All posts by csb10.top

In a departure from his earlier stand, VVS Laxman has indicated that he is willing to bat at the top of the order. According to a report by the Press Trust of India, Laxman said: “I would not mind opening the innings.”Talking about his performances as an opener, Laxman expressed his disappointment with his record as a Test opener: 658 runs at 28.60. "I tried my best as an opening bat, but I think I did not live upto my own expectations. Also, the moment I failed one or two times they branded me a non-regular opener. I thought I could do better as a middle-order batsman because that’s the position I have batted throughout my career."Looking back at his omission from the World Cup squad, Laxman said that it was a "huge shock". "It was the most depressing moment in my cricketing career. For the past one year prior to the event, I was preparing really hard to contribute."Shrugging off that disappointment, Laxman said that he was back in top shape after having recovered from his side strain. "I had sustained a side strain on the West Indies tour [with the India A team] and had to take a month’s rest. Since then I have been doing exercises to strengthen my back."Laxman was also full of praise for the idea of holding a preparatory camp at the start of the season. "It is a really good idea to have this camp and it is good that they are emphasising a lot on fitness. Already, this camp has helped me recuperate and make the back really strong."India play a two-Test series against New Zealand next month, and Laxman was keen to make up for his failures on India’s tour to New Zealand. “We had a bad away series in New Zealand and the entire team is looking forward to this one. It is important that before we go to Australia our confidence level should be really high, so this series is important.”

Collins Obuya, Warwickshire’s new overseas signing, will take a somewhat roundabout route from Nairobi to Birmingham, after being invited to play for the University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI against the touring Australians in Barbados next week.Obuya, 21, who took 13 wickets in Kenya’s astonishing march to the World Cup semi-finals, has been named in a 12-man squad for the three-day match which begins on Saturday. He will be captained by the former West Indian opening batsman, Philo Wallace, in a side that includes four other Test cricketers.The most prominent of these is Chris Gayle, who missed the first two Tests against Australia after taking part in an unofficial double-wicket competition in St Lucia, and now has an opportunity to reclaim his place for the third Test in Barbados. David Bernard jr, who is currently making his debut in Trinidad, Corey Collymore and Ricardo Powell complete the set of international players.Squad
Philo Wallace (Barbados, captain), Dary Balgobin (UWI), David Bernard jr (Jamaica), Maurice Clarke (UWI), Corey Collymore (Barbados), Chris Gayle (Jamaica), Jason Haynes (UWI), Dwayne Jordan (UWI), Collins Obuya (Kenya, guest player), Ricardo Powell (Jamaica), Andrew Richardson (Jamaica), Matthew Sinclair (Jamaica)

Kenya opening batsman Kennedy Otieno is planning a return to the Southern Electric Premier League cricket scene with BAT Sports this summer – after the small matter of playing in the World Cup semi-finals!Otieno, who also plays under the name of Kennedy Obuya, is set to link up with the Tobaccomen in time for BAT’s opening league game at Bournemouth on May 3.But before he contemplates counting the number of sweaters he’ll need to pack into his coffin for a summer in England, the popular Kenya opener and wicketkeeper has more immediate matters on his mind.Like facing Australia this weekend and then playing in the World Cup semi-finals against India next Thursday!”We play Australia in the last of the Super Sixes under the Durban floodlights on Saturday, and then it’s the semi-finals. It’s unquestionably the highspot of all our careers and we’re aiming to make the most of it.”I’m really looking forward to facing Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee at the weekend and hope I manage to keep everything bodily intact so I’m fit for the semi’s,” chuckled Otieno, who hit a World Cup best 85 against the Aussies in the 1996 tournament.Otieno, whose teenager leg-spinning brother Collins has been one of the stars of the Kenyan side, reckons he’ll enjoy cult hero status when he returns home to Nairobi after next week’s final.”With South Africa knocked out, everyone has taken to us here. It’s an amazing experience – but one I really think we’ve deserved.”Our bowling, acrobatic fielding and catching here has been quite exceptional – it’s been a real joy to see up close,” said Otieno, who has so far bagged eight tournament catches and four stumpings behind the stumps.Yesterday’s (WED) seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe – in which Otieno snapped up three catches and a stumping before being trapped leg before wicket for 19 – was Kenya’s second Test scalp in a fortnight.”We did really well to beat Sri Lanka last week and gave India the fright of their lives before Sourav Ganguly hit that marvellous ton to turn the game around,” he added.Otieno’s block-bash batting style has certainly proved effective with knocks of 60 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town and 79 against India.BAT are hoping that Otieno’s aggressive batting will help them regain the Premier League championship pennant they conceded to Havant last summer.”Kennedy will add real quality to our batting, which proved our nemesis last year,” said Richard Dibden, the former Hampshire 2nd XI off-spinner, who has taken over the BAT captaincy from David Banks.”He’s a terrific player but, above all, a super guy to have in the dressing room. He coached the colts here three years ago and all the youngsters are relishing his return to Southern Gardens.”BAT are hoping they get a full summer out of Otieno this time around. Three years ago, he scored 319 runs, including centuries against Hungerford and South Wilts, at an average of 53.17 – before being ordered home for squad training in late July by the Kenya Cricket Association.Otieno, who celebrated this 31st birthday this week, said he was delighted to be rejoining his old BAT team-mates.”I really enjoyed my time there in 2000. It is a thriving club and I got enormous satisfaction from coaching the youngsters, some of whom have begun to make their mark in the senior teams,” he said.But before Otieno arrives back at BAT, there’s some pretty serious cricket to be played …

India’s Under-19 World Cup team came back to earth with a heavy thud today after their demolition of South Africa yesterday, going down by two wickets to Bangladesh.In the ICC Under-19 World Cup battle of the subcontinent neighbours, the Bangladeshi opening attack of Ashiqur Rahman (three for 17 off 10) and Shafaq Al Zabir (two for 21 off nine) tore through the Indian top order, literally in the case of Paul Valthaty, the opener needing a trip to hospital after Shafaq got one through his visor.India never recovered from the early damage as the Bangladeshis, looking far happier with themselves than after they allowed Canada in for a tie on Tuesday, took full advantage of a two-faced Albany pitch and some tentative Indian batting.Only Stuart Binny (17), the last man Siddarth Trivedi (16 not out) and extras (18) managed to reach double figures in a score of 77.While the rest of the Bangladeshi bowlers were left to share the crumbs deposited by their opening duo, there was time to glimpse the bowling skills of their Test batsman, Mohammad Ashraful, spinning a web around the Indians.His three overs cost just three runs for the wicket of Binny when the Indian all-rounder was threatening to become established.With a mediocre score to defend, the Indians were not about to lie down.Lift from a good length interspersed with low balls kept the Bangladesh batsmen watchful. Enthusiastic, if unsuccessful, appealing tightened the tension.The task was clearly not easy. A mixture of caution, occasional shots in anger and a liberal contribution from wides saw Bangladesh through to 50/4 at the lunch break.Despite Bangladesh needing just 28 after lunch, survival became just as important as runs.The Indian pace duo, Trivedi (three for 24) and Chandrashekar Atram (two for 24), took up where their Bangladeshi counterparts left off, enjoying a pitch that gave them considerable help. Fifty for four was soon 52/6.Their departure from the crease provided little relief as 63/6 became 64/8 before Ali Arman and Ashiqur saw Bangladesh through to the victory in the 33rd over.But what a struggle – the last 28 runs after lunch took 18 overs as the lower order withstood the Indian pressure – which at times tended towards over-enthusiastic.Their contribution was recognised with the Man of the Match award for Ali’s undefeated 12 as he led the crawl to 78/8 – of which extras contributed 27.Bangladesh picked up a bonus point for their two-wicket win, leaving their future in the tournament in the hands of the South Africa-Canada match tomorrow. India had already booked their ticket south but will make the trip with some trepidation.

Now that New Zealand have done the hard work, they can’t afford to let their momentum slip when playing the minnows of Canada and Bangladesh in their remaining games at the World Cup.The prospective loss of points from the Kenya game allows no margin for error and while New Zealand should be safe from missing the Super Six, the issue is still not beyond doubt.Every possible advantage in terms of run rate must be utilised by the TelstraClear Black Caps, and at the same time that involves ensuring that some of the key players for the later matches get quality time in the middle.New Zealand has had a great challenge in the first three games of their tournament, but they are not even halfway up the mountain yet.Yesterday’s outstanding win over South Africa highlighted the ability in the side.This was one of the great fightbacks.It may be that some look at the Duckworth/Lewis involvement and claim that it helped New Zealand.To do so would be to ignore the basic fact.New Zealand were so far in front of the D/L requirement that once the game was reduced to 39 overs they were never in danger of missing out on a win.Often, the D/L method has been criticised because it favours the team batting first.But those with memories long enough to recall what happened when teams batting second in the past were virtually handed matches without having to work for victory will appreciate that here was a classic example of using the method to advantage.New Zealand put such outstanding pressure on the vaunted South African attack that the home team were baffled and didn’t really have a response.New Zealand teams in the past have not generally provided these sorts of problems for South Africa.It was a classic example of everything coming right on the day, with the obvious key point being captain Stephen Fleming’s outstanding innings. There were signs during the Indian series at home, that there was greater things around the corner from the captain, more from the types of shots he was playing, than from anything else.That was borne out from some of the classical strokes he played so effortlessly, with the great advantage of timing, during his 134 not out.There is something to be said also, for the quietly assured approach Nathan Astle has been taking in the matches against the West Indies and South Africa.Two 40-plus scores with an increasing confidence in stroke making suggests he is much more comfortable on the World Cup stage than has previously been the case in his career.The signs are better from a batting perspective.The bowling was put to the sword by the South Africans, but clearly the pitch was a factor in that as evidenced by the home team suffering similarly. What is needed is for more bowling consistency in the remaining pool games.It is also to be hoped that the back spasms suffered by Daniel Vettori are not something that New Zealand cricket overall should be worrying about after the problems he suffered three years ago.Fleming’s men have seized the initiative, the challenge ahead of them is to make sure they do not repeat the fault of many of their predecessors and let it go.

State Auckland Aces coach and convener of selectors, Tony Sail has today named a strong team to play current State Max and State Championship title holders, the State Wellington Firebirds in a three-day warm up game starting on Monday at the Devonport Domain.Changes to the team that played the New Zealand Academy team in Christchurch last week include the selection of Rob Nicol and Richard Morgan for Aaron Barnes and Mark Haslam, who are both unavailable because of work commitments. Reece Young replaces Stephen Pearson as wicket-keeper having fulfilled his duties with the New Zealand Academy.Eighteen-year-old Nicol, New Zealand Cricket’s Young Player to Lord’s for 2001, will make his debut for the State Auckland Aces.”Rob Nicol has been putting in some top performances for Cornwall in the early rounds of the Crown Relocations Cup.”This gives him an opportunity to further his claims for selection in the State Aces, and the New Zealand Under-19 team to be named at the end of November.”Rob further strengthens the middle order and gives us another slow bowling option in the game,” Sail said.The State Auckland Aces team is:Tim McIntosh, Matt Horne, Llorne Howell, Richard Pudney, Rob Nicol, Tama Canning, Kyle Mills, Brooke Walker (captain), Reece Young, Andre Adams, Richard Morgan, Chris Drum.

South Australia have named the fowllowing team to play Tasmania in the ING Cup at Launceston on January 6:

• Darren Lehmann (Captain)
• Greg Blewett (V.Captain)
• Nathan Adcock
• Chris Davies
• David Fitzgerald
• Mark Harrity
• Ben Higgins
• Ben Johnson
• Graham Manou
• Paul Rofe
• Mike Smith
• Paul Wilson
• Bradley Young

Dunstable:
Cumberland 370-6d & 198-3d v Bedfordshire 296-9 & 273-5
Bedfordshire won by 5 wickets
Bedfordshire 20, Cumberland 8March:
Cambridgeshire 414-7d & 67-0 v Suffolk 200 & 280
Cambridgeshire won by 10 wickets
Cambridgeshire 24, Suffolk 4Oxton:
Dorset 196 and 313-6d v Cheshire 258 and 255-4
Cheshire won by six wickets.Truro:
Cornwall 218 & 211-1d v Devon 218 & 138-6
Match drawn
Cornwall 9, Devon 9Luctonians:
Herefordshire 320-7d & 334-6 v Shropshire 536
Match drawn
Herefordshire 11, Shropshire 11Grantham:
Lincolnshire 308 & 296-5d v Norfolk 328 & 134
Lincolnshire won by 142 runs
Lincolnshire 23, Norfolk 8Jesmond:
Northumberland 322-6d & 260-9d v Staffordshire 303 & 162-8
Match drawn
Northumberland 10, Staffordshire 9Pontypridd:
Wiltshire 434-7 v Wales 130 & 298
Wiltshire won by an innings and 4 runs
Wiltshire 24, Wales 3

Herschelle Gibbs and Javagal Srinath were the outstanding performers for the two sides in the recent India-South Africa series that concluded at Centurion Park on Tuesday. While Srinath defied his age and his critics to grab a haul of 13 wickets, Gibbs showed that he has recovered from the trauma of match-fixing ban and drugs scandals that have dogged his career over the last two years. Gibbs scored two centuries in the first two Tests and a 59 in a final game that at the moment has the status of an unofficial Test. Here the two chief performers of the series cast a look back.Q: Looking back at the series, you must be happy with your performances…Gibbs: I am not through yet. I am playing cricket with a lot more confidence. The balance is really good. I am choosing the right ball to hit.Srinath: I have done well, but there is disappointment that we are still searching for that elusive win against South Africa away from home. This is perhaps my last trip to South Africa and, in that respect, I am disappointed.Q: The Indian bowling, except for Srinath, was not all that great. Do you agree with that assessment?Gibbs: I would say that the other bowlers are a bit inexperienced. They also struggled to find the right length and pace for these wickets. But they will get better with more experience. It is a learning curve. Someone like Srinath, who has done a world of good for India’s image, could be a role model.Srinath: I can’t blame them. I also have failed to rise on occasions at times. I agree that a few of our new medium-pacers are raw, but they will get better in due course.Q: How do you assess each other’s performance?Gibbs: Javi (Javagal) is very experienced. He has done really very well every time that he has toured South Africa. You can’t ask for more than that.Srinath: Gibbs has been a fantastic entertainer. He has had ups and downs in his career but has shown remarkable character to come out of the trough. It is not a joke to recover as he has done. I am sure he is only going to get better in coming times.Q: What do you think the future holds for you?Gibbs: My priority will be to do well in Australia. Most of their wickets are like ours, except perhaps for Melbourne. I also know that the Australian media always targets the key players of the opposition. You know they will chirp, you know how they play the game, so you have got to be prepared for it. There is no point in contemplating in what will happen next. You just accept it and get on with the job.Srinath: I am taking it series by series at the moment. I have reached that stage of my career when I have to plan my cricket. I have cut down on my pace; I don’t think I am as fast as I used to be. I understand that I am ageing and must bowl accordingly. I have enjoyed every moment of my career. There have been disappointments along the way for sure, but overall I owe a great deal to the game.Q: Do you think you are right there at the top of your game at the moment?Gibbs: I think I have improved since I first started opening the innings. My shot selection has improved, and I have become a tighter batsman than before. Gary (Kirsten) has also been a great help, and we share a wonderful understanding.Srinath: I know it I am not a Glenn McGrath or a Wasim Akram or a Waqar Younis. So I have to keep going within my limitations. I am out for the first Test against England at Mohali, but I am pretty sure that I will be available for selection for the final two Tests of the series.

The Executive and Board of the Canadian Cricket Association thank the fans,players, officials, umpires, referees, management subcommittee, volunteers,organizing committee and the ICC and IDI staff for their outstanding support,commitment and contributions.ICC Trophy 2001 is the largest cricket tournament in the world. ICC Trophy2001 was on preliminary reports one of if not the best of all the ICC TrophyEvents to date. Congratulations to all who contributed to make the Eventsuch a resounding success.The Regal Constellation Hotel did a fantastic job in meeting the needs of ourguests. Congratulations to them and we wish the management and staffcontinued successes in the future.We were saddened by the absences of our friends from Italy and from WestAfrica. We hope that no such problems will be repeated in the future.Canada and the Canadian cricket community must now carry the torch into theworld Cup in 2003 in south Africa. This requires even more herculean effortsin preparing our players for battle. Support is needed to ensure that ourbest team can be allowed to take the field. Contributions to the CanadianCricket Association World Cup fund are welcome and Federal tax receipts areavailable for any contributors who so wish.How can you help? Sponsor a player, coach a junior team or help to provide acoach, be a manager of a junior team? The avenues are endless.Call your M. P., M. P. P., City Councillor for their support for betterrecognition for cricket. All such lobbying is needed to allow us to becompetitive in 2003 at the World Cup.We have turf wickets in Toronto, Ajax, King City and Mississauga. They mustbe maintained to allow our junior and senior players to become familiar withturf games of 1 to 4 day duration. We thank all municipalities and hostingclubs for their stellar performances and also to Mike Corley, his associatesand his professionals for their contributions.Finally, to the International Cricket Council members and staff, thanks forthe opportunity to allow Canada to host ICC Trophy 2001, especially in thetrying financial circumstances of the devastating loss of vitally neededfunding from the Pakistan India Sahara Cup series. Such funding is ofcourse, even more critical now.We trust that Canada will get another opportunity to see and play againstsuch great players from any of the Full Members and top notch Associates,where funds permit. All FM’s have assisted in the past and we need that helpin the future. To the WICB and to the BCCSL, we especially thank you foryour assistance especially in the last year. Those tours and competitionmaterially enhanced our chances of qualifying. We greatly appreciate yourfriendship and your selfless contributions.Take time out to visit other parts of this magnificent country, the best inthe world next time out.’Dr. Geoff EdwardsPresidentCanadian Cricket Association