Batsmen Yasir Hameed and Asim Kamal are in contention for Pakistan’s Test squad for the West Indies series, following a litany of batting failures on tours to Sri Lanka, England and the Champions Trophy.Pakistan’s trouble with openers is well-chronicled; over 15 combinations have been tried in their last 20 Tests alone including players such as Salman Butt, Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar. None has brought particular success. Hameed played the last of his 17 Tests in June 2005 against West Indies and according to Wasim Bari, chairman of selectors, is under consideration once again.Bari told Cricinfo, “There are four openers on the national circuit: Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed. Hameed has been out of the side for some time but he will definitely be under consideration for the series because no pair, or player, has really established himself in that position yet.”He can definitely make a comeback. Hafeez has done exactly the same. He was out of the Test side for nearly three years before he returned, after performing well domestically and on A tours. He played well on his return at The Oval as well and any player who shows form can come back.”No such luck for another forgotten opener Imran Nazir, however. Following a blistering century for Sialkot against Uttar Pradesh in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy, his name briefly resurfaced as a contender to add to the eight Tests he has played for Pakistan. But Bari was of the opinion that Tests were not Nazir’s arena. “He is a different type of player. He is mainly an ODI player and maybe not suited for Tests. But if he performs consistently domestically, he has a chance.”The problem appears to be one of limited choice, as Bari concedes. Rafatullah Mohmand, who enjoyed a prolific run in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy last season with Peshawar, was also floating around the national squad earlier in the season. He wasn’t picked eventually and though he made scores of 39 and 40 against Australia A in the Top End series in July, Bari only termed his performances as “average.””There are other openers around on the domestic circuit but mostly they are too young right now and not experienced enough,” said Bari. “Karachi’s Khurram Manzoor has potential but again not mature enough as a player just yet.”Lower down, below the formidable middle three, Pakistan has also struggled with the dip in form of both Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal. In searching for solidity, calls for Kamal over the last couple of months have not been rare. Eight half-centuries in 12 Tests is not a poor record and they’ve been made in Australia, West Indies, India and Pakistan, as Bari acknowledges. “Kamal is always in contention for the number six spot in Test matches. He has a good record in Tests and provides solidity to the lower order.”But the re-emergence of Faisal Iqbal has complicated matters. “Faisal I think has edged him out slightly over the last year in that spot. He has a hundred against India, a good fifty against Sri Lanka and a couple of decent scores against England as well. You have to be fair to players who are performing, which he has done.”Pakistan will hold a three-day pre-series training camp from November 3 and the squad is expected to be announced soon after.
Scorecard Ravneet Ricky and Shikhar Dhawan cracked hundreds and steered North Zone to an imposing position on the second day of their Duleep Trophy clash against Zimbabwe President’s XI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Having shot them out for 94 on the first day, North rode on a mammoth 220-run opening stand between Ricky and Dhawan. Their promising partnership in the previous game, against East Zone, had been cut short by some doubtful umpiring decisions but the duo enjoyed a flurry of boundaries and left the Zimbabweans with hardly any chance. Graeme Cremer, the legspinner, ended with a career-best 7 for 114 but North were well on their way to a resounding victory by then. The Zimbabeans lost the wicket of Neil Ferreira before the end of the day, and will need a minor miracle to get something out of this game. ScorecardHalf-centuries from Piyush Chawla and Harvinder Singh helped Central Zone reach an imposing 478 on the second day against South at Surat. Resuming on 299 for 3, Central consolidated their position through their lower middle order with Chawla, the legspinning allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, anchoring the ship. Harvinder, the Railways fast bowler, was a surprise package and his 92-run stand with Chawla left South with a lot of catching up to do. Dinesh Karthik’s plucky unbeaten 50 helped South reach 127 for 3 by stumps, but a lot of work remains to be done if South, who lost their opening game to West, harbour hopes of staying alive in the competition.
In an interview with London’s Daily Telegraph, Clive Rice, the former South African captain, has slammed the “inverted racism” he claims is threatening to turn South Africa into another Zimbabwe.Speaking on the day England start their tour with a game at Randjesfontein, Rice said that the blame for South Africa’s decline lay with the United Cricket Board (UCBSA). “It’s apartheid in reverse,” he explained. “White players are being driven out of our country in droves. Good luck to them. There’s no future here.” Rice was instrumental in persuading Nottinghamshire, his old county, to sign Kevin Pietersen, the Pietermaritzberg-born batsman who recently made his debut for England after deciding his opportunities were too limited in South Africa.Rice was especially critical of what he claimed was an overreaction in the desire to redress the racism of the apartheid era. “The board have got it into their heads that there’s a generation of black and coloured players straining at the leash to play Test cricket and that holding back whites is the only way they’ll ever get a chance to shine. Wrong. Tiger Woods isn’t a great golfer because he’s black. It’s because he’s a great golfer. Nobody would welcome an influx of top-quality black cricketers more than me. We desperately need them. Unfortunately, few black South Africans regard cricket as their national game. They are more interested in football. They talk about players from Soweto but most of them have been Kenyans imported to make it look good.”Although the UCBSA claims that the quota system was jettisoned in 2002, Rice dismissed that as “absolute bullshit” and added that the bias against whites was driving them away from cricket as well as rugby. “Why do you think South Africa are slipping down the rankings? We aren’t much better than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, who are, frankly, pathetic. They call it Test cricket when it’s no better than a series of charity matches. The public aren’t stupid. Mediocrity chases crowds away. That’s why our grounds are half-empty.”And he said that the UCBSA stifled free speech in a bid to paper over the cracks. “No one in the press is allowed to criticise the regime,” he told the Daily Telegraph’s Tony Francis. “Television commentators have to present a sugar-coated view of South African cricket when it’s crumbling before their eyes. Once Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs have retired, it’s Old Mother Hubbard time.”
Three new additions have been made by the Tasmanian selectors to their Tigers squad for next season.They are, Kelby Pickering, David Dawson and Travis Birt.Pickering is a 27-year-old fast bowler, who has had first-class experience with the Southern Redbacks in 1997-98 before moving to Tasmania. He has been an excellent performer in recent seasons with the Glenorchy Cricket Club.David Dawson is a 21-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman from the ACT. In club cricket last season he amassed a creditable 800 runs at an average in excess of 50. He also topped the then ACB Cup aggregate with 552 runs at an average of 50.18. Dawson was a full-time scholar at the AIS Cricket Academy in 2002 and has been offered a Rookie contract for the first time.Travis Birt at 21 years of age is a powerful left-handed batsman who dominated club cricket last season with Glenorchy and has previously held a Rookie contract with Victoria in 2001-02. He also attended the AIS Cricket Academy in 2001 and is a former Australian Under-19 opening batsman. Birt began his cricket career with Sale in Victoria before moving to Tasmania last season with the sole objective of forcing his way into the Tasmanian team.Tasmanian coach Brian McFadyen said: “I am very pleased with the addition of all three players to our squad. Both Pickering and Dawson are well known for their determination, work ethic and attitudes. Kelby deserves this opportunity due to superb club and solid ACB Cup performances. David Dawson is well regarded for his all-round skills and he provides excellent balance to our squad along with the other two additions.””Birt could not have done any more in club cricket last season. He has a powerful game based around his back-foot play and we believe he has a bright future for Tasmania.”The State selection panel have selected a squad of 27 players, comprising both contracted and non-contracted players. The panel has the ability to revise the squad wherever appropriate.Sixteen senior contracts, and the maximum of five rookie contracts have been offered.The Tasmanian Cricket Association has the option of offering a further two senior contracts by September 29.ACB Contracts – Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson.Senior contracts squad – George Bailey, Sean Clingeleffer, Jamie Cox, Graeme Cunningham, Gerard Denton, Michael Dighton, Michael Di Venuto, Xavier Doherty, Andrew Downton, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Scott Kremerskothen, Daniel Marsh, Scott Mason, Shannon Tubb, Damien Wright.Rookie contracts – Travis Birt, Luke Butterworth, David Dawson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Tim Paine.Uncontracted – Chris Bassano, Adam Polkinghorne, Kelby Pickering, Brad Thomas.
It says much for cricket’s resurgence in the West Country that England’s selectors have picked both their tour replacements for India from the same patch. Somerset, whose supporters must at times have tired of reminiscing about the glory days of Richards, Botham and Garner, have the first Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in their Taunton cabinet. One of the primary architects of that success, fast bowler Richard Johnson, will be on the plane to Mumbai next week.For Johnson’s international aspirations, fate’s summer frown has mellowed into an autumnal smile. Three times he was called into the England squad during the Ashes series; three times he was rebuffed at the last minute. But he bore such rejection stoically.”Really it was my friends and family who were frustrated with the situation,” Johnson said. “I was just happy to be involved, and gaining experience of Test match grounds during the summer against the Aussies. It was great.”It is ironic that Johnson is going to India as a result of the withdrawal of his county team-mate Andrew Caddick. “I understand Caddy’s decision 100 per cent. I’m in a different situation. I’m 26 years old, and opportunities like this don’t always come round. I’m going to grab this one with both hands.”Johnson generates sharp pace off a relatively short run, with a vigorous delivery action. He can also swing the ball and move it off the seam, a key factor in winning him the selectors’ vote ahead of Chris Silverwood and Martin Bicknell. “In India as a seamer you’ve got to try and keep it tight, but if you can swing the ball you’ve got a chance of taking wickets, so hopefully if the ball swings out there I’ve got a chance.”With a haul of 62 first-class wickets in 2001, Johnson’s move from Middlesex to Somerset is plainly bearing fruit. “It was a very difficult decision to leave Middlesex. I’d been there since I was nine years old. In my heart of hearts Middlesex is my club, but I knew that Kevin Shine could help me at Somerset. My gut feeling was to move, and I knew it could help my career, and so far it’s proved right.”If the momentum continues over the rest of this year, at least three players from England’s westernmost county – Trescothick, Caddick and Johnson – will be vying for international honours in 2002.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAngelo Mathews was unbeaten on 63 when rain ended play•Getty Images
“This is as green as it gets,” said former New Zealand batsman Craig Cumming of the Seddon Park pitch. The seam and swing on offer was far from unplayable, though, and through a combination of enterprising batting, impatient bowling and some luck, Sri Lanka made 264 in the day at a run rate of just under four an over before rain ended play at 4.30 pm.Sri Lanka combated the conditions with aggression. They had been submissive on an easier surface in Dunedin but today they stood up to New Zealand, lashing the swinging ball through the off side and pulling short deliveries instead of weaving and ducking. Kusal Mendis set the pace, Dinesh Chandimal accelerated, and when the innings was in danger of unravelling because of that aggression, Angelo Mathews tempered it to suitable levels. Once Mathews and Milinda Siriwardana had settled, however, they produced the strongest partnership of the innings, adding 138 runs at 4.60 an over.Until three quick wickets in the final session gave New Zealand acceptable returns, the day had defied popular perceptions after Brendon McCullum began his 99th successive Test – a new record for consecutive matches from debut – by giving his attack first use of the grassy surface in Hamilton.Trent Boult, in particular, and Tim Southee tried too hard – looking to swing the new ball prodigiously when a McGrath-like line would have sufficed – and were not on a good length around off stump often enough. Ross Taylor dropped a catch at slip; McCullum failed to nail two run-out chances; Doug Bracewell hit the stumps but the bails didn’t fall. Mendis was the beneficiary each time. Several other edges did not go to hand, and New Zealand also exhausted their reviews on lbw appeals – against Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal – inside the first 16 overs.Southee got it right either side of the first drinks break, his outswingers drawing the inside edge from Dimuth Karunaratne and the outside edge from Mendis. The wicketkeeper BJ Watling caught both, adding to his nine dismissals in the first Test.Sri Lanka were 44 for 2 when Chandimal edged his first delivery through the cordon for four. He then launched his counterattack. An over from Bracewell featured smooth drives down the ground and through cover, and a fierce cut over point. It read: 2,2,4,4, dot, 4. Chandimal laid into Neil Wagner too, lofting over mid-off, driving through and carving over cover.Udara Jayasundera, playing only his second Test, was also aggressive. He flicked and pulled the left-armers Boult and Wagner, and his aggression against the short ball was a sea change from how he had struggled against it Dunedin.Sri Lanka’s advantageous position of 108 for 2 eroded quickly after lunch, though. Jayasundera was run out attempting a second that Chandimal did not want, and Chandimal added only six runs to his lunch score of 41 before being caught behind playing the cover drive against Bracewell. They had added 71 at 4.43 an over.Having taken two wickets for 13 runs, McCullum tried to subdue Sri Lanka once again. Wagner began his short-ball attack with a leg gully, backward short leg and a long leg. Mathews and Siriwardana pulled when they could, middling some balls, top-edging others over the keeper for six. They were watchful too, mindful of the long tail after them, but refused to be beaten into stagnation.Having scored 90 runs in the second session, Sri Lanka turned it on after tea. Siriwardene and Mathews charged the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who had bowled so economically in Dunedin, and hit him repeatedly over the long-on boundary. One of those sixes brought up the 100 stand in 22.4 overs and Mathews’ fifty off 87 balls. They went after Bracewell too, not allowing him to perform his controlling role. Siriwardene pulled for a flat six, and then caressed the ball through the covers to bring up his fifty.Hamilton had been sunny in the morning but as it began to cloud over after tea, the ball began to hoop once again. Boult repaired his figures with a double-strike in an over, his movement away from Siriwardene resulting in an edge to slip, where Taylor juggled but caught it. Three balls later, Kithuruwan Vithanage closed the face too early and the leading edge was taken low by McCullum diving forward at mid-off.Sri Lanka suffered another run out before the day ended, when Mathews called for a risky single towards cover. Williamson swooped on the ball from gully and his direct hit dismissed Herath. Losing three wickets for five runs just before the rain was a blight on an otherwise spirited performance from a young visiting side in tough conditions.
Everton have made a ‘formal complaint’ to the Premier League over the standard of refereeing after they were controversially denied a penalty against Manchester City on Saturday.
The lowdown
With around five minutes of normal time remaining at Goodison Park, and Everton trailing 1-0, VAR official Chris Kavanagh examined a possible handball by Rodri in the penalty area, with on-field referee Paul Tierney also failing to blow for a foul.
Kavanagh felt there wasn’t enough ‘conclusive evidence’ to award a spot-kick, but after further review, the Premier League Match Centre admitted that ‘it looks a penalty’.
BBC Sport pundit Alan Shearer was among those in the media to express his bewilderment at the decision, calling it ‘ridiculous’ on Match of the Day.
The latest
The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland tweeted on Monday morning: “Understand Everton made a formal complaint to the Premier League this morning over the officiating in recent matches. Not just about Rodri handball, but other decisions too”.
The journalist also shared a link to a corresponding article for The Athletic in which he revealed that Everton CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale harbours ‘grave concerns’ over the standard of officiating in recent Toffees matched and has demanded that an apology be made to Frank Lampard and his players following Saturday’s controversy.
The verdict
Lampard said after the match that he expected an apology, or a statement admitting the error, but stressed that ‘it will mean nothing’.
Indeed, it could prove to be a particularly consequential moment in Everton’s season given that they find themselves just a point above the relegation zone with 14 matches left to play.
That’s two disputed penalty calls which have gone against The Toffees in as many weeks, with Oriol Romeu escaping punishment for what Noel Whelan called a ‘stonewall’ handball in the 2-0 defeat at Southampton.
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Therefore, it’s little wonder that the club’s management and hierarchy feel so hard done by, as such refereeing oversights simply aren’t good enough.
In other news, Boyland has also shared news of a recent injury blow for Everton
Performances in tour games should not be used to dismiss a team’s Test chances, but the batting displays from the Sri Lankans against Queensland have provided plenty of concern. The top and middle orders struggled in both innings before help came from lower down, and it was the bowlers who frightened the hosts again as they sneaked home by four wickets.With Queensland needing 142 for victory, Farveez Maharoof surged through the first three batsmen and Lasith Malinga’s searing yorkers accounted for Chris Simpson and Andy Bichel in consecutive balls. The Bulls had suddenly lost 5 for 16 and an easy chase of 142 became a seriously difficult one. Clinton Perren (62 not out) absorbed the pressure, coped with the loss of Chris Hartley and led the Bulls with support from Ashley Noffke’s 21.Maharoof, who had six victims for the game, collected a trio of edges, including the important one of Andrew Symonds, who could not make an impact in either innings ahead of his first Test in Brisbane. Mahela Jayawardene grabbed the stunning left-handed catch at second slip to make sure the visiting batsmen will not be the only ones feeling uncertain before heading to the Gabba on Thursday.It is almost impossible to win matches against Australia with a fragile line-up and while the home attack will miss Glenn McGrath there are still plenty of threats for tentative shot-makers. The main worries for the Sri Lankans, who will be without the injured Kumar Sangakkara, are that their captain Mahela Jayawardene and the opener Sanath Jayasuriya have struggled for runs in the springy Queensland conditions.The senior players will be heavily targeted by the Australians and the final day of the tour match at Allan Border Field started with the Sri Lankans hoping Jayawardene would add significantly to his overnight 22. However, the shoulders of the tourists slumped when he edged trying to drive Mitchell Johnson and finished with a double of 35 and 0.A firmer, bouncier pitch than the one produced here is likely for the Gabba, which will intensify the difficulties with rising deliveries. Eight of the Sri Lankans’ second-innings dismissals fell to catches in the cordon as Johnson, Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz and Bichel caused the discomfort. In the final session Sri Lanka returned some of the pain.Queensland’s fast-bowling duties were scaled back after lunch when the legspinner Daniel Doran was given 10.5 overs and was dominated by Chaminda Vaas. Vaas, who outshone his more accomplished team-mates with a sparkling 84 from 76 balls, was the reason the Sri Lankans reached 226.After watching his batsmen fail, Vaas strode out and quickly stepped into boundary mode. Bichel and Symonds were both hit for two fours in an over between point and cover and Vaas’ half-century arrived after 40 balls. His two sixes then came from Doran, who finished the innings when Vaas clipped to midwicket. Malinga had joined the late rally by thrashing Johnson for three fours in an over during a short battle that will be resumed over the next week.The bright conclusion came after the dark start to the Sri Lankans’ morning. Noffke opened with another breakthrough early in his spell when he forced Chamara Silva to deflect a short ball to Maher at second slip, dropping the Sri Lankans to 5 for 64. They were again troubled by Noffke’s pace and movement and he picked up 3 for 21 on the way to match figures of 8 for 57.Jayawardene tried unsuccessfully to steer his side and Maharoof, who is a contender for No. 7 in the first Test, was upset by the lift created by Kasprowicz and edged to Perren. Prasanna Jayawardene offered some promise with a half-century in the first innings and he again seemed in control, hooking a Symonds long-hop for six. However, Jayawardene’s resistance ended on 22 when he became Kasprowicz’s third victim and the side was in deep trouble at 8 for 133. Vaas arrived in a hurry, but his performance could not mask the dangerous problems at the other end of the order.
As the clearout across the counties continues, Sussex have released Sean Heather, Neil Turk and Tim Linley. Sussex say they have released Heather, 24, and Turk, 23, because of their age and their ‘perceived lack of future opportunity’ while it was simply stated for Linley that ‘opportunities are sparse’.Sussex’s cricket Manager, Mark Robinson, said of Heather and Turk: “Both have been outstanding in how they have conducted themselves, always with grit and integrity and great enthusiasm.”He praised Linley’s “willingness to work hard and help others whenever possible.” Linley, 24, played one first-class match for Sussex, against Sri Lanka, in 2006. Heather had just two first-class appearances for Sussex in his two years there, while Turk, a graduate of the Academy, had just one.
The opening match of the International 20:20, between Chilaw Marians, the Sri Lanka champions, and a PCA Masters XI, was reduced to a bowl-out of stumps in the indoor school at Leicester. The PCA won 6-2 after only 2.1 overs were possible at Grace Road before the heavens opened for a second time.The PCA Masters XI – including a mixture of county players, fringe and former international cricketers – had won the toss and opted to bowl first. An experiment of giving the first over to Chris Gayle was an expensive decision as he went for 16 runs. But Jon Lewis, the Gloucestershire and England seamer, conceded just a single before the players were forced off the field.After their bowl-out win the PCA take two points and with the weather still poor the remaining two matches on the opening day of the tournament are heading the same way. The second match of the opening day in the International 20:20 was also decided by a bowl-out as rain continued to fall at Grace Road. Leicestershire won 5-3 in the indoor school to take two points.Darren Maddy, Hylton Ackerman, John Sadler, Jim Allenby and Jeremy Snape were on target as the batsmen showed the bowlers how it should be done. Although Abdul Manan and Mohammad Hafeez scored hits with their first bowls for the Wolves, they struggled after that with only Imran Khalid being successful. The third match of the day was, again, decided by a bowl-out. PCA were trailing 5-4 in a thrilling nail-biter, and were indebted to Jon Lewis, who saved the day by rattling the stumps with the final attempt.