The Zimbabwe team’s arrival in Bangladesh has been delayed by two days by the after-effects of the tsunami that devastated large areas of south Asia. Zimbabwe were due to reach Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, but were stuck in India as international flight schedules were disrupted by the natural disaster, reported.The Bangladesh Cricket Board said that the Zimbabweans, who were training in a conditioning camp in the southern Indian city of Vishakhapatnam, could not fly out yesterday but were expected in Dhaka tomorrow. Zimbabwe are scheduled to play two Tests and five one-dayers during their month-long stay. They will open the tour with a three-day match against a Bangladesh Board XI in Chittagong.The young and inexperienced Zimbabwean squad, led by Tatenda Taibu, have not won a game since beating Bangladesh in a one-day series nearly nine months ago. But Bangladesh go into the series as favourites after steadily improving performances in the series against India, when they even stunningly pulled off their first ODI victory on home soil.Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, had already said that the team were eagerly awaiting the start of Zimbabwe’s tour. After the last ODI against India, Whatmore said, “The series can’t come quick enough. We want to play tomorrow.”
Chris Cairns’s return to the bowling crease for his English county Nottinghamshire in their most recent game, against Kent at Maidstone, saw him join a select band of New Zealand cricketers.When his New Zealand team-mate Daniel Vettori caught Ed Smith for 113 from Cairns’s bowling, it wasn’t only a cause for celebration after the towelling Vettori had been getting from the batsmen. It represented the end of a long wait by Cairns for his 600th first-class wicket.Plagued by knee injuries in recent seasons, Cairns had moved to 599 when taking 2 for 10 in Canterbury’s opening game of the State Championship last season – and didn’t take any wickets in his only other bowl in the domestic summer. This is his first appearance at the bowling crease in a first-class match since then. It didn’t look too promising for him in the first innings, when his three overs cost 29. But things were much better yesterday as he bowled 12 overs for 1 for 43.Only six other New Zealanders have achieved the feat of 600 first-class wickets and only four of them are home-grown products. Richard Hadlee heads the list with 1490 wickets (average 18.11), and after him are: Clarrie Grimmett 1424 (22.28), Syd Smith 955 (18.08), Tom Pritchard 818 (23.03), Dipak Patel 654 (33.23) and Stephen Boock 640 (22.36). Cairns’s average is 27.60.Of the group, only Boock achieved the feat largely because of his play for, and in, New Zealand. Hadlee took 622 wickets for Notts at 14.51, Grimmett took all but 22 of his wickets for, or in, Australia. Those first 22 came in New Zealand before he moved to Australia.Smith, whose career started in the West Indies but which flourished in England, took 502 of his wickets for Northamptonshire at 17.42. He later moved to New Zealand. Pritchard, formerly of Wellington, joined Warwickshire after the Second World War and ended his county career with 706 wickets at 23.58. Included in that haul are four games for Kent. Patel started out with Worcestershire and took 357 wickets for them at 36.66 before emigrating to New Zealand.The closest active players to Cairns on the New Zealand bowling list at the moment are: Paul Wiseman 312 wickets at 32.94, Vettori 263 at 31.01, Andrew Penn 239 at 22.97, Warren Wisneski 219 at 26.89, Heath Davis 212 at 31.27, and Matthew Hart 208 at 35.01.
Derbyshire ended an eight-match losing streak when they beat Lancashire by six wickets to end a grim season on a winning note.Chris Bassano took Derbyshire past Lancashire’s 159-5 when he hit the second ball of the last over from Glen Chapple over extra cover for four.Lancashire’s total looked a formidable one in a match reduced to 25 overs a side by overnight rain which delayed the start by two-and-a-half hours.Tim Roberts, playing in only his second National League game, made a high-class half-century from only 41 balls while Joe Scuderi hit an unbeaten 50.Derbyshire lost Steve Stubbings in the first over but Michael Di Venuto and Steve Selwood put the home side in charge with a stand of 82 in 11 overs.Di Venuto raced to 50 off only 39 balls and Selwood hit 33 from 30 balls before he hit a full toss back to Chris Schofield.Di Venuto was then bowled as he moved out to whip Schofield through mid-wicket and when Mathew Dowman fell in the leg spinner’s next over, Derbyshire had slipped from 91-1 to 117-4.But Bassano and Nathan Dumelow made sure they did not throw the game away and Derbyshire were given a helping hand when James Anderson started the penultimate over with three wides.With only two needed from the last over, Bassano settled the match in style but Derbyshire’s fourth victory of the season could not take them off the bottom of Division Two.
Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear will resign at the end of the current campaign, Leeds Radar have reported.
The Lowdown: Bielsa sacking
The Whites officially parted ways with Marcelo Bielsa on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours on from a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Kinnear and his fellow Leeds officials didn’t waste any time in bringing in a replacement, with Jesse Marsch announced as the Argentine’s successor on Monday evening. Hours before Marsch was officially appointed, though, a claim emerged regarding Kinnear, who has been present at Elland Road since 2017.
The Latest: Kinnear claim
Leeds Radar posted on Twitter regarding the Whites chief, suggesting that he is set to leave the club once the season comes to a close, stating: “Kinnear will resign at the end of the season according to insider sources.”
The Transfer Tavern contacted Leeds Radar about their information, and were told it came directly from a club employee.
The Verdict: 49ers influence?
The investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers have a deal in place to buy Leeds for more than £400m by January 2024, so this claim could be a case of the Americans looking to take control in the boardroom.
They now have Marsch installed as manager and appear keen on USA international Brenden Aaronson after making two bids for the midfielder in January.
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Therefore, it wouldn’t come as a major shock if Kinnear was to call time on his Elland Road tenure over the coming months, leaving the 49ers to possibly install their own chief executive in the process.
In other news, Leeds could sign one player this summer, according to a journalist. Find out who it is here.
India have made one change to their 15-member squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs against Australia, bringing in left-arm spinner Murali Kartik in place of offspinner Ramesh Powar, said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.Kartik played for Middlesex during the 2007 season and took 51 wickets at 24.96 from 12 Championship matches, including 9 for 73 in an innings victory against Glamorgan at Lord’s. In the Pro40 competition, Kartik took 12 wickets at 20.75 from eight games. Based on his performances the county signed him up for the next season as well.Powar, who enjoyed a successful tour to Ireland and England earlier this year, wasn’t successful in the first two ODIs at Banglaore and Kochi, conceding 80 runs off 11 overs without taking a wicket and was dropped for the third game in Hyderabad. “A left-arm spinner is always helpful in Indian conditions,” said India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, “and since Kartik is also experienced, I am sure he will indeed be helpful”Shah also said that Sourav Ganguly was fit for the third one-day international but was not picked for the match because he did not fit into the best team combination. However, Dhoni put forth a contradictory view in the press conference that followed the third one-dayer in Hyderabad: “He (Ganguly) was very eager to play but the team thought that he should be rested for this match as well because anything can happen on the field and then we might have to rest him for more matches. So that’s why he did not play.”Ganguly had played the first match but missed the second ODI because of a hamstring strain. He took part in a training session on the eve of the Hyderabad match and was passed fit. He was, however, named in the squad for the next two games.Meanwhile, the selectors have retained the winning ICC World Twenty20 squad for the one-off Twenty20 international at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on October 20. However, legspinner Piyush Chawla is the only exclusion as he is yet to recover from an ankle injury which had ruled him out of all seven one-dayers. No replacement has been named.Squad for 4th and 5th ODIs Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Zaheer KhanTwenty 20 international squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, Yusuf Pathan, Joginder Sharma
Whenever Glenn McGrath and Sachin Tendulkar come across each other on acricket pitch, things tend to happen. And it was no different on Friday,with McGrath’s very first delivery to his fellow legend providing for theday’s main talking point. Pitched short, it tempted Tendulkar into thepull, but he was too early on the stroke. The ball brushed his shoulderand ricocheted behind the stumps to Brad Haddin and theAustralian close-in fielders went up in appeal. After a moment’sthought, and to Tendulkar’s stupefaction, Mark Benson raised his finger.Tendulkar’s reaction was about as animated as he ever gets on a cricketfield, and it perhaps implanted the first seeds of doubt in Benson’s mind.And while Tendulkar trudged towards the pavilion slowly, he decided toconsult with his colleague, Asad Rauf. Once Rauf gave his opinion, Bensondecided that it was better to look silly than give the wrong decision, andto his credit, he recalled the batsman.While McGrath smiled ruefully and walked back to his mark, Ricky Pontingwas livid. Forgetting the fact that the umpire is well within his rightsto reverse a decision (Law 27.9), Ponting shared more than a few words, and it willbe interesting to see what view the match referee takes at the end of thegame. After his latest outburst against West Indies, Cricket Australia hadcome down hard on him, aware that the next offence would invite amultiple-game ban.The Tendulkar incident wasn’t the only topic of debate either. Haddin hadmade only two when Rudra Pratap Singh’s throw to Harbhajan Singh appearedto catch him several feet short of the crease. Haddin looked to be walkingoff to the pavilion when Benson decided to clarify whether Harbhajan hadbroken the stumps cleanly with ball in hand. It took several minutes ofreplays to establish that he hadn’t, and the waiting Haddin was thencalled back.While one of the commentators lamented, off the record, about decliningumpiring standards, it must be said that Benson got it right both times.After the umpiring controversies of the past few months it was refreshing to see an official do theright thing, even at the risk of having his competence called intoquestion.
The Afro-Asian Cricket Cooperation (AACC) has drawn up plans for a six-team, 16-match Under-19 tournament in the Indian port city of Vishakapatnam. The competition, featuring teams from India, Pakistan. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will be held from November 19 -27, 2005, and will be used as a warm-up competition for next year’s U19 World Cup.Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Asian Cricket Council and chairman of AACC, explained the rationale behind the tournament. “Afro-Asian Cricket Cooperation is a regional body formed by the Africa Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council to support the development activities of its members across both continents,” he said. “The recent Standard Chartered Afro-Asia Cup was the AACC’s first tournament venture. An A Team tournament, featuring the players on the brink of selection for the Test and ODI teams, is scheduled to be held early in 2006.”Peter Chingoka, president of the Africa Cricket Association said: “These kinds of player-formative exercises are very much part of what the AACC aims to promote over the next few years.”The U19 World Cup will be held in Sri Lanka in February 2006. “Our cricketers all have ambitions to play at the highest level,” said Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive. “Age-group tournaments such as these in different conditions against their cricketing peers can only help them on their way to the top.””It’s important that players get as much exposure as possible to top competition and different conditions,” said KK Haridas, ACC events executive. “Vishakapatnam will provide a close approximation to what the U19 players will encounter in Sri Lanka.”In a joint statement, Hoosain Ayob and Sultan Rana, the development managers of Africa and Asia respectively, affirmed that “Alongside Africa’s and Asia’s existing development activities, these high-profile events are welcome additions. The scale and scope of our development program through the support of the AACC, to boost the efforts of all our members will be substantial”.The tournament will feature three matches a day, beginning with Pakistan v Sri Lanka, India v Bangladesh and South Africa v Zimbabwe, and two rest days between qualifying matches before the final on Sunday, November 27.
A 118-run partnership between Ashraf Mall and Jon Kent was enough to seal a victory for the Dolphins over the Warriors at The Oval in Pietermaritzburg. Having been sent in to bat by the Warriors the Dolphins, at 49 for 4, were in dire straights when Mall and Kent started their rescue act. Brent Kops then levelled the scales as he dismissed Mall for 62, Kent for 78, Lance Klusener for 20 and Duncan Brown for three to finish on a career-best 5 for 42 as the Dolphins ended on 220 for 9.A target of 221 should have been on the cards for the high-riding Warriors but they lost wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to 184 all out. Steven Pope (55) was the only batsman to come to terms with some good all-round bowling from the Dolphins. Andrew Tweedie took four wickets, Klusener three, and young Tyron Pillay took two as the Dolphins kept their hopes alive for a semi-final spot. ScorecardAt the Wanderers in Johannesburg a century from Neil McKenzie could not save the Lions from losing to Western Province Boland. Winning the toss and electing to bat Western Province Boland scored an entertaining 250 for 6 with Henry Davids (84) and Ashwell Prince (50) doing the damage. Some indisciplined bowling from the Lions coupled with some solid partnerships set Province up for the win.The Lions lost Stephen Cook with the first ball of their innings but recovered well as Adam Bacher and McKenzie took them to 112, when Bacher fell on 49. McKenzie tried in vain to maintain the momentum, but with wickets falling around him, and only Justin Ontong managing to get into double figures, the cause was lost as they were bowled out for 205 having just secured the bonus point.
Pakistan 298 for 7 (Younis 69, Imran 66) beat Northants 236 (Sales 104) by 62 runsPakistan’s tour of England hadn’t got off to the ideal start – a tentative one-wicket win over Scotland and a comprehensive thrashing from Essex – but at the third attempt they hit top form. Not even a fine century from David Sales could disrupt their progress towards a 62-run win.Pakistan batted first and piled up an impressive 298 for 7 in their 50 overs. Imran Nazir (66) and Mohammad Hafeez (38) gave them a purposeful start after Rashid Latif had won the toss and opted to bat first on a typically easy-paced Wantage Road pitch. They added 116 in 18 overs, and Pakistan looked set for a total in excess of 300 when Younis Khan (69) and Yasir Hameed (62) were in harness for the third wicket. But a late flurry of wickets revived Northants’ prospects, as Pakistan slumped from 252 for 2 to 274 for 6.Northants’ reply was none too confident. Phil Jaques continued his impressive form with 29 from 26 balls, but when he top-edged a pull off Umar Gul to deep square-leg they had slumped to 47 for 3. But Sales and Jeff Cook (45) engineered a recovery, adding 106 in 19 overs. Pakistan’s relatively inexperienced attack were running out of ideas,but Shoaib Malik came to the rescue by bowling Cook before Umar removed Graeme Swann and Toby Bailey with successive balls to kill off the Northants challenge.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar says his injured toe is still troubling him while running but he expects to be back for the South African tour.”I am not in too much pain, although when I run, my foot gives trouble. So I decided to get expert advice,” Tendulkar, in Durban to consult Dr Mark Fergusson about his injury, said.Tendulkar had undergone a check up on Monday following which he was asked to undergo some tests. “Once we have conducted our tests we will prescribe treatment that will allow Tendulkar to continue to play without any problems,” Fergusson told PTI.”We are presently looking at some of the sports shoes he will have to wear,” he added.Tendulkar, who is accompanied by his Mumbai-based doctor Anant Joshi, said he was hoping to recover in time for the South Africa series in October.He said he had been referred to Fergusson by his teammates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath who had earlier consulted the South African specialist for their shoulder injuries and expressed satisfaction with the treatment.Tendulkar injured his right toe during the triangular one-day series in Zimbabwe and had to miss the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.