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Mushtaq Ali passes away

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Mushtaq Ali: the original dasher

Syed Mushtaq Ali, one of Indian’s early cavaliers and the first Indian batsman to score a Test century away from home, in 1936 at Old Trafford, has died in his sleep early this morning. Ali, 90, who was the oldest living Indian cricketer, is survived by two sons and two daughters.Ali, born on December 17, 1914 in Indore, began his Test career as a left-arm spinner against Douglas Jardine’s English team at Eden Gardens in 1933-34, but quickly made his mark as a dashing batsman with little regard for the reputation of bowlers.Although he batted at No.7 in his first Test, he was promoted to open the innings with Naoomal Jeoomal. But his definitive match came three years later when he set Old Trafford alight with a hundred scored in just under a session. He put on 190 with Vijay Merchant in the last session of the second day against a bowling attack that comprised Gubby Allen, Alf Gover, Walter Hammond and Hedley Verity. This hundred was voted as 18th in the list of all-time greatest hundreds by cricketers and cricket writers in a poll conducted by Wisden Asia Cricket last December.

Ali walks out to bat

His batting style was unorthodox and he was never afraid of using his feet. During the Old Trafford innings, he repeatedly stepped out against the quick bowlers to upset their rhythm. He opened with Merchant ten years later in England and they put on 124 at Old Trafford and 94 at The Oval. Their association lasted just four Tests and seven innings but they averaged 83.4 as an opening pair.But cricket administrators were not kind to him and he was overlooked for the subsequent tour to Australia, for which he made himself available after initially withdrawing because of his brother’s death. He came back strongly in the next season, making 54 and 106 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens. But he played only one more Test, against England at home.Ali also played 226 first-class games where he managed to score more than 13000 runs and picked up 162 wickets with his left-arm spin. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government for his contribution to cricket in 1964. His son and grandson – Gulrez Ali and Abbas Ali – also played first-class cricket, and created a unique distinction of three generations of Indian cricketers playing first-class cricket.

Lehmann faces up to age-old problem

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Darren Lehmann: ‘I’m 33 and I’m not getting younger’
© Getty Images

Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual to find international cricketers still playing as they neared 40, and in several instances well into their forties. Less than a decade ago, Graham Gooch was still England’s No. 1 opener at the age of 41, and last month Alec Stewart played his last match as England’s first-choice keeper at 40.But top-flight cricket is increasingly seen as a young man’s game – well, at least it is by selectors. Whereas the early thirties used to be viewed as being near a player’s peak (often later for spin bowlers), now they are almost on the scrapheap when they turn 30.Against that backdrop, Darren Lehmann admitted to reporters that he feared that by missing the second Test against Zimbabwe and the forthcoming one-day series in India because of an Achilles tendon injury, he might be considered too old to persevere with by the selectors. Lehmann is 33.He had hoped to play in the Test – he admitted that he was not up to the demands of a one-day match – before an MRI scan revealed that he had a tear in the tendon that he risked rupturing were he to put any stress on it. “As the doctor said, if it did rupture that is probably it,” Lehmann shrugged. “No play again.” He now faces six weeks in a plastic boot and an enforced lay-off until the end of November.It is perhaps ironic for a man with no reputation as a keep-fit fanatic that Lehmann’s injury came not on the cricket field but on the running track. “I just had too much exercise for my frame,” he admitted. “I should’ve stayed how I was for the last 15 years instead of doing the right thing for a change.” The pressure to maintain fitness increases with each birthday.Lehmann’s form of late has been excellent, with three centuries in his last six Tests, but he is aware that the vultures are circling in the form of talented – and crucially younger – batsmen. Martin Love, who was dropped recently following the return of Damien Martyn, is 29 and highly rated. Michael Clarke is 22 and ever more highly regarded. Lehmann is a worried man. “Yeah, you would be, too,” he said. “I’m 33 and I’m not getting younger.”All Lehmann can do is hobble round and wait. If one of his replacements plays well, then it will be increasingly hard for him to force his way back into the side, especially when the team contains Steve Waugh, another geriatric who is subjected to endless questions about his age and appetite for the game as if anyone over 35 had no right to be walking, let alone playing sport.”Obviously things had been going really well over the last two years and now it’s back to square one,” Lehmann said. The reality is that it could be worse than just being back to square one.

Deadlock over central contracts?

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Certain Indian players are reportedly unhappy with the terms of the central contracts offered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and could put off signing them until a clause relating to personal endorsements is removed.According to a report in , the players do not want to disclose their personal endorsement and sponsorship details to the board. The BCCI has inserted a clause in the contracts which requires them to do so, and most players are said to be unwillingly to go along.SK Nair, the board secretary, said that the contracts had been mailed to the cricketers, but the general opinion is that they would sign only once the clause pertaining to personal endorsements was removed. There were other areas of conflict too, but none as serious as this.Some players were said to be unhappy about squad members being paid only 50 percent of what those on the field would be. They had asked for 70 percent, but the board had insisted that the bench-strength would only be paid half as much. The players had also asked for 20 to be offered central contracts. So far, the BCCI have only considered 17, though they haven’t ruled out the possibility of more players being added to the list.Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, didn’t attend the meeting which was held to discuss the awarding of the central contracts last Sunday. It’s believed that Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were central to the initial negotiations, also declined to attend.The Khaleej Times suggests that Nair was among those not inclined to offer a grade A contract to Kumble, but Syed Kirmani, the chairman of the selection panel, pushed it through after Jagmohan Dalmiya also insisted that Kumble be rewarded for his services to the game in India.

Herath seals crushing win

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A teasing spell of left-arm spin from Rangana Herath broke Pakistan’s attempts at resistance as Sri Lanka recorded a thumping 201-run win and went one-up in the series at Faisalabad. This was Sri Lanka’s 11th Test win overseas, and staggeringly their sixth in Pakistan, and the victory extended their fabulous record of being undefeated in a series here for nearly 15 years.Herath picked up four of the six wickets to fall this morning and had all the batsmen in a tizzy with his canny variations. He slipped in the arm ball occasionally, but the real surprise weapon was the one that was bowled almost completely with the thrust of the middle finger. The ball carried on straight after pitching and hurried on with extra zip. All three were delivered with similar actions, with smart use of crease-width and change in pace.Yousuf Youhana and Shoaib Malik survived the first hour with some dogged methods. Both were tested by a short and pacy spell by Dilhara Fernando when he slipped in some well-directed bouncers that had them weaving and ducking. Both consistently left balls outside off stump and Malik drove confidently when the ball was in the slot. Pakistan had hung on for a draw in the last Test match that they had played at Faisalabad, against South Africa last year, and hopes of a repeat were gradually building.But Herath broke the resistance. Throughout his innings Youhana had been uncertain while facing Herath’s arm ball, and was lucky not to be given out when he was foxed by one and caught at short leg last evening. He survived two very close shouts for lbw this morning – both balls carried on with the arm – and was never completely sure of whether to play forward or back. He was dismissed shortly after the drinks break when he played forward to one that didn’t turn and Steve Bucknor upheld the appeal after a long pause (154 for 5).Abdul Razzaq fell to an identical delivery for a golden duck and Chaminda Vaas removed Moin Khan, who hung his bat outside off stump and nicked one to the wicketkeeper, in the next over (159 for 7). Mohammad Sami hung on for 32 balls and supported Malik in his obdurate ways but his run-out after lunch, the fifth of the game, signalled the fall of the last line of defence.The two Shoaibs then regaled the holiday crowd with a spell of aggressive hitting before Malik popped back a return catch to Herath, when he tried to turn one to the on side to steal a single off the last ball of an over. Herath sealed the issue soon after, getting Shoaib Akhtar stumped, and ended with 4 for 64, his best figures in Test cricket.Pakistan’s batting will be an area of serious concern when they begin their preparations for the second Test at Karachi. None of the batsmen appeared to have recovered from the one-day hangover, and they threw it away without a fight in both innings. Shoaib and Sami were lethal in the first innings but all the bowlers suffered the second time around when Sanath Jayasuriya batted as if in a trance.Sri Lanka came back after being behind for nearly one-and-a-half days and the century from Thilan Samaraweera was a crucial component in the win, barring which Sri Lanka could have been easily rolled over for a meagre total. Dilhara Fernando’s spell on the second afternoon, when he attacked and contained at the same time, was also vital in keeping Sri Lanka afloat. Jayasuriya then sizzled under the Faisalabad sun and it was a matter of time before the champagne was fizzed.

Fitzpatrick extends world bowling record

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Cathryn Fitzpatrick has increased her one-day haul in Ireland © Getty Images

While rain washed out two matches of the Australian women team’s three-game series against Ireland, it could not stop Cathryn Fitzpatrick from becoming the first bowler to take 150 one-day international wickets. Australia won their warm-up for the Ashes 1-0 with a 240-run victory in the second match at Dublin on Sunday, where Karen Rolton blasted 151, Lisa Sthalekar hit her first ODI century and Fitzpatrick pushed the bar even higher.The fastest female bowler in the world, Fitzpatrick, 37, took two wickets against Ireland to give her a 45-wicket gap over her nearest rival, the Indian Neetu David. Rolton and Sthalekar also shared an Australian third-wicket record of 244 in the win. The third match yesterday was called off because of a wet pitch.Australia, who have not lost a Women’s Ashes series since 1963, will play two Tests, five ODIs and their first Twenty20 fixture against England this month. The first Test starts at Hove on August 9.

Taibu leads fightback after Bond onslaught

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New Zealand 48 for 2 trail Zimbabwe 231 (Taibu 76, Bond 6-51) by 183 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball

Shane Bond celebrates his second-ball wicket. He finished with a Test-best 6 for 51 © AFP

Zimbabwe battled back from a wretched start to end the first day at Queens Sports Club in a reasonable position. In reply to their 231 – and that had seemed a distant prospect when they went to lunch on 76 for 5 – New Zealand closed on 48 for 2. They have a long way to go, but at least this resembled a contest.Shane Bond’s opening salvo threatened to make this match as appalling for Zimbabwe as at Harare. Taibu won the toss and decided to bat on a pitch without much grass covering and under a clear sky. That advantage was lost on the top order as the first three wickets fell for just 9 runs. The second ball of the day from Bond swung back in, beat Dion Ebrahim’s attempted drive and trapped him leg before. Stuart Carlisle fell in similar fashion and then Hamilton Masakadza, softened up by fierce bowling from Bond, went for a desperate hook and holed out to fine leg for 0.Brendan Taylor and Craig Wishart fought back well, and for a time they seemed to have weathered the storm. They played some handsome drives and were looking threatening when a superb catch in the gully by Nathan Astle, diving athletically to his right, removed Wishart for 30. Two more wickets fell quickly shortly before the interval. Taylor played a disappointing slash outside his off stump to give Bond his 50th wicket in Tests – and he grabbed No. 51 with the next delivery as Heath Streak was caught behind off a thick outside edge to give Bond the remarkable figures of 5 for 11 off seven overs before lunch.

Tatenda Taibu digs deep on his way to a gutsy 76 © AFP

Zimbabwe needed a near-miracle to find respectability, and Taibu played a classic captain’s innings. Beginning slowly, he gradually opened out, showing masterly shot selection against the rampant bowlers. He received good support from debutant Keith Dabengwa (17, and whose first scoring shot in Test cricket was a six off Daniel Vettori) and Blessing Mahwire, who held his end up gallantly in a partnership that realised 88 runs. Their defiance showed the top order what determination and a concentration on the basics could do.Bond, with the old ball, ended Taibu’s resistance as he perished hooking straight to long leg, and Mahwire soon followed, holing out at mid-on for 42. Bond ended with Test-best figures of 6 for 51.New Zealand faced nine overs before the close, but, as had been the case at Harare, Zimbabwe made early inroads into their top order. James Marshall was the first to go when he cut Streak and Carlisle took a sharp catch in the gully.The final ball of the day produced a second wicket among scenes verging on the farcical as Hamish Marshall steered the ball to gully and set off for a run. Both he and Lou Vincent finished at the non-striker’s end as Taibu took off the bails at the other. It took the third umpire to decide that Marshall would not be back in the morning.

England have work to do to be No. 1 – Dravid

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Dravid: ‘To displace Australia you’ve got to really play well and play well consistently all over the world’ © Getty Images

Rahul Dravid believes England still have more to do to displace Australia as world cricket’s top nation. Dravid, in Australia to play for the World XI in three one-dayers and a Test match this month, said England had to prove themselves against other teams before they could claim to be number one.Euphoria greeted England’s 2-1 Ashes series win over Australia last month, raising hopes that they could go on to dominate world cricket. But Dravid told reporters: “To displace Australia you’ve got to really play well and play well consistently all over the world, which is what Australia have done and have rightly earned the spot to be number one.”Dravid said England had the potential to dethrone Australia at the top of the ICC rankings if they continued with its Ashes form. “They have the squad, they’ve got a really good squad at the moment and they’ve got some good young players.”It will be interesting to see how they go in the (northern) winter in the sub-continent. That will be a good test for them. They’ve done well there – last time they beat Pakistan. England have shown this summer that they have got the personnel.”Andrew Flintoff, who was man-of-the-series in the Ashes, and is also here to play for the World XI, said Australia remained the best team in the world. “Playing against the best side in the world has tested myself as well so I’m looking forward to having three more one-day internationals and another Test match against them — and hopefully a repeat performance.”He said the world squad had bonded well after only a day together. “It’s been good, a good atmosphere at training and it feels like we’ve been together slightly longer than what we have been.”Flintoff was struck while batting in the nets Saturday against Shoaib Akhtar. However, he calmed any fears about his fitness. “I got hit on the arm but it is fine. It happens. I’ve seen the physio and I’ve got a patch on the arm.”Dravid said the Super Series would give the world team “an opportunity to reinforce what England have done in the summer.” However he added: “But having said that I think Australia will be very keen to come back. A lot of the boys in that team are not used to losing so we will be sure they’ll come back very hard and really want to prove a point.”Flintoff said he expected the world team to place a strong emphasis on tactics, an approach which contributed to Australia’s Test series downfall. “It’s not just myself and Kevin [Pietersen] who have played against Australia.”Everyone else has as well and each one’s got their own experiences of what they’ve done and how they’ve done against them. I’ll be voicing what I think, probably along with the other lads.”Flintoff said England had carefully worked out a tactical program to defeat Australia in the Ashes series. “During the series we had plans for each batsman and each bowler as we faced them and I think that’s probably one of the reasons why we did so well,” he explained. “Whoever it was, we stuck to our plans and executed them well.”

Suji's ton drives Kenya to final

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Scorecard

Kennedy Otieno gave solid support to Tony Suji © ICC

A maiden first-class hundred from Tony Suji helped Kenya draw with Bermuda on the final day of the semi-final at Windhoek, to see them through to the final against Ireland on Thursday. With the Kenyans ahead on bonus points from the first innings, after reaching 403 for 6 to the Bermudian’s 346 for 9, all they had to do was avoid getting bowled out cheaply – a feat they managed comfortably.There was a glimmer of hope for Bermuda when Ryan Steede took two wickets in two balls: Kenya’s wicketkeeper Kennedy Otieno fell for a patient 63, followed by his captain, Steve Tikolo, who had scored 220 in the first innings and later won the Man-of-the-Match award.Dwayne Leverock, who bowled an incredible 51 overs in the second innings, then had Hitesh Modi caught for three to leave Kenya on 148 for 4 and in a touch of trouble. But Suji and Thomas Oboyo were resiliant, playing defensively for two hours; although they failed to score a boundary for 20 overs after lunch, their solid stand was vital for their team.Suji batted almost the entire day and taking 341 balls in compiling 103, with Oboyo also unbeaten on 74. Kenya now face Ireland in the final on Thursday.

Wasim Bari predicts tough series

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Wasim Bari: ‘Against England you need to play five bowlers’ © AFP

Pakistan’s chief cricket selector, Wasim Bari, has said that his team will need to be on top form to beat England in November and December, following England’s superb summer which culminated in winning the Ashes in September.”Pakistan need to be at their best to beat England,” Bari told AFP. “There is no doubt they [Pakistan] are capable of giving a tough fight and if they show the confidence they exuded in India they can come out winners.”Pakistan were beaten 2-1 at home by India last year, followed by a 3-0 drubbing by Australia, but Bari was confident about their ability to compete against England this winter:”Pakistan have been improving and I am sure they will give England a run for their money. It’s going to be a very tough and exciting series,” said Bari, who played 81 Tests for Pakistan as a wicketkeeper. Under Michael Vaughan, England is now a very balanced team and is playing cricket with confidence,” he added, “which is the most important element in any sport.”Bari warned that despite the flat pitches of the subcontinent, England’s bowling attack will be no less potent:”In Steve Harmison they have a really quick bowler and in Simon Jones, Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard they have quality swing bowlers, so their pace attack is world-class, even on the flat tracks.”We too have a very good attack and fortunately the fitness level of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Umer Gul is very high and [the] Pakistan attack will match England in strength.”Bari, who was the head of selectors when Pakistan lost their last home series against England in 2000, refused to divulge his team’s plans to tackle England.”We are open to suggestion and want to give a balanced squad to captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Bob Woolmer. It’s their decision what combination they want to play,” he said.But he said Pakistan needed to play five bowlers to beat England, and described the series as a huge challenge.”Against England you need to play five bowlers and that’s [what] Australia lacked in the Ashes. Pakistan need to exert pressure from day one of the series, and need to play well on all five days of all three Tests to win the series.”Bari’s selection committee will pick the Pakistan squad after three trial matches later this month. England arrive on October 26 and play the first Test in Multan on November 12, followed by Tests in Faisalabad and Lahore. Five one-day matches will conclude their tour.

Scotland hold domestic restructure forums

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Following the recent publication of its discussion paper on options for restructuring domestic league cricket, Cricket Scotland has arranged four open debating forums around the country over the next few weeks.Thursday November 10 Gannochy Pavilion, North Inch, Perth
Tuesday November 15 Hillhead Sports Club, Hughenden Road, Glasgow
Monday November 21 Aberdeenshire CC, Mannofield, Aberdeen
Tuesday November 22 Murrayfield-DAFS CC, Civil Service Club, Marine Drive, EdinburghEach of the four meetings will last for two hours, starting at 7pm. Anyone from any member club is invited to attend and to take part in the debates, and a copy of the detailed options under discussion is available for download from the Cricket Scotland website www.cricketscotland.com.Roddy Smith, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland, said: “Following the conclusion of this series of meetings, Cricket Scotland will draw up further detailed conditions of any scheme which finds general favour, for presentation at the AGM at McDiarmid Park in Perth, on Sunday December 4.”