News – Kumble announces retirement from one-dayers
Audio – Kumble press conference
Anand Vasu – The man who wouldn’t say no
Mukul Kesavan – In praise of Kumble
Stats – A hero in the shorter version too
Audio – Shastri: ‘Competitive and consistent’
Audio – Tributes from team-mates
Derbyshire’s preparations for the 2006 county season have hit a damp patch. Their opening fixture, against Surrey starting on April 19, will now be played at The Oval … because the County Ground in Derby is under water.”We have had exceptionally wet weather in Derby for the last six weeks,” explained the chief executive, Tom Sears. “We did look at other possibilities in the area, but everywhere in the county is in the same boat.”The return fixture, starting on Wednesday, September 20, will now be played in Derby – weather-permitting, of course. “We are desperate to play our opening fixture of the season, and the best chance we have of doing that is to play at The Brit Oval and subsequently the return fixture at Derby at the end of the season.”Paul Sheldon, chief executive at Surrey, added: “We have been happy to co-operate with Derbyshire to ensure the game has the highest chance of going ahead. The short notice will give our staff some logistical challenges, and we are committed to a hasty communication process to ensure members and spectators are made aware of the changes.”The Oval groundstaff, led by Bill Gordon, along with other key staff, will now work over the Easter weekend to prepare the wicket and venue for April 19. The first scheduled competitive game was originally against Sussex in the C&G Trophy on April 30.”We’ve had an excellent pre-season and the squad is raring to go,” said Surrey’s coach, Alan Butcher. “We had fully prepared to go to Derbyshire, but with all of us so keen to play we want to give ourselves the best of opportunity of gaining as many points as possible in our bid to regain Division One status.”
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Ricky Ponting wants Brett Lee, who missed Australia’s starting XI again, to play in the Pura Cup final, but he will not release him until the second Test starts at Wellington tomorrow. Australia named an unchanged side after the nine-wicket win at Christchurch with Michael Kasprowicz holding off Lee’s challenge.Ponting said he was keen for Lee to bowl at the Gabba, but he had to stay in Wellington until the first ball in case of a late injury. Rain is forecast to delay the start of the Test and would further hamper Lee’s cause.Brad Haddin, the New South Wales captain, said Lee would be chosen for the final against Queensland, which starts tomorrow, only if he was available for the opening delivery. “If he’s not here at the start of the game then I don’t think we’ll take him,” Haddin told AAP. “It’s not fair on the other guys. We’ve had three quicks that have done a great job all season.” Poor weather is also expected in Brisbane tomorrow.Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist, 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath.
Rain came to Otago’s aid on the second day of their State Championship match against Auckland on Eden Park’s outer oval. Chasing the daunting target of 424, Otago were left scrambling on 131 for 6.Otago started their chase well enough and with Chris Gaffaney and Andrew Hore carrying on from their overnight position. They took the score through to 78 for 1, before the introduction of Aaron Barnes, the medium-pacer, undid Otago. He first picked up Gaffaney’s wicket. Gaffaney edged to Tim McIntosh at second slip when he had scored 42. Robert Lawson followed soon after for four and by the time Otago had reached 96, Hore had departed leg before wicket for 37.Barnes had 3 for 12 and Otago suffered an uncomfortable lunch. After the resumption the situation worsened as Kyle Mills and Andre Adams picked up a wicket apiece and by the time the rain set in Otago had limped to 131 for 6.An intriguing contest was set up in Gisborne as Central Districts look to save their game against Northern Districts. Jamie How, 97 not out at close, is on the verge of the third first-class century of his career, with the opportunity to go on for much longer as CD look to put the game out of ND’s reach.It was unfortunate for CD, that just before bad light caused the end of play, Jesse Ryder was dismissed, stumped for 49, having added 104 patient runs with How for the third wicket. He was just starting to go on the offensive when he failed to get onto a ball from Nick Horsley and was dismissed.Earlier, ND’s ninth-wicket pairing had taken their stand to 99 before Graeme Aldridge was dismissed for 49 and what would have been a maiden first-class half-century. His partner Ian Butler did achieve that feat when unbeaten on 51 when the declaration was applied with ND 445-9.
Honours were even at the end of the first day of this Logan Cup first-classmatch that started at Mutare Sports Club yesterday. Batting first, the visitors stumbled, recovered and finally dominated an attack unable to match its captain’s attacking strategy.After an hour and a half Manicaland had sent five Academy batsmen back tothe pavilion for less than a 100 runs and had every right to anticipate asub-200 score. CFX captain Andre Hoffman, coming in at five, turned the match around with 46 off 47 balls – blowing Manicaland off course for the rest of the day. Finally miss hitting a sweep off part-timer Went onto his stumps, Hoffman hooked and pulled his side into the advantage zone. Opening bowler Aleck Taylor – who had started with five excellent overs of inswinging seamers – used the wrong tactics by persistently digging the ball in at him. The Mutare Sports Club pitch is very unforgiving to fast bowlers and Taylor lacked the pace for this strategy.At the Vumba end Leon Soma had meanwhile sent down eight overs of searchingaway-swingers, netting two victims and conceding few runs. New batsman Conan Brewer survived a confident caught-behind appeal – ruled a bump-ball by the umpire – before making 66 (12×4) and forging a big partnership with hard-hitting Glen Barrett. Barrett was dropped first ball to a lunging dive by wicketkeeper Ferreira before humiliating the Manica bowlers with a 56 ball/101-minute century (11×4, 7×6). Four times play was held up as players and ground staff searched the surrounding bush to recover six-hits. In all the umpires allowed 12 minutes to be deducted from the day’s playing time for lost balls. One flew into adjoining Park Road and a replacement ball was used until a team of schoolboy spectators found it.Twice more Barrett was dropped and persistently found spaces to land his lofted miss-hits – helped to a large degree by imperfect field placements. Too often fielders were neither stopping the single nor defending the boundary. On one occasion left-arm spinner Ian Coulson was forced to double back to mid-off to attempt a catch whilst the fielder stood 15 yards closer to the bat. Coulson bowled well with drift and flight to pick up three for 55 off 11 overs. Strike bowler Justin Lewis came into the game with an injury, seemed off the pace and realistically should only have been used in a defensive role. For most of his 11 overs he had five slips and gullies, resulting in wide gaps frequently punished. Went was used in an expensive unsuccessful plan to buy Barrett’s wicket – suggesting crisis rather than planned management.In reply Manicaland were 162 for four at stumps with Kingsley Went having run himself out for a fluent 57 and Neil Ferreira unbeaten on 69. Ferreira was lucky still to be there, having snicked one low to the wicket-keeper’s left in the last over, but batted with composure and restraint – in contrast to early casualties Mawoyo, Soma and Sheth. Nicholle bowled with zip and aggression but it will be the spinners on days three and four who have the most to look forward to.
It took until the penultimate day of the series, and relied on the inspiration of two players who have barely figured through its duration. But, at last, the sight of WestIndies refusing to yield to Australia arrived. As a result, we finally have a contest too; at stumps on the fourth day of the Fifth Test here at the Sydney CricketGround, Australia is at 2/44 chasing a target of 173 to win.The excellent form of Ridley Jacobs (62) has been a constant throughout this summer so it represented little surprise to see him at the heart of a mid-afternoonrecovery which transformed the complexion of this match. But to spot the sparingly used Mahendra Nagamootoo (68) and previously horribly out of formRamnaresh Sarwan (51) also applying themselves earnestly in its midst was certainly unexpected.What made the revival even better still was that it came on the heels of another disastrous morning session for the West Indians. The loss of Jimmy Adams (5), Sherwin Campbell (54) and Marlon Samuels (0) in thespace of five deliveries only half an hour into the day – a surrender which saw them slide to a mark of 4/112 in their second innings – was a grave development giventhat as many as 180 runs were required to even make the Australians bat again. And the miserable predicament was then exacerbated when a defending Brian Lara(28) failed to capitalise on an earlier reprieve and lost his wicket to a beautifully pitched ball from off spinner Colin Miller (4/102) half an hour before lunch.Until Sarwan finally lost concentration after close to two-and-a-half hours of unflinching resistance and sparred away from his body at a Glenn McGrath (3/80)delivery, he and Jacobs added eighty-five runs for the sixth wicket in enterprising style. In the process, they ensured not only that the match would enter a fourthinnings but added a genuine touch of spine to the West Indian performance as well. It was difficult to believe that the former had entered this innings with a bare threeruns against his name in total for the series and with his confidence and demeanour at apparent rock bottom. For that sorry record counted for little today; hesurvived a hat-trick ball from Jason Gillespie (2/57) first up, imperiously thumped the second delivery that he faced to the cover boundary, and then barely lookedback.Although well renowned in the Caribbean for his all-round skills, Nagamootoo was also something of a surprise packet. His hand was predominantly attacking – afeature perhaps best exemplified by a number of straight, lofted blows – but contained a nice mixture of defensive shots as well. His maiden Test half-century broughta completely contrasting response to the far more relieved and reserved one offered by Sarwan; an extravagant series of waves of the bat and some fist-pumping forgood measure ensuing as he reached the mark only a few moments before tea.”I always bat like that,” said Nagamootoo. “I never put myself down; when the bad ball comes along, I always (try and) put it away.””In the beginning, it was really tough. I thought that I would just try and bat for as long as I possibly could.””I’ve not really been in and out,” he replied to the suggestion that he has been unluckily overlooked on this tour. “I was injured and have been doing as much as I canto get into the team. One step at a time in practice and I (just try and) take my opportunities when I can get them.”Nagamootoo’s innings might never have blossomed; his own stand of seventy-eight with Jacobs might never have transpired; and the position of the match mighthave been completely different too, if Umpire Darrell Hair had not denied what looked an excellent McGrath lbw appeal against him when the left hander had onlytwo runs on the board. But, in an ironic way, it seemed appropriate that the decision went the West Indians’ way, if for no other reason than it finally permittedJacobs the sort of support that his form has commanded all the way through this tour. It also helped lay the platform for this to develop into by far the best and mostcompetitive day of the series.Ultimately, the trio’s batting helped swell the West Indian second innings tally to a mark of 352. It also had the crowd of 14728 in an appropriately deferential moodby the time that number eleven and 127 Test veteran, Courtney Walsh, entered an Australian arena for the very last time with a bat in his hand. The Australiansformed their own on-field guard of honour to salute the champion too. In the middle of the most intense battle of the summer, it was lovely stuff.That the out-of-sorts Matthew Hayden (5) and Justin Langer (10) each fell inside the first seven overs of Australia’s pursuit of their victory target – to leave the hostslooking a touch vulnerable for once – emphasised the extent of the fightback. Michael Slater (18*) and Mark Waugh (3*) ultimately held firm but each had narrowescapes along the path to stumps. They, like a reinvigorated West Indian team, will be back to do it all again tomorrow.
Wolves will head into their clash with Leeds tonight knowing that a win will move them temporarily to just two points off fourth place and one point off fifth, also taking them above both Tottenham and West Ham in the Premier League standings.
However, they will have to try and claim three points without key Portuguese duo Nelson Semedo and Pedro Neto, who have suffered thigh and ankle/foot injuries respectively,while deputy right-back Ki-Jana Hoever is also out with a thigh problem.
Ahead of the match, Lage said: “We just have Nelson [Semedo] and Ki [-Jana Hoever] out of the game and also Pedro [Neto]. I think the way they are working, maybe after the international break Pedro and Semedo will be back.”
Neto has started just one game this season after suffering a broken kneecap against Fulham last April. He has not yet contributed a goal or an assist in five appearances this term, having racked up 11 in the Premier League in 2020/21.
However, his absence is easier for Lage to navigate due to Wolves’ strong squad depth in his position. with Barcelona loanee Francisco Trincao also a left-footed right-winger, while both Chiquinho and Hwang Hee-chan are also suited to playing in that area of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Semedo’s absence will leave Jonny Otto to cover the right-back position, with Hoever also injured. The 28-year-old former Barcelona star has averaged 2.2 tackles per game this season, along with 2.2 clearances, 0.7 key passes and 1,5 successful dribbles per appearance.
Ranking in the top 7% among full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for carries into the final third per 90 (2.49), top 9% for tackles won per 90 (1.82) and top 10% for least yellow cards per 90 (0.10), Semedo has become one of the top right-backs in the Premier League since his £37m move to Molineux in 2020.
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Despite occasionally being inconsistent, he still has not registered a mistake leading to a goal in the Premier League this term. He is a reliable option for Lage, and to be without him and Neto for a critical game going into the business end of the season is a huge blow for the Old Gold.
In other news: Lage must unleash Wolves’ exciting 22 y/o with “explosiveness”, he can terrify Leeds
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Stuart Clark says he is still “green” in terms of Test cricket despite being ranked as the world’s best fast bowler. Following the Boxing Day Test against India Clark jumped to No. 2 on the ICC’s Test bowling rankings, trailing only Muttiah Muralitharan.Clark enjoyed a boost after collecting match figures of 5 for 48 against India and he now sits ahead of Makhaya Ntini and Brett Lee at the top of the fast-bowling list. It has been a rapid rise for Clark, who has only played 12 Tests and has 59 wickets at 19.33.”It really doesn’t sit comfortably,” Clark told the . “OK, those rankings are great, but I’m still learning, I’ve played a lot of first-class cricket and a few Test matches but I’m still green.”Clark went for only 1.6 runs an over in the MCG Test as the slow pitch and his nagging line tightened the already defensive Indian order further. “To be fair, the wicket suits what I do and, with the way I bowl, it just gets really frustrating, I reckon,” Clark said. “If you bowled badly, you got belted, but we bowled well in groups and were hard to score against.”It just became really depressing to bowl. I know why you would play two spinners and there’s probably every reason to do so, but on that sort of wicket the quicks are the ones that could tie you up and frustrate the bejesus out of you.”Australia’s bowling coach Troy Cooley said Clark played a critical role in the team. “He has all the qualities now,” Cooley said. “He can seam it, he can reverse it and, if he is given the new ball, he swings it, as he keeps telling me.”
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Australia’s fast-bowling line-up will be able to bounce back at the World Cup despite a lack of experience in the Caribbean, according to Jason Gillespie. None of Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson have played international matches in the West Indies, leaving Glenn McGrath as Australia’s only frontline bowler with local knowledge.Gillespie, who has 28 Test wickets at 21.21 and six ODI dismissals from two Caribbean tours, said variation was the key to successful pace bowling in the West Indies. He said Shaun Tait could be seriously destructive on the Caribbean pitches.”On the tours I’ve been on, I’ve found the wickets to be reasonably similar to those on the sub-continent,” Gillespie told . “The outfields are fast and the wickets are low and slow. The guys have to hit the track hard and be patient.”They will have to make sure their line and length is right on the money and they need to hit their change-ups – the yorkers and slower balls. It will all come down to execution. I think Shaun Tait can be a revelation over there. Anyone who bowls 160kph will be a danger in the West Indies. You have to bowl Tait early. He may be a bit erratic but I’ll take that if he’s taking 3 for 55, rather than 1 for 40.”Gillespie said the popular view that Australia were losing their ability to defend big scores and nail their yorkers at crucial times was unfair. “The criticism of the bowlers has been overstated,” he said. “To suggest they’ve lost their aura of invincibility is a load of crap.”I know they will do well in the Caribbean. I don’t think their [inexperience] is a concern. The guys going over there have a bit of first-class and international experience. At the end of the day, you have to get experience in different countries at some stage and they may as well get it now.”Andy Bichel, who helped Australia win the World Cup in 2003, said Ricky Ponting must be prepared to use variety in his attack. “The team that has the most flexibility in their line-up will win the World Cup,” Bichel said. “The one-day wickets in the Caribbean can be a bit uneven, the grounds are small and the bowlers will face some pretty hostile crowds as well.”As the tournament goes on, the wickets will get lower and slower so Ricky needs to consider bowling blokes like Michael Clarke and keep other teams guessing. If Ricky is flexible, I know we have the skill and character to win it.”
Abdul Razzaq will not be playing for Ireland in the C&G Trophy, even though it was announced less than three weeks ago that he had agreed terms with the Irish board.”It appears that the player has simply had a change of heart,” a spokesman for the Irish board admitted. “Everything was in place, but at the last minute, he has decided to stay in Pakistan.”We are currently examining our options as regards to a suitable replacement, and indeed, we would be hopeful of announcing a high profile signing in the next 48 hours. We have of course already signed Saqlain Mushtaq, who is a quality bowler, so it’s no secret that we are targetting a batsman/allrounder.”Ireland will need to move quickly as their C&G Trophy campaign starts on April 23 with a game against holders Hampshire.