Qaiser Abbas led Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket win over Rawalpindi Rams with a quickfire 95 at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi. Abbas added 133 for the second wicket with Mansoor Amjad who scored 56 before he was caught behind off Akhtar Ayub, Rawalpindi’s right-arm medium fast bowler. Rawalpindi had managed 244 in their 50 overs through Babar Naeem’s fine 99 off 86 balls. Sialkot reached the target with 35 balls to spare.Atif Maqbool’s career-best 5 for 21 took Karachi Dolphins to a comprehensive 96-run victory against Faisalabad Wolves at National Stadium in Karachi. A late charge by No. 7 batsman Tariq Haroon – unbeaten on 106 – powered Karachi to 297 in their 50 overs. Then Maqbool set to wind up the Faisalabad batsman with his offbreaks. Faisalabad never recovered after he broke the first-wicket partnership worth 77 runs. A fighting half-century by Misbah-ul-Haq, the Faisalabad captain, could not revive their innings and they were bowled out for 201 inside 44 overs.Fazl-e-Akbar’s five-wicket haul helped the Peshawar Panthers defend their modest total of 235 and beat the Karachi Zebras by 49 runs at the Ashgar Ali Shah Stadium in Karachi. Akbar, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, dismissed the Karachi openers for 17 runs and then the wickets kept falling at regular intervals – more often than not to Akbar himself – as no Karachi batsman scored more than 37.Mohammad Fayyaz made 89 for Peshawar in their innings.
Nicky Boje is on the verge of being recalled to the South African squad for the first Test against Australia, barely two months after being unceremoniously dumped and subsequently not having his central contract renewed. However, with Johan Botha currently out of the reckoning due to a suspect action the selectors are again studying their options.Boje is certainly making a strong case for his inclusion with 15 wickets in the last two SuperSport series matches – including a career-best 8 for 93 against the Eagles. With Paul Adams currently struggling to hold down a spot in the Cabe Cobras’ first team the only other real option is Robin Peterson, who has impressed during the one-day series against Australia.Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of selectors, told that he thinks the decision not to offer a central contract to any frontline spinner has paid dividends. “I think it does show us that we were wise not to offer any national contracts to spin bowlers this year. They have all upped their level of performance, which has been encouraging.”Despite South Africa’s 2-0 series defeat in Australia, Lorgat added that he didn’t anticipate any other changes to the squad. The margin of defeat was made to look more convincing because Graeme Smith was forced to set Australia a chaseable total at Sydney after rain disrupted the match.”Personally, I was not disappointed with the form of our Test side in Australia,” explained Lorgat. “We competed well at Perth and Melbourne and our defeat at Sydney would not have happened under different circumstances.He added that South Africa are unlikely to gamble with the balance of their side, sticking to their tried and tested method. “Being the start of the series, we will probably be conservative in our thinking and follow the traditional route of six specialist batsmen and four specialist bowlers.”The selection process will be made easier if Jacques Kallis returns to full fitness, meaning he could take on the role of a fifth bowler. Lorgat said that Kallis is confident, but they won’t take any risks by rushing him back. “We have learned from hard experience that, when a player says he is fit, then we must put him through a stringent fitness test.”There has been speculation that Shaun Pollock might be moved up the order to No. 6, taking on the mantle of key allrounder, to enable South Africa to play five specialist bowlers. This is now unlikely against Australia, but Lorgat said it is still in their long-term thinking.”It is something we have been thinking about for some time. Shaun has been in outstanding form with both bat and ball in Australia and again back here in South Africa. We will just have to see how things work out but, if and when we do move him to No.6, it will change the balance of the side. It will enable us, for instance, to include an extra bowler which would reduce the work load on the other members of our attack.”
Nick Knight scored the first first-class century of the new season, as Warwickshire’s batsmen made excellent use of a sunny day at Lord’s when their match against MCC finally got underway on the second day after yesterday’s washout.Knight and Mark Wagh opened the innings with a stand of 130, as MCC’s seamers struggled for consistency. Jon Lewis, Sajid Mahmood and David Harrison are all trying to catch the selectors’ eye ahead of the summer internationals, but it was the opening batsmen who made their presence felt. John Stephenson was given a harsh reminder of why he retired from cricket: his three overs cost 32 runs.Unusually – given that this was April in England – the breakthrough came through spin, as Graeme Swann had Wagh caught by David Harrison. Ian Bell intended to put another tick next to his name for England selection, but could only manage 14 before being dismissed by Harrison. Knight reached his ton from 157 balls, before becoming Swann’s second victim but Michael Powell and Jonathon Trott continued to pile up the runs.Having taken the total past 300, Powell and Trott fell in quick succession to the impressive Harrison. Trott made an aggressive 75 from 98 balls to lay a marker for the season ahead and, after Dougie Brown had blazed five boundaries in his rapid 27, Knight declared. However, the light closed in before Warwickshire could have a crack at MCC’s openers, but after the rain on the opening day the season is finally up and running.
Graeme Smith insisted his team had put security concerns to one side and were mentally ready to take on Pakistan in Friday’s opening one-day international. The five-match series will be played under unprecedented security, with the Pakistani authorities drafting in extra hoards of police and soldiers for each game.Although Smith admitted the ongoing security saga had affected South Africa’s preparations, he was still making the right noises. “I think two weeks of discussing security is definitely going to play on your mind. It definitely plays a role but after our practice and warm-up game we are now focusing on cricket.”Looking ahead to the first ODI at Lahore, which will be patrolled by 2,000 policemen and 150 elite commandoes, Smith said South Africa, like Pakistan, were rebuilding after the World Cup: “I think in many ways both teams are under similar situation, we have had three months in England where we have regrouped and we are here for thefirst time and we are still reorganising ourselves, looking for answers.”He added: “We have come here with a lot of positives after the England tour and we’re looking to improve on a lot of things. We’ve come here to win, definitely, but it’s going to be tough touring conditions so we need to adjust quickly and could be a little under-prepared on Friday.”Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, said his team are confident after beating Bangladesh 5-0 in last month’s ODI series. “South Africa are definitely a tougher opponent than Bangladesh, but our boys are very confident and I hope we keep the winning sequence,” he said. “Our bowling is our strength but we need to put runs on the board to supplement our bowling.”Meanwhile, Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, has asked the crowds to be on their best behaviour, saying the country’s image is at stake. “If they protest anything and there is trouble, it would disturb the matchand could harm the image of the country,” he said. “We have suffered a lot because teams were not travelling to Pakistan and fans were deprived. So I would appeal to the fans to enjoy the cricket.”
For a cricketer who is humble, well-behaved, and generally uncontroversial, Anil Radhakrishnan Kumble has more detractors and critics than one would expect. The tall Karnataka bowler, who notched up 300 Test wickets when he trapped Matthew Hoggard lbw on the second day of the third Test against England at Bangalore, became the first spinner from his country to achieve the feat. It is a major achievement, given that India have produced the likes of Erapalli Prasanna, Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. When the talk of great spinners comes up, the famed quartet springs to mind instantly. Perhaps it is time that people stopped looking into the past and welcomed yet another champion bowler – Kumble – into this venerable hall of fame.”It is a good feeling to reach the milestone of 300 wickets. I had to wait a long time to get there, but it is well worth the wait,” said Kumble to pressmen. After taking 18 wickets in the first two Tests, Kumble struggled to pick up the magical one that would take him to 300. The ace leggie appeared anxious on the field, and clearly the weight of anticipation weighed down heavily on his broad shoulders.”That’s cricket. You work the whole day, toiling hard. Sometimes you’re lucky and pick wickets, on other days you have nothing to show for it. I was just being positive and knew that things had to change at some point. The one wicket today was very important, and I’m happy I got over that before the start of the second innings,” said Kumble, with characteristic maturity and restraint.As a bowler who has bowled a tight line and length almost non-stop in his career, Kumble was the right candidate to be used in a restrictive capacity if the occasion called for it. As a leggie who flights the ball less than most and does not extract expansive turn, he could easily be used in what is spoken of as a ‘negative’ mould. The talking point of the second day’s play was England’s use of Ashley Giles in this very capacity, bowling the ball into the rough outside the leg stump from around the wicket.The man with 300 Test wickets to his name from 65 matches had this to say on the matter. “It is a difficult question. My own personal feeling about this is that I would not do that. If I bowled 30 overs, I might come around the wicket for a short while just to change things around, as an option,” he began. On a stronger note, Kumble added, “I would not consider bowling around the stumps as a positive move from my perspective. I would prefer bowling around the stumps as I would have more options of getting the batsmen out.”Kumble’s style of bowling might have gotten him wickets by the truckload, but it has given enough room for critics to moan about him being a ‘pretender’ as a leg-spinner. If these critics were not answered by the number of matches that Kumble has won for India, or the very fact that he has taken more wickets than any Indian spinner in the history of the game, his words might come as a prick to the conscience. “I have my own style as a bowler. My job is to get wickets. How different people do it doesn’t concern me; each person has his own style,” explained Kumble.”I have always believed in my ability and gone out there to the middle to perform. As long as that happens, I am happy. People might classify me as a leg-spinner; it doesn’t affect me. They may classify me as a mediumpacer, and that too doesn’t affect me. As long as I’m getting wickets, am successful and am helping the team, that’s all matters,” he suggested. And surely, one cannot disagree with him on this point.Another feat Kumble has achieved that is unique to him as an Indian bowler is his 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan at Delhi in 1999. Ever the team man, Kumble compares that achievement with his latest. “We were one down in the series against Pakistan, and my effort helped India win. This (300th wicket) is just a landmark. When you’re playing in a team sport, you invariably cross landmarks, and it’s a great feeling. It’s a very special feeling to be part of the 300 club.”In an illustrious career that began in 1990 in England, Kumble has achieved a great deal. There is, however, one disappointment that Kumble has had to live with. “What most of us want is a series victory abroad. That is something that has eluded us. At least when I have been part of the team, I haven’t been able to achieve that. We came very close to winning a Test match in the West Indies and South Africa, but that didn’t happen. That is one disappointment I have.”Pressboxes are primarily workstations. People tapping away at keyboards working to meet deadlines seldom have the time to enjoy the big moments in the manner in which they deserve. The fact that they also have their favourites, dislikes, and own axes to grind compounds the situation. When Kumble reached 300 Test wickets, however, differences were put aside, work shelved for a brief moment, and people got together to applaud the fruits of labour of a hardworking, sincere cricketer.It was the least that Kumble deserved.
The Karnataka under-19 team made a winning start to their tour of Sri Lanka when they defeated the Sri Lanka Schools Combined Under-19 side by 94 u runs in a two day game at the De Zoyasa stadium in Moratuwa on Thursday.The game was played on 70 overs a side. The visiting team were all out for 237 in 66 overs on Wednesday. The Lankan team in reply folded up for 143 runs off 47 overs. Wickets fell at regular intervals and no batsman, save M Fernando, put up a fight. Fernando scored 50 not out. After five wickets had fallen for 66 runs, Fernando and Chandana (16) added 30 runs for the sixth wicket. Later, Fernando and K Anthony (18) added 39 runs for the eighth wicket. But the home team never really got anywhere the Karnataka side’s total and their final score was inflated by as many as 30 extras. Medium pacer G Lhaitra was the most successful bowler with four for 41. He was ably supported by S Lazarus (2 for 26) and P Hajeri (2 for 24).
Tottenham Hotspur play host to Rochdale in their fifth round FA Cup replay tie at Wembley on Wednesday night, and manager Mauricio Pochettino may see the clash against the League One strugglers as the perfect opportunity to give some game time to some of his younger players.
The Argentine boss picked a relatively strong line-up for the 2-2 draw against Keith Hill’s men earlier this month, but it wasn’t enough to get them the victory even with Harry Kane and Dele Alli both coming off of the substitutes’ bench.
The match against Dale starts a run of three home fixtures in a week for Spurs, with the cup tie being followed by a Premier League clash against Huddersfield Town and then the crucial Champions League last 16 second leg against Juventus next Wednesday.
With the north London outfit moving into the top four in the English top flight over the weekend and desperate to reach the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition, Pochettino will want to avoid any injuries to any key men and with some senior fringe players failing to impress when they have been given a chance to stake a claim for a regular spot in the team, the 45-year-old could turn to the youth.
Here are two Tottenham youngsters the Argentine must bring into the starting XI vs Rochdale…
Kyle Walker-Peters
The 20-year-old full-back has been rarely seen in the Tottenham team ever since he put in an impressive display at right-back in the 2-0 win against Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The youngster did feature against AFC Wimbledon and Newport County in the previous rounds of the FA Cup, but he only made the substitutes’ bench at Spotland last time out.
However, with this replay at home, Pochettino not wanting Kieran Trippier to get injured ahead of an important run-in and with Serge Aurier struggling against Crystal Palace on Sunday, now is the perfect time to give Walker-Peters a chance to shine.
Kazaiah Sterling
Having played back-up to Harry Kane for the majority of the season, Fernando Llorente was given a rare chance to impress in the starting XI at Spotland earlier this month, but he failed to take it.
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The Spaniard just doesn’t seem to fit in to Tottenham’s style of play, and he made little impact against Keith Hill’s side before he was replaced by Kane, who went on to score from the penalty spot.
Pochettino ideally won’t want to risk Kane at home to a League One side ahead of an important set of fixtures, and with Llorente failing to impress it could be the perfect opportunity to bring 19-year-old Sterling, who has scored 11 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions for the club’s various youth sides this season, into the starting XI.
Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, has been handed the power to order India home from Australia without consulting the rest of the board. Although India are continuing their Test tour for now, Pawar said he would not be afraid to use the authority if India felt the result of the appeal into Harbhajan Singh’s three-Test suspension was not satisfactory.”I will only use the power in support of Harbhajan for the rest of the country,” Pawar told the . “There will be a [ICC] committee hearing. We are confident in the hearing he will be cleared.”Let’s just see what happens, but allegations of racism against a member of our cricket team is not acceptable. After the meeting, we then will take action. We fight against racism. Our country supported anti-racism movements in South Africa.”There were concerns that India would withdraw from the Perth Test, which starts on Wednesday, if Harbhajan’s appeal was not heard before the match. However, India agreed to play on until the case was completed, which may yet be after the final Test in Adelaide later this month.But doubts remain over India’s participation in the ODI tri-series, which also features Australia and Sri Lanka, as India’s players are still angry with the treatment of Harbhajan. The spinner was suspended for allegedly calling Andrew Symonds a monkey during the eventful Sydney Test, although Sachin Tendulkar, who was batting with Harbhajan at the time, believes nothing racist was said.Tendulkar reportedly sent Pawar a text message assuring him of Harbhajan’s innocence and suggesting they should not play unless the ban is lifted. It is unclear when the appeal will be held, although the New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen has been appointed as the commissioner for the hearing.The other charge to come out of the Sydney Test was against Australia’s Brad Hogg, who will face a hearing after he allegedly referred to Anil Kumble and MS Dhoni as “bastards” during the match. The reported that Australia will argue the Hogg case should not fit in section 3.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct – the same section under which Harbhajan was suspended – because they believe the term “bastard” does not vilify a player on the basis of race, religion, gender, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin.Instead, Australia will argue the term refers to a person’s lineage and therefore Hogg should not be charged under section 3.3. If Hogg was found guilty of a lesser offence of abusive language he would not face a similar suspension to Harbhajan.
Simon Taufel has received more recognition for his umpiring after being named the official of the year at the Australian Sports Awards in Melbourne. Taufel beat a field including football and basketball referees to add the prize to his three consecutive successes as the ICC’s leading umpire.”I hope that this form of recognition creates awareness that officials are an integral part of the game and encourages other members of the community to look at match officiating as a way of contributing to their chosen favourite sport,” Taufel said.Cricket Australia’s CricKids Ashes Challenge school resource was nominated as a top-three finalist in the sports information technology award and Karen Rolton, the Australia captain, was short-listed for the female athlete of the year.
Guyana progressed to the final-four stage by beating Jamaica by 51 runs at Chedwin Park. Resuming overnight on 114 for 6, Shivnarine Chanderpaul stood firm on 63 as Guyana were skittled for just 163 but their huge 170-run first-innings lead meant that Jamaica had to score 334 to win. Marlon Samuels (81) and Darren Powell (57) made a real fight of it but Narsingh Deonarine (4 for 64) and Mahendra Nagamootoo (3 for 93) bowled Guyana to victory. Chanderpaul was named Man of the Match for his scores of 75 and 63 not out.Barbados completed the formality of taking one Leeward Islands wicket to romp to victory by 173 runs but Steve Liburd made them toil for it. Liburd extended Leewards’ overnight score of 172 for 9 to 236 with an unbeaten 95. He was stranded just short of a century when Colin Hamer was the last man out. Ryan Hinds, who scored 168 in the first innings and 150 in the second, was named Man of the Match.Trinidad and Tobago’s title hopes ended as they slumped to a 86-run defeat against Windward Islands at Shaw Park. Set a target of 175, T&T collapsed for 88 with only Darren Ganga (37) offering resistance. Deighton Butler was adjudged Man of the Match for his 3 for 27 that rocked the T&T second innings. Earlier, Windwards resumed their innings on 77 for 5 but were dismissed for 118. Dave Mohammed picked up match figures of 11 for 118.