All posts by csb10.top

Sir Donald Bradman was indisputably the greatest player the game has ever seen. He broke nearly all of cricket’s records, and most of its rules as well, with a wonderfully unorthodox technique that suggested that his eyesight must have been second-to-none.In fact, that assumption could not have been further from the truth. Bradman’s vision was so faulty that he was invalided out of the Australian Army during the Second World War. Instead, he owed his success to other attributes – namely his supreme concentration, nimble footwork and natural talent.The talent was God-given, but the rest he had to work at – and most of that work was done in his own backyard as a small boy, where he used to practise for hours on end, using a cricket stump to hit a golf ball against a galvanised iron water tank.”To me, it was only fun,” Bradman later admitted, “but looking back, it was probably a concentrated exercise in accuracy and wonderful training for my eyesight. The golf ball came back pretty fast and I had very little time … to get into position for a shot.”The training paid the richest of dividends. Bradman retired from Test cricket in 1948 after a 20-year career, in which he had scored 6996 runs in 52 Tests, at an average of 99.94. No player – past, present or future – has, or ever will, come close to surpassing his achievements.

Australian captain Steve Waugh, injured while running a single during the tourists’ victory in the Third Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, has said that he may leave England before the end of the series if he believes he has become a “nuisance” to his team-mates.Waugh, who has a double calf muscle tear, confirmed that he is out of contention for the Fourth Test at Headingley next week, although he is still hoping to be back for the fifth and final Test at the Oval. However, the odds are against him playing again on this tour, as the Australian physio, Errol Alcott, has prescribed seven to ten days’ treatment for an injury that usually takes at least a month to heal.In his absence, vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, scourge of England with bat and gloves, is likely to be promoted to lead the side, and Waugh is keen not to be in the way: “If I am being a nuisance or do not get any value in hanging around then I will decide to go home. Ten days of treatment is the best remedy, and if I feel like I am getting in the road of the new captain or vice-captain then I will go. If I was staying here it would have to have a purpose. You have to be fair to the new captain and give him some space.”One reason for Waugh staying in this country would be to receive the Waterford Crystal replica of the Ashes, presented to the winning team after the final Test and which recently has taken up long-term residence in Australia.Waugh will also have to wait until he is well enough to fly home if he should choose to leave the tour early: “If I go home it is going to be difficult. First of all I have got to fly and then I have to see the physio every day.”And even for a captain whose side have retained the Ashes and are the best Test and one-day side in the world, life still has its challenges: “I have to get to the physio – then I am going to be running around trying to chase the kids."

North West held the edge after the first day of the four-day SupersportSeries match against Boland in Paarl, on a day when 12 wickets fell and one batsman was hospitalised.The visitors won the toss, elected to bat and scored 216 for nine. It was effectively all out as North West skipper Martin Venter went to hospital after being struck by a fearsome rising delivery from left-arm seamer Neil Carter.The ball rose off a good length shortly after lunch with the captain on 44. Venter has severe damage to his hand and may have to undergo surgery. Carter was aggressive throughout the day and bowled for almost the entire session between lunch and tea. He finished with three for 50. His opening partner Charl Langeveldt continued his good form this season taking four for 48.North West were unable to string any good partnerships together, although the final wicket stand between Alphonso Thomas (33) and Garth Roe (19 not out) yielded 50-runs. The same two batsmen put on 174-runs for the tenth wicket last week in the match against Griquas – a South African record.Glen Hewitt scored 34 and batted beautifully after a shaky start, only to be thwarted by a sharp rising Langeveldt delivery outside the off-stump. Craig Light scored 31 with no other significant contributions from anyone else.Boland, in response, were 40 for three at the close. West Indian Mark Lavine removed opener Jonathan Trott, leg before for five, and Louis Koen for a duck in the same over. Boland were struggling on seven for two, but a competent 33-run partnership between James Henderson and Pieter Barnard helped steady the innings.With the last ball of the day’s play, Lavine had Barnard trapped leg before for 19 to a delivery that appeared to have hit the bat. On Saturday Justin Ontong should make his way to the crease.

Nicky Peng helped save Durham from potentialembarrassment on another hard-fought day at Derby.The 18-year-old right-hander played responsibly for 31overs to steady Durham who were wobbling at 139-5 inreply to Derbyshire’s 318.With Andy Pratt, he took his team past the 169 theyneeded to avoid the follow-on before wickets inconsecutive overs tilted the game back towardsDerbyshire.Peng pulled a Richard Illingworth long hop tomid-wicket and Pratt was caught behind off Tim Muntonto raise Derbyshire’s hopes of a sizeable firstinnings lead.This was one of Derbyshire’s best days of a so fardisappointing season and they start the third day witha lead of 117 and three wickets left to take.Their first score of over 300 at Derby since lastAugust was due to some spirited lower order battingand a wild over from Steve Harmison who gave away 10extras including one ball which went for four wides.A total of 48 extras was second highest score in theDerbyshire innings but Durham looked comfortable withMichael Gough and Martin Love at the wicket.But Gough played on to Nathan Dumelow and MartinSpeight played across Graeme Welch after strugglingfor 13 overs for 14.Love passed fifty for the fourth time this seasonbefore he was lbw pushing half forward at Illingworthand when Danny Law top-edged a pull, Durham were introuble.But Peng and Pratt played sensibly although Derbyshirewill still expect to strengthen their positiontomorrow as they push for their first victory sinceAugust when Durham were beaten at the County Ground.

VVS Laxman who guided India for their first victory of the Coca-ColaCup against Sri Lanka and opening bowler Zaheer Khan are to stay backfor the remainder of the tri-series despite their injuries.Laxman was to go back home to attend to his knee surgery before Indiagame against Sri Lanka on Saturday, but he stayed back because of thesuspension of skipper Saurav Ganguly who was suspended for that match.But after the batsman guided India to victory through an unbeaten 87which not only won him the man of the match award but also keptIndia’s chances alive in the competition, the team management haddecided to play him in the remaining matches. Laxman played Saturday’sgame with a bandage, fielded throughout during the Sri Lankan inningsand was in the middle from the third ball of the Indian innings.However the batsman will definitely miss the Test series against SriLanka as his surgery will take four weeks to heal.Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan who is suffering from a stress fracture on theright shin, is expected to fly to Chennai for a bone scan after theOne Day Series and his availability for the Test matches will bedecided on the results of the report.The other left arm paceman Asish Nehra who is suffering from a groininjury is also set to miss the Test series.The Indian selectors will pick the squad for the Test series in Mumbaion Thursday.

An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 67 between Craig Light and Mark Lavine lifted North West out of a spot of trouble on the rain-curtailed first day of this match, after the home side, put into bat, had collapsed from 40 without loss to 76 for four.Lavine, with a typically belligerent 48 off 52 balls, including five fours and two sixes, and Light, with a far more sedate 19, took the home side to 143 for four after heavy rain had ensured that play would only start at 3pm and just 48 overs of a scheduled 104 would be possible.Riaan Niewoudt, who made 35 on his first class debut, and Gary Outram put together a solid first-wicket stand of 40, but that was where the wickets began to tumble, with the much-vaunted Northerns pace trio of Steve Elworthy, Greg Smith and David Townsend all chipping in. Smith was the most successful, ending the day with two for 19 from 12 overs.North West currently lie fourth in their section of the competition and will qualify for the Super Eight phase if they prevent Griquas, struggling against Boland on day one, from overtaking them. Lavine’s efforts mean they are within seven runs of a first batting bonus point, with 52 overs left to pile up points. Should he stay in for any length of time on Saturday, a good number should come their way.

Zimbabwe offspinner Prosper Utseya has, in a letter to Zimbabwe Cricket, claimed that he is a victim of racism and has levelled a string of allegations against Alistair Campbell, managing director of ZC. In a letter to Wilson Manase, ZC chairman, Utseya claims Campbell:

• Has a “personal agenda” against him which influenced his non-selection [in the playing XI] at the recent World Cup.
• Appointed white coaches and administrators during his 2010-2012 stint as chairman of the cricket committee in order to take control of cricket.
• Had a conflict of interest in setting up Dominus Sport, the company that ran ZC’s marketing affairs during his time as cricket committee chairman, and his actions had an impact on ZC’s funds.

Utseya confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he had written the letter after the World Cup and prior to Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan, but could not comment further at this stage. Campbell said he was unable to comment as the matter was pending either legal or internal disciplinary action.With Utseya openly basing some of these claims in the letter on “rumour”, he would appear to be open to legal action, though the matter may ultimately be dealt with internally at ZC. It is understood that ZC is currently investigating the letter.“Racism and Victimisation”The letter copies all ZC board members and bears the headline “Racism and Victimisation”, and begins: “Through you Mr. Chairman I wish to share my frustrations as I believe I am a victim of racism and have come to a point where I feel I have been quiet for too long whilst a lot has been happening.” After more than 10,000 words, Utseya finally closes his case with a plea for the board to consider his concerns.Utseya, who was in Zimbabwe’s World Cup squad but did not get a game, claims he considered leaving the World Cup prematurely out of frustration, and cites Campbell’s pre-tournament comments as a back story to support his contention that ZC’s managing director conspired against his potential selection. Last year, the ICC banned Utseya from bowling offspin, and in a guest column for the governing body in the lead-up to the World Cup, Campbell wrote: “I’m still a bit baffled by how Prosper Utseya will get on without being allowed to bowl his off-spinner, but no doubt he’ll find a way. He’ll certainly be the only bowler in the tournament without a ‘stock’ ball. He has been bowling medium-pacers and off-cutters recently so perhaps that is the way he will go.”Utseya was banned from bowling after testing in September 2014. In December, his offbreak was found to be illegal but his other deliveries were deemed legal, and so he was cleared to bowl again so long as he did not utilise his stock ball.His new method was field-tested for the first time on a trip to Uganda in December 2014 and he then captained Zimbabwe A against Canada at home in January. In four games he took five wickets at an average of 17.80, bowling his full 10 overs in every match, never conceding more than 24 runs, and also contributed useful runs down the order. In his letter, he uses this as evidence that he deserved to be picked at the World Cup, but does not elaborate on how Campbell was able to influence selection at the tournament.Propser Utseya was part of the 2015 World Cup squad but did not play a single match during the tournament•ICC

Administrative allegationsTo support his racial allegations, Utseya goes on to list cases where Campbell appointed white people for coaching and administration posts, during his stint as chairman of the cricket committee and chairman of selectors, including coaching roles to Heath Streak and Grant Flower. Utseya claims the decision to make Mangongo assistant coach was merely “a cover up to have a black man”. The employment of foreign white coaches at franchise level – Jason Gillespie, Allan Donald and Andrew Hall all coached Zimbabwean franchises during this period – is also cited as a ploy to “make sure that it is dominated by whites and thereby taking control of cricket”.Utseya also alleges that the appointment of Elton Chigumbura as Zimbabwe captain after he stepped down in 2010 was a short-term set up for Campbell to achieve a long-term goal. “When I was removed from the captaincy with no genuine reason Elton Chigumbura was then appointed,” Utseya writes. “Their aim was simply to put a white captain in B Taylor simply because they believe a white coach cannot work with a black captain and the change from Utseya to B Taylor would not look good politically hence the Elton route. Elton was not given a chance to prove himself and was quickly dropped from the captaincy.”Chigumbura captained Zimbabwe in 20 ODIs between May 2010 and the end of the 2011 World Cup, but the extra responsibility affected his form. After the 2011 World Cup, Chigumbura said that he planned to resign and focus on his own game, but later retracted that statement. In June 2011, ZC’s then managing director Ozias Bvute announced that Taylor would take over the captaincy.

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Later in the letter, Utseya claims that Campbell has suggested he become a coach, is not giving him a chance to remodel his action and is trying to prevent him from gaining a national contract. “Bearing in mind I still have an opportunity at 30 years old to work on my off spin. If I can reinvent in 2 months and make it Man of the Series in my comeback series with my new bowling action I reckon within 4 months I will be brilliant and what more in a year’s time I will be an artist at work. ICC can take away my offspin but they cannot take away my brains and experience which must count for something.”Utseya goes on to suggest that given Zimbabwe’s “unique” racial situation, the position of managing director should be split – and offers to fill the second post. “It is my humble wish that if Alistair Campbell can suggest that at 30 years old I can be involved in Franchise coaching and if the ZC Board also agrees with him in that I am not adding value as a player with my new bowling action I would like to go 2 steps further than his suggestion and put my hand up for consideration for the proposed split post as I have the credentials.”Race and cricket in ZimbabweThis is not the first instance of allegations of racism surfacing in the Zimbabwe cricket set-up. Cricket remained a predominantly white sport in Zimbabwe for two decades after majority rule in 1980, although after Henry Olonga became the country’s first black cricketer in 1995, other black players started to filter through.For a time it seemed that transformation of the game might happen organically, but the troubled wider political and social context caught up with cricket. In March 2001, ZCU announced the formation of an Integration Task Force focused on the “rapid evolution” of the game, and the eradication of racial discrimination in cricket. Players had to fill out a racism survey and, in the eyes of the predominantly white players, the integration targets set out by the Task Force amounted to an unofficial quota system. This was one of the factors that led to the player rebellion in April 2004, followed by the exit of 15 white players from the national squad. In September that year, the ICC held a hearing into allegations of racism began in Harare. The hearing ended amid allegations that ZCU was trying to create a hostile environment and intimidate witnesses and in October, then ICC president Ehsan Mani said he was satisfied with the findings of the report which found no evidence of racism in Zimbabwe cricket.In January 2013 issues of race came to the fore again when the Sports and Recreation Commission, headed by the then Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, issued a directive that any person tasked with convening the selection of a national side should have played international sport themselves. The directive was portrayed as being racially motivated by Givemore Makoni, the convenor of selectors and the man most directly affected by it.Stephen Mangongo’s tenure as national coach was marked by general player ambivalence towards his coaching style, rather than any particular racial tension, but when Mangongo lost his position after Zimbabwe’s whitewashing by Bangladesh last December, he reportedly said: “I am inclined to comment that I don’t think that Zimbabwe cricket was ready for an indigenous black person. It’s about acceptance, it’s about being ready for that and the alarmists already rang a lot of bells because a black guy had taken the head coach’s mantle.” This was despite the fact that the people responsible for the termination of his position were also black, and is indicative, in a general sense, of the way in which matters of race and racism are drawn into areas of disagreement in Zimbabwean cricket.

The inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played in Dubai and Sharjah, from February 4 to 24, 2016. The PCB announced the venues in a release on Thursday, ending speculation over whether the UAE can accommodate both the Masters Champions League and the Pakistan T20 tournament in the February window.In August the PCB had said the PSL would be held in Doha, Qatar, as it had learned that the organisers of the Masters Champions League, a tournament for retired international cricketers, had already booked the stadiums. Now it is confirmed that the Masters Champions League will be held in Abu Dhabi concurrently, with the other two venues will be reserved for the PSL. This solution was offered by the Emirates Cricket Board. The PCB had listed the UAE as its first-choice host given it has been the Pakistan team’s virtual home since 2009, when the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.”The PSL has already floated tenders for broadcasters and producers,” Najam Sethi, the chairman of the governing council of the PSL, said. “This will be followed by a tendering process for sponsorships in the second week of October. Franchise owners will be inducted between mid to end November, after which the foreign and local players will be drafted and teams constituted.”The tournament will consist of five teams, one each from Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad. According to the PCB release, the PSL will offer up to $1 million in prize money, and “the latest tally of foreign player signing consents standing at an impressive 132. The players will be selected through a draft process in December.” The teams will each have a purse of $1 million from which they can build their squads and support staff.Sethi said: “There is a pool of top coaches also, from which franchise owners will be able to pick and chose.”

Somerset didn’t hang around too long at Southgate this morning. Middlesexcrushed them by 169 runs on their way to a place in the NatWest Trophy quarter-finals. The visitors were bowled out for 58 – perhaps an improvement after being once 9-4. Fast bowler Tim Bloomfield (4-17) did the main damage and was appropriately Man-of-the-Match.Partnered by veteran Angus Fraser he ripped through the Somerset batting indismissing Marcus Trescothick, Peter Bowler, Michael Burns and Ian Blackwell in a shattering opening burst. Bloomfield expressed his pleasure at being back in the county side after a month’s absence.”It was one of those days when everything went right for me, I felt I’dbowled beautifully today and got those lucky breaks when I needed them.”As four visiting batsmen failed to trouble the scorers Keith Parsons (23),alone, made any real contribution to what was a meagre total.The last five wickets collapsed for just seven runs as Aaron Laraman, who dismissed three batsmen for six runs in five overs, capitalised on the superiority his colleagues had achieved. Middlesex now have a quarter-final match with Hampshire.

Middlesex captain Justin Langer played one of his finest innings for his county yesterday to prevent his side finishing with the humiliation of last place, on the final day of the championship match against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff yesterday.Having come to the crease on Friday at 40 for 4, Langer batted for seven and a half hours to score 213 not out, enabling Middlesex to reach a first innings score of 387 and earn sufficient competition points to surpass Sussex in eighth place on the Division Two ladder.Mark Ramprakash (51), David Nash (41) and Richard Johnson (41) provided valuable support to Langer, as did Phil Tufnell, who batted 57 minutes without scoring before hitting a return catch to Robert Croft to end the innings. With Tufnell’s help, Langer was able to reach his double hundred and add 56 runs for the last wicket, giving Middlesex their fourth batting point along the way.Glamorgan openers Steve James and Ian Thomas had nineteen overs of batting practice to end their first-class season, the ten points for the draw being enough to secure promotion for 2001. This was Justin Langer’s last championship appearance for Middlesex before 2002, the Western Australian left-hander being almost a certainty for selection for the Ashes tour next year.