlingof leg-spinner Chandana.Pakistan’s hopes were finally shattered when Youhana’s steady knockcame to an end when Wickremasinghe, who was brought on for a new spellby Jayasuriya, induced an uppish stroke with the first ball. Chandana,fielding at mid-off, held a simple catch just above his head. Youhanafaced 87 deliveries and hit only two fours.Saqlain was bowled by Jayasuriya for three.Wasim Akram’s dazzling knock proved a final flicker of hope but he wasbowled by Muralitharan at the start of the 46th over.Earlier, Sri Lanka owed their formidable total to brillianthalf-centuries by opener Jayasuriya and Atapattu. The Pakistan teamcaptain Saeed Anwar made the mistake of putting in the opposition intobat although the pitch looked tailor-made for batting.Pakistan’s pace bowlers failed to extract any life from the pitch orbenefit from the early morning moisture.Shoaib Akhtar, who was also making a comeback, was forced to leave thefield with a groin problem after sending down five expensive overs.A large crowd enjoyed the stroke-play of the visiting batsmen,especially Jayasuriya, Vaas and Kaluwitharana. All the four Pakistanipacemen, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood,and the spinners Saqlain Mushtaq and Aamir Sohail failed to make anyimpression on the Sri Lankans.Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana laid the foundation of the innings byputting on 84 runs for the first-wicket off 93 balls. The Pakistanteam’s fielding also left much to be desired, although youngsters likeImran Nazir (substituting for Shoaib Akhtar) and Imran Abbas thrilledthe spectators with some neat work.Abdur Razzaq finally broke the partnership when Kaluwitharana wasbrilliantly held by wicket-keeper Moin Khan, who dived to his right.In fact, Moin excelled behind the stumps by holding two catches andbrought off a stumping.Jayasuriya departed after adding 37 runs for the second wicket standwith Atapattu, who has been batting consistently during thistour. Jayasuriya tried a cross-bat shot off Saqlain Mushtaq but onlygot a top edge to give Moin a simple catch. The second wicket fell atthe total of 121. Jayasuriya hit nine elegant boundaries in his115-minute stay at the crease in which he faced 78 balls.At the total of 147, Mahela Jayawardena (9) was smartly stumped byMoin as the batsman charged at Aamir Sohail but missed the line.Vaas, promoted in the order to bolster the scoring rate, hit 34 off 33deliveries which included two sixes over long-on in consecutive oversof Aamir Sohail. The left-hander tried a similar shot on the fifthball of Wasim Akram’s seventh over but mistimed it and the bowler helda brilliant two-handed catch over his head on his follow-through.Atapattu’s composed innings, which followed his unconquered 199 atKarachi, was terminated by a fine catch on near the deep mid-wicketboundary by Youhana off Saqlain.Indika de Saram struck 12, including a six off Saqlain, in his briefstay at the wicket before he was run out while backing up at thebowler’s end. A firm drive from Arnold was half stopped by Akram onhis follow through but the ball crashed into the stumps with thenon-striker de Saram out of his ground.Left-handed Arnold also played his part well in the later stages ofthe innings by lashing an unbeaten 36 off 29 balls.
A Rangers insider has delivered a big behind-the-scenes claim regarding Aaron Ramsey…
What’s the talk?
The former Gers player and current Rangers TV pundit, Alan Hutton, has provided an insight into the impact the Welsh international has had since arriving at the club on loan from Italian giants Juventus in January.
He told Football Insider: “I’ve heard little bits.
“Obviously his whole mentality, the way he is a player, he’s played at big clubs that are going to win things.
“I think the bar for yourself, you raise it when these players walk into the building. They expect a certain amount of talent to be out there on the pitch.
“You have to show it. I think he’s raised that bar. Everybody knows how much of a talented player he is and they want to get to that level. It’s things like that, just little things, that make the squad better.”
Rangers fans will be delighted
This claim from Hutton will surely delight fans as it shows that the midfielder is still making a difference for the side despite his limited involvement on the pitch so far.
It has been a frustrating start to his spell at Ibrox as he is yet to start a Premiership or Europa League match for Gio van Bronckhorst. His only start so far has come in the Scottish Cup in a 3-0 win over Annan Athletic, with the former Arsenal man picking up an assist for Filip Helander’s goal in the match.
He has only played two matches in the Premiership and has accrued 30 minutes of football in the competition, which highlights how much of a struggle it has been for him throughout February. The midfielder missed the second leg of the win over Borussia Dortmund in Europe through injury, but he still has plenty of time left to come in and be a difference-maker on the pitch.
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.
For now, though, fans will be delighted to read that Ramsey has been a positive influence off the pitch. His arrival has seemingly given everyone at the club a boost and his experience could prove vital as the Gers go deeper into a title race with Celtic and the latter stages of the Europa League.
Therefore, the supporters will be pleased that he is having an impact at the club in spite of his struggles to get on the pitch. Whilst it is not ideal that he has been dealing with injury issues, at least he is not simply taking his payslip and making no contribution to the side.
AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: £6.4k-p/w Rangers tank with 75% duels won was real star of the show…
Malcolm Speed has insisted the ICC will not bow to India’s demands on the Harbhajan Singh issue and they will have to accept any ruling on his case. India have threatened to call off their Australia tour if the hearing does not clear Harbhajan, who has been banned for three Tests, of racial abuse.Harbhajan is allowed to play until his appeal is heard, although there is doubt whether it will be before the third Test in Perth next week, or even before the series finishes. The ICC has already brought in a new umpire, Billy Bowden, to replace the much-criticised Steve Bucknor, which has placated India for the time being.”I am very pleased the tour is going ahead, there is a process in place for appeals and Harbhajan Singh has appealed,” Speed, the ICC chief executive, told the Times. “India have signed off on the appeals process. They were there when all the discussions took place.”We can’t have one set of rules for the India team and another set for everyone else. We will follow the process and I hope whatever the outcome all parties will be able to say they have had a fair hearing.”Speed also rejected suggestions that the appeal may be postponed so the lucrative tour is not put in jeopardy. He said, instead, that the primary concern was the logistics of bringing together the necessary individuals at once.However, Lalit Modi, the Board of Control for Cricket vice-president, said that the decision to continue with the tour was “interim” pending the result of the appeal against Harbhajan’s ban.”It was an interim decision of the ICC to ban Harbhajan, and, because of that, it is an interim decision by the BCCI to continue the tour,” Modi told the . “The controversy continues until Harbhajan’s name is cleared. We are not applying pressure to the ICC. They have simply reacted the way they should have. This isn’t an issue about money or power, but what is right for the game. We will wait to see what the outcome of Harbhajan’s appeal is and we will make a decision from there.”It has been well publicised that Harbhajan is alleged to have called Andrew Symonds a “monkey”, but this was not, according to the Australian, for the first time. The newspaper reports the allegation that Harbhajan taunted Symonds with the same epithet during an ODI in Mumbai last October. It is understood that players at a team meeting wanted to report Harbhajan to the match referee, but Symonds insisted he sort it out on a personal basis with a one-on-one discussion.The tape of the Sydney Test appears to back up the claims. It shows Ricky Ponting telling Harbhajan it was the second time he had crossed the line.
Gold League Babar Naeem’s efforts failed to help Rawalpindi avert the follow-on against Karachi Urban, on the third day of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Gold League match at Karachi.Rawalpindi, who are leading the Gold League points table, needed to reach a first-innings score of 357 in reply to Karachi Urban’s declaration at 506 for 5 in order to avoid batting again. They were all out for 351 and then at stumps were following on at 63 for 2.Naeem’s 182 – his first century in three years – with 32 fours and two sixes was not enough. Rawalpindi resumed at their overnight score of 122 for 3, 384 runs behind Karachi Urban. The only partnership of substance that Naeem got was with Mohammad Wasim, the Rawalpindi captain, as the two added 144 for the fifth wicket.Tahir Khan, with 5 for 112, and Azam Hussain, with 4 for 94, kept Rawalpindi in check. Naeem hammered 49 off 56 balls before being dismissed on the last ball of the day in the second innings.Karachi Urban, however, need to beat Rawalpindi outright to displace them from the top of the table. Karachi Urban have 15 points and Rawalpindi 21. If Rawalpindi draw the match then Karachi will only get three first-innings points and remain at number three in the seven-team table.Lahore Shalimar were forced to follow on after being bowled out for 170 in reply to Sialkot’s first-innings score of 384 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. But at stumps Lahore Shalimar needed only 16 runs more to make Sialkot bat again.Sialkot require an outright win here to get the full nine points and keep in sight of the Gold League final and retain their title. They have 12 points from their first three matches and are currently placed at number five in the seven-team ranking.On day three, Lahore Shalimar added only 31 more to their first-innings score as Tahir Mughal and Kashif Raza took the last four wickets inside 12 overs. Mughal got an innings total of 6 for 77 while Raza for 3 for 50.Following on 214 behind, Lahore Shalimar had raised their position somewhat with 198 for 3 at stumps.Ahmed Shahzad, the Lahore Shalimar opener, made his second half-century in the match following his first-innings 52 with 67 off 116 balls. Shahzad’s opening partnership with Salman Butt, the Lahore Shalimar opener, was worth 123 runs.Faisalabad beat Peshawar by seven wickets and lifted themselves from the bottom position in the Gold League at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.Faisalabad, who had gained a 30-run first innings lead over Peshawar added four more to their overnight score of 245 for 9. Peshawar were then bowled out for a pathetic 105 inside 36 overs in their second innings.Faisalabad scored off the 72 needed to win in 17 overs for the loss of three wickets. They stumbled at 19 for 3 but then Taqueer Hussain took them to victory smashing an unbeaten 38 off 35 balls.Earlier, Ahmed Hayat, Faisalabad’s right-arm fast-medium bowler, ran through the Peshawar batting and returned figures of 5 for 20 runs in 10 overs. Peshawar looked steady at 82 for 2 but then there last eight wickets fell for 23 runs. Only three batsmen – Mohammad Fayyaz, 46, Aftab Alam, 25, and Rafatullah Mohmand, 10 – reached double figures for Peshawar.Peshawar have now lost three consecutive matches after having started with two wins. Their points tally still stands at 18. With only one more match remaining – against Lahore Shalimar – Peshawar are not in contention for the final now.Faisalabad gained their first win in four matches and the nine points they now have put them above Lahore Shalimar in the seven-team Gold League table. The latter are now faced with the threat of being relegated to the Silver League next season.Silver League Hyderabad got a lead of 177 with two wickets remaining in their second innings against Quetta in their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship Silver League match at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad after they batted through the third day and compiled a score of 274 for 8.Faisal Athar, the Hyderabad captain, hit the 12th century of his first-class career, after Hyderabad resumed at their overnight 37 for 1. On day two Quetta had gained a first-innings lead of 97 by making an impressive 290. Neither side, though, is in a position to qualify for the Silver League final.Athar made 117 off 207 balls adding 88 with Pir Zulfiqar (35) for the second wicket and 84 with Hanif-ur-Rehman (54) for the third.Six Hyderabad wickets then fell with 90 as Jalat Khan, Quetta’s right-arm medium bowler, ended 4 for 35 from 21 overs.In spite of having gained a first-innings lead of 152 over Lahore Ravi, Abbottabad are still uncertain of reaching the Silver League final after Lahore Ravi piled on 323 for the loss of nine wickets in their second innings at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground.Lahore Ravi, having resumed at their overnight 72 for 1 with a deficit of 80 runs, batted through the day to take a lead of 171.The Lahore batsmen batted consistently, though only Rizwan Aslam crossed fifty. His fourth-wicket stand with Rizwan Malik (32) produced 87 runs.Junaid Khan, Abbottbad’s left-arm medium-fast bowler, got 3 for 74 and Amjad Waqas, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, got 2 for 22.Multan were set a target of 644 after Islamabad declared their second innings at 482 for 6 at the Diamond Club Cricket Ground in Islamabad.Azhar Mahmood followed his first innings 105 with 169 in Islamabad’s second innings making his first-class career’s eighth hundred and also crossing 6000 runs in 142 matches. Mahmood added 306 with Bilal Asad for the fourth wicket. While Mahmood’s 169 came off 197 balls with 24 fours and five sixes, Asad’s 146 took 248 balls with 16 fours. Multan were 6 for 0 at stumps.Islamabad with the full 36 points from their previous four matches have already qualified for the Silver League final. If Lahore Ravi defeat Abbottabad in Lahore then Multan will join Islamabad in the final.
Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s young allrounder, has had surgery on his heels in order to be fit and available for next month’s home series against India. Malik, a regular member of Pakistan’s Test and one-day teams against England in the recent home series, underwent the operation after complaining of acute pain due to corns.”Doctors advised him to go for the surgery as he would not have been able to carry on against India in the same condition,” said a Pakistan Cricket Board official, speaking to Reuters. “He will now be fit before the first Test against India from January 13.”Malik said: “I was facing a lot of pain batting and bowling because I had to put weight on my heels. Doctors say I can now resume playing after a week’s rest. The series against India is very important for me and after a satisfactory series win against England I am looking forward to cementing my place in the side.”The 23-year-old was cleared earlier this month of a suspect bowling action after undergoing tests at the University of Western Australia in Perth. Malik, who opened the batting in the 2-0 Test series win over England, has played in 12 Tests and 107 one-day internationals. Pakistan won the one-day series 3-2. The Indian team is scheduled to reach Pakistan on January 6 to play three Tests and five one-dayers.
There’s a macabre inevitability to the Bangladeshi batting that reminds you of the trashy tomato-ketchup-and-spray-paint Friday the 13th movies. Just as you knew that Jason’s knife would strike soft tissue a couple of times every reel, so you know that Bangladesh’s top order will manage convincing sitting-duck impersonations against the new ball.In their 32 Tests before this one, Bangladesh had survived long enough to sight the second new ball only on 22 occasions, and six of those were against fellow strugglers Zimbabwe. Their utter ineptitude when confronted by Irfan Pathan this afternoon was yet another indication that Dav Whatmore’s wards suffer from some sort of learning disability. For all his talent, Pathan is no Wasim Akram just yet, and most international batsmen cotton on to the fact that his most dangerous delivery is the one that swings back into the right-hander.Having lost their wickets to those inswingers in the first innings, it defied belief that the same mistakes were made at the second time of asking, with three men taking the caught-on-the-crease-lemming route back to the pavilion. The fourth, Habibul Bashar, should have trudged back thanking the good Lord that he doesn’t play for Ray Jennings, who would surely have made him crawl across the floor for a sip of water.The way Bashar allowed himself to be suckered made you scratch your head and wonder whether it was he or Pathan that was the inexperienced 20-year-old. From a novice, such a shot could have been written off as youthful indiscretion, but from the team captain and veteran of 30 Tests, it was a stroke that deserved a spell in solitary. Not since Andrew Hilditch – the happy hooker who Ian Botham used to set up for fun – has international cricket seen such low resistance to pull-and-hook temptations.The technical frailties that the Bangladeshi batsmen continue to exhibit are a symptom of a far greater malaise. On the eve of attaining Test status in 2000, this writer spoke to Minhajul Abedin, one of the stars of the pre-Test era. In that climate of euphoria, his was one of the few dissenting voices. He suggested that Bangladesh were not ready for the challenge because there was no culture of three-day cricket across the country. Almost all the players had been raised in the slap-happy climate of the Dhaka league, and while such a cavalier approach could pass muster in the one-day game, it would undoubtedly be found out in the longer version.As in Pakistan – several of their top order were also clueless against Pathan in the Tests played last April – quality coaching has yet to permeate to the grass-roots level. If India and Sri Lanka continue to produce technically sound batsmen, part of the reason is the coaching at the maidans and schools, which goes hand-in-hand with a culture of playing and watching three and four-day cricket. Pakistan’s batting titans – Inzamam-ul-Haq is a prime example – have thrived despite the system, and not because of it, helped by reservoirs of talent that no amount of coaching can instil.The crowd’s agony over the batsmen’s meek capitulation was exacerbated by a marvellous display from Zaheer Khan, who rode his luck to belt the cover off the ball in the morning session. The record books will say that his 75 is the highest score by a number 11, but most observers know that he should be batting higher up the order, being well capable of a noteworthy contribution when in the mood. Today, he was clearly energised by the presence of Tendulkar, and that inspiration was given expression through some dazzling hits down the ground.For all his mighty-oak status in Indian cricket, Tendulkar shares a wonderful rapport with the younger bunch. Besides being a senior whom they respect immensely, he’s someone that they can share a laugh, and a chocolate éclair – don’t tell the dietician – with. Greatness, when aloof, can inhibit others, but when it embraces, the ripple effect created can lead to unparalleled feats. For hapless Bangladesh, that morning ripple alone had the force of a tsunami.
Man of the Match Andrew Hall appeals successfully against Lancashire’s Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Hall held his nerve to bowl Worcestershire through to the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy final in a nail-biting and topsy-turvey semi-final against Lancashire at New Road. Mal Loye ended unbeaten on 116, but his brave effort was not enough as the Lancashire tail-enders lost their way.After being up against it for the majority if the match, Lancashire had the game in the bag needing only seven runs from the last over. But Hall (4 for 36) stayed calm and fired in the yorkers to great effect. He picked up two wickets and gave away only one run to take Worcestershire through to the final against Gloucestershire.Lancashire made a slow start to their chase of 255 and Nantie Hayward soon trapped Mark Chilton lbw with an inswinging yorker (15 for 1). Matthew Mayson then kept the pressure on with a superb spell of seam bowling (1 for 23 from 10 overs) and got his reward with the big wicket of Stuart Law, caught by Hall at second slip (70 for 2). Hall then got in the act with the two wickets of Carl Hooper and Andrew Flintoff, both lbw, and Lancashire had spluttered to 108 for 4.Meanwhile, Mal Loye stayed firm and gave Lancashire hope with his mixture of aggressive leg-side thwacks and sensible accumulation. He and Chris Schofield hauled Lancashire back in the game with a rollicking 63 stand in which Schofield savaged all before him in a cameo 32 from 31 balls. Gareth Batty may soon be an international, but Schofield – who is an international, in case you’ve forgotten – showed him no respect and crashed him for four boundaries in the 37th over to tilt the game in the balance.But Schofield soon found out that all good things come to an end when he slapped David Leatherdale to Hayward at mid-on (171 for 5). Glen Chapple, another new England call-up, kept Loye support and his enterprising 44 from 43 balls all but secured the tie for Lancashire. But when he was bowled by Kabir Ali going for another big hit, the game was thrown wide open. Warren Hegg and Peter Martin were bowled in the final over and John Wood run out as Lancashire self-destructed to a six-run loss.Hegg, the Lancashire captain, said before the game that Graeme Hick was Worcestershire’s dangerman, and his prediction was spot on, unlike his decision to bowl first. Hick belted 97 from 112 balls in a rollicking start. He got in to the groove straight away and he and the impressive Anurag Singh added 155 for the second wicket. The pair made the most of the good batting track and baking hot conditions as they cashed in on anything wide and short.Singh hit 63 from 104 when Lancashire made a much-needed breakthrough as Singh was caught by Schofield at point off Flintoff (159 for 2). Hick, who was dropped by Hegg in the thirties, continued to give it some humpty and clobbered 16 fours and was on course for another limited-overs century when Chapple struck to dislodge Hick when a leading edge flew to Carl Hooper at cover (191 for 3).Ben Smith (36) and Hall (26) kept up the momentum, and even though Hick’s wicket slightly took the wind out of their sails, their 254 for 5 was enough – just.