All posts by csb10.top

Shoaib Akhtar has scarcely been able to stay out of the limelight for a day in the lead-up to Pakistan’s forthcoming tour of India – and now newspapers have reported that he failed to report to the doctor appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board to assess his fitness. In the absence of their foreign support staff, who are on holiday, the PCB appointed Meesaq Rizwi, a sports physician, to look into Shoaib’s fitness.Rizwi apparently asked Mohammed Sami, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammad Khalil, as well as Shoaib, to report for fitness tests. But Shoaib failed to turn up, and this could have spurred the latest reaction of the board. Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s new director of cricket operations, has instructed Shoaib to take part in the ongoing Patron’s Trophy to prove his fitness. reports that Altaf told Shoaib he had to play for his team, KRL, in the next round of four-day Patron’s Trophy matches, which begin on February 14, in order to be eligible for selection for Pakistan’s forthcoming tour of India. Shoaib was originally called back from the Australian tour in order to give him time to rest a troublesome hamstring and be fit in time for the Indian series.On return to Pakistan Shoaib was assessed by Grant Compton, the Pakistan team’s physiotherapist, and a two-week rest was prescribed. Following this examination Compton left Pakistan on vacation.”Compton outlined a rehabilitation programme to Shoaib to recover from his hamstring strain, and then left for South Africa,” said a source. “But even before leaving he was working with Shoaib as it was confirmed he had a hamstring problem that needed two-week recovery period. It is in this background that Altaf’s directives to Shoaib come as a total surprise. How does he expect Shoaib to resume playing in the next round of Patron’s Trophy to prove his fitness when he has been told he required a two-week period to recover from the hamstring?”

Division One

Points TableRain saved Kent from defeat at Lord’s as they slid to 192 for 7 in their second innings against Middlesex, but the result almost ended their remaining hopes of winning the title. It also deprived Middlesex of a victory which would have given them a massive boost in their bid to avoid relegation.Surrey and Warwickshire, who both need points to secure their first-division status for another year, were frustrated as the first day of their match at Edgbaston was washed out.

Division Two

Points TableYorkshire’s promotion hopes were dented by the weather as only five overs were possible at Headingley against Worcestershire. Needing 203 to win, Yorkshire resumed on 89 for 2 and slogged 36 in that time, but bad light intervened and then rain ended any hopes of a resumption.Murali Kartik’s dream debut for Lancashire continued as he put Lancashire on top against Essex. Essex, in their second innings, lead by just 61 with four wickets remaining, with Kartik taking 4 for 28 to add to his five wickets in the first innings.Northamptonshire drew with Somerset as their match was abandoned shortly after lunch after downpours left the outfield soaked.There was no play at Grace Road in the match between Leicestershire and Derbyshire where Leicester will need to take 17 wickets on the last day.

In the end, the result didn’t matter. It was never meant to. What is cricket after all before life? In the sporting sense, it was odd watching the match which was billed as a one-day international, and it’s difficult to say if the players felt the same intensity as they do while turning out in national colours. But they surely knew what was at stake: it wasn’t a trophy or national pride, it was about rebuilding lives, giving hope, it was about standing up and being counted. It turned out to be a mismatch, but over 70,000 people who filled the massive MCG got what they really wanted.The magic moment of the match came after it was over, when Bob Merriman, Cricket Australia’s chairman, strode across to present a cheque for in excess of A$14million to World Vision. It was nearly as much as Cricket Australia’s accumulated losses last year, and it was, by a distance, cricket’s finest stand in many years. All it had taken was 12 days. It demonstrated, if any proof was needed, what good intentions could achieve. It was a game without losers.It would be cynical to wonder if the World XI shouldn’t have helped the Asian XI to score a few more runs and hit a few more sixes, because each run earned US$760 for the cause and each six US$38,000. But that would have turned the match into a charade. It was played as intended: in an honest competitive spirit. There’s nothing, after all, to prevent the sponsors, Toyota and 3 Mobile, from pitching in with a few more thousand dollars if they want to.Cricketers have turned out for charity matches before. Often it is for one of their own, and sometimes to support a larger cause. In 1996, a combined team of Indian and Pakistan players travelled to Colombo to play a solidarity match after a couple of teams had pulled out from their World Cup engagements in Sri Lanka citing security reasons. And the last time an Asian XI squared up against a Rest of the World XI, at Dhaka in 2000, it was for the “promotion of cricket”. Today, the cause overwhelmed all else. Humanity hasn’t known a natural calamity greater than last month’s tsunamis, and it was appropriate that cricket should respond in the best possible way. It was a grand affair for a grand cause.

Oxford’s Amit Suman and Paul McMahon added 39 unbeaten runs for the ninth wicket, as Surrey were denied victory in The Parks. After being set an improbable 350 for victory, Oxford slipped from 98 for 2 to 115 for 8 as Ian Salisbury and Jimmy Ormond tore through the middle order, but they were unable to seal the win.At Chester-le-Street, Durham’s students also pulled off an improbable draw with two wickets in hand, after Gavin Hamilton had picked up his first three wickets since his move from Yorkshire. Their captain – the man in white, Will Smith – was at the heart of their resistance with 48, and at 127 for 5 with time running out, they were in control of their own destiny. Three quick wickets caused a panic in the dressing-room, but Durham left their push too late.And there was another draw down at Taunton, where Loughborough and Somerset batted each other to a standstill. Jamie Cox’s 172 gave Somerset a first-innings lead of 75, but the students batted resolutely in their second outing. Richard Clinton was forced to retire hurt, but Chris Nash’s unbeaten half-century secured the stalemate.No such luck for Cardiff, who slumped to defeat by an innings and 224 runs against Worcestershire at New Road. From 5 for 2 in their second innings, there wasn’t much hope of salvation, and they duly folded for 164. Cambridge fared slightly better at Fenner’s. Their second-innings 245 included eight scores in double figures, including Chris Wright’s 57, but they couldn’t avoid a 153-run defeat against Essex.And at Headingley, Yorkshire crushed Bradford/Leeds UCCE by 481 runs. Jonathan Siddall contributed a brave unbeaten 75, but he couldn’t find lasting support from his team-mates, as Bradford/Leeds were bowled out for 172.

Mark Gillespie, the rookie New Zealand fast bowler, is optimistic about his abilities to contribute in tight situations during his side’s Champions Trophy campaign. Touted as a potential at-the-death bowler, Gillespie has been picked as cover in an injury-prone New Zealand side and has expressed an appetite for a challenge.”If I play, it’ll be for keeps and I’m excited about that. I’d love to get a run,” Gillespie, 26, told reporters. “Every outing is a crunch match in this tournament so you’ve got to be on your game every time you walk out on the park. It’s not as if there’s a few soft games for blooding a youngster, it’s not like that. But I like the challenge; I like the extra buzz and the excitement, and I especially like the thought of playing over here, where it seems that just about everyone is obsessed with the game.”Gillespie earned a call-up based on a decent State Shield showing and a good performance for New Zealand A in the Top End tournament at Darwin. In his first outing in India, he picked up 3 for 37 from seven overs in a warm-up victory against Mumbai yesterday, but remained unsure of whether he would play in New Zealand’s first match against South Africa on Friday.”I’ve had no indication of what, if any games, I might be considered for,” he said. “I haven’t given it much thought to be honest; just taking every day as it comes. I don’t want to put any extra pressure on myself. If I play, well great, but if I don’t I’m still getting a marvellous learning experience.”He also lapped up the Indian atmosphere and support: “It’s been pretty crazy; a new experience for me, definitely. They just adore cricket, the people over here. It’s amazing, no matter where you go there are crowds following you. I haven’t got any previous experience over here so I don’t know what’s normal. But people are just crazy about the cricket and the Champions Trophy right now”.

Toss
Scorecard

With the dust just starting to settle after such a remarkable start to theseries in Dambulla – a week of full of bizarre controversy and thrillingcricket – Sri Lanka won the toss in the third one-dayer against Australia, andelected to bat first on a what appeared to be a typically flat Premadasa pitch.Although the surface, once again, is bound to suit the spinners, a muggyatmosphere and overcast conditions promises more assistance for the swingbowlers. Sri Lanka therefore bolstered their pace bowling resources,recalling Nuwan Zoysa for his first international game in 18 months.Zoysa replaced Romesh Kaluwitharana, who was run out for 12 and 0 in thefirst two games. Kumar Sangakkara takes over the gloves for the first timesince the 2003 World Cup.Australia made one change to the team that lost to Sri Lanka by just one run last Sunday, resting Brett Lee to give Michael Kasprowicz his first game ofthe series. With three games scheduled for the next five days, the changewas motivated purely by Australia’s rotational selection policy.Sri Lanka 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Russel Arnold, 7 Upul Chandana, 8 Kumar Dharmasena, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Nuwan Zoysa, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.Australia1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (Capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Michael Bevan, 8 Ian Harvey, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Jason Gillespie.

Hampshire Hawks moved into the third promotion spot in the National League Division Two when they comfortably defeated top of the table Northamptonshire Steelbacks at The Rose Bowl in a day/night encounter on Monday.Man of the Match Derek Kenway set the tone with a well struck 78, holding the innings together on the slowish wicket. He and James Hamblin gave the innings some structure after Simon Katich was lbw to Michael Cawdron. Together they compiled 82 runs, and although losing a steady stream of wickets the home side posted a useful 216 for 8 in their 45 overs. Their cause was greatly assisted by 16 wides and four no-balls added to the tally, one of the no-balls was given when only five fielders were in the circle when a ball was bowled.Dimitri Mascarenhas and Chris Tremlett left the Steelbacks reeling as the first three wickets fell for 19 runs. David Sales was the only Northamptonshire batsman to come to terms with the accurate Hawks attack being last man out, as the visitors failed to catch up the asking rate following their poor start.Mascarenhas the countries leading wicket taker in National league this season bowled his 9 overs together finishing with 4 wickets for 22 runs, his third four wicket haul of the season. Shaun Udal also chipped in with 4 wickets to send the 6,000 crowd home happy.

Sri Lanka’s allrounder Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who was recently involved in a fatal motor accident, has been suspended from all cricket for four months and will miss the forthcoming home series against England.Lokuarachchi, 21, had been returning from a late-night party when he lost control of his car and ploughed into a woman and her adult son in the Colombo suburb of Kadawatha. The mother subsequently died from her injuries in hospital, and Lokuarachchi was arrested and released on bail.The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka suspended Lokuarachchi from all cricket pending an inquiry into the incident, and he has now been found guilty of breaching the board’s disciplinary code by breaking rest during a training period. His formal suspension will end on December 31, after which time his conduct will continue to be strictly monitored for a two-year probationary period.A court case is looming, and if Lokuarachchi is found guilty of reckless driving, he could be fined and banned from driving for up to a year.

Sussex have signed Jason Voros, a 26-year-old seam bowler, on a one-year contract. Although Vroos is Australian, he has Hungarian parents and so is eligible to play as a non-overseas player from May 1 when Hungary joins the European Union.”It’s a fantastic opportunity for me,” he said. “To be joining the County Champions is awesome. If you’re going to play County cricket then you might as well join the best and I’m looking forward to the challenge. My signing with Sussex shows that all club cricketers can aim at the top.”Voros was born in Canberra and has played one-day cricket for Australian Capital Territories. Last season he played for Sussex’s 2nd XI, taking 14 wickets in four appearances.

GOLD BOND
SUPER DRAWWeek 15 – 11/04/03

£2000 JackpotG.4388 I Pearson£500 C.4060 J Truscott£200 LL4546 Mrs Bowen£200 S.2898 R Stubbington£100 AC5821 Mrs Ward£100 C.1600 Mrs Carr£100 S.3107 P Kerr£100 AC6580 C Wright£100 BB0617 S Poole£100 V.0421 Mrs Smith£100 AN3409 W Soames£50 K.4354 C Armitage£50 HH6939 J Taylor£50 W.5613 M Napper£50 G.0951 A Burtbriggs£50 X.2425 S Morris£50 V.3915 R Wilkes£50 GG2306 K Atkinson