Kiran More, India’s chairman of selectors, has claimed that he was grossly misquoted on the contentious Sourav Ganguly issue and said he had decided to refrain from speaking to the media, at least for the time being.”I have started fearing the [media] – I don’t know what all you will write,” he said when asked to comment on the statement attributed to him that Ganguly would not be picked to play Tests for India ever again. He said, “I don’t know from where this one came up.”More, who actively participated in the nets of the Indian team at the PCA ground, refused to divulge any information regarding the composition of the team for the second Test beginning on Thursday in Mohali. “All I can say is that the mood in the camp is very positive. The body language of the players during practice was very good.”Meanwhile, in an interesting development, Ganguly will be in Mohali, but only as a spectator. Ganguly has accepted an invitation to watch the match, said the Punjab Cricket Association’s president, IS Bindra, on Tuesday. “As a former captain, we have invited him to watch the India-England match and he has already given his confirmation. Sourav said he will be coming to watch the Test after March 11, because that day he has his involvement in Jaipur [at the Deodhar Trophy match].”
Sourav Ganguly is hoping luck will favour him as he attempts to get out of his run of poor form. Ganguly managed just 48 runs in the recent Test series against Pakistan, and was bowled for a first-ball zero in the first one-day international, followed by 9 runs in the second match.”It looks a long way off,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by AFP. “I need to get some runs. That is what I am trying to do for the last one month. I am concentrating hard on it and I am practicing. I am hitting the ball well. Unfortunately I am not spending enough time at the wicket. I think I need a bit of luck. A bit of luck here and there where I am able to get some 30-40 runs. Then I can carry on from there.”Ganguly, who has been the most successful Indian captain, has failed to score a Test century since his innings of 144 against Australia in Brisbane in November 2003. His dip in form has extended to one-dayers as well, with his last hundred coming against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.Ganguly has been severely criticised by many former cricketers, some of whom have called head. However, Ganguly is undeterred. “Criticism is going to happen because I have not scored runs for the last five to six innings,” he said. “People are going to criticise, but these things remind you that you have been good enough in the past.”Ganguly is just 55 runs away from becoming only the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq to secure 10,000 one-day runs. Ganguly has another four one-dayers against Pakistan to reach the milestone. India hold a 2-0 lead in the one-dayers with the third match on April 9 in Jamshedpur.
The length bowlers go to … India batted first on what was supposed to be a bouncy track, with cloud cover. So what did the bowlers do? They bowled short. The batsmen were hit on the head, the arm, and all over their upper torsoes. Not one wicket fell to intimidatory bowling. And when they did pitch it full, they over-compensated. As many as 84 runs came off the 70 half-volleys that were bowled.
Length
Balls
Runs
Fulllength
13
22
Yorker
2
1
Half-volley
70
84
Goodlength
352
152
Shortof a length
72
54
Short
39
4
Runs, runs everywhere Virender Sehwag was not about to let a nagging line outside off stump stifle him. He scored 114 runs on the off side, and anything slightly close to his pads was dispatched to leg. Given the generous number of half-volleys that came his way, it was no surprise that a large number of his runs came in front of the wicket.Sehwag’s wagon wheel
Region
Runs
Runs in boundaries
Thirdman
31
20
Point
18
16
Cover
39
28
Longoff
26
12
Longon
22
12
Midwicket
45
24
Squareleg
7
4
Fineleg
7
4
His first false shot was his last Rahul Dravid missed out on a half-century by one run, playing a loose shot off Steve Waugh straight to the fielder at midwicket, when he could have put the ball anywhere on the leg side. But until then, even by his standards, his control was exemplary.
Melbourne
Adelaide
Incontrol
85
527
Notin control
4
91
Incontrol percentage
95.5%
85.3%
Opening for India Could Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra be the opening pair India long been searching for? Their opening stand of 141 was India’s highest outside the subcontinent since 1990. Since then, India has played 21 openers, with only Ravi Shastri, Manoj Prabhakar and Navjot Sidhu achieving any degree of success. But the current combination has been exceptional, especially when one considers that this tour is their first overseas assignment together. (Note India’s average of their previous tour to Australia)India’s overseas opening performances since 1996
New Zealanders may be riding the crest of a wave with the performances of the Black Caps in the tri-series in Australia but one New Zealander refusing to count his chickens, about making the finals, is selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee.Hadlee played through four tri-series in Australia and knows only too well that the halfway stage of the competition is no time to be contemplating a place in the finals.New Zealand is sitting at the top of the points table at the moment but Hadlee said that it was time to be very wary of both the Australians and the South Africans.He said all the “hype, interest and expectation” of the New Zealand public was great and he advised New Zealanders to enjoy the moment but to also remember that Australia could never be discounted and South Africa had had the wood on New Zealand for too long for anything to be taken for granted.There was a chance if results went the right way that all three teams could be on 12 points going into the final round of games before the finals.But from an overall perspective of New Zealand’s one-day developments, Hadlee was pleased with the results achieved.”There are still areas of concern with the performances but the key thing is the side has planned well and it is scrapping hard for everything. Runs are hard to score against what are two world-class attacks.”But they are showing a bit of the Australian attitude and there have been some very good individual results.”However, in this competition you have always got to be wary,” he warned.There were still issues in the team’s performance, especially at the top of the order.”We have given players the opportunity to say, ‘This is my position’ but so far no-one has grasped it,” he said.Hadlee has been impressed with the way Brendon McCullum, the selection long shot, has performed and he spoke with him in Sydney after his debut performance which sadly ended when he was run out.”He told me he was just loving the experience. He hadn’t felt over-awed and felt good being out in the middle against the Australians. He had a good positive attitude,” Hadlee said.Hadlee said there was still a chance for other players to stake a claim at the top of the order and he said McCullum and Chris Nevin were in the frame with next year’s World Cup in mind.Not surprisingly, for a bowler who battled against all the advantages batsmen previously enjoyed, Hadlee is a big fan of the one bouncer rule that has been introduced this year.”It is a very good thing and gives quicker bowlers an element of surprise. And we now have guys who are hooking or cutting being caught on the boundary. Previously it could be a free hit ball, but now it is a dismissal ball. It has changed the dynamics of the game,” he said.The other aspect about the shorter ball was that batsmen who were looking to score from every ball could not really afford to let one go. They had to be more innovative.Another player who had taken the chance an unfortunate injury provided was James Franklin. He came into the side when Aucklander Kyle Mills got injured before the team left for Australia.”He has been coming back very well with his bowling. He gives us the left-hander’s angle of variation. His season was almost lost but he has had a reprieve and taken it well.”Hadlee said the decision to use Chris Cairns as captain against Australia in Sydney last week was based on the fact that he had been appointed vice-captain by the selectors when the team was first named, although this had not been announced.”He showed a lot of enthusiasm in the role,” he said.And Cairns’ century in Brisbane against South Africa had been a special delight.”It was a magnificent innings. It was well paced, he took control and it was an ideal scenario for him,” he said.It was now clear that when Cairns was in with the time to build an innings from 25-30 overs out, he was a good enough batsman to win a game by scoring 80 or more, such was his control.Hadlee, who was in Sydney last week, will watch the rest of the series in New Zealand.
A 109-run opening stand between D Mohan (63) and G Gambhir (64)helped Delhi to take command of the proceedings on the first day ofthe North Zone Cooch Behar (Under-19) Trophy match against Jammu andKashmir at the Molana Azad Stadium in Jammu on Sunday. Earlier, J&Kwere bowled out for 124 in their first innings.Opting to bat first, the J&K innings lasted just 47.2 overs. Onlythree batsmen, M Ashraf (17), A Mongotra (31) and P Mahajan (27 notout) could get past the double figure mark. The batsmen had no clueabout tackling the off spinner Y Sachdeva (3 for 26) and leg spinnerTarun Gupta (4 for 35).In reply, Delhi openers put on a partnership that lasted 25.5 overs.Gambhir was the first to be dismissed, when he was bowled by Mongotra.During a 108-minute stay, Gambhir faced 65 balls while finding theboundary ropes 9 times and succeeding to clear it once. Then R Uniyal(29 not out) joined Mohan and they put on 52 runs for the secondwicket in 14 overs. Mohan was the next to be out, caught by Mongotraoff Sathyajit Singh. He batted 164 minutes, faced 131 balls and hiteight fours. Stumps were drawn at the fall of Mohan’s wicket withDelhi at 161 for 2.
Wilson has been out since December with a calf problem, while Trippier has been sidelined since February following a metatarsal fracture, although both players made the trip to Dubai along with another long-term injury victim Federico Fernandez.
Eddie Howe is hopeful that both Wilson and Trippier will return to action before the end of the season after making returns to training.
The Latest: McAvennie reacts
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie labelled the pair’s return to training as ‘incredible’, adding that it is an ‘exciting time’ for both players. The 62-year-old said:
“Newcastle have done so well to keep winning without those players.
“Tripper was so, so good before his injury and we all know how good Wilson is on his day.
“He’s still their top scorer. It’s incredible to see them both working to be back and Newcastle have a decent end to the season.
“I think they just need one or two more wins to really secure their safety.
“Then you are looking at how high they can finish, getting into the top 10 is not out of the question for me.
“It’s an exciting time for them and I’m sure the fans can’t wait to see those guys back.”
The Verdict: Almost safe for another year
Newcastle have enjoyed a fine start to 2022, picking up 20 points from a possible 30 to leave them nine points clear of the bottom three with nine games remaining.
They have coped without Wilson, but having him back to challenge Chris Wood in attack will be a huge boost. Trippier’s return will also be a welcome one given his impressive early impact, but Howe will need to be cautious with the pair in the final weeks of the season given how long they have been sidelined.
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Hopefully the Magpies will be all but safe before the two players make full recoveries, but only time will tell whether or not that proves to be the case.
In other news – Deal agreed: Lee Ryder now drops big Newcastle update during international break on ‘hard-working’ gem
Cricket South Africa has banned Gulam Bodi for 20 years from participating in any international or domestic match, or any cricket activity other than anti-corruption programs after he admitted to contriving or attempting to fix matches during the 2015 Ram Slam T20 series.Five of those years will be suspended on the condition that Bodi commits no further offences under the code and demonstrates to CSA’s reasonable satisfaction that he has actively and constructively participated in corruption-related player education programs when asked to do so.Following a CSA investigation which they first made public on November 6 last year, when they issued a press release warning players to be vigilant after they had received information that an international syndicate was attempting to corrupt domestic cricket, Bodi was charged on December 31 with several counts of breaching the anti-corruption code. The charges go back to September 2015. Bodi’s confession came 18 days later and CSA issued their sanction a week after that.CSA would not be drawn on whether other players are under investigation but confirmed that the case is not closed. They could not put a timeframe on when they expect to conclude. They may also be compelled to provide their findings on Bodi to the police, who could launch an investigation of their own.”Under the circumstances, we are satisfied with the sanction. All we have to do now is comply,” Ayoob Kaka, Bodi’s lawyer told ESPNcricinfo.Asked whether Bodi was aware of, or concerned, that CSA would lay a complaint with the police, Kaka said: “It will be up to CSA to decide whether they launch a complaint. We’ve co-operated with them so we are not too worried about that.”Despite the time span over which they charges are spread – which include the Africa Cup, a T20 tournament for provincial amateur teams and African national sides and the Ram Slam – South Africa’s T20 tournament which was broadcast in India for the first time last year – CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the body believed no matches had been fixed.”The evidence that we’ve got and the confessions made by Bodi suggest we got him in a planning phase and no fixes were active.” Lorgat said at a press briefing during the Centurion Test. “Several players rejected Bodi’s approaches.”Whether those players will face any action is not known. Under section 2.4.4 of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code, failure to “to disclose to the ACSU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct,” is an offense. CSA have their own anti-corruption code, based on a template of the ICC’s code, which contains an equivalent clause.Like the ICC’s code, CSA’s contains sanctions which range from no ban to a maximum lifetime ban. Without going into the details of what Bodi has admitted to, CSA decided on his punishment based on several factors which they outlined in a proceedings explanation on their website.Among the factors considered was the extent of corrupt activities, the damage to the integrity of the game, the length of Bodi’s career and his seniority, the fact he had had education on anti-corruption and public sentiment. That was weighed up against Bodi’s co-operation and confession at an early stage of proceedings, his clean past history, the stress and anxiety he suffered from personal and financial issues, his experience of public contempt and ridicule and that he showed remorse was willing to issue a public apology. Although Bodi has not issued any statements, those were deemed mitigating enough to hand him a sanction of 20 years rather than a lengthier ban.”CSA thoroughly considered all the relevant factors and determined that a lengthy ban was appropriate. Our attitude to corruption will always be one of zero tolerance,” Lorgat said.CSA’s commitment to anti-corruption also compels them to consider whether to involve other authorities such as the police. “We abide by the law and jurisdiction of this country and whatever action needs to be taken will,” Louis von Zeuner, an independent board member of CSA, who is chair of the audit and risk committee, said.When news of Bodi’s involvement first broke on January 14, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, the spokesperson for the directorate for priority crime investigations, told ESPNcricinfo the police were aware of the investigation but had not received any information which would lead them a case. That may change if CSA provides them with Bodi’s confession. Under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Law which was introduced in 2004, match-fixing is a crime in South Africa. The Brigadier was unavailable for comment on Monday afternoon.With the ongoing process still to run its course, Lorgat could not reassure fans that the game is clean, although he did not believe the problem was confined to South Africa. “It is not a categoric statement I can make now. The investigation is still ongoing,” he said. “I think it’s damaging to the reputation of cricket. The fact that it happened in South Africa just makes it that much more difficult in a South African environment. It happened in England. It happened with a Pakistan Test match at Lord’s. This is not unique to South Africa. We’ve said that for a long time.”
Rakesh Solanki kept Baroda in the run at the end of the third day of their Ranji semi-final against Delhi in Indore. Solanki anchored the innings with a fine 96 but it was Yusuf Pathan who helped Baroda seize the initiative with an unbeaten 61-ball 86. Delhi, though, removed Solanki in the last over of the day to ensure that they remained in the hunt.Baroda had struggled in the first session, losing three wickets but Solanki featured in two partnerships that swung the momentum. He was involved in a 79-run stand with Shatrunjay Gaekwad before adding a further 118 runs with Yusuf, who turned on the heat in the last session.Yusuf had walked in to face the second ball of the final session and immediately chose to counterattack. He drove, cut, lofted and swept merrily in an entertaining innings that had Delhi bowlers in complete disarray. Spin or seam made no difference as he plonked the front foot forward and knived through the line. He started off by driving the legspinner Chetanya Nanda to the straight boundary before flashing Amit Bhandari twice in succession to the cover boundary. Nanda went around the wicket and aimed at the rough but Yusuf continued to attack, hitting two towering sixes over long-on and sweeping a couple to the boundary. The new ball too didn’t make any impact on him as he repeatedly drove Sumit Narwal and Parvinder Awana.But the wicket of Solanki kept Delhi in the game. It was a marginal decision as Solanki played across to a full delivery from Rajat Bhatia and it appeared to be heading down leg side. By then, though, Solanki had played a stellar part in reviving the fortunes of Baroda.He started off uncertainly, playing and missing outside off, but hit a few punchy drives to get going. As the day wore on, he got increasingly confident and the nervous pokes were replaced by confident drives and cuts. Whenever the bowlers pitched short, he pulled them for boundaries. Solanki sealed one end during the final session of the day while Yusuf went berserk to charge Baroda towards a sizeable lead. Though Solanki was given a reprieve, on 93, when he cut to gully where Aditya Jain spilled a straightforward chance but he couldn’t capitalise.But it was Gaekwad who led the repair job in the second session with an assured knock of 46. He defended compactly and showed impeccable timing while attacking. The highlight of the knock was his successive boundaries of Amit Bhandari. The bowler had hit the full length from around the wicket – a line that had proved very profitable for him on the first day – but Gaekwad stretched well forward to drive him to straight boundary before producing the shot of the day – a gorgeous cover drive. Baroda had begun to break free.Solanki too found his stride and 78 runs came in the second session before Gaekwad fell to a soft dismissal. He closed his bat a touch early to a short-of-length delivery from Awana, only to see the leading edge carry back to the bowler.The first session had seen Baroda repeat the mistakes of the first day. The bat was pushed away from the body, the feet didn’t come in line and the reading of line left a lot to be desired. Awana kept the ball in the right areas to lure the batsmen to their demise. Connor Williams drove away from the body, Satyajit Parab dragged on a loose drive to the stumps and Azharuddin Bilakhia shouldered arms to a length delivery around off stump only to lose the off stump. Baroda were still trailing by 16 runs at that point but Solanki and Gaekwad started the fightback.The next setback for Baroda came in the first ball of the final session. Nanda got one to skid on straight and had Pinal Shah playing all around it. Nanda should have had the new batsman Yusuf early with another slider but the umpire turned down a confident shout for lbw. By the end of the day, Baroda had stretched the lead to over 200 but Delhi struck in the end to leave the game tantalisingly poised.
Shoaib Akhtar has explained the altercation that led to his fine of US$2500 in a disciplinary hearing last week, by saying that his coach, Bob Woolmer, had accused him of feigning the injury that led to his withdrawal from Pakistan’s tour of South Africa.Shoaib, 31, who also failed a dope test last year but was cleared on appeal, was not originally selected for the Pakistan squad on fitness grounds. He was belatedly called up, however, after Umar Gul suffered a twisted ankle, and arrived in time to play a winning hand in the second Test at Port Elizabeth. But after taking 4 for 36 on the first day of the game, he limped out of the tour with a hamstring strain.It had been Shoaib’s first appearance in Test cricket for 12 months, but in a further twist to his latest saga, television footage showed him pushing Woolmer and exchanging heated words. He was later fined for his actions by the team manager, Talat Ali.”Woolmer thought I feigned injury which led to our altercation,” Shoaib told reporters in Lahore. “I apologised to Woolmer and he also said a few soft words with me and the matter was closed. Whenever someone doubts my commitment my soul gets hurt, it’s worse than any physical injury.”This is not the first time Shoaib has been accused of feigning injury. He had to undergo medical tests after he suffered a hamstring injury during Pakistan’s third Test defeat against India three years ago. The Pakistan team’s management, including Inzamam-ul-Haq and the former coach, Javed Miandad, doubted the severity of his injury.It prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to launch a medical inquiry into the fast bowler, although Akhtar was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing as the medical examinations proved his injury was genuine.Shoaib said he had offered to bowl through the pain in South Africa. “I was ready to play by having injections but doctors advised against it as they feared it would have ended my chances of playing in the World Cup,” he said. “I am 80 percent fit and am working hard to be fit for the World Cup.”Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chief selector, who came under criticism for not selecting Shoaib in the original squad, said he would not make any premature decision. “The PCB has now formed a medical panel,” said Bari, “and only after it clears Shoaib we can consider him for the future matches.”
One-day series openers between Pakistan and India have a way with runs. In Karachi 2004, nearly 700 runs had been scored and an eventual margin of five runs separated the two. In the Peshawar of 2006, over 600 runs were scored and again, only a small margin separated the two sides, although this time, Pakistan emerged victorious.Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, admitted afterwards that although his side had become adept at big chases, he would be happier if they weren’t in that position in the first place. “If we have to chase big totals, we must learn how to chase. We have done pretty well in the last two years, but the problem is that we are conceding too many runs, and that is something we will have to look at.”That said, we fielded and bowled beautifully in the last ten overs. We took a couple of wonderful catches and bowled extremely tightly. At one stage, I thought we would end up chasing nearly 380. In the end, we did very well to bowl India out before the 50 overs.”In a batsmen-dominated game, only Mohammad Asif came out looking good. From 9.4 overs, he conceded only 30 runs and picked up three wickets in only his second ODI. Against England on his debut, he had taken two and at an economical rate. Woolmer was full of praise for the bowler he calls the most improved in Pakistan. “His figures speak for themselves. To take three for 30 in 9.4 overs on this surface was a wonderful effort. It was a superb batting surface and if at all it’s possible, this was an even better pitch than the ones at the Lahore and Faisalabad Tests,” Woolmer said.The game was also significant for Umar Gul as it marked his comeback from a career-threatening back injury. Having bowled Pakistan to victory against India in the Lahore Test two years ago, Gul hadn’t played an international match until today. And although he went for 35 runs in three overs and was eventually subbed, Woolmer urged patience. “He had a tough game, he just didn’t get it right at all. But he is a very good bowler, and I am sure he will bounce back as he plays more matches.”Although the light was poor throughout the day, it wasn’t until late in Pakistan’s run-chase, when the light deteriorated further that the umpires offered light. Woolmer didn’t blame the umpires however for their late intervention. “The umpires tried to get as much cricket in as possible. We weren’t offered the light earlier on, but we knew that we were always ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis calculations.”On an incident-filled day, Inzamam-ul-Haq’s dismissal, obstructing the field, was another as he became only the third player to be given out in such a manner. Although the captain expressed indignation initially at being given out, Woolmer said it a legitimate decision. “Under the letter of the law, he is out. Let’s just leave it at that.” He added, “He was run out trying to avoid being hit by the ball in the Faisalabad Test against England, and now this. I suppose if you can’t get him out in any other manner, the run out would appear the best way to dismiss him,”Rahul Dravid also backed this up saying, “We appeal for caught behinds, lbws and run-outs too. It’s up to the umpires to give the decision.” Inzamam had stated earlier at the post-match ceremony, “I don’t understand the rules and I am not sure why I was given out. It happened in Faisalabad and it happened again here.”