Dulip Liyanage, a fast bowler who last played for Sri Lanka in 2001, has been appointed captain-cum-manager of an eight-man Sri Lanka squad for the forthcoming Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.The squad includes three players with international experience – Liyanage, Indika de Saram, now 30, who played the last of his 15 ODIs at Sharjah in 2000-01, and Ravindra Pushpakumara, a 28-year-old fast bowler who has played 23 Tests.The other members include a selection of experienced domestic cluball-rounders: Ruchira Palliyguru, Gayan Wijekoon, Saman Jayantha, Chamila Gamage and Chinthaka Jayasinghe.The annual tournament, which was won last year by Pakistan, will take place at the Kowloon Cricket Club on November 1 and 2.Squad Dulip Liyanage (Capt), Ruchira Palliyguru, Gayan Wijekoon, Saman Jayantha, Indika de Saram, Chamila Gamage, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Ravindra Pushpakumara.
When play finally began at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, the delay due to the wet conditions allowed enough time for only a 23-over-a-side game. But whether it was 50 overs or less than half as many, the story was much the same, with England struggling to come to terms batting on Indian conditions. Asked to bat first, they managed just 70/7 in 23 overs, a total the Indians overhauled with two overs to spare and for the loss of just one wicket. With this win, India go 2-0 up in the five-match series.Things began badly for the English, with the new opening pair of debutante Laura Spragg and Kate Lowe being separated before they could get the scoreboard moving. Spragg’s mighty heave over the on-side only resulted in her losing her middle stump. Lowe (1) and Newton (10) followed in quick time, giving seamer Jhulan Goswami three wickets in her quota of five overs. Jhulan’s lively spell earned her 3/8.After the fall of the third wicket, England’s innings fell apart in dramatic fashion. A series of batsmen attempting to heave the ball around the park resulted in little more than confusion. Instead of playing genuine cricketing shots and keeping the scoreboard ticking over, the English batsmen panicked and succumbed to steady if unspectacular bowling from the Indians.Slowing things right down, Anjum Chopra employed three spinners, with Neetu David (1/14), Deepa Kulkarni (0/22) and Nooshin al Khader (1/13) sending down 15 overs between them.Changing things around, skipper Chopra came out to open the innings with Anju Jain. The pair began slowly in the knowledge that the target was eminently attainable. Lucy Pearson, bowling a good line, was unlucky to have a close shout for lbw turned down when Chopra walked into a delivery that appeared to be headed straight for off-stump.A needless run-out saw Jain (10) depart, replaced by Mithali Raj. After the fall of the first wicket, Chopra accelerated the scoring rate, opening the face of the bat and playing the ball into the gaps on the off-side. Taking a few chances, the Indian skipper flashed hard at anything that was even slightly wide and consistently got away with it.Mithali’s (11) calming influence in the middle helped Chopra (37, 57 balls, three fours) steer India to a nine-wicket win. For her match figures of 5-1-8-3 earlier in the day, Jhulan was named the Hero Honda Woman of the Match.At the end of the match, Indian skipper Chopra said, “It was an important win for us. We were not too happy when we learned that the game would be truncated, but it turned out well in the end. I am glad we are 2-0 up in the series.” Her opposite number Clare Connor was visibly crestfallen. “It was a disappointing toss to lose, but we do not really want to make too much of that. There is no excuse really. We were outplayed once more,” she said.Connor went on to add, “I know we needed to put more runs on the board and take early wickets, but again today, that did not happen. Maybe we were a bit too frantic early on.” Putting up a brave face, the Sussex left-arm spinner ended, “There are things we did better today than in the first game at Chennai, so there are a few positives to take away from this game.”For the sake of the England team and the series, one hopes that the visitors can make the necessary changes to their game in a hurry and give India a better run for their money.
Ryan Sidebottom (5-40) – the fifth time he has taken five wickets or more inrecent weeks – put runners-up Yorkshire in a strong position against Division One championship leaders Surrey at The Oval.England recruit Matthew Hoggard (4-70) supported him in bowling out the host county for just 226. The situation would have been even worse if Martin Bicknell and Ian Salisbury had not put on 73 runs for the eighth wicket.Opener Ian Ward did not score until the tenth over, by which time his partner, Mark Butcher, had been caught at the wicket off Hoggard. Nadeem Shahid (36), quite new to the first team, batted with confidence until Sidebottom’s yorker uprooted his off-stump.At lunch Surrey were quite comfortable at 77-2. Ward was out soon after the interval, as was Ally Brown, caught by David Byas from a Chris Silverwood delivery which bounced higher than expected, who had no opportunity to repeat his high scoring against Leicestershire earlier in the week. Surrey’s position was precarious at 148-7 but captain Adam Hollioake made 48 and then Bicknell, whose allround championship form has been more than just useful, dominated his stand with Salisbury.Batting in uncertain light Yorkshire almost lost Michael Vaughan to a slip chance to Brown from Bicknell. Then the openers settled down and seemed to have played through to the close when Byas steered the penultimate ball of the day from Salisbury to Adam Hollioake at silly point.
West Brom have enjoyed picking up points in their last two games in the Championship after a season of poor and inconsistent form that has seen the side drift from potential automatic promotion to now struggling to pick up a play-off spot in the league, currently 14th in the table.
The addition of Andy Carroll in the January transfer window on a free transfer after his contract with Reading expired in the turn of the year, and his impact on the side is something new manager, Steve Bruce, has been vocal about following the draw with Huddersfield on Friday.
The Baggies manager was happy to answer questions about the ex-Liverpool striker’s future, and when asked he responded:
“We’ll address all that,” Bruce told BirminghamLive.
“When the end of the season comes, there are a lot of decisions to be made on a lot of people. It’s good to see him fit, keeping well and keeping healthy.”
There is no doubt that West Brom have been lacking leadership on the pitch, with the West Bromwich Albion journalist for The Athletic, Steve Madeley, criticising the squads “inbalance” writing:
“It is light on durability and toughness and sorely lacking in any clear signs of leadership and players ready to demand high standards from their teammates.”
With that being said, the arrival and integration of Carroll is clearly beginning to pay off when you look at his effectiveness. The 6 foot 3 colossus is currently top of the Championship for aerial duels won and is joint top for headed clearances since he joined Albion a few months ago.
The £23k-per-week brute rated himself as “unplayable” and he is clearly on a mission to prove his point for his current club, by becoming a presence on and off the pitch with The Athletic reporting that he has become a vocal figure in the West Brom camp.
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Bruce will surely be relieved to have this kind of presence in his team as he endeavours to pick up the pieces at the club after a disappointing season for the Baggies, it’s clear that a leader is needed going forward for the team to gain as many points as possible in the remaining games that are left.
With that in mind, he’d surely be a useful cog next term too and with Albion likely to remain in the second tier, securing an extended deal for Carroll makes all the sense.
In other news: Jay Rodriguez’s market value has plummeted since Hawthorns exit
The newly reconstructed stadium at Galle is facing a race against timeto be fit for the third Test between Sri Lanka and England on Tuesday,after heavy unseasonal rain hindered the attempts of groundstaff andconstruction workers to put the finishing touches to theirpreparations.With just three days to go until the final Test of the series, much ofthe playing area was underwater, while workmen were still layingpaving and building ticket-booths on the concourse in front of the newpavilion. By Saturday afternoon there was no electricity or runningwater inside the ground’s buildings, and most of the grassy bankswhere England’s spectators sat during the ground’s last internationalfixture in 2003 are currently deep pools of mud.And yet, there is no question in anyone’s minds that the show must goon regardless. Of all the symbols of the terrible tsunami thatdevastated Sri Lanka in December 2004, perhaps none was more poignantthan the obliteration of Galle’s stadium. International sport is,after all, meant to be escapism on a vast scale, but the rubble andruins of one of the most glorious venues in the world meant that nosports fan could fail to appreciate the stark realities of thedisaster.The message is that, if international cricket can return to Galle,then so too can a normal life for the thousands who were dispossessedthat day. “It will be ready come what may,” said the stadium’s headgroundsman, Jayananda Warnaweera, who has been working round the clockwith an army of labourers, in a bid to overcome the atrocious workingconditions. “It has been a long haul but for the people of Galle thisis a celebration and we will make it happen.”For England’s cricketers, the desire to fight back from their 1-0series deficit has been subsumed by an appreciation of the biggerpicture. “We’re pretty much going to have to take the stance thatwhatever we have to play on, we’ll go out there and play on it,” saidPaul Collingwood, who made his Test debut at Galle in 2003. “It’s assimple as that.”It’s obviously not finished at the moment but they are working veryhard and progressing day by day, so hopefully it’ll be playable,” saidCollingwood. “Driving down in the bus from Colombo, the further we gotdown, there was a real sickening feeling, seeing the destruction thatwas caused. That’s why it’s vital to put the smiles back on people’sfaces and get on with it.”
Uganda kick of 2007 with a tour to Kenya in January where they will play a select Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA XI) side, Kenya, Canada and Bermuda.The Ugandans will take on the NPCA select side on January 24, play the hosts Kenya or Kenya A on January 26, Canada on January 27 and conclude the tour with a match against Bermuda on January 28.”We have lined up some of the ICC’s top Associates because they will also use the games as warm up ties for the ICC World Cricket League tournament that runs at the same time,” said Cricket Kenya’s CEO, Tom Tikolo.In a few months Uganda travel to South Africa to prepare for Division Three of the World Cricket League in Australia, in June.”We shall use the trip to expose more of our players ahead of the Australia tour,” Robert Kisubi, Uganda’s chairman of selectors told . “I am optimistic the boys will learn a lot playing against big sides.”Schedule Uganda v NPCA XI (Jan 24) Uganda v Kenya (Jan 26) Uganda v Canada (Jan 27) Uganda v Bermuda (Jan 28)
.Virender SehwagOn the conditionsThe pitch was slow, ball wasn’t coming on to the bat, and it was also a little low. Maybe that’s why I played a little early and got out.On how the team prepared through all the delaysThe preparation was good over the last few days. We talked a lot in the team meetings, had some plans for the Sri Lankan batsmen and bowlers. I think it will come in handy in the second Test match.On coping with the delayIt was very hard because we were sitting in the hotel for the last three days. It’s tough, but we are professionals, and have to take it in our stride. We are now back in Test-match mode, which is good for us and for Sri Lanka as well.On his positive approach from ball oneI wasn’t looking at it like a one-day game. The SG Test ball doesn’t swing when it is new, but after 10 overs, it will start to reverse. With that in mind, I started playing my shots with the new ball. I knew that after it gets old and with the track keeping low, it will be hard to score runs.On starting play in the afternoonAll credit and praise to the groundsman. We were not convinced that there would be any game, but he and his staff worked very hard.On how batsmen could play on this pitchIf you are patient, it’s not so tough. It’s not easy to get batsmen out. It may be low, but it’s also very slow. There’s no great turn. Maybe if we had played for two days, there would be some help for the bowlers. But not now.On his dismissalI’m not worried. I’m in good nick. It’s just a matter of one big innings. I am pretty sure it will come in the next two games.Mahela JayawardeneOn how the warm-up match in Bangalore helpedFrom that game, we had a fair idea of how the wicket would behave in these conditions. Our bowlers learnt a lot from that game and they were very diciplined. We were able to set fields accordingly as well.On Chaminda VaasHe’s a classy bowler, who knows the ins and outs of sub-continental wickets. He exploited that. The good thing will be if the other guys can learn from him to bowl the right areas, be patient and get rewarded for patience.On getting an early breakthroughGautam [Gambhir] has been batting well, so it was important for us to start proceedings on the right note. [Virender] Sehwag did play a few shots, but we knew it wouldn’t be that comfortable out there as long as we put the ball in the right place.On batting concerns after the drubbing in the ODI seriesTest match cricket is altogether different. The batting is not questionable; we just didn’t get that much practice in the three-day game. We had practice indoors, prepared ourselves to just go out there and perform. I don’t think the batting is a cause for concern.On expectations for the final dayHopefully, it will stay clear and the sun will come out. We’ll try and get out there and get some cricket. The first objective is to try and get the Indians out. If not, it doesn’t matter, we’ll go to Delhi and continue our preparations.
Pakistan will play three Tests and five one-day internationals on their tour of India, which starts with a three-day warm-up match beginning on February 27.The venues for the matches will be announced later, but the Tests will start on March 4, March 12 and March 20. The first one-dayer was scheduled on March 28 after another warm-up game on March 26. The next four ODIs will be played on March 31, April 3, 6 and 9.According to the schedule forwarded by the Indian board, Pakistan would kick off their tour with a three-day warm match from February 27 to March 1. The BCCI is expected to announce venues for the series next week after a meeting of its Programme and Fixtures Committee.Abbas Zaidi, the director of the Pakistan board, had earlier said that they wished to play most matches in areas close to the Wagah border so that people could travel from Pakistan to watch the matches.This will be the first time in six years that Pakistan will be playing a full series in India. The last time they visited India was in January 1999 to play a two-Test series apart from one Test match which was part of the Asian Test Championship. The Test series, remembered mainly for Anil Kumble taking all ten wickets in the second innings at Delhi, was drawn while Pakistan triumphed in the Kolkata Test and went on to win the Asian Test Championship.Schedule Warm-up game – February 27 to March 1 First Test – March 4 to 8 Second Test – March 12 to 16 Third Test – March 20 to 24 Warm-up one-dayer – March 26 First ODI – March 28 Second ODI – March 31 Third ODI – April 3 Fourth ODI – April 6 Fifth ODI – April 9
News of bomb blasts in Mumbai will have caused some nervousness among New Zealand’s world champion women’s cricket team. They are due to tour India in later this year, two years after another scheduled tour was called off when the war against terrorism was being fought in Afghanistan.The cancellation of the tour in 2001 was a body blow to development of the New Zealand women’s team, as it delayed the introduction of several young players who were being blooded for the defence of the world title in South Africa in 2005. They have subsequently made their international debuts in England and Australia, but the loss of the Indian tour was a frustration.However, it has been reinstated and will now take place between November 19 and December 15. It will involve one Test match and five one-day internationals. The Test will be played at Vapi, Gujarat, at a private ground while the ODIs will be at Mumbai, Aurangabad, Bangalor, Hyderbad and Chennai. Dates for the matches will be announced when they have been confirmed by the venues.India finished third in the World Cup in 2000 and was beaten by New Zealand when the teams met during a tri-series in England last year and in a four-team mini series in New Zealand last summer.Meanwhile, the Women’s Cricket Association of India has started talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India over the prospect of the amalgamation of the two bodies. This is in line with moves at the international level. New Zealand, Australia and England are already merged.
Railways cantered to victory over Vidarbha, chasing a small total and winning their Ranji one-day match by five wickets at Udaipur.Winning the toss, Railways put Vidarbha in to bat, and their bowlers did not let them down. Barring a good opening partnership, none of the batsmen could put on stands until the very end, when Samir Khare and Harshal Shitoot added 66 runs for the sixth wicket.Chasing 225, Railways made light work of the total, achieving it in only 36.3 overs. Syed Raza Ali made an unbeaten 72 off just 62 balls, and he was well supported by skipper Abhay Sharma’s 49 off 32 balls.