The first one-day international of this series can’t come soon enough for either team. For Bangladesh it offers a chance to prove that what happened at Port-of-Spain was no fluke. For India, a chance to prove that it was – and, equally importantly, an opportunity to get on with the game, to push non-cricketing issues back where they belong.From the time they crashed out of the World Cup to developments on the eve of this match, India’s cricketers have been under the utmost scrutiny. Their endorsement clauses have been put under the scanner; their contracts with the board have not been finalised; their conditioning camp has been held in temperatures hovering around 38 degree Celsius and an equally high humidity factor – and it has been labelled “less intense”. Now, 36 hours before the first ball is to be bowled here, their selectors have been “stung” by a news channel into saying the team is a divided lot and that the captain doesn’t enjoy the support of the senior players.A full-fledged cricket match, even if in these sultry climes, will be a huge relief. Rahul Dravid, the captain, said they don’t take off-field issues with them to the playing field. What they will worry about, though, is the absence of Manoj Tiwary, whose debut was eagerly awaited. He had injured himself during a fielding practice session on Tuesday and has been ruled out of his debut series. RP Singh and Piyush Chawla are the other two to sit out the first game.That opens up a string of possible batting combinations. If Virender Sehwag opens, either Gautam Gambhir or Robin Uthappa is likely to be 12th man. If Sehwag bats lower down the order, one Dinesh – Mongia or Karthik – might have to sit out, unless Karthik opens the innings, which he is not likely to. Mongia looks an almost certainty, with his left-arm spin making him a part of India’s fifth bowler combination, given that there are no allrounders in the team.Bangladesh, though currently a more stable side, also have an injury problem to sort out. It’s one they should be quite familiar with by now – Mashrafe Mortaza, their premier fast bowler, has sustained a back injury that might keep him out of tomorrow’s game. Habibul Bashar, the captain, said there was a slim chance he might make it but in any case the team management didn’t appear too worried and said they would take a call on his fitness on Thursday morning.One reason for this, of course, is that Mortaza has come through more serious injuries. Speaking to Cricinfo at the World Cup, he’d listed out the injuries he’s sustained through his career: “Left knee, three operations; right knee, one operation; back, stress fracture – it’s better now but still gives some trouble – some shoulder problems; ankles, damaged ligaments twice.”The wicket at the Mirpur Stadium has a dry look; half an hour of rain today should not have any effect on the nature of the wicket. There are cracks visible even from far but they don’t appear too significant and are unlikely to open up during the course of the game. Dravid expects it to grip, which makes the Bangladesh spin trio crucial. Having kept India’s batsmen on a tight leash at the World Cup, they should prove a handful on this wicket.On the batting front, Javed Omar is likely to get the nod ahead of Shahriar Nafees as the opening partner to Tamim Iqbal, who had stunned India at Port-of-Spain. Bangladesh will look for their middle-order batting duo of Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed to come good. They have long promised but are yet to deliver consistently.Ashraful, who will become the youngest Bangladeshi to play 100 ODIs tomorrow, acknowledges as much, saying, “I know that my average should have been better.” He has also been appointed the vice-captain, which should put more responsibility on him. His will be a crucial role if Bangladesh are to capitalize on a weak Indian fifth-bowler combination.Bashar feels the wicket should keep low and slow. It should not be a surprise if the side winning the toss bats first.The ground’s drainage looks good, evident from the way it dried up within an hour of the showers. It has rained twice over the last three days, but unless there are really heavy rains, the game should see the full length.Ravi Shastri has said his team have a point to prove, Dravid has said they are keen to start. Bashar has said that it is good India have come prepared. More than enough has been said before a series between a side that effectively finished seventh in the World Cup and one that exited in the first round itself. It’s now time for action.BangladeshHabibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful (vc), Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Javed Omar, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Saqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Syed Rasel, Tamim IqbalIndia Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Dinesh Mongia, Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth and Gautam Gambhir
Hashim Amla was both happy and relieved after his maiden Test century helped guide his side to safety in the second Test against New Zealand.”It was quite a relief”, said Amla of his century. “I felt that I was under quite a lot of pressure and I was fortunate to have Boeta [Dippenaar] there, and then later, Jacques Kallis. He’s a fantastic influence at the crease, very calm and collected, and he helped me through some tough patches.”Amla, who had replaced a ‘mentally tired’ Herschelle Gibbs for this Test, has faced criticism about his technique but said his focus has always been to keep it simple. “I spoke to several top coaches, and they all told me to keep it as natural as possible,” he said. “When I’m batting, I try to concentrate on what I’m doing and stay as calm as I can. I always try to keep it simple. I was disappointed to go out on 149 – no-one wants to go out on 149. But I was happy with my first century. I hope it will be a long Test career, and maybe if I can score 50 centuries in my career, no-one will question my technique.”With just one day left and the wicket looking increasingly benign, a result seems unlikely. “It’s going to be hard work taking 15 wickets in 93 overs,” Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand spinner told reporters. “The deck has only got better, it hasn’t scuffed up as much as we thought it would and it’s just a good batting deck.”
Darren Gough took a hat-trick as England crushed Hampshire by 155 runs at the Rose Bowl. Hampshire slid to 85 all out in desperate pursuit of 239, but England’s display was not altogether convincing, with their top order faltering. They were in trouble at 72 for 4, before Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen joined forces to rescue them with a fifth-wicket stand of 133. Strauss struck 85 and Kevin Pietersen cracked 77 against his home side.Hampshire’s innings got off to a terrible start – Jones striking with his first ball to remove Derek Kenway – and never recovered. But the day was Gough’s. He proved that he still has what it takes in the one-day arena, removing Craig McMillan, John Crawley and Chris Benham in quick succession.Hampshire had nowhere to hide and the match was wrapped up within 20 overs, with Chris Tremlett the top scorer – shooting 21 from No 10. Shaun Udal and Greg Lamb were the only other players to make double figures – they both made 17 – while their side posted five ducks. One of these was their guest, Vikram Solanki, who had been included in the side along with Jon Lewis to allow all 13 of England’s one-day squad (with the exception of the injured Steve Harmison) to get a run-out ahead of England’s one-day series with Australia and Bangladesh. And he was indeed run out, as his short, sharp practice came to an end on just his third ball.But he fared much better in a hastily arranged 12-over match, striking a quickfire 41. It was a match England had requested to give them practice ahead of Monday’s Twenty20 international with Australia. But it didn’t appeal to everyone – half of the crowd of 10,000 had already gone home, as had the umpire, Peter Willey – and he was replaced at square-leg by the dressing-room attendant.But for Solanki and Hampshire, the first match was painful stuff, with England at their most merciless, and continuing in the same crushing vein as when they destroyed Bangladesh. But it’s a killer instinct worth refining as they know stiffer tests are on their way – and they come no bigger than Australia.But their top order will be a cause for concern. Geraint Jones, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff all failed to fire, while Michael Vaughan made a patient 24. It was Tremlett who started the rot, removing Jones without scoring. Tremlett took 3 for 43. His new-ball partner Lewis also took three wickets.Strauss and Pietersen halted the slide. Strauss cracked his 85 from 108 balls, with four sixes. But the 8000-strong crowd had come to see their man, Pietersen. He has a penchant for performing on his doorstep, usually the teams that he could – or indeed does – play for. Today was no different.Pietersen had set the tone back in January at Bloemfontein where, having turned his back on South Africa, he returned for England to destroy their attack; a brutal response to a sarcastic `Welcome home’ message. The home crowds at his latest abode, The Rose Bowl, were also to be disappointed as he savaged their bowlers – county team-mates – with similar fireworks. His blistering 77 from 80 balls included five fours and two sixes. It proved more than enough.
Leicestershire have added two young players to their squad with the signings of Chris Liddle and Nick Ferraby. Liddle, 19, is a left-arm quick bowler, while Ferraby, 20, is a promising top-order batsman.”Both Chris and Nick are excellent prospects for the future,” James Whitaker, Leicestershire’s director of cricket, said. “Chris, formally of the Durham junior squads, is tall, athletic and already shows signs of continuous improvement."Nick has made a number of significant contributions for the 2nd XI over the past couple of seasons, and has signed a three-month summer contract. A former pupil at Oakham School, Nick is now studying at Loughborough University.”Leicestershire have also announced that Rupesh Amin, the 26-year-old left-arm spinner, has retired from first-class cricket in order to pursue a career in London.Whitaker said, “The club would like to thank Rupesh for his efforts in 2003 and wish him all the very best in the future.”
A new sponsor for the West Indies domestic competition has been announced. At a press conference held at the Sticky Wicket Restaurant in Antigua, Roger Brathwaite, Acting CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board Inc. (WICB) announced that Carib Beer will sponsor the region’s domestic season.In what is an initial 5-year agreement, Carib Beer will be known as the official beer of West Indies cricket and will be an official supplier to the West Indies cricket team during home series.
The competition will therefore be called the Carib Beer Cricket Series. Teams will compete for the Carib Beer Cup, while the invited international team along with the West Indies Under 23 teams will be eligible to vie for the Carib Beer International Challenge trophy.Carib Beer is not new to sponsoring West Indies cricket, since they last sponsored the West Indies’ campaign during the 1999 World Cup in England, as well as the subsequent tour of that country.Speaking on behalf of Carib Breweries Ltd. was Colin Murray, who pledged his company’s support to the growth and further development of West Indies cricket. Murray said that his company and their product will be very visible throughout the region during the Carib Beer Cricket Series. Their involvement will include, but not limited to the provision of uniforms for the participating teams, branding etc.President of the WICB, Rev. Wes Hall commended Carib Breweries Ltd. for demonstrating their support for the growth of the game in the region and thanked them for coming on board when they did. In addition, Hall said that the WICB hoped to make the sponsors proud and is hopeful for a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.
In response to Murray, Acting CEO, Roger Brathwaite said that Carib Breweries Ltd. were not merely selected because of the cash, but “because they share our vision for West Indies cricket.” He further added that the WICB wants to form strategic partnerships.Speaking on behalf of the players, Brian Lara thanked the management of Carib Breweries Ltd. for once again demonstrating their support for the game. He noted the importance of corporate sponsorship to the game, and pledged his and the team’s support to making the sponsors proud.The Carib Beer Cricket Series begins on 31st January, 2003 with four matches. The eight teams that will vie for the Carib Beer International Challenge trophy are: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, West Indies “B” and India “A”.
Neil Fairbrother’s unbeaten half-century kept Lancashire in the box seat oftheir Championship game against Leicestershire after an action-packed secondday.Overnight rain delayed the start by another hour but the teams seemeddetermined to make up for lost time with wickets and runs flowing on anothergood Old Trafford pitch.First Leicestershire slumped from their overnight 83 for three to 202 allout, with only Darren Maddy’s battling unbeaten 57, his first Championshiphalf-century of the season, offering much resistance.Peter Martin and Glen Chapple each ended with three wickets but it was AndyFlintoff, bowling for the first time since he sustained a side injury inearly May, who did the most damage in a 10-over spell of three for 28.But James Ormond then fired out Mark Chilton, John Crawley and Flintoff inthe space of eight balls, and when Devon Malcolm bowled Mike Atherton for astylish 48, Lancashire were in trouble at 68 for four.Aussie-Italian Joe Scuderi then joined Fairbrother in a vital fifth-wicketstand of 111 in 23 overs, and although Scuderi was out for 46 just beforethe close as he went for a big hit off Daniel Marsh, Fairbrother ended theday unbeaten on 70 – with Lancashire 191 for five, only 11 runs behind.
Rangers have seen many players make the move to Ibrox on loan deals over the years, with some only staying temporarily at the Gers and others eventually joining on permanent deals.
Looking back down the years, it seems as though Rangers were on the hunt for one potential loan signing that could have become one of the club’s best-ever players in Glasgow.
According to former Rangers boss Alex McLeish, his assistant coach at Ibrox Jan Wouters was searching for a ball-playing midfielder in 2004 to come in to replace Barry Ferguson after he left for Blackburn Rovers.
Speaking further on the matter, McLeish said: “Jan Wouters phoned Henk ten Cate, who was [Frank] Rijkaard’s assistant at Barcelona. Jan asked if there was anybody we could get and was told about a young kid called [Andres] Iniesta.
“He was only 18 at the time. We asked if we could bring him to Scotland and were told that they would try and make some hay at Barcelona and get him over to us. They said Iniesta needed to get some action.”
“The Monday after Jan had made the call, Iniesta was moved into the first team. When Henk ten Cate got back to us, we asked about Iniesta and were told: ‘He’s in the first team squad now’.”
During his time in Barcelona’s first-team, the Spaniard racked up 57 goals and 138 assists in 674 appearances across all competitions, winning a plethora of domestic and European titles as well as various individual awards and international titles.
In the summer of 2018, the midfield maestro left his boyhood club for a new challenge in Japan with Vissel Kobe, where he has scored 25 goals and provided 23 assists in 108 appearances.
Overall, the Barcelona legend, who has been described as being a “complete” footballer by Vicente del Bosque as well as being “like Harry Potter” in terms of his creative abilities on the pitch by Luis Enrique, has a total of 243 goals and assists to his name throughout his senior playing career.
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Having become one of the most-decorated players for club and country, it’s safe to say that McLeish and the club as a whole had a howler over not being able to secure Iniesta’s signature before Barcelona decided to keep hold of him.
In other news: Huge boost: Rangers handed major Old Firm injury lift, GvB will be thrilled
North ZoneAakash Chopra’s 89-ball 101 propelled Delhi to an emphatic nine-wicket win over Jammu & Kashmir at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Ian Dev Singh’s gritty 90 lent some respectability to the J&K total, once they chose to bat, but a total of 168 was never going to be too challenging for a strong batting line-up and Delhi cruised to victory with 22.1 overs to spare, gaining the bonus point in the process.Karan Goel’s century set up Punjab’s win over Haryana at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi. Punjab made the most of a flat batting pitch, rattling up 297 in their 50 overs, before new-ball bowler Gagandeep Singh triggered a collapse with three wickets. Sumit Sharma’s 54 allowed Haryana to limp to 174 but it couldn’t prevent them from conceding the bonus point.Half-centuries from Manvinder Bisla and Paras Dogra steered Himachal Pradesh to a five-wicket win over Services at the Palam A Stadium in Delhi. Services had been propped up by fifties from Yashpal Singh and P Rao, the debutant, but 243 proved inadequate in the final analysis.East ZoneIn just his second one-day game, Sajan Mohanty grabbed four important wickets to lead Orissa to a thrilling four-run win over Assam at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. Debutant Payas Ranjan Sinha had propped up Orissa with a patient fifty and their bowlers did a fine job to defend 243. Half-centuries from S Suresh and Sarupam Purkayastha, a debutant, went in vain as Orissa held their nerve in the climactic stages.Sharing six wickets between them, Vineet Jain and Jayanta Debnath bowled out Jharkhand for 179 before the Tripura batsmen knocked off the target with 3.3 overs to spare at the Railway Stadium in Guwahati. Jharkhand’s decision to bat backfired, with Tripura’s bowlers not allowing partnerships to flourish. A target of 180 was always going to be a tricky one and it required good allround contributions from all batsmen to seal the victory.Central ZoneMurtaza Ali picked up three wickets as Railways collapsed to a 65-run defeat against Madhya Pradesh at the Kamla Club Sports Ground in Kanpur. MP reached a competitive 217 in their 50 overs as opener Naman Ojha carved out a patient 75 and added 61 with Shadab Khan (42). But after Ojha fell in the 46th over, the lower order couldn’t push towards a big score and the last five wickets fell for just 20 runs. It didn’t matter in the end though with Railways bowled out in 44 overs. Deepak Yadav scored an unbeaten 57, but with virtually no support from the rest of the side – four batsmen being dismissed for ducks – he couldn’t take them the distance.Rohit G Sharma hit an unbeaten 147 and led Rajasthan’s successful chase of 260 against Uttar Pradesh at Green Park in Kanpur. He added 171 with Manish Sharma (73) and took Rajasthan to an eight-wicket win with 33 balls to spare. Anshul Kapoor (69) and Parvinder Singh (69) had revived UP’s innings with a 104-run partnership for the sixth wicket. But it wasn’t going to be enough. Rohit and Manish hammered UP’s bowlers, especially medium-pacer Bhuvnesh Kumar, who went for 53 runs in five overs.South ZoneS Vidyut’s cracking 120 set up Tamil Nadu’s convincing five-wicket win over Goa at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. C Ganapathy, the new-ball bowler, nabbed three wickets to restrict Goa to 198 before Vidyut outshone the rest during the run-chase, allowing Tamil Nadu to collect a bonus point as well.
“Consistent with our approach from the time Pakistani cricket coach, Mr Robert Woolmer was found in his hotel room on Sunday, March 18, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has updated the media on all developments concerning our investigations of this case. The Jamaican police are in a position to inform that it is now in possession of the official post-mortem report from the government pathologist who conducted the autopsy on the late Mr Woolmer.The pathologist report is now available and states that Mr Woolmer’s death was due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. In these circumstances, the matter of Mr Robert Woolmer’s death is now being treated by the Jamaica Police as a case of murder. Steps are being taken to conclude these investigations, which include collecting statements from all persons who in the opinion of the police can be of assistance to these investigations.In due course further announcements will be made as to the progress of our investigations of Mr Woolmer’s murder. The JCF is making an appeal to anyone who may have information that would help us to identify Bob Woolmer’s killer or killers to come forward in order that his wife, Gill, and his family can begin the process of healing.It is our belief that those associated with or having access to Mr Woolmer may have vital information that would assist this inquiry. We appeal to these individuals to come forward now to assist us with our investigation. Our condolences go out to Gill, Bob’s widow, and their sons, friends and members of the Pakistan team.”
The last County Championship meeting between Sussex and Warwickshire was notable for two things: a Jonathan Trott double-hundred and the reporting of James Kirtley’s action after Warwickshire had filmed his bowling from several angles.The repercussions are still being felt. Having remodelled his action, Kirtley is rehabilitating and requested not to be selected for this match. Meanwhile Trott’s love affair with the Sussex bowling continued. His ninth first-class hundred was his third against Sussex. His first came on his Warwickshire debut in 2003.Trott, who turns 25 on Saturday, is endeavouring to follow the Kevin Pietersen route to fame and fortune. Born in Cape Town, he is the owner of a British passport and, although he has played for South Africa Under-19, qualifies for England at the end of this season. He has played for Boland in South Africa and last winter won the State Medal in New Zealand after a stellar season for Otago.He celebrated his hundred by kissing the badge on his helmet, just the sort of under-stated gesture so beloved of Pietersen. But seriously, Trott has been a league above any other batsman in this match so international recognition looks like a perfectly legitimate ambition. He looks polished, confident and has a tasty cover-drive. He is believed to be a distant relative of Albert Trott, the only man to hit a ball over the Lord’s pavilion.He seems to have his public relations sorted too: his girlfriend is Abi Dollery, granddaughter of Warwickshire legend Tom Dollery and the Bears’ press officer.Trott was dropped on 56 by Mike Yardy at slip off Mushtaq Ahmed, who also had Alex Loudon missed on four in similar circumstances. The unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 127 between Trott and Loudon put Warwickshire in the ascendancy. Their fourth-wicket partnership of 134 in 45 overs took Warwickshire to within seven runs of Sussex’s first-innings total before Loudon gloved an attempted hook off Luke Wright after completed a hard-earned fifty off 114 balls. Trott followed soon after for 109 to balance the books somewhat.Loudon’s innings started scratchily and he should have been run out on nought. But he stuck at it and the manner of his dismissal was out of keeping with a dogged innings. After a hundred for MCC in the season opener against Nottinghamshire, Loudon continues to show that he is a multi-faceted cricketer of some substance.While Ashley Giles continues to ail, England fret over the balance of the side. Loudon is not an immediate solution but middle-order runs will count highly on Duncan Fletcher’s scorecard.Sussex’s seam attack looks a bit light without Kirtley and it is a bit much to expect Mushy to bowl sides out in April. Wright bowled a sharp spell at the end of the day and started to reverse-swing the old ball. Duncan Spencer, though, bowled only four overs all day for 27. It was a disappointing sequel to the previous evening when he took a wicket in his third over after a 12-year absence from first-class cricket. Clearly Hans Christian Andersen had saved all his fairytales for Freddie Klokker.