Scorecard Champions Warwickshire lost for the first time in 20 Championship matches as Sussex steamrollered them at Hove. Jason Lewry and Mushtaq Ahmed made short work of the Warwickshire first innings, taking the last five wickets for 33 runs, then Chris Adams asked them to bat again 233 runs behind. They fared no better second time around as wickets fell steadily from the outset. Ian Bell resisted for 90 minutes but when he was caught behind off Mushtaq the end came quickly. James Kirtley got in on the wicket-taking act, claiming Dougie Brown and Toby Frost, before Mushtaq wrapped up the innings. Ashley Giles made it to the crease in both innings – and his hip injury is reported not to be serious – but Warwickshire are now unlikely to see their left-arm spinner again in the Championship this season, as England duties beckon. Scorecard Simon Katich played a masterful innings as Hampshire sped into a commanding position at Canterbury. Katich chose the perfect time to hit his first century of the season, after Hampshire had managed to secure a first innings lead of 23. After another failure for Jimmy Adams, falling to Martin Saggers in the third over, Katich took control from the outset. He added 95 with John Crawley, who had been promoted to open the batting, before Crawley was run out for 25. However, Katich marched on and by the close had struck six fours and six sixes to push Hampshire’s lead past 200. A solid allround bowling performance had secured their slender first-innings lead. Shane Warne removed David Fulton early but at 255 for 5 Kent were the team eyeing the advantage. Matthew Stevens struck a boundary-filled 68 and Matthew Dennington made a valuable half-century. But Warne returned and with the help of Richard Logan and Chris Tremlett wrapped up the innings. Scorecard Alan Richardson’s transformation from county trundler to strike bowler continued as Middlesex established a stranglehold on their clash with Gloucestershire. Since his winter move, from Warwickshire, Richardson’s form has been a revelation and he now has 22 wickets at 19 apiece. He shouldered the extra responsibility in an attack lacking Nantie Hayward and Chad Keegan. After an opening stand of 59 Richardson struck twice in two balls, but his biggest scalp was Craig Spearman, caught by Andrew Strauss for 69. Melvyn Betts chipped in with four – albeit expensive – wickets but Middlesex always had plenty of runs to play with. Even another failure for Strauss – out for 10 – could not take the gloss of a dominant display from Middlesex who will now aim to set a target over 400.
Scorecard A defiant half-century from David Harrison guided Glamorgan beyond the follow-on but Surrey remain firmly in control at The Oval. Harrison, Dean Cosker and Andrew Davies added 112 for the last two wickets to rescue Glamorgan from the depths of 233 for 8. Martin Bicknell caused the major problems with 6 for 74 including the top-three batsmen all trapped lbw. The Glamorgan top-order is brittle without Matthew Maynard and Matthew Elliott and Surrey exploited the weaknesses. Jimmy Ormond was economical and although Rikki Clarke and Mohammad Akram were expensive they picked up vital wickets. A lead of 99 was less than Surrey first anticipated but it was still a useful advantage. Scott Newman, following his first-innings 117, launched Surrey’s second dig in a positive fashion.
Northerns’ win over Boland at Paarl took them well clear at the top of the Shield table:Shield – 4th day:Northerns 451 for 7 dec and 173 for 6 dec beat Boland 259and 218 (Strydom 52, Dros 5-17) by 147 runs ScorecardBoland’s target of 366 proved to be far too high, as they were bowled out for 218 at Paarl. The last five wickets tumbled for 27, to spoil any cghance Boland might have had to force a draw. Gerald Dros, Northerns’ captain, who had bowled only 22 previous overs this season, brought himself on in the 69th over, and produced career-best figures of 5 for 17 in 4.1 overs as he ripped through the Boland tail. Gerard Strydom again top-scored for Boland, with 52.Gauteng 34 for 1 v Eastern Province ScorecardFor the third day running no play was possible at the Wanderers. After just half-an-hour’s play on the first day neither team scored any points and had to be content with a soggy draw.
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Paceman Jason Gillespie (3/8) has smashed through a feeble West Indian top order late on the third day of the Fourth Test here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today to have Australia thundering toward another mammoth victory. With three scalps in the space of sixteen deliveries, the South Australian speedster has, to be precise, left his team a mere seven wickets away from wrapping up this match tomorrow.It was the fourteenth day of this series; it was the thirteenth on which Australia dominated. By its conclusion (with West Indies at 3/10 and still an irrelevant 452 runs away from what would shape as the most impossible of wins), the prospect of yet another thumping Test triumph was the only thing apparently left on the cards.The Australian upper order was a model of efficiency today, simply accumulating runs before an inevitable closure of the side’s second innings at a mark of 5/262 thirty-eight minutes before the scheduled drawing of stumps. It was the kind of display during which Justin Langer (80) normally revels, and he made sure that he did not let slip a golden opportunity to improve upon a generally unremarkable personal series. Mark Waugh (78*) weighed in heavily too and the result, at the end of it all, was a 461 run lead. It allowed the tourists no way out of a thick and gloomy mire.And lest it be thought that the visitors might finally have shown the sort of application at the top of an innings that is so often the prerequisite of long exhibitions at the crease, that idea can already be scrapped. Gillespie’s efforts in removing Daren Ganga (0), Wavell Hinds (4) and Brian Lara (0) in the space of the eleven overs that the Australians left themselves to bowl prior to stumps have already reduced the West Indians to second innings calamity. Ganga failed to defend a ball on an off stump line and found himself lbw; Hinds edged to fourth slip; Lara was comprehensively bowled by a wonderful delivery. Lara’s dismissal, in itself, was probably a metaphor for the West Indians’ woes; completely out-thought, he shouldered arms to a delivery that he seemed to believe was slanted away from him. Instead, it hit the seam, moved into him and crashed, delightfully from a jovial home crowd of 19896’s point of view, into the off bail.Earlier, Langer had been in his element grafting, pummelling, shovelling runs. He arrived at the crease following the early departure of opener Michael Slater (4) to one of the very best deliveries of the day, a nicely controlled Mervyn Dillon (1/68) ball that pitched on an ideal length, moved marginally off the seam and snared a thick outside edge on its way to Lara at first slip. He did not leave until the point of tea.Along the way, he shared in two controlled partnerships – one of forty-one runs with Matthew Hayden (30) for the second wicket and another of 116 with Waugh for the third – which had the MCG pitch looking a different beast from the one which helped bring the West Indian batsmen to their knees late in the piece.The Western Australian left hander’s method, predominantly, was to play straight. Not one of the nine boundaries that he struck in an innings that spanned close to three and a half hours, in fact, was hit square of the wicket. It was only toward the end of his stay that any genuine chinks in his armour emerged. He survived a close decision as he drove one delivery – on what television replays suggested might have been a half volley – to cover with his score at 71 and then finally made the long trek back to the pavilion when a Jimmy Adams (1/18) ball found the outside edge of his defensive bat on the way to Ganga at slip.The West Indians searched hard for answers to their ills and looked earnestly for a way through the Australian batting order. And, in truth, they bowled an honest line and length and applied themselves well. Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs also covered himself in further glory by joining David Murray and Courtney Browne as the only West Indian fieldsmen to claim a total of nine dismissals in a Test match. But there was no reply to their questions and they detected no obvious way to penetrate. By the time that Ricky Ponting (26*) pounded twenty-one runs from the bowling of Colin Stuart (1/66) in what proved to be the final over of the innings, they were actually tending toward many bad habits again.By far the most unpredictable aspect of the day was the complexion of Melbourne’s weather. Through the afternoon, the action was played out under sunny skies, the brightness of which stood in complete contrast to the generally dull hue that featured across the horizon during the morning session. Driving rain actually wiped out as many as fifty-six minutes through the early stages of the day. At that stage, conditions-wise, it was difficult to fathom what would come next. It was never possible to apply the same observation to events on the field of play itself.
Everton are back in action today with an early-afternoon FA Cup clash against fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.
Their previous FA Cup clash saw the Toffees beat Boreham Wood 2-0 thanks to a brace from striker Salomon Rondon.
Now with the Merseyside club into the sixth round of the competition, they will presumably be in for a much tougher test this time around as Palace take the trip to Goodison.
The Toffees will be heading into this match with some confidence as they managed to secure a much-needed win in the Premier League on Thursday after beating Newcastle United 1-0.
On the chalkboard
In terms of which players Lampard could pick to be in his starting XI to take on the Eagles today, one figure that didn’t start in midweek but did end up playing a big part in the game that we feel should be in from the beginning on this occasion is striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
After replacing Demarai Gray in the 76th minute, the striker managed to assist the crucial goal from Alex Iwobi that secured the three points for Everton in the win over the Tyneside club.
Having missed a significant chunk of the season with injury issues, the 25-year-old has only 10 appearances this season, all of them coming in the Premier League.
Having scored three goals and now provided one assist in those league appearances, the £72k-per-week Englishman could be a real danger and a terrifying prospect for Palace and their defensive players if he’s in the right mood.
Now that he got some minutes under his belt in midweek, today’s game could give the centre-forward, who has been dubbed a “nightmare” on the pitch by his teammate Richarlison, a great opportunity to get back into the swing of things from the start before working on his fitness again over the upcoming international break.
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Also, with fellow Toffees attacker Richarlison coming off against Newcastle with a suspected injury, this could pave the way for Calvert-Lewin to come back in the team if the Brazilian isn’t at 100% in terms of his fitness.
Either way, Lampard and the rest of his staff at the club will be hoping that the team can progress through to the next round of the FA Cup and add a bit more positivity and confidence throughout the squad and fanbase which could then be vital for their hopes of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
In other news: Lampard can finally axe Everton liability with £11.8m gem with “natural explosiveness”
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.
Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, has been fined 20% of his match fee for showing dissent following his dismissal in New Zealand’s Super Eights match against Sri Lanka in Grenada on Thursday. McCullum reacted after he was adjudged leg before to Muttiah Muralitharan by umpire Asad Rauf after facing just two deliveries.Mike Procter, the ICC match referee, found McCullum guilty of violating 1.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct in a hearing after the match. He pleaded guilty to the charge and apologised to the umpires in the hearing, also attended by coach John Bracewell, team manager Lindsay Crocker and the match officials.”There is a thin line between disappointment and dissent and Brendon crossed that line,” Procter said. “His reaction was unacceptable but, to his credit, he acknowledged that fact at the hearing and apologised for his conduct.”All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee.
England A have called up Stuart Broad, Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara to bolster their squad after three players left to join the senior party in India. Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Owais Shah have left West Indies over the last couple of days, meaning England have used three substitutes in their match against West Indies.Broad, 19, a promising right-arm seamer from Leicestershire, will provide cover for the fast bowling department. Wright, the Sussex allrounder, and Bopara from Essex, will provide useful all round options for the remaining matches of the tour.Broad is the most exciting talent out of three with England always searching for tall pace bowlers. The son of the former England opener, Chris, he has taken 30 wickets in first-class cricket at 27.The second Test starts in St Lucia on March 3 followed by a five-match one-day series.
Gujaratis are expert at constructing order out of chaos. What could have more tumult than the trading floor of a stock exchange, for example? There you will find, making sense of the thousands of transactions that take place in a sea of noise, the Gujarati, calm and precise. Or watch him at work in any market where Gujarati traders sit, and you will be assailed by confusion, by a sense of frenetic desperate activity, but there too, the Gujarati will be in command. Heck, India’s freedom movement was guided by a shrewd Gujarati, and though his methods of operating were different from his merchant brethren, he, too, had that ability to not be intimidated by turmoil, to cut to the chase and see the bigger picture clearly while not losing sight of details.And so it is that as I sit here, at around 7am, at the press box of the Motera Stadium, and noise just swells around me, of people clapping and talking and blowing trumpets or similar wind instruments, of the songs that fill what is left of the air through the loudspeakers.. When I took that long walk to the stadium from where the cops don’t allow autorickshaws to proceed, the street was full of people, so many of them, in colourful clothes, holding signs that said “4” on one side and “6” on the other, as if to define the extent of Virender Sehwag’s unpredictability. Until I reached the particular gate of the stadium where I entered, no one checked my pass. The people so vastly outnumbered the police; is the security here really taken care of, I wondered.But the chaos, of course, is deceptive. As I hung around to watch the cops at work, you could make out that they were right on top of things. There was none of the officiousness that marks so many other venues in India, and the security is focussed at all the places where they are needed, like the entry of the stands. They are not on edge because of the bigness of the occasion, nor are they filled with a sense of the power they have. This needs pointing out because it is so different elsewhere. These cops are friendly and courteous, and when they tell me to take that bottle of water out of my bag, and that I’ll get water inside, they are gently firm, not typical-Indian-cop boorish.It’s 7.30 as I type this, and the stands are almost full. People here, Gujaratis mostly, are sticking intently on their purpose of coming to this game, which is to have a good time. The administration is sticking intently to their purpose, of enabling the people here to have a good time while ensuring things don’t go out of hand. All is well in the world – though a group of people near a Pepsi machine does worry that India may lose the toss. And, despite the fact that their local boy, Parthiv Patel, has been displaced by better contenders, they are waiting to see Mahendra Dhoni bat. “Six maru chhe,” says one little boy, and raises his sign. It says, “6”. Cut to the chase.
Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s controversial offspinner, has eased fearsthat he will withdraw from Sri Lanka’s two-Test tour of Australia inJune-July this year after Australian newspapers claimed he had threatened topull out because of constant verbal abuse from Australian crowds.”I did not threaten to pull out of the tour,” Muralitharan told Wisden Cricinfo. “I just said I was not sure about the tour yet.” Muralitharantoured Australia in 2003 and a tour pullout is extremely unlikely, especially with the two matches expected to be played in Darwin and Cairns.Muralitharan was quoted as saying: “I will think very carefully when it [thenew contract] comes because we have an Australian and a Zimbabwe tour. Lasttime, I had a lot of bad feelings [playing in Australia] but I don’t know what will happen in the future and how the public will react.”The crowd is the main problem, not officials or players,” he said. “You can’t keep bringing up the past and accusing someone. The evidence is there. I have a deformity on the elbow. I can’t straighten it. Before I bowl, they are calling ‘no-ball’. It’s ok once or twice, but not if you are going on and on about it,” he added.Meanwhile, Muralitharan has urged Australia’s selectors to name Shane Warnein their Test squad on Friday. With both spinners now within striking distance of 500 Test wickets, Muralitharan would like the challenge of racing Warne to Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket world record.”I am looking forward to the challenge and I definitely want him to come toSri Lanka,” said Muralitharan. “He has been a great bowler and someone who Ihave always greatly admired. I have learnt from his patience and character.”Muralitharan [485 wickets] expects Warne [491 wickets] to reach the world record first: “He his a great bowler and is six wickets ahead and should getthere first. He has done cricket proud in the last decade so if he does reach it first, good on him. But I do have time on my side with three or four years left to play.”