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.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths, who have been askedto trace alleged bookie Mukesh Kumar Gupta by the InternationalCricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption commissioner Sir Paul Condon,will visit the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office inMumbai on June 25.BCCI executive secretary, Sharad Diwadkar, told PTI in Mumbai onWednesday that the CBI officials would visit the BCCI office on Mondaybut “I don’t know the reason behind their visit.”When queried whether any of the ICC investigators would accompany theCBI sleuths, Diwadkar said he had not received any informationregarding ICC investigators’ visit and added that “we would get aclear picture only on Monday.”According to a CBI spokesman in Mumbai, the main purpose of the visitis to try and get as much information as possible which could helptrace Gupta who has gone into hiding after he met the ICCinvestigators twice, the last time in March.
Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.
What’s the latest?
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the official Tottenham website), Antonio Conte revealed that, despite withdrawing from the Wales squad ahead of their friendly against Czech Republic on Tuesday, Ben Davies will be available for tomorrow’s visit of the Magpies.
Regarding the current condition of the 28-year-old, the Spurs boss said: “Ben is okay. He had a little problem, but he’s available.”
Great news for Tottenham
Considering just how important Davies has been to this Tottenham side since Conte’s arrival in north London last November, the news that the defender has recovered from his knock in time for Sunday is undoubtedly great news for Spurs.
Indeed, following the 52-year-old’s move to the club, the £18m-rated left-back has featured in all but one of the Italian’s 27 games in charge, with 25 of these coming as starts, most often on the left of Tottenham’s three-man defence.
Of Davies’ 23 appearances as one of Spurs’ three central defenders this season, the £60k-per-week Welshman has impressed, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.81 – slightly better than his 6.79 rating over nine outings at left-back.
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As such, the news that the 28-year-old will be fit to face Newcastle this weekend will certainly come as a huge boost to Conte and Tottenham, especially considering the club’s considerable lack of depth at left centre-back, with the position being one of Fabio Paratici’s priority targets in the summer transfer window.
AND in other news: Paratici plotting £59m bid for 24 y/o “appreciated by Conte”, he’s “perfect” for Spurs
Nach Balliye That means dance, my love. Well, it wouldn’t be wrong to say cricket has become the better half of Bollywood when it comes to Twenty20. Even before the first ball was delivered the DY Patil Sports stadium was houseful. The 55000 die-hard fans were in well before time. You wouldn’t be off the mark to think they had all come to pay their paeans to their demi-god – Sachin Tendulkar. Real picture soon emerged. Even as Tendulkar didn’t take the field the crowds were busy elsewhere: dancing, shaking, whitstling to the various Bollywood tunes.No more indecent proposals In India there are many rules. But bending a rule is a rule by itself. So as tempers flared amidst soaring mercury around the country on whether cheerleaders should be allowed to be part of the IPL entertainment, the event organisers didn’t break a sweat. They just found a way out: to appease the authorities and the traditionalists the cheerleaders were asked to cover-up their legs with the mini skirts being replaced by calf-length leggings. Perhaps a good and safe move for the girls, too, who were getting annoyed and disturbed by lewd remarks from certain sections of the crowd.(Un) Suitable boy VVS Laxman for all his charm and modesty seems stranded in the hurried world of Twenty20. If he is yet to find ways to score with the bat, he has constraints while fielding too. Valiantly he positioned himself at cover and was found out when Abhishek Nayar flogged one over-pitched delivery from D Kalyankrishna which the Hyderabad captain was too slow to even bend, forget stopping.Boss, we wanna fly too… Even as his team is yet to open their account on the points table, Mukesh Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians franchise was riding high, rather flying, when he arrived along with his family for the game from his pad in South Mumbai in a chopper. If he could also help his team’s fortune soar, too.Hail Gilly His ninth six brought him his maiden Twenty20 hundred but Adam Gilchrist mesmerised the thousands of Mumbai fans who were left with no other option but to bow to him and acknowledge his feat.
New Zealand’s wicketkeeping exchange has continued with Derek de Boorder moving from Auckland to Otago. The switch should mean de Boorder, 21, a former New Zealand Under-19 player, has a strong chance of making his first-class debut next season.The merry-go-round began last month when Brendon McCullum announced he was returning to Otago after a four-year stint at Canterbury. That in turn led Gareth Hopkins, McCullum’s back-up in the national side, to shift from Otago to Auckland to avoid a clash with McCullum. However, de Boorder would have then found himself behind Hopkins and Reece Young at Auckland.His decision to sign with Otago means he will be a strong chance to fill in for McCullum when he is unavailable because of international duties. Last season, Otago used the opening batsman and occasional gloveman Shaun Haig as their reserve when Hopkins could not play.At Auckland, de Boorder was only given one opportunity at senior level, in a one-day match in 2005-06. As well as playing in the national under-age side, he was chosen in the New Zealand Academy squad for the emerging players tournament in Brisbane in 2005.
The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India is all set to take assistance from Microsoft, the IT giant, for software solutions that will evaluate and help improve the performances of its umpires.The poor standards prevalent in Indian umpiring has been a growing concern, with not a single Indian umpire part of the Elite Panel. The recent efforts come in the wake of the recent statement by Dave Richards, the General Manager-Cricket of the International Cricket Council (ICC), that Indian umpires were not upto international standards.”The deal is not finalised yet, but we are in the final stages of negotiations with Microsoft,” Lalit Modi, the vice-president of the Indian board, was reported as saying in a Press Trust of India report. “We zeroed in on Microsoft after looking at several technological solutions.”Microsoft’s task will be to provide a software that will help evaluate the performances of the men in white coat whose every decision in the domestic circuit will be under scrutiny from the next season. Based on the recommendations of the Umpires Committee, the BCCI had earlier decided to record all domestic championship matches – from the Ranji Trophy league level to the championship final and the Challenger Series.Six cameras will be employed at every match and the video footage will be analysed by the software. MP Pandove, a member of the Marketing Committee of the board, added that S Ramakrishnan, the Indian team analyst, will also help out in this regard.No Indian has been on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires since former Test captain S Venkataraghavan retired in 2003. Whether these new steps will change the situation remains to be seen.
Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz will battle for the final bowling place in Australia’s team for the first Test after they were both named to play Leicestershire at Grace Road on Friday. Gillespie showed signs of returning to form at The Oval on Tuesday, where he took 3 for 44 despite being far from his best, and Kasprowicz also improved during the NatWest Challenge after an ordinary NatWest Series.Glenn McGrath has been rested from Australia’s only warm-up match before next Thursday and Brett Lee, who is tipped to take the new ball at Lord’s, was given a chance to translate his one-day form into first-class cricket. Lee has not played a Test since January 2004 against India at Sydney.While giving Gillespie and Kasprowicz time to find form is important, there is also a need for Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer to spend some time at the crease. Langer arrived in England this week and hasn’t played competitive cricket since Australia’s tour to New Zealand in March. Hayden did not make the most of his opportunities in the ODIs, scoring only one half-century against Bangladesh at Old Trafford, and was troubled by Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison.Stuart MacGill was included in the XI with Shane Warne, who has already played half the season with Hampshire, rested. However, MacGill is unlikely to participate in the Test series until at least the third match at Old Trafford, where the spin-friendly wicket will encourage the Australians to consider playing both slow men.MacGill will spot a familiar face in the opposition after Jason Krejza, the New South Wales offspinner, was drafted in by Leicestershire. Krejza, 22, has been playing for the Scottish club Greenock and was given the opportunity to test himself against the full-strength batting line-up.Australian XI 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Simon Katich, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist, 8 Jason Gillespie, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Stuart MacGill.