Scorecard Reon King took a wicket off the last ball of the match as Guyana and Leeward Islands played out a thrilling tie in a high-scoring game at Windward Cricket Club in Barbados. Leeward Islands, chasing 292 to win, required nine to win off the last over when King induced Carl Simon to edge to the wicketkeeper to effect a tie.Earlier, Ramnaresh Sarwan scored his second successive century of the tournament to enable Guyana to reach 291. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Narsingh Deonarine both pitched in with 52.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Executive Committee decided to reappoint Brendon Kuruppu as manager for Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand, starting in mid-December. Sri Lanka is due to play a series of five one-day internationals and two Tests.Kuruppu, a former Sri Lanka Test wicket-keeper cum opening bat was first appointed manager to the national team in October for the tour to Pakistan, following the expiry of long term manager Ajith Jayasekera’s contract at the end of September. Sri Lanka won the tri-nation Paktel Cup and shared the two-Test series one-all in Pakistan. SLC are hoping to advertise for a new manager after the New Zealand tour.
Adam Hollioake is to embark on a 2000-mile journey from Edinburgh to Tangiers in northern Morocco, to help raise money for the Ben Hollioake Memorial Fund. The fund was set up in memory of his brother, who died in a car crash in Perth, Western Australia, in March 2002, aged just 24.In order to raise money for the fund, Adam will walk, cycle and sail in a trip that is expected to take two months. He will leave Edinburgh on October 2, and all the funds raised will go towards honouring a pledge made by the Hollioake family to raise £5 million (US$8 million) in five years for the CHASE Children’s Hospice Service in London.CHASE works in support of children who are not expected to reach their 19th birthday. Adam, who turns 32 on Friday, said: “I got involved with CHASE over the last six years but I was a fairly fair-weather charity supporter just doing the odd piece of shirt-signing.”But this is the biggest thing I have been involved with charity-wise. Ben was very similar to me, just signing a few shirts, but he had helped out with this charity before and so it seemed appropriate to choose CHASE.”Hollioake will be accompanied by the European heavyweight boxing champion Scott Welch, and the Lancashire cricketer Ian Sutcliffe. John Major, a lifelong Surrey fan, will be joining him at some point on the UK walking phase, along with members of the current England squad.Hollioake aims to complete 594 miles over 28 days, at an average of nearly 30 miles per day. “I was involved in choosing the route," he explained. "I wanted to travel a long way."On November 1, at Brighton Marina, Hollioake and his companions will set sail from Brighton for Dieppe in France, on board the Ocean Youth Trust boat. They then cycle from Dieppe to Gibraltar via the southwestern French town of Perpignan, and from Gibraltar to Tangiers by boat.”We would like to raise 5 million to pay for the building of a new day centre for CHASE,” Hollioake explained. "This should also cover the initial running costs."
Friday afternoon in Colombo was anything but normal, as a new governmentswept to power, a countrywide curfew was imposed and shop shelves werestripped bare after panic buying. But, whilst the country as a wholeprepares for a new era, the cricket team hopes to continue with business asusual.Sri Lanka’s one-day form during the past two years has been exceptional andwith a transitional period now completed a youthful, settled and experiencedside start the LG Abans triangular ODI series against Zimbabwe and WestIndies as overwhelming favourites.Sri Lanka have not lost a one-day competition at home for over three years,but captain Sanath Jayasuriya and coach Dav Whatmore warned today againstcomplacency."We cannot underestimate Zimbabwe and West Indies; both are good sides andZimbabwe have been having plenty of one-day practice during the past twomonths," said Jayasuriya.Whatmore added: "It is good to go into the series having won a Test series,but with the exception of Bangladesh and Kenya, I don’t think there are anyeasy games. And if you go out thinking it’s going to be easy, then you areasking for trouble."The home side are set to revert back to six batsmen, five bowler formation,with recalled fast bowling all-rounder Suresh Perera likely to bat at numberseven."Suresh (Perera) has rehabilitated pretty well and is in the squad on meritafter two good performances for the Board XI side against Zimbabwe," saidWhatmore. "He should be confidant of being successful. He gives us an extraedge with the bat if we need to accelerate in the middle order and greaterbowling options."Pace bowler Nuwan Zoysa will also play, ahead of Charitha Buddika Fernandoand Prabath Nissanka, who were both blooded in Sharjah and could still playlater in the tournament, especially if Sri Lanka qualify early for thefinal.Leg-spinner Upul Chandana comes back and will contest the second spinnersslot with Kumar Dharmasena. Sri Lanka may even play three spinners for thegames at Premadasa International Stadium, where the pitches tend to be slowturners.The unavailability of injured wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana gives KumarSangakkara an opportunity to stake his claim for a permanent place in theone-day team. He is expected to bat in the middle order, a position that heappears unsuited to, but Whatmore didn’t rule out the possibility of achance in the top order at some stage.Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka’s opponents in the first game at the Sinhalese SportsClub on Saturday, come into the tournament with three wins againstBangladesh under their belt, but two early tour losses during their warm-upgames.Captain Stuart Carlisle, though, was upbeat about his team’s chances: "Ithink we have a good chance of getting to the finals. Sri Lanka are going tobe very hard to beat: they are on top of the world at the moment and playinggood cricket. But we have had some good contests against the West Indiesrecently and it depends on who is going to play the best cricket. If we canget to the final then anything can happen."As always the touring batsmen have to mindful about Muttiah Muralitharan andCarlisle admitted that the 29-year old was uppermost in their thoughts."Everyone has got to develop their own game plan against Muralitharan," hesaid. "It is a matter of picking the straight ball. Some may sweep, some mayhit over the top; it depends on the individual concerned."But Zimbabwe’s chances were dealt a blow on Friday with injuries topromising all-rounder Sean Ervine (suspected stress fracture of the back)and seam bowler Gary Brent (shoulder). Brent still could play if he passes alate fitness test, but it looks like they will have to make a choice betweenMuleki Nkala and Trevor Gripper for the final slot.Sri Lanka:Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, MahelaJayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Suresh Perera,Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, NuwanZoysa, Charitha Buddika Fernando, Prabath NissankaZimbabwe:Stuart Carlisle, Grant Flower, Andy Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Craig Wishart,Douglas Marillier, Tatendra Taibu, Travis Friend, Henry Olonga, HeathStreak, Mluleki Nkala, Trevor Gripper, Gary Brent, Sean Ervine,
ScorecardThe Papua New Guinea players line up for a team photograph after beating Nepal•ICC/Saleem Sanghati
Captain Jack Vare’s match-winning 76 led Papua New Guinea to their second successive successful last-over chase against Nepal in Abu Dhabi. Chasing 225 for victory, PNG had been reduced to 141 for 7 before Vare combined with John Reva (31) to change the complexion of the game with an unbroken 84-run stand. The pair brought down the equation from 60 off 60 to 6 off 6 before Vare struck the first ball off the last over for four to effectively kill the game and complete a stunning comeback win.Earlier, Nepal got off to a poor start after choosing to bat, losing both their openers in the first over as Norman Vanua trapped them both lbw. Sagar Pun (47) and Gyanendra Malla (36) then steadied the innings with a 66-run stand which was followed by partnerships of 51 and 60 for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively, as Nepal’s middle order got stuck in to the bowling.Nepal’s captain Paras Khadka top-scored with 58 and found able company in Sharad Vesawkar (42). However, the batsmen failed to find the required impetus towards the end of the innings and finished with 224 for 8. Vanua and Assad Vala claimed three wickets each.PNG lost Lega Siaka for a duck in the first over of the chase but Vala and Tony Ura struck a brisk 42-run second-wicket partnership. The game turned again as Nepal found wickets with regularity and reduced PNG to 141 for 7 in the 35th over. Sompal Kami did the early damage, picking up figures of 3 for 51 and Basant Regmi scalped two middle-order wickets.
Aston Villa secured a much-needed victory last weekend with their 2-0 win against Brighton after losing their two prior league games.
This weekend sees the Midlands club take on Southampton at Villa Park to see if they can pick up another three points and get closer to breaking into the top half of the table.
With that in mind, it seems as though Steven Gerrard could have an extra option back in his squad to take on the Saints.
What’s the latest?
According to a recent tweet from Ashley Preece, Villa winger Bertrand Traore has rejoined first team training this week after picking up an injury during the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
The Burkina Faso international joined the Midlands club in 2020 from French side Lyon in a deal worth a reported £17m.
Since arriving at Villa Park, the 26-year-old has made 45 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and providing seven assists in the process, showing what a useful player he can be for the team in an attacking sense when he’s fit enough to play.
His debut season in a Villa shirt went rather well, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 36 league appearances and earning himself an overall performance rating of 6.85/10, making him the seventh-highest rated outfield player at the club according to WhoScored.
However, having only appeared in six Premier League games this season and just two since Gerrard was appointed back in November, the winger will undoubtedly be keen to get back out on the pitch and properly get his season going, in the same way that the 41-year-old will surely be ecstatic to have him back.
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If the attacker can maintain his fitness for the remainder of the season, not only will he provide his manager with an extra attacking option if he feels the need to change things up, but also offer a real threat in front of goal, either by scoring himself or creating opportunities for his team-mates. The extra precision he could bring is something Villa have lacked in recent games, so Traore’s impending return could be very timely indeed.
In other news: NSWE had lucky escape over “ridiculous” Villa flop who “goes past people like Ronaldo”
Corey Anderson limped off the field with 15 overs of the third T20 still remaining, but by then he had done enough to tilt the match, and the series, decisively New Zealand’s way. He had smashed an unbeaten 42-ball 82 to power New Zealand to a total of 196, and by the end of his second over, when he pulled up with cramps, had picked up two wickets to help reduce Pakistan to 36 for 4.A good start is critical in a chase of such magnitude, and Pakistan did not make one. Failing to get on top of a short ball from Trent Boult, Mohammad Hafeez sliced a high catch into the point region. In the next over, Ahmed Shehzad picked out deep square leg while looking to pull Anderson, before Mohammad Rizwan ran himself out hurtling needlessly from his crease. Shoaib Malik struck three sweetly-timed fours off Boult, but the required rate brought out a miscued slog in the next over; Anderson had his second, and New Zealand were firmly on the road to victory.In the end, Anderson was not required to come back onto the field as New Zealand wrapped up the match with close to four overs still remaining. Only two Pakistan batsmen reached double figures as they only just scraped past the 100 mark.This was surely not the finish Pakistan had envisioned when Shahid Afridi chose to bowl after winning the toss. But the portents were clear right from the first ball of the match, which Martin Guptill flat-batted to the cover boundary. Carrying on from where he left off in Hamilton, Guptill tore into Anwar Ali, who replaced Umar Gul in Pakistan’s seam attack, spanking him for another four and a six off the last two balls of the first over.With Guptill in an equally punishing mood against Imad Wasim’s hitherto unhittable left-arm spin, New Zealand reached the half-century mark as early as the start of the fifth over. They could have gotten there earlier, had more if not for Mohammad Amir’s efforts to tie up Kane Williamson at the other end, bowling with pace and giving him no room.Guptill was looking unstoppable until Afridi brought himself on and pulled things back with his skiddy topspinners from just back of a length. He forced Guptill to miscue a slog-sweep and hole out, and gave away only seven runs from his first two overs. In between, a brilliant piece of fielding from Rizwan at midwicket ran out Colin Munro at the non-striker’s end.Not long after, Williamson had holed out off Wahab Riaz, and Ross Taylor had retired hurt with a side strain. But New Zealand still had the momentum, with Anderson already underway with two fours and a six off his first twelve balls.Anderson was not at his most fluent, but his method of clearing his front leg to make swinging room brought him rich dividends whenever anything was pitched in his hitting zone. All four of his sixes flew over the arc between deep midwicket and long-on, with those two fielders made to look like spectators.With the leg-side boundary packed and a sweeper square on the off-side, third man was usually inside the circle. This gave Pakistan’s seamers little margin for error when they tried to fire in the yorker, as Anderson made room, freed his arms, and carved the ball over or wide of that fielder for four of his six fours, with Wahab, who went for 43 in his four overs, receiving special attention for this form of punishment.
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kenya will get in their final bit of practice ahead of the Twenty20 World Championship in a four-nation tournament beginning in Nairobi tomorrow. Uganda will relish the opportunity to play against higher opposition and dip their fingers into the slam-bang form of the game that has grown in popularity.The tournament begins with Kenya taking on Bangladesh and Pakistan playing Uganda. The most anticipated match, between Bangladesh and Pakistan, is on September 2.Geoff Lawson, the former Australian fast bowler and current coach of Pakistan, sees the tournament as an opportunity to practice. “We can prepare strategies, try and find the right balances, work out plans and play any number of practice games but that can only take you so far,” Lawson said. “Until the first match happens, we won’t really know what to expect.”Pakistan, with big names that can attract the crowds in Nairobi, are easy favourites to lift the tournament because of their Twenty20 experience. Shoaib Malik, who recently said that the captaincy has made him stronger, Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi are all big hitters of the cricket ball, and Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar are two exciting fast bowlers who form a lethal opening combination.Bangladesh, who have not played international cricket since late July, warmed up for the Twenty20 World Championship with a number of practice matches in Mirpur, near Dhaka. Mohammad Ashraful, the captain, hoped this tournament would offer much-needed exposure ahead of the bigger prize in South Africa.”It is good for us to play in this tournament since we expect the Kenyan conditions to be the same as in South Africa,” he told AFP. “We have not played many Twenty20 matches and this tournament will help gauge the playing abilities of the players.”Kenya struggled recently against the A sides of India and Sri Lanka and have little experience of the Twenty20 game. Uganda, led by Joel Olweny, have four Under-19 players – Roger Mukasa, Arthur Kyobe, Charles Waiswa and Ronald Ssemanda – and three new faces in Martin Ondeko, Kebba Nicholas and Jeremy Kibuuka-Musoke.The four-day competition will be completed when Pakistan face Kenya on September 4; two days later the teams – barring Uganda – fly to Johannesburg for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship.
The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced that Shaharyar M Khan has replaced Lt-Gen. Tauqir Zia as its chairman.Shaharyar Khan, who is 69 and a member of MCC, enjoyed a distinguished political career. He had a spell as Pakistan’s foreign secretary, and was also an ambassador and a high commissioner between 1957 and 1994. He comes from a large sporting family. The senior Nawab of Pataudi was his uncle, and the junior Nawab – Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – is his first cousin.In a statement published today, Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf, who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief, welcomed Shaharyar Khan into his new role, and also praised Tauqir Zia, who announced his resignation last week. He pointed out Zia’s “services for the uplift of the sport”, and praised “his role in the rebuilding of the Pakistan cricket team”. President Musharraf also mentioned the improvement of cricket at grass-roots level, especially the new academies, which took place under Zia’s time in charge. He concluded that his contribution would be remembered in years to come.Zia himself also issued a statement, saying he approved of his successor. “I spoke to him over the telephone in the afternoon and congratulated him,” he said. “We have worked together during the time we were preparing for the World Cup, and I find him an extremely knowledgable person.”He added: “As he has been with the team on a couple of occasions, he understands the players well and their requirements. He has the passion for cricket which will certainly make him a successful administrator.”
The fracas surrounding Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly escalated on Sunday when several members of the Indian team stood up for their captain, on return to India. Newspapers around the country were awash with stories of how certain members of the team were unhappy with the manner in which Chappell was handling matters. There has been a clear polarisation in the team, into pro-Ganguly and pro-Chappell camps.The most vocal member of the pro-Ganguly camp has been Harbhajan Singh, who became the first member of this team to come out in defence of Ganguly, accusing Chappell of instilling “fear and insecurity” and slamming him for “double standards” in a Press Trust of India report. Cricinfo has learned that Harbhajan is not alone in feeling this way and that there is indeed a fair bit of anger within the team. “You can’t just talk to the Indian captain like that, asking him to stand down on the morning of a Test. Sourav has led India for long now and that’s not the way a coach should talk, no matter what his stature is,” said one player, who obviously did not want to be named.But it is not so much what Chappell has said, as the manner in which he has put things across that have irked members of the team – a mix of senior and junior players. “He’s a bit too rough in his approach. He’s just come to the job and he’s being ruthless. We all know that we have to work hard on fitness and all that, but you can’t just push people away the first time they struggle with a fitness regimen,” said another player.In all this though, it is not as though the whole team has turned against Chappell. “He’s very direct in his approach and some of the guys don’t like that. But the point really isn’t how he puts things across. He is trying to implement some plans and there’s some resistance to that. There’s always bound to be some resistance to change,” said another player.With the whole issue being thrashed out in the media rather than the dressing-room, it has become increasingly difficult for any of the concerned parties to back down from a stance. Had the matter been kept inhouse – as it has been when there have been disagreements in the past – the situation is unlikely to have deteriorated to this extent. In two days a panel including former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, will hear from Chappell and Ganguly, and they have their hands full.