Sean Williams has revealed that he is not signing a contract with Zimbabwe Cricket after getting offers to play in South Africa and England.Williams, a 19-year-old left hander who captained the Zimbabwe Under-19 side in the recent World Cup, turned down the board’s offer last week after meeting with ZC Players Welfare and Technical committee chairman Crispen Pyswarai.”I am not signing a contract with Zimbabwe Cricket,” Williams said. “Let me emphasise that it was my own decision. The moment I walked out of Pyswarai’s office I made up my mind not to sign, he mentioned huge figures to me like a ZW$100 million (US$1000) appearance fee, but for how long are the players going to get that money?”Williams admitted that he did not entirely agree with his father Colin’s views on the issue, as he does not want any confrontation with Zimbabwe Cricket, but wants to move on peacefully with his cricket career.He has not picked up a bat since returning from the World Cup after he developed three boils on his right elbow that have since been lanced.Williams could have walked into the Zimbabwe team when senior players went on strike in April 2004. However, his father told him to concentrate on his studies, but he subsequently realised that his son’s talent was as a cricketer. Williams has since made four ODI appearances for Zimbabwe.
The Melbourne Cricket Club could take legal action to protect their gate revenue in response to the new seven-year deal to broadcast international cricket. The agreement between Cricket Australia and Nine, which begins next April, does away with the old ruling that coverage would be denied to a host city unless the ground was sold out. The new condition applies only to Sydney and Melbourne.The MCG has recently undergone a major phase of rebuilding and can now house in the region of 100,000 spectators, and officials fear they could lose millions of dollars in ticket sales if the cricket goes live on TV. “There are major concerns from the MCC over loss of revenue and we are certainly awaiting a response,” a senior official told The Herald Sun newspaper. “It may result in legal action.” The official’s fears were shared by the general manager, Stephen Gough, who added: “We have built a brand-new stadium and we expected more people to be able to enjoy the new facilities.”The concerns come on the back of a disappointing VB Series in which few spectators could be bothered to witness Australia’s effortless supremacy over West Indies and Pakistan. However, Cricket Australia’s chairman, James Sutherland, dismissed the MCC’s problems, and ruled out any prospect of compensation for loss of revenue. “If we do things right and continue to promote the game in the right way, cricket will continue to be a fantastic event for spectators to come to or watch on TV,” he said.
New Zealand have appointed Michael Sharpe as coach of the SouthIsland team, and Vaughn Johnson will take charge of the North Island side forthe State of Origin match on February 8.Sharpe is currently coach of the State Canterbury Wizards, who areplaying in the State Shield final this Friday against the StateCentral Districts Stags.Johnson, meanwhile, is the current coach of the State Wellington Firebirds, last year’s finalists in the State Shield, and winner of the title in 2001-02.Martin Snedden, the board’s chief executive, said they were continuing to look for opportunities for the country’s best coaches to gain experience at higher levels of the game. “NZC recognises the need to offer our top coaches fresh challenges and experiences to further their development," he said. “Both Michael and Vaughn are successful coaches at domestic level and this type of experience at another step up is beneficial to them and theplayers in their respective domestic teams.”The South Island team received a boost with the news that Nathan Astle will be fit to play in the match, even though an MRI-scan revealed he has some damage to the cartilage in his right knee.Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand team’s manager, said the scan had beenreviewed by Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Paul Armour. “Nathan has had a cortisone injection to help settle the knee," he said. "These two games will give medical staff an opportunity to see how his knee holds up to a game situation loading requirements. He will be reviewed again on Monday by Mr Armour and thenNathan and the New Zealand Cricket Medical panel will decide on an appropriate treatment programme and his availability for the South African Series.”
Sarandeep Singh has done nothing wrong after making his Test debutagainst Zimbabwe at Nagpur in November 2000 where he claimed sixwickets. The young Punjabi off-spinner though finds himself out of thenational team. Sarandeep Singh should have been the one to playagainst Australia but sadly due to a quirk of fate, Harbhajan Singhgot the nod ahead of him. What followed in that series is a part ofcricket folklore.Having said that, no credit should be taken away from Sarandeep Singh,for he has done what he is supposed to do – claim wickets. Nationalselector Madan Lal is more than impressed with this young bowler’sperformance in the domestic circuit, “Sarandeep Singh should play forIndia very soon, the boy has taken a lot of wickets, what else can weask him to do?”Earlier this year, Sarandeep bowled exceedingly well in the IraniTrophy against Baroda claiming eight wickets. He has followed that upby picking wickets in good numbers, playing for his adopted state NewDelhi during the current Ranji season; the shift from Punjabnecessitated as he is employed by ONGC which is based in the Indiancapital. The young spinner is also excited by the opportunity thisgives him to be with the legendary Bishen Singh Bedi.Sarandeep Singh, who flew in very late on the eve of the three-daymatch against England in Hyderabad, picked up five English wicketsgiving away 98 runs on day one, a feat witnessed by the five nationalselectors. In an exclusive interview to , Sarandeepsaid, “I was very nervous flying in to Hyderabad, I did not have anychance to prepare for such an important match in my career. I knewthat nothing other than performance would do me any good in my effortsto make a comeback into the Indian team.”I kept thinking about it, planning how to bowl against the Englishbatsmen. I decided it would be a good thing to bowl a good line, as Ihad not seen the wicket. When I saw the pitch on the match-day, itlooked a good pitch for batting. There was a little bit of turn andbounce early on as the pitch was fresh.”Soon it became very easy for the batsmen, the pitch was definitelyslowing down and I had to think of new strategies. I tried changing myline a bit and also varying my pace. You can get easy wickets indomestic cricket by bowling on one side of the wicket but againstinternational batsmen, you have to do that extra bit. They don’t giveaway their wickets that cheaply.”Sarandeep was thankful to Board President’s XI skipper Jacob Martin,who bowled him in short spells. Martin also made sure that his bowlersbowled from both ends, and by the end of the first day Sarandeep hadclaimed five wickets while Murali Kartik had three.When asked about how he felt being left in the wilderness after a gooddebut, Sarandeep replied in a voice filled with sadness, “Reallynothing is in my hands. I had hoped to play against Australia, butthen it is all for the selectors, all I can do is keep giving goodperformance and hope for the best.””I always send my best wishes to Harbhajan Singh for he isrepresenting the country. I believe in working hard and performingwell. I am working on my batting too; if I could contribute 30-40 runsin the lower order, it will brighten my chances of winning an Indiacap. It is going to be a challenge to bowl with Harbhajan Singh andAnil Kumble, they are such great bowlers. I will give more than my 100percent for India,” he added.About his stint at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, he said,”I had never seen Erapalli Prasanna before I went to the NCA. It was agreat experience for me to spend time with him. He taught me about theimportance of bowling on different types of wickets, to be mentallyprepared always as most of the game is actually played in the mind. Ilearned new tricks and understood the importance of having a strategybowling to different batsmen. I was taught to never bowl what thebatsman thinks that you are going to bowl. Prasanna is my idol.”Sarandeep Singh might soon be playing for India, if one goes by whatMadan Lal says. Given the fact that the tracks in India will favourspinners and the distinct inability of most of the English batsmen totackle spin, the coming days should finally bring good news for thishumble lad from Amritsar.
ScorecardFile photo: Haryana’s seamers played a containing role, allowing the spinners to trigger Karnataka’s collapse in Mysore
Haryana took control of their fixture against Karnataka in Mysore after the defending champions were bowled out for 221 to concede a 110-run lead. Rahul Dewan and Nitin Saini then saw off nine overs late in the day as Haryana ended the day at 27 without loss, ahead by 137, to take pole position, one from where they can entertain thoughts of forcing their first outright win of the season.KL Rahul top-scored with 63 to steady Karnataka after the early loss of Robin Uthappa, but his run-out soon after lunch triggered a slide. Jayant Yadav, who struck his second first-class century on Thursday, broke Karnataka’s back in the middle. He had the vital strikes of the well-set R Samarth (30) and Karun Nair (28), before part-time offspinner Rahul Dagar ran through the tail by picking up three wickets in an over as Karnataka’s innings came to a grinding halt in 75.4 overs.CM Gautam, the vice-captain, tried to resurrect the innings but regular loss of wickets at the other end prevented Karnataka’s late quest towards parity. Vinay Kumar, the captain, resisted for 65 deliveries and made 34 during the course of a 67-run stand for the seventh wicket, the highest of Karnataka’s innings. Earlier in the day, HS Sharath, who picked up a hat-trick on Thursday, picked up his first five-wicket haul of the season, finish with figures of 5 for 48. ScorecardA lower-order collapse undid all the good work done by Sudip Chatterjee (116) and Wriddhiman Saha (72) as Bengal collapsed from 286 for 4 to 357 all out at Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi then overcame a top-order wobble before Nitish Rana (30*) and Milind Kumar (20*) repaired the early damage, with the unbroken third-wicket stand of 54 taking them to 100 for 3 at stumps.Bengal looked set for a bigger score than they eventually finished with as they lost both set batsmen – Chatterjee (116) and Saha (72) – in the first half hour to hand Delhi the advantage. But Ashok Dinda dismissed Gautam Gambhir early to give Bengal an opening. Pragyan Ojha then got into the act to dismiss the in-form Unmukt Chand. Before long, Delhi were in trouble at 56 for 3, and in dire need of a partnership, which Rana and Milind came up with. ScorecardAnother lackluster batting performance from Vidarbha resulted in them conceding a 52-run lead to current table toppers Assam in Nagpur. As many as 12 wickets fell in the day, with spin accounting for 10 of them. Swarupam Purkayastha, the highest wicket-taker last season among the slow bowlers, led Assam’s dominance with four scalps.Vidarbha briefly challenged Assam when Wasim Jaffer (40) and Ganesh Satish (67) kept the bowlers at bay, but a lower-order implosion resulted in Vidarbha losing their last six wickets for 53 runs. Assam then lost the openers in their second dig to end the day at 36 for 2, the overall lead standing at 88 with two full days to play.Rajasthan v Maharashtra – Maharashtra’s slide tightens contest for first-innings points
Luton Town manager Nathan Jones has claimed that the injury to on-loan Aston Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer is not good, as per Birmingham Live.
The Lowdown: Steer stretchered off
The 29-year-old made the move to Kenilworth Road on loan during the January transfer window and was finally getting a run of starts after serving as backup to Emiliano Martinez at Villa Park.
Unfortunately, he had to be stretchered off against Chelsea in the FA Cup last week after going down off the ball with what appeared to be an Achilles problem.
Micah Richards labelled it as ‘devastating’ and Gregg Evans was gutted reacting to the injury on Twitter, with Villa now set to share details of the setback.
The Latest: Jones’ update on Steer
As per Birmingham Live, Jones was talking to the media on Saturday as the Hatters fell to a 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.
When it came to an update on Steer, the Luton manager said that Villa will ‘come out’ and address the injury, but revealed that it does not look good for the goalkeeper.
Jones stated: “It’s not a good injury. We won’t divulge too much as it’s confidential and it’s Villa’s player, so they will come out and say, but it’s not a good injury.”
The Verdict: Nightmare for Steer
Steer, who former Villa team-mate Tammy Abraham labelled ‘brilliant’, has previous when it comes to Achilles injuries, so this ominous update from Jones isn’t a good one.
The shot-stopper had to remain patient for a first-team chance and was impressing in the Championship, helping Luton to three straight wins and keeping two clean sheets.
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However, it seems as if he now has a long road ahead when it comes to recovering from this injury, but we’re sure that Villa will provide the best possible support over the coming months as he enters the final 12 months of his contract in the summer.
In other news: Reliable journalist reveals Villa and Lange have now struck out-of-window agreement for this signing
Brendon McCullum hammered the highest score in New Zealand’s domestic one-day history, and also the fastest century, to drive Otago to their first State Shield title in 20 years. McCullum’s hundred came from 52 balls and his 170 ensured Otago reached their target of 311 with an incredible 48 deliveries to spare.It was a memorable day for Otago, who took the long road to the final in Auckland after a McCullum century also inspired their semi-final win on the road against Canterbury. Their previous State Shield triumph came in 1987-88 and when Martin Guptill’s 110 guided Auckland to 310 for 7 it appeared that Otago’s drought would continue.But McCullum had other ideas and he eclipsed by 13 runs the previous fastest century in State Shield history. When he reached 135 he had the best one-day score by an Otago player, and by the time he hit 162 that became the highest for any New Zealand domestic team.His 108-ball innings featured 19 fours and seven sixes, and his team-mate in the national side Chris Martin had a horror day, going for 81 from his eight overs. Craig Cumming shook off the disappointment of his Test axing by contributing 86 not out from 93 balls and their 194-run stand ended when McCullum was caught off Rob Nicol’s bowling only five runs from victory.They got there after 42 overs, which hardly looked likely after the reigning champions Auckland posted such a hefty total having been sent in. Guptill, 21, continued his superb season with a 137-ball innings that confirmed him as the leading scorer in the State Shield this season, finishing with 596 runs at 59.60.Richard Jones made 76 and Scott Styris added 68 as Otago started to wonder if their decision to bowl first was a wise one. That was soon forgotten once McCullum’s fireworks began and the fans at the Eden Park Outer Oval were given a day to remember.
Kent pace bowler Amjad Khan has been ruled out of the 2007 season following surgery on his cruciate ligament. He picked up the knee injury less than two weeks ago at a fast bowling camp in Chennai and flew home at the start of England A’s tour of Bangladesh.Khan, born in Denmark, is expected to be out of action for around nine months, meaning he will miss the first season where he was qualified to play for England. Khan has been highly talked about on the county scene and was being watched closely by various coaches.Kent chief executive, Paul Millman, said: “It is cruel timing for Amjad. Losing [him] for the 2007 season is a significant blow for the county but with the assistance of the ECB medical team we must now focus our attention on working hard with Amjad on his rehabilitation so that he can return to full form and fitness as soon as possible.”Simon Timson, the ECB Science and Medicine Manager, added that there is a strong team helping Khan’s recovery. “ECB and Kent medical personnel have been working closely together to ensure that Amjad receives the best medical care and will continue to do so to ensure that he receives the best possible support through his rehabilitation.”Nimmo Reid, Kent’s physiotherapist, will lead Amjad’s rehabilitation and will work closely with the ECB medical panel. The excellent rehabilitation resources at the National Cricket Centre at Loughborough University will be available to Amjad through his rehabilitation.”Last season Khan claimed 34 wickets at 30 in nine first-class matches and was named in England’s preliminary 30-man World Cup squad before finding a place on the A tour.
After blistering centuries at Johannesburg, Ricky Ponting and Herschelle Gibbs made significant strides in the latest ICC one-day international rankings for batsmen.Ponting retained his number one spot but attained his highest ratings (with 805 points), while Gibbs moved up from the 22nd position to No.11. Andrew Symonds too earned his highest ranking, getting into the top-three both in the batting list, behind Adam Gilchrist, and in the allrounders list behind Shaun Pollock and Andrew Flintoff.The run avalanche at Johannesburg has affected Brett Lee’s ranking as he slips three notches to No.6. His fall has moved the New Zealand duo of Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori up one spot each, with Bond now occupying the No.3 spot. However, for the Australians, Nathan Bracken made an entry into the top-ten for the first time, taking the ninth position, after taking a five-wicket haul in the fifth ODI as well as finishing as the leading wicket-taker for Australia in the series with nine wickets.While Australia remain on top of the team rankings with 133 points, South Africa’s series victory has narrowed the gap to 15 points between the two. This is incidentally Australia’s lowest rating since October 2003.For the full list of rankings, click here.
Shaun Pollock has been ruled out of the second Test against the West Indies due to an ankle injury. Pollock, who also missed the first Test in Guyana to undergo treatment for chronic inflammation on his left ankle, has been advised to play domestic cricket to prove his fitness. The second Test starts at Trinidad on April 8.”Shaun will not travel to Trinidad for the second Test,” Moabi Litheko, the South African media liaison officer, was quoted as saying in the iol website. “The selectors want him to bowl for the Dolphins in the Pro20 game against the Lions in Durban on Wednesday to see if he is fit.”Graeme Smith also confirmed the news and was hopeful that Pollock would be fit in time for the third Test in Barbados on April 21. South Africa missed Pollock during the first Test with the West Indian batting line-up tormenting the bowling attack and South Africa clinging on for a draw on the final day. Pollock has a great record against West Indies with his 14 Tests producing 65 wickets at 21.7.