All posts by csb10.top

Day 1Large scores highlighted the opening day of the Canada Cup at King City. The competition being played on turf for the first time encouraged the players to respond with good batting performances including a century by Neeraj Bhardwaj , Ontario “B” ( 132 not out) against Manitoba. Three half centuries were also recorded , Samad Hamidi 67 (Ont “B” ) vs Manitoba, Abid Keshvani 58 ( Alberta) vs BC,and Durand Soraine 50 (Ontario “A” ) vs Quebec.B.C bowlers Shoeb Ahmed and Gurwinder Singh took four wickets each to lead their team to a five wicket victory over Alberta.Shoeb missed the half ton by two scoring 48 to be the top BC batsman. BC chasing a total of 188 wrapped up the victory with 21 overs to spare.Both Ontario teams put hugh totals on the board with the Ontario “B” team scoring a record 324/8 in their 50 overs. Manitoba could only manage 96 in reply.Ontario “A” scored 290 all out in 48.5 overs and coasted to an impressive 125 run victory.Day 2BC scored an exciting 2 wicket victory over Ontario “B” to remain undefeated at the 2002 Canada Cup . Given a revised target of 224 for victory BC scored the winning run with 8 balls remaining. Rahat Sharma with 51 not out steered the Westerns to their two wicket victory . Earlier Arjun Pradhan contributed an even 50 to the total. Ontario “B” batted first and for the second day scored a respectable total of 211/7 . Amit Kumar 55, Neeraj Bhardwaj 26 and Kenneth Carto 23* lead the way. But their downfall was their inability to bowl a stead line and length and only skipper Adam Baksh who took 3/36 in 9 overs seemed to get any attention from the BC batsmenIn other games the young and inexperienced Manitoba side felt the might of tournament favorites Ontario “A”. After winning the toss Manitoba elected to bat but were quickly bowled out in just 12 overs for 49. fast bowler Zaker Akbary took 5/25 in five overs while Canadian U15 player Ryan Lall mopped up the tail by taking 3/2 in one over. Lall returned to open the batting and scored an unbeaten 22. His partner and team mate from Canada’s U15 team Toney Mahabir easily put Ontario “A” passed the Manitoba total without loosing a wicketQuebec got into the winning column with a 46 run victory over Alberta.Batting first Quebec scored 203 all out in only 38.1 overs . Wicket keeper Rizwan Tarar scored 41 for the second consecutive day but it was Faisal Ali Shah with 42* who made certain that his team passed the 200 mark. Nikhil Nagpal took 3/31 for Alberta.In reply Alberta scored 157 all out in 40 overs. Top scorer was Azhum Ali with 36 .Sohail Aslam took 3/35Day 4B.C fails in big show down with Ontario “A” for the Canada Cup.B.C vs Ontario “A”The two undefeated teams meet on day 4 of the Canada Cup (U18 Canadian Junior Cricket Championship) at Maple Leaf C.C. in King City. Batting first on another well prepared stripe the batsmen were again king of the day as Ontario put 284 on the board allout with 2.3 overs remaining. Kissoon Perera with 62 and Shaheed Keshvani 40 lead the way supported by another good knock from Canada’s U15 Captain Ryan Lall (31).For BC their best bowler was Yasser Puri with 4/62. Ontario “A” surpassed the 1000 run mark for the competition , a remarkable feat when you consider in one game (against Manitoba) they only needed 50 to win. B.C. never showed signs of making a game out of this as only Canadian U15 Umer Nawaz (21) showed any resistance. For Ontario fast bowler Zaker Akbary, the leading wicket taker of the tournament took 3/18 . Skipper Jasjeet Mangat captured 3/42.Alberta vs Ontario “B”Ontario “B” continues to score large totals but also allows the opposition to do likewise.Batting first Ontario “B” were 259/7 in their 50 overs. Top scorers were Skipper Adam Baksh (51) Canadian U15 Gangadeep Mann (46) Amit Kumar( 42) and another Canadian U15 , Abdul Manjra (40 not out). The total brought the number of runs scored by the team to 999 however they have given up 812 in return and again had to struggle to beat Alberta by a mere 14 runs. For Alberta Waqas Mirza scored 69, wicket keeper Kendon Otterley added 35 and Shajib Jaidad 32 .Quebec vs Manitoba.When Quebec scored a massive 356/9 against the youngest team in the tournament everyone looked for an early. Everyone but the Manitoba players who must be given credit for batting their full 50 overs , a rare occurrence in Canadian Cricket at all levels. Not only did the bat the full overs but they scored a very respectable 216/8 in reply.The game saw the second century of the competition, 131 by Filip Patel of Quebec , Jahanzeb Chaudhary 50 and Divyesh Patel 37 were the other top scorers. For Manitoba , Eomal Fernandopulle with 93* lead the way with Dawson Roberts contributing 31. Sabir Sheikh took 3/34 for Quebec.The Final day tomorrow sees BC playing Quebec for the silver medal as Ontario”A” with their victory today clinched the Canada Cup once again. Manitoba tackles Alberta as both teams will be seeking their first victory. Both teams have shown tremendous improvement as the tournament progressed. The other game pits the two Ontario teams against each other.Final presentations are set for approximately 5.00 p.m as the games begin one hour earlier tomorrow at 9.30 am.Day 5Rain ended the 2002 Canada Cup with the final games all ending as “No results”Ontario “A” vs Ontario “B”Ontario A took the field knowing they had clinched yet another Canada Cup but there was the matter of pride and showing their friends on Ontario “B” why they were champions. The powerful batting machine quickly swung into gear as on the three previous times when they batted first a hugh total was put on the tins. Today it was 319/7 in 49 overs. Durand Soraine with a brilliant 81 * was top scorer, Shaheeed Keshvani (67) and Junaid Sidiqui (57) added to the massive score.After lunch the Ontario “B” innings had just began when rain washed out play with the “B” team at 28/1 in 4 overs.Quebec vs BCThis game was for the silver and bronze medals and Quebec batting first put a fine total of 256 on the board.. Divyesh Patel (41) Mehboob Rehman (39) and Filip Patel (37) were the main scorers . With his innings of 37 and a tournament total of 250 runs Filip Patel captured the Best Batsman Award for the most runs scored in the tournament.B.C were 36/1 when rain stopped play . Quebec won the silver as they had the better net run rate in the tournament.Manitoba vs AlbertaThese two teams were both trying to win their first game but the rain did not permit a result . Alberta with the better NRR took fifth overall and Manitoba finished last.Alberta batting first scored 265/9 in their 50 overs Adnan Kamal 62, Divyany Patel 52, and Nikhil Nagpal 39*were top scorers. Manitoba was 34/1 in reply.After the games the awards were presented.M.V.P.Alberta – Nikhil NagpalB.C. – Rahata SharmaManitoba – Eomal FernandopulleOntario “A” – Durand SoraineOntario “B” – Adam BakshQuebec – Filip PatelTournament Awards:Best Wicket Keeper Kendon Ottely ( Alberta)Best Fielder Adam Baksh ( Ontario “B” )Most Runs -Best Batsman Filip Patel ( Quebec)Most Wickets – Best Bowler Zaker Akbary ( Ontario “A”)Gold Medal and Canada Cup – Ontario “A”Silver Medal QuebecBronze Medal B.C.

This is what happens when you are so much better than everyone else, thebiggest challenges come from within.With no-one from world cricket, able to lay a glove on the Australians, theAustralian selectors have taken it upon themselves to challenge them.Their non-selection of Mark Waugh followed by his subsequent retirementthreaten to do more damage to the side than England could ever hope toachieve.In their cricket to date, England have suggested that they would struggle towin a game if they were playing in the Pura Cup. A side already hopelesslymismatched, is stricken with injuries.Australia will defeat England easily regardless of Mark Waugh.If they were to replace him, logic dictated that they do so with ayoungster. To get rid of a 37-year-old for a 32-year-old makes no sensewhatsoever.Mark Waugh was owed better. Only two players have scored more Test runs forAustralia. No-one in the world has more Test catches than him.He has been a stalwart of the side for the last 10 years, playing his last107 Tests in succession. The Australian side is one where the aggregate sumis greater than that of the individual parts.The side was winning well and so there was no case to drop Mark Waugh.From his century on debut against England at the Adelaide Oval, there wasnothing better in world cricket than watching him.His innings stand the test of time.

• The 139 not out at Antigua in 1991 against the might of Ambrose, Patterson,Walsh and Marshall. [Scorecard]
• His 126 at Sabina Park in 1995 which set up the winning of the Sir FrankWorrell trophy. [Scorecard]
• His classic 116 at Crusaders, St George’s Park in 1997 which gave Australiaa famous two-wicket victory. [Scorecard]
• The 115 not out against South Africa at Adelaide in 1998. [Scorecard]
• The 153 not out at Chinnaswamy Stadium in India in 1998. [Scorecard]

Mark Waugh was there for his fans and sadly they can’t be there for him.He should have been allowed to announce his retirement at the end of theAshes, thus giving Australian fans to express their gratitude to him.Fittingly, he could have played his last Test match on his beloved SCG andbowed out like the champion he was.

A delegation from the United Cricket Board, including UCB CEO Gerald Majolaand President Percy Sonn, met stakeholders from the Eastern Province CricketBoard in port Elizabeth this morning to explain the High Court order whichplaced the EPCB under provisional judicial management last Friday.The meeting included Eastern Province schools representatives, sub-unions,umpires and country districts and was also addressed by the two judicialmanagers who have been appointed by the court. The judicial managers areKevin Helm, a former treasurer of EPCB and Cliffie Louw, a former senioremployee of the Master of the Court’s office.The two judicial managers, in consultation with the UCB, have appointed aninterim committee to manage the affairs of cricket in the province. Thecommittee is: Graham Barclay, Geoff Dakin, Freddie Kriel, Yusuf Lorgat, Peter Muzzell, Brian Nonganga, Colin Rushmere, Raymond Uren.Dan QeQe was asked to serve on the committee, but was unavailable due toill health.In the afternoon, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup executive director Dr AliBacher presented to the Council of the Nelson Mandela Metropole on theimportance of safeguarding next year’s World Cup matches in Port Elizabeth.The City Council also presented its preparedness to host the matches.”I have been very impressed by the positiveness from the Council and fromthe Mayor, Nceba Faku,” said Majola today. “I believe everything is back ontrack and that cricket affairs in the Eastern Cape are being looked afterwith an eye on the successful staging of very important World Cup matchesnext year.”

Sri Lanka completed formalities shortly before the scheduled luncheoninterval on the fourth day, bowling out Bangladesh for 184 to secure theirtenth consecutive victory on home soil; and their first win without theservices of Muttiah Muralitharan since the off-spinner started his career in1992.The tourists, led by 17-year-old Mohammad Ashraful, who confirmed hispotential after a lean period since becoming the youngest ever Testcenturion last September, kept the Sri Lankans at bay for the first hourbefore a collapse that saw six wickets fall for 17 runs.The right-handed Ashraful scored 75 from 120 balls, hitting 12 boundaries,adding 68 runs for the fifth wicket with Alok Kapali (23), whose all-roundperformance on his debut Test drew praise afterwards from coach MohsinKamal.But mid-way through the morning off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera dismissedboth players within the space of eight minutes: Kapali was brilliantlycaught by Jehan Mubarak diving to his right at short leg off bat-pad, whilstAshraful was unfortunate to have also adjudged to have been caught at shortleg off pad only – the luck, not for the first time in this game, not goingBangladesh’s way.Left-armer Sujeewa de Silva, replacing Chamila Gamage, who beat the batrepeatedly during his brisk opening five burst, quickly nipped out TapashBashar (3), courtesy of a stunning airborne catch by Upul Chandana in thegully, and then Fahim Muntasir (1) with a curling yorker.Samaraweera wrapped up proceedings, as the close in fielders snapped up twomore catches: Manjural Islam (0) and Talha Jubair (0) both completing apair.Sri Lanka’s celebrations were muted at the end, the captain and coachadmitting that the victory, though a welcome after a series of defeats, wasof little relevance; the most important aspect of the series being theemergence of fast bowler Chamila Gamage and the batting of Michael Vandort,the Man of the Match here after scores of 61 and 140.”The results from England are still fresh in the mind and it was importantto comeback against Bangladesh as strongly as possible,” said coach DavWhatmore. “A lot of people will say that this is what we are expected to doagainst Bangladesh, and we are painfully aware of that, but you have to pickup the pieces somewhere.”Sanath Jayasuriya, back smiling again, said: “We may have won this seriesbut you can’t say that everything is going our way yet. In these conditionswe know we can do it, but we need to prove ourselves outside Sri Lanka andthere is a lot of hard work to be done in all departments of our game.”He admitted that defeat in England had affected morale: “The truth is thatEngland badly affected our confidence – we didn’t perform up to our ownstandards and it was very disappointing for the whole team. Slowly we haveto get back our old confidence.”The captain, originally uncomfortable with the selector’s experimentation inthis series, was especially delighted by Gamage’s bowling: “Chamila (Gamage)has shown his potential in this match – I think he can compete on theinternational stage.””I’m also impressed with the performance of Michael Vandort,” he added. “Hegrabbed his opportunity in this game and showed that he can score runs inthe top order.”For Bangladesh it was a familiar tale, coach Mohsin Kamal admitting that itwas hard to keep the players positive as the defeats stack up. This wastheir 12th loss in 13 Tests and the 11th consecutive innings in which theyhave failed to pass 200.”It is hard to lose continuously as half of cricket is played in thedressing room,” said Kamal, after his first series in charge, “but the guysjust have to be positive when they are there preparing themselves.”But he remained upbeat about the future: “We got some youngsters in the sidefor this match and they showed that they have a lot of talent – they justneed more experience in Test and four-day cricket.”He singled out the bowlers for special praise: “The bowlers did well, especially yesterday when they were under pressure – they bowled beautifully inthe morning, restricting the Sri Lankan batsmen.”I was also really pleased with the performance of Ashraful. He was under alot of pressure to score runs after not getting runs in the side matches andnot playing in the first Test. He has shown his ability.”Bangladesh can, at least, seek some comfort in the fact that they are notalone in finding it difficult to adjust to the demands of Test cricket: SriLanka had to wait 14 matches before their first victory, Zimbabwe took 11games, India 25 and New Zealand a staggering 45 – Bangladesh will surely notwait that long.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 1:Rev. Wes Hall, president of the West Indies Cricket Board, expects the 2002 Cable & Wireless Series between West Indies and India to be quite competitive.Rev. Hall believes the visiting Indian cricket team can expect a warm reception right around the Caribbean and that will help to make the 2002 Cable & Wireless Series even more exciting.”Our crowds, particularly in Trinidad and Guyana where you will not be short of support, have always received your type of play with approbation,” Rev. Hall told the Indian squad during a three-hour stopover in Barbados on their way to Guyana.As a consequence, this has always led to very competitive matches between our sides and we expect nothing less than this during your two months of cricket in the Caribbean, he added.The Indians arrived on Easter Monday without captain Sourav Ganguly. He is attending to personal obligations and will join the side on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid believes it will be an evenly contested series.”West Indies have the advantage of playing at home and the pressure will be on them much more than it will be on us because we have nothing lose, but much more to gain from winning,” remarked Dravid.”Though they have not been playing too well on the road , West Indies has only lost two series at home in over 20 years, so that suggests it will not be an easy task for us. We will have to play competitively all around to be able to win this series,” he added.Indian coach John Wright, the former New Zealand opening batsman, is no stranger to the Caribbean. He was a member of Jeff Crowe’s 1985 side that was pummelled by a fearsome West Indies side led by (Sir) Vivian Richards.”The West Indies is a wonderful place to play cricket and we believe we have a wonderful opportunity to win away from home for the first time in a long time,” he said. “I think the Caribbean is very much like Indian because the people have a great love for the game and are so knowledgeable. They know this side can play attractive cricket and if we play to our full potential we are capable of beating the best.”Inevitably, Wright was asked the question about a possible duel between West Indies Brian Lara and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the two best batsmen in world cricket.”A coach never likes to single out an individual player on his side or on the opposition side,” Wright commented. “Sachin and Lara are two great players and they have a lot of respect for each other. We, however, have a few young, exciting players capable of influencing the outcome of the series.”India, who play five Tests and five limited-overs internationals in the 2002 Cable & Wireless Series, has not beaten West Indies in a rubber in the Caribbean for close to three decades, let alone won a series outside of the sub-continent in 16 years.Squad:Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice-captain), Sanjay Bangar, Shiv Sunder Das, Deep Dasgupta, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Wasim Jaffer, Venkata Sai Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Ashish Nehra, Ajay Ratra, Javagal Srinath, Sachin Tendulkar, Tinu Yohannan.John Wright (coach), Goutam Dasgupta (manager), Adrian LeRoux (trainer), Andrew Leipus (physiotherapist), Sumit Pai (analyst).

Somerset Second Eleven recorded a resounding victory over Worcestershire at North Perrott in their opening championship match of the season on Friday.Once again it was all rounder Pete Trego who did the damage, taking 5 for 60 as the visitors slumped to 143 all out to give the Somerset second string a victory by an innings and 60 runs.The young all rounder from Weston super Mare ended with match figures of 11 for 113 to earn himself a recall to the first team for the NUL opening match against Yorkshire Phoenix on Sunday.

‘India will host the ICC KnockOut Tournament’, AC Muthiah, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in Udhagamandalam on Thursday.Expressing surprise at BCCI secretary JY Lele’s statement in New Delhi yesterday that ‘the BCCI is not necessarily keen in hosting the tournament’, Muthiah clarified that ‘there is no hitch in India hosting the tournament. The Union Sports Ministry has cleared it and Sports Minister Uma Bharti has extended all support for the success of the ICC KnockOut tournament’, he said.’We do not want to deny the best of opportunity for the cricket loving public of India in missing out on the chance to witness players from all Test playing countries of ICC in action’ Muthiah told PTI.It may be noted that Malcolm Gray, President, International Cricket Council, had on March 21 met the Union Ministers and officials concerned and he had been assured of all Governmental support to the tournament when hosted by India. The final decision on India hosting the 2002 ICC KnockOut tournament will be taken in London on June 15.Asked to comment on India playing Pakistan in any future tournament, Muthiah said ‘the Government’s letter clarified that there is no hitch in these two countries competing in multilateral tournaments’.Muthiah said the Government had clarified vide its letter on May 10 that ‘India will continue to play Pakistan in multilateral tournaments at regular venues. Regarding bilateral contests between the countries, the Government after careful consideration has already decided that in the prevailing circumstances it would be inappropriate for the Indian team to participate in a two-nation cricket tournament against Pakistan’.The BCCI chief said ‘the Government has said that it has no objection to the Indian team playing in ICC KnockOut, World Cup and other ICC recognised tournaments despite the fact that certain matches in such tournaments may be played between India and Pakistan either in India or in Pakistan’.Accordingly, the Government has considered all venues in Test playing countries and venues recognised by the ICC for one-day Internationals such as Kenya as regular venues.As for India’s participation in the coming Asia Cup to be hosted by Pakistan, Muthiah confirmed that India will take part in the tournament. However, the programme for the Asia Cup would be decided at the meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Lahore on May 24, he said.When drawn to comment on Lele’s statement that he `was not aware when and where the decision would be taken on the new sponsor for the Indian team’, Muthiah clarified that the Board has received offers for sponsorship approximately 45 per cent above the previous sponsorship of ITC and a decision would be taken by the BCCI Marketing Committee within two days. ‘The players will benefit immensely by the additional revenues since 60 per cent of the sponsorship revenue goes to the players’, he said.