All posts by csb10.top

Chris Dehring, the CEO of the World Cup organising committee, has said that racism and obscene gestures will not be tolerated at next year’s competition, with stiff penalties awaiting those who do offend.Dehring, who is also the event’s managing director, said in a report on Associated Press that the ICC’s anti-racism code is being actioned in the CWC office in Kingston, Jamaica, and will be implemented for the tournament, which runs from March 5 to April 28.Dehring said: “When you are hosting international fans from 16 teams there is a strong possibility that one or two racists may get into that crowd. We do not have any control over that. Initially we did not fully know what the policy was but now we have gotten hold of it and we are looking at it. We have a copy of it and it is being actioned across the offices. We will be looking at closely and it will be discussed at length.”Dehring was quick to say that he did not expect racism to be a problem at the competition: “Racism is not part of our culture and we do not expect it to rear its head in the World Cup”.However, it is an issue that has come increasingly into the spotlight, after the abuse suffered by South African players on their tour of Australia and, more recently, by England players Monty Panesar and Sajid Mahmood.The ICC toughened its stance on racism in September, with those fans who offend facing lifetime bans from watching the sport. ICC members who fail to uphold the code can face penalties which include the loss of international-status for the ground where any incidents have occurred.

The Eagles have refused to allow Johan van der Wath, the allrounder, to play in the Standard Bank Pro20 semi-final against the Dolphins at Kingsmead due to his links to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).van der Wath played for the Mumbai Champs and the ICL World XI in the recently-concluded second season of the ICL. Though Cricket South Africa (CSA) has refused to recognise the ICL, Norman Arendse, the CSA president, had earlier said it was up to the franchises, rather than the board, to decide whether their ICL players could play for them. It is understood that the Eagles wanted to pay him on a match-by-match basis instead of handing a contract, to avoid legal problems.Boetta Dippenaar, the Eagles captain, said he was disappointed at the decision to leave out van der Wath. “We applied for permission at the beginning of this week and didn’t hear anything,” Dippenaar told . “We enquired again on Thursday and were told that permission had been denied. It’s very disappointing.”Cassim Docrat, the president of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union, the home base of the Dolphins franchise, said they would have protested to the South African board if van der Wath had been allowed to play as two of their players, Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener, have been left out after having played in the ICL.”Our information is that no ICL players are allowed to play domestic cricket,” Docrat said. “We have two rebel players, Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener, who would have made a big difference to our team, so it would have been unfair if the Eagles had been allowed to play van der Wath.”The Dolphins have made one change to the line-up, dropping the opening batsman Doug Watson for Hashim Amla.

Confusion surrounds the future of Zimbabwe’s wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor after reports that he has been playing club cricket abroad despite a ruling by Ozias Bvute, the board’s managing director, that nationally contracted players were forbidden from doing so.Taylor, who is reported to be playing on a three-month contract in the Netherlands, is said to have had a blazing row with Bvute which led to him refusing to play in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s domestic competition.Taylor has been named in the Zimbabwe side to meet India A later this month, but rumours persist that he will not play. “I don’t think he will play for Zimbabwe again,” a source close to the player told Cricinfo, “but thatdepends on Bvute.”Taylor is no stranger to clashes with authority, and unlike many team-mates, he does not rely on income from the game.The return of Tatenda Taibu as wicketkeeper-batsman – assuming he does sort out his own differences with the board – reduces the reliance on Taylor and the board may well seize the opportunity to ditch him and send a clear message to others who are thought to be considering their futures.Were Taibu and Taylor to be unavailable, then the keeping place would probably go to Tafadzwa Mufambisi, another player overlooked because of his attitude.

It’s been a rare good week for Zimbabwe cricket with their victory over West Indies in the opening ODI at Harare, but off the field things are not so rosy.A report by Malcolm Conn in today’s Australian newspaper claims that Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe cricket chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the board’s controversial managing director, could face charges under the ICC’s code of ethics next year.In the summer the ZC executive was slammed in a leaked private report from Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, although publicly the ICC maintained the same hands-off approach that it has for several years. However, Speed’s comments regarding the accounts were damning, concluding: “It is clear that the accounts of ZC have been deliberately falsified to mask various illegal transactions from the auditors and the government of Zimbabwe.”In June the ICC appointed KPMG to carry out an independent forensic audit, which has recently finished, and which Conn claims to have seen. It reveals “alarming but unsurprising irregularities in ZC’s finances, including millions of dollars in ICC dividends that remain unaccounted for,” the paper said. “There has been a lack of co-operation and documentation from ZC, with Chingoka and Bvute constantly changing their explanations for transactions. This includes numerous transactions involving UK bank accounts that have not been adequately justified.”Stakeholders inside Zimbabwe, almost all of whom have been removed from office in recent purges instigated by Chingoka, have long maintained there were glaring irregularities in the accounts but the board has steadfastly refused to address their concerns. The board’s recent AGM, the one forum where such matters could be raised, was by invitation only and ZC even struck off life vice-presidents to avoid them being able to attend.The ICC’s code of ethics states that “each director shall act in an honest and ethical manner. In order to facilitate the transparent operation of the ICC, conduct that gives the appearance of impropriety will also be unacceptable.”The ICC won’t comment other than to say the report will be considered when the ICC executive meets again in February, but the Australian suggests that there is enough evidence to have Bvute and Chingoka removed from their ICC positions.Chingoka has been ZC chairman since 1992 and as the senior member of the ICC’s executive has used his contacts and experience to deflect much of the criticism aimed at the running of the sport in the country. Bvute was brought in by Chingoka in 2002 and many critics maintain the rapid decline of the game can be traced to his arrival.

Stephen Fleming could end his Test career earlier than expected with the home series against England looming as a possible farewell for the former captain. Fleming had been tipped to continue until the return tour of England, which finishes in June, however a report in the said that now seemed unlikely.The paper said Fleming’s wife was expecting their second baby in June, which might contribute to an early call. That would leave the selectors with more headaches ahead of the England trip, with their Test line-up already losing Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Shane Bond and the fringe players Craig McMillan and Hamish Marshall in the past 13 months.John Bracewell, the coach, said it he was not bothered if Fleming chose to say goodbye in the third Test against England in Napier in late March. “My understanding was that Stephen wanted to go on and play the England series in England,” Bracewell told Monday’s . “But it doesn’t surprise me and doesn’t particularly concern me.”It’s always disappointing to lose experience, but it’s also an exciting time for selectors to pick and see the development of youngsters. The young men we’ve selected in this particular round so far have shown some great attributes for the international game. There are kids out there who want a crack.”Fleming’s departure would mark the end of a significant era in New Zealand Test cricket, as he is the country’s most capped player, highest run scorer, longest serving captain and leading catcher. He held a similar swag of records in one-day internationals when he ended his career in that format last year.

Chasing a target of 380 in the fourth innings, Goa were 26/1 at stumpson the third day of their Ranji Trophy South Zone clash againstHyderabad at the Nuclear Fuel Complex ground in Hyderabad. Earlier thehosts declared their second knock at 239/8 thanks to half centuriesfrom Daniel Manohar and Vanka Pratap.In the morning Goa added just a solitary run to their overnight scoreof 174/9 before succumbing in the third over of the day and concedinga 140 run first innings deficit. Venkatapathy Raju took his inningstally to 5/16 with the last scalp.Hyderabad openers Daniel Manohar and Nanda Kishore gave a solidfoundation at the top of the order with a 65 run stand inside 15overs. The Goan attack intervened by capturing two quick wicketsbefore Manohar found another able ally in Vanka Pratap with whom hebuilt a 60 run fourth wicket stand.Manohar finally fell for 82 (131 balls, 6 fours) and although SayyadKhalid effected a middle order slump by taking four of the next fivewickets, Pratap guided Hyderabad safely through to the declarationfive minutes after tea. He remained undefeated on 77 (118 balls, 7fours).

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup between Ireland and Canada will take place at Chelmsford between May 21 and 24. It will be the first time and Intercontinental Cup tie has taken place in England. The previous finals have been in the UAE and Dubai.Ireland, the holders, qualified by topping Group A, beating UAE and Namibia and drawing with Scotland. Canada qualified through victories over Bermuda and Kenya, although they lost to Netherlands.The new format of the tournament means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format. That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.

Women’s cricket is again at the forefront of innovation with the announcement that the first trial match for the new pink balls will be a state game in January. Women’s cricket paved the way for overarm bowling; it introduced the World Cup, and held the first international Twenty20 and now it is to help in important test situations.The first match will be Queensland and Western Australia on January 10, a curtain-raiser for the men’s Twenty20 between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba.The MCC is considering introducing fluorescent pink balls to county one-day cricket if trials are successful, according to a report in . The logic is that a pink ball may be seen more easily, and a fraction earlier, by a batsman than a white one.The new balls, made by Kookaburra, will also be tested at Lord’s indoor school this winter and will be used in university and 2nd XI matches next year. If scientists at Imperial College, London, can get the balls to keep their colour, they could be used in one-day county cricket next year and even eventually in one-day internationals.The MCC, which is responsible for the laws of cricket, has been testing different colours for the last year. Its head of cricket, John Stephenson, is responsible for the innovation and he told : “Paint tends to flake off white balls and we have asked Kookaburra to produce a batch of pink ones because these show up so much better.”The challenge is to produce a ball which retains its colour – I doubt it will be any more expensive to produce or buy. I have asked Mike Gatting, the ECB’s managing director of cricket partnerships, to use them in county second XI one-day matches, but we shall start by trying them in fixtures such as MCC v Europe and in the university matches we sponsor.”My aim would be to use the pink ball in Twenty20 cricket in 2009 and thereafter in one-day international cricket, but this will be dependent on trials and what the ECB thinks.”

Somerset 282 for 6 (Hildreth 98*, Gazzard 58, Phillips 4-43) beat Essex 278 (Bopara 91) by four wickets
ScorecardRavi Bopara sent the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents with a fine innings of 91 but Essex still fell to a four-wicket defeat to Somerset in the Pro-ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi.Bopara hit ten fours and a six during his 104-ball stay at the crease that was ended by a terrific stumping down the leg side by Craig Kieswetter off the bowling of Peter Trego. Essex were 93 for 4 at one stage before James Foster (40), Tim Phillips (41) and James Middlebrook (30) hauled them up to the respectability of 278 on a benign pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.It was Somerset’s debut in the competition, having arrived in the Middle East without Marcus Trescothick on Saturday. But they hit the ground running with the bat and didn’t hesitate during the chase, even after falling to 151 for 5 with the required rate loitering around six per over.Trego (22) and Carl Gazzard (58) opened the innings superbly with an first-wicket partnership of 48 but after Phillips (4 for 43) had smashed through the middle order, Somerset’s aspirations of becoming the first team in the tournament to win a match batting second were only rescued by James Hildreth, whose unbeaten 98 not only clinched the match but will no doubt interest the England selectors as a sign of his growing maturity.Hildreth switched comfortably between nudger and blaster to steer Somerset home, enjoying the strong support of Omari Banks (27) and Steffan Jones (30*) but he was denied the century he so richly deserved when Jones thumped successive boundaries through extra cover off the bowling of Ryan ten Doeschate to seal victory with eight balls to spare.Defeat for Essex was their second in three nights, having also fallen to Lancashire, and they return to Sharjah for their final match in the PRO-Arch Trophy on Thursday, against Sussex.

Derek Shackleton, who played seven Tests for England and took a record 2669 wickets for Hampshire, has died at the age of 83. Only six men have taken more wickets than his total first-class haul of 2857, and none of those operated entirely in the post-war period.Shackleton was a seamer – not fast but metronomic in his accuracy – who was desperately unlucky not to have be called on more by England. Unfortunately for him, he played in an era when Alec Bedser, Fred Trueman and others dominated. “Shrewdly varied, and utterly accurate,” wrote John Arlott, “beating down as unremittingly as February rain”. He was also economical, conceding under two runs an over. Initially he relied on late outswing, but he later developed an equally late inswinger, and he could also cut the ball either way off the pitch.His seven Tests came in two bursts separated by almost 12 years, but he was not as penetrative at the highest level. He played once in 1950 and 1951 and then toured India in 1951-52, finishing with the most wickets but only one more Test. He had to wait until 1963 for a recall, taking 14 wickets at 34.53 against West Indies, including 3 for 93 and a best 4 for 92 at Lord’s.

He made his debut for Hampshire, who spotted him while he was playing services cricket, in 1948 and was taken on as a batsman who bowled occasional legspin. Bereft of quick bowlers, Hampshire asked him to give it a try. He took 21 wickets in his first season and a hundred in his second. In a career which lasted until 1969 he took 100 wickets in a season 20 times consecutively, his haul of 172 in 1962, a year after he had helped the county to their first Championship, being the best. Few bowlers have got through so many overs, and those that have have been spinners.In 1955 he took match figures of 14 for 29 against Somerset (including 8 for 4 in their first innings) and five years earlier took five wickets in nine balls for no runs, but not including a hat-trick; that was about the only achievement that eluded him.In all Shackleton took 2857 first-class wickets at 18.65; his 18 Test wickets cost him 42.66.After retiring he coached and acted as groundsman at Canford School in Dorset and had a brief spell as an umpire in 1979. He was one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1959.