Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller took seven out of the 18 wickets to fall on the second day in St Elizabeth as Jamaica crushed Windward Islands by 10 wickets to win the 2008 Carib Cup.Miller had remarkable figures of 4 for 6 off 8.2 overs as Windwards collapsed for 61 in the first-innings, surrendering a lead of 171. He took 3 for 60 during Windwards’ follow-on as they were dismissed for 187, despite Andre Fletcher’s unbeaten 103, leaving Jamaica a target of 17 to win the championship. Jamaica’s openers Chris Gayle and Brenton Parchment knocked off the runs in the third over. The win gave Jamaica a regional double, and the 12 points they gained against Windwards took their tally to 58, which cannot be overtaken by any other team.”It is a great feeling to end this game within two days and to take thetitle with such authority,” Gayle told reporters after the match. “I have to say well done to the team.” Scorecard Rain curtailed play on the second day between Guyana and Leewards Islands but Ramnaresh Sarwan’s unbeaten 89 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 82 helped Guyana move on to 299 for 6, with a lead of 95.Guyana resumed their innings on 138 for 4, 66 runs behind Leewards’ 204 in the first-innings. Chanderpaul and Sarwan steadied the innings with a 145-run stand for the fifth wicket, which gave Guyana the lead. Chanderpaul attacked offspinner Steve Liburd, hitting him for a four and a six, before edging to Runako Morton at first slip. Derwin Christian joined Sarwan and had scored 13 when offspinner Anthony Martin trapped him leg before wicket at 279 for 6. Sarwan was on 89 and Esuan Crandon on 15, when rain halted play. Scorecard Simon Jackson and Chadwick Walton scored half-centuries to lead Combined Campuses & Colleges’ (CCC) fightback against Trinidad & Tobago on the second day in Bridgetown. Having conceded a massive first-innings lead of 240 after being dismissed for 97, CCC’s batsmen regrouped to post 185 for 3 in the second innings and trail by only 55 runs.Jackson scored 11 fours during his 83 off 173 balls while Watson struck seven fours and a six, during his unbeaten 52 off 74 balls.Earlier T&T had secured a sizable lead after resuming on 224 for 5. they were eventually dismissed ten minutes before lunch after Ravi Rampaul took advantage of some mediocre bowling to score his second first-class fifty.T&T’s wickets were shared by offspinner Kevin McClean and captain Shirley Clarke, who took 4 for 54 and 4 for 53 respectively.
ScorecardHamish Bennett’s seven-wicket haul helped dismiss Wellington for 188 on a rain-affected third day at Basin Reserve and gave Canterbury a slender 27-run lead in the first innings of the State Championship final. Canterbury ended the day on 10 for no loss.Rain delayed the start until 3.15 pm local time and when play resumed Brandon Hiini broke the 48-run stand for the seventh wicket by having Dewayne Bowden caught behind by Kruger van Wyk for 22. The innings folded quickly thereafter – the last three wickets fell for 11 runs – with Bennett taking the three remaining wickets to add to his four on the second day. Luke Woodcock remained unbeaten on 35.Canterbury’s openers, Todd Astle and Michael Papps, batted for seven overs and remained unbeaten on 3 and 6 respectively.
The Punjab team has lodged a formal complaint against Harbhajan Singh to the BCCI, even as the Indian board took a serious view of the “slapping” incident during the post-match proceedings at Mohali and asked him submit his explanation before April 28. Harbhajan allegedly hit Sreesanth, his India team-mate and IPL rival, after Friday’s match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians.”Kings XI Punjab confirms that a formal complaint against Mr Harbhajan Singh was submitted to the BCCI earlier today,” a media statement issued by the team said. “The complaint is in relation to yesterday’s incident following the match against Mumbai Indians, where Mr Singh made an unprovoked attack on Mr Sreesanth. The Kings XI Punjab team and management consider this behaviour unacceptable and against the spirit of the game.”Meanwhile, Niranajan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said that Harbhajan needed to clarify the reasons that prompted his act of indiscipline. “The BCCI has taken serious note of the incident that took place between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth at Mohali after the IPL match. The BCCI condemns the behaviour of Harbhajan as a contracted player of the board and he is called upon to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. And [Harbhajan] has been asked for a clarification by Monday evening [April 28].”Earlier Farokh Engineer, the match referee in the Mohali game, had told Cricinfo that he hasn’t received any verbal or written complaint from the Punjab team. Engineer also said he did not witness the alleged incident. “In the absence of any evidence I am in the dark. I don’t know what went on on the pitch and what triggered the alleged incident,” he said.Engineer has sought video evidence from the television broadcasters before taking any action. “If the incident is true some action will be taken. If there is definite, conclusive proof then it’s just not cricket.”Under the level 4.1 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, physical assault of another player, umpire, referee, official or spectator will result in a ban of between 5 Tests of 10 one-day internationals up to a life ban for the player or official concerned.Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Harbhajan might be asked to step down as captain of the Mumbai Indians till the issue is resolved. Harbhajan was asked to lead the side after Sachin Tendulkar failed to recover from a groin injury. Bought at a cost of US$111.9 million, Mumbai are the most expensive of the eight IPL franchises but have yet to win a game.
Deficient techniques rather than deficient pitch were to blame on a day the county batsmen did not acquit themselves well on a bouncy Old Trafford pitch in conditions where the bowlers could swing the ball.Although Lancashire finished on top, leading Durham by 29 runs, the Man of the Match to date was Durham seamer Mark Davies, who started the entire batting nightmare by ripping through the home side’s middle order to return his best career figures of 7 for 33. True, he benefited from some incompetence at the other end, but that should not detract from a masterly performance. His personal pleasure soon evaporated, though, in the face of even more woeful batting from his own team.In sunny weather and on a good-looking shaven pitch, such carnage was hardly tobe expected. Lancashire batted on winning the toss and progressed withoutundue difficulty to 33, with Paul Horton making most of therunning. Then both openers fell on that score, both to catches in the slips asthey flashed unwisely at the ball. Steve Harmison dismissed Horton, but thebest bowler, coming on first change, was Davies, who kept an accurate lineand length just on or outside the off stump, and reaped a rich harvest.After removing Chilton, he beat Mohammad Younis twice in an over before inducingan edge to the keeper off a ball that flew, a fine delivery. Mal Loye handledthe bowling well, however, while Stuart Law played himself in carefully, andnot long after lunch Lancashire were fighting back on 93 for 3.After this, nothing was the same again; perhaps the batsmen suddenly decided thepitch was full of unseen terrors and adjusted their mental state accordingly.In seven balls, Davies took four wickets without a run being added,and a fifth 10 balls later. First to go was Loye (39), who sliced a ball intothe gully, where Ben Harmison took a sharp overhead catch at the secondattempt.Andrew Flintoff came and went first ball, pushing hesitantly at a ball thatbounced and moved away, and edging a catch to his England team-mate PaulCollingwood at first slip. It was his second first baller in a fortnight. Luke Sutton avoided the hat-trick, but then edged the third delivery he faced to the keeper; Kyle Hogg soon followed, snicking his second ball to second slip. The fifth wicket in this sequence was the big one of Law, who brought up the team’s 100 with a snick for four just over thekeeper’s head, and then was caught in the gully off one that flew from theshoulder of his bat.Lancashire were shattered. Saj Mahmood fought back with 31, looking moreassured than any of his team-mates apart from Loye, before Collingwood nippedin with the last two wickets. Lancashire had been skittled for 143 and anearly tea was taken.”Play the ball as little as possible.” This may have been Durham’s advice totheir batsmen, having seen the trouble Lancashire had got themselves into – allten wickets had fallen to catches between the keeper and point – but, if so, MarkStoneman (2) took it a little too literally, shouldering arms and seeing hisoff stump removed by a quick ball from James Anderson.Unlike Lancashire, Durham never even had a brief happy period with the bat.Anderson was the most dangerous bowler, constantly threatening the stumps,while Flintoff produced a vicious lifter that Kyle Coetzer popped up haplesslyfor a catch on the off side. Collingwood (3) slashed at Anderson and wasdismissed by the sort of fine catch at backward point that he himself usuallyspecialises in. The only batsman in the top six to reach double figures wasGarry Park, who fought hard but never looked comfortable in making 19.Durham’s highest stand of the day was a mere 24, for the eighth wicket, betweenBen Harmison (beaten and bowled by the sheer pace of Flintoff for 15) and MitchClaydon, whose assertive strokeplay in making his highest career score of 40 off38 balls (7 fours) put his seniors to shame. It was also the highest score ofthe day, a worthy achievement. He was the last man out, finally yorked by Flintoff, as Durham were dismissed for 114 in a single extended session.Anderson and Flintoff took four wickets each, with Anderson the best ofLancashire’s bowlers. At the present rate of progress, this match might notreach its third day. Or perhaps one of the teams will produce a batsman whowill display the technique and willpower to produce an innings of real qualityand turn this game on its head again.
James Pattinson celebrated six wickets during West Indies’ first innings at the MCG, but you’ll only see four on the scorecard. Twice during the opening session of the third day, Pattinson dismissed Carlos Brathwaite, only to have the umpire ask for a review of the front foot. On both occasions, Pattinson was shown to have delivered a no-ball. Brathwaite went from not really out on 13, to not really out on 50, to really out on 59.It was all part of a frustrating session for the Australians as Brathwaite and Darren Bravo almost batted through until lunch without loss. Brathwaite was eventually caught and bowled by Nathan Lyon just before the break. That and some more lower-order fight pushed West Indies along to 271 and discouraged Steven Smith from enforcing the follow-on. Instead a potential three-day Test, the game was set to last four days or perhaps even five.That means plenty of work still ahead for Pattinson and the rest of the bowlers. While he was pleased to finish with 4 for 72 in a Boxing Day Test, he knows he created more work for himself. In the 48th over of the innings, Brathwaite was bowled trying an ugly cross-bat slog, and in the 66th over he hooked a short ball straight into the hands of fine leg. Both were called retrospectively as no-balls.”I’ve always been pushing the line, ever since I’ve been playing cricket,” Pattinson said. “It’s momentum and stepping over the line, it’s obviously something I have to work on because it cost us a bit of time today and a few runs. I have to work on it and try to improve that.”They were two of four no-balls that will show on Pattinson’s analysis at the end of the innings, but the lack of on-field calls for the wicket deliveries suggests that others might have slipped by unnoticed. Asked whether umpire Chris Gaffaney had warned him he was close to overstepping, Pattinson said no, but he took responsibility for the no-balls himself.”It was more after I bowled the no-balls, he wasn’t telling me before that,” Pattinson said. “I know I’m always up there, it’s quite hard. I’ve got to try and get into a rhythm where I can stay behind the line and not push it but umpires do try and help you out a fair bit.”So far in this series, Pattinson has collected nine wickets at 18.55, making him Australia’s leading wicket taker so far, which is a pleasing result given this series marks his return after a long injury lay-off. After initially rebuilding his action to be much more side-on, Pattinson has reverted to an action that is something of a compromise between side and front, and it seems to be working.”I still feel like I’m not 100% yet,” Pattinson said. “Obviously when you do bowl no-balls it is in the back of your mind a little bit. So I’m still not running in as hard as I would like to be, because I’m sort of a bit wary of that front foot.”I’ve just got to try to get a stage where I’m running in full steam and not worrying about overstepping, but apart from that I’m pretty happy with the way the ball is coming out. I feel like I’m getting better and better each time I bowl. If that’s the worst it’s going to get – bowling a couple of no-balls, I’ll take that.”Australia remain in a powerful position to push for victory with two days to play, boasting a lead of 459 runs with seven wickets in hand in their second innings, but West Indies at least showed some resistance on day three. Pattinson said he had been impressed by the way West Indies both batted and bowled after their underwhelming displays of the first five days of the series.”Darren Bravo didn’t give us much at all,” Pattinson said. “He was pretty solid. He made us work really hard for his wicket. The same as Carlos Brathwaite when he came out. We thought he was probably going to tee them up a bit more than he did. But he looked pretty solid and fought pretty hard.”When they came out they bowled pretty well in tough circumstances when they’re 300 behind and could easily have just dished up a few half-volleys for us. Our boys batted well. It was a pretty good day’s cricket.”
Regional cricket associations have been knocked for seemingly withholding their best players from representing the West Indies ‘B’ team in the Busta Series.Additionally, team captain Roland Holder feels the cream of the regional Under-23s, with the exception of Test players, should be made to play for the ‘B’ team if it is to make a greater impact.A lot of the territories need to be honest in their nominations for the ‘B’team if it is going to serve the purpose for which it is intended, the experienced former Barbados batsman told NATIONSPORT yesterday.We had a couple of players who could not make their national trials or, in the case of one or two from the Leewards and Windwards, who could not make their national side.It was Holder’s forthright view that a player who is put forward to represent the West Indies ‘B’ team should be someone who is on the verge of making his national team.I think most territories have selected their 16, kept the best of the reserves and then sent basically what has not been a true representation of this team.As a reference, he pointed to Guyana fast bowler Reon Griffith who was kept in their 13-man squad for the first five matches. Griffith did not play a single match and was only released to the ‘B’ team for the sixth round.I know all the territories want to win . . . [but] it is all about the development of West Indies’ cricket, said the 34-year-old Holder, who played successfully for Barbados in regional competition between 1986 and 2001.In cases like that, I think we need to be honest with ourselves.West Indies ‘B’, which is participating in the Busta Series for the second successive year, are languishing at the bottom of the table ahead of their final match against Barbados, starting tomorrow at Kensington Oval.However, there have been encouraging signs, among them centuries from Guyanese Krishna Arjune and debutant Donovan Pagon.For a team which has passed 250 in six of their 11 innings and has only been dismissed for fewer than 200 on one occasion, four defeats in six matches might not been an accurate reflection of their performance.Defeats will always be defeats. It means that you didn’t play better or as well as the opposition, Holder said.We have been batting reasonably well consistently. We have scored on average 500 runs per game.The only problem is that we tend to score most of those runs in the second innings. By then it’s usually playing catch-up cricket.Holder described the overall performance of the team as indifferent.It is very difficult under this present structure to get the sort of results you are looking for granted I’ve seen lots of improvements in all of these players, he said.What needs to happen is that the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) decides that the best Under-23 side, excluding those who have played Test cricket, be selected to play as this team.Under such a proposal, promising players such as prolific Windward Islands opener Devon Smith, West Indies youth captain Narsingh Deonarine, Barbadian fast bowler Tino Best and fellow pacer Darren Powell of Jamaica would have to play for the West Indies ‘B’ ahead of their national sides.
Slovakia international Miroslav Stoch is the latest player to leave Chelsea after joining Turkish side Fenerbahce for an undisclosed transfer fee on a four-year deal.
The 20-year-old striker moved to Stamford Bridge from FC Nitra four years ago but struggled to break into the first-team picture.
He made only five first-team appearances for the Blues, all from the substitute's bench, and spent last season on loan at FC Twente.
He found the net 12 times in 39 appearances for a side that was then managed by Steve McClaren who guided them to the Dutch League title in 2009-10.
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Stoch, who was also linked with PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and Galatasaray, is the fourth player to leave Chelsea this week, following the revelation that Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Juliano Belletti will not be handed new contracts when their current ones expire at the end of this month.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With Spurs having moved into pole position and after manager Harry Redknapp has openly confirmed that he has held preliminary talks with the England international over the past few days, one of Roy Hodgson’s first moves as Liverpool manager must be to follow suit and step up the club’s interest in the player to something approaching concrete rather than the rumour and conjecture we’ve all been subjected to the past few weeks.
The main problems facing Liverpool are well known to every man and his dog by now, the issue over new owners, the new stadium and the respective futures of messrs Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano are all of paramount importance, and whilst these all obviously and quite understandably remain of top priority, the issue of the playing staff and the reinvestment that is needed must not go unnoticed, no matter how cheaply it needs to be done.
The figures being bandied about in the press at the moment all point towards Hodgson having a transfer kitty in excess of £15m to spend, which may be somewhat buoyed by the departure of Yossi Benayoun to fierce rivals Chelsea for roughly £6m this week.
It was telling that in the press conference presenting Hodgson as the new Liverpool manager, that Chairman Martin Broughton pointed out that Hodgson’s qualities were what were needed in the current climate, and that he had been appointed ‘to steady the ship’ and it’s telling that he’s only been offered a two-year deal. He’s seen by most as a necessity for the problems that lay ahead for the club and his CV does show that he’s able to deal with the challenges that await him – namely uncertainty, unenviable odds and the ability to work within a budget.
This bring us to the issue of Joe Cole future, the mercurial winger capable of providing a spark out of nothing, something the Anfield outfit have long since sought after with numerous costly purchases to little or no lasting effect, with only really the departing Benayoun capable in this respect.
Cole labelled the reasons for his rather acrimonious departure from Chelsea as being ‘politically motivated’ and that it has nothing to do with manager Carlo Ancelotti or the fact that he had become a relatively peripheral figure since returning from injury under his tenure.
Man Utd have already, and rather surprisingly considering that Cole would seem to be a useful player to have about Old Trafford and is available on a free transfer, ruled themselves out of the running for his signature. Arsenal’s interest has been lukewarm and ‘Arry has done little but state on a number of occasions his strong interest, which to his credit he is at least following up now.
The assumption has always been made that Cole desires Champions League football above all else and that his wages demands are astronomical. The Champions League is obviously the pinnacle of European football and a place where any right minded player would wish to ply their trade, but please forgive me, it must be the cynic in me, but at the moment at least, Spurs have yet to fully qualify for the group stages and they may even have to negotiate a tricky tie to get to that stage before the champagne can truly be popped.
This would go some way to at least understanding the patience and unfamiliar fiscal prudence currently on display this summer down at White Hart Lane and whilst last season’s fourth place was a momentous achievement for the club, unless they finish it off, then all of last term’s hard work will have been undone and they will play their season out in the second-tier Europa League where Liverpool will find themselves next season.
One trump card that Spurs do possess is the fact that they are London-based and with a new sprog in tow, the likelihood of Cole being willing to uproot his family all the way to the North-West would present quite a bold move on more fronts than just a football one and a major stumbling block.
Liverpool do remain a big club despite their troubles, and the prospect of playing with the likes of Torres and Gerrard, should Hodgson be able to secure assurances of their loyalty to the club for the upcoming season, could be a deciding factor in Cole’s decision.
Like I conceded earlier, Spurs obviously remain the frontrunners and the fact that a reunion with Redknapp, the geographical location of the club and the fact that he’d be joining a growing team on the brink of Champions League football make them strong favourites and a salivating prospect for any footballer looking for a rebirth.
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But Hodgson will do well to follow up the rumours with some strong interest, for whilst it may be a long shot at the moment, it’s an avenue worth exploring and would go some way at least to showing the fans that whilst testing times undoubtedly lay ahead, Liverpool have not quite yet lost every semblance of ambition that they once possessed.
It would signal a statement of intent of sorts and would also be in keeping with the new manager’s intention that the club need to buy British for the future to keep in line with UEFA and Premiership rules – luckily for Hodgson, a deal for Cole presents a very real possibility and one that he’d be mad to ignore.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has joined the chorus of voices calling for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to rejoin his former club.
Fabregas was part of Spain's successful World Cup winning squad, but his time in South Africa was overshadowed by continuing speculation surrounding his club future.
The 23-year-old midfielder was the subject of one unsuccessful bid from the Catalan giants before the summer after reportedly telling Gunners boss Arsene Wenger of his desire to return to the Camp Nou following seven years in north London.
Wenger has vowed to fight hard to keep hold of his influential skipper, who was used mainly as a substitute by Spain during the World Cup.
But now Messi has added his weight to previous calls from the likes of Barca players Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol for Fabregas to join them this summer.
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"I would be delighted if he came," said the Argentina forward. "We played together as kids and he knows the club."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
His arrival may not have sent shockwaves around Liverpool but Roy Hodgson has brought an air of calm around Anfield and more importantly a sense of realism.
While you couldn’t blame Liverpool supporters from salivating at the prospect of big name signings arriving, should either consortium manage to take control in the coming weeks, Hodgson is right to curb such talk and play down expectation and more importantly dismiss the prospect of unnecessary last minute buying. It is a sensible move to bide time and ensure that the right players are brought in.
“We have made a couple of signings so far, we have brought in Joe Cole, Danny Wilson and we hope to bring in at least another couple. We’ve done our research on the players we are able and capable of signing, on players that Liverpool wants right now and you have to remember it is not how much they cost but how good they are.
“The danger would be in a late takeover that the money would be available and we wouldn’t have the chance to do our research. If a lot of money did become available as happened at Manchester City and Chelsea in the past, we would make sure we did our research before we started splashing the money around.” (Guardian)
All we have heard from the media this week is what the prospective owners can bring to the football club and that Hodgson will have millions at his disposal and be able to bid for any player that he so wish. While it is an exciting prospect, Hodgson is right to show caution and use the likes of City as an example of the pitfalls of rash last minute spending. Liverpool’s squad needs strengthening no question, but it is about buying the right players and not bringing in new faces for the sake of it. Robinho was exciting for the first few months at Eastlands, but it didn’t take long to realise that it wasn’t the right move for him.
While Liverpool fans will probably be sitting there fingers crossed hoping that a deal can be resolved sooner rather than later, they should also back Hodgson’s call to be patient and careful in the transfer market. Spending vast sums of money doesn’t guarantee you anything in this world and Liverpool would be wise not to fall into the same trap that others has in recruiting high profile players on high wages, who subsequently add little value to the football club.
Written By Jim McKendry
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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