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Worcestershire exploited Northamptonshire’s recent uncertainty by recovering topost 287 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clashat New Road

29-Jul-2010
ScorecardWorcestershire exploited Northamptonshire’s recent uncertainty by recovering topost 287 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clashat New Road.When the visitors took six wickets for 104 in the afternoon, it seemed theywould restate their promotion credentials after a four-day mauling by Surrey anda painful defeat by Somerset in the Friends Provident t20 quarter-final.However Worcestershire’s oldest and youngest players turned the day on itshead. Teenager Ben Cox made an inventive 59 from 86 balls and 36-year-old MattMason thrashed his first half-century for six years.The last three wickets added 129 and Mason struck a further blow by dismissingStephen Peters as Northants replied with 3 for 1 in six overs.Worcestershire secured no immediate benefit from winning the toss despite agritty 50 from 150 balls by rookie opener David Wheeldon. Even when Wheeldon anchored the morning grind to 55 for 1 at lunch, Northamptonshire’s seamers frequently caused problems in favourable conditions.With the ball moving around under cloud cover, it was a battling effort byWorcestershire to lose only one wicket when Daryl Mitchell, after survivinguntil the 25th over for 23, skimmed a catch to James Middlebrook at gully.That proved was a first success for Elton Chigumbura and there were more tocome after lunch, although the initial breakthrough was the work of DavidLucas. The strapping left-armer had Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali taken in the slips byPeters and Alex Wakely in the space of five balls.A brief interlude of spin brought a wicket for Middlebrook when Alexei Kervezeechopped on after breezing along to 28 with five fours, but it was Chigumbura whofinally found a way to break Wheeldon’s concentration. The left-hander collected 11 fours, several from nicks or steers behind the wicket, before he played on attempting to force the medium-pacer through theoffside.Wheeldon has certainly proved he has the determination to supplement a soundtechnique. Recalled for last week’s game against Derbyshire, he has made 84 fromthree innings stretching over seven hours and 20 minutes.Chigumbura’s next success put a dampener on the home debut of Shakib Al Hasanin the presence of the Bangladeshi High Commissioner, Dr Sayeedur Rahman Khan. However, Shakib, the first player from his country to play professionally for an English county, made only nine in 18 balls before a flashing attempt to drive resulted in another catch for Peters.Wicketkeeper David Murphy went some way to his left to take James Cameron’sedge off Lucas, but Cox and Mason led the revival after tea. Cox eventually fell to Hall, giving Peters his third catch, after hitting seven fours and a six, and Mason was unbeaten with 51 from 33 balls when AlanRichardson was lbw to Lucas (4 for 68) after a last-wicket stand of 54.

Cricket Australia will not finalise its next candidate for the ICC vice-presidency until August

Peter English09-Jul-2010Cricket Australia will not finalise its next candidate for the ICC vice-presidency until August after its board decided only to review the events that led to John Howard’s rejection last week. Australia and New Zealand must make another joint nomination for the role, which includes two years as the global organisation’s president from 2012, and there will not be a swift conclusion to this complicated episode.Jack Clarke, Cricket Australia’s chairman, led the teleconference from London on Friday and briefed his board on the way Howard’s appointment was blocked at the ICC’s annual conference in Singapore. Howard has not withdrawn from the race but will stand by Cricket Australia’s decision if it does not retain him.No names were discussed as possible new candidates and the board will not be asked to consider a nomination until its next meeting on August 13. “Jack gave a highly detailed debrief to the directors and one of the key things he stressed was that Australia and New Zealand were joined at the hip throughout this process,” a Cricket Australia spokesman told Cricinfo. “They want to remain that way as they move forward.”New Zealand Cricket’s board will discuss the situation on July 23 before further talks take place between its chairman Alan Isaac and Clarke. When the ICC board rejected Howard’s elevation it gave the organisations until the end of August to provide another option.One person who is definitely not in contention is Mark Taylor, the former Australia captain. He has ruled himself out due to his commentary, business and family interests. Allan Border, a former board member and Test leader, is also not interested.In the early stages of the process New Zealand promoted its former chairman Sir John Anderson for the role, but Howard, 70, won the nomination following a decision made by an independent panel. That move was stopped in Singapore when six board members from Asia, Africa and the West Indies signed a letter opposing Howard. The issue did not even get to a vote.

MS Dhoni has defended his top order after they once again fell apart in the face of a hostile short-pitched attack

Andrew McGlashan at the Kensington Oval07-May-2010MS Dhoni has defended his top order after they once again fell apart in the face of a hostile short-pitched attack. The pace of Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson proved too much for India as they slumped to 50 for 7 in their pursuit of a daunting 185, and it was a familiar mode of dismissal that brought their downfall.Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina, the latter coming off the back of his hundred against South Africa, were unsettled by the short ball and fell to limp pulls. It was only Rohit Sharma, who hit out towards the end, that looked comfortable against the sustained pace that Australia were able to throw at them.If India have realistic ambitions of winning this tournament they are going to have to sharpen up their reflexes, for after this performance they will have plenty more deliveries heading for the ribcage with another Super Eight match and the final to be held in Barbados. The hole left by Virender Sehwag’s absence has not been adequately filled.”You try to fight fire with fire and it doesn’t always work and this was an example of that,” Dhoni said. “If somebody bowls 150kph short stuff then you have to be really good at pulling which isn’t our natural strength. Most players from India are very good at cutting the ball, but only a few are good pullers against the new ball.”Maybe we could have played through the first few overs because we saw as the ball got a bit older it didn’t come on as quickly,” he added. “But you have to go for runs and it’s easy after the game to say this is what should have been done. When you are chasing 180-odd runs the first five or six overs are very important otherwise the rate goes above 10 an over.”Dhoni, and each India captain before him, has had to answer questions on his side’s ability to face short-pitched bowling but the concern will be that this wasn’t a lightning fast surface, just one that offered encouragement to a well-directed attack. At last year’s World Twenty20 in England, India succumbed in similar fashion with Super Eight defeats against West Indies and the hosts when they were bombed out on a lively Lord’s surface.”It’s the same stuff that Indians have been facing for the last 10, 15, 20 years and some of the best [batsmen] in the world have come from India so there’s no reason why they can’t do it,” Dhoni said. “During the first T20 World Cup we played in Durban on one of the fastest tracks you’ll see and we beat England, South Africa and Australia.”However, Dhoni felt that it was the right approach for the batsmen to go for their shots from the start, despite having watched Shane Watson and David Warner assess conditions before opening up during their 104-run stand.”It was a big score but it is a fast-scoring ground so I didn’t think we were under too much pressure because of that,” he said. “We needed a good start and you have to keep on going but a few shots when straight to the fielder. The aggressive approach has worked for us in the past but you just have to be a bit careful.”India now play two more Super Eights matches and the first of them is back at the Kensington Oval against West Indies. If the hosts were watching this performance, they are likely to be winding up Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach.

Acting captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road

29-Jun-2010
ScorecardActing captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road. Still 75 behind on losing the fourth wicket in their second innings, the home side survived the remaining 35 overs and eased into a lead of 34 on reaching 168 for 4.Teenager Nathan Buck led Leicestershire’s early charge by taking the first three wickets for 19 runs, but they missed a potential short cut to victory by dropping three slip chances from Mitchell before he completed his half-century. The opener made the most of the reprieves in compiling an undefeated 63 and Cameron hit two sixes and six fours on his way to a maiden 50 from 87 balls.With the left-hander on 62 not out in only his second Championship match, their unbroken partnership of 109 has already transformed a game that seemed in danger of finishing on the second day. Although the New Road pitch assisted the seamers from the outset, it has never been a minefield and ECB inspector David Hughes said he was happy with the surface when Worcestershire were dismissed for 175 in the first innings.Leicestershire began day two in a promising position, resuming only 12 runs behind at 163 for 3, and their batsmen pressed home the advantage as they progressed to 309 and a lead of 134. Nightwatchman Buck became a first victim for Matt Mason in a spell of 2 for 9 and James Benning, in his first Championship innings of the season, chipped in with 29 until caught at first slip off Jack Shantry.James Taylor, awaiting England Lions duty later in the week, dug in for nearly two hours for 27 and when he edged Mason to slip, it was left to Tom New to make the most of support from the lower order. Always positive, the left-hander hit 11 fours in making 58 – his fourth half-century of the season – before he played on to Richard Jones and Leicestershire were well in charge even when Gareth Andrew mopped up the last three wickets.Worcestershire desperately needed to improve on their first innings, but Phil Jaques made a disappointing exit in his last Championship game before Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan takes up the overseas position. A nick to first slip from Buck’s second delivery resulted in the Australian’s sixth duck in 15 first-class innings.Buck, who played for England in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January, kept the batsmen under pressure as he removed Moeen Ali (24) and Alexei Kervezee in successive overs.

Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits

Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-2012Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting’s habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia’s loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night’s Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting’s 17-year Test career.”Certainly he’s up there with the very best,” Richards said. “What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He’s not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence.”The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of ‘s five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap – Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut – Richards saw plenty of Ponting’s batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.”A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out,” Richards said. “You’ve got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I’ve always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he’s an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that.”Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting’s captaincy decisions, he said Ponting’s ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.”It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting,” Warne said. “I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he’ll hold up well on the international stage.”He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That’s a really good characteristic in any player. It’s not about how many runs you get, it’s about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails.”

A number of Southampton fans criticised Theo Walcott’s performance in their rollercoaster 3-2 win at West Ham this afternoon.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men twice led before being begged back by the hosts at the London Stadium, with Jan Bednarek’s 70th-minute goal eventually proving the winner in an eventful clash.

Although the Saints ended a six-match winless run in the Premier League, some supporters were left far from impressed with Walcott’s offering in east London.

As per SofaScore, the 32-year-old was the visitors’ lowest-rated player, completing only 14 passes against the Irons and losing 50% of his duels. The attacker’s only shot ended up being blocked, while he was dribbled past twice and failed to land a successful cross. He was also guilty of losing possession nine times throughout the match.

Southampton fans slam Walcott

Although Hasenhuttl ultimately substituted Walcott in the closing minutes of today’s match, many Saints fans on Twitter felt that the ex-Arsenal man should have been withdrawn a lot earlier given his “criminal” display.

“Theo Walcott playing any minutes is criminal”

Credit: @Eliassfc2

“Has Walcott even touched the ball? Forgot he was even on”

Credit: @__Scummers

“Genuinely rather play with 9 than have Bednarek and Walcott on the pitch a second longer”

Credit: @sfcdan_

“I am so frustrated with Ralph’s substitutions. 88 mins before he takes Walcott off. Just cannot understand it. Should have been off at HT he was so bad.”

Credit: @r_c_bennett

“@SouthamptonFC anyone seen Walcott”

Credit: @saintdougie

“How is Walcott still on the pitch?”

Credit: @LiamEyre25

“Ralph’s in-game management non-existent. How is Walcott still on?”

Credit: @chriswragg

While the debate over eligibility of players rumbles on, the Netherlands have gone abroad to boost their chances in the coming year

Cricinfo staff16-Mar-2010While the debate over eligibility of players rumbles on, the Netherlands have gone abroad to boost their chances in the coming year and recruited two players with Dutch passports and first-class experience in Australia and New Zealand.Tom Cooper, a 23-year-old batsman who played for Australia at Under-19 level, and 24-year-old Otago wicketkeeper-batsman Derek de Boorder will both play for the country this coming season. Neither will be deemed to be an overseas player by the ECB and so both can compete in the English 40-over competition. They will also be allowed to take part in ODIs and the ICC’s World Cricket League but not the ICC’s first-class Intercontinental Cup.”There are still a few formalities to be finalised,” Jeroen Smits, the high performance advisor to the Dutch board told Cricket Europe. “We are confident that both players will be available for our first matches.”I’m delighted that the selectors, who make the final decisions, will have the possibility of including these players in our squad and, looking further forward, I see them as potentially playing a significant role in our plans for next year’s World Cup.”Cooper has been a regular in the South Australia side in 2009-10 while de Boorder also commands a regular place at Otago.

Arsenal and Newcastle's Premier League fixture will take place at 8pm on a Saturday due to a new rule.

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Arsenal's clash takes place at unusual timeGunners played in Europe in midweekNew rule dictates kick-off timeWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners and the Magpies will go head-to-head on Saturday as Mikel Arteta's side attempt to continue their title push, and Eddie Howe's aim to climb back into contention for European qualification. On Saturday, there is no early kick-off, with games instead kicking off at 3pm, 5:30pm and 8pm, because Arsenal played in the Champions League in midweek, losing 1-0 to Porto.

AdvertisementTHE EXPLANATION

A new rule to protect player welfare in the Premier League states that any team playing in Europe on a Wednesday night must not play at 12:30pm on a Saturday. has the rights to air that fixture, and will instead air Arsenal's game at 8pm. will air Manchester City's clash with Bournemouth at 5:30pm.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

The reverse fixture saw Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 at St James' Park. Anthony Gordon scored in the 64th minute on November 4.

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Arsenal go into the game sitting third and have won their last five fixtures, while Newcastle are eighth, and have not lost any of their last four games. As a result, one can expect a ding-dong battle on Saturday night.

Newcastle United are reportedly now interested in signing Wout Weghorst in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Underrated?

Weghorst may not be a name that jumps out immediately on paper, but he seems to be one of the most underrated strikers in European football, at least according to the Bundesliga website.

Former Wolsfburg manager Oliver Glasner even went as far as to claim that Weghorst is ‘the most dangerous player in front of goal’ that he has ever coached, while fellow Dutch player Michel Vlap has credited him as having an ‘unbelievable drive’.

Nonetheless, his goal record speaks for itself, with a total of 164 goals scored for both club and country at youth and senior level combined, and at 29 years of age, is now at the peak of his powers.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per Kicker, the St. James’ Park faithful are now interested in signing Weghorst next month.

The news outlet are predicting that he will have ‘an offer on the table in the next few weeks’, and that could be from the North East club, while he is not expected to stay beyond the summer at least.

The Verdict: Get it done

With a monster six-foot-six frame, Weghorst would be a threat for any team in the Premier League, due to his aerial threat in both boxes, emphasised by the 2.4 aerial duels that he wins per game in the Bundesliga, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates, and up there with the central defenders at the club (WhoScored).

The Netherlands international would certainly offer an exciting alternative to Callum Wilson, whose six goals in total over all competitions so far this season are by far the most out of any Magpies player, and so Weghorst would help ease the burden off of him, given his goalscoring record.

Nonetheless, while their defence may be leaky, ultimately goals win football matches, and Weghorst would certainly provide them.

In other news, find out who the Saudis’ dream signing is here!

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed that Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is looking to lure Leon King away from former club Rangers.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, he said: “Some transfer news into @birmingham_live prior to kick-off as Gerrard looks to take full advantage of Leon King’s contract situation at Rangers. The 17-year-old was promoted to first-team sessions under SG. Cut-price deal for #avfc via @RichardCusackBM”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Birmingham Mail, Preece added: “Aston Villa are considering a move for Rangers youngster Leon King – who they could get for just over £200k. The Ibrox side are in talks with their talented 17-year-old over a new contract. The young defender has still to agree an extension with the Scottish champions and as it stands he runs out of contract in the summer and could move in a cut-price cross-border switch.

“King is seen as one of the top, young talents north of the border and he is already being tracked by a host of top English clubs, including Manchester United, Newcastle United and Leicester City.”

Gerrard’s influence

While Dean Smith oversaw the signings of the likes of Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia in particular over the course of the summer transfer window, there’s no questioning that having Gerrard as your club’s manager brings with it a far bigger pull and attraction.

The former Liverpool skipper is an icon and someone who players around the world will be familiar with, and whether it’s a young starlet like King, or a more established first-team star, the lure of playing for Gerrard could prove to be a difference-maker for Villa.

With Preece claiming that the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Leicester are all keeping a track of King, Villa face a real battle on their hands to sign the 17-year-old.

Gerrard’s own connection with Rangers as the club’s former boss could be decisive, however, while the prospect of working under a young manager who clearly rates him already could further persuade the teenager.

Villa fans will no doubt be delighted at Preece’s latest transfer update. After all, this feels like the ideal match for Gerrard and the player.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was an “absolute revelation” vs Man City…