THE Western Australian Cricket Association today announced a Western Warriors squad to play Victorian Bushrangers in an ING Cup match at the MCG on Friday, January 10, 2003.Australian Test team opener Justin Langer returns to captain the Warriors. Australia `A’ team pace bowler Brad Williams is also in the squad.Young spinner Beau Casson has been selected to make his limited-overs debut. He captured a match haul 10-176 against the Southern Redbacks in Adelaide in only his second first-class last month.The Warriors ING Cup team is:Justin Langer (captain), Michael Hussey, Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Chris Rogers, Callum Thorp, Brad Williams and Paul Wilson.
Security is to be increased at Trent Bridge in preparation for tomorrow’s One-Day International between Australia and Pakistan.Temporary plastic fencing and a doubling of the stewards are just two of the methods being used to avoid a repetition of the scenes at Headingley yesterday where a steward was seriously injured in a pitch invasion.Notts chief executive David Collier, speaking on BBC Five Live, revealed that the authorities at Trent Bridge have learnt from the example of Rugby and are preparing a package of measures to prevent further trouble.”During the winter months we did commission a report by independent consultants looking at the safety risks, in conjunction with the ECB, and in particular how we stopped incursions onto the field,””For the match at Trent Bridge, not only have we doubled the number of stewards, but we’ve also been in contact with the RFU (Rugby Football Union) at Twickenham, who have been most helpful.”Twickenham has utilised some plastic barrier fencing in recent years, which has proved to be very successful. That will be utilised at Trent Bridge tomorrow night.”On both occasions that games in the NatWest Series have been affected by crowd invasions the majority – but not all – of the offenders have been Pakistan fans. In order to appeal directly to them, the authorities at Trent Bridge have ensured the presence of Urdu and Punjabi speakers at the game tomorrow.”We’ve got Urdu and Punjabi speakers on our public address, we’ve got posters that we’ve printed up asking people to assist us,” Collier revealed. “The Pakistani community are very enthusiastic about their cricket and we do wish to appeal to them to work with us to maintain safety.”Collier also admitted that the club had been in contact with government officials to see if a series of deterrents could be put in place before the game.”We have previously been in contact with the Home Office, through the ECB, to see if we can prevent people coming onto the field of play with some deterrent penalties, such as fines,” he said. “We will be re-contacting the Home Office to see if that can be utilised in both the short and long term.”Meanwhile Yorkshire chief executive Chris Hassell has insisted that the club did everything they could to prevent trouble at Headingley. He hinted that government help in the form of deterrents would need to be instigated if a repetition is to be avoided.”I don’t honestly think any other measures we could have taken would have made any significant difference because if a couple of thousand people want to get onto the pitch it would take a huge army to stop them,” Hassell said.”So we have to go down some different routes such as legislation and banning people coming onto the pitch at any time.”
Hampshire’s Rose Bowl will host its maiden Test match in 2011 when Sri Lanka tour England for a three-Test series in May and June. The decision was announced by the England & Wales Cricket Board as they unveiled their schedule for the next three seasons.”This is a truly historic day for The Rose Bowl and Hampshire Cricket,” said the chairman, Rod Bransgrove. “Staff, players, members, supporters, commercial partners, in fact anyone with an association with this fantastic ground can feel a huge sense of pride in what has been achieved.”The Rose Bowl has been fighting for Test recognition for the past four years, and in 2006 it suffered a major setback when Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens jumped the queue to land a prestigious Ashes Test for next summer. There was a feeling that the ground was hamstrung by a lack of direct transport links, not least during the Champions Trophy in 2004, but Bransgrove believes that a corner has been turned.”This is the culmination of an enormous amount of hard work and dedication and yes, it is the fulfilment of a personal dream,” he said. “It is important that this is not seen as ‘mission accomplished’ though, as we fully intend to be a permanent fixture on the Test-match calendar from 2011 onwards.”Bransgrove added: “This allocation of matches was hard-fought and demonstrates that with our new £45million development, turning the ground into the first ever model Test match ground, we are now one of the major sports and entertainment venues in the country. The allocation perfectly matches our proposed development timescale, due for completion in the summer of 2010 and fully tested, well before our historic first Test match in 2011.”The Rose Bowl will become the tenth Test venue in England and Wales, after the decision was reached by the independent Major Match Group, chaired by Lord Morris of Handsworth, and endorsed by the ECB Board which met at Lord’s this week.”We were presented with a more than 200 excellent and professional bids for the ECB major matches until the end of the 2011 season. It demonstrated to us the ever growing strength of international cricket in England and Wales.”We were delighted to note the increasing quality and quantity of world-class facilities provided by our venues,” said Lord Morris. “The MMG examined each and everyone against our balanced scorecard which specifically rewards grounds for the excellence of their facilities. We have nominated the venues that were best suited and most deserved to be awarded the major matches.”
West Indies are hoping to travel to Canada in August to play a series of Twenty20 matches in preparation for the format’s inaugural World Championship the following month, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) confirmed to Cricinfo today. The board also revealed it will be sending an A team to Zimbabwe in July, despite the recent withdrawal of Australia from their tour of the country.”We have our regional [domestic] Twenty20 in the middle of August, and we are hoping to select our team for the World Championship in South Africa immediately after that tournament, around August 25,” Bruce Aanensen, WICB’s chief executive, told Cricinfo. “And once we select our team, the plan is to go to Canada which should be ideal preparation for the tournament in South Africa.”Though its preparation is still in the preliminary stages, Aanensen is “anxious that it takes place, as it’s part of our build up”. Inevitably, there are television contract rights to be finalised before the tour gets the go ahead.The board is also in negotiations to send an A team to Zimbabwe in July for three four-day matches in Harare and two one-dayers. “We feel at this stage that the tour is on,” Tony Deyal, the board’s Corporate Secretary, told Cricinfo. “Our understanding is that Zimbabwe Cricket is doing everything possible to ensure the players’ safety, so we will be going to the West Indies board to seek approval that the tour goes ahead.”Should it be confirmed, West Indies A will leave on July 1 and return on July 27. An announcement from the board is expected by the end of next week.But under the agreement signed with the players’ association (WIPA) both tours should be agreed before they are planned and announced. Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA’s CEO, told Cricinfo that neither trip had been discussed. With an ongoing dispute regarding the England tour with arbitrators at the moment, it seems possible that the next two tours could also end up going down that route.
Andrew Flintoff has brushed aside, nonchalantly, concerns that the captaincy at home against Sri Lanka next week will be an added burden to his burgeoning list of roles within the England team.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Michael Vaughan will definitely miss next week’s first Test and David Graveney, chairman of selectors, hinted yesterday that Flintoff is likely to take over as captain, continuing from where he left off in India. But Graveney also acknowledged that Flintoff’s workload is a concern.Flintoff though was excited about the prospect of captaining at home. “I got an opportunity in India which I enjoyed but to do it at the home of cricket would be fantastic. I enjoy being involved in the game and it’s been quite an easy side to captain – captaining your country can’t be a burden.”It’s been great fun to be honest. The lads all know their jobs and get on with their business and help me out whenever possible. When fielding at slip when I haven’t been captain, I’ve still been thinking about the game. So there’s no great change there and I enjoy the responsibility and being involved in the game.”It’s something I enjoyed rather than feared. Being England captain can’t be a burden, it’s a fantastic job and something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid. To get the opportunity to do it in India was great fun. Burden is very much the wrong word.”Steve Harmison’s absence has also been confirmed by the ECB for the first Test as selectors meet on Sunday to announce England’s squad. Graveney said only players who featured in at least one four-day Championship game would be considered. Neither Vaughan nor Harmison has played since returning from India. Vaughan has started running and batting in the nets was not named in the Yorkshire side playing Sussex at Headingley, while Durham, Harmison’s county, have no Championship game this week.Vaughan’s India tour ended early with a knee injury and Harmison left before the third Test with a shin problem. The squad to face Sri Lanka at Lord’s will be named on Sunday, four days before the match begins.England do have options in their batting at least. Paul Collingwood stood in for Vaughan in Pakistan and India, scoring a maiden Test century in the first Test in Nagpur and a couple of half-centuries in Lahore the Test before. Alastair Cook hit a debut century in the same Nagpur Test and is also pushing for a place in the final XI.Sajid Mahmood meanwhile, who is widely tipped to make his Test debut as a replacement for one of England’s injured pacemen, has said he is ready to play at Test level now. Mahmood was quoted by saying, “I’d like to think I’m ready for it. I bowled well in the West Indies on the England A tour. It would be a dream come true, especially to play it in England, at Lord’s as well. I’ve wanted that since I was about eight years old.”Mahmood was picked to play in the England A game against Sri Lanka but was withdrawn in a move interpreted as England not wanting the tourists to see him in action. He played for Lancashire instead, against Kent at Old Trafford, bowling 21 overs for 55 runs and a solitary wicket.Mahmood said he was aware of the extra attention. “It was in the back of my mind that I’ve got to perform well. The first over or so I was thinking, I’ve got to do this or got to do that, but then I thought, if I’m going to think about that I’m going to put pressure on myself. So I just sort of put it to the back of my mind and tried to relax and do what you normally do – just to try and do my best and see what happens.”
Zimbabwe A 232 for 7 (Coventry 102*) beat Pakistan A 181 (Mahwire 3-44) by 51 runs ScorecardCharles Coventry produced an extraordinary unbeaten 102 from 108 balls to rescue Zimbabwe A from a shaky start, as they recovered to beat their Pakistani counterparts by 51 runs at Harare. Coventry came to the crease at 54 for 4, after a middle-order collapse of 4 for 24 had left Zimbabwe reeling.But, with Stuart Matsikenyeri hanging in for a gritty 55 from 89 balls, Coventry began to turn the innings around. The pair added 68 for the fifth wicket, and then – after another flurry of wickets – Blessing Mahwire dug in for an impressive 41, before falling to the final ball of innings, having added 102 for the seventh wicket.Pakistan’s reply never got off the ground. They were 50 for 5 and then 88 for 6, and though the lower order attempted to regroup, Mahwire was on target with the ball as well, ripping out three wickets for 44. Mohammad Khalil gave Zimbabwe a late alarm by clubbing four sixes in his 39, but that was the highest score of the Pakistani innings.
Close of 3rd dayAuckland 198 and 126 (Canning 66; McSkimming 5-56) lead Otago 154 (Cumming 39; Barnes 5-24) by 170 runs ScorecardAaron Barnes set the panic in motion at the University Oval in Dunedin after Tama Canning had dismissed the overnight batsmen Craig Cumming (39) and Chris Gaffaney (6) at which point Otago were 90 for 3. But then Barnes, who in 66 previous first-class matches had never taken more than 4 for 60 in an innings, swept through the middle and lower-order in 11.1 overs to take 5 for 24 as Otago could score only 154, 44 short of Auckland on the first innings.Not to be outdone, Warren McSkimming picked up the cudgels after Brad Scott and Jeff Wilson undid Auckland’s top-order to have them 33 for 5, before Tama Canning hit out for a rapid 66 scored off 52 balls. McSkimming repeated Barnes’ feat and blasted through the middle and lower-order to take 5 for 56 in 10.4 overs. Auckland were all out for 126, and Otago could be excused for pinching themselves when they found that victory lay only 171 runs away.However, their chance of getting there had to wait as bad light interrupted play causing an early end to the day.Close of 3rd dayCanterbury 303 and 3 for 2 lead Central Districts 178 (Taylor 66, Sinclair 54; Wisneski 5-35) by 128 runs ScorecardWith Mathew Sinclair on 54 and Ross Taylor having scored 66 off 67 balls, and the total on 160 for 3, Central Districts could have been excused for thinking first innings points beckoned against Canterbury.But then the tea break interrupted, and whatever was in the water either caused severe problems for the CD batsmen or enlivened Wisneski considerably, because before another 18 runs had been scored, the CD innings was over.Wisneski had 5 for 35, and Canterbury were in front by 125 runs. However, all was not lost for CD. By the time Canterbury had scored three runs, they had lost two of the most prolific batsmen of the summer, Shanan Stewart and Peter Fulton.Like the New Zealand weather, the batsmen on the final day of the games will be looking for settled fortunes.Wellington, which bore the brunt of the storms, had no play for the second successive day in their game against Northern Districts. Prospects are not bright for the final day.
Manicaland bounced back from their poor showing in the Logan Cup game a fortnight ago to beat Takashinga convincingly by seven wickets in the league cup semi-final last Sunday. Played on a knife-edge, Manicaland hung tough through a day of provocation and discourtesy to earn a home final against Old Georgians in two weeks’ time.Arriving in the team bus from Harare in the morning, Takashinga signalled their mood by parking the vehicle away from the main clubhouse and using it as a change room cum pavilion for the rest of the day. Refusing any contact with their hosts they declined lunch, a tray of cool drinks at drinks interval (opting to return to the bus for water) and ordered youngster Elton Chigumbura back to the bus when he sought treatment for a split finger at the clubhouse.Realizing he would receive no medical help there, Manicaland sent a first-aid box to the bus where his finger was eventually bandaged. Paranoia on this scale had to affect their fielding and the tally of no-balls, wides and crazy overthrows mounted as they tried unsuccessfully to defend a mid-range total.Winning the toss and batting first, Takashinga reached 217 for eight in 50 overs with Zimbabwe Under-19 batsman Chigumbura hitting a confident 63 and Rangarirai Takashinga 47. Initially pegged back by some tight bowling from Leon Soma (10-2-24-1) and Mark Burmester (10-1-36-4), the black Harare team dominated the middle overs. Former Manica Patrick Gada was looking so good during his 28 that a run-out appeared the only way to remove him. He obliged by misjudging the left arm of Ian Coulson at mid-off – finding himself well short to a match-turning direct hit.Burmester’s spell included a searing return catch flung skywards with Gibbsesque ostentation, plus the normal repertoire of fire-eating, unluckiest-bowler-in-the-world bluster. That he copped a barrage of personal/family insults later when opening Manicaland’s innings shocked him and contributed to a near incident later when the departing Deon Yatras turned and advanced threateningly on bowler Amos Maungwa after being sworn off the pitch. Only the intervention of visiting Harare umpire Quentin Goosen calmed the situation.After early jitters Manicaland settled in to a professional measured run chase with Andre Soma (65) and Neil Ferreira (86 not out) thrilling the 250 home spectators by turning a difficult assignment into a strolling victory. The winning runs were hit with six overs to spare and it was good to see Takashinga players (Maungwa excepted) shaking hands with umpires and opponents alike.Still smarting from the two-match ban and Z$5000 (US$15) suspended fine on Gift Makoni for the mayhem caused three weeks earlier, Takashinga sent their own report to the ZCU alleging umpiring bias and racism in the allocation of a `wooden shed’ change-room. That every visiting team – India included – has uncomplainingly used this `shed’ partly explains the siege mentality of this team. Observers found the judgment of Justices Bartlett and Chinhengo, Advocate RY Philips and Attorney RI Costa – to calculably the worst incident in grade cricket worldwide in 20 years -difficult enough to understand, but to plead racist provocation indicates the depth of this problem.This Friday sees the start of a four-day Logan Cup first-class game against Mashonaland. Back to bolster Manicaland from `A’ team duty in South Africa will be Richie Sims, Guy Whittall and Gary Brent.
Sourav Ganguly says that he enjoys touring more than playing at home.With so many people around and so much hype, Ganguly suggests that hefeels cramped in domestic surroundings. Indeed he never tires ofpointing out that he has a better Test average away than at home. At47.66, his away average is almost seven points higher than thecorresponding figure of 40.79 at home. Ganguly is not the only Indianto possess such a distinction. Rahul Dravid and Sadagoppan Ramesh alsoshare it and while Sachin Tendulkar does not, he still averages ahealthy 53 away. Dravid actually boasts a figure above 50 in seven ofthe nine countries he has played in (except Sri Lanka where he isclose enough and Australia where he is far enough) which is positivelybrilliant.A closer scrutiny reveals some warts in that seemingly impeccablelooking away record. The captain for instance has not approached theuniformly good record across the five continents as his second number.He has come, seen but failed to conquer in four nations: Australia,South Africa, West Indies (from where not coincidentally the best fastbowlers hail) and Zimbabwe. One of the commonly articulated grouses ofbatsmen is the lack of sufficient practice games to get acclimatisedto the conditions. A hastily arranged visit from South Africa to breaktheir isolation in 1991/92 meant that one of India’s warm-ups in thesubsequent tour of Australia was lopped off the itinerary. India wentinto the first Test with just one first class game behind them andwere ritually slaughtered.On the first tour of Zimbabwe in 1992/93, India blithely entered theTest without so much as a first class game behind them and almostfaced the mortification of a follow-on. Six years later, on theirsecond tour, they had one game which they won by an innings withouthardly breaking into a sweat. But that one innings of batting practiceclearly did not suffice for when it came to the crunch, the celebratedIndian batting folding up without so much as a whimper. With two gamesscheduled this time (in which the Indians utilised all four innings)they have nothing to complain about. Four Indian batsmen grabbed theopportunity to make centuries and yet there have been some disturbingsigns.The Indian captain’s Test place is largely hanging on reputation. Hehasn’t scored a century in his last 11 Tests. It should be a challengeGanguly should be raring to overcome by getting as much match practicein the middle before the Test. In the circumstances, his approach inthe second warm-up game was a trifle baffling. Having failed in bothinnings against Zimbabwe A in the first tour game, what did Ganguly doagainst CFX Academy? He promoted Hemang Badani who does not figure inthe Indian team’s plans for the first Test ahead of him in the battingorder and then retired after making 53 which was incidentally hisfirst 50 in his last eight first class games. Shades ofoverconfidence?The stunning turnaround midway through the series against Australiameant that Ganguly was forgiven for his poor run with the bat. Thereis a perception running in sections of the public that he sacrificedhis personal form for the sake of the team by focusing his energies onthe verbal pleasantries. It may be difficult to reproduce such aggronow when the team is installed as favourite and not as underdog.Ganguly’s place in the team is not under threat. Far from it. MarkTaylor and Nasser Hussain have survived longer periods in the battinghorrors. As long as the team wins, all other foibles will be forgiven.But to keep winning India needs the skipper to fire in his primaryrole sooner rather than later. He should realise that, as the oldcliche goes, the willow can speak the most eloquently of all.
They might still be frustratingly inconsistent, but Chelsea are one of the most exciting projects in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s side is usually the youngest in any given gameweek, and while that can cause problems, it’s also an indication of the club’s many hugely promising prospects.
For example, at just 24 years old, Moises Caicedo is one of the club’s oldest stars, while the two most exciting attackers, Cole Palmer and Estevao, are just 23 and 18, respectively.
Unsurprisingly, if reports are to be believed, Chelsea are once again on the lookout for young talent and seem to have their eye on someone who could be seen as a mix of Palmer and Estevao.
Chelsea target Palmer & Estevao hybrid
The summer window saw Chelsea continue their strategy of primarily signing young, up-and-coming talents who could have an impact this season but will truly hit their peak a few years from now.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Sure, the likes of Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Jorrel Hato haven’t exactly been smash hits for the Blues, but given the fact that they are all 21 or under means they have the time to make their mark.
However, the most exciting youngster to make his way to West London in the summer was Estevao, who was signed in 2024, and the good news is the club now seem intent on signing another youngster who appears to be a lot like him and Palmer.
At least that is according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims Chelsae are interested in Konstantinos Karetsas.
In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Blues have already been in contact with the young Greek star and made it clear to his camp that ‘they want the next chapter of his footballing career to be in West London.’
However, it might not be as simple as that, with the story claiming that teams such as Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the 18-year-old.
Finally, while a potential price is not mentioned in the report, stories linking the youngster to the Gunners back in June suggested he could cost around £38m.
Therefore, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Karetsas’ ability and potential, one Chelsea should pursue, especially as he could be another Estevao or Palmer.
Why Karetsas is like Estevao & Palmer
The first thing Karetsas shares in common with Palmer and Estevao is his positional versatility.
Like the two Chelsea stars, the young Greek has played in several positions across the pitch, but is primarily an attacking midfielder or right-winger.
Furthermore, the Genk-born dynamo has proven himself a serious attacking outlet.
For example, in 27 appearances so far this season, totalling 1731 minutes, he has scored two goals and provided ten assists.
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That comes out to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.25 games, or every 144.25 minutes, which would be a great rate of return for a seasoned veteran, let alone a teenager.
It’s not just the goals and assists that make the young dynamo a dangerous player in the vein of the two Blues stars.
For example, FBref rank him in the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the next best 14 leagues for carries, the top 6% for crosses, the top 7% for shot-creating actions and carries into the final third, the top 9% for successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Karetsas’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Fouls Drawn
3.29
Top 2%
Switches
0.82
Top 4%
Touches (Att 3rd)
31.62
Top 4%
Carries
41.83
Top 5%
Crosses
6.79
Top 6%
Total Carrying Distance
261.35
Top 6%
Shot-Creating Actions
5.43
Top 7%
Carries into Final Third
2.92
Top 7%
Touches
60.89
Top 9%
Successful Take-Ons
2.26
Top 9%
Key Passes
2.55
Top 10%
Progressive Passes
6.01
Top 12%
Progressive Carrying Distance
120.63
Top 12%
Progressive Passing Distance
180.91
Top 13%
Passes into Penalty Area
2.06
Top 13%
All Stats via FBref
Finally, like his potential new teammates, the “superstar in the making,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has already made a splash at the international level, winning nine senior caps for Greece, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
Ultimately, it might not be easy to get over the line, but Chelsea should do whatever they can to sign Karetsas, as he could be like another Estevao or Palmer for Maresca.
Chelsea have a "ridiculous" talent at Cobham who looks like the next James
The teenage sensation could follow in James’ footsteps at Chelsea.