Category Uncategorized

Northerns 316 for 6 (Smith 97, Paleker 51, Dros 57, Almeida 3-35) beat Easterns 236 for 9 (Bodi 76, van Woerkom 3-43) by 80 runs
Northerns made the best possible start against Easterns at SuperSport Park as Aldin Smith (97) and Allahudien Paleker got away to a flier scoring 77 runs for the first wicket, with Paleker’s 50 coming off 31 balls.Nic van Woerkom then smashed a quick 49 off 45 opening the door for Gerald Dros to race to 57 off 40. Not to be outdone Justin Kemp then fired 26 off 10 balls for Northerns to end on 316. Easterns had struggled in the field with only Renato Almeida featuring by taking a creditable 3 for 35 in his nine overs.Easterns made a good start with their first fifty coming up in 10 overs as Andre Seymore tried to accelerate the innings. He edged an expansive drive into his stumps to be bowled for 40 while Goolam Bodi tried to emulate the Northerns tactics. His 50 came up in 35 balls after sending eight fours and two sixes to the ropes.But maintaining an run-rate of seven or eight an over proved to be just too much as Bodi swung across the line once to often to be trapped in front for 76. With wickets falling at regular intervals Northerns ran out worthy winners by 80 runs.KwaZulu-Natal 190 for 4 (Smit 74, Lazarus 52*) beat Free State 187 (Summers 50, Africa 4-48) by six wicketsFree State made the cardinal mistake of getting bowled out by KwaZulu-Natal inside their 45 overs at Kingsmead. Shane Summers, batting at No. 9, gave Free State a glimmer of hope by scoring a half-century, but with no-one able to stay with him the innings closed on 187.Keegan Africa, the young Under-19 KwaZulu-Natal pace bowler, was the main wicket-taker as he walked off with four scalps. Kyle Smit, the hard-hitting Natal opener, gave the home team the start they needed, stroking eight fours and a six in his 74. Fabian Lazarus then made sure that Natal won by carrying his bat for 52.

Bishan Bedi, who often laments the decline of spin bowling in the subcontinent, now has a chance to do something about it© Getty Images

Now that the uproar over Wasim Akram giving tips to Indian fast bowlers has ceased, Bishan Bedi might be hopping across the border to train Pakistani spinners. Pakistan’s selectors, alarmed at the decline of spin bowling in Pakistan, have proposed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that they hold a specialised clinic for spinners at the National Cricket Academy, under the supervision of Bedi, Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Mohammad and Abdul Qadir.Mid Day, the Mumbai tabloid, quoted Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chief selector, as saying: “Bedi is still considered as one of the finest exponents of spin, and we feel his presence and tutelage would benefit our youngsters a lot.”Bari said that seven or eight talented spinners would be picked to take part in the camp. “Pakistan is not short of talent in the pace-bowling department,” he said. “More and more youngsters are coming through. But we have lacked quality spinners for a while now, and we need to address this problem urgently to take home advantage.”

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has short-listed three candidates as they seek a replacement for current national team coach Dav Whatmore whose contract will not be renewed.Former Australian wicket-keeper Steve Rixon, New Zealand all-rounder John Bracewell and England batsman Bob Woolmer have all been approached, according to board sources.Whatmore’s contract expires at the end of May but the forthcoming four-nation Sharjah Cup will be his last series in charge and the Cricket Board are anxious to fill a vacancy as soon as possible.New Zealand arrive in Sri Lanka for a two-Test tour on April 16 and with the first Test on April 25 an interim coach may have to be hired for the series.Rixon, 49, coached New Zealand successfully from late 1996 to 1999 after which he returned to Sydney for a second stint as New South Wales coach.Bracewell, 44, has been a successful title-winning coach with English county Gloucestershire, guiding them to five trophies in two seasons.Woolmer has outstanding credentials having had highly successful assignments with Warwickshire, the English county, and South Africa from 1994 to 1999.He had been tipped to take over from Roger Harper as West Indies coach but the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have now sought the services of Bennett King, head coach of the Australian Academy.

The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) secretary Niranjan Shahhas urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India to increasethe remuneration of Ranji players. In a letter to the BCCI president,AC Muthiah, Shah urged him to take up the issue at the forthcoming workingcommittee meeting, scheduled on August 25."Cricketers of first class tournament are not givenimportance and are not paid the amount they deservein comparison to Test and one-day international cricketers," Shahsaid adding, "Ranji cricketers should be treated on par with Testand one day players as far as remuneration is concerned."Appreciating the efforts of the BCCI to get the sponsorshipamount from logos and encourage Test and one-day internationalcricketers, Shah said the distribution of 60 per cent fromlogo money only among the Test and one-day internationalplayers was unjustified and unfair.

As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers are interested in bringing former West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley to Ibrox this summer.

What’s the story?

The Light Blues know that in order to compete for silverware next season they must sort out their defensive line, conceding far too many goals in the Scottish Premiership last term.

The club are reportedly close to bringing Brighton man Connor Goldson to Glasgow, and it appears they’re already lining up his potential defensive partner.

The Daily Record report that Director of Football Mark Allen has already made contact with veteran Gareth McAuley’s representatives ahead of a potential switch to Ibrox this summer.

The defender left West Bromwich Albion after their relegation from the English Premier League and the paper say he is keen on a move to Ibrox to get first team football and extend his international career with Northern Ireland.

The Record also report however that Gerrard has yet to sign off on a move for the player, but is looking to sign as many as four defenders in this summer’s transfer window.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

Would he be a good signing?

With 78 caps for his country and over 200 English Premier League appearances to his name, McAuley does have immense experience that would be a benefit to Rangers next season.

However, at 38 years of age, he might have too many miles on the clock.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The failure of Bruno Alves and Russell Martin last season brought into sharp focus that the Scottish Premiership is far from easy for established, experienced internationals and the worry would be that McAuley would end up similarly off the pace.

He played just nine times in the Premier League last term for the worst team in the division, so is clearly on the decline, and Gerrard needs young, hungry and ambitious players if he is to forge a winning side.

Three of four years ago this would have been a brilliant signing for the Light Blues, but now? The jury is out.

Scotland have called up 19-year-old fast bowler Bradley Wheal for their upcoming tour to Hong Kong in January 2016. Scotland will play an Intercontinental Cup match, two ODIs as part of the World Cricket League Championship, and two Twenty20 internationals between January 21 and 31.South Africa-born Wheal, whose mother is Scottish, took seven wickets in a match for a Scotland XI against MCC in August this year. He played his first season for Hampshire in 2015, taking eight wickets in four matches in Division One of the County Championship, including a four-for against Middlesex.The squad does not include Hamish Gardiner and Gavin Main from the team that played the Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship matches against Netherlands in September. Main was unavailable for selection, after opting to play in New Zealand in early January and February. Ruaidhri Smith, the 21-year-old allrounder, cited unavailability for the tour due to exams in January. Both Main and Smith are available for World T20 selection, a release from Cricket Scotland said.Matt Machan scored 0 and 3 in the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands but enjoyed a strong county season with Sussex, finishing with 955 from 14 matches at an average of 39.79. Machan returns after missing the World T20 Qualifier earlier in the year.Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup match against Hong Kong will be played between January 21 and 24. The two ODIs will be played on January 26 and 28, while the T20 matches are scheduled for January 30 and 31.Scotland are currently fourth on the WCL Championship table with two wins from four matches, and two no-results after their Netherlands fixtures were washed out. They are yet to register a win in the Intercontinental Cup after two games – they drew their opening match against Afghanistan and lost to Netherlands by 44 runs – and are placed seventh on the points table.Scotland squad: Preston Mommsen (Captain), Alasdair Evans, Bradley Wheal, Calum MacLeod, Con de Lange, George Munsey, Josh Davey, Kyle Coetzer, Mark Watt, Matt Machan, Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, Richie Berrington, Rob Taylor, Safyaan Sharif.

The Rubies maintained their 100% record in the Super 4s competition, with victory over third-placed Diamonds at the weekend.Lydia Greenway, the England middle-order batsman, continued her impressive form with another half-century. She made 54. Her England team-mate Caroline Atkins added 46 to overhaul the Diamonds’ 171 with two overs remaining. The Diamonds were grateful to Tamsin Beaumont’s solid 45 and useful contributions from Jenny Gunn and Kate Oakenfold.The other match between Rosalie Birch’s Sapphires and Alexia Walker’s Emeralds was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The umpires came to a decision on Friday afternoon. Each team will pick up 11 points with the match not being rescheduled.Next Saturday, June 23, The Emeralds will hope for better weather as they entertain the Sapphires at Loughborough, who are still looking for their first success of the tournament.In the other match, the leaders Rubies will look for another victory in the competition and a double over the Diamonds at Taunton.

Brian Lara revealed the strategy behind his promotion to No.3 © AFP

He might have given a lesson in the art of shutting out a game, battling for six-and-a-half hours on a slow pitch, but Brian Lara was keen that the surfaces for the next two games are a lot livelier. He was proud of the way his team had scrapped on the final day, as if taking a cue from the Soca Warriors’ hard-earned draw against Sweden on Saturday, but came down on the pitch, which he felt they hadn’t cashed in on the home advantage.”The only time we were in front on the nine days of cricket was when we got a true Test pitch,” he said referring to the first two days in Antigua. “It was a situation where the fast bowlers had a say in the first couple of days and the the spinners took care of it later in the match. I would love to see St Kitts and Jamaica show that they are capable of producing fair pitches. Nothing that would be terrible for Test cricket – too green or anything – but the fact is we need good Test cricket. In this particular match, after the first two days, it was difficult for us to do anything. The pitch was dusting already, the spinners were coming in – it didn’t spin or bounce but it was tough to score.”The Indians will be accustomed to this – this is what you get in Madras or Bombay – and it’s tough for us. We picked four fast bowlers after seeing a tinge of green. In hindsight we should have picked a spinner. But I was confident of our fast bowling and as batters we are better equipped against the Indian fast bowling. Let’s make it fair. Make it a situation when the boys are going to enjoy the first two days bowling on the pitch and if it deteriorates later on – if the spinners come into play – so be it. We are very buoyant after this result and we’re looking forward to the next ten days of Test cricket.”The series was kept at 0-0 thanks largely to Lara’s masterful century, slow but vital. “It was something that the situation dictated,” he said of his approach. “I was still able to get a hundred in two sessions. This particular innings seemed to alter a couple of rash shots. It was a situation where I needed to get 50-60 runs under my belt and, hopefully, move on form there. You’ve got to understand that there will be occasions that you’re going to be on top of the bowling and you’re going to dictate to the bowlers. In other situations you got to dig deep, show character. At no point of time was I or the team on top of the bowling. The innings that you really enjoy are ones you tough out. My 153 against Australia in 1999 was much better than my 375 or 500, when you tough out and get the result. It’s a situation like the first innings of a Test match when I need to be in a similar mood – consolidating and showing that the team benefits from a long innings from me … I’m not sure how much of this I’ve played in the past but definitely I’ve realised I’m capable of batting for long periods without scoring doubles and triples. The amount of balls I faced today, I’d definitely be on 250 or something like that. But it will be beneficial for the team if I can spend time in the middle.”It was only the third instance in two years that Lara walked in at No.3 – he’d made 400 not out and 83 in the last two instances – but he revealed the strategy behind the move: “It’s a situation to discuss with the coaching staff and with [Ramnaresh] Sarwan as well. No. 3 is not just the best batsman in the team but he also sends a message to the guys who are going out to bat. If the pitch is difficult – he’s got to send a message saying we need to tough it out there and if it’s easy you got to dictate. Lot of guys feed off the No. 3 batsman and that’s where I’d like to see Sarwan do a lot more. He did pretty well in the shorter version of the game but in the Test matches it is a more pivotal position in any team … You don’t want to be two down after the first five or ten overs. Also the Indian fast bowlers were getting the ball the nip back to the right-handers and I thought a left-hander would be the best person to bat.”

Scorecard

James Benning smashed 66 from No 1 to take Surrey home in comfortable style © Getty Images

The heat is most definitely on this summer. Just ask Australia, who have been learning what it’s like to play in a pressure cooker. Down at Beckenham, in Kent, the heat was no less intense as a cruel summer for Kent got crueller when Surrey inflicted a painful victory on the opening night of this year’s Twenty20. They had nowhere to hide – much like the fans, who sweltered under a scorching evening sun.The marquees providing corporate and public hospitality offered refreshments but not cool. The makeshift shop sweltered under air conditioning that did nothing but pump hot air around. Those lucky enough to own one of the spanking new flats at long leg were rare beneficiaries of shade. Supping G & Ts, while munching strawberries, and all from the comfort of their own balconies, they were the coolest cats in town.In the ground itself, the question on all fans’ parched lips was: just where was the jacuzzi they had come to expect? Twenty20 marketing men, with your previous innovations, you have been spoiling us. There wasn’t much in the way of innovation for this, the third year of shortened fare – the mandatory burger and ice-cream vans notwithstanding – but Beckenham did its best.This may be the fourth choice venue for Kent, but the ground is easy on the eye and easily accessible from London – quite visibly, too. Behind the greenery which runs around the ground, the NatWest Tower and the Gherkin (or Swiss Re building, to give it its Sunday name) dot the distant skyline. Many had raced down from the sweltering smog-lined City, only to find themselves in baking tree-lined suburbia, and many got caught out in the heat. Peter, an IT consultant in town, had forgotten his shorts and had to make do, instead, with his black work trousers. “I’m frying”, he announced, while reaching for another cooling beer.Others adopted improvised means. One man pressed into a hedge, his 99 Flake icecream in hand, while more scrabbled to find a rare spot of shade in front of the media tent, or the designer flats.But for the unlucky exposed – in this case, Kent – there was no cream to soothe the pain. Harbhajan Singh, Surrey’s own Mr Whippy, appeared to have picked up the idea of the game pretty quickly. He was expensive in his first outing – when Asia lost to the International XI on Monday – but here, in front of a sell-out crowd approaching 7000, he bowled tighter; his four overs cost 22. Nayan Doshi also impressed, with 3 for 24 from his four overs. Kent wilted to 140 for 8.Martin van Jaarsveld, though, showed he was at ease – he posted 51. But the much-awaited arrival of the big-hitting Justin Kemp disappointed. This format could have been dreamed up for him, at least in theory: in practice, he struck a turgid 10 from 16 balls. He needs to adapt – and fast, as a jam-packed fortnight lies ahead. In all, Kent managed just 13 fours and two sixes and, in this format, that was never enough. Surrey kept their cool and, within just 16 overs of their reply, they had the game licked.Even without two of their Twenty20 stars – the retired allrounder Adam Hollioake and their captain Mark Ramprakash – Surrey showed how to strangle a team. James Benning took them home at a canter, striking 66 from 37 balls under the dying sun. Hollioake had revealed earlier this week that, despite a hat-trick cameo in the tsunami Twenty20 match, he wouldn’t return to the format he has mastered. These days, extreme fighting Down Under is much more his style. Ramprakash’s excuse was a little more prosaic – he is still recovering from a broken finger.Despite the heat, and the one-sidedness of the result, the crowd – as always in such an evening romp – had a great time. A fair smattering of first-timers had waltzed on down, with some unsure where their allegiances lay. But in cheering both sides, they were guaranteed not to be disappointed. The same can’t be said for Kent purists, while Surrey’s fans could take this, smilingly, as a sign of things to come.

Given that his team had just been thumped by 247 runs in the final of an international tournament, Botswana’s captain, Akram Chand, shouldn’t really have been smiling quite so broadly. But the margin of their defeat – shot out for 96 in reply to a South African Country Districts XI total of 343 for 5 – was of little consequence.That is because Botswana’s mere presence in the final of the World Cup Qualifying Series in Benoni ensured that they would process to the next stage of a lengthy qualification process – one that could ultimately lead to an appearance in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. The crunch game had come in their semi-final on Thursday, when Botswana beat Ghana by four wickets to book their places in the African Cricket Association Championships (ACAC) in Zambia in August.The County Districts XI had only been drafted into the tournament as late replacements for Morocco, who withdrew apparently because their government refused to let the squad out of the country, after the national handball team failed to return from a tour to Europe earlier this year.They proved to be the best team in the tournament by some distance. Ghana were sent packing for 18 in their first match, and the target was knocked off in just eight balls. The South Africans followed up by dismissing Mozambique for 29, before batting first against Rwanda, andamassing 418 for 6. They then dismissed the Rwandans for 60 in 26.5 overs to win by 358 runs.In their semi-final, South Africa dismissed Malawi for 20 and took 2.4 overs to reach the target with all 10 wickets standing.However, the tournament winners enjoyed important advantages over the other seven sides in the tournament – they are used to turf pitches, they play regularly and at a reasonably competitive level, and they form part of the rich culture of South African cricket.Unsurprisingly, therefore, Chand was not downcast at the size of their defeat. “Our cricket is more competitive and of a higher standard than in some of the other countries playing here,” he told Wisden CricInfo. “We back ourselves to be one of the best teams in Africa.””In Gabarone we have one main ground, but we’re developing a second,” Chand said. “In the other towns we have another four grounds. There are no turf pitches in Botswana, we play mostly on Astroturf. A few of our players are based at universities in South Africa, so they have experience of turf pitches, but for the rest of us it’s a learning experience."Despite those hardships, cricketers in Botswana enjoy a busy season.”We start our season with a six-a-side tournament in February and March,” Chand said. “After that we have a 35-over league, in which 16 teams play in two divisions. That takes four months, and then we play an inter-town league of 50 overs-a-side matches.”Not surprisingly, Chand’s eyes gleamed at the thought of playing in the World Cup. “It would be a tremendous achievement for Botswana,” he said. “Playing for the country is one thing, but to make it to the biggest stage of all would be awesome.”Two teams from the ACAC will play in the ICC Trophy in Ireland in July next year, while a third will go to the ICC Trophy Qualifier in Malaysia next February.