Category Uncategorized

The last time Mahela Jayawardene left Sri Lanka for a South African summer, the cricketing gods were not smiling on him and the 2003 World Cup was the low point of his fine career as he scored just 21 runs in nine matches.Jayawardene returned to Johannesburg on Thursday but this time it was with a typically cheery Sri Lankan smile. The captain has had much to be pleased about in the last 18 months – his personal form was stunning as he led his team to the World Cup final, he was nominated alongside Ricky Ponting for the ICC’s Captain of the Year award and he can still bask in the glory of the record 374 he scored in a Test against South Africa just over a year ago.However, he was still reluctant to describe Sri Lanka as one of the favourites for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 title. “It’s going to be a challenge because we haven’t played much Twenty20 cricket. And the shorter the version of the game, the more open it becomes for other teams. We will need to play to our strengths, apply all our skills and try different things depending on the situation. We will need a lot of cool heads because the game is very fast. If you panic, you will lose the battle.”Jayawardene was happy with his squad which is basically the same as the one that thrilled so many people in the Caribbean. Even without the injured Muttiah Muralitharan, the bowling attack is experienced and there are batsmen to cover most situations.So no wonder the Sri Lankans are even more sunnily dispositioned than usual, which has helped new coach Trevor Bayliss enjoy a seamless settling-in period.”The people have made it very easy, it’s been a great three weeks. They are a fun-loving people and they really enjoy each other’s company, which is an ingredient in any successful team,” Bayliss said. “I haven’t had much to do in that department then and the team is in good spirits.”And what of the challenges ahead for the former New South Wales coach?”It’s not just a new challenge coaching at international level, but coaching one of the most successful teams of the last three years. If they are going to have another two years of good results then, at this level, it’s all about hard work. You also need to get things like the mental and physical preparation right and even the diets. You also rely on your support staff to fulfill an important role as well.”Bayliss was asked whether he was wishing for another Australia versus Sri Lanka final. “I’d like to see Sri Lanka in the final and I don’t really mind who we play there. But Australia are obviously right up there to make the final, just because of the calibre of players they have. I think England and South Africa will do well too because they have the experience of playing lots of domestic Twenty20.”

Northants 148 for 9 (Mushtaq 5-25) beat Sussex 110 (Crook 4-20) by 33 runs (D/L)
Scorecard

Northamptonshire’s title hunt was kept alive and Sussex’s dented after the home side eased to a 33-run victory in a rain-affected pro40 match at Northampton.Sussex appeared well on course when they skittled Northants for 148, Mushtaq Ahmed doing to damage with 5 for 25 in his eight overs. At one stage, Northants were 65 for 1 as Usman Afzaal (37) and Chris Rogers (33) got them off to a decent start, but that became 119 for 9 before some late hitting from Matthew Nicholson and Monty Panesar.That stand proved crucial as Steve Crook, who finished with 4 for 20, triggered an even more dramatic collapse, Sussex crashing from 42 for 1 to 65 for 6, eventually losing their last nine wickets for 68.Sussex could rightly claim that they were not helped by faulty floodlights at Wantage Road which led to the start of their innings being delayed because three of the four retractable pylons could not be raised. They also had the worse of the conditions as the pitch had sweated while covered during afternoon downpours.Sussex remain in second place, one point behind leaders Essex, while Northants move into fourth but could join Sussex in second place if they win their game in hand.

Division One

Points TableOn the first day of Glamorgan’s match against Gloucestershire, a century by Daniel Cherry was of little consolation to the Welsh county, who were relegated to Division Two. Middlesex only needed one point to force Glamorgan, who lie at the bottom of the first Division, to the second Division. Despite this news, which came at midday, Glamorgan’s batsmen managed 350 for 8, thanks to Cherry who was unbeaten on 152. Mark Hardinges and Malinga Bandara each took three wickets for Gloucestershire.Jonathan Trott’s third century of the season gave Warwickshire a decent start to their match against Division One leaders Sussex, but only two of their batsmen made substantial contributions. Trott, who was unbeaten on 130, formed the bedrock of Warwickshire’s innings. Yet despite his knock, and 69 from Nick Knight, there was little of any substance from the rest of Warwickshire’s batsmen. James Kirtley was the pick of Sussex’s bowlers with 3 for 71 from 20 overs.Rain continued to thwart Middlesex’s game against Kent, but there was enough play to see Owais Shah go through to his sixth hundred of the season after being dropped when he had not added to his overnight 34. Earlier, Ed Smith failed to add to his overnight score of 40 as he fell to Amjad Khan, and Khan struck again soon after to remove Ed Joyce for 12. Shah found a willing partner in Paul Weekes, and together they put on 138 for the fourth wicket, to leave the visitors on 297 for 5 at stumps.Surrey made up for lost time in their match against Hampshire, by scoring at over four an over in rattling up 378. There were a pair of 70s for Scott Newman and Mark Butcher, Newman’s 71 coming from just 65 balls. Jonathan Batty then struck a hundred around which his team built a solid total. However, wickets continued to tumble as Hampshire bowled Surrey out, with James Bruce taking 3 for 82. Mohammad Akram then struck in Hampshire’s reply, to leave the visitors struggling on 13 for 2, 365 runs behind.

Division Two

Points TableA partnership of 249 between Mal Loye and Stuart Law gave Lancashire control, on the first day of their match against Worcestershire. Loye, who struck an unbeaten and magnificent 170, and Law, with a brisk 143, dominated the day and rescued Lancashire when they were tottering on 63 for 2. They got off to the worst possible start when their captain, Mark Chilton, was dismissed by the Australian Matthew Mason for a first-ball duck. Although they lost Law, whose 143 came from 189 balls, shortly followed by Andrew Symonds, Loye then combined with Marcus North in a partnership worth 69. Lancashire finished on 388 for 4.Essex and Somerset were again frustrated by the rain at Colchester, but did at least manage 70 overs in which Essex reached 220 for 5. Will Jefferson was the mainstay of the innings with a knock of 93, before becoming the first of two quick wickets for Ian Blackwell. Ronni Irani clobbered four sixes and three fours in his unbeaten 43, before a torrential downpour left the ground underwater.Only 14 overs were possible at Grace Road on another frustrating day for Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Put into bat by Northants, Leicestershire’s openers made 29 without alarm, with Darren Robinson unbeaten on 11 and John Maunders reaching 15.Durham lost Paul Collingwood, who failed to add to his overnight score of 33, and Mike Hussey in quick succession on a rain-affected day at Scarborough against Yorkshire. Despite the early losses, Gordon Muchall, who struck 42 and Dale Benkenstein, with 59, consolidated in an unbeaten partnership worth 108. Durham ended the day on 260 for 3.

Australia’s players will be given extra rest days to cope with the rigours of a tight schedule during this year’s Test series in India. They play four Tests in 33 days in the familiar venues of Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai and in the relatively unknown Nagpur.Given all four Tests against India last summer went to a fifth day and with hot weather expected, Australia’s coaching staff plan to give Ricky Ponting and his team as many rest days as possible between matches. That means key players may not even train between Tests to help them stay fresh in a country where coping with crowds, food and heat can be a challenge.”It’s something we’re conscious of,” assistant coach Tim Nielsen said yesterday. “We’ve got to be careful how we keep the guys physically and mentally fresh for the whole tour.”Staff will plan between-match routines days in advance. There may also be a back-up for wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, as the schedule makes it tough to fly in reserves if injury strikes. “That will be the key criteria for selection – that you are 100 per cent fit,” Nielsen said.Ideally, Australia will arrive in India soon after reaching the September 25 final of the Champions Trophy in England.Nielsen said recent visits to India – in 2001 [Tests] and last year (ODIs) – would also aid Australia in their quest to win a series there for the first time since 1969-70. “A lot of the guys who make up the core part of the team have been there before, so they know what to expect,” he said.The Australians rate Bangalore, in India’s south, as one of their favourite venues – they are undefeated there in two Tests. The second Test will be played in the south-east city of Chennai, formerly Madras. It is where Allan Border’s side played cricket’s second tied Test, in 1986. The most recent time Chennai hosted Australia was in the 2001 series.While the second Test in Calcutta, where VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid steered India to a remarkable win, was unforgettable, the Chennai decider was also memorable. Matthew Hayden scored 203, but had his thunder stolen by Harbhajan Singh, who took 15 wickets and was at the crease as the home side won by two wickets to clinch the series 2-1.Mumbai, where Australia won by 10 wickets in 2001, will host the fourth Test this time around. Australia have never played a Test in Nagpur and only one ODI, beating Zimbabwe during the 1996 World Cup.The India tour starts with a three-day match against the Indian board president’s XI, from September 30.

If the officials of the England & Wales Cricket Board had a sleepless night fearing civil unrest and rioting in St John’s Wood, they needn’t have worried. There were demonstrations outside Lord’s, but they were fairly low-key – if noisy – and universally good-humoured.The security had been beefed up, but it was discreet and by and large limited to a closer examination of bags than the usual cursory glance. This still caused consternation among one group of members, until they were assured that their bottles of wine weren’t the reason for the search. Inside the ground there was a cordon of security men guarding the square, but the plethora of respresentatives of the media, sponsors, and ECB hangers-on milling about in the middle meant that any protesters would have struggled for elbow room, let alone to unfurl a banner.The demonstrations were concentrated outside the Grace Gates where the main group, numbering 30 or 40, were cordoned off in an area opposite the entrance where they nosily and cheerfully blew whistles, chanted, and held up banners. These concentrated on anti-Mugabe slogans, although one accused Tim Lamb, the ECB’s chief executive, of being “Mugabe’s own Lord Haw Haw”. Am open-top bus drove round the perimeter road, those on the top who braved the drizzle adding to the cacophony.The ubiquitous Peter Tatchell was also in evidence, busily marshalling banner-wavers and ensuring that protestors were situated in spots where they would gain the maximum exposure from the large numbers of cameras and television crews assembled. Tatchell’s Outrage group provided the photo opportunity courtesy of a man dressed as a cricketer with a blood-soaked bandage round his head.

There was briefly the threat of an disagreement when one gentlemen, holding up a banner encouraging passing drivers to “Honk for freedom in Zimbabwe”, was told to move on by the police. Tatchell intervened, insisting that there was no justification in their request, and the police retreated. The man returned to his duties and the horns continued to sound. That was as heated as it got.But while Tatchell, as ever, will probably get the coverage, the most effective work was being done by the group from the Zimbabwe Vigil organisation. They were handing out leaflets and black armbands, all done with a cheery smile, generally getting a good response from those on their way in to the ground. The cold day meant that many had overcoats on, most of which were dark, thus negating the visibility of the armband. But it was the thought that counted.Kate Hoey, the former sports minister, took an active role, genially fielding requests from the media, talking to spectators, and handing out armbands with a politician’s skill. Rarely can she have turned in a more polished performance, even when on the campaign trail.The contrast with the brutal suppression of dissent in Zimbabwe couldn’t have been more marked.

After a humiliating loss, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly came up withsome brave words and predicted that India would come back into thethree-Test series against Sri Lanka just as they did against themighty Australians earlier this year.”We will come back as we did against the Aussies,” Ganguly said afterIndia suffered their first Test defeat to Sri Lanka in 16 years.”(Unfortunately) we have got injuries to a few key players,” he saidreferring to the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and VVSLaxman from the side.”They (Sri Lankans) batted better (than us) and bowled a decent lineespecially on the third day,” Ganguly said conducting a post-mortem ofthe ten-wicket loss.Not ready to accept that India were a very different team outsidetheir own soil, Ganguly said that his team had won a match abroad,against Zimbabwe, in recent months.”(And) we have been in winning positions on a number of occasionsabroad but have not been able to capitalise… Now we have got thepotential and have a much better batting side. We have four or fivegood guys,” he said.A jubilant home skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, who was declared the manof-the-match for his brilliant century that set the tempo for histeam, lauded his bowling attack.”First Dilhara (Feranando) and then Murali (Muthiah Muralitharan)bowled well. I’am happy for Dilhara and we’ve got a host of fastbowlers coming up,” he said.

Sri Lanka Cricket has agreed to release seven high-profile cricketers to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, an about-turn from their stance last week.A desire to maintain a good relationship with the BCB, and the one-week postponement of Sri Lanka’s domestic one-day tournament have led to the change of heart. SLC’s desire to see foreign cricketers – including those from Bangladesh – participate in its own city-based T20 league, may have also influenced the decision.

List of players to be given no-objection certificates

• Jeevan Mendis

• Ajantha Mendis
• Tillakaratne Dilshan
• Chamara Kapugedara
• Thisara Perera
• Sachithra Senanayake
• Seekkuge Prasanna

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sachithra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis are among those who will now be allowed to play in the BPL.SLC had been opposed to issuing no-objection certificates to its centrally contracted players largely because their absence would have diluted the quality of the forthcoming Premier Limited Over Tournament. That tournament was originally scheduled to begin on November 20, but it now appears likely to be put off until around November 27, thanks to prevailing bad weather in Colombo.As the BPL runs from November 22 to December 15, the cricketers leaving to Bangladesh will miss several rounds of the Premier Limited Over Tournament in any case. However, SLC officials said the home clubs had agreed to release these seven centrally-contracted players, and some players themselves had made appeals to be allowed to play in the BPL. The players had argued that BPL experience would stand them in good stead come the Asia Cup in February next year, which will also be played in Bangladesh. All seven players released are likely to be in contention for Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup squad, and indeed the World T20 to follow.SLC has also said it would like to have overseas cricketers participating in the inaugural Elite Championship T20, which is set to begin towards the end of January. That tournament would appear more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters if two foreigners featured in each of the five teams. Given the current international schedule and the money that is likely to be on offer, SLC believes cricketers from Pakistan and Bangladesh are most likely to be drawn by the Elite Championship T20.In addition to the seven centrally-contracted players, two other Sri Lankans had already been confirmed to participate in the BPL – Kumar Sangakkara, who had been awarded a central contract but is now retired from international cricket, and Dilshan Munaweera, who does not have a central contract.

The Sheffield Shield final could soon become a thing of the past. Although there are no immediate plans to scrap the five-day decider from Australia’s domestic fixture, Cricket Australia has indicated that it might be squeezed out of the schedule in the coming years if the Big Bash League continues to thrive and expand.Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland and outgoing chairman Wally Edwards have both questioned the value of the Shield final, which was described by Edwards as being too often “a bad advertisement for the game”. The concept of the top two teams playing off in a final was introduced in 1982-83; until then the Shield was awarded to the team that finished on top of the table.While the final theoretically gives the second-placed team a chance of winning the title, the advantages given to the top team – home advantage and needing only to draw to win the Shield – have led to very few away wins. The last time the away team managed to claim the title was in 2004-05, when New South Wales scraped home by one wicket over Queensland at the Gabba.Not just that, the home side needing only to draw has often meant dull, defensive batting and ridiculously long innings. At the Gabba in 2005-06, Queensland finally declared their first innings at 6 for 900, with Victoria, who bowled 242 overs, having no hope of winning. Edwards said he would prefer a return to the old system, which was in place when he had been a state player.”I don’t think it plays any real part in our season,” Edwards said about the final after Cricket Australia’s AGM in Melbourne. “I think, and this is just me, when I played Shield cricket, we didn’t have a Shield final. The games were played in two rounds – home and away. The best side wins. It seems to be the fairest way.”And to me, it feels the Shield final over many years has proven itself to be a bit of a non-event to be honest. There have only been three or four good Shield finals, the rest of them have been shockers; a bad advertisement for the game. I think it confuses the back end of our season. I think the best team should win in Shield cricket. We play ten games, which should sort it out.”The final is still very much part of the schedule for this season but how long it can remain so will likely depend on whether Cricket Australia looks to expand the BBL in coming years. Should the BBL add extra teams or rounds, its schedule may well swell into February, and if any other cricket had to make way, the Shield final would likely be first on the chopping block.”I think Wally is right, if you do have a look through history the Shield finals have been absolutely dominated by the home team or a long draw,” Sutherland said. “I think it is very rare – maybe 5% of the time or something – that the away team has actually won. So, from that point of view, it has never been a great spectacle. And I think that’s part of where we continue to review and assess the mix of content.”At the moment it is there and I don’t think we’d change it unless there was a good reason to change that. But at the same time, we’re in a very fortunate position at the moment of having a burgeoning domestic Twenty20 competition which is in big demand. At some stage in the future, we’ll be looking at ways in which we can expand that, whether that’s expansion in the number of matches or teams or what have you, and that might put pressure on other parts of our program.”

ScorecardA record 240-run fourth-wicket partnership between Neil McCallum and Ryan Watson set up a big win for Scotland over Netherlands on the third day at Aberdeen. McCallum smashed a career-best 181 and captain made Watson 154 to take Scotland to 452 before a much-improved bowling and fielding display knocked over the tourists for 138.McCallum was the aggressor on the third day, hitting 19 fours and three sixes in his 254-ball innings. Overnight on 277 for 3, he and Watson added a further 55 to their stand. Watson fell with the score on 295 for 4, hitting Alexei Kervezee to Geert-Maarten Mol. In the compant of Majid Haq (37), McCallum added 73 runs and from there on minor yet handy contributions from the lower order helped Scotland to 452. McCallum was the ninth wicket to fall, as he mistimed a pull off Mudassar Bukhari’s medium-pace into Nick Statham’s waiting hands. Bukhari finished with 3 for 70 when he removed Dewald Nel for 2.Trailing by 197, Netherlands put up a meek performance with the bat. John Blain, fresh from his 5 for 84 in the first innings, removed Tom de Grooth, Statham and Atse Buurman cheaply, while Paul Hoffman got rid of Kervezee and stand-in captain Peter Borren to leave Netherlands limping at 49 for 5 inside 17 overs. Bukhari and Mol added 41 for the sixth wicket but a quick mopping up of the lower order sealed a fine start to Scotland’s trophy campaign.Andy Tennant, Scotland’s interim coach, had plenty of praise for McCallum’s hundred. “It was a great innings from him,” he told the . “After the first day we had, it was important to get the guys making runs in the middle and Ryan [Watson] and Neil did that. Macca’s batting was just excellent. He keeps improving all the time and you saw it out there, how he flourishes at this level and in these kinds of situations.”Scotland’s opening match against the UAE was washed out, but they did very well to grab six bonus points on first-innings lead and add 14 more for an outright victory. Boosted by the return of Gavin Hamilton after a five-month gap, Scotland travel to Belfast this week to take on Ireland.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has acknowledged the success of the recently concluded Stanford 20/20 tournament and sought to clear the air after reports suggested that the board was not supportive enough of the venture.The WICB has claimed that it was not aware of the dates of the one off 20/20 international between South Africa and a Stanford 20/20 Super Star team, which was to include a host of West Indies players. In March, the ICC gave the green signal for the match to take place on November 10 after meeting with the organisers of the Stanford 20/20 and even authorised the two countries, namely West Indies and South Africa, to release its players to participate in the match. However, the WICB claimed that they were not informed of this.”At no time did the WICB agree to the possible dates of the Super Star Match with the representatives of Stanford 20/20″, a board media release stated. “The possible dates for the Super Star Match came to the attention of the WICB when the ICC wrote to the WICB advising its approval of the Stanford 20/20 event for 2006 only.”With West Indies scheduled to tour Pakistan in November, there are chances of the dates clashing with the 20/20 match. The representatives of the Stanford 20/20 contacted the WICB to have the dates changed. The WICB wrote to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in June to amend the dates but the Pakistan board rejected the request, stating that it had commitments with the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The presidents of both the WICB and the PCB discussed the issue during an ICC meeting in London in July, but the parties failed to reach an agreement. The WICB has now sought the help of Malcolm Speed, the ICC”s chief executive, and are awaiting a reply.”A further request for reconsideration of the dates and reopening the matter with Pakistan was sent to the CEO of ICC as recently as August 14th 2006”, the release continued. “We await a reply. “Earlier, Clive Lloyd resigned from his post as the chairman of the Stanford 20/20 board citing concerns over how the future of the tournament would affect West Indies cricket. Unconfirmed reports have indicated that West Indies are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on November 7, just two days after the final of the Champions Trophy.