The vultures are circling round Darren Gough. Although endless rain has limited him to three and a bit appearances in the Caribbean, many people have seen enough to convince themselves that Wednesday’s seventh and, mercifully, final one-dayer will be the last of his illustrious career.It’s not that Gough hasn’t been trying. As always, he has given his all, but his all is no longer good enough. As a one-day bowler, he will be remembered as one of England’s finest. But whereas in the past he mixed pace with guile, now all that’s left is guile, and even then there hasn’t been too much evidence of that.On Sunday, Gough commanded no respect from the West Indies batsmen – several times he was smacked back over his head. Until recently that would have been answered with a snorter, either a yorker or bouncer, to remind the batsman how unwise his actions had been and just who he was dealing with. But in St Lucia there was no response. Gough ended with 1 for 67 off 8.1 overs, conceding more than eight an over for the first time in his ODI career.The decline has been alarming, and it must be causing a few jitters with his new employers in Essex. As recently as last summer, he was at his chest-pufffing best against South Africa. But less than nine months later, the cupboard looks bare. In fairness, it is hardly surprising, given the seriousness of the injuries he has suffered in the twilight of his career, that his body is packing in fairly rapidly.He worked hard in the gym after the end of the English summer and convinced the selectors that he was fit. But he was like a shot heavyweight – physically looking as good as ever, but with no punch. They say a boxer can ‘lose it’ alarmingly quickly, even in the course of one fight. So, it seems, can fast bowlers.In a sport with an increasing emphasis on youth, the inclusion of Gough in the England side was seen as the possible exception to the trend. The older head, a legend to encourage the young guns, to lead by canny example. Even though he still has enthusiasm by the bucketful, he simply cannot hack it where it matters.It might be foolish to write him off – many have done so in the past, only to have to eat their words. This time, however, there is a feeling that the writing really is on the wall.He should be allowed a final tilt at the windmill, and despite mediocre performances he ought to play at Bridgetown, bowing out in front of a full house and, hopefully, with respectable figures. He deserves nothing less.
Six weeks ago, whilst reading the Sunday Times, I responded to an article that has had quite an effect on my life.I read about Jane Tomlinson, a mother of three in her thirties who at the age of 26 was diagnosed as having breast cancer.She underwent a mastectomy only for the cancer to return 3 years ago.The cancer has returned to her lungs and bones and she was told by specialists that her condition was incurable and she had only months to live.It was at this time that she took up running in the hope that she might be able to fulfil a new ambition, to run the London Marathon. She began training in May 2001 and ran six days a week in preparation for the event in the following April.Her training was being hampered by her illness. The tumour on her lung had become so large that it was making her breathless. She soldiered on and through great pain, clocking up the miles in preparation for the 26 mile run.In April last year Jane completed the marathon followed, in August by the London Triathlon and in November she ran the Great North Run!She is the only terminally ill person to have completed each of these events and has maintained her training alongside sessions of chemotherapy which is extremely debilitating.She was hoping to compete in this year’s London Marathon but is not well enough to run. She is doing a tandem ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End instead. Again, during this mammoth ride she will undergo sessions of chemotherapy.It was at this point, whilst reading the article, that I realised I had to support Jane and offered to run the London Marathon for her charities with Cancer Research the main recipient.Jane’s cancer has now spread to seven parts of her body. She lives with this pain and continues to be determined and enthusiastic despite this.I am running for her, she will die soon; your support will be well received.
West Indies captain Carl Hooper said today that the victory againstZimbabwe in the Coca Cola Cup triangular series had given a lot ofconfidence to his side and he was now looking forward to defeatingIndia in the next game to be able to go into the final with a positiveframe of mind."We need a confidence booster before the final and hope to win againstIndia at Harare," Hooper said after his team clinched a five-wicketwin over Zimbabwe in a nail-biting finish to confirm their place inthe final. "The final against India would be a good match. Zimbabwepushed us real hard," he said after pipping Zimbabwe with just a ballto spare.Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak said it was unfortunate to sufferanother loss. Patting the middle order for the splendid recovery,Streak said "After the quick loss of the three top order batsmen,Wishart, Flower and Whittal chipped in with good scores. I thought 250was a competitive score."Grant Flower who won the man-of-the match for his superb 94 wasdisappointed to end up on the losing side. "What can you say," hesaid.On the repeated collapse of the Zimbabwe top order in this series,Flower said newcomer Dion (Ebrahim) was a quality opener and hoped hewill come good soon. "He is a new guy and he will come good, though hedid not have the best of series."
Journalist Andrew Musgrove claimed that Newcastle United defender Dan Burn ‘had a shocker’ in Sunday’s heavy defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
The lowdown
Spurs hammered Newcastle 5-1 in north London, with Fabian Schar’s 39th-minute opener a distant memory by the time the final whistle sounded.
It was the first time the Magpies had shipped five goals since Eddie Howe took over in November and the third time they had lost by a four-goal margin (along with their 4-0 defeats against Leicester City and Manchester City).
In a marker of just how poor their defensive performance was, they gave up 3.61 expected goals against, their second-highest figure of the season.
Burn, a January signing from Brighton, made his eighth start in succession at the heart of the Newcastle back four, but it was not one that he will care to remember.
The latest
Musgrove tweeted in the final knockings of the game that the 6 foot 8 colossus had endured something of a nightmare afternoon at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although the journalist stressed that it was hard to identify anyone for Newcastle who came away smelling of roses.
His tweet read: “Dan Burn has had a shocker today. That said, hard to pick anyone who has had a good day.”
The verdict
The statistics confirm that it was a real struggle for Burn against Tottenham on Sunday.
His SofaScore rating of 5.9/10 was the second-lowest among Newcastle’s outfielders; only midfielder Joelinton (5.8) fared worse. The defender also failed to win any of the three ground duels that he contested and lost possession eight times over the course of the match.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It’s worth stressing, however, that the 29-year-old has largely been very good since he arrived on Tyneside.
Howe said in March that he could not ‘credit Dan enough’ for the player’s impact at the club, in particular the leadership he has provided, while The Athletic’s Chris Waugh argued that the ‘excellent’ Englishman deserved a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad, so yesterday may simply have been a rare off-day for the ex-Brighton giant.
In other news, Newcastle could sign one of Burn’s former team-mates
The bottom-placed Mumbai Indians are running out of time to salvage their season as they prepare to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders. After going four matches without a win, and with their top stars failing to deliver, their strategies at the auction are on the verge of being exposed. Besides their desperate search for their first points, they have added concerns – Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 11 matches, and the wait for Sachin Tendulkar to overcome his groin injury continues. Kolkata, on the other hand, will be trying to get back on track after the loss to the Chennai Super Kings, their first in the tournament. Meanwhile, the match will be played on a new surface after the pitch for the first game at the Eden Gardens came in for considerable flak.
Watch out for …
… the probable return of Tendulkar, and if he does, his face-off with Ishant Sharma, as well as a dream opening partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya. This will be the last IPL game this season for Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting, and both of them will be keen to sign off with a bang. Sourav Ganguly is under the scanner after scoring just 36 runs in three games, while David Hussey has an opportunity to make up for his second-ball duck against Chennai. Kolkata’s bowlers took just one wicket among them in their previous game, and they will look to put in an improved showing.
Team news
Tendulkar was seen doing the rounds ahead of Mumbai’s match against the Deccan Chargers, indications that he might be close to being 100% fit. He is slated to lead the side, but if he fails to make it Shaun Pollock will continue as captain, a role he has taken over in Harbhajan’s absence. Luke Ronchi’s place is uncertain as he has managed only 34 runs from four matches at 8.50, and Mumbai may consider bringing in Loots Bosman, the South African opening batsman in his place with Pinal Shah keeping wicket.Mumbai: (probable)1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Luke Ronchi (wk), 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Shaun Pollock, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Musavir Khote, 9 Ashish Nehra, 10 Dhaval Kulkarni, 11 Siddharth Chitnis.Kolkata are likely to retain the same combination that they have fielded in their first three matches.Kolkata: (probable) 1 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 5 David Hussey, 6 Mohammad Hafeez, 7 Laxmi Rattan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda.
Kolkata have conceded 28 extras, the most in the tournament so far.
Tendulkar has played five Twenty20 matches in his career, scoring 198 runs at an average of 39.60.
Quotes
“Quite a few issues were discussed [in the team meeting], including our performance so far in the IPL. Because of the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth incident, I also made the point that our conduct had to be exemplary, both on the field and off it.” John Buchanan, Kolkata’s coach, talks to about his team’s preparations ahead of the match”We are trying hard and we hope to bounce back like Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy side in the 2006-07 season.” Abhishek Nayar, one of Mumbai’s key performers, tries to derive some inspiration
New Zealand will prepare for the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December by appearing in the annual Lilac Hill fixture in Western Australia. The 18th edition of the match was in doubt due to the altered international calendar, but New Zealand agreed to use the game against the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI on December 7 to assist their defence of the trophy.”We are ecstatic that the Lilac Hill tradition, which has spanned almost two decades, will continue,” Graeme Wood, the Western Australian Cricket Association chief executive, said. New Zealand have a Twenty20 International against Australia at the WACA on December 11 before the first of three Chappell-Hadlee games starting in Adelaide on December 14.Michael Brown, the Cricket Australia manger of operations, was pleased New Zealand Cricket had agreed to keep the game on the summer schedule. “I’m sure this traditional fixture will again be one of the highlights of the summer in Western Australia,” he said. Sri Lanka will play two Tests in Australia in November, but India’s delayed arrival means the first of the four Tests will begin in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Matthew Hayden’s year out of the one-day side has not diminished his desire to win back his spot during the jammed lead-up to the World Cup. And Hayden, who is prepared to use his Test platform to re-confirm his limited-overs qualifications, has rated Monty Panesar as a low priority for Australia’s batsmen in the Ashes.Panesar, the left-arm spinner, emerged as a potential danger for Australia after collecting 16 wickets in the first three Tests against Pakistan, but Hayden said he would not be assisted by the conditions, except at the SCG, and the more serious worries would come from the quick bowlers. “Monty Panesar will be under pressure from the moment he arrives in Australia, just simply because of the way we play spin bowling,” he said. “As a left-hander I’ve got a natural advantage over Monty because the ball is spinning into me. It’s the same for the other aggressive left-handers we’ve got in our order.”Before the Ashes begins Hayden will attempt to add to his 119 one-day appearances, which include five centuries and an average of 40.10. If he misses a spot on next month’s mini-tour to Malaysia, where Australia will play India and West Indies with their probable squad for the Champions Trophy, he will push for selection through the Tests in the hope of earning some action in the VB Series, Chappell-Hadlee Series and World Cup.”The message is loud and clear – I want my spot back,” Hayden said while attending a junior clinic at the Tewantin-Noosa Cricket Club. “I still want to play. I’ve been training hard in the off-season and it’s just a matter of getting an opportunity in both forms of the game.”Hayden was dropped from the limited-overs side after the England tour last winter, but he retained his Cricket Australia one-day contract and was selected in the 30-man preliminary squad for October’s Champions Trophy. However, he must force his way ahead of Simon Katich, who is employed with an often frustrating stabilising role alongside the power hitters, and Adam Gilchrist.”When you’re not playing you do miss it,” Hayden said. “It wasn’t my decision to be out of the side. It wasn’t me who retired. I was dropped. So I had to look at ways to improve on my game.”More careful shot selection boosted Hayden towards “one of my best years” in 2005-06, which began with a run of four centuries in consecutive matches after his Test spot was in danger at the end of the Ashes tour. “I proved to the selectors while under pressure in England that I’ve still got the goods,” he said. “Sides haven’t been trying to get me out in the last 18 months – they’ve pretty much let me do that. They’ve bowled to keep me out of play more than anything, so I had to be a bit more patient.”England’s restrictive bowling attack limited Hayden to 180 runs in the first four Tests of the series, but he escaped with a career-saving 138 at The Oval. He expects another strong opposition unit this summer and is confident he has developed a plan to cope with Flintoff, Harmison and Co. “The main threats are their quick bowlers, whoever they are,” he said. “They were what made them perform in England and it will be no different here. It’s challenging when you play a good attack, but I’m confident. Confident that I’ve found a game plan that nullifies what they’ve got in their mind.”
Mashonaland captain Tatenda Taibu’s third hundred of his career left Matabeleland facing an unlikely target of 465 to win their Logan Cup match after a rain-affected third day at Bulawayo Athletic Club.Taibu declared the Mashonaland’s innings on 352 for 4 straight after completing his 249-ball century in 274 minutes. He received good support from Chamunorwa Chibhabha (55)and Tafadzwa Mufambisi (65 not out). By the premature close, Matabeleland had staggered to 34 for 2, still 431 short of victory.Mashonaland resumed on 142 for 3, and Taibu and Chibhabha shared in a 97-run fourth-wicket stand before Chibhabha perished driving offspinner Gavin Ewing to midwicket where Mark Vermeulen took a brilliant catch (230 for 4).Mufambisi joined Taibu as Mashonaland continued to stretch their lead. Taibu reached his half century from 132 balls in 146 minutes, going on to complete his hundred with a delicate cut off Ewing.Matabeleland were in trouble with just nine runs on board when Terrence Duffin, who scored a half century in the first innings, fell to Waddington Mwayenga for 1, beautifully held in the slips by Mufambisi. Wisdom Siziba and Sean Williams shared in a stand of 20 before Siziba was dismissed leg-before to Elton Chigumbura for 11.Bad light and drizzle brought an early finish, and heavier rain fell during the evening to offer Matabeleland their only realistic chance of escape.
Damien Martyn completed an emphatic return to form with his second hundred in consecutive matches against Sri Lanka, as Australia manoeuvred themselves into a strong position on the third day at Kandy. And afterwards he was a contented man when he spoke to the press.”The sub-continent is always a tough place to play your cricket,” he said, “but these have to be two of the hardest hundreds Ihave ever made. But it is satisfying to have done it in the second innings when it has really mattered.”You need a bit of luck,” he conceded, after being dropped in the morning session,” and you know you are going to play and miss a few times. You’ve just got to take the good with the bad, and it was satisfying that I spent a long time at the crease.”Despite a healthy lead of 229 at the close of play, Martyn accepted that Australia’s approach to Muttiah Muralitharan would be crucial to their chances of sealing the series. “We have all got different gameplans against him,” he said, “depending on whether he is bowling over or round the wicket. All the batsmen have played him pretty well. We have been positive but patient, which you have to be over here.”Every innings on the subcontinent is a learning curve,” added Martyn. “It’s one of those frontiers that is great to make runs on, especially against quality spin bowling. I will take the good things from this innings and go forward hopefully to score more runs in the future.”With two days remaining, a result is highly probable, even though the third day was cut short by rain. “We want to get as big a lead as possible,” said Martyn, “because we know it is going to be hard for them to bat last. It is definitely going to spin still and if you hit the seam on a good length there is still something in the wicket.”Sri Lanka’s coach, John Dyson, conceded that it had been a tough day for his bowlers, but insisted that his side were not out of the running just yet. “Today’s cricket was really tough,” he said. “There were no easy runs or wickets out there. But if we get one out early tomorrow morning then we are right back in the game. For me, this match is still on a knife-edge, and hopefully the break will freshen up our bowlers for tomorrow.”
JOHANNESBURG, March 9 AFP – Sri Lanka’s star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will not target Sachin Tendulkar in Monday’s World Cup Super Sixes clash against India at the Wanderers here.He does not know how to do it.Muralitharan, voted Wisden’s best bowler ever in the history of the game, conceded it was not easy to bowl to the Indian maestro.”You just can’t fox Sachin,” the wily off-spinner said after his team’s nets on Sunday.”He reads the ball so early. The class in him comes out when he picks the ball as soon as it is delivered from the bowler’s hand.”It’s always a challenge to bowl to Tendulkar and the other Indian batsmen.”You just can’t target any one batsman. They are all so good. My aim will be to keep a tight check on the Indians.”If I can pick up 4-5 wickets and help Sri Lanka win, I will be very happy.”Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s leading batsman, and Muralitharan form a mutual admiration society.When the duo met at the opening ceremony of the World Cup at Cape Town last month, Muralitharan walked up to Tendulkar and said: “I hope you get four or five centuries in the tournament.Tendulkar responded: “That is if you allow me to. I hope you get 30 wickets.”Muralitharan has so far taken 13 wickets in seven matches, three behind the leading tally of 16 by team-mate Chaminda Vaas and West Indian Vasbert Drakes.Tendulkar is the top scorer in the tournament with 474 runs, which includes a 152 against Namibia, 98 off 75 balls against Pakistan and three other half-centuries.