All posts by csb10.top

What a weekend of mixed emotions for those who followed the fortunes of South African sport over the past weekend. The thrashing of the Springboks by France was almost too much to comprehend. It was a bloody nightmare. Thankfully the Proteas more than made up for the rugby failure by giving Sri Lanka such a hiding that I cannot see how they can recover within a week.At a time when all teams are building for the World Cup in South Africa this display by Sri Lanka must certainly be very worrisome for their Coach. Once again the bounce and lateral movement found in South Africa was just too much for them to handle. When one considers that they are often spoken about as serious contenders to the title only then does one realize how much of an advantage South Africa has by playing at home. The inadequacies within their techniques are almost an impossible task to overcome within such a short space of time. Looking towards the second Test, the Sri Lankans management has plenty of homework to do. It was quite obvious that the very basics of the game were ignored by some of their players and this was compounded by them attempting to play certain players out of their regular positions in hope that it would bring success that very rarely happens against top class teams.Russell Arnold at the top of the order has had no form since arriving in South Africa and he is out of his depth. The Captain Jayasuria, has moved himself down the order in an attempt to get away from the seam and bounce that South African bowlers get on good pitches, but this tactic has backfired. He needs to lead from the front and get in there in the heat of battle and take his responsibility. Somehow I don’t think he wants it.As far as the bowling attack is concerned, Perriera will battle to overcome the problem of running on the pitch in a week and Fernando (the no ball man!) must feel like getting on a plane back to Colombo. He probably still keeps hearing someone shouting "no ball" in his ear even after four days. These are basic disciplines and when they are ignored failure is the only guarantee. The only ace they have is Muralli and on pitches that are not made to spin before the Test even starts, he has to perform a duel role of keeping runs down as well as taking wickets and unfortunately this is very foreign to him. It was clear that the Proteas don’t fear his spin or even his straighter delivery and somehow he will need to find a way to counteract that. His display with the bat, albeit at number ten, clearly showed a lack of guts and a willingness to take the Proteas on for his country. Any South African or Australian that displayed his lack of fight would be booted out on his ear so fast that it wouldn’t be funny. Their coach is an Aussie and it must hurt to see this happen and have no control over it. The Test that starts on Friday will be a significant one for the Sri Lankans, as it could further lower their confidence going into the one day matches and if this happens and they get a further hiding, they may have run their World Cup race before it even starts.It is always nice to see the Poms getting a hiding be it in cricket, rugby or soccer and their display in their first Ashes Test was very predictable. They are very good at talking about winning but never seeing it through. Now Hussain is leaving his team to go home on maternity leave and the management believes he needs the break. I wonder if he will go back!The news that Cullinan and the UCB seem to have patched up their differences is good news for cricket in South Africa. The game is always bigger than any organization or player and we now need to move on and put the whole saga to bed. No doubt players like McKenzie, Prince and van Jaarsveld will be disappointed with their performances against Sri Lanka and with the wealth of talent around, will feel the need to make contributions as quickly as possible. Spare a thought for Gibbs, who must have gone through some mental anguish knowing that he has form and just could not get on the park.Kallis was magnificent with both bat and ball and he showed again why he is the most valuable cricketer in the world today.

Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium is set to host a Test match after 35 years, when England tour India in November-December for a two-Test series. The change was prompted due to the unavailability of the Wankhede Stadium, the regular Test venue, which is undergoing renovation for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had discussions with the owners of the Brabourne Stadium, the Cricket Club of India (CCI), over the sharing of tickets and a three-year deal on hosting rights will be signed on June 18.”A formal agreement, for a period of three years till Wankhede is available to us again to host matches, is to be signed with the CCI on June 18 when our managing committee meets,” Dr PV Shetty, the joint secretary of the MCA, told . “The discussion part is over and the CCI authorities have agreed to keep 50% of the club house tickets to themselves and give the rest to us [MCA].”Incidentally, England were the last visiting team to play a Test at the Brabourne Stadium, back in 1973. A dispute over tickets between the MCA and the CCI led to the birth of the Wankhede Stadium nearby, which held its first Test in 1975. Brabourne hosted three one-day internationals between 1989 and 1995, before playing host to five ICC Champions Trophy games eleven years later. The last international match played there was a one-off Twenty20 international between India and Australia last year.

New South Wales speedster Nathan Bracken has routed South Africa ‘A’ toset up a four wicket victory for Australia ‘A’ in their one-day cricketseries in South Africa.Bracken earned man of the match honours with a haul of 4-43 off nineovers that limited South Africa A to 8-255 off its 50 overs.Despite being reduced to 3-65, Australia still reached 6-256 with 13balls to spare thanks to a middle order fightback by skipper JustinLanger (49) and Michael Clarke (47).Late hitting by Ryan Campbell (44 not out) also eased the pressure inAustralia’s A chase.Australia A now holds a 5-0 lead in the seven match series after gamefive at East London on Friday was washed out without a ball beingbowled.South Africa A was cruising at 4-218 before the visitors hit back withfour quick wickets in the final overs.But the hosts still managed a respectable total thanks to opener JacquesRudolph (76), skipper Neil McKenzie (47) and Robin Peterson (45).In reply, Australia looked in trouble when it lost makeshift opener MarkHiggs (14), Greg Blewett (nine) and Andrew Symonds (19) with the totalon just 65.But Clarke dug in and shared a 65-run fourth wicket stand with SimonKatich (31) to right the ship before Langer and Campbell broughtAustralia A home.Best with the ball for South Africa A was speedster Mfuneko Ngam whosnared 2-53 off 10 overs.The seventh and final one day match of the series will be held atPietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

North West player Davey Jacobs became the king of Lenasia as he played The Rest of South Africa XI back into a strong position against Sri Lanka at the end of day three of the four-day match.Losing three sessions in the first three days was always going to result in a tame draw. It was, however, Jacobs who put the spark back into the match. Coming to the crease in the third over of the South African innings he scored a magnificent hundred in 153 minutes.With the Lenasia faithful arriving to watch Muttiah Muralitharan bowl,Jacobs, who turns 20 on the 4th November, stole the show away from arguably the world’s best spinner. Dropped when on 43, off the bowling of Muralitharan, he took 67 runs in 60 balls including seven fours and two sixes off the off spinner. Jacobs put together an entertaining 146 (22×4, 2×6) with the majority of his runs coming on the on side.”I have hardly ever played a slog sweep or even a reverse sweep, but decided at lunch that today was the day,” the young batsman said. Both slog sweeps sailed over the wide mid-wicket fence and the reverse sweep ended just short of going for the maximum. “We had decided before the innings that we would play our shots and sweep against the spinner, and it paid off,” Jacobs added.His dominance was reflected in the 159 partnership with Hashim Amla with the latter only scoring 40.The day had started in bright sunlight, in contrast to the first two days, with Sri Lanka resuming their innings on 315 for five wickets. Batting on for eight overs they moved the total along to 336/5 before the declaration came.Fernando having gone to his fifty in the second over of the morning was not out on 57 and Tillakaratne not out on 79.Rest of South Africa started in a rush before captain Ahmed Amla top edged a pull to square leg losing the first wicket on 15. A 55 partnership between Jacobs and James Henderson followed before the latter was trapped leg before by Chamile Gamage Lakshitha for 30 and the hosts 70/2.Once Hashim Amla had been trapped in front by Muralitharan the wicketsstarted falling regularly. Three down for 229 became four for 243 whenJacobs left on 146 caught at extra cover. Joubert followed soon after tea bowled by Muralitharan for 11 (268/5) and Con de Lange left with the score on 280 trapped in front by Muralitharan for five. A mini collapse for the locals, going from 229/2 to 280/6.Jon Kent showed some resistance and in going to his fifty was brilliantly caught by Perera at deep mid on, diving forward and to his left, for 48.Kruger van Wyk and Garnett Kruger helped the score past the Sri Lanka first innings total of 336 to end on 368/8 when bad light stopped play on day three.

It was fitting that Somerset was chosen to host Sri Lanka’s first warm-up match prior to the upcoming one-day tournament between England, Sri Lanka and India. The county’s chief benefactor is Sri-Lankan born Chris Ondaatje, retired financier and author, whose generosity and devotion to the West Country club has helped establish their thriving School of Excellence, housed beneath the Ondaajte Pavilion. This academy has been granted regional status by the England and Wales Cricket Board, and makes Somerset County Cricket Club responsible for the development of cricket throughout the South-West region.

Mr Ondaatje has sponsored the clash between Somerset and their visitors, which was dubbed The Patron’s Salver Challenge Match. Before the game an engraved silver salver and three silver goblets were presented to Sri Lanka team manager Chandra Schaffter, and a similar presentation was made to Somerset President Michael Hill. The Somerset silverware will be housed permanently in the Somerset Cricket Museum, housed in an award-winning restored medieval barn behind the ground.Mr Ondaatje said: `It is really fantastic to be here on this wonderful day and to have had the opportunity to sponsor this first Patron’s Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Somerset. I am certain that this will mark the start of a thrilling one-day series in England.’After an excellent day’s cricket, with the threatened rain thankfully staying away, Somerset beat Sri Lanka by 63 runs.

Somerset County Cricket Club announce that the official opening of the Sir Vivian Richards Gates at The County Ground, Taunton scheduled for Sunday, 12 May will be postponed until later in the season.In a message to the Club, Sir Vivian Richards said "that he was elated at the honour given by the Club in recognition of his past services but regrets that his cricket commitments in the West Indies in connection with the fourth Test Match in Antigua has thwarted his plans to attend. He hopes however, to attend later during the year".

ScorecardA quick fifty by Mid West Rhinos captain Brendon Taylor helped his team to a tight three-wicket win against Southern Rocks in Zimbabwe’s Domestic Twenty20 Competition in Masvingo.Chasing 147, Rhinos were going slow for the major part of the innings, and at 55 for 3 in the 11th over, the required run rate had jumped to 10 per over. Taylor then quickened the scoring rate, and brought his team back into the contest with a 20-run 14th over. As he was caught behind in the 16th over for 54, Rhinos needed 40 off 26 balls. Frantic scoring from the lower-middle order secured victory for them with one ball remaining.The Southern Rocks’ innings was based on a fifty by 21-year-old opener Ben Slater. He batted till the 19th over, scoring 57 off 51 balls. He added 74 runs off 8.4 overs with No. 4 Peter Burgoyne to take them to a strong 93 for 3, before Burgoyne departed at the end of the 13th over. Three handy partnerships took them to 146 for 5, which ultimately wasn’t enough for a win. Fast bowler Michael Chinouya took three wickets.Seamer Curthbert Musoko made his Twenty20 debut, taking two wickets for Southern Rocks.

The West Indies have learnt by recent bitter experience not to counttheir chickens before they hatch.The way things have been these past few years, they have to be out oftheir shells and chirping loudly before any celebrations can begin.Yet, the fifth and final Test has incubated nicely over the first fourdays and their first victory since last June 13 matches ago is readyfor hatching.All that is needed now to finish it off is the discipline and patiencethat have got the situation to its promising stage.Throughout the West Indies have shown the resilience that has been somarkedly absent from their cricket for so many years and have beenunquestionably the better team.The upshot has been their strongest position since they blew a firstinnings lead of 143 over England at Lord’s with an all-out 54 in theirsecond innings ten months and 14 Tests ago.Mainly through their toughest character, Ridley Jacobs, they recoveredfrom the insecurity of 126 for five in their second innings on thefourth day to total 301.It left South Africa with a colossal task to keep their unbeatensequence of 12 Tests intact and extend their lead in the series to3-0.The challenge was 386 over the last five sessions of the match. NoSouth African team, before or since apartheid, has ever got near thatto win a Test and, even though eight of their 11 have Test hundreds totheir name, it is a distant goal.By the close of the day, extended by an hour because of three rainbreaks, the West Indies had got rid of three of them for 140,including Herschelle Gibbs and Daryll Cullinan, their two leadingscorers in the series with over 400 runs each.South Africa start the last day needing another 246 off the minimumrequirement of 90 overs and the West Indies need another sevenwickets.It is a victory that would not only be an appropriate parting gift forCourtney Walsh in his farewell Test but a stimulating result for WestIndies cricket that has suffered such pain for so long.They made the necessary inroads into the South African innings throughthe same commitment that has marked their game throughout.In a lively, accurate spell before tea, Merv Dillon removed the lefthanded Gary Kirsten, caught off the under edge as he belatedly pulledhis bat out of the path of a lifter over off-stump, delivered fromround the wicket.The West Indies were realistic enough to know not to expect anotherSouth African collapse as in their first innings 141. Gibbs, asadventurous as always, and Neil McKenzie, promoted to No. 3 for thethird time in the series, made them work for an hour and 40 minuteswhile adding 65.Finally, Gibbs’ patience was exhausted as Dinanath Ramnarine andHooper contained him after an after-tea flourish in which he punishedDillon’s looseness that brought 29 runs from four overs.Heaving an ugly sweep at Hooper, Gibbs was bowled, an embarrasing endto a fruitful series for the opener.Cullinan, South Africa’s most prolific batsman with hundreds atQueen’s Park and Kensington already in the series, replaced Gibbs.He played with few problems before Hooper recalled Walsh for a secondspell.The man of the moment had been off the field receiving attention and asoothing injection after a painful blow to the ankle while battingearlier in the day. The Sabina crowd greeted his return with theunderstandable reception and almost brought the house down when histhird ball beat Cullinan coming forward for umpire Steve Bucknor’s lbwdecision.Another three-quarters of an hour remained and McKenzie and JacquesKallis only survived it with a few alarms.Kallis edged Ramnarine a foot short of Chris Gayle at slip. McKenziejust managed to scramble back into his ground before Jacobs broke thestumps after one from Ramnarine that deflected from the pads. McKenzieagain got the benefit of Bucknor’s little doubt on an lbw claim fromWalsh.The West Indies’ position was already strong when the day started on ahumid morning with clouds hovering low over the Blue Mountains. Thelead was already 339 but captain Hooper called for another 30.He got more, even after Ramnarine was dubiously caught at first slipby Cullinan off Shaun Pollock’s third ball of the day.Tossing the ball in the air as he fell backwards and diving forward totry to gather it in again, Cullinan did not seem to have control ofthe ball but umpire Srinivas Ventararaghavan raised his finger all thesame.It made no significant difference. In between a break for one of theday’s three showers, Jacobs and Cameron Cuffy raised a further 32before Jacobs swung his hook off Lance Klusener to deep square-leg.His 85, occupying just over four hours all told, was made while 161were scored, an invaluable contribution from an invaluable player.As Walsh walked to the wicket for the last time in Test cricket, theSouth Africans formed a guard of honour as the Englishmen did at theOval last August and the Australians did at the SCG last January. Itwas another touching tribute to a greatly admired sportsman.Walsh at least avoided adding to his record 43 Test ducks before heskewed a catch to cover. Soon he was back, striving for the result heis desperate to achieve.

Is this the turning point?West Indies’ emphatic ten-wicket victory over India in the third Cable & Wireless Test yesterday has triggered renewed optimism among fans, but the team management doesn’t want to get too carried away.What coach Roger Harper was prepared to admit was that there had been signs of development.This team has been growing for a while. Obviously, to members of the media and the West Indian cricket-loving public, not as fast as we would like, but I think the signs were there, Harper saidI think we are still turning the corner. I wouldn’t say we have arrived yet, but I think this team is getting better and better.This match was one in which the West Indies outplayed India from the first bell when Mervyn Dillon bowled Shiv Sunder Das. They never once lost the grip and went on to win by one of their biggest margins in recent times.We’ve had victories before. I don’t think we should get carried away with this one, Hooper said.We’ve still got another two Test matches to play. We want to enjoy the moment. We’ve worked hard for it. In a couple days’ time, we’ll resume again in Antigua. We have got to enjoy this one and still remain focused for the job on hand.Hooper added that it was one of the few matches when West Indies bowled and batted as a unit.After rolling over India for 102 on the opening day, they responded with 394 and then restricted India to 296 in the second innings.The good thing about this Test match was that the victory was convincing. We totally outplayed India in every department, Hooper said.We should take the same thing into Antigua. The thing we’ve got to caution against is that it is a new Test match. It starts from scratch again.There have been numerous times in the past when we’ve started to play well and we went from having a good Test match and played poorly.Harper was pleased with the fielding and the work of the quartet of fast bowlers in light of the fact that West Indies had conceded six totals of more than 450 in their previous nine matches.All the bowlers in the team are aware of the fact that we’ve been bowling wicket-taking deliveries, but in between those deliveries, we’ve been giving away too many boundaries, the coach said.This is an area we have focused on as a team and try to put it right. It is good to see the team going out there and executing.

Leg-spinner Anthony Martin picked up a career-best 7 for 81 to give LeewardIslands their first win in the tournament against Guyana in Nevis. Needing a further 206 runs for victory, Guyana picked up from their overnight 36 for 2 and battled to add 90 runs in the morning session for the loss of two wickets. The experienced Narsingh Deonarine and Royston Crandon then steered the visitors to a fighting 126 for 4 at lunch, still 116 runs adrift of victory. Both batsmen brought up their half-centuries and appeared to be guiding Guyana to victory with a 101-run fifth-wicket stand but the visitors’ position declined rapidly after Martin dislodged Deonarine for 56. Even as Martin produced a five-wicket burst after lunch, at 229 for 8, just 13 runs away from the target, Guyana were still on course for the win. But Gavin Tonge had Davendra Bishoo caught behind and Martin dislodged Esaun Crandon soon after to seal the win before tea.Martin was elated after helping Leewards snap a two-game losing streak with the 10-run victory. “I am feeling so good right now and I don’t even know what to say,” he told . “I just had a good feeling out there and I told myself that I had to do it. The team was depending on me to put in the work and I did.”David Bernard and Wavell Hinds stroked unbeaten half-centuries to hand Jamaica a six-wicket win over Barbados in Jamaica. Bernard (60) and Wavell Hinds (59) were involved in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 122 that lifted the table-toppers and defending champions from a precarious 81 for 4 and gave them their third win of the tournament. Chasing 201, after Barbados were bowled out at the close of play on Sunday, Jamaica stuttered as left-arm seamer Pedro Collins and left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds made early inroads, picking up two wickets apiece. Bernard and Wavell Hinds came together just after lunch when captain Tamar Lambert was bowled by Ryan Hinds and the duo defied the Barbados bowlers, keeping them wicketless in the post-lunch session before achieving victory. Bernard struck six fours in his 133-ball innings, while Hinds hit two fours and a six in the 148 balls he faced.