The selection puzzle became a little clearer for NSW cricket coach SteveRixon after NSW Country romped to a 76-run one-day win over the Cityteam on Sunday.The match was a final trial before NSW starts its interstate limitedovers campaign against Victoria on October 7 and many embraced a chanceto impress in the absence of Australian regulars Steve and Mark Waugh,Michael Slater, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and Glenn McGrath.Mark Higgs hit 40 to dominate a 55-run fourth wicket stand with captainShane Lee (61 not out) and help Country reach 7-251 off its 50 overs.The 25-year-old Higgs then claimed 2-36 off seven overs of off-spin asCity was dismissed for 175, despite a fighting 51 by opener Brett VanDeinsen.City’s tail was mopped up by allrounder Shawn Bradstreet, who bagged 3-3off just four overs.Discarded Test leg spinner Stuart MacGill also impressed with 4-59 off10 overs for City but it wasn’t enough to stop an impressive Countryvictory.”I’m looking to put the pieces into the big jigsaw for further down thetrack,” Rixon said after the match which completed a two-day camp in theHunter Valley.”Every time you play a game of cricket you look at different things.”The big thing has been that the senior players have controlled themajor strings in the trial games [in Coffs Harbour and Maitland] andthat’s a good sign.”The rookies’ time will be there but they’ve got a bit of work to bedone before being part of the No.1 side.”Besides Lee and Higgs, Country’s innings was sparked by Phil Jaques (34)and opening partner Brad Haddin (41).Australian one-day specialist Michael Bevan was run out for 21 butCountry’s innings was boosted by late hitting from Albury’s DominicThornley (27).In reply, City was reduced to 1-11 when opener Greg Mail was run out forfive and never recovered.
Ravi Shastri, the India team director, has highlighted the need for patience to be successful against South Africa. The two teams square off in a four-Test series, in addition to playing five ODIs and three T20s. India are a strong force on home turf, but have occasionally shown fatigue on such long assignments.Most of them were away from home though. India posed a significant threat to a 364-run target in Adelaide, but slipped away thereafter to lose the series 2-0. A similar theme was seen in England when India lost control of a 1-0 lead and in South Africa when they were noticeably drained in the second Test in Durban after a nail-biting draw in Johannesburg.Recently though, India came from behind to win a three-Test series in Sri Lanka, where several batsmen came up with innings of substance and perhaps more vitally, the bowlers showed they could build and maintain pressure for long periods of time. A continuation of those good habits will be necessary to beat the top-ranked Test team in the world, one which has lost only two Test series away from home in the last decade.”South Africa are the No. 1 team in the world,” Shastri told . “We have to play consistent cricket for long periods of time to put them under pressure. That will be the endeavour. Our style of play will not change. If you reflect on our performances in Australia and Sri Lanka, you will see that consistency was the difference between defeat and victory. Sustained brilliance will be the key against the Proteas.”And that – not letting the opposition off the hook after having them under pressure – demands a lot of patience. We weren’t patient enough both in Australia and during the first Test in Sri Lanka. Once the patience and discipline came, in the next two Tests, we saw the results.”India will have to accomplish that without Ishant Sharma, their premier fast bowler. He claimed 13 victims at 23.23 and became the fourth Indian seamer to 200 wickets, but was also in the spotlight for the send-offs he gave the opposition batsmen as a result of which he was copped a one-match suspension.”I know he has copped a lot of flak over the aggression and he will learn where to draw a line,” Shastri said. “But let me assure you, he has the backing of the entire team. I want him to be aggressive and I will be the first one to push him in that direction. But I will also mark the line. We will miss him for the first Test. He is our most experienced fast bowler.”The composition of the Indian batting line-up has been a topic of interest. But Shastri felt credit was due to the players for putting their hands up when the team needed it.”Cheteshwar [Pujara] had to sit out a long time and then was asked to open the innings. Not for a moment did he complain or give any excuses, and the reward was there for everyone to see. Ajinkya Rahane was asked to go at 3 when we needed more stability after Shikhar’s injury. Rohit [Sharma] was asked to drop back. They both did it in the interest of the team and they scored runs. It is a case of doing things willingly for the team. These guys don’t think, ‘What if’? They say, ‘Why not?'”When you have everyone fit and ready, the guys will be back in their normal positions. All the chop and change happened because we were encountered with so many injuries right through the series. What do you do then? You have to be flexible and people have to be prepared to do that.”
West Ham United and midfielder Tomas Soucek are reportedly progressing with talks regarding an extension of the Czech Republic international’s contract with the Hammers.
What’s the latest?
According to Football Insider, the east London outfit are confident that a deal will be reached between both parties to extend Soucek’s contract at West Ham after talks were opened last week, with the 26-year-old’s deal set to expire in 2024.
Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds goalkeeper and pundit Paddy Kenny said:” It would be massive statement for West Ham to tie him down. It would be a statement of intent as well after they didn’t sign anyone in January.
“Let’s see if they get this one done because you never know with things like this.
“West Ham will want it done quickly I’m sure. It would be a boost for the whole club.”
Since joining the Hammers from Slavia Prague in July 2020, the Czech has been a revelation in the middle of the park for David Moyes’ side and therefore it’s no surprise that West Ham want to tie the midfielder down to a new deal.
After a stellar debut campaign in claret and blue last season, it was reported by The Athletic that Manchester United were already planning a swoop for the 26-year-old last summer, however, nothing serious materialised.
Although, you wouldn’t put it past United or another elite club to attempt a swoop for Soucek this summer, hence why the Hammers are keen to extend the midfielder’s deal.
West Ham must extend Soucek’s contract
With West Ham still in the hunt for Champions League football, it’s vital that Moyes has as many players fit and focused as possible, with Soucek certainly one of the Scotsman’s key assets.
The Hammers are sat in fifth and are just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United. However, games in hand won’t be doing them any favours.
United have one game in hand on the east Londoners whilst city rivals Arsenal in sixth are level on points (42) and have three games in hand, meaning that a top-four finish is currently well out of their hands.
As well as the Premier League, Moyes’ side are still in the FA Cup and Europa League, with the final months of the season set to be hectic.
The turnaround at the London Stadium since Tomas Soucek’s arrival is certainly remarkable. Just days prior to his move to the capital, the midfielder’s current employers had secured Premier League survival on the final day of the season after a turbulent campaign.
Within the space of one season, the Hammers had gone from relegation fodder to pushing for Champions League qualification, eventually settling for a sixth-place finish last season.
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During that campaign, the former Slavia man didn’t miss a single minute of Premier League football, scoring ten goals in the process, making him a kingpin in Moyes’ bid to secure a European spot.
This season has been a similar story, with the 26-year-old having missed just two league games through injury. Moreover, Soucek’s significance was highlighted during his absence particularly with the Hammers losing 3-2 to struggling Leeds at home.
The Czech’s rise at the London Stadium has been meteoric and West Ham will want to ensure that the midfielder plans to stay put for the coming seasons.
In other news: Moyes can finally axe “terrible” £40k-p/w flop as West Ham plot bid for £8.5m “animal”
Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has warned that the continued promotion of Twenty20 cricket poses a threat to the traditional bastions of the sport, particularly at Test level.”They [ICC] are turning cricket into baseball,” Miandad said. “In their bid to further commercialise and globalise the sport they are ruining its traditional character and spirit.”Pakistan will face India in the final of World Twenty20 today but Miandad played down the team’s achievements and insisted the shortest form of the game was not real cricket.”This is not the cricket we played and are aware of. Winning any tournament is an achievement for any team but this is not real cricket.” He said if Twenty20 was allowed to flourish as one-day internationals were, sponsors and spectators would eventually turn away from Test cricket.”Why would a sponsor bother putting money into Test matches when he can get more mileage in less time? Why would people come to watch Test matches if they can get bang-bang action in four hours?”Miandad said he was also concerned that if youngsters were introduced to cricket through Twenty20 games, the sport would eventually be deprived of quality players.Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan wicketkeeper and captain, agreed, saying there was a need to keep both forms of the game apart.”It can be done but the ICC and national boards must guard against an overdose of Twenty20 cricket because it has the potential to destroy traditional cricket,” he said.
Essex have announced that Grant Flower, the Zimbabwean allrounder, has signed a new two-year contract with the club that lasts end of the 2008 season.Flower, 35, whose brother Andy also plays for the club, scored 307 runs at 34.11 and took seven wickets at 23.71 in six Championship matches last season, and was a key member of their one-day team.”I see myself more now in the one-day set-up, but if there are any injuries or loss of form then hopefully I can be ready to take my chances in the Championship side as well,” Flower told the club’s website. “It’s not about the individual – and if the team’s doing well and I’ve got some sort of role with Essex then I’ll be pretty happy”.Flower played 67 Tests for Zimbabwe before retiring from international cricket in 2004, and joins Alex Tudor and Ryan Ten Doeschate who also signed new deals with the club in recent weeks.
Victory in this year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup is vital to the future of Kenyan cricket according to its chairman Samir Inamdar.”Winning this tournament is a key point for us,” said Inamdar, as his players put the finishing touches to their preparations in Zimbabwe ahead of their semi-final against Bermuda starting in Namibia on October 23. “If we win it will ensure we are taken seriously as the best country playing cricket outside the Full Members of the ICC.”This is three-day cricket, the longer form of the game for us, and traditionally it has been harder to reach a good standard for all sides outside the top flight. If we can win here it will underline our credentials so it is vital for us to do well.”Kenya appear well-placed to do just that and, along with Ireland, who face UAE in the other semi-final, are favourites to reach the final. They have the look of a settled side under temporary coach Mudassar Nazar and veteran captain Steve Tikolo, and have warmed up for their match-up with Bermuda with some thumping wins against Zimbabwe A.It is all in stark contrast to 12 months ago when, under a previous administration, Kenya cricket was a shambles. Players refused to play in the semi-finals of the 2004 ICC Intercontinental Cup as disputes over entitlements rumbled on and a shadow side under Ragheb Aga was humiliated by eventual champions Scotland.What has changed in the intervening period to make the senior players come out to play?”It’s a three-word answer,” said Inamdar, who headed up a new administration earlier this year. “Keep our promises. We’ve always tried to ensure we don’t make promises to the players we can’t keep as this was the previous problem. They had been let down so badly. The team we saw in Sharjah last year was one that was broken. There was no team spirit, players refused to play and it was basically a second string Kenya side.”What we have done since then is to try and win back the players’ confidence in the Board and that has not been easy but one way we have done that is to always be clear what we can and can’t do for them. Quite rightly they were wondering where their money was when we took over. They had not received salaries since 2003 and had not received prize money from 2003 and 2004.”Slowly we have pieced it all together. We have been supported by the Government and things are coming right. Whether we are back to the heady days of the World Cup semi-finals of 2003 I don’t know,” he continued. “But everyone is fairly positive, there has been a sea-change in the way the game is run and there are lots of hopes and expectations.”The spine of this year’s side is still the one that reached that semi-final against India in Durban.There is no Ravindu Shah, with the veteran opener still absent because of a knee injury sustained in last year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup, but there should be no shortage of runs.Tikolo’s brilliant 149 against Uganda is the highest score of this year’s event so far and his presence, together with Maurice Ouma, Kennedy Otieno, David Obuya and Hitesh Modi makes for an imposing batting line-up.Veteran seam-bowling allrounder Thomas Odoyo has been in great form in Zimbabwe as the Kenyans have humiliated their hosts and Collins Obuya, the legspinner who was one of the stars of the ICC Cricket World Cup of 2003, is also present.The seam bowling stocks also include Aga, Lameck Onyango, Peter Ongondo and Martin and Tony Suji, all experienced, and on paper Kenya look a formidable unit.Experience is a key word for Kenya but it also serves to strike a note of caution. Many of the players are nearer the end of their careers than the beginning and there is a fear their eventual departures could create a vast vacuum of cricketing skill and know-how.”We know the players can’t go on forever,” said Inamdar. “But we think this group have certainly got it in themselves to play in the 2007 World Cup. After that, and even in the run-up to that event, we will start to see some new faces.”Some of those faces are already on the horizon. Nehemiah Ngoche, 22, and 23 year-old Alfred Luseno, both seam bowlers, are currently at the ICC Winter Training Camp in Pretoria, South Africa, and they will be joined by top-order batsman Kalpesh Patel, 20, after this Event.Left-arm spinner Mohammad Sheikh, still only 25, returns to the fold but Amit Bhudia, a talented 25 year-old batsman, is absent because of work permit complications in Denmark, where he is currently living.Kenya’s quality and – that word again – experience make them heavy favourites to get past Bermuda but Inamdar says the side is taking nothing for granted. “We cannot and will not underestimate Bermuda,” he said. “They are on a high after qualifying for the World Cup and the recent receipt of funding from their Government and have plenty of talent.”Kenya Steve Tikolo (capt), Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Otieno, Maurice Ouma, Kalpesh Patel, Ragheb Aga, Lameck Onyango, Collins Obuya, Mohammed Sheikh, Peter Ongondo, Martin Suji, Hitesh Modi, Tony Suji.
The purposeful striding of New Zealand over the first two days of the Trans-Tasman series has quickly developed painful limps. While walking remained the main issue during the four days between Tests, the Black Caps must quickly discover a way of standing tall against a team that they must worry can beat them from any position.John Bracewell, the coach, honestly reflected that they were “beaten up” at Brisbane, but he has dismissed suggestions of mental bruising. Another touring team is under intense pressure after only a week and attacks and suggestions are arriving from all directions. The capitulation for 76 on the fourth day was so quick that Greg Chappell offered his services to his former foes for free.Chappell believes the top six are “sitting ducks” if they again employ a defensive mentality. But Bracewell insists crease occupation is the best way of wearing down the Australians and it is a plan that suits the Adelaide pitch. He knows his players are unlikely to win a shoot-out against their opponents, who have not seen Hayden, Langer or Ponting fire since before the India series.The only outright success for the Black Caps at the Gabba was Jacob Oram, whose hundred rescued the first-innings and may earn a promotion. It will have been an interesting selection meeting, which has been the norm since the disruptive tour of England during the winter. Craig McMillan again finds himself at the top of the list for replacing. A late call-up for the tour, McMillan earned a walk-on role in the first Test and found himself in the middle of a storming argument with Adam Gilchrist on walking. The story has run longer than the Test match, where he failed in both innings.New Zealand will consider weakening their already brittle batting by adding another bowler and could move Oram and Brendon McCullum, who also made a valuable contribution with the bat, up a place to Nos. 6 and 7. A spark of good news has come with the expected return of James Franklin, the left-arm fast bowler who pulled out on the eve of the Gabba Test with a groin injury, while the offspinner Paul Wiseman was picked on the tour specifically for this match. Kyle Mills, chosen for his windows of swinging opportunity, could join McMillan.In winning the first Test by an innings and 156 runs, Australia have already retained the two-match series and named an unchanged 12-man squad. While there were whispers of playing five bowlers, the move is unlikely after the relatively easy Gabba workout. The first-innings performance of Michael Kasprowicz means Brett Lee should have to readjust his goal to a potential speed blitz with Shoaib Akhtar in the first Test at the Waca on December 16.While the tail-end partnership of McGrath and Gillespie and the debut home hundred of Michael Clarke were superb, they overshadowed a fine century from Gilchrist, who was then attacked for his walking “crusade”. Gilchrist has been protected and counselled by his team-mates, who support his tactic but are happy to stand their ground, and will look forward to the relative calm of the field.The teams have played only twice at Adelaide. Ian Chappell’s side won by an innings and 57 runs in 1973-74 while in 1987-88 Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones scored centuries and Allan Border collected a double as they shared a draw. New Zealand will happily settle for that result this time, but Australia will aim to walk off with the Trans-Tasman trophy celebrating a clean sweep.Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath, 12 Brett Lee.New Zealand 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Mathew Sinclair, 3 Stephen Fleming (capt), 4. Scott Styris, 5. Nathan Astle, 6. Jacob Oram, 7. Brendon McCullum (wk), 8. Daniel Vettori, 9. James Franklin, 10 Paul Wiseman, 11 Chris Martin.Peter English is Australasian editor of Wisden Cricinfo
West Indies 272 for 4 (Hinds 113, Lara 93*) trail Sri Lanka 354 by 82 runs
The first Test heads towards a watery end
Inspection followed inspection at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on the scheduled fourth day of the first Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka. There was a lot of rain overnight, but after the weather relented it looked as if a start might be made after tea – but the ground was still wet in places, and as the clouds closed in again the umpires, Billy Bowden and Daryl Harper, finally admitted defeat and called play off for the day.Play will start earlier than scheduled tomorrow, weather permitting, but with only one day’s play left and West Indies’ first innings not yet completed, it seems certain that St Lucia’s inaugural Test – the first of this short two-match series – will end in a draw.
The West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) planned expansion for this year’s Red Stripe Bowl competition will not go ahead due mainly to financial constraints. The WICB is on record as wanting to expand the competition to include 20 teams, up from the 10 teams which have participated over the years.The WICB’s Chief Cricket Operations Officer, Michael Hall, said: “Neither Canada nor the United States are able to participate for financial reasons. They are both suffering financial constraints after their participation in the ICC tournament in Canada earlier this year.”Eight teams will compete in this year’s Red Stripe Bowl competition which begins on 2 October, and will be contested in two zones – one in Jamaica and the other in Guyana.WICB’s CEO, Gregory Shillingford, said in an interview: “We had decided after last year’s Red Stripe Bowl that we would have embarked upon a 20-team competition. When reviewing the concept paper for the competition, we realised it was quite ambitious given the circumstances of the WICB. At our last annual general meeting, we reported a loss of about five million US dollars for 2000 and the results of this year did not reveal a profit.”Shillingford explained that the WICB still hope to have a 20-team competition next year that will include all 14 islands that fall under the umbrella of the WICB, the Americas, not only Canada, United States, Bermuda and Cayman Islands but also Argentina, along with one or two English county sides and an international team.Zone “A” which includes Jamaica, Northern Windwards, Trinidad and Tobago and Leewards XI will be contested in Jamaica, while Zone “B” which includes Antigua, Barbados, Guyana and Southern Windwards will be contested in Guyana.The Red Stripe Bowl competition begins on 2 October, with the semi finals on 11 and 12 October, and the finals scheduled for 14 October at the Kaiser Sports Club.The Windward Islands are the 2000 Red Stripe Bowl champions.
The India A batsmen registered 10 scores of 50 plus, the most by any team involved in the series
India A had called Australia A as the hurdle they haven’t been able to cross. Much of that had been down to a lack of control with the ball. On the day of the final, they managed to address that. The four spinners bowled 39 overs between them, took eight wickets between them and went at well under five-an-over. Australia A could not find acceleration – there were only two fours in the last 20 overs. Then Gurkeerat Singh produced a fine, unbeaten 85-ball 87, and India A found the trophy in their hands.
Khawaja accuses Samson of spitting
Usman Khawaja has said the stand-off between his team and Sanju Samson got worse when Samson allegedly spat close to one of the Australian players’ feet. “The guys were a bit disappointed that he claimed a catch in the first game that wasn’t a catch. Bounced a foot short, it was off me, and so we recognised that. Today it would have died down quicker but he proceeded to spit in front of our player’s foot three times,” Khawaja said. “As soon as you do that, the boys are going to get revved up. And we were trying to explain it to the umpires, but they weren’t really understanding. But we tried to take control of the situation and calm the boys down a little bit. But that’s just not on. I’m happy if the batsman wants to talk back. That’s fine. But spitting is not on.” Khawaja, however, said he did not want to pursue the matter further. When Gurkeerat, Samson’s batting partner at the time, was asked about the incident, he said. “I didn’t even know. They were just talking and I didn’t hear it. I have no idea about that”.
It hadn’t been a comprehensive victory though. Mayank Agarwal had reached the safety of his crease, but was hung in mid-air when Chris Lynn’s throw found its mark. That ugly mistake caused a collapse – five wickets for 49 runs which included Unmukt Chand popping a catch to short cover and Kedar Jadhav taking a full toss and sweping it straight to deep square leg. Shot selection had been an aspect they had talked about, said coach Rahul Dravid, but there appeared some lessons were still left to be learned. But the required rate always hovering at four or under at the time helped India A stay afloat.Gurkeerat, batting for the first time in the series, was the game-changer. He made a measured half-century and blunted Australia A at the time when they had been their most aggressive. He had come in at 82 for 4, held back until 137 for 5 and then unfurled classy on-drives to keep his dressing room and the Chennai crowd on the edge. Late cuts, little nudges, cover drives and importantly the resolute forward defensive as India A slowly reclaimed the upper hand. With only 14 runs to win, he went four, six and six to seal the game.Besides his innings, there were other factors adding to the typical drama of a low-scorer. Sanju Samson was pushed down to No. 8 and the moment he stepped out, Australia A targeted him. There was more than a bit of chirping. Travis Head and Chris Lynn got in his ear even before he’d faced his first ball. Joe Burns got into the act at drinks, and even the umpire intervening didn’t quite make a difference. The crowd added to the rancour as well, to the extent that the police had to go into the stands and calm them down.Australia A needed four wickets, and they knew removing one of these two would bring the bowlers out. This was the crunch. This was where the game needed to be closed out and Indian sides in the past have been lacking in that department. This side, as recently as Monday, couldn’t do it with the ball in hand. But today Samson and Gurkeerat managed to weather the hostility and ensured the spinners’ good work earlier in the innings meant something.Simple plans had been laid. India A bowled at the stumps, refused to give batsmen the pace they might have preferred. With a hint of uncertain bounce, getting the spinners away wasn’t easy. Karn Sharma and Axar Patel bowled 20 overs that cost a mere 62 and yielded five wickets. The part-timers, Gurkeerat and Karun Nair, chipped in as well – 19 overs for 75 runs and three wickets. There was enough emphasis on getting turn out of the pitch, but a greater one was placed on not offering bad balls. The plan worked to such an extent that India A were able to pull back a quick but scratchy start from Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns. The Australia A captain had as many as three chances – he could have been run out in the second over, Samson spilled a catch in the third and Khawaja only just cleared mid-off the next ball. He capitalised on his luck for a total of 76 runs – his fifth fifty-plus score in six innings. But then the spinners started wheeling away and rest of the line-up could not muster much.