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As a child I can remember the headlines when Lance Gibbs passed Fred Trueman’s then world record of 307 Test wickets. In an era when sport was given a page – occasionally two – in most newspapers, and when saturation radio and television coverage was a generation away, the column inches devoted to the feat were the modern equivalent of a week of nonstop programming.There were few dissenting voices back in February 1976 when Gibbs overhauled Trueman – although Fred himself muttered that Gibbs, an offspinner, had bought many of his victims.On Saturday, Muttiah Muralitharan passed Courtney Walsh’s record of 519 wickets. The media coverage was extensive, the celebrations in Harare more exuberant than they were in 1976, but the overall reaction – outside Sri Lanka, anyway – has been more low-key. Lingering doubts regarding Murali’s action have led to a less-than-comfortable recognition of his achievement.In The Times, Tim de Lisle wrote that the reaction was “muted, hollow, underwhelming”. He continued: “There were two reasons for this. The first is that Muralitharan was playing the Zimbabwe 3rd XI. He would have faced stiffer resistance from Devon or Ireland. The second reason concerns Muralitharan himself and the legality of his bent arm. Until very recently, almost everyone in cricket, bar Bishan Bedi and a couple of Australian umpires, was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. But with his latest trick, the doosra — or offspinner’s legbreak — Muralitharan has tipped the balance of opinion against him.””Few world champions have divided opinion like Muralitharan,” wrote David Hopps in The Guardian. “For every person who proclaims him a wonder of the age, there is another lining up to condemn him as a cricketing pariah. It is best to adopt a position from the outset: Murali is a genius, a flawed genius perhaps, but a bowler who deserves to have his greatness universally recognised. Sadly, this will never be the case. His world record will forever be tarnished by the endless debate over his bowling action.”In The Independent, Angus Fraser admitted that the action might not be perfect, but added that “I turn up at cricket matches hoping to be entertained, and Muralitharan seldom lets me down. What if Muralitharan does throw the odd ball? Cricket is littered with bowlers with questionable actions, and he is not going to kill anyone. It still takes an enormous amount of skill and practice to bowl as he does, and if it was that easy, why is the game not full of similar bowlers?”Peter Roebuck espoused similar sentiments in the Indian Express: “Now Murali stands at once as a champion and an outcast. His record-breaking performance will provoke a mixture of congratulation and resentment. Even in triumph, Murali cannot command the respect sought by every man and craved by every performer. His head must be spinning as much as his sharpest offbreak. He has deserved better from the game than a mixture of hysterical support and abject condemnation.”And that theme was amplified by Kevin Mitchell in The Observer. “Whatever the earnest mien of some Test players, cricket is a game best played with a smile and a flourish. Give me Gower before Boycott, Sehwag ahead of Ganguly. And most definitely give me Muttiah Muralitharan above his army of mean-spirited critics.” And Mitchell dismissed those who accused Muralitharan of having an illegal action. “Why is chucking inherently wrong?” he asked. “Because the rule-makers, who have always sided with batsmen, say it is. Once, bowling roundarm was illegal. So, too, was bowling overarm. The action has evolved, not always smoothly and often with a lot of arguing. He is unquestionably a genius and should be cherished, not admonished.”The reaction in Sri Lanka was, quite understandably, whole-hearted and enthusiastic. Most major newspapers devoted their front pages to the feat. “Murali on top of the world,” proclaimed the Sunday Observer, which went on to add: “Had Muralitharan been a boxer like Muhammad Ali, the former world heavyweight champion, he would have proclaimed to the world in typical Ali style: 1I am the greatest’.” The Sunday Island‘s headline was “King Murali”, while Colombo’s Sunday Times echoed: “King Murali does it!”Meanwhile, the former Indian offspinner Erapalli Prasanna expressed happiness at Murali’s feat. Speaking to The Telegraph newspaper in Kolkata, he said: “I am delighted spinners can now be placed on a par with fast bowlers. That spinners are setting targets for pacers is highly satisfying. It caused a lot of pain to hear that spinners have no role to play in modern cricket. People started saying cricket lacks quality spinners. It’s a matter of great pride that Murali and Warne’s achievements will be widely talked about now.”If one person was unhappy about Murali’s achievement, and had no problems saying so, it was Barry Jarman, the former Australian captain and wicketkeeper. Jarman was the first match official to raise suspicions about Murali’s actions. “It makes a joke of the game – it makes me sick talking about it,” Jarman was quoted as saying in the Sydney Daily Telegraph. “Everyone knows he bowls illegally. I saw his photo in the paper the other day and put an old school protractor on his arm. It was bent at 48 degrees [the legal limit for spin bowlers is 10]. I put it up in the pub to show everyone. He is a lot worse than the University of Western Australia people reckon he is.”

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Week 10 07/03/03

£2000 JackpotU.3635 C Gange£500 GG6657 C Robinson£200 C.1627 R Maghoo£200 AN2477 B Westcott£100 D.4400 Mrs Cross£100 Y.5400 Mrs Mawson£100 M.0603 R Macdonald£100 X.4847 Mrs Sherington£100 S.5511 Mrs Abbott£100 U.0562 Mrs Docwra£100 V.2161 T Jones£50 J.6744 J Bradley£50 B.6206 Mr Mann£50 T.0174 P Sayer£50 MM4781 M Davidson£50 M.2584 A Hill£50 V.1152 J Dennis£50 Z.0883 M Knight

Veteran fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad returns to the Indian cricketteam for the three Test series in Sri Lanka which comences on August14.The national selection committee, which met in Mumbai on Thursdaypicked a squad of 16 for the tour which included one three day game.Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice captain), Shiv SunderDas, Sadagopan Ramesh, Hemang Badani, Javagal Srinath, HarvinderSingh, Dinesh Mongia, Samir Dighe, Rahul Sanghvi, Mohammad Kaif,Sachin Tendulkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad andHarbhajan Singh.Sachin Tendulkar has been picked conditionally. He has to undergo afinal bone scan on his injured foot on August 10. If after that,Tendulkar is still unfit, Baroda’s Jacob Martin will replace him inthe squad.Ashish Nehra and VVS Laxman were both ruled out through injury.

Such were the exertions that Alastair Cook had put himself through in nearly 14 hours at the crease in temperatures easily in the high 30s – and the convention that the England captain usually only speaks after a Test match is finished, except for the occasional TV grab – that for the second day running it was left to a team-mate to marvel at the captain’s qualities.This time it was Joe Root, seemingly leader-elect and a player who will go onto challenge whatever stack of records Cook leaves behind, after he made 85 in dominating a fourth-wicket stand of 141, who was the spokesman.”As you can imagine being out there for two days it’s taken a lot out of him, but I’m sure it’s a good pain and one at the start of the week he’d have loved to have had,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll rest up tonight and be as fresh as a daisy tomorrow.”It was a hell of an effort, two days in that heat showed huge amounts of skill, concentration and fitness. We spoke a lot as a side about batting long periods of time out here and how important it will be if we are to give ourselves a chance of winning. Our captain has led from the front and set the example for the rest of the series.”Such have been the conditions in the UAE that even Cook – who is well known for not sweating – has had to change his gloves more than ever. There is, as yet, no count on the exact number of pairs or volume of shirts that the third longest Test innings required. Root did, though, say that while Cook may have changed gloves he did not change persona at any stage whether in the middle or the dressing room.Joe Root shows his frustration at a century that eluded him•Getty Images

“He was just the same as always, pretty down to earth chats about rubbish. It’s a bit like batting in the middle, he doesn’t give you any banter or doesn’t look like he’s overly concentrating. He’s just a model professional, he knows what he needs to do and he can switch off when he needs to. I think that’s one reason he can bat long periods of time.”Cook’s innings, which made him the leading non-Asian batsman in Asia ahead of Jacques Kallis, eventually ended with a top-edged sweep to short fine leg – a shot that had been a key part of his stay – but replays showed that Shoaib Malik’s delivery was a no-ball. Although Malik’s foot did drag back, it is the first point of planting that matters and he had nothing behind the line. It was one of the increasingly rare dismissals where the front line was not checked, so there was no recourse.Root, though, acknowledged how the energy-sapping conditions that the players have gone through are the same for the umpires, two men who have to stand in the middle throughout.”It’s disappointing,” he said of Cook’s dismissal. “It’s tough, the umpires are in a position where they can never win. If they make a good decision they are expected to do it, if they make a bad one everyone wants their heads. I have a little of sympathy for the umpires out there in that heat as well, they have to concentration for just as long as we have but you want to see those decision go the right way. Unfortunately everyone makes mistakes.”

Languishing at the bottom of the table, Deccan Chargers were dealt another jolt when VVS Laxman, their captain, ruled himself out of the rest of the Indian Premier League after failing to recover from a hairline fracture just below his right wrist.”I was very keen to play in yesterday’s (Sunday) match and the coming one. But I found it nearly impossible to hold the bat and face even a tennis ball,” he said just before a practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium after another visit to the orthopaedic surgeon.”It’s sad that I had to miss some of the matches. It is all the more disappointing since the injury came when I was getting into the groove,” said Laxman, whose right hand was encased in plaster.Laxman injured his wrist during his 52 in a losing cause against Bangalore and missed the games against Chennai and Rajasthan.

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has slammed those who argue against importing soil to try to improve the poor quality of the pitches at the National Sports Centre.Atkinson is of the opinion that the only way the surface can be raised to a standard to allow full ODIs to be played is for soil to be brought in from overseas, but that idea has been attacked by the United Bermuda Party and local farmers, who maintain the government would be recklessly endangering the environment if they allowed such a plan.”If you want pitches that last longer than a day and are capable of hosting international games in the future, then importing high-quality soil is the only answer and all the controversy being stirred up at the moment seems like a bunch of political claptrap to me,” Atkinson, who has been reviewing the square at the venue since 2004, told The Royal Gazette.”The square at the Sports Centre is good enough for club cricket, but when you’re talking about ODIs or longer games then I’m afraid it’s a no-go.”Ina report he submitted last year, Atkinson concluded that there was no local soil available which could withstand the demands of international cricket.And in May Richard Done, the ICC’s high performance manager, warned that Bermuda faced not being able to stage any ODIs on the island unless remedial action was taken, and that could lead to them forfeiting their status as an ODI-playing nation.”The soil in Bermuda, no matter where you look, is just not strong enough, it’s too sandy and won’t hold together,” Atkinson continued. “There are no short cuts. Soil can be imported safely and has been in other countries. As long as you are strict about sterilising it at it’s place of origin as well as when it arrives in Bermuda then there won’t be a problem.”I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I’ve tried everything that I know and I’ve been preparing pitches all over the world for the best part of 30 years. If you want to build a house, you’ve got to make sure it is built properly and with the right materials, otherwise it will fall down.”I don’t mean to upset people but I can only give my honest opinion and no matter what anybody else tells you, the soil is just not good enough.”

Ashwell Prince, recently appointed South African captain in place of the injured Graeme Smith, understands that his first assignment is not short of challenges. With Smith, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock missing in action, Prince has singled out July 27, the first day of the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka, as a day of reckoning.An excited Prince, 29, said he was honoured to be named the first coloured captain of South Africa. “I am inexperienced when it comes to captaincy, but obviously I’m delighted that I’ve been given the chance,” Prince told SuperSport.com. “I’m sure the United Cricket Board could have looked at other candidates. Those candidates have a lot of experience, and I will have the opportunity to draw from their experience.”With just 21 Tests under his belt, Prince’s first-class captaincy career is limited: at the helm for eight SuperSport Series matches for former Western Province Boland over two seasons ago, he won three, drew one and lost four. In addition, he captained South Africa A to a seven-wicket win.The last time South Africa toured Sri Lanka, in 2004, they lost both the Test and one-day series. The troika of Smith (ankle), Kallis (elbow) and Pollock (paternal leave) has left a 251-Test experience gap, but Prince put faith in his side.”Missing three premier players will have a huge effect on our team, but we have a good young side,” he said. “We have a good pace attack with Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and André Nel, and Nicky Bojé will play a role in conditions favourable for him. I wouldn’t like to put too much pressure on one bowler to take lots of wickets. There is a nice balance in the attack, and we must spread the load… to get 20 wickets.”Prince was quick to recognise a rejuvenated Sri Lanka, who finished a successful tour of England earlier this month. “Sri Lanka are playing very good cricket, having beaten England 5-0 in the one-dayers after doing well to come back from 1-0 down to draw theTest series,” he said. “On home ground they will be much more formidable, so it’s going to be a tough tour. The most important thing is to get the best out of the guys, and to get them to perform in those conditions.”

Former Test quick Paul Wilson had injury added to his costly insults when his jaw was broken in the Pura Cup cricket match between Western Australia and South Australia at the WACA today.The big West Australian, who moved from Adelaide last season, suffered the injury after failing to avoid a Mick Miller bouncer as South Australia seized control on the second day of the match.The incident happened soon after Wilson was fined half his match fee for abusive language towards SA batsman John Davison on the opening day.South Australia claimed first innings points after Western Australia managed a paltry 178 in reply to the visitors’ opening dig of 327.The Redbacks were 4-101 in their second innings, a lead of 250, with Mark Higgs (33no) and Mick Miller (13no) at the crease.Wilson’s forgettable match continued when he turned his head as Miller’s delivery struck him plum under the helmet grille.The No.11 fell to the pitch before retiring hurt and ending WA’s first innings.The former Redback was taken to hospital for X-rays, which found a hairline fracture to the left side of his jaw.He will not bowl for the rest of the match and a decision on whether to have a plate inserted was to be made tomorrow.To add to WA’s woes, Darren Wates was also carrying a side strain and wasn’t expected to bowl in the Redbacks’ second innings.The Warriors were forced to use part-timers Michael Hussey and Chris Rogers as their first and second change bowlers.South Australia’s second innings had started disastrously with openers David Fitzgerald (1) and Shane Deitz (4) both out before the score was in double figures.Greg Blewett (14) and Andy Flower (32) set about resurrecting the innings before allrounder Peter Worthington (2-28) produced an in-swinger which rattled Blewett’s stumps.Evergreen Jo Angel (2-32) grabbed the vital wicket of ex-Zimbabwe captain Flower just before stumps.Earlier in the day, the Warriors began their reply to SA in a hurry and opener Rogers (5) was soon heading back to the pavilion after quick Shaun Tait (4-61) sent a ball crashing through his defences.The innings skipped along to 66 before Paul Rofe (3-31) deceived Michael Hussey (20) and removed Marcus North (0) soon after.Goodwin had a life on 55 prior to lunch before Shaun Marsh (15) chopped a Tait delivery onto his stumps after the interval.Ryan Campbell’s (13) short stay ended quickly and Goodwin fell 11 runs short of a well-deserved century when his entertaining 92-ball knock ended on 89.The controversial former Zimbabwe Test batsman hit 16 fours before he bunted a ball to Higgs in gully off Miller’s (2-43) bowling.Worthington (1) did not add to the total while Wates (10) was Miller’s second scalp.Angel (5) became Tait’s fourth victim before Beau Casson (10no) ensured the visitors could not enforce the follow-on with a hesitantly taken single.

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.

With the new 2003 cricket season creeping ever closer The thoughts of everyone at Somerset County Cricket Club are firmly focussed on the start of the new cricket season in April, and none more than Giles Clarke the newly appointed Chairman of the Club.Looking ahead to the new season Mr Clarke has sent the following message to all website readers:"As a Life Member I would normally be looking forward to a new season anyway but as your Chairman, my expectations and excitement are heightened by the honour bestowed upon me.Of course, results on the field determine satisfaction but I believe also that the way Somerset play their cricket is important too. The safe, disciplined, professional approach of playing cricket has to be garnished with a bit of style or, if you like, entertainment.As your Chief Executive is prone to say, the manner in which Somerset lose is almost as important as Somerset winning. He may be right because I know how demoralising it is to sit there and watch our beloved Somerset steamrollered by the opposition without seemingly a whimper. If and when we lose, Somerset need to do it with all guns blazing.I must say that I have been mightily impressed in the way Kevin Shine and his coaching team have been preparing our players this winter. Without wanting to dwell on this matter, after last season, confidences had to be re-built and individual techniques re-honed.Someone asked at the AGM whether or not the players really felt they had let the Club down last year. I think your Chief Executive was right in reply saying although it may not have showed in what the players said or the way in which they portrayed themselves, they were acutely embarrassed. Anyway, from what I have seen and been told our players really are up for putting matters right. They will need on occasions the rub of the green to be successful – that is cricket – but it will not be for the want of trying if success doesn’t come.Off the field I am leading a small team looking at how our wonderful County Ground can be expanded. Somerset needs to be in there pitching to host International matches. Then, of course, there is the matter of expanding Somerset’s income base. There isn’t a problem managing efficiently the levels of income so far achieved and frankly, wearing my entrepreneurial hat, Somerset is a well run professional Club. But we do need to up the levels of income if Somerset are to survive. This will have mine and my Deputy, Andy Nash, full attention.So, the season is nearing and welcome to our website. Visits to it last year topped 1.5 million in the month of August so there is a high level of interest in our Club. There will be a Newsletter issued mid March in which I hope to expand on some of the plans I feel Somerset ought to aspire to. In the meantime, start to smile. The season is almost upon us."