After a day in which both sides battled hard to seize the initiative, Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene was unhappy with his side’s total but praised the bowlers for ensuring that honours were even after the second day.Resuming on 217 with five wickets in hand, Sri Lanka could only muster 278 in their first innings. “It was not easy batting on that pitch (on the first day), but we fought well, and I think that sixth-wicket partnership (of 105 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva) was crucial for us,” he said. “It showed a lot of character, but I am disappointed with the way a few of our guys were dismissed. We should probably have scored between 300 and 325.”West Indies started their innings confidently, with captain Chris Gayle showing the way with a typically aggressive 45, but slipped to 268 for 7 by stumps. “West Indies batted really well, and played a few shots, and it paid off for them,” he said. “But it’s an even game I reckon, we just need to make sure that we work harder next innings.”It’s going to be like a one-innings match now, and with them batting last on that pitch, we have to make sure that we put some runs on the board and put some pressure on them.”Jayawardene, though, felt that Sri Lanka had the edge. “I think the advantage is with us. If we bat well in the second innings and score anything in excess of 250-275, it will be a tough ask for them to bat last against Muralitharan and the rest of the guys.”
After producing arguably their most disciplined bowling performance of the entire tour, West Indies squandered a golden opportunity to go 1-0 up in the best-of-three one-day series by shedding four wickets in 12 balls inside the first seven overs of their run-chase. Once again, Shivnarine Chanderpaul resembled the boy on the burning deck as he ground his way to 53 not out from 100 balls, but the match had been lost long before he was left stranded with 10.1 overs of the innings remaining.Up until the start of West Indies’ innings, it seemed there could be only one winner. Chris Gayle won the toss and chose to bowl first under overcast skies, and his bowlers responded with a heady combination of aggression and accuracy. The fiery Fidel Edwards claimed the lion’s share of the spoils with 5 for 45, his best ODI figures since he took six on debut against Zimbabwe, but it was Ravi Rampaul and Daren Powell who established the stranglehold by conceding just 46 runs in the first 13 overs of England’s innings.England’s eventual total of 225 contained just 12 boundaries, the first of which didn’t arrive until as late as the eighth over. Matt Prior, by all accounts an opener in the pinch-hitting mould, grafted his way to 34 from 65 balls; and even the mighty Kevin Pietersen was made to look ordinary. He had scratched his way to 33 from 47 balls before he lost patience and slapped Dwayne Bravo to gully (148 for 3).The mainstay of England’s performance was Ian Bell, a player who copes better than most with being becalmed. Back in the side after a groin strain, he compiled 56 from 75 balls before being run out in a horrible mid-pitch mix-up with Owais Shah – an accident that had been threatening for some time because of Bell’s continued habit of ball-watching.At 181 for 4 after 42.4 overs, bad weather interrupted England’s innings for the best part of an hour – upon the resumption, they lost their last six wickets for 44, including four in four overs to a pumped-up Edwards. Only Shah remained to guide them to any sort of serviceable total. He made 42 from 38 balls as England’s tail crumbled around him, before being run out with one ball of the innings remaining.Such a meagre target should have been easily attainable, especially with the sun breaking through to ease the conditions for batting. Instead, West Indies’ problems began as early as the fourth over, when Gayle inexplicably tucked a loose ball off his hip and all the way to Stuart Broad on the backward-square leg boundary. At 9 for 1, with their captain and key strokeplayer back in the pavilion, the stage was set for a bout of jitters.James Anderson was in the mood to exploit West Indies’ uncertainties. Finding good pace and movement, and zipping the ball down the slope at will, he bowled Runako Morton for 0 with an inducker, then followed up one delivery later with the big scalp of Marlon Samuels, who misjudged the length of a short ball, and gloved an attempted leave to the keeper.
Three balls later, Anderson was in the action again, this time as a fielder at third man. His fast, flat throw – coupled with a smart take from the keeper Matt Prior – beat a suicidal piece of running from Devon Smith, and at 13 for 4, West Indies’ innings was in tatters. Chanderpaul dropped anchor, as he has done all summer, while Bravo did his best to keep the momentum going with 29 from 34 balls, in a sixth-wicket partnership of 61.The drinks break, however, wrecked Bravo’s concentration – upon the resumption, Broad nipped his second ball off the seam, and Prior accepted a routine snick with glee. Two balls later, Denesh Ramdin lost his off stump to one that kept low, and Broad added a third when Dwayne Smith wafted loosely outside off stump for Prior to snaffle a thin inside edge.West Indies had been reduced to 93 for 7 and their tormentor of the Test series, Monty Panesar, hadn’t even made an appearance. When he did, in the 22nd over, he needed just eight deliveries to make his mark. Daren Powell was utterly deceived in flight and pinned plumb in front of middle-and-leg, and that was emphatically that.Rampaul did delay the inevitable, and in quite some style, making a career-best 24 in a stand of 35 with Chanderpaul that reduced the deficit to double-figures. But Plunkett, who deserved his success after a torrid time in the Test series, induced a leading edge that Broad circled beneath at mid-off, and the match was sealed, appropriately enough, by England’s new captain, Paul Collingwood, who collected a throw from the deep and whipped off the bails with Edwards still floundering for the crease. His one-day captaincy career is up and running with a hard-earned victory.
One of England women’s most promising allrounders, Arran Brindle, has decided to take a break from international and Super 4s cricket with immediate effect, in order to spend more time with her family.Brindle, 24, made her international debut in a one-day match against South Africa six years ago and played her first Test against Australia the following year in 2001. She is recognised as one of the best fielders in the world following her performances in the 2005 World Cup in South Africa.”I have decided to take an extended break from competing at the highest level for personal reasons,” she explained, “and to spend more time with my family while also looking to develop my career outside of cricket.”Brindle holds the English record for an opening Test stand with Caroline Atkins, putting on a 205-run partnership in India, and has a highest Test score of 101 not out, which she completed with the last ball of the game in last summer’s first Ashes Test. In the second game she steered England to a famous six-wicket victory with an undefeated second-innings 24.”Arran has been one of our most consistent performers over the past 18 months,” said her captain, Charlotte Edwards. “Her decision to retire will be a significant loss to the team. I feel very lucky at the moment that we have a crop of very exciting players who I’m sure will fill her role.”The head coach, Richard Bates, added: “It is disappointing that Arran has decided to retire from international cricket at this point. We are currently developing well and building a young exciting squad under the leadership of Edwards and newly appointed vice-captain, Laura Newton.”We are looking forward to the challenge of playing India this summer and losing Arran as a key middle-order batter and excellent fielder will force our hand in terms of a change in the batting line up. We do though have some very exciting young players currently pushing for a place and I’m sure they will be looking to impress in the forthcoming Super 4s matches.”
Sanath Jayasuriya may well be spending next summer in Scotland
The Scottish Saltires are hoping to sign Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lankan captain, as an overseas player for 2005 – their third season in Division Two of the National League.Jayasuriya will not be the Scots’ first big-name signing – last year they enlisted the services of Rahul Dravid. This season Sridharan Sriram, the Indian allrounder, turned out for the Saltires, although he failed to make an impact as big as Dravid.”We have had initial chats with various agents, and there are one or two big names who are interested in coming over,” said Craig Wright, Scotland’s captain. “Jayasuriya is one of several we are talking to.”He went on: “I think that whoever comes would appreciate the fact that it is not a full county season. That was one of the things that appealed to Rahul. With 18 one-day games there is not so much stress or strain, and with the amount of international cricket that is played now, coming here would give a player a rest while keeping him ticking over. It is the lifestyle options that make our situation appealing.”Jayasuriya, 35, has been a mainstay of Sri Lanka’s top order for almost 15 years, scoring 9782 one-day runs, including a whopping 185 sixes, at an average of 31.96. His Test stats are equally impressive, and Jayasuriya is also a more-than-useful left-arm spinner.Scotland do not have the financial backing to compete with the English first-class counties when it comes to attracting star talent, and Dravid’s wages were partly paid for by an enthusiastic Indian community in Scotland. It will cost around £30,000 to recruit a world-class player such as Jayasuriya.”Obviously we would like to be able to make a decision as soon as possible, because it would encourage season-ticket package sales and create a buzz,” said Wright. “The names we are targeting are high-calibre, so it makes it all the more frustrating.”Meanwhile, Scotland are preparing for the ICC Intercontinental Cup finals in United Arab Emirates next month. They will take on Kenya in the semi-finals, having beaten Ireland by eight wickets to qualify from the European group. “This is pretty much the strongest squad we have ever had available,” said Wright. “On paper we are at full strength, which is exciting.”
Northamptonshire’s honorary treasurer has resigned, and a former member of staff has been arrested and released on bail, after it was reported that a quarter-of-a-million pounds has gone missing from the county’s reserves.According to the club’s audited accounts from the last financial year, £247,000 have been misplaced in “accounting irregularities”. “The whole situation is particularly disappointing,” the chairman, Simon Schanschieff, told the BBC, “as we made progress turning around our trading performance. I would like to say more by way of explanation, but I must ensure I avoid prejudicing any potential litigation or court cases.”Despite the missing funds, Northants recorded a loss of £36,620 in 2003, compared to a deficit of £158,000 the previous year. An internal investigation is already underway to ensure a similar fiasco does not occur again, and to recover the money if possible.”David Beckett took over as acting chief executive at the beginning of the year,” Schanschieff added, “and all internal financial processes and management controls have been thoroughly reviewed to ensure no situation of this kind can occur in the future. The club will be vigorously pursuing every possible avenue to recover any lost funds where evidence to this effect is uncovered during David’s ongoing investigation.””We have a balanced budget for 2004,” he concluded, “and I can confirm to members that we are continuing to work hard to ensure the effective management of the club’s affairs for the future. I am sure that the club will recover the confidence of all its stakeholders.”
Craig McMillan has been thrown a lifeline and included in the New Zealand 12 for today’s World Cup game against South Africa in what selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee describes as the biggest selection decision of the year.McMillan, who was dropped for the match against the West Indies, has been in poor form for most of the summer.”Craig is acutely aware of the significance of tomorrow’s match not only for the team but for his own future,” Hadlee said in a thinly-veiled reference as strong as anything made in his tenure as selection chairman.McMillan will bat down the order in what is another vital game for New Zealand which has reconfirmed its stance on not playing in Kenya.Coming into the side for the match at Johannesburg’s Wanderers’ Stadium is pace bowler Kyle Mills, who has kept Daryl Tuffey out of the side while McMillan’s selection is at the expense of Chris Harris.The team is: Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.Hadlee has likened the importance of the match to a World Cup final.”If we lose this game, the reality is we’re not likely to progress any further in the tournament.”The destiny of the players’ is in their own hands and they know it.”We need to make history tomorrow by beating South Africa for the first time on their own soil [in a One-Day International] and, at the same time, the team will give themselves a very good chance of progressing to the Super Six stage of the tournament.”A win for the TelstraClear Black Caps will also put tremendous pressure on South Africa making the Super Six.”Meanwhile, New Zealand have said ‘No’ to playing in Kenya on Friday and are seeking ways of having the match rescheduled for South Africa.An important factor in their confirmation of their stance announced before the World Cup started has been the assessment of New Zealand Cricket’s security expert Reg Dickason.Dickason has been in South Africa in recent days during meetings with NZC chief executive Martin Snedden, the South African Police force and members of the Kroll security group.Snedden has also been in lengthy discussions with International Cricket Council executives and South African and Kenyan cricket representatives.”Mr Dickason’s assessment, having reviewed all the material available, is that the risk to player safety is still too high,” Snedden said.”The New Zealand Cricket Board, in making its decision today, has acted on that advice.””NZC has not given up hope of the game being rescheduled and will continue to work with the ICC on this issue over the next few days.”If the final decision is that the game will not be rescheduled, then the points issue will be addressed at that stage,” he said.
Andy Flintoff and Neil Fairbrother linked up to steer Lancashire to a comfortable C&G quarter-final victory over Durham in Blackpool.The visitors could only muster 198 for eight in their 50 overs after being put in, despite a half-century from Paul Collingwood.And Lancashire cruised home with seven wickets and 11.2 overs to spare, with Flintoff and Fairbrother putting on 136 in 25 overs for the third wicket.They came together with Lancashire in a spot of bother at 46 for two after Mike Atherton had gone lbw to young Durham seamer Mark Davies, and Glen Chapple was brilliantly stumped down the leg side by Andrew Pratt standing up to Danny Law.But both provided rich entertainment for a sun-baked Stanley Park crowd.Fairbrother was first to his 50 from 51 balls and moved to 73 from 75 with six fours and two sixes off Graham Bridge, who finally had him caught at mid off.Flintoff saw the job through with an unbeaten 72 from 87 balls including nine fours and two sixes, an encouraging and timely return to form for the England all-rounder, who has been struggling for runs in the CricInfo Championship but has now scored 177 runs in three innings in the C&G Trophy and only been out once. He also took two for 46 in eight overs, and was named man of the match.Gary Yates had been Lancashire’s bowling hero on his first appearance of the season. The off-spinner, who was an unsung mainstay of Lancashire’s domination of one-day cricket during the last decade, bowled his 10 overs straight through to take two for 23.He claimed the crucial wicket of Martin Love in his second over, lbw for 38 in 48 balls as he tried to sweep.Yates also bowled Martin Speight for a duck, and with Chris Schofield taking a return catch to dismiss Jon Lewis, Durham lost their momentum against the Lancashire spinners.Collingwood did his best with 60 from 92 balls, reaching his half-century with a six off Schofield and also hitting three fours.But Flintoff returned to have him caught at cover by Mike Atherton off bat and pad, and despite an unbeaten 26 in 20 balls from the impressive Pratt, Durham’s total never looked likely to be enough.
Dirk Kuyt is facing an Anfield exit this summer as Kenny Dalglish looks to revamp his Liverpool playing squad, if reports in The Telegraph are to be believed.
The Netherlands international, who is a popular player on Merseyside, has played for The Reds for six years, but with first-team opportunities becoming increasingly limited, may well be shown the door when the transfer window reopens.
Other older players, such as Maxi Rodriguez and Fabio Aurelio, may also face the axe as Liverpool look to improve and challenge for a top-four spot next term.
Meanwhile, former Reds boss Roy Evans has stated that Dalglish should be given the full backing of the board, players and supporters if the club is to get out of its current poor run of results.
“You have to be positive,” Evans told the Liverpool Echo.
“You have to stick together in times like this from the players, to the manager, the backroom staff and the supporters.
“It is always a difficult time when you go through periods like this as a manager. Especially as, being manager of a club like Liverpool, you know what it means to the fans. They are suffering at the moment, and having a hard time of it.
“The league position is not what anyone at the club wants it to be, make no mistake, but my message to the supporters would be to stick together, and try to stay behind the team for the rest of the season.
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“Because the team, the players, the manager, they need fans’ support at times like this,” he concluded.
ScorecardThe Dolphins might have been tempted to call the police while Loots Bosman and Jacques Rudolph went about bludgeoning the Eagles to a 10-wicket win in their Standard Bank Pro 20 match in Durban on Friday.The Dolphins totalled what looked like a reasonable 126 for 7, but the Eagles hardly flicked a tail feather in replying with 128 without loss to win with 6.3 overs to spare.Bosman blasted 58 not out off 38 balls with four fours and five sixes, while Rudolph clipped his unbeaten 57 off 43 deliveries and hit six fours and a six. The Eagles openers batted with criminal intent, and their only real victim on the night was Brian Jerling, the umpire.Jerling was minding his own business at square leg when Rudolph launched a full-blooded pull shot that smacked the umpire on the zipper of his trousers. Every male eye in the stadium watered while Jerling writhed on the ground – a stretcher was even brought onto the ground – but happily he was able to continue with his duties.Pierre de Bruyn and Daryn Smit shared a half-century stand to boost the Nashua Dolphins to their total. De Bruyn scored 44 and Smit made an unbeaten 32 after the Dolphins had dwindled to 53 for 5 in the 11th over. Their six-wicket partnership was worth 73.Roger Telemachus struck twice to help reduce the home side to 37 for four in the eighth over. And when Ryan McLaren removed Martin Bekker for four to claim the fifth wicket, the Dolphins seemed to be sinking. But De Bruyn and Smit raised their team’s hopes with intelligent strokeplay rather than booming hitting. The partnership was ended with the penultimate ball of the innings when Dillon du Preez bowled De Bruyn.The Dolphins might have fancied their chances after that, but Bosman and Rudolph took the game away from them in uncompromising style. Poor discipline in the field and some ordinary bowling also played into the Eagles’ hands.
Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of the Afro-Asia Cup starting on June 6. He will be replaced by Sourav Ganguly in the 14-member squad. Zaheer Khan has also been included in the revised squad, joining Dilhara Fernando and Mashrafe Mortaza as the replacements for Shoaib Akhtar, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga.”Following the unavailability of some players named in the original squads on May 11, the selectors have named their final squads for the three ODI matches in Bangalore and Chennai on June 6, 9 and 10 and the Twenty20 match on June 5,” a statement clarified.Sreesanth, who had to opt out of the Bangladesh tour due to injury, makes his return to international cricket after being named as Munaf Patel’s replacement in the 11-member Twenty20 team. The Twenty20 match will be played in Bangalore on June 5, and will be followed by three ODIs – on June 6 in Bangalore, and on June 9 and 10 in Chennai. Asia ODI squadSanath Jayasuriya, Virender Sehwag, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Yousuf, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Dilhara Fernando, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad AsifAsia Twenty20 teamTamim Iqbal, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Ashraful, Shoaib Malik (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Farveez Maharoof, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Sreesanth