Angry Harbhajan lashes out at Gilchrist

The war of words involving Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh has continued © AFP
 

Harbhajan Singh has hit back at Adam Gilchrist’s comments on Sachin Tendulkar and said that Gilchrist was not respected anyway due to his own on-field behaviour. Gilchrist labelled as a “joke” the evidence Tendulkar gave in January during the hearing into Harbhajan’s alleged racist remarks against Andrew Symonds.”He should not be talking about Sachin. It is all rubbish,” Harbhajan told the . “We don’t respect him. He pretends to be a saint and people say he walks when he nicks, but why did he appeal when batsmen don’t nick?”He always changes his mind according to a situation. If Australia is close to a victory he is always going up [appealing], whether it is out or not out. We don’t need him to say these things [about Tendulkar] just because he is retired.”Harbhajan was alleged to have called Symonds a monkey and was initially suspended for three Tests, although the ban was overturned on appeal. Gilchrist was annoyed that Tendulkar told the appeal Harbhajan had used a Hindi term that sounded like monkey, although he had earlier given evidence that he could not hear Harbhajan’s comment.”I don’t want to talk about that episode again and again. It is over,” Harbhajan said. “If you talk to any guy who plays or follows cricket about Sachin Tendulkar, they will talk about the respect he commands. These guys can’t come close to him. I am really shocked.”Harbhajan said the ill-feeling between the two sides that spilled over in the series in Australia had long since passed. He said both teams had played in the right spirit in the first two Tests in India this month.”We are very focused on cricket and on the next Test in Delhi,” Harbhajan said. “We know Australia will come back very strong. It has been a great series so far. There have been no dramas in the first two Tests. I hope the next two will be played in the gentleman’s spirit.”

Blues get home despite North's 95

Scorecard

Grant Lambert’s resilient 48 not out was a key in the New South Wales victory © Getty Images
 

Marcus North’s brilliant 95 was not enough to steal victory from the so-called baby Blues, who started the season on a high with a six-run win at the WACA. In a tense finish Western Australia needed 11 from the final over with one wicket in hand but Mark Cameron bowled North with the second delivery to secure the victory.It was a disappointing end for the Man of the Match North, who was the only one of Western Australia’s top five who had not played for Australia, and also the only one of them to show any resilience. He had strong support from Brett Dorey, whose 45 was a career high, as they added 50 in the last 4.2 overs – when the batting powerplay was used – and compiled an 87-run stand that was Western Australia’s highest one-day ninth-wicket partnership.But the Blues, particularly Cameron and Nathan Hauritz, had done just enough damage to the Warriors’ top order to set up the success. Western Australia were chasing what should have been a gettable 221 but the loss of their openers Luke Ronchi and Shaun Marsh in the first four overs was a blow.Hauritz (3 for 29), keen to push himself forward as a potential ODI spinner five years after his latest outing in Australia’s limited-overs team, tossed the ball up and reaped the rewards. He collected Luke Pomersbach for 15 and returned later to remove Steve Magoffin and Aaron Heal in one over, before Dorey joined North for the final attempted assault.The New South Wales win gave them some hope in the FR Cup after they finished last season on the bottom of the table. Their younger men made contributions, particularly Steve O’Keefe with a wicket and a feisty 29, but it was the more experienced Hauritz and Grant Lambert who set up the triumph.Lambert’s focused innings of 48 not out guided New South Wales to 9 for 220, not a daunting total but a reasonable result after they stumbled to 6 for 124. Dorey’s three wickets helped the Warriors but the first match of the 2008-09 season suggested the Blues are still a strong force, despite losing key men such as Simon Katich, Doug Bollinger and Brad Haddin to the national setup.

Jarvis too hot as Valley End win village title

Valley End 195 for 6 (Young 66, Hadfield 3-34) beat Woodhouse Grange 171 (Burdett 59, Jarvis 3-27, Nevin 3-38) by 24 runs
ScorecardValley End beat Woodhouse Grange by 24 runs to win the npower Village Cup at a chilly and almost deserted Lord’s. An anchor innings of 66 from Ed Young backed by some hostile quick bowling from Scott Jarvis proved too much for the defending champions.Valley End started well despite losing Durandt for a quickfire 22. Paul Williams and Young, the latter with some lovely straight drives, kept the scoreboard ticking along and after 20 overs the Surrey side were well placed on 89 for 1. But the drinks interval checked their progress, and the next ten overs produced only 29 runs. Inevitably, the pressure told and a flurry of wickets, all to catches searching for the elusive big hit, brought Woodhouse Grange right back into the game. Young and Williams added 103 for the second wicket before three wickets fell for four runs.Eventually, Young ran out of steam and, after being dropped from successive balls off the generally impressive Tom Quinn , he was stumped in the next over off Nick Hadfield for 66. After looking set for a score well over 200, Valley End only got close to that thanks to their last five overs which produced 45, the highlight being a lovely six over long-on from Chris Peploe.Woodhouse Grange, who cruised past a target of 220 a year ago, lost Hadfield, their top scorer then, in the third over but looked to have weathered a no-holds-barred assault from Valley End’s seamers, who bowled with venom but waywardness, conceding 11 wides in the first 12 overs.Jarvis was the pick on the bunch. Steaming in from the Pavilion End, he had Dwyer caught behind gloving a leg-side bouncer, and came within a whisker of winning a leg-before shout against Burdett next ball. Soon after he earned a warning for a beamer that sailed some way over the batsman’s head. There is no doubting his ability and he bowled at a pace which would leave most club batsmen heading for cover. He would not have been remotely out of his depth in tomorrow’s Cockspur Cup final.The jitters in the Yorkshiremen’s camp became more serious when Jonathan Bean top-edged Tom Nevin’s second ball to square leg, and then Jarvis bowled Mark Burdett for 7. Joel Hughes somehow survived a raucous caught-behind appeal after being cut in half by the next ball and Valley End were in the driving seat.As the asking rate eased above a run-a-ball, Woodhouse Grange had no choice but to start taking chances. Hughes was well caught above his head by Peploe (all-too-briefly described as “Mummy’s Little Soldier” by the electronic scoreboard) in front of the Tavern, and Nevin picked up his third wicket when Ben Kingsnorth, who had a good day with bat and gloves, completed a neat stumping to remove Andrew Bilton.Valley End eased up within sight of victory and Woodhouse Grange, all but down and out on 91 for 6, benefited from some sloppy fielding and ordinary bowling. They were, however, too far off the pace for it to seriously threaten the outcome. A seventh-wicket stand of 44 ended when Rudd failed to clear Ian Guest at long-on, and that was pretty much that.Steve Burdett kept his side’s dreams flickering with a belligerent 59, but the prize was always just beyond him even if he had he found support from the tail. The end came soon after he had perished to another good catch at long-on from Peploe.It was a deserved victory for Valley End, but it will be tempered by the knowledge that rumoured rule changes, as the competition strives to avoid becoming the haunt of club rather than village cricketers, might leave them struggling to defend their crown. It would be harsh on them were they to be sucked into that debate. While they have a few players who take part in other leagues, they tend to be their own cricketers who have come good.Another dampener was that the scheduling of the game on a Monday, allied to a decision by MCC to charge admission for the first time, meant that the crowd was a fraction of the 2000-odd who attended last year.

Scotland face Kenya in must-win encounter

John Blain leads Scotland’s attack as they aim to push their Intercontinental Cup hopes © Getty Images
 

Scotland must beat Kenya in their Intercontinental Cup match which starts on Thursday to have any hope of qualifying for the finals. Scotland would go ten points clear of leaders Namibia if they won, but they would then face an anxious wait to see if remaining results went in their favour.Ireland, one of Scotland’s closest rivals, face away matches against Kenya and Namibia while one of Namibia’s remaining matches is at home against bottom side Bermuda. Scotland’s best hope appears to lie in victory followed by Namibia winning their two remaining matches and Kenya and Ireland cancelling each other out.Scotland are on a high after finishing in third place in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast, a spot that will give them a place in next year’s main event in England provided Zimbabwe Cricket’s board ratifies a decision made at the ICC annual conference to step back from the event.To secure third, Scotland beat Kenya in one of the most convincing – and one-sided – matches of the tournament, chasing down 107 to win by nine wickets with 11 balls in hand after Kyle Coetzer and Ryan Watson put on an opening stand of 102.Coetzer will be on county duty with Durham and is one of four changes in the squad with wicketkeeper Colin Smith, opener Gavin Hamilton and another county player, Navdeep Poonia, who is with Warwickshire, all missing.Dougie Lockhart comes in to open and keep wicket, while Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh and Omer Hussain are also all included. Lyons collected six wickets against Bermuda and seven against Canada, while Lockhart made his maiden first-class hundred in Toronto, a game in which Sheikh made 92.But if Scotland are flying, Kenya are struggling for lift-off. The World Twenty20 Qualifier was a disaster and the loss in the third and fourth-placed play-off means they will miss out on a tournament they were a part of in South Africa in 2007.A loss in Glasgow won’t end Kenya’s hopes of reaching the final but it will make it very tough. One of their remaining matches is against Netherlands, who have struggled badly in this tournament, but the other is against two-time defending champions Ireland.But before they can even think of the future, they have to contend with Scotland. David Obuya and Alfred Luseno are added to the squad that was in action in Belfast.Scotland (from) Ryan Watson (capt), Richie Berrington, Dewald Nel, John Blain, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Omer Hussain, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh, Neil McCallum, Fraser Watts.Kenya (from) Steve Tikolo (capt), Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Tony Suji, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Jimmy Kamande, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Alex Obanda, Ragheb Aga, David Obuya, Alfred Luseno, Collins Obuya.

McGrath and Rudolph flay Kent

First Division

Nic Pothas held Hampshire together with 62 against Lancashire © Getty Images
 

A 214-run stand for the third wicket between centurions Anthony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph lifted Yorkshire to 359 for 5 on day one against Kent at Canterbury. Having added 97 with Adam Lyth (50) after the early loss of Andrew Gale, McGrath found a solid ally in Rudolph and the two clicked away at a good rate. McGrath’s 144 from 226 balls was his first hundred of the Championship season, while Rudolph’s unbeaten 121 was the fourth of season in which he has amassed 677 runs. Yasir Arafat took two wickets after McGrath fell with the score 341 for 3, but Rudolph and Matthew Hoggard held out until stumps.Nic Pothas’ hardworking 62 held Hampshire together against Lancashire at The Rose Bowl as the visitors shared the wickets around. Pothas, who came close to being run out by Lou Vincent before he had scored, battled hard against a strong attack after the top slipped to 85 for 4. Michael Carberry fell in the first over of the match, offering Glen Chapple a return catch, and Andrew Flintoff removed his former team-mate John Crawley with an edge to slip. Pothas took two sixes off Gary Keedy but finally fell having a wild slash at Chapple, sending an outside edge to Flintoff at second slip.For John Ward’s summary of Nottinghamshire’s match against Surrey at Trent Bridge, click here.There was no play at Chester-le-Street between Durham and Somerset.

Second Division

Rain limited the action to 33.5 oversat Bristol, but there was enough time in between the showers for the Gloucestershire bowlers to put Middlesex under pressure, the visitors struggling to 73 for 4. Jon Lewis accounted for the wickets of Billy Godleman (0) and Ed Joyce (13), while Steve Kirby had Dawid Malan smartly held by William Porterfield at second slip. In the 12th over Shah retired hurt with a knee problem, and though he was later to return, his stay was brief when he edged a short delivery to the wicketkeeper, Steve Snell. Eoin Morgan was on 23 before bad light curtailed a miserable first day for Middlesex.At Derby, only 30.1 overs were squeezed in due to rain, but it was enough for Derbyshireto reach 111 for 3 against Leicestershire. The visitors elected to field first and soon had Derbyshire 15 for 2. Chris Rogers dug in for 52 off 89 balls, adding 96 with Wavell Hinds, and was last out when play was called off. Hinds was unbeaten on 33 from 62 balls, with two boundaries.Just 4.2 overs of play were possible at New Road as Northamptonshire progressed from their overnight 134 for 6 to 153 for 6, with enough time to shade a first-innings lead of seven over Worcestershire. The two South Africans, Nicky Boje (18) and Lance Klusener (14) are the not-out batsman going into the third day.No play was possible between Glamorgan and Essex at Cardiff.

Boards yet to reach a compromise

Sri Lanka’s key players don’t want to miss out on the Indian Premier League next season © Getty Images
 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is still in discussions with the ECB about the status of their tour to England next year, according to Graeme Labrooy, the Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) secretary.SLC had earlier said that they would revert to the players’ body by Wednesday on the tour, which clashes with next year’s Indian Premier League, but Labrooy said that “with informal discussions still going on between SLC and the England and Wales Cricket Board, we now expect to be updated by the weekend”.”I have been informed by SLC that discussions are still going on, and some clarity may come through by the weekend,” Labrooy told Cricinfo. “I believe the discussions basically revolve around how best the tour can go forward, whether the tour schedule can be reworked or whether the IPL franchises can release some players for the tour and so on. But we are not pushing SLC because the tour is still a year away and the players are right now focussed on the India series starting on July 23.”It’s believed the SLC interim committee, headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, is scheduled to meet soon to discuss the issue.Sri Lanka’s proposed tour to England clashes with the IPL, for which 13 top Sri Lankan cricketers, include Mahela Jayawardene, their captain, Kumar Sangakkara, the vice-captain, and Muttiah Muralitharan, have signed three-year contracts.On July 8, the ECB announced the dates for Sri Lanka’s visit, which starts with a warm-up game against Leicestershire on April 21, and ends with the third and final ODI against England on May 30. But two days later, following an intervention from the country’s president on behalf of the players, Mendis announced the Sri Lankan players would be allowed to appear for the IPL and that a compromise would worked out with the ECB.The tour was firmed up during the recent ICC conference in Dubai, where Ranatunga agreed to the ECB’s request to fill in the slot vacated by Zimbabwe for the 2009 season.

USA and Afghanistan power on

Khawaja Shuja after taking 5 for 15 for USA against Norway © Cricket Europe/ICC
 

While there was frustration that yesterday’s rain caused all but one of the second round matches to be carried into what should have been a rest day, Nepal’s Mahaboob Alam was not complaining after taking 10 for 12 in 7.5 overs against Mozambique. Chasing Nepal’s 238 for 7, Mozambique managed a paltry 19 to slump to a 219-run victory. Click here for more.It was again a day for the favourites as, in addition to Nepal, there were wins for Afghanistan, USA and Jersey.Former West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert, coach of the USA team, hailed his side as they comprehensively beat Norway by 10 wickets but said that the players were not going to become over confident despite two comfortable wins. “We’re not going to underestimate anybody. We’re the ones who have played a higher level of cricket so everyone expects us to win so there is a lot of pressure on,” said Lambert.The USA bowling attack looked extremely threatening with the wickets shared around its pace attack. Khawaja Shuja, the 19-year-old right-arm fast medium bowler, was the pick with figures of 5 for 15, although Steve Pitter (2 for 24) and Imran Awan (2 for 36) were also looking dangerous with some aggressive short-pitched bowling.”Some of the short balls were the right length for the wicket and the guys did a great job of putting the balls on a correct length,” said Lambert. “Some balls bounced and Norway didn’t seem to have played against the bouncing balls a whole lot so it worked in our favour.” In reply, the USA coasted to their target in just 14.5 overs with Sushil Nadkarni (41*) and Orlando Baker (32*) looking in fine form.

Jersey’s Peter Gough on his way to an unbeaten 59 against Japan © Cricket Europe/ICC
 

Eighteen-year-old Gulbudeen Naib was the hero for Afghanistan as he took 5 for 7, including a hat-trick to close the innings, as Bahamas managed just 46 all out. And although they too suffered a batting collapse, Afghanistan secured victory by five wickets after 6.3 overs as they attempted to score quick runs to improve their run-rate, with Mario Ford claiming 3 for 5.”I was very happy to receive my Man-of-the-Match award for Afghanistan and I would like to pay tribute to my captain, team and coach who have helped me achieve this,” said Naib. “It was the first ever hat-trick for Afghanistan so I am very happy,” he added. “I am sure my friends and family back at home will be very proud.”Matt Hague produced a captain’s performance for Jersey in their eight-wicket win over Japan taking 4 for 26 with the ball and scoring 27 not out with the bat. He played his part in reducing Japan to 124 for 8 in 50 overs before helping Peter Gough, who made 59 not out, reach Jersey’s target with 15.5 overs to spare. “It was a really good performance. After yesterday when we got off to such a good start batting we wanted to get in a game today and get a win on the board,” said Hague.In the other game of the day, Singapore registered their first victory of the event with an exciting win by three wickets over Botswana. Buddhika Oshanka made 79 as Singapore reached a target of 184 with 2.3 overs to spare.

MacGill signs new Nottinghamshire deal

LONDON – Australia spinner Stuart MacGill signed a new two-year contractwith English county Nottinghamshire today.MacGill, 31, took 40 championship wickets in just six matches for theTrent Bridge based county last season.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said the club wasdelighted to have retained the leg-spinner’s services.”It’s terrific news,” he said.”Stuart showed himself last season to be the best attacking overseasbowler at this club since Richard Hadlee.”MacGill has taken 82 wickets in 17 Tests but, despite his fine record,his international opportunities have been restricted by Shane Warne,widely regarded as one of the best leg-spinners of all time.

Theekshana spins Sri Lanka to comprehensive win

An all-round display from Sri Lanka was too much for Namibia to handle, with Dasun Shanaka’s men beating the Associate side by seven wickets. Spinner Maheesh Theekshana was primarily responsible for bamboozling the Namibian batting line-up, who didn’t find any rhythm all innings, collapsing to 96 all out inside 20 overs.A brief stutter at the start of the innings from Sri Lanka in the chase looked like it had given Namibia a faint glimmer of hope. Ruben Trumplemann, Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit each picked up a wicket to send Sri Lanka’s top three on their way, but just when Mickey Arthur and his side began to get tingly, along came a fourth-wicket partnership to resume normal service. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Avishka Fernando added 74 for the fourth wicket, easing to their target with 39 balls to spare.Maheesh Theekshana’s mystery makes inroadsJust as Ajantha Mendis used to utterly befuddle Associate sides’ batting orders that had not seen much of his bowling before, Sri Lanka’s newest mystery spinner – Maheesh Theekshana – was Namibia’s primary destroyer. He claimed a wicket with his very first delivery (in the Powerplay no less) when Stephan Baard ran at him first ball, and managed only to miscue him high to mid off. Zane Green also holed out trying to hit Theekshana in the Powerplay, that catch going to mid on. Then, in the sixteenth over, Theekshana bowled Jan Frylinck with what seemed to be a carrom ball. In his very first World Cup match, his figures were 3 for 25.Sri Lanka’s quicks overwhelm Namibia’s battersNamibia had only played one T20I against full-member opposition before this match. They would rarely have faced an attack with two bowlers capable of breaching 145kph. Dushmantha Chameera claimed only one wicket, but was especially quick in this game, hitting 149kph at one point, and hitting opener Zane Green on the helmet with a 147kph delivery. His two Powerplay overs cost only 11.Lahiru Kumara was not quite as fast, but frequently bowled quicker than 140kph, and was perhaps the bowler of the match. He delivered one over in the Powerplay, two in the middle overs, and one at the death (he could only bowl three balls before the innings ended), claiming figures of 2 for 9 from his 3.3 overs.Chameera took 1 for 19 from his four, and Chamika Karunaratne – who was often in the high 130s kph range – claimed 1 for 17.Namibia run through Sri Lanka’s top threeTop order batting is by a distance Sri Lanka’s worst suit, and just as they had against Oman and Bangladesh in practice matches over the past two weeks, Sri Lanka lost early wickets. Kusal Perera looked good while he was at the crease, but was the first to go, mis-hitting a Ruben Trumpelmann slower ball to mid off. Neither Dinesh Chandimal nor Pathum Nissanka looked particularly comfortable at the crease, and sure enough, they both perished in quick succession as well – Nissanka trapped in front by a sliding delivery from Bernard Scholtz, before Chandimal edged Johannes Smit behind. That wicket left Sri Lanka 26 for 3, and seemingly in some trouble.Fernando and Rajapaksa take the chase homeIn the end, though, Namibia had not put up enough to really test Sri Lanka. Fernando could take his time playing himself in, even if Rajapaksa was a little more anxious to get some early boundaries. Even when two or three successive dot balls came, they did not exert substantial pressure. Soon, the bad balls were being picked off with increasing ruthlessness, and Sri Lanka were marching towards their total. Rajapaksa was dropped at the boundary by Scholtz on 18, but otherwise played a decent innings, hitting two sixes and four fours in his 42 not out off 27. Fernando finished with 30 off 28. Their unbeaten partnership was worth 74.

Samuels ponders Kolpak deal after omission from West Indies ODIs

Marlon Samuels has called on the WICB to “compromise” in their selection policy after he was omitted from West Indies’ ODI squad, and suggested he could accept a Kolpak deal in county cricket if an agreement cannot be reached.Samuels, twice man of the match in World T20 finals, was left out of West Indies’ 15-man squad after electing to miss games in the Super 50 competition – the Caribbean regional List A tournament – in order to play in the more lucrative Pakistan Super League. Current WICB policy is that no player will be considered for the international team unless they have made themselves available for the entire regional competition in that format.But Samuels, who claims he was offered double the value of his previous West Indies retainer contract (worth $135,000) to appear in the BPL, argues that the WICB could learn from the example of the boards of New Zealand and England, who allow their players to appear in overseas T20 leagues without it rendering them ineligible for international cricket. Late last year, Samuels was one of the three players – along with Darren Bravo and Carlos Brathwaite – to decline the WICB retainer. It is understood that Samuels was offered a Grade C contract worth $115,000, demoting him from the previous Grade B.”Why can’t I play some games in the PSL and come back and play against England?” Samuels asked in an interview with , a Jamaica-based television network. “I’m not 20. You’re still telling me to miss out on everything. Why can’t you compromise?”The rule they have doesn’t make any sense. You have to compromise. Eoin Morgan, the England captain, is playing in the PSL and then he goes to the Caribbean. Why can’t I do the same? Why play hard ball in everything?”While there is some logic in the WICB stance – they insist that, to retain the strength of their regional competitions, their best players must participate – the reality of the policy has been to deny them many of their best players. Players such as Samuels, who is aged 36, and aware of the diminishing opportunities he may have to earn for his retirement, can earn far more on the T20 circuit than the WICB can afford to pay in retainers. Sunil Narine, ranked third in the ICC’s ODI bowling rankings, is another who has been deemed ineligible.The ECB, by contrast, has actively encouraged some players to take part in the IPL during the county season – they have even allowed the likes of Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes to skip two ODIs against Ireland – reasoning that the benefits of the experience will outweigh the negatives of the dilution of their own domestic product. There might also be an acceptance that the value of central contracts cannot keep pace with the escalation in T20 fees and that, as a result, compromise is required.While Dave Cameron, the president of the WICB, recently stated the board’s selection policy could be reviewed, the selection of the ODI squad to play England suggests there has been no change in the short term.Samuels has not played for West Indies since the Pakistan tour in the UAE last year, and was dropped for the tri-series in Zimbabwe. He was especially surprised at his omission from the three-match ODI series against England given WICB’s recent investment in him when the board paid for his travel to England for his bowling action to be tested. That trip proved fruitful as the ICC cleared Samuels to bowl in international cricket once again.”I didn’t pay for my bowling. ICC didn’t pay for my bowling .The West Indies Cricket Board paid for my bowling. So they invested in my bowling for me to come back to bowl against England. Now I’m going to hear that I’ve to stay and play all the Super50 games.”Incidentally, Samuels ended up playing just one match for Leewards Islands in the Super50 before he left to play in the PSL.Samuels also revealed that he has been offered a three-year Kolpak deal by Derbyshire worth up to £130,000 a season, fuelling concerns that West Indies could be hit by a spate of international retirements of the sort that recently shocked South African cricket. While it is understood he has indicated a reluctance to accept the deal – he would prefer a deal as an overseas player in county cricket, thereby sustaining his hopes of playing international cricket – he has suggested it remains on the table.Samuels asserted that, for him, it is loyalty to West Indies that comes first, which was evident in his 17 years’ service in Caribbean cricket. “I’ve got a Kolpak deal on my plate which I’m contemplating,” he said. “It’s a three-year deal with Derbyshire. Worth probably £120,000-130,000 a year. The money is not the issue at the moment, I’ve been playing international cricket the last 17 years so have set myself the right way. This is about principle, about being loyal. I’ve been a loyal soldier for West Indies cricket and continue to play. I showed some loyalty, so I expect a bit of loyalty. I’m only the one from 2000 still here, sticking round and playing for the West Indies.”Samuels said he was in “no rush” to sign the Derbyshire deal as, after the PSL, he would travel to play another league in Hong Kong and had a “few other deals” in the bag.Samuels is unlikely to be the only Caribbean player attracting interest from England’s first-class counties. Darren Bravo, whose relationship with WICB would appear to be in tatters following a public falling-out with Cameron, is one who is certain to be snapped up if he decides to go that route, while fellow Trinidadian Denesh Ramdin is also understood to be of interest.Ravi Rampaul, the second highest wicket-taker in this year’s Super 50, is already on a Kolpak deal with Surrey, while former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was second in the batting averages, has recently signed a similar deal with Lancashire. Fidel Edwards is also signed to Hampshire as a Kolpak, Other players such as Jofra Archer, Keith Barker and Chris Jordan have also chosen to pursue their careers in England when they could have been eligible for West Indies.

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