When Yuvraj Singh cracked a sensational 358 in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy – an under-19 tournament – in 1999-2000, his father is supposed to have admonished him for not going on to make a quadruple century. He expected another call today, talking about a double-hundred, but one which came with heartfelt congratulations as well.”One hundred and sixty-nine is a lot of runs,” said Yuvraj, talking about his third Test hundred, all of which have come against Pakistan. “I should have got 200, and I am disappointed from a personal point of view that I did not. But I am delighted that Sourav and I hauled the team out of a tough situation, from 61 for 4. What is most important for me is that the team is in a good position.”It’s been nearly 18 months since Yuvraj last played in a Test and he admitted to the frustrations during the intervening period. He was also aware that he could miss out when India walk out to the park in Melbourne to take on Australia on Boxing Day. “It feels bad to sit out, but you must see how many great players we have in the middle order,” he said. “Rahul, Sachin, Laxman and Sourav all have very good Test records. Going out to bat today, I wasn’t worried about the Australia tour and whether I can secure my place in the XI. I wanted to play for the team, to help the team win the Test.”Was he hurt at being left out for so long, despite staking his claim so emphatically in the one-day arena? “I had a very bad Test series in the West Indies, and after that, the rest of the batsmen all played well,” he said. “I have myself to blame. I stayed motivated, worked hard on my game, and was determined to take my chance when it came my way again. I always knew that I could do well in Test cricket. You have time to settle down and play yourself in. To me, Test cricket is the main thing.”
Yuvraj might have hogged the headlines today but [Yasir] Arafat’s chance will come. With a name like that, headline writers will struggle to control the urge
Yuvraj walked in with India in a pickle. Yasir Arafat, the debutant medium-pacer, had made a mess of the top order by surprising a few with zip off the pitch. The pitch assisted him, as Arafat himself admitted, but it still required a good spell to remove three prized scalps. Hailing from Rawalpindi, he doesn’t possess the furious pace of his city-mate Shoaib Akhtar but makes up with accuracy. In fact one Pakistan newspaper recently referred to him as the [in contrast with the more speedy ].Arafat had to first come to terms with making his debut. By the first session, he was enjoying a fairytale start. “I was playing domestic cricket in Pakistan and I didn’t think I will be called up,” he said. “People consider me as an allrounder suited to one-dayers. I was surprised I got a call up. I didn’t think much about Tests. But I got a chance because of injuries. And now I’ve made a debut. The pitch was supporting the fast bowlers early on. I wanted to bowl on and outside off and got wickets because of that. But I didn’t think I’ll get such important wickets so early.”The rest of the day wasn’t as rosy. “After lunch it became a good wicket. It was playing very easy, like a good batting track. It was very frustrating for me and the team. But again, they played well. But credit to the batsmen. Yuvraj is a very talented cricketer and his innings was tremendous today.” Yuvraj might have hogged the headlines today but Arafat’s chance will come. With a name like that, headline writers will struggle to control the urge.
The PCB has responded to charges in a local newspaper of nepotism and cronyism among journalists while asserting that Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the board, remains committed to the reorganization of the administration of cricket on modern lines.A column in , a Karachi-based daily, by Saad Shafqat, a local writer, claimed that the current chairman had appointed relatives to key positions in the organization, as well as allegedly currying favour among journalists by sending them, at the board’s expense, to the tour in South Africa.But in a response published in today, Ahsan Malik, PCB director communications and media, categorically denied the charges. “Recently there were some untrue assertions reported in an article in dated January 10. For the record, let me categorically state that there is no relative of the chairman employed in the Board, as erroneously reported in that article.”Second, it is totally false that any journalist was sent to South Africa by the PCB at its expense. As a matter of fact, we are developing an open and transparent policy where sport journalists would be asked to cover international tours on rotation basis with cost sharing by their respective Newspapers/organizations.”Malik also expanded on Ashraf’s tenure as chairman so far, detailing a number of achievements since he took over in October last year. “The long-standing issue of ad-hocism is now finally set to get resolved as the board constitution is expected to be implemented this month. Also, a complete audit of the organization has also been carried out by reputable firms like Fergusson Associates and KPMG.”Ashraf has had to face a number of controversies in this period and Malik insisted they had been handled as openly and efficiently as possible. The doping scandal, which saw Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif banned and then reinstated within a month, was one such. “Pakistan is one of the four countries carrying out internal voluntary drug screening since 2003.”We recalled Shoaib and Asif rather than sweeping the issue under the carpet. The management then followed the laid down procedure and appointed an independent commission to deal with the doping case which was overturned by an Appellant Tribunal on technical/legal grounds. But whatever the final outcome, the PCB handled the issue in a transparent and an open manner.”There has been progress on the domestic front as well, says Malik. New corporate sponsor partnerships have been created, a benefit not lost on this year’s Quaid-e-Azam trophy and the Twenty20 tournament. “Prize money for the Quaid-e-Azam and Patron’s Trophy has been increased significantly, junior level tours are being increased to provide experience to the youngsters while women’s cricket has also been given special attention. Pakistan has now earned the right to host women world cup qualifying rounds this year.”New coaches have been hired at the academy and an Under-15 talent hunt was launched. The organisation of a national school championship will eventually see 25 youngsters undergoing a month’s training at the academy with subsequent tours to South Africa or Sri Lanka.”The board has also set up a pension scheme for former Test players, while regional associations have been given a degree of financial autonomy, a policy in direct contrast to the last administration. “A decision has been taken to plough all revenue from gate-money back to the local associations.”
Ahead of his first foreign series as a Test captain, Rahul Dravid admitted that leading India against Pakistan was something he hadn’t imagined he would do, when he began his career in 1996, and hoped the team could repeat the success that they had achieved on their last tour. Sporting the understated confidence that has been his hallmark all these years, Dravid, along with Greg Chappell, the coach, spoke about the exciting challenge and was upbeat about his side carrying on their superb run.A few hours before boarding their flight from Delhi to Lahore, for a 45-day tour involving three Tests and five one-dayers, Dravid, Chappell and Sharad Pawar, the president of the Indian board, addressed the media and stressed the importance of cricket helping in fostering better relations between the two countries. “There will be tremendous interest in this series,” said Dravid, “and a number of Indians and Pakistanis staying abroad will also be following us closely. A tour to Pakistan is special and we have fond memories of the last trip in 2004.”He confessed that he didn’t envisage captaining India in such a big series and said he had taken things step by step. “I didn’t think I would captain India when I made it to the Indian team in 1996. All I thought of was to establish myself as a batsman. After some years I got the vice-captaincy, then the captaincy. So it’s been a gradual progression. It’s not going to be a major difference this time. I have always thought it was important to play well abroad, in different conditions and I think I will aim for the same here. I think we have a good side with everyone contributing. It’s important we continue to do the same.”Chappell echoed his views and was looking forward to the “marquee series of the subcontinent”. He spoke about his visit to Pakistan as a player and termed it as a huge honour to be able to watch the events of the current series from the sidelines. “It promises to be an exciting series as both teams are in good form. The Pakistan team is playing with confidence and on the way up. We’ve had a few good results off late and hope to continue in the same vein.”He revealed that India would continue their policy of “strategising”, with different players being called upon to perform different roles. “We’ve tried to build some flexibility into our side,” he continued, “to cover certain eventualities and hope to implement some of those strategies in the next few weeks.” While talking about the importance of preparing for the World Cup in 2007 – “we hope to settle into a groove as soon as possible and mould ourselves into a unit” – he insisted that every series was vitally important in itself.Though he admitted he wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance of the top order, Chappell was buoyant about things falling into place. “We have three openers and all are really good players. Whichever two we choose for the first Test, we will be confident of them doing well.” He was looking forward to Zaheer Khan’s return, after a four-month lay-off, and felt he had “done whatever we needed him to do”.Neither were willing to be drawn into the topic of individual battles and stated that one player, like Shoaib Akhtar, was not going to make too much of a difference to the team effort. “Any bowler who is doing well is an asset to the team,” continued Dravid, “and one can’t target one or two players. Anyone in form is going to add value to your side and we need to look at them as a team rather than as individuals.” On a lighter note, he pooh-poohed suggestions of this being his biggest challenge to date and cheekily added,” My biggest challenge at the moment is to try and get my son to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night.”Pawar, who revealed that he will be traveling to Lahore for the first Test, talked about the professionalism and transparency that the new administration were trying to put in place. He also wished the team well and, like the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vayjpee had done last time urged the team to not only win matches but also hearts.
Zimbabweans 206 and 138 for 6 (Matsikenyeri 45, Maregwede 44, Morkel 4-26) lead Combined Easterns/Northerns XI 275 (Seymore 82, Harris 46) by 69 runs Scorecard
A collapse late in the day left the Zimbabweans in danger of losing their tour match against the Easterns/Northerns XI at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. By the close of the second day the Zimbabweans, who trailed by 69 on first innings, had turned that round into a lead of 69 – but only had four wickets remaining.There was an early wobble when Barney Rogers and Hamilton Masakadza both fell to Morne Morkel for ducks, but then Stuart Matiskenyeri and Alester Maregwede combined in a stand of 76 that took Zimbabwe into the lead. However, then disaster struck: first Matsikenyeri fell to the slow left-armer Paul Harris for 45 after hitting eight fours, and then next ball Brendan Taylor was also bowled (86 for 4).Maregwede ploughed on to 44, but then Morkel returned to have him caught behind by Heino Kuhn for 44. Elton Chigumbura also fell to Morkel for 3, and although Tatenda Taibu and Sean Williams survived until the close they will have a lot to do if what is scheduled to be a four-day match is not to end early on the third day.Earlier the combined XI took their score from 132 for 2 to 275. Andre Seymore, the captain, added only five to his overnight 77, and was the first to go as his team slipped to 209 for 8. But a handy 46 from Harris, who hit five fours and a six and put on 63 for the ninth wicket with Reeze Telling (28) gave their side what could be a crucial advantage.
Since 1998, Steve Waugh has made a personal commitment to help the children at Udayan in Calcutta, India. Udayan is a home for 250 boys and 50 girls aged 5 to 19 from all religious backgrounds, that come from the leper colonies of the Calcutta slums.Once at Udayan, the children receive medical treatment, an education, food, clothing, access to recreational facilities and vocational training.Udayan gives the children the opportunity to grow up in an environment free of the crippling stigma associated with leprosy. They leave Udayan’s doors with the education and self confidence necessary to be happy and productive members of Indian society.Steve Waugh has recently established the Steve Waugh Foundation – Australia to raise much needed funds for Udayan so they can continue to look after and care for the children.The first fund raising effort of the Foundation is an online Art Union which will be a lottery directed to Indian and Australian cricket supporters.A ticket in the lottery offers a chance for:
An Aussie Supporter to Win A 7 day holiday for 2 people to India, following the Australian One Day Team, for the final of the Triangular Tournament between Australia, India and New Zealand on November 18th in Calcutta.After watching the game from VIP seats, the winner will get a chance to meet with Michael Bevan and be presented with a cricket bat signed by Steve Waugh.The winner will then fly to New Dehli to stay at the luxurious 14th Century Heritage Neemrana Hill Fort Hotel at Kesroli for 4 nights and a tour of the magnificent Taj Mahal, in Agra.Or if the Winner is Indian They’ll win a 7 day holiday for 2 people to Australia, to watch the 1st Test in Brisbane between Australia and India from 4th – 8th December 2003.After watching the game from their VIP seats, they’ll get a chance to meet with Steve Waugh and be presented with a signed cricket bat.They’ll spend 6 nights at the luxurious four and half star Rydges Hotel, Brisbane located riverside on the South Bank Parklands.
Ticket price is AUD$10 and all funds raised will go to the kids at Udayan.The Steve Waugh Udayan Art Union will run from September 29th to October 31st and will be promoted to cricket supporters via a dedicated web sitewww.mdsa.com.au/stevewaughudayan
Some careless batting and running from Tamil Nadu batsmen spurred acollapse in their Ranji Trophy league match against Andhra Pradesh atVishakapatnam on Tuesday.Winning the toss, Tamil Nadu skipper Robin Singh opted to have firststrike. His openers did not let him down, with Sridharan Sriram andSadagopan Ramesh posting a 55-run stand for the first wicket. Anothermini-partnership followed between Sriram and C Hemanth Kumar.After the latter was run out, however, things took a different turn.Three more wickets followed, with KS Sahabuddin taking two of them.Only Hemang Badani could stay at the crease; at the close of play,Badani was unbeaten on 40. He was accompanied by TR Arasu (5) as TamilNadu ended the day on 179/5.
Marcus Trescothick is looking increasingly like a genuine candidate for England’s one-day side later this summer.The 24-year-old Somerset left-hander underlined his immense potential with a brilliant 92 not out as the National League leaders made it maximum points from four games with a nine-wicket thrashing of Kent at Taunton.Trescothick has already been invited to join the England squad for experience twice this summer following his A tour selection in the winter and clearly rates highly with coach Duncan Fletcher.He showed why with a devastating display of clean hitting that enabled Somerset to race to their victory target of 180 with 9.5 overs to spare.An opening stand of 145 with skipper Jamie Cox offered a feast of batting. Cox drove the ball ferociously throughout his 83-ball innings, making 62, including 7 fours and 2 sixes.But even the Australian’s elegant strokeplay paled in comparison with his partner as Trescothick timed the ball sweetly from the start and became murderous as his innings progressed.He scored his unbeaten 92 off 109 deliveries, savagely pulling Matthew Flemingover mid-wicket for six and featuring a dozen other meaty boundaries in a powerful display.By the time Cox was out in the 29th over, caught by Matthew Walker at cover off another fizzing drive, Kent were already resigned to defeat.All bowlers were coming alike to Trescothick and Piran Holloway needed only to hold up an end as the victory charge reached an inevitable climax.Kent’s batting had let them down after Cox had won the toss and elected to field. Andy Caddick was predictably hostile in bowling his nine overs straight through at the start, sending back Robert Key and Rahul Dravid, in an excellent spell of 2-15.But other wickets were tossed away. Alan Wells and Mark Ealham were stumped off leg-side wides, both victims of brilliant work by Rob Turner, standing up to the medium-pacers.Skipper Fleming marched out at 84-6 and soon saw that score worsen to 112-8. But he then launched an impressive counter-attack, finding a resolute partner in David Masters.Together the pair added 66 for the ninth wicket, with Fleming flourishing after a watchful start to blast 63, off 69 balls, with 7 fours and 2 sixes.The 44th over of the innings, sent down by Trescothick, cost 21 runs. A no-ball beamer was flicked for four by Fleming, plus the extra two runs, and the following free-hit was deposited over the mid-wicket boundary for six.Trescothick’s bowling figures were transformed from 2-21 off seven overs to 2-42 off eight. Presumably, he spent the tea interval contemplating revenge.There was one oddity in the Kent innings when Wells, on one, was adjudged run-out by umpire Allan Jones after Trescothick had thrown the stumps down from second slip with the batsman out of his ground.Wells was clearly unhappy with the decision, which was rescinded when it was realised the ball had reached Trescothick via wicketkeeper Turner and was therefore deemed to be dead when the throw was made.
Given that he is currently rated at £7.2m, and is an established England international, only missing out of Gareth Southgate’s latest Three Lions squad through injury, whichever club is able to sign him would be getting a real bargain on their hands.
The Latest: Tottenham looking
As per The Daily Telegraph, Spurs are among a number of teams that are now looking at signing Johnstone on a free transfer.
Pierluigi Gollini is not expected to stay in the North London after his loan spell from Atalanta ends, and so it is likely that the hierarchy will be looking to sign another goalkeeper this summer.
The Verdict: Sign
If the Lilywhites can get Johnstone on a free, then it is surely a deal worth doing.
Dubbed ‘world class’ by Wolves legend Steve Bull, and ‘unreal’ by former Premier League ‘keeper Paddy Kenny, he has certainly received rave reviews, and the fact that he gets picked by England from the second tier shows his credentials.
Assuming that Gollini does leave, Johnstone would be a very capable understudy to captain Hugo Lloris, should he choose to accept that position, and could even surpass the 35-year-old as the number one in the future.
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Interestingly, the six-foot-four colossus shares the same agent as Ryan Sessegnon, and so he could help him secure the move.
In other news, find out who THFC are now fighting Arsenal to sign here!
The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has publicly condemned former West Indian fastbowler Michael Holding for casting doubt upon the legality of MuttiahMuralitharan’s bowling action in April’s edition of Wisden Cricket Asia Monthly and issued a formal complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC).Holding, a prominent television commentator and an ICC-appointed bowlingadvisor asked to work with Shoaib Akhtar after the speedster was reported for having a suspect action for the second time, claimed to be in “110% agreement” with Indian spinner Bishan Bedi, who had accused Muralitharan of throwing, likening his action to that of a javelin thrower in the previous edition of the magazine.A Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) media release states: “The BCCSL unreservedly condemns Mr. Michael Holding’s unwarranted, and irresponsible allegations that are clearly intended to cast doubts over Mr.Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action.”It goes on to claim that Holding’s comments are “harmful to the game ofcricket as a whole” and are “a deliberate insult to his predecessors on theICC’s Advisory Panel On Illegal Deliveries, who investigated Mr. Muralitharan’s action in 1999, and found that it did not violate the laws of cricket.”The release confirms that, “since Mr. Holding is a bowling advisor to the ICC,” they have taken up the matter directly with ICC. However, it is unclear what the ICC can do – Holding is entitled to express his personal opinion; a quiet word between Chief Executive Malcom Speed and Holding seems the only option.Bedi’s comments, unpalatable as they were for many in Sri Lanka, were largely brushed aside as provocative sensationalism. Sri Lankan team manager Chandra Shaffter summed up general feeling when he said: “Not very many people take Bedi seriously, I think he thrives on controversies and that’s his style.”But Holding’s unexpected intervention has sent shockwaves through Sri Lankancricket circles, prompting fears that Muralitharan is going to be forced toendure increasing allegations in the run-up to the 2003 World Cup, as had been the case before the 1996 and 1999 tournaments.The timing is not lost on the BCCSL. The release adds: “It is also a strangecoincidence that these comments have been made in the run up to the ICCChampions’ Trophy Tournament to be held in September, and the World Cup inMarch 2003.”The local press is also suspicious of the reasons why the Muralitharancontroversy has been re-ignited. The Daily Mirror sports editorial suggestedon Friday that opponents were sufficiently scared of Muralitharan to “put him out of the game before he destructs them.”The role played by Wisden Cricket Asia is also not beyond suspicion, with Sri Lanka due to play a three-Test tour in England shortly. Such is the extent of mistrust in the cricket world that the Daily Mirror notes conspiratorially that: “Wisden Cricket Asia is a subsidiary of Wisden International in England.”Even skipper Jayasuriya, a mild-mannered leader uncomfortable with controversy, views the recent comments with cynicism. “It’s an attempt to trigger disturbance for a bowler who has been performing excellently,” he said in Lahore on Wednesday.The Sri Lankan Board are now considering what steps can be taken to protectMuralitharan over coming months, but admit to being exasperated by the factthat the controversy refuses to go despite the bowler being cleared twice bythe ICC following three separate scientific analyses.The first, a sophisticated bio-mechanical study conducted by Darrel Foster from the University of Western Australia in 1996, shortly after Muralitharan had been called by Australian umpire Darryl Hair at Melbourne, identified astructural abnormality that prevents Muralitharan from fully straightening his arm, and concluded that his bent arm did not straighten at the point of delivery.This was followed by three days of research at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which also gave Muralitharan the green light, after which an ICC panel cleared him for the first time, allowing him to take part in the 1996 World Cup.During Sri Lanka’s next visit to Australia in 1998/99, Muralitharan was called again, this time by Ross Emerson in a one-day international against England at Adelaide. Muralitharan’s action underwent further analysis at the Hugh Williamsom Gait Analysis Laboratory.Following this, an ICC Advisory Panel on Illegal Deliveries with delegates from all Test members deemed his bowling action legal for the second time.Muralitharan is tired of having electronic patches strapped to his elbow andbeing studied like a strange creature in a laboratory. A fourth study isinconceivable and, as their quick reaction to Holding’s comments clearlyshows, the Sri Lankan Board will take a hardline stance should futher allegations be made.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene expressed disappointment after his team lost both matches of the two-Test series against Australia.”We had a bit more to offer than this as a team. We had a lot of talented guys in the group and unfortunately we couldn’t get all that talent together in a couple of games. That was the most disappointing factor for us,” Jayawardene said at the end of the second Test, which his team lost by 96 runs.”I felt that we had a very good bowling attack but the way we played wasn’t very consistent. We could not penetrate through the Australian top order which was very disappointing. The way we batted in the first innings of the two Test matches was also disappointing. That alone gave us a lot of problems in the whole series because we put ourselves under pressure.”Especially against a side like Australia, you want to challenge yourself and see how far you’ve come and need to improve. But looking back at the series there are a lot of areas where we definitely need to improve. We have to sit down and talk about where we need to improve and show a lot of character to get back as a group.”What we have to realise is that we played against the best team in the world right now and they were in form – all their top-order batsmen. We came across a very good side. We challenged ourselves and we tried a lot of things but the way we lost was the most disappointing factor. We just need to refocus and get ready for the three Tests against England.”Questioned whether there would be major changes in the team for the series against England, Jayawardene said: “You just can’t chop and change players because they fail in a couple of games. That won’t help us in the long run. We just have to make some sensible decisions when we go back home.”We tried a few guys and extended their periods in our line-up but no one’s actually been very consistent. We have to be a bit more patient and wait for the right people to come in. We are heading into a transitional period and we just need to make it smooth and make sure the guys who are coming are comfortable and not under pressure to perform.”Our domestic structure underneath is not that strong for them to step into international cricket straight away. You have to be with them for quite some time and give them that encouragement to come up to the standard because they are not being challenged underneath. For them to step into international cricket straight away is a huge leap. It’s a big bridge for them to leap. You have to be patient.”Sri Lanka’s next Test series is at home against England starting on December 1.