All posts by csb10.top

Next week, the Sri Lankan cricket board will unveil a new-look first-classtournament, which they hope will revitalise domestic cricket in Sri Lanka.

STAGE ONE – QUALIFICATION Super Group NCC BRC COLTS SSC Super Group teams play each other Teams in group ‘A’ or ‘B’ play other teams in their respective groups Top three in each group qualify for super league Group A CCC Panadura SC Sebastianites C&AC Galle CC Air Force SC Ragama CC Group B Tamil Union C & AC Bloomfield C&AC Moors SC Antonians SC Kurunagala YCC Chilaw Marians CC STAGE TWO – SUPER LEAGUE Super League NCC BRC COLTS SSC Group A -1 Group A -2 Group A -3 Group B -1 Group B -2 Group B -3 Teams only play sides that they have not played before Points gained against sides played in first round are carried through Top four qualify for semi finals STAGE THREE – FINAL STAGES Semi Final Number 1 v Number 4 Number 2 v Number 3 Final Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

The board, though, has stopped short of introducing the two-divisionstructure championed by some, in favour of a hybrid format that balances thetwin objectives of increasing competitiveness and protecting the health ofoutstation clubs.According to Sidath Wettimuny, Interim Committee member with overallresponsibility for cricketing matters, the clubs, who had been considered apotential barrier to change, have “enthusiastically accepted” the blueprint.The future of the Premier League has long been the source of intense debate.Last year 18 teams and 404 players participated in the tournament. Matcheswere too frequently one-sided, low-key affairs that failed to adequatelyprepare players for the harsher, high-pressure environs of internationalcricket.This year the number of teams has been trimmed to 16 and the competition hasbeen spilt into three separate stages: a first round in which teams seekqualification for a Super League, a ten-team Super League from which the topfour teams proceed to a semi-final and then final.The top four sides in last years tournament – NCC, BRC, Colts, SSC – form a”Super Group” that automatically qualify for the Super League. The remainingtwelve teams are spilt into two groups of six. Each team play the others inits group and the top three in each qualify for the Super League.Whilst the qualification process is in full swing the four “Super Group”teams play each other, the result and points from which they then carrythrough to the Super League. Qualifiers will also carry through the pointsgained against their fellow group members, who they will not play again inthe Super League itself.The new format means that the best teams (the Super Group) will no longerplay hopelessly one-sided matches against the weakest teams. Excluding thesemi-finals and final the “Super Group” sides will play nine matches and theother Super League qualifiers will play 11 compared to the 12-15 played lastyear.It is hoped that the introduction of a knockout finale will further increasethe competitiveness of Super League by keeping all the teams in the huntright up to the end.Crucially, the matches are being also being scheduled to ensure theparticipation of the Sri Lankan national players. The first stage will startat the end October and finish before the West Indies and Zimbabwe tour,during which time the clubs will play the Premier League Limited OversTournament. When the Asian Test Championship is completed (early February)the Super League will commence.Wettimuny, speaking to CricInfo, said: “We wanted to play less matches andmake those more meaningful. The better teams will now play the better sidesand there will be a maximum of 11 matches.”With the introduction of the semi-final and final clubs will be in the raceright up until the end which will ensure that at the end of the day thechances are that you will have the rightful winner.”The format will be criticised in some quarters for being overly complicated.The simpler option would appear to have been two divisions with eight sides,which would reduce the amount of cricket even more. This, though, would bepolitically unacceptable to the clubs.Wettimuny argued: “We can’t afford to reduce the number of sides at thisstage. We would kill cricket in the outstations unless we combined some ofthe clubs. You must remember that out top players are now coming from theseareas.”Indeed, the health of outstation cricket is considered so vital that thecricket board has been trying to persuade the clubs to accept a radicalplayer re-distribution plan.The board has proposed that it centrally contract high profiles players, whowill then play for some of the lesser-known clubs in the outstation areas.It is hoped that this would stimulate greater interest in the clubs, arrestthe present migration of talent into Colombo and, ultimately, increase thecompetitiveness of the outstation clubs and the tournament itself.Although apparently acceptable to the players themselves, who would anywaybe selectively contracted to clubs close to their family roots, the clubshave voiced concerns and the plan is likely to be postponed until next year.Wettimuny remained realistic: “We have now, at least, have come up with agood tournament. They are other things to be done, but we have to take itone step at a time.”According to Wettimuny the new tournament is also commercially moreattractive. The BCCSL is already speaking to potential sponsors and tointerested television broadcasters about a daily highlights programme.In truth, further change is needed to the Premier League, such as animprovement in the pitches, practice facilities, greater financial supportfor the non-international players. There is no doubt, however, that theproposed changes represent an important step forward.

Bob Woolmer, ICC High Performance Consultant will be visiting Canada, Holland, Kenya and Namibia in short order to start work with these countries on their World Cup preparation.Bob is currently scheduled to hold meetings in Canada with senior and junior team officials and team captains and to discuss a programme of activities including proposed tours, academy visits and training regimens.The U-19 World Cup takes place in New Zealand in January 2002. A squad will be finalized shortly.The Senior World Cup will be held in South Africa starting in February 2003.Proposed preparation includes Academy visits, tours to the West Indies including the Red Stripe 2002, and Emerging Nations Tournaments including a visit to Namibia in April 2002. Discussion at the CCA and the ICC Development and High Performance will also include other possible tours to Kenya in December 2001.Canada, as defending Americas cricket champions, is also scheduled to participate in the Americas Championships in Argentina in March/April 2001.CCA General Secretary has requested applications and professional resumes of those interested and experienced as Managers and Coaches for Canadian junior and senior teams. Deadline for those applications is October 18th, 2001. Knowledge of and adherence to CCA and ICC guidelines and procedures will be of paramount importance.Qualified and interested applicants should immediately contact Mr. Clarke. He can be contacted by e-mail on [email protected] or by fax on +416 496 9786.

For the second day running no play was possible in India’s four-day game against the South African A team at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday, bringing the total number of days lost either to the elements or the conditions by the Indians in the past two weeks to five.All three days in the tourists’ match against a President’s XI in Chatsworth were abandoned because of a waterlogged outfield and now in East London the Indians have encountered similar circumstances during a tour that has been dogged by ill luck.Overnight rain in East London delayed the start on Sunday and a light drizzle later in the morning eventually persuaded the umpires that there was no possibility of play. An attempt to start the game will be made at 9.45am on Monday.For players from both teams the lack of play has proved frustrating. Connor Williams, for instance, has been in South Africa for more than two weeks, but has yet to get out onto the field and with the loss of each day’s play, his chances of forcing his way into the Test side have receded. He may well go through his entire South African tour without setting foot on a field.Daryll Cullinan, meanwhile, had hoped to persuade the South African selectors that he offers a solution to their middle order batting concerns, but he too, like Jacques Rudolph, has had to kick his heels. Like Williams, Rudolph was also due to play in the President’s XI match, but found himself with more spare time than he might have wanted.

The three-day match at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium has given the Indian and English selectors a lot to think about. For the five Indian selectors who were in Hyderabad throughout the recently concluded three-dayer, it must have been heartening to see Murali Kartik, Sarandeep Singh, Sridharan Sriram and Sanjay Bangar press their claims for a place in the national squad. In contrast the English think tank will be a worried lot; except for Mark Ramprakash and Martyn Ball, no one from the visiting side did anything of note.England coach Duncan Fletcher had to watch his batsmen fail in the second innings against the Board President’s XI in Hyderabad on Saturday. The most worrying aspect for the coach would be the fact that of the nine English wickets that fell in the second innings, seven went to medium-pacers. A clear lack of application could be attributed to the batting collapse.Talking to the media after the game, Fletcher said, “It has undoubtedly been a learning experience. But how much the players have acquired will be visible only after they play against India ‘A’.”The English coach was more critical of his bowlers, “Our bowlers did not bowl that well. They should be more disciplined on tracks like this and bowl a consistent line and length as Sanjay Bangar did today. We have a very inexperienced attack and the boys are learning.”The failure of Michael Vaughan as an opener in the game has meanwhile meant that Fletcher has no other options but to rely on the specialist openers he has in the side. “Our normal opening pair is Butcher and Trescothick. Butcher has struggled with the lack of pace on the wicket and hopefully will get used to that in the next game. He has shown that he is a quality opener.”Martyn Ball, on his first tour with the English side, bowled well on Saturday to claim three wickets. He has impressed the most important man, Duncan Fletcher, who said, “He has bowled well in this match and he is in the learning process, so is Richard Dawson. We are going to have a look at the them in the Jaipur match.”Ashley Giles is reputed to be the best spinner in his country. Fletcher reckons that Giles’ chances of playing the next match are 50-50, “I don’t want to be too positive, he has progressed much better than we expected to. At this stage there is a consideration that he might play (in Jaipur), but we are not going to say whether he will or he will not.”

Great to be in Dunedin and get the season underway with a four-day match against the State Volts.Arriving on Sunday to a cloudy but warm day, the Knights were quickly into stride with an afternoon fielding session at Carisbrook.The ground is looking a picture and the quality of the outfield is superb which bears testament to the great job being done by the ground staff, especially given the fact that they have hosted 55 games of rugby in the preceding months.At the conclusion of the fielding session we headed off to the Edgar (indoor) Centre for some batting and bowling skill work.The boys had an adjustment to make in terms of slightly cooler weather but the hospitality at this end of the country is always good.As I write at the end of day two we find ourselves well placed in the match. Our performance to date as a team has been commendable and the players continue to prepare well. The bowling effort on day one was good with Joey Yovich and Bruce Martin standout performers well supported in the field.To reach 303 in our first innings was pleasing. The Volts bowlers bowled well to have us 128 for seven. The Marshalls both contributing well with 54 and 32.The last three wickets put on 180 runs and skipper Robbie Hart led from the front with what was one of the better captain’s innings I have seen. He was well supported by ‘G’ (Graeme Aldridge) with 22, and ‘Bucko’ (Martin) 45.Rookie Ian Butler also showed maturity arriving at the wicket in his first first-class match, having the team nine down, batting against the new ball, and the skipper 91 not out!The Volts started impressively with Brendon McCullum and Robbie Lawson but the introduction of Aldridge and Scott Styris saw three quick wickets fall.Martin capturing the wicket of danger man Andrew Hore was a real bonus. Let’s hope we can get a result and the rain stays away.

Swashbuckling knocks from Abdur Razzaq and Rashid Latif put Pakistan in a commanding position, and Bangladesh effectively out of the game, on the second day of the Coca Cola Test series at Dhaka on Thursday. Resuming the game on their overnight total of 126/3, Pakistan batted patiently in the opening session and aggressively for the rest of day. At the close, the visitors had amassed 436/6, with centurion Razzaq and Inzamam-ul-Haq at the crease.The morning started inauspiciously for Bangladesh and Manjurul Islam, the left-arm seamer, when Habibul Bashar floored a simple chance at third slip off a mistimed Yousuf Youhana slash outside the off-stump. Youhana celebrated his luck by cutting the bowler to the deep point fence for four off the fifth ball.Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque got rid of night-watchman Saqlain Mushtaq, trapping him lbw for nine with the score on 162. Youhana continued to wax eloquent at the other end, treating each delivery on its merit and refusing to be drawn into unnecessarily risky shots. Fahim Muntasir and Enamul Haque got some early help from the pitch; their tight bowling, combined with a perky performance in the field, made for a not unsatisfactory morning session for Bangladesh.Youhana, who did not look like getting out through any indiscretion of his own, was the victim of an unfortunate run out on the way to his ninth Test ton. As he dashed down the pitch for a single, he was sent back just a tad too late by Razzaq; Mohammed Sharif, the bowler, clipped the bails off as Youhana was scurrying back to reach his own crease. The television replay sealed Youhana’s dismissal for 72, 28 runs short of what would have been a fine century.Inzamam, suffering from a severe cold, was pushed down the order, but Pakistan hardly noticed his absence as Rashid Latif took his place. The 32-year-old wicket-keeper, after some quiet moments initially, started to punish erratic bowling, lashing it to all parts of the field. Latif got his fifty off 67 balls, a knock studded with eight fours and a six.Inspired by his partner, Razzaq also exploded into action and struck two sixes. Both Enamul and Fahim were at the receiving end of belligerent strokeplay. Pakistan went in to tea at 346 for the loss of five wickets, with Razzaq on 77 and Latif 66. The last nine overs before tea had conceded 77 runs, a torrent even by one-day international standards.Without Mashrafe, the home side’s most successful strike bowler, the Bangladesh attack turned out to be toothless. None of the bowlers could make any impact on Pakistan until, after 116 overs, Bangladesh opted for the second new ball; soon after, they got the breakthrough at 396, after a 175-run stand for the sixth wicket.Mohammed Sharif, the least erratic bowler for Bangladesh on the day, finally removed Latif six short of his maiden Test hundred. He was beaten by a slower ball, skying it to Al-Sahariar at mid-on.Razzaq reached his third Test hundred by gently pushing Manjural Islam to short cover; his century featured 10 fours and two sixes. The burly Inzamam joined in with an entertaining cameo, and the fantastic reception from the crowd confirmed his popularity in Bangladesh.At stumps Pakistan were 436/6, with Razzaq on 114 and Inzamam on 22. Bangladesh face a deficit of 276 runs already, and they will have to fight long and valiantly to save this match, let alone win it.

At the club’s Annual General Meeting last week, Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s Director of Cricket addressed members on the activities of the teams players during the winter months.All players who were offered contracts at the end of the 2001 season, or who were already under contract have now agreed terms for the new season.Neil Johnson has signed a further one-year contract as our Overseas player.You may have read in the press or on this web site, that Nic Pothas who is presently the overseas player for Gauteng in South Africa has signed a two year contract with the club.A batsman/wicket-keeper, Nic comes highly recommended by Jimmy Cook. He has represented South Africa three times in one-day internationals but qualifies as a non-overseas player as he has a Greek passport.The vast majority of the playing staff are spending the winter abroad.Iain Brunnschweiler, James Hamblin, James Schofield and Irfan Shah are all in Perth under the guidance of Paul Terry.Also based in Perth are Dimitri Mascarenhas, who is recovering from an ankle operation and Alan Mullally. Both are in full training.Lawrence Prittipaul is now in South Africa. Based in Johannesburg, Laurie will be practicing and training under the watchful eye of Jimmy Cook.Derek Kenway and Chris Tremlett are based in Adelaide with the England National Academy. They were introduced to an intensive and strict fitness regime before Christmas and have now embarked on a tour of Australia playing mainly against State 2nd XIs.Will Kendall, who was recently reappointed Hampshire’s vice-captain is to lead an MCC touring party to Kenya in late February and will be joined on the trip by Giles White.We currently have five of our contracted players at University. Charlie van der Gucht, who is making steady progress following his accident, John Francis, James Adams, Chris Benham and James Tomlinson.With the exception of Charlie, along with the other players who have remained in this country, they have been training and practising hard during the holiday period under the watchful eye of Tony Middleton.Tony has also supervised the five students we have in our Academy and assisted Raj Maru who is now responsible for the organisation of our School of Excellence, which is held in our new and very impressive Indoor School.

Adam Gilchrist isn’t sure he belongs among the top tier of Australian Test batsmen despite joining elite company with his remarkable double century against South Africa at the Wanderers.Gilchrist was today still absorbing his unbeaten 204, which again propelled him past names like Greg Chappell, Neil Harvey, Allan Border and Steve Waugh onAustralia’s list of Test batting averages.Of the batsmen to play more than 10 Tests, Gilchrist’s average of 57.30 is behind only Don Bradman (99.94) and Sid Barnes (63.06), and just 0.05 ahead ofDamien Martyn, his demolition partner yesterday.That Martyn’s excellent 133, in a record-breaking stand of 317 for the sixth wicket, was almost lost beneath Gilchrist’s onslaught on the second day said plenty about one of the most ruthless innings ever seen in Test matches.At 212 balls, it was the fastest double century recorded in Tests, eight balls quicker than Ian Botham’s knock against India at The Oval in 1982.His eight sixes, including two out of the Wanderers grounds, were the most by an Australian in one innings and his stand with Martyn was only the secondsixth-wicket partnership to surpass 300 runs.And all this from a wicketkeeper who didn’t play his first Test until nine days before his 28th birthday.But the humble Gilchrist typically wanted to play down his Test record even though just nine batsmen from all countries have averaged better than him at the same stage of their careers.”I don’t think you can focus too much on it,” Gilchrist said.”I have been up this high before in the averages and seen 10 runs get wiped off in one series. Averages are things you look at when you are finished but it is hard to gauge at the moment.”I think we are the beneficiaries of some great work by the top order which gives us the chance to play our natural games.”Gilchrist’s friends wouldn’t expect him to say anything different but it was hard even for him to downplay the nature of his fifth Test century.The left-hander was cautious after coming in against the second new ball, taking 89 balls to reach his half-century, but he wiped the next 50 off in just 32 deliveries as South Africa’s thin layer of confidence was shattered.Gilchrist, batting at No.7, doesn’t often face a new ball or the responsibility of performing each time he bats, but the more recognised batsmen don’t have the burden of wicketkeeping.Moments after Gilchrist reached his double century, captain Steve Waugh declared his first innings closed at 7-652 and South Africa was paddling at 4-111 in reply when the long second day ended under lights.”I haven’t had a lot of time to sit back and reflect but obviously it is a fantastic personal milestone,” Gilchrist said.”It was an amazing day and something that will always be memorable. We will have to wait and see when I finish my career where it rates.”It was an emotional innings for Gilchrist, who raised both arms to his teammates and then crouched to the ground after reaching his century.The 30-year-old has endured a testing summer, pulling out of a one-day international last month to be with wife Mel and baby son Harrison, who wasn’t well in his first weeks.Harrison has since recovered but Gilchrist admitted it was tough to be away from his family.”We are all under pressure and miss our family and partners. It has been a full-on summer in that regard with Harrison being born,” he said.”Everyone knows I missed a game to be with Mel and Harrison during a tough period.”You are a long time on the road and miss friends and family. It is nice to know you have the support of your team-mates who are a fantastic bunch of guys.”

The following players have been named by the WA Selectors to represent the Western Warriors in an ING Cup game v the NSW Blues next Wednesday evening (February 13) at the WACA ground.

• SIMON KATICH (Capt)
• JO ANGEL
• ROB BAKER
• RYAN CAMPBELL
• MICHAEL CLARK
• KADE HARVEY
• MICHAEL HUSSEY
• BRAD HOGG
• SCOTT MEULEMAN
• CHRIS ROGERS
• DARREN WATES
• BRAD WILLIAMS

SelectionsBrad Williams returns to the Warrior s line-up and will play his first senior game for the Warriors since suffering an injury to his right hand during his limited overs debut for Australia in the first game of the recent VB series.Brad Williams replaces Sean Cary who was named as an emergency replacement for Williams in the previous ING cup team v the Blues at the SCG on Sunday 3 February.Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist & Damien Martyn have been ruled unavailable for selection by the ACB due to the pending Australian tour of South Africa. Simon Katich will resume the Warrior s captaincy in the absence of Gilchrist and Langer and Chris Rogers returns to replace Justin Langer.NSW BluesThe NSW Blues team to play the Western Warriors is scheduled to be named on Saturday evening.

• MANAGER: DAVID SINCOCK
• COACH: STEVE RIXON
• TECHNICAL ANALYST: TREVOR BAYLISS
• PHYSIO: PATRICK FARHART

Match Information

• Gates Open: 1.30pm
• Match Times 2.30pm – 6.00pm, 6.45pm – 10.15pm
• Umpires: IAN LOCK, ANDREW CRAIG & BRUCE BENNETT (3RD)
• Match Referee: RIC EVANS

Tickets for the game are available from Ticketmaster7 on 1300 136 122 or visit the WACA web site at www.waca.com.au

Pakistan sprang a major surprise on Tuesday when the national selectors decided to gamble with the fitness of injured all-rounder Azhar Mahmood and named him in the 15-man World Cup squad.As widely expected, the vastly experienced 34-year-old opener Saeed Anwar was recalled for his third World Cup campaign largely on the basis of his 8605 runs in 242 One-day Internationals, including 19 centuries.Other than Saeed, 13 names were almost certain starters. Skipper Waqar Younis, vice-captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Richard Pybus were consulted before releasing the names.Only four players – Salim Elahi, Younis Khan, Mohammad Sami and Taufiq Umar – have no previous World Cup experience while 10 of the squad were in the 1999 Wasim Akram-led side.Azhar on Monday was all but ruled out by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman who officially informed Dawn that the 27-year-old was unlikely to be considered for selection since he was making a slow recovery in England from recurrence of a shoulder injury. But as usual, Wasim Bari, the chairman of national selectors, came with up a flimsy explanation while briefing the media at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore when he announced the squad: “Dale Naylor, Surrey’s physiotherapist has informed us that Azhar would be ready for South Africa where his track record is excellent.”But Bari failed to specify why the selectors had opted to take such a huge gamble for an event like the World Cup. Of late, Azhar has done nothing of note to merit inclusion.This year Azhar had played in just 12 One-day Internationals, scoring 103 runs (averaging 11.44) in 10 innings with 32 as highest score. With his medium-paced bowling, he took only four wickets in 2002 at 90.25 per scalp in 76.4 overs.The selectors also resisted the temptation of recalling former captain Moin Khan by retaining Rashid Latif, another player with injury problems, in the squad because they wanted to follow the policy of continuity.”Rashid has now been with the team for almost 18 months and has been playing very well. Plus he has the experience of 1996 World Cup behind him,” the ex-Test wicket-keeper remarked. “As regards Moin, he is an excellent batsman/wicket-keeper but then we had to back our instincts.”Bari also added that Kamran Akmal, the 20-year-old who made his international debut in Zimbabwe and is currently involved in the Test series against South Africa, is a future prospect.Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, with a history of injury worries behind him, was also included once given a clean bill of health when he appeared on Tuesday before PCB’s panel of doctors who examined his dodgy knees.”Shoaib was included after being given clearance by specialists in South Africa. A lot of investment has gone into Shoaib for this tournament, Now the onus is on him as to how he can repay,” Bari said.Opener Taufiq Umar was selected ahead of fellow 21-year-old Faisal Iqbal as a reserve batsman simply because of the fact that the left-hander could also be used as an emergency wicket-keeper if required. However, the selectors have gone for only four specialist fast bowlers in Waqar, Wasim, Shoaib and Sami. What will happen in case of injuries. Waqar, for example, has been playing Tests and one-dayers continuously since he assumed the mantle of captaincy in May 2001.Waqar remained Pakistan’s most successful one-day bowler in 2002 with a haul of 52 wickets but for the second year running he had conceded more than five runs an over. He is bound to face fitness problems as well as mental exhaustion but as captain he has to carry on playing.Wasim, for whom this will be his fifth and final World Cup, had sensibly preferred one-day games over Tests in the last 14 months. But like any other human being he is also prone to injury as is, the unpredictable Shoaib.Therefore, the selection of Azhar becomes more debatable as Pakistan in recent times had been plagued by fitness problems to key players. World Cup organizers are hardly going to be lenient to the 1992 winners and the runners-up in 1999 if the squad is afflicted by a horde of unfit players.Key batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq has played on by taking painkilling injections when it is clear that his heel requires surgery. Abdul Razzaq is struggling to regain confidence after his left wrist was fractured by a Brett Lee bouncer during Sharjah Test in October.What is the guarantee that some of the players in the squad are back to peak fitness? Pakistan’s chances of progressing to the Super Six stage will depend initially how the fittest survive to last through six preliminary round matches of Pool ‘A’.Pakistan start with a daunting tie in Johannesburg on Feb 11 against Australia, who thrashed them in the final in England more than three years ago.Pakistan contingent, whose average age is 27, flies out to their base in Johannesburg on Jan 24 where there will be a reconditioning camp before they become guests of the World Cup organizers from Feb 1 onwards.Full squad (current age and number of one-day appearances given in parenthesis): Waqar Younis (captain, 31, 256), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain, 32, 284), Saeed Anwar (34, 242), Salim Elahi (26, 36), Taufiq Umar (21, 6), Younis Khan (25, 70), Yousuf Youhana (28, 121), Shahid Afridi (22, 173), Abdul Razzaq (23, 119), Azhar Mahmood (27, 123), Wasim Akram (36, 350), Rashid Latif (wicket-keeper, 34, 143), Shoaib Akhtar (27, 75), Mohammad Sami (21, 18) and Saqlain Mushtaq (26, 165)