All posts by csb10.top

Johmari Logtenberg, who it’s no exaggeration to call a batting sensation, has surprised the world of women’s cricket by suddenly giving up the sport for golf. More unexpected still is the fact that the cricket star, who averaged 422.50 in a domestic season and has been instrumental in the international set-up since the age of 14, has only just taken up golf on a whim and she doesn’t know if she will be any good at it.”I didn’t plan to play golf,” she told the Times of South Africa. “It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision”It seems an extraordinary move for the girl, still only 18, who had the cricketing world at her feet with two one-day international centuries and five fifties under her belt. Then again she didn’t earn any money from it – English counties offered to pay her travel expenses “I would have ended up playing for charity” – while a successful women’s golfer can earn a lucrative sum.With great hand-eye co-ordination, the one thing that perhaps will not raise eyebrows is that she’s already got a handicap of 12 despite these being early days where golf is concerned.She has enrolled at Gavan Levenson’s golf academy to improve her game further but if it doesn’t work out she hinted there would be a chance she could go back to cricket. “We’ll only see after this year whether golf is for me.”

January 7
News – McGrath backs former team-mates
January 6
News – Kumble questions Australia’s spirit
Peter English – Australia’s attitude lacking in appeal
Martin Williamson – Not walking is not cheating
News – India seek to replace Bucknor for Perth Test
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan – A frustrating end
Audio – Ravi Shastri: Tough for India to come back
Audio – Ian Chappell: India let Australia off the hook

Andre Adams has revealed his significant frustration with New Zealand’s selectors, which led him to make himself unavailable for the ODI series in South Africa. Adams has also hinted that he might not be willing to play Test cricket if selected, which would effectively mean retirement from international cricket.Adams, 32, is the form bowler from the first two rounds of the State Championship with 13 wickets at 8.76. He said he had turned down queries from Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s selection manager, as to whether he was available for the South Africa trip.”I’m pretty disappointed with the treatment I’ve received over the past year, especially not being picked for the World Cup,” Adams told the . “When I was also left out of the Twenty20 world champs, I thought ‘well, if I can’t get in ahead of Bradley Scott I must be a fair bit off the pace’.”I’ve watched some players who were picked ahead of me have a pretty average time of it, and they just kept playing. I’ve sat on the bench and watched, and I’ve had enough – simple as that.”Adams conceded he did not have a great relationship with the New Zealand coach John Bracewell and he suggested the national squad, which has struggled in South Africa, might not be a pleasant environment. “Are they a happy team?” Adams said of the players in South Africa. “That’s a tough question and one that I’ve got some pretty strong views on but I’m not prepared to speak about it publicly at the moment.”Although he has played 42 ODIs, Adams has not represented New Zealand since the home series against Sri Lanka in January. He said he was not willing to play any more one-day internationals under the current administration.After New Zealand finish their disappointing South Africa tour they will visit Australia for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series. Although they won the last Chappell-Hadlee installment in February it was a rare highlight for New Zealand in recent years.Steve Rixon, their former coach, said the side had not made enough progress under Bracewell. “Braces has been in the job for four years and I haven’t seen too much improvement in the team, which disappoints me,” Rixon told the .New Zealand start their tour of Australia with a Twenty20 international in Perth on December 11. Three ODIs follow in Adelaide, Sydney and Hobart.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

In the build-up to this Test, playing in Sri Lanka has been described as one of the game’s toughest challenges and England responded with an outstanding bowling performance on the opening day at Kandy. Matthew Hoggard took four wickets in 25 balls during the morning session as Sri Lanka hit the depths of 42 for 5, then Monty Panesar chipped in with three after a partial resurrection from Kumar Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene who added 106 for the sixth wicket to lift them to 188.The morning session was a dream for England as Hoggard, playing his first Test since June, swung the ball as though back on home soil at Headingley. Three of Sri Lanka’s middle order were dispatched for single figures as Hoggard added Kandy to his list of overseas success stories, alongside diverse locations such as Nagpur, Adelaide and Johannesburg. However, home embarrassment was averted to some degree by Sangakkara and Jayawardene who mixed caution with aggression before the second collapse of the innings as the last four wickets fell for eight runs.But England couldn’t finish with their full card intact after facing 17 overs. Alastair Cook went third ball, planting his front foot across the line to Chaminda Vaas, using his 100 Tests worth of experience with the new ball as Hoggard did so successfully. Michael Vaughan could have gone, too, but Asad Rauf gave him the benefit of very little doubt against Lasith Malinga. There were three overs from Muttiah Muralitharan; that’s a battle that will unfold on Sunday.It was always expected that this ground would offer England their best chance in the series, the conditions being less fierce than Colombo and Galle while the pitch offers more for seam and swing merchants. But Vaughan would have had no hesitation in batting first and Mahela Jayawardene was smiling widely at the toss. However his grin disappeared as quickly as Sri Lanka’s openers; Sanath Jayasuriya driving to backward point to increase speculation he will be forced to retire and Michael Vandort chipping limply to mid-on to open Hoggard’s account.The next three came in a rush with Matt Prior holding three outside edges. Jayawardene was undone straight after drinks, Chamara Silva was squared up by a beauty and Jehan Mubarak completed the trio with a lazy prod at his fifth ball. Hoggard was making the ball talk, adjusting faultlessly between left- and right-handers and England sensed a chance to run through a shocked batting line-up still suffering a hangover from Australia.

But after Hoggard’s burst, it was much more how Test cricket is meant to be in Sri Lanka; batsmen settling in while the pitch is at its best for scoring and bowlers having to bust a gut. Sangakkara followed his efforts in the Hobart Test last month, where he scored 57 and 192, with another innings to show why he is ranked No. 3 in the world. He had two moments of concern, an edge off James Anderson which flew through a vacant third slip before lunch and a close lbw appeal against Panesar when he padded up to a ball which spat out of the footmarks. As Sangakkara escaped, Muralitharan may just have made a mental note in the dressing room.Sangakkara’s half century took 80 balls and he played Hoggard, who only bowled four overs in the afternoon after 10 in the morning, with more ease than any of his team-mates. Vaughan began to work harder with his field settings, putting men on the drive and sweepers on the fence to try and stifle the scoring. England benefited from youthfulness, maintaining their focus except for lapses apiece from Ryan Sidebottom and Hoggard which allowed boundaries to escape.Jayawardene belied his recent form – a pair at Hobart – with a positive innings after taking 17 balls to open his account. He always gave the bowlers a chance, but there were a fair share of handsome boundaries. Panesar struggled to find his rhythm, but his confidence was given a timely boost when Jayawardene chipped straight to short leg, where Cook held on after a juggle, and he added two more either side of tea as he settled into his role.Sangakkara deserved a century, but left with the tail he chanced his arm and skewed an outside edge towards backward point where Paul Collingwood leapt to his right to hand Anderson reward for an economical performance. The last wicket came in typically comical style as Malinga heaved the ball through midwicket and Muralitharan was nowhere near making the second as Ravi Bopara, handed his debut after edging out Owais Shah, acted swiftly in the outfield. But Muralitharan’s main role is with the ball and, having seen the turn on offer for Panesar, he is the biggest threat to England’s strong position.

Sachin Tendulkar is a self-confessed doubt for India’s forthcoming Test series against Pakistan because of the same elbow injury which caused him to sit out most of last year’s home series against Australia.Tendulkar was sidelined for almost three months last year with tennis elbow, and on Monday he told reporters in Mumbai that he was again struggling. ” I played my last match on December 27 and have not touched the bat or ball since then. As of now I’ve been advised (to take) five to six weeks’ rest by the doctors,” Tendulkar said. “We’ll have to wait and see. After the rest period is over, I’ll meet the doctors again and we’ll take a decision.”I am not going to hurry my return,” he continued. “I am eager to play against Pakistan but I would do so only if I am fully fit and able to play. I will strictly go by what the doctors say. “Tendulkar’s injury dominated the headlines last year and, although he returned at the end of the Australia series, he struggled. In six innings against Australia and South Africa he managed 93 runs, but he did make a big double-hundred against Bangladesh.There were those who blamed a heavy bat for his problems, but Tendulkar again dismissed those suggestions. “I have been reading articles wrongly attributing my injury to my usage of heavy bats,” he explained. “A lot of people have been saying that but they don’t know much about the game. I have used heavy bats for 15 years without any trouble.”The dates for the Pakistan series have not been confirmed but the first Test is expected to start on March 4.

Zimbabwe’s rebel cricketers, some of whom are currently playing for the Red Lions in England, have accepted the ICC’s proposal for their dispute with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union to be taken to arbitration. A three-man tribunal will now attempt to resolve the impasse between the two parties that began in April, and ended with nearly all of Zimbabwe’s main players banned from representing the country.The panel will have one representative chosen by the ZCU, another by the rebels, and a third selected by both parties. Clive Field, the manager for the Red Lions, said the players had accepted the plan and hoped that the matter would head in a positive direction. “From the players point of view we want this resolved as quickly as possible,” he said. “We don’t know when the arbitration will start but we hope the composition of the panel and their terms of reference can be decided quickly.”Heath Streak’s criticism of team selection and certain selectors back in April set in motion a chain of events that plunged Zimbabwe cricket into crisis. Streak questioned the credentials of a couple of the selectors and asked for them to be removed from their posts. The board refused, and sacked him, initially claiming that he had resigned. Both parties to the dispute hardened their stance, leading to the eventual sacking of the rebels by the board.After sitting on the sidelines for more than a month, the ICC stepped in. The result was Zimbabwe Tests for the rest of the year were postponed, though the team was permitted to play one-dayers.

A low scoring affair between Pentasoft and Combined Districts XI sawthe Chennai software company notch up an easy victory in the Moin udDowlah Cup at Hyderabad. Combined Districts’ skipper Vishnuvardhan wonthe toss and decided to have a bat. Although he won the toss there waslittle joy for Vishnuvardhan. His openers got off to a dreadful start,with Venu losing his wicket to Tamil Nadu all rounder Sadagopan Maheshin just the 4th over of the day.One drop batsman Mohamood Ali got to 5 before he was cleaned up byPavan Kumar. Another Kumar, this time Sathish, got rid of openerNaveen Reddy and Combined Districts XI were in a spot of bother at30/3. The spot of bother got progressively worse as 30/3 became 39/5.Wickets were shared around as Combined Districts slumped to 110 allout.Chasing 111 from 50 overs was never going to pose any problem for abatting line up that boasted the likes of Sadagopan Ramesh, ShivSunder Das and Hrishikesh Kanitkar. With just one wicket down,Pentasoft cruised to a nine wicket victory. Ramesh (67) and Das (25)were unbeaten at the crease as the target was overhauled with 29 oversto spare. Ramesh’s knock of 67 came off just 71 balls and included 10sweetly timed hits to the fence.Not one to be left behind, Das helped himself to an easy 25 (33b,2×4). Pentasoft have a number of stars in their side, and are bound tobe stretched further by opposition stronger than Combined DistrictsXI.

The Glamorgan allrounder, Alex Wharf, has been drafted into England’s squad for next week’s NatWest Challenge, as a replacement for Kabir Ali, who has developed a stomach injury. Wharf had been placed on standby after Kabir was forced to withdraw from Saturday’s C&G Trophy final between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, and now has an opportunity to stake his claim for a place in the Champions Trophy."I was ecstatic when David Graveney gave me the news,” said Wharf. “We have a great one-day side at Glamorgan and have become very tough to beat. Glamorgan have given me opportunities and I like to think that has helped bring out the best in me as a cricketer."Last week, Glamorgan claimed their third National League title, with three games to spare, and Wharf’s performances were a key part of their success. He picked up 20 wickets at 22.85, including a hat-trick against Warwickshire, and also clubbed 226 runs at 22.60, with a highest score of 72. He joined Glamorgan four years ago, after previous spells with Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.It was a huge disappointment for Kabir, however. He had been widely tipped for a place in the England Test squad to tour South Africa this winter, but missed out to the Durham allrounder, Paul Collingwood, and has yet to play a role in a one-day international for England. He made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe in 2003, but the match was rained off before he could take the field.David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, felt it was unlikely that Kabir would be back in time for the Champions Trophy. "The medical advice we have received makes his participation in extremely doubtful,” he admitted. “Alex Wharf has been called up to replace him and we will review the situation after The NatWest Challenge."England, whose one-day form has been woeful this year, will meet up at Trent Bridge on Monday, to prepare for the first of three one-day internationals against India. They then take part in the curtain-raiser of the Champions Trophy, against Zimbabwe on September 10, before taking on Sri Lanka in their second match at the Rose Bowl in Southampton a week later.

Looking out from his office overlooking the County Ground on a bright sunny morning earlier today, Somerset Chief Executive turned his thoughts to the new season which is only just over two months away.Mr Anderson told me, “Structured practice is now underway, and the attention is turning to the make up of our best side in all competitions.”The Chief Executive said, “The key to it all rests really on the unknown factors. On the batting front will Piran Holloway rediscover his form of two years ago, when he was the second highest run scorer in the National League in the country, will Peter Bowler in the autumn of his cricketing life continue with the form that he displayed in 2001, and will Keith Parsons develop into a top order County Championship batsman?”He continued, “Will our young bowlers Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego come through to fill what is perceived to be a bowling vacancy?”The Somerset Chief went on, “Further down the line the big question is will Caddick be discarded by England after the World Cup next winter and be available for Somerset for the whole of the 2003 and 2004 seasons? This factor alone clearly has an impact upon the expectations placed upon Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego.”Mr Anderson concluded, “The players as a group all feel that we are well positioned to challenge for one or more of the one day competitions, but in the championship we really need the gaps to be filled by people in form.”

Scorecard

Karen Rolton was Australia’s star for the second match in a row as they beat the Indian women by three wickets in Mysore to go 2-0 up in the seven-match series. Rolton bowled nine economical overs, conceding only 26 runs as India made 171 for 7 from 50 overs. Then, coming in to bat at the fall of the first wicket, she anchored the run-chase with an unbeaten 62 from 93 balls, as Australia won with four balls to spare.As in the first game, the most productive partnership for Australia came when Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar got together. They added 61 for the third wicket before Sthalekar (30) was run out – one of four Australians to be dismissed in that fashion. Three more wickets went down in quick succession as they slumped to 147 for 6, but Rolton guided the team through.Earlier, Anju Jain and Anjum Chopra were the main contributors for India. Jaya Sharma was dismissed for a fifth-ball duck, but Jain (51) and Chopra (43) then added 101 for the second wicket. The platform had been built, but the Indians failed to accelerate, adding only 33 runs in the last 11 overs to end with a below-par total. The Australians had a few hiccups, but held their nerve to seal the win.The third match will be held in Mumbai on December 16.