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.
There will be an early start to the one-day final between Queensland and Western Australia on Sunday. The match will begin at 11 pm GMT (Saturday). The early moisture and humidity will present the bowlers with the opportunity to make an early assault on the opposition.However, the wicket at the Gabba was rated by Kevin Mitchell Jnr, the curator, as good for batting, and is the same pitch where Queensland smashed their way to 4 for 405 against Western Australia a fortnight ago. Considering this, neither captain – Jimmy Maher nor Michael Hussey – thought that the toss would be the deciding factor.Maher, who belted a record 187 in that 207-run demolition of WA, believed that plenty of runs would be plundered despite the early start. “The Gabba is arguably the best one-day wicket in the world,” he said. “The toss doesn’t really matter too much, but the thing that sticks out the most in my mind is that we’ve had most success batting first this season.”WA have the talented Ben Edmondson in their ranks, and he is set to be given the new ball for the first time. Hussey conceded that WA would consider bowling first.The decision is tougher for WA as their batting, including five national or A representatives, is their strength and, barring the Brisbane pounding, they have had success chasing large totals. Hussey said, “We don’t want to chase 400 again but I personally don’t believe the toss should have much to with the result at the end.”WA took confidence from New South Wales’ three-year run as one-day champions, where they won all three finals away from home. Coincidentally, WA’s last domestic success was also away from home – at the Gabba – in the 1998-99 Sheffield Shield.Maher shrugged off a hamstring injury on the eve of the final, training strongly in the nets and out on the field. WA have learnt from experience that Maher can be a dangerous proposition. In that match at Brisbane earlier this season, Hussey – who was dismissed by a sharp Maher catch in the covers – was astounded by Maher’s recuperative powers: “Look at him. He drinks, he smokes and he’s out there running around like a three-year-old!”
HOBART, Feb 15 AAP – Tasmania kept NSW in the hunt for a third straight ING Cup final appearance with a 77-run defeat of Queensland at Bellerive Oval today.NSW’s hopes looked dead and buried when WA beat Victoria at the WACA last night and Tasmania slumped to 4-60 against the Bulls today.A Bulls win would have resulted in the Queenslanders hosting WA in this season’s final.But a spirited fifth-wicket partnership between skipper Jamie Cox (87) and allrounder Dan Marsh (100 not out) turned the match Tasmania’s way – and left the Blues’ fate in their own hands.A NSW victory over last-placed South Australia at Telstra Stadium tomorrow would thrust the Blues into the final against WA.Cox and Marsh, whose brutal century came from just 97 balls, helped the Tigers to 271 from their 50 overs.The pair amassed 158 off 154 balls before Cox fell LBW to Nathan Hauritz.Hauritz was under the watchful eye of ACB selector Allan Border who may send the Queensland offspinner to South Africa should Shane Warne be permanently outlawed from the World Cup.Man-of-the-match Marsh’s century was his second in one-day cricket and helped him pocket $5,000 after winning the ING Allrounders Award, easily achieving a season target of 250 runs and 10 wickets.In reply, Queensland was all out for 194 in the 45th over.Opener Daaniel Payne fell LBW to Adam Polkinghorne for 15 after just 13 balls and 12 minutes at the crease.Rookie Nick Kruger, who scored 41 off 51 balls against the Southern Redbacks in his one-day debut last week, was caught by Michael Di Venuto at second slip for a disappointing 6.The prize scalp of captain Martin Love (33) went to wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer.Losing four wickets for 30, the Bulls victory hopes faded.Love said if the Bulls had got Cox or Marsh out early on, the result may have been different.”But they batted well, they’re experienced campaigners now, and took the game out of our hands,” Love said.”I think the Tassie guys probably utilised the wicket better than we did.”Unfortunately, we lost too many wickets at the start, in the first 15 or 20 overs, and couldn’t get back from there.”He said the Bulls would miss much of the game between the Blues and the Redbacks tomorrow as they were travelling back home.Tasmania picked up four points for today’s win, plus a bonus point for dispatching the visitors under the 216 target.Meanwhile, the results on an ACB investigation into the Pura Cup abandonment at Bellerive earlier this month are due to be released in Melbourne on Monday.
For the third consecutive weekend, Glamorgan`s batsmen produced some exhilarating strokeplay, as they compiled a record 305-6 in Sunday`s National League game against Worcestershire at Cardiff. It was Glamorgan`s highest ever total in Sunday League format cricket, and was the highest total by any county side in the National League competition which began in 1999.It also continues their sequence of remarkable innings during the past few weeks. A fortnight ago in the Championship match at Chelmsford, Glamorgan`s batsmen scored 367 in 80.5 overs on the final afternoon to defeat Essex, and then followed this up the next day with an astonishing 254 in just 31.5 overs to win the National League game against Essex.Last weekend at Maidstone, Glamorgan were set a target of 377 in 108 overs to beat Kent. Rain then intervened to halt the run chase, and after a three and a half hour delay, Glamorgan finished on 203 without loss in just 44 overs, as the match was drawn. Had the weather stayed fine, a different result was on the cards, with the Welsh batsmen well on course for another famous win, only to have their hopes dashed by the heavy rain.Yesterday`s total against Worcestershire was Glamorgan`s highest score in theSunday competition, passing their previous best of 294-4 against Surrey at Pontypridd in 1999. It was also only the fourth time they had passed 300 in a limited overs game against first-class opposition, and their score of 305-6 is the second highest in all games against first-class teams.For the record, the table below lists Glamorgan`s highest totals in one day games:
373-7 v Bedfordshire at Sophia Gardens, 1998 (NWT)345-2 v Durham (m/c) at Darlington, 1991 (NWT)344-5 v Lincolnshire at Swansea, 1994 (NWT)333-4 v Dorset at Bournemouth, 2000 (NWT)328-6 v Wales MC at Sophia Gardens, 1998 (F)322-5 v Oxfordshire at Swansea, 1993 (NWT)318-3 v Combined Universities at Sophia Gardens, 1995 (B&H)318-4 v Staffordshire at Sophia Gardens, 1989 (NWT)316-8 v Essex at Sophia Gardens, 1994 (NWT)314-2 v Combined Universities at Cambridge, 1996 (B&H)312-4 v Wales Minor Counties at Sophia Gardens, 1997 (F)305-6 v Worcestershire at Sophia Gardens, 2001 (NL)304-8 v Hampshire at Southampton, 1997 (NWT)302-6 v Combined Universities at Sophia Gardens,1988 (B&H)301-8 v Essex at Chelmsford, 1997 (NWT)
Rumoured Liverpool transfer target Aurelien Tchouameni is wanted by two unnamed Premier League clubs, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Lowdown: Tchouameni a huge talent
The 22-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the best young midfielders in the world, performing with quality and maturity beyond his years.
Tchouameni has made 25 starts for Monaco in Ligue 1 this season, winning 2.4 aerial duels per game and also being described as ‘extraordinary’ by international colleague Paul Pogba.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Frenchman, and Romano has now shed new light on the player’s transfer status.
The Latest: Romano provides update on Tchouameni
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Romano confirmed that a couple of Premier League clubs want to sign Tchouameni, along with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. He revealed:
“Aurelien Tchouameni’s agent has denied to Le Parisien any agreement on personal terms with Real Madrid.
“Real are following Tchouameni’s performances with Monaco since long time alongside two Premier League clubs and PSG but there’s nothing agreed with any club.”
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The Verdict: Wonderful potential signing
Tchouameni looks like a spectacular talent, mastering a deeper-lying midfield role and already proving to be such a key player for Monaco, ranking as by far their best performer according to WhoScored metrics.
With some of Liverpool’s midfielders now in their 30s – the likes of Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are close to that milestone, too – the 22-year-old could be an ideal summer addition, capable of playing in a defensive or central midfield role.
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Not only does Tchouameni average an eye-catching 2.6 tackles and interceptions apiece per match this season, he also averaged a 90.9% pass completion rate across five appearances for France in World Cup qualifying, demonstrating that he is a midfielder of many talents.
In other news, Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move for a former Premier League midfielder. Read more here.
James Anderson has known some dramatic peaks and troughs during his five-year England career, and his recent tour of New Zealand provided a perfect microcosm. He was recalled for the second Test in Wellington and starred with five first-innings wickets en route to a series-turning victory, but one match later in Napier his form had fallen away, and he was dispatched for more than six an over by Stephen Fleming in the first innings and Matthew Bell in the second.”It was very frustrating, and I can’t really put my finger on why it happened,” said Anderson during the launch of adidas’s new England kit at Lord’s. “It’s just the way it goes I guess. The pitch was flatter in Napier, but in both innings I started off reasonably well and it was coming out quite nicely. Then I had one bad over, and I tried to chase it from there.”Bad overs are a bit of a feature of Anderson’s game. In Kandy before Christmas, he was clubbed for six fours in consecutive balls by Sanath Jayasuriya, and in Napier, he suffered arguably a greater ignominy, as Bell – a batsman who had failed to pass 30 all series – hurtled towards a half-century with four blows in a row of increasing authority.The impression is that Anderson’s head drops as soon as a batsman gets after him, but the man himself disagreed with that suggestion. “It’s not getting down on myself, but when you’ve gone for 30 off five, you have got to pull it back from there,” he said. “My thought process is to bowl maidens, and I want to be pretty economical, keeping the run-rate below three. I was probably chasing it a bit too hard rather than being patient and letting the rhythm do it like I did in Wellington.””I call myself a strike bowler, and the way I see myself is getting wickets,” he said. “But when you play against a team like New Zealand, who want to hit boundaries, you want to stop them doing that. Sometimes that might be about bowling maidens to get that pressure.”Anderson suffered an injury setback during the Wellington Test, when he twisted his ankle in a warm-down game of football, but by and large, he said he felt as comfortable in his run-up and action as he has been for several years. There was a period around 2004-05 when Anderson’s action, which involves an awkward dipping of the head at point of delivery, was completely deconstructed by the England coaching staff. But all that, he believes, is now behind him.”I think I have gone full circle now,” he said. “I have played for five years now, and I think technically and physically my action is as good as it is going to get. I am comfortable now it feels really natural, and I don’t think there is an awful lot more I can do with it. When I first started, my leading arm was somewhere behind the back of my head. Now it is somewhere where it feels comfortable.”Anderson returns to competitive action for Lancashire next week, but the countdown is already on for the first Test of the rematch against New Zealand at Lord’s on May 15. It is a venue at which Anderson enjoys bowling, and against India last summer, he picked up his second five-wicket haul in three visits.”It’s a nice place to bowl – there is a nice slope, and it generally swings here,” said Anderson. “My mentality might change if the ball is swinging. Like in Wellington, I might bowl more attacking lines and I might be happier going for more runs than I would do if it wasn’t swinging. I just think you do better at some grounds than others. I don’t up my game when I play here, it just happens.”There is no guarantee that Anderson will feature in the first Test, however. His poor showing in Napier has given hope of a recall to Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison, the men who made way for his Wellington comeback, and also looming on the horizon is Anderson’s Lancashire team-mate, Andrew Flintoff, who has completed 28 overs in his comeback match at Surrey – his heaviest workload since the Brisbane Test in November 2006.”It’s going to be a real battle for places. No-one’s place is set in stone,” said Anderson. “We have all got to perform in the first couple of games of the season. Hoggy and Harmy are going to be fighting like mad to try and get their places back, then you have got the other guys like Chris Tremlett, Liam Plunkett and Saj [Mahmood] at Lancashire too. There are a lot of people in the hat.”As for Flintoff, Anderson was cautiously optimistic that – after four ankle operations – he might this time get back to his best form. “Every time he has an operation he has come back strong,” said Anderson. “So it is just whether this time it is for good. He has always been pretty fit, and his bowling always seems to look after itself. He gets it down at good speeds when he needs to.”From his own point of view, Anderson knows what he needs to do to cement his place in the England team. “Fitness wise I am fine, so the only issue is mental,” he said. “I know I can bowl that well, it is just about figuring out what went wrong in that game [at Napier]. A lot of it is about rhythm and just being relaxed, and not trying to fight myself and bowl quicker when it is not going so well.”
Cricket Scotland has secured another two year’s sponsorship with Lloyd’s TSB, extending their association until 2009.”The profile of cricket in Scotland has increased significantly since we first became main sponsor,” Lisa Stephenson, director of marketing at Lloyds TSB Scotland said. “It is one of the largest participative and inclusive sports we have and is a perfect fit with our brand and our business. We are extremely proud to have been associated with this growth in popularity.”Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, was delighted with the deal and is excited by the future benefits the continued sponsorship will bring. “Lloyds TSB Scotland is a much valued partner, and the support we have received to date has played a significant part in the development of the game in Scotland,” he said. “Against a backdrop where other national teams are losing or changing sponsors, it is a major coup for cricket to secure continued support at this level.”
Richie Richardson, former West Indies captain, u-turned on his earlier criticism of Brian Lara’s captaincy, attributing West Indies’s success in the ODI series against India to his imaginative leadership. West Indies won nine out of their eleven home ODIs this season, which included a 5-0 drubbing of Zimbabwe and a 4-1 victory against India.Richardson had earlier criticised Lara’s appointment as captain for the third time in his career, saying that he lacked support from his players. Instead, he supported elevating vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to the post, but was convinced the West Indies board reverted to Lara for the sake of getting instant results, with no long-term objective.”A lot of people thought they should have annihilated Zimbabwe”, Richardson told . “It didn’t happen. Maybe there was a concerted effort to try and do something different [against India], and have a different approach.”I really don’t know what transpired, but I believe Brian Lara had a part to play in that. Just the way he went about his job, especially in the field. He was there with a purpose.”Richardson also believed that Lara would have been spurred by negative comments, after Sir Vivian Richards also stated that his appointment was based on commercial considerations ahead of next year’s World Cup. “Maybe something like that inspired Brian Lara. He is the sort of guy that if you criticise him, he’s going to want to prove you wrong.”
Steve Tikolo, the former Kenya captain and unofficial spokesman for the 13 striking players, has slammed the Kenya board (KCA) after none of them were included in the squad for next month’s Intercontinental Cup semi-final in Sharjah.Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s chairman, said that none of the players who boycotted the recent match against Namibia had been picked as they had not reapplied for selection. “We only read about the whole thing in the press,” fumed Tikolo. “Is this the way to get in touch with players?”No KCA official has ever contacted us asking us to apply,” he continued. “We have only been reading about it in a section of the press recently and before taking note, the team was named. Now we are the ones being blamed for not applying.”The announcement by Ghai that the players had to ask to formally reapply for selection caught them on the hop, and when he made the statement earlier in the week it raised suspicions that they were about to be omitted.Against Namibia, the players drafted in to replace the strikers were subjected to considerable heckling, but Tikolo offered those chosen his full support. “We have no problem with the team which has been selected and we wish them all the best since they are our brothers,” he said. “I hope they will continue with their form.”