All posts by csb10.top

Makhaya Ntini, ruled out of the third Test against Australia at Sydney with a knee injury, has found some consolation in being named South Africa’s most popular sportsperson, the first time the honour has been bestowed upon a cricketer.Ntini, 28, edged out footballer Jabu Pule in a research poll conducted by the South Africa Press Association. The research also showed that cricket, with 11.3 million spectators, was the second-most popular sport in South Africa behind football (14.7 million). The number of black spectators shows a continued upward growth, and they now make up the majority of the country’s cricket watchers.”This independent research shows that we are well on our way to achieving our aim of making South African cricket a truly national sport,” said Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive. “Makhaya’s popularity is a result of his hard work, winning ways and warm personality. He is a credit to cricket and to the nation.”Currently ranked fourth in the ICC Test bowling rankings, Ntini has taken 230 Test wickets from 61 matches. In 124 one-day matches he has 195 wickets. He also had a good 2005, taking 44 wickets from 9 Tests and 36 from 21 one-day internationals.Ntini has been consistently been troubled with torn tendons in his left knee since making his international debut against Sri Lanka at Cape Town in 1998, and will play no part in the final Test of South Africa’s tour to Australia.

Michael Vaughan is expected to renew his contract with Yorkshire before leaving for India. Vaughan is currently recuperating from a knee injury but expects to be fit for what will be an arduous tour of India.”I hope to sign a new contract with the club in the next couple of weeks,” he told the . “We’re in the middle of trying to sort it out but hopefully I will be here for a while. I can’t see myself playing anywhere else yet.”Vaughan was quick to play down England’s chances ahead of the subcontinent tour, stating that ‘people have to be realistic.'”We’re quite young, we’ve got some really good players but our experience playing abroad is not there at the moment,” he said. “They (India) have got to be favourites on home soil. Only Australia in the last 14 years have won there, which is a hell of a record at home.”They’ve got every area covered – seam bowlers, mystery spinners and phenomenal batsmen – but that’s not to say we can’t have a good tour if we keep our discipline and work hard.”England leave for India in February, and play their first Test on March 1 at Nagpur.

Zimbabwe’s Stuart Matsikenyeri has said he did not sign a new contact with the Zimbabwe Cricket interim board because he is “looking at other things”, but says he is not certain about his future.Matsikenyeri was one of the few remaining experienced yet still young players left in the Zimbabwe team after endless disputes cost the country many of its senior players.”There are other things that I’m looking at, some cricket .. some not,” said Matsikenyeri, who was too demoralised to speak about crisis that has took ruined cricket in the country “A lot of things have happened in the past 11 months, haven’t they?”Things that are out of my control. At this stage I don’t know what I will be doing. What I can only say is that I will be playing club cricket for my club [Old Hararians].”It is also being suggested that Matsikenyeri’s decision was partly because of his close friendship with former captain Tatenda Taibu, who quit international cricket to draw attention to the players’ plight. Many feel that Taibu, who is now back in the country but refusing to have anything to do with the game there, has been abandoned by his former team-mates.There is also confusion over the position of Andy Blignaut. Although ZC claim he has signed his new contract before he returned to play franchise cricket in South Africa, a source said that the player was livid that his name had been included on the list issued by the board. He added that Blignaut would not play for Zimbabwe until all the outstanding matters, including backpay, had been resolved.

Bangladesh have dropped Tapash Baisya and Nazmul Hossain from their 14-man one-day squad for the four-ODI series at home to Kenya.Shahadat Hossain, who has played in five Tests bit not in any one-dayers, has been drafted into the squad.Bangladesh Habibul Bashar (capt), Khaled Mashud, Javed Omar, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Manjural Islam, Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain.

According to Stephen Fleming, New Zealand aren’t looking past the final Test against West Indies to their series of three in South Africa that starts in three weeks time. But the captain has made it plain that his team can only properly judge where it stands in the scheme of things by proving itself against stronger opponents than they have already beaten in two Tests in the past couple of weeks here.”We haven’t got one eye on South Africa; we’ve got both eyes firmly on the next Test,” Fleming said after New Zealand’s victory by ten wickets in the second Test at Wellington on Monday, an unprecedented fifth in succession following one win over Sri Lanka and two over Zimbabwe last year.But he implied that West Indies did not presently offer the necessary challenge to carry New Zealand to the top level that is his aim. “We’ve found the brand of cricket being played by the tougher teams in the world which don’t give you second chances,” he said. “At the moment, we’re in a bunch with the West Indies when you do get second chances, when there are mistakes being made in the field, batting, bowling and every facet.”It was a harsh comment but hardly unfair, especially given West Indies’ shoddy allround performance in their heavy defeat in the second Test.New Zealand have retained the same squad of 13 chosen for both preceding Tests. They are hoping, rather than confidently expecting, their main strike bowler, Shane Bond, to return to the team. Bond was the Man of the Match in the tight first Test in which he dismissed Brian Lara in each innings with the only two balls he bowled to him. But he withdrew from the second Test with a stomach virus on the morning of the match and has not yet fully recovered. It is the second time this year Bond has been stricken by a virus. He lost six kilos in weight following a similar illness in January but was outstanding in the first Test.Now 30, Bond has been limited to 13 Tests since making his debut four years ago by a back injury that required surgery. But he has reported no recurrence since returning in the series in Zimbabwe last September.West Indies remained in Wellington yesterday but were confined to indoor practice by persistent rain that also drenched this seaside town, 250 kilometres to the north east on the north island. The weather might become a factor in the preparation of the pitch as more rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Jason Gillespie, who is the first nightwatchman to score a double-century, could scarcely believe his feat and said that it was like a fairytale.”This is ridiculous,” Gillespie told . “I was just lucky that the shots came off and I had a bit of a laugh all the way. It’s unbelievable. It’s a fairytale really. Hansel and Gretel and Dizzy’s double-hundred, it’s one and the same. Absolute fairytale.”On reaching the landmark, Gillespie ran towards the dressing-room, bat in one hand and helmet in the other, and took a bow. He said that Michael Hussey, his partner during a 320-run partnership for the fourth wicket, kept informing him as he beat the highest scores of illustrious Australian batsmen. “He [Hussey] knew every Test player and former Test player’s highest score and was ticking them off. Went past Mark Waugh [153], he told me that. Went past Michael Clarke [151], he told me that. Went past Steve Waugh [200] and Boonie [David Boon 200].”Hussey said that he didn’t want to be beaten by Gillespie and that kept him going as well. He was eventually out for 182. “I think it was a real testament to his concentration, really, to be able to bat for so long,” said Hussey. “Especially since he’s not a recognised batsman as such. So that was quite a bit of motivation for me to keep going as well because I didn’t want to be outdone by Diz. And also Matty [Matthew] Hayden had a bit of a bet with Diz [Gillespie] as well.”Gillespie later revealed the nature of the wager Hayden had placed. “He [Hayden] reckoned he’s going to do a nude run of The Oval if I got 200. I said if I got 200, I’d do a nude lap too. Not sure about that one, being in a Muslim country, I don’t think it’ll be perceived right, unlike anywhere else.”Gillespie was commended for his powers of concentration by John Buchanan, the coach, and Merv Hughes, the Australian selector. “Considering Jason hadn’t made a hundred in any form of cricket, it was an amazing innings,” said Buchanan. “For any batsman, particularly a nightwatchman, to sustain an innings of over 400 balls is something we may never see again.””You have to be here to believe it,” said Hughes. “People back home are going to wonder how he did it. But he thoroughly deserved it. He was a picture of concentration and control and like any good batsman, he knew his limitations and strengths.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Kevin Pietersen’s breathtaking 142 and a productive final session in the field put England within sight of a swift victory at Edgbaston. Pietersen produced an imperious onslaught, his second consecutive century, but Muttiah Muralitharan’s six-wicket haul, and a lower-order collapse of 5 for 5, restricted the lead to 154. However, that took on menacing proportions as Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar claimed two each leaving Sri Lanka still well behind.But despite Muralitharan’s sterling haul, and the fine efforts of the England attack, the day was still about one man. Pietersen was even more dominant than at Lord’s as he flayed the attack to all corners of the ground. His audacious strokes through midwicket, against balls outside offstump, had to be seen to be believed and some of his thumping drives down the ground were as far removed from the coaching manual as is possible. But Pietersen is a rare talent and Edgbaston just soaked up the strokeplay.After working hard against a probing opening spell from Chaminda Vaas, he formed two consecutive half-century stands, with Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff, where the other batsmen were hardly noticed. Collingwood is happy to play second fiddle, but it isn’t often that Flintoff is so overshadowed at the crease. Then again, Pietersen has been so far ahead of other batsmen in this match that the next highest score is 30.The medium-pace of Nuwan Kulasekara and Farveez Maharoof was no contest, dispatched merrily through the covers and even when the edge was taken it flew through the much reduced slip cordon. Pietersen’s fourth century arrived in a flash, with another stunning flick wide of mid-on, and he exploded in a first-clenched celebration, throwing his bat down, while the patriotic crowd rose to cheer him.What followed the landmark was quite astonishing. With the field spread, Pietersen could have just worked the singles but that isn’t how he plays. Instead he continued to pepper the ropes, launching Kulaksekara into the stands then taking three consecutive fours off Muralitharan including a stunning inside-out drive over extra cover. However, the most jaw-dropping moment was still to come. With a quick switch of the hands he got down on one knee and reverse slog-swept Muralitharan over cover for six. Just as thoughts were turning towards more carnage, though, he played one sweep too many and Muralitharan struck back and an absorbing battle had ended.

Lasith Malinga, expensive but still under-bowled through the day, then crashed one through Andrew Flintoff and in a blink of an eye England’s blasters had been blasted. This was Malinga’s most impressive spell of the match as he targeted the batsmen’s toes and almost squeezed one through Geriant Jones too. Jones didn’t last much longer, top-edging a rather tame sweep, as Muralitharan rushed through the lower-order, who failed the take the chance of some useful time in the middle.Sri Lanka, led by the tireless Muralitharan, had again shown their never-say-die attitude and would have drawn confidence from their Lord’s heroics. But any thoughts of a similar fightback here were immediately stunted by Hoggard, who again found his line straight away. In the first innings he removed Upul Tharanga with the fifth ball of his first over, here he did it with the fourth as the batsman nibbled at one that went across him.After 14 overs of seam it was time for spin and Panesar joined Hoggard with an opening-over strike, holding one back slightly as Sangakkara came down the pitch and spooned the ball to Paul Collingwood at midwicket. The hands went everywhere and England celebrated a vital breakthrough, but better was to come when a perfect piece of left-arm spin bowling did in Thilan Samaraweera. Panesar had twice induced edges, one clipped Jones’ pad and fell short of slip while the other went wide. He then tossed up another, Samaraweera hopped down the pitch and was completely stranded as the ball turned and bounced. It was a wicket Panesar will want to frame.In between the Monty show, Hoggard was never far from the action and claimed Mahela Jayawardene – the hero of Lord’s – with one that kept low. There was more sign of uneven bounce and increasing turn during the closing overs as Michael Vandort and Tillakaratne Dilshan fought through until the end. Muralitharan will believe he can trouble England with any sort of a lead, but if Sri Lanka turn this match around it will put Lord’s firmly in the shade.

How they were outSri LankaUpul Tharanga c Jones b Hoggard 0 (2 for 1)
Kumar Sangakkara c Collingwood b Panesar 18 (38 for 2)
Mahela Jayawardene lbw b Hoggard 5 (43 for 3)
Thilan Samaraweera st Jones b Panesar 8 (56 for 4)
EnglandMatthew Hoggard b Vaas 3 (169 for 4)
Paul Collingwood c Tharanga b Muralitharan 19 (238 for 5)
Kevin Pietersen lbw b Muralitharan 142 (290 for 6)
Andrew Flintoff b Malinga 9 (290 for 7)
Liam Plunkett c Vandort b Muralitharan 0 (293 for 8)
Geraint Jones c Samaraweera b Muralitharan 4 (294 for 9)
Monty Panesar lbw b Malinga 0 (295 all out)

Netta Rheinberg, the writer and administrator, has died aged 94. She played a distinctive role in advancing women’s cricket for more than 50 years, first as a player, but then – perhaps more crucially – behind the scenes.Her sole Test for England came in the 1948-49 tour, where she was player/manager, but she made a pair at Adelaide. Off the field she worked tirelessly for the cause, in the days when women’s cricket was an amateur sport, and was secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association in 1945, and for a decade from 1948.She wrote a regular column on women’s cricket for The Cricketer magazine, and also wrote a book on the history of the game, Fair Play: The Story of Women’s Cricket, with Rachael Heyhoe-Flint. Her dedication to the game was recognised and honoured in 2001 when she became one of the first ten women to be made honorary members of the MCC.

11.30am
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnother torrential downpour has forced the umpires to call off the first one-day international between Sri Lanka and India at the Sinhalese Sports Club. If the weather clears up, the second match of the series will be played here tomorrow.11am In keeping with the general theme of the past week here in Colombo, a smidgen of hope was quickly replaced by more rain and more disappointment for the few who had gathered with the expectation of watching some cricket. Instead of wondering how Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar would do in tandem – they have only opened together twice before, the last occasion being over five years ago – it was once again time to check the weather forecasts, though the dark sky above gave enough hints.It had dawned sunny and bright, and an inspection was expected at 10.30am with a view to starting play an hour later. But just as the ground staff were taking off the covers, with the clock edging towards 10am, there was another torrential downpour. The umpires announced an inspection for 1.45pm, but the downpour seems to have more or less ended any hope of getting in even the 40 overs required for a result. The second match of what should have been a three-game series is pencilled in for tomorrow, and Sri LankaCricket – who have enough on their plate after South Africa’s withdrawal – will desperately hope for some kindness from the weather gods.

ScorecardSussex’s batsmen took a firm grip on the Championship trophy at Trent Bridgetoday as they finished the first day of their title decider on 420 for 5, claiming all four bonus points.The day ended dramatically with Charlie Shreck bowling Murray Goodwin for 99 with the final ball but even this could not take the gloss off Sussex’s performance.They had recovered from a difficult start – Richard Montgomerie andMichael Yardy putting on 144 for the second wicket after Carl Hopkinson hadrun himself out in the third over. As it transpired, Hopkinson was the onlySussex batsman to miss out, with Yardy continuing his fine summer in scoring119 and Goodwin, Montgomerie and Chris Adams also scoring fifties.Yardy’s was a fine innings, full of character, after a scratchy start when he edged a couple of balls through the close cordon and could have been run out. He gained another reprieve when Stephen Fleming put him down at slip off Andrew Harris and damaged his little finger in the process, resulting in a trip to hospital for the Notts captain. This incidentepitomized Notts’ performance in the field, with missed opportunities allowingSussex to speed towards 400.Notts missed their captain badly, and their bowling became more ragged asthe day went on. Even Ryan Sidebottom, the one bowler to emerge with credit,seemed pedestrian by the end, conceding four fours to Matthew Prior in onelate over.Richard Montgomerie had scored a fine 82 to anchor the innings, and after hewas out to Harris, Yardy and Goodwin continued the good work in apartnership of 110. Yardy had begun to accelerate, looking every inch anEngland player as he feasted on a series of loose balls to move quicklythrough the nineties to his ton, before he was lbw playing across the lineto the spin of Samit Patel.Goodwin, whose effort was doubly commendable as he was batting with aninjured hand, was then joined by the captain Chris Adams. They moved rapidlytowards the 400-mark before Adams clipped an innocuous Shreck delivery with the second new ball straight to midwicket. Adams was visibly annoyed with himself after a 91-ball 72, but he had done his job, guiding his side to within touching distance of the title.With Lancashire 333 for 7 at The Rose Bowl and in danger of dropping vitalbonus points, Sussex can really turn the screw tomorrow, and with Matt Priorlooking in ominous touch and Robin Martin-Jenkins to come they are well set topush on to 500 before letting Mushtaq off the leash.