Peter Moores said Monty Panesar’s persistent appealing during England’s third Test win against West Indies was simply a sign of his enthusiasm and not an example of unsporting behaviour. Panesar finished the match with figures of 10 for 187 at Old Trafford as England won by 60 runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.It was the first time in a decade an England spinner had taken ten wickets in a Test but Panesar’s achievement was almost overshadowed on Monday by a succession of increasingly desperate appeals which might have seen him charged under the ICC Code of Conduct. As it was, umpire Aleem Dar made do with warning Panesar, reminding him to appeal to him first before celebrating a wicket.However, Moores was satisfied with Panesar’s conduct and he praised Dar and Billy Bowden for the way they dealt with the pressures of a hard-fought final day. Asked if Panesar’s appealing represented an attempt to put pressure on officials, Moores replied: “Not really, because I know it’s genuine. I think good umpires do understand that in many ways the enthusiasm and the excitement of the game can suck players into it. When the umpire says not out then Monty stops which I think is fine, it’s when people go again that isn’t right. I thought all the appealing that went on was fine.”With West Indies chasing what would have been a fourth innings Test record total of 455 to win, on a pitch taking turn, Moores said plenty of Panesar appeals were inevitable. “There was always going to be a lot of hits on the pad and a lot of bat-pads going on and there was going to be that sort of tension in the game,” said Moores.Panesar even appealed when a rogue ball bounced so much it hit Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the head. Afterwards Panesar said he’d struggled to keep his cool. “You want to take wickets and you want the game to go forward and it was a very testing period for myself, but I have to stay calm, put the ball in the right areas and let the pitch do the work,” Panesar said. “Aleem told me to appeal before I start celebrating. I guess I get a little bit excited when I’m out there.”England have opted for a four-man attack during this series with Panesar the lone specialist spinner. Moores said an increased workload had benefited Panesar. “The fact we’ve used three seamers has allowed him to bowl a bit more and from that he’s stepped up again and he’s shown what a quality bowler he can be,” Moores said. “He’s learning all the time and getting better and it’s very exciting to see spinners in the game because they create a different type of pressure.”
Friends and former team-mates have said their final farewells to Fred Trueman whose funeral took place this afternoon at Bolton Abbey Priory, North Yorkshire.Trueman was diagnosed with a form of lung cancer in May and died on Saturday. Ray Illingworth and Brian Close, the former England captain, joined several hundred mourners at the church where Trueman was a regular worshipper.”He was a genius. And I use that word very, very sparingly,” Dickie Bird, the former Test umpire told the congregation in his tribute to Trueman. “There have not been very many geniuses in sport — Muhammad Ali in boxing, (Diego) Maradona, Pele and (George) Best in football, Michael Johnson the great American athlete, (Don) Bradman, (Garfield) Sobers, (Dennis) Lilliee and Trueman. I put him up there.”A genius – and all these I have mentioned had a wonderful, wonderful gift. You cannot coach the gift, and that was balance. Trueman had wonderful balance. He bowled at pace, he swung the ball away late and by doing that he got all the great players in the world out.”You are cherished, my friend, you are cherished by us all,” he added.The Reverend John Ward, Rector of Bolton Abbey, said England had lost a “genuine sporting hero”.”But the loss to his country, his fans or his friends is as nothing compared to that of his family,” he said. “We meet many of us as strangers yet bound by our affection and respect for what I can only describe as a cricketing colossus.”A man capable of crossing all boundaries, be it four runs, six runs or social class.”The Yorkshire coach David Byas and captain Craig White also attended the service. Byas added: “He epitomised everything that cricket was about. He was a true Yorkshireman. He was Yorkshire through-and-through.”A book of condolence has been opened at Headingley, which will eventually be presented to his widow.
Inter-island rivalries have always made picking a West Indies team difficult. Since they lost their world-champion crown to Australia in 1995, selection has become virtually impossible as dozens of players have been tried and tested … and failed. The same problem has infiltrated the process of appointing a coach. Choosing someone to guide the side, and stay there, has been nothing short of a nightmare, and the West Indies Cricket Board is now looking for help from yet another island: Australia.A leaked e-mail from board sources says that the Australian academy head coach Bennett King will soon be moving to the Caribbean. Greg Chappell was ruled out because his asking price was too high, and Peter Moores, the Sussex coach, was also a contender. Only one West Indian – who has, amazingly, remained unnamed – was on the short-list to replace Gus Logie. Logie was the second choice last year, after King rejected the job after another bungled selection process. King was called by a board official and told he had got the job and the media had been alerted. However, according to King, negotiations were barely in the initial stages, and he decided to stay with the close-knit Australia cricket academy.So Logie, who coached West Indies A before finding himself mentoring Canada at the 2003 World Cup, was given a job most of the applicants hadn’t wanted. He stayed long enough to win the Champions Trophy in England last month, but left by mutual consent when that tournament finished.This time the WI Board is trying to be more careful, although this strategy still hasn’t worked: “We have treated it [the selection process] with a degree of strict confidentially that we intend to maintain,” Roger Brathwaite, the WICB chief executive, told the Trinidad & Tobago Express. “We will only make the appropriate announcement when both parties are in full agreement and the contract has been signed.”But the leaked e-mail says King has accepted the job and the board plans to unveil him next week. The move means King will become West Indies’ first foreign coach. Rohan Kanhai was the team’s initial choice in 1992, and Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Vivian Richards and Roger Harper followed. But the board has come to the end of the list of 1980s heroes, while the old problems remain both on and off the field. The Champions Trophy already seems a long time ago.
Dewald Pretorius and Heath Streak have joined Warwickshire for the 2004 season, after agreeing to share one of the two slots available for overseas players.Streak, who needed the approval of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, has suffered a string of niggling injuries in recent months, but was nonetheless keen to return to county cricket after an absence of several years. He will join Warwickshire from mid-June until the end of August, when he will link up with the Zimbabwe squad ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. Pretorious, who was at Durham last season, will play either side of Streak’s stint.Warwickshire’s other overseas player, the Australian spinner Brad Hogg, is expected to play for most of the season. The captain, Nick Knight, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Heath will be joining us next season. With 200 Test wickets to his name, he will help the young bowlers coming through as well as bolstering our batting line-up. His cricket experience will be invaluable.”Warwickshire had hoped to sign Makhaya Ntini but that plan was vetoed by the South African board.
New South Wales cricketer Graeme Rummans’ hearing before an Australian Cricket Board (ACB) committee is under way in Melbourne.The 25-year-old is facing the three-person Anti-Doping Committee following the return of a positive test to the banned masking agent probenecid before a training session with the New South Wales state squad in December last year.If ultimately found to have acted inappropriately, Rummans faces the possibility of a maximum two-year ban from all cricket conducted under the auspices of the ACB and the six state associations in Australia.But the committee also has the power to either clear Rummans of any offence or to reduce his sentence under guidelines that allow the severity of any punishment to be relaxed where extenuating medical circumstances exist.Former Western Australian paceman Duncan Spencer is the only player to have previously been outed from the sport in Australia following the return of a positive drug test. In a case heard in April of last year, he was barred from participating in international and interstate cricket for a period of 18 months in the wake of his use of the banned steroid nandrolone.Rummans’ hearing began at 4:30pm AEDT and is expected to proceed for several hours.
A gallant unbeaten 100 by BMV Uthappa followed by a mesmeric spell offour for eight from two overs by AT Rayudu helped South Zone defeatCombined XI by three runs in an inconsequential group B match in theinter-academy cricket tournament at Bangalore on Saturday.Play started only at 12.28 pm because of rain. Put in to bat, SouthZone scored 180 for nine in the allotted 27 overs. The highlight wasUthappa’s knock. Coming in after four wickets had fallen for 34, hestayed on till the end, facing just 62 balls and hitting nine foursand five sixes. With N Reddy (25), Uthappa added 90 runs off 10.2overs for the seventh wicket after six wickets had gone down for 50.Combined XI with valuable contributions from skipper SM Dholpure (32),HTS Rao (48), Sushil Kumar (30) and SV Lazarus (24) seemed to beheaded for victory at 155 for three after 23 overs. But Rayudu’s spelland a couple of run outs saw Combined XI restricted to 177 for nine in27 overs.
On-loan Sunderland striker Nathan Broadhead has made a decent impression on Wearside since making the move from Everton for the season, and he could see his move become permanent, with the Toffees reportedly open to selling the 23-year-old this summer in order to raise funds.
What’s the story?
According to Liverpool World, the Welshman could depart Goodison Park this summer, with only one year left on his Everton contract.
The 23-year-old has made just two first-team appearances for the Merseyside outfit, having had a decent tenure for the under-23s along with loan spells at Burton Albion and now Sunderland.
It is at Sunderland where Broadhead has impressed most, scoring seven goals in 17 appearances, but a recurring hamstring injury has held the Welshman back during the second half of the campaign.
The striker has made just one league appearance since mid-December, with his absence having a major impact on the Black Cats’ results. Out of the 16 league games that the 23-year-old has missed since 18 December, the Wearsiders have won just six, with Alex Neil replacing Lee Johnson in the dugout during that period.
Sunderland must sign Broadhead permanently
The Black Cats are currently seventh in League One, with automatic promotion now looking highly unlikely. Indeed, the Wearside outfit will need to get back into the play-off places, having seen Sheffield Wednesday leapfrog them into that all-important sixth position over the weekend.
Although the season hasn’t gone the way he would’ve wanted, Broadhead had made a strong impression in the first half of the campaign, with his goal away to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup a clear highlight.
If Neil can lead Sunderland to promotion to the Championship, perhaps other centre-forward targets will be approached. However, if the Black Cats are to once again be a third-tier club next term, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t make an attempt to sign the on-loan 23-year-old permanently.
Valued at £450k by Transfermarkt, the Welshman will almost certainly leave Goodison Park for a higher figure, but the fee may still be a cut-price one given that Broadhead has just one year remaining on his contract at his parent club.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Having seen Jermain Defoe retire this week, Sunderland are suddenly lighter on options in the final third, with Ross Stewart the main contributor up front with 22 goals this term.
Neil will be desperate to have the 23-year-old striker back available and, should he play before the end of the season, Broadhead could make the definitive impression which sees his loan move made permanent in the summer. In turn, he could finally fire the Black Cats out of League One.
In other news – Forget Defoe: Alex Neil must now unleash “smashing” Sunderland beast, they need him
Omar Henry has been replaced as convenor of selectors by the South African cricket board, but will remain on the selection committee. The move was an unexpected one, but Henry stated that he had had no intention of holding the post for a long time.Curiously, Henry said to , “I’m now 52 and I’ve got a fair appreciation of cricket politics. If I was 20 years younger, I might have reacted differently.” There were reports that Haroon Lorgat, currently a treasurer, would replace Henry as convenor, but would only have a vote if the four selectors were unable to decide on a player.Gerald Majola, the head of the South African board, expressed faith in Lorgat’s abilities. “Our major concern has been the effective management of the selection process. We believe Haroon will do a very good job.” Henry, Ray Jennings, Enver Mall and Joubert Strydom make up the selection panel.
Questions are being asked about the selection issues which have blighted Northerns’ Logan Cup campaign. Northerns, who were expected to be among the pace setters in the tournament, finished the bottom Zimbabwe side and failed to win any of their five matches.An insider told Cricinfo that the main problem was that a number of players did not see eye-to-eye with Steyn Kombayi, the board’s general manager for Harare and a regional and national selector.”Kombayi does not like Tafadzwa Mufambisi who, in my view, is a better wicketkeeper than Brendan Taylor,” the source said. “Mufambisi was left out of the Northerns match against Westerns (in which they were bowled out for 47) for no reason. I am actually told that the Northerns team for that particular match was announced after the toss as they were not sure who was actually playing.” Kombayi is understood to have claimed that Mufambisi, who has played six ODIs for Zimbabwe, had attitude problems.Kombayi is said to be pushing for the selection of Regis Chakabva, the former Under-19 keeper, for the national team. Chakabva’s inclusion in the A side against Kenya caused more than a few raised eyebrows given his moderate form in the handful of matches he has played.Another source said that Graeme Cremer had refused to play in one match after Alois Tichana was named captain. Cremer, it was claimed, “was getting frustrated that he was being captained by someone who could not even set a field for his bowling”.Zimbabwe’s wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor was unavailable after having a row over contracts, and although he did report for training ahead of the match against Westerns, he withdrew at the last minute.Kombayi is also thought to have major issues with Takashinga, arguably the best club in the country, and is to all intents blocking players who have come through the club. To this end he is being backed by Terrry Mumbwandarika, the ZC operations assistant manager, who is also anti-Takashinga and who is also a Northerns selector.What is not clear is why provincial chairman Cyprina Mandenge has allowed the situation to deteriorate so far and why, given Northerns dismal performance, he has not insisted that the best side be picked.
Zimbabwe came through their seven-match series in the Caribbean better than many feared, but it was still too obvious that they are some way short of having what it takes to play at the highest level. Martin Williamson gives his end-of-tour reportsFull series averages
9 Prosper Utseya Consistent throughout the series, Utseya came of age with the ball where his flight and spin belied his lack of experience and years. He was consistently able to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs, and he provided two of the highlights – one when he comprehensively beat Brian Lara with successive deliveries in the first match in Trinidad, and the other his remarkable diving, juggling boundary catch in the second.8 Chamu Chibhabha The other real success story of the series with back-to-back fifties in Antigua and then a well-made 40 in Guyana, before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury. On this evidence he appears to possess the temperament and the ability to succeed in international cricket and he is one of Zimbabwe’s brightest prospects.Ed Rainsford The pick of Zimbabwe’s seamers, he led the line well in the first three matches before leaving the tour to take up a club commitment in the UK. The new-ball attack looked distinctly unthreatening without his accurate fast-medium bowling.7 Tawanda Mupariwa Not the fastest of new-ball bowlers, he has an easy action and with tight control he actually managed to put pressure on the batsmen in the early overs. His two opening spells in Trinidad were as good as any in the series, and it seems madness that he was never allowed to share the new ball with Rainsford as the two of them could really have caused a few problems. Like Rainsford, his success opening the bowling is even more impressive considering that he was getting little support from the other end.Vusi Sibanda Shone in the field where his enthusiasm was noticeable, but his chance only came when Chibhabha was sidelined and he responded with a fifty in his first outing and then was looking threatening when the rain came in the first match in Trinidad. He finished the series with 42 at Trinidad and did enough to show that the long (and largely unproductive) run he has been given in the side might be paying dividends.Brendan Taylor One of the side’s most experienced players, he kept tidily enough but never really got going with the bat despite getting a start in four of his six innings. On the one occasion he came in with Zimbabwe actually looking for runs rather than survival – in the sixth match – he briefly showed that he had what it takes before the rain intervened, and was set for a fifty when brilliantly run-out in the final game.6 Elton Chigumbura An ever-present member of the side, he batted superbly for his 60 at Georgetown but was otherwise struggling for form. His catching could not be questioned, taking four at long-on in the final match.5 Ryan Higgins Another teenager with little experience, that showed when his legspin was mauled at a key stage in the first match in Antigua, but he bowled an excellent spell at Queen’s Park Oval which included the wickets of Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Lara, however, got revenge in the final match. He bowled with accuracy but was hampered by the fact he did not turn the ball much and lacks variety.
4 Terry Duffin Continued to look upbeat throughout the tour, but in one-day cricket he clearly lacks the range of strokes needed from a top-order batsman and was unable to press on when the situation demanded. His captaincy was at times naïve, but that is hardly his fault as he has been thrown in at the deep end and has only led the side since his ODI debut against Kenya two months ago.Keegan Meth A very young and inexperienced allrounder, he was only brought in for the final two matches in Trinidad, where his medium-pace bowling suffered a mauling in the first game and fared little better in the second. His one innings gave little sign that he would be anything other than a late middle-order batsman.Gregory Strydom Fairly anonymous with both bat and ball, his only contribution of substance, a defiant 48, came when the game was already lost in St Lucia. In the final ODI he spilt a tough chance in the field which seemed to sum up his tour. Almost, but not quite.3 Charles Coventry The jury is still out on Coventry, but the credit he earned for his 74 against India last September is fast evaporating. He failed in his two innings and hardly helped his own cause with some sloppy fieldingKeith Dabengwa Took part in two matches and failed to impress in either. His tour was summed up by his dismissal to Dave Mohammad, when he stepped back and demolished his own stumps attempting a cut.Blessing Mahwire There were a few raised eyebrows when he was picked for the tour as he had just had a dismal series against Kenya. That form continued here as he struggled for any rhythm and shipped far too many runs for an opening bowler, many of which were gifted as extras.2 Anthony Ireland He arrived in the Caribbean with a hand injury which limited his opportunities, but when he did play and was given the new ball, he was dreadful, lacking any consistency, his 11 overs costing 82.1 Piet Rinke Oh dear. On the plus side, he scored two hundreds in the warm-up matches. However, in the ODIs his form was beyond wretched with 11 runs in his first five innings as his technique was ripped apart. He made 12 in his final innings, but got off the mark with an edge through the slips and never looked remotely at ease. His gentle seamers were briefly tried and found wanting, and he was far from athletic in the field either.