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Opening stand of 108 in 11 overs sets tone as Vipers hold off spirited Thunder

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2023Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier smashed explosive fifties to set the foundations for Southern Vipers to beat Thunder and reach the Charlotte Edwards Cup final. England duo Wyatt and Bouchier shared a 108-run stand for the first wicket with scores of 76 and 56 respectively as Vipers chalked up 191 for 6 – despite Olivia Bell’s career-best 4 for 36.Although there were good contributions from Fi Morris, Deandra Dottin, Ellie Threlkeld, and Sophie Ecclestone, Thunder ended up 18 runs short on their Finals Day debut. Vipers will play the Blaze, who were unbeaten in the group stage, in the final at 4pm.The tone for a run-filled afternoon at New Road was set when Bouchier cut her first ball to the boundary after Thunder had stuck Vipers in to bat first. The first 11 overs were a masterclass of attractive power striking from Bouchier and Wyatt, the former preferring to go down the ground and the latter using her trademark cut plentifully.Both were released by England for this match, having spent time preparing for the upcoming Women’s Ashes Test, and proved why they are in the reckoning for the series against Australia. Their 108-run stand was Vipers’ highest partnership of the competition, as Bouchier won the race to a half-century. She got there in 29 balls to Wyatt’s 34, in the same over.Bouchier fell for her Charlotte Edwards Cup best of 56 – which included 10 fours – after a leading edge was caught by keeper Threlkeld after five seconds of hang time.Wyatt was unperturbed by the wicket as she pinged international team-mate Ecclestone for the only six of the innings – left-arm spinner Ecclestone would eventually return an uncharacteristically expensive 1 for 50.Vipers lost six wickets during the latter stages but maintained their run rate to reach 191 – their highest T20 score and the fourth-highest in the competition’s history.Those wickets were almost exclusively down to Bell – who had Georgia Adams caught at point, Wyatt crashing a huge full toss to deep midwicket, Freya Kemp bowled and Ella McCaughan stumped. The offspinner took two wickets in successive overs and boasts a scarcely believable tournament strike rate of 6.63 with her 11 wickets coming in just 12 overs.Thunder matched Vipers in the powerplay – both teams rocketed to 50 – thanks mostly to Morris’ six sweetly-struck boundaries. But they did lose Emma Lamb third ball when ramping Anya Shrubsole and Liberty Heap, bowled by Linsey Smith.Morris had come into the match on the back of scores of 36, 44 and 42 not out in her previous three innings – with Thunder winning four of their last five matches to reach Finals Day. She contributed with 36 before Georgia Elwiss plucked a stunning one-handed catch at full stretch.Former West Indies powerhouse Deandra Dottin needed only four balls before swishing a six over the leg side and continued with an array of attacking strikes in a 14-ball 24 before her aerial bombardment was ended by a catch at long-on.Ecclestone and Threlkeld put on a productive 42 before the former was caught three balls after being dropped for 33. Naomi Dattani skewed to point and the 25 needed off the final over was easily defended by Adams – as she picked up the wickets of Threlkeld and Danielle Collins for good measure.

Liverpool have sold backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to Brentford in a deal worth £18 million, inclusive of add-ons.

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Kelleher joins BrentfordLiverpool to receive £18m from transferIrishman pens five-year dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kelleher, who signed his first professional contract with Liverpool in 2018, has exited Anfield and joined Brentford on a five-year deal, the Bees confirmed on Tuesday.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT KELLEHER SAID

After putting pen to paper on his Brentford contract, Kelleher told the club's official website: "I’m buzzing, I’m really happy to be here. I don’t think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a no.1 and to play every week. I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible. When I come back for pre-season, all focus will be on what I want to do next year; to work on certain goals and what I need to improve on, and to have a really good season for Brentford."

He added, "I came down to meet the manager and some of the coaches. They spoke to me about why they wanted me to be here and showed me around the training ground. It was interesting to see their point of view on why they wanted to sign me and how they think they can develop my game. It was impressive and I think the club’s a really good fit for me. It was interesting to see their point of view on why they wanted to sign me and how they think they can develop my game. It was impressive and I think the club’s a really good fit for me.

"I like the way the manager and the coaching staff go about their ways. It seems like a really close, tight knit, family club. They’ve got a really good track record of improving and developing players which is really what’s drawn me to the club. I obviously spoke to Nathan [Collins]. He spoke really well about the whole club and it’s nice to know Sepp [van den Berg] and Fabio [Carvalho] as well. It’ll make it easier for me to settle in and be nice to have a few friendly faces."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool, who are set to welcome Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia this summer, will receive a cash boost of £18m from the sale of Kelleher, who has been Alisson's deputy since the start of his career. The 26-year-old appeared in 20 matches across all competitions in his final season on Merseyside, including the Carabao Cup final defeat against Newcastle.

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WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool will now refocus their attentions on signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen after seeing a €130m rejected by the Bundesliga side.

The 18-year-old is set to play a new position at the Emirates Stadium after the club's busy transfer window

This is a busy time for anyone working in Arsenal's communications department. New sporting director Andrea Berta is securing signings at a pace almost unprecedented in the club's modern history, and the social media team must be remonstrating with higher-ups that there are only so many ways you can unveil a player online.

Arrivals and acquisitions aren't the only pieces of business that Berta has had to attend to, however. Having formally taken up his role on March 30, replacing former 'Invincible' Edu, he has also has to play a major role in tying players down to new contracts. Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly have already committed their long-term futures to the Gunners, and Ethan Nwaneri is next in line.

After entering the last 12 months of his contract, there was concern in north London that Nwaneri would run down the remainder of his deal and look for a move away, but he is instead set to put pen to paper and extend his stay.

Nwaneri's talent is obvious to anyone who has watched him play, though what isn't as clear is how he fits into Mikel Arteta's setup. Even though the pathway to a starting role is a tricky one to navigate, there's plenty of reason to believe the 18-year-old can make a splash this coming season and beyond.

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportCursed record

Nwaneri was a hot topic on the youth football scene even before he became the youngest debutant in Premier League history back in September 2022, aged only 15 years and 181 days. To put that into perspective, he had to hand in English GCSE homework 24 hours later.

After introducing the teenager for his first appearance in that 3-0 win at Brentford, Arteta said: "The first day I met him I looked him in his eyes and everyone was telling me about him, Per [Mertesacker, academy manager] was telling me about him, and because of the injuries we only have 12 or 13 senior players yesterday to put in the squad and we decided to bring him, and that's it.

"It's one step, one experience, so enjoy it and congratulations! It's just one step and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward then backwards and then forwards. You fall, you go back – that's, unfortunately, this industry and the football career of any player."

As Arteta alluded to, playing first-team minutes at such an age doesn't necessarily mean you will be fulfil your potential or hit the highest heights. Here are the names of the other nine players who make up the list of top 10 Premier League youngest debutants: Jeremy Monga, Harvey Elliott, Matthew Briggs, Izzy Brown, Aaron Lennon, Jose Baxter, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Gary McSheffrey and Reece Oxford. It's not exactly a group of A-listers.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSigns of stardom

Arteta is, nevertheless, impressed by Nwaneri and has vowed to handle his progression personally. The Gunners boss said back in November: "I will try to educate him, raise him, and give him the pathway that we believe is the best. His family, his agent, his friends, they will be very important as well. Don’t listen too much to the noise, focus on what he does which is to play football and he loves every minute of it, and good things will happen to him for sure."

Indeed, Nwaneri ended 2024-25 with a whopping 37 appearances across all competitions, registering nine goals and two assists, while he secured a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award to boot. There was also buzz over a potential England call-up given his fine form over the winter when the Arsenal first team was hit by an injury crisis. His standout moment came when he fired in his side's fifth goal in a 5-1 drubbing of Manchester City, cutting inside and blasting into the back of the net in a style that is starting to become trademark.

"I knew I'd do something if I got the ball," he told last month of that goal. "Then Dec [Rice] luckily saw me. You don't really think, you just do it. You think about it afterwards. (That finish comes) from a young age, practising in the park for ages. I've always been playing on the right more, so I've always kind of been cutting in on my left foot. So I've just developed over the years, it's really just come from me, naturally."

This is experience that should only prove helpful to Nwaneri's development and adjustment to the adult game. He's already developed a jink and ability to create a yard of space on the edge of the 18-yard box, while his shot is amongst the most powerful in the entire Arsenal squad already. There's a reason he was ranked sixth in the 2025 NXGN list.

Getty ImagesNew position

When it was reported by that negotiations between Arsenal and Nwaneri over a new deal were at their closing stages, they made sure to mention that the plan moving forward would be to test the youngster in a more central role as opposed to on the wing.

The signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea also suggests that there will be more limited opportunities coming in place of Bukayo Saka on the right, and Nwaneri's proficiency in central areas make him an unnatural fit for the left wing spot that remains up for grabs in Arteta's strongest XI. It's a proposition that Nwaneri is ready for.

"You can see sometimes I'm a natural midfielder," he said last month. "But I think if the manager wants you to play in a position, you have to do it to the best of your abilities. I don't mind playing there because anywhere for the Arsenal first team I'll be happy playing, and trying to do a good job for the team. I've played false nine before a few times, actually. I think I can do a role anywhere that the manager needs me."

Madueke's arrival will no doubt have an impact on how Nwaneri is used, but so too will Martin Zubimendi, the metronomic playmaker signed from Real Sociedad. In theory, the Spaniard should be able to alleviate the No.10, be that Martin Odegaard or Nwaneri, from creative responsibilities in deeper areas and allow them to probe higher up the pitch, even making them more of a goal threat. In this advanced role, Odegaard hit 15 Premier League goals during 2022-23, but has scored just 11 combined in the two seasons since after being dragged back into build-up more often. Nwaneri, a more fierce ball-striker and powerful dribbler, could take advantage of such a tactical tweak if Zubimendi is a consistent starter.

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Getty Images SportRival interest

Arsenal themselves are known for promoting youth, not least given the fame of their Hale End academy. But when Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea are among the clubs who are looking to sign you, that's when you know you're an elite prospect.

The Blues and BVB were more strongly linked with Nwaneri over the last couple of months when contract talks appeared to be going awry, or at least not according to Arsenal's plan. Nevertheless, despite the temptation of perhaps a more coherent roadmap into the starting XI elsewhere, Nwaneri has decided to stay in north London, and his family have hit back at suggestions he held the Gunners to ransom in contract talks.

After suggesting that Nwaneri had 'done nothing in the game' to make demands to Arsenal, ex-Wales striker and pundit Dean Saunders clarified earlier this week: "I was on the putting green at Effingham and Jay Bothroyd went to school with his [Nwaneri's] dad. He said, 'Can you put Dean on?' So I spoke to his dad, and fair play to him, he said that [demanding more game time] never happened.

"I said, 'If it's true, we were reacting to what was said in the newspaper'. So he should take it up with the newspaper as they wrote the story. They're all Aston Villa fans and he said, 'We've had the criticism off [Jamie] O'Hara and [Jason] Cundy, but when it comes from you, it hurts'. I said, 'I'm not criticising him, he's a great young player but if you're demanding game time off Arteta…' which apparently he didn't, so there you go. I spoke to his dad and he was a lovely bloke."

He countered Vidarbha’s bowlers with a 37-ball half-century, and then struck with the new ball along with Dhawal Kulkarni

Deivarayan Muthu10-Mar-2024
Shardul Thakur rescued Mumbai with the bat for the second game in a row after their middle order had collapsed either side of lunch on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium. Fast bowler Yash Thakur and rookie left-arm fingerspinner Harsh Dubey had set Mumbai up for that collapse by sharing six wickets on a grassy surface.Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer fell for 7 each, but Mumbai waded past that passage of play and finished with a respectable 224, thanks to Shardul’s 37-ball half-century. When Shardul was lining up Vidarbha’s spinners, just like he had done against Tamil Nadu’s in the semi-final, Mumbai were in with a chance of posting a 250-plus total. But Umesh Yadav eventually had him holing out for 75 off 69 balls to restrict them as Shardul was the last Mumbai batter out.Shardul then struck with the new ball, as did Dhawal Kulkarni, who was playing his farewell game for Mumbai in place of the injured Mohit Avasthi, to leave the final dangling on a razor’s edge. Vidarbha were 31 for 3 at stumps, with Atharva Taide unbeaten on 21 and nightwatcher Aditya Thakare unbeaten on 0. Kulkarni, in fact, had struck twice to dismiss Aman Mokhade (8) and Karun Nair (0). Taide could have also been dismissed on 8 had Shardul latched onto a difficult one-handed return catch in the seventh over.Kulkarni, 35, pushed the ball too wide of off in the early exchanges against the left-hander Taide, but had both right-handers Mokhade and Nair nicking behind with perfectly-pitched deliveries.Earlier, after having opted to bowl, Vidarbha didn’t glean as much movement with the new ball. Umesh and Thakare offered Prithvi Shaw and Bhupen Lalwani freebies, allowing them to settle in. Shaw was particularly severe on anything that was remotely full from the quicks, while Lalwani was more circumspect was the other end.Mumbai were 75 for 0 at the first drinks break, but Yash struck soon after the resumption, having Lalwani tickling one behind, with Akshay Wadkar pulling off a spectacular one-handed grab inches from the turf. Shaw then tried to slog-sweep Dubey against the turn and ended up seeing his off stump knocked back for 46 off 63 balls. Dubey had got it to drift in, dip, and then break away past the bat-swing of Shaw.Umesh Yadav got two wickets, including that of Shreyas Iyer•PTI In his next over, Dubey pinned Musheer Khan lbw for 6 with an arm ball from wide of the crease. Dubey also had Rahane slicing a catch to mid-off to vindicate his selection, ahead of veteran offspinner Akshay Wakhare, against a right-hander heavy Mumbai line-up. Dubey, 21, is playing only his eighth first-class game, but has been a consistent performer for Vidarbha in age-group cricket. He also has exposure outside of Nagpur, having worked with India spinner R Ashwin in club cricket in Chennai.”I enjoyed dismissing Rahane,” Dubey said after the first day’s play. “I had thought before the game that I would dismiss him. I was determined to do it and it was one of my best dismissals in Ranji Trophy. I tried to get him to drive since the ball was coming off slower at that length and I was successful in what I had planned.”Soon after, Umesh bested Iyer with a brute of a delivery – a length ball that reared up and seamed away to hit the outside edge near the shoulder of the bat. A crease-bound Iyer simply hung his bat out to give Nair slip-catching practice. Thakare also probed away outside off and was rewarded with the wicket of Hardik Tamore (5).When Shardul walked out to bat, Mumbai had lost six wickets for a mere 30 runs, but that didn’t stop him from stepping out to his third ball and pumping Dubey to the left of Dhruv Shorey at wide long-off. Shardul then crashed Dubey to the square-leg boundary, and Aditya Sarwate over long-on for six. Shardul had similarly dismantled R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram with vicious slog-sweeps and down-the-track lofts in the semi-final.Yash, though, tested Shardul more with hard lengths and extra bounce outside off, but Shardul kept slashing him through or over gully. Yash even drew a leading edge from Shardul in the 50th over, but it eluded the reach of Dubey at mid-off. Yash worked his way around Shardul and got rid of Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian.Umesh, the leader of the pack, then returned to apply the finishing touches. He stuck out his right boot in his follow-through, and deflected the ball on to the non-striker’s end to catch Tushar Deshpande short in the 63rd over. In his next over, Umesh banged the ball into the pitch and had Shardul splicing a pull.But Shardul wasn’t done yet. He trapped Shorey lbw for a duck with an inducker, and saved the day for Mumbai once again, along with Kulkarni.

Of any great cricketer, statistics show only part

Stephen Lamb08-Jan-2006Of any great cricketer, statistics show only part. 50,000 first-class runs, 167 hundreds, 732 wickets, 819 catches, 85 Test matches. Not bad on paper, but it is a tale told by Tom Graveney in the video “A Cricketing Great” on Walter Hammond, that reveals more than can be gleaned from the scorebooks. Originally made for HTV West in 1987, the video is now available from CricShop, running time 52 minutes.The scene is the County Ground in Bristol, where Tom Goddard has just taken 15 wickets to bowl Kent out twice, and is lording it in the dressing room afterwards. Hammond says: “Hang on a minute, you’re not quite as good as you think. I reckon you were bowling against some pretty poor players out there. Come on, we’ll go out in the middle and have a bowl.” Hammond took a brand new bat, and with the players watching turned the bat sideways and played Goddard on the same wicket with the edge.Graveney rates Hammond as the greatest player ever on a dry turner, and is not the only contributor to pay superlative tribute. Hammond’s great rival from Down Under, Sir Donald Bradman, heads the distinguished cast, opining: “Without any shadow of a doubt, Wally would be one of the greatest all-round cricketers who ever played.”Another England great, Sir Leonard Hutton, felt that Bradman and Hammond didn’t get on too easily. Hutton himself would have liked “to see just an hour of Walter Hammond rather than 8-10 hours of Don Bradman” and would also have had “difficulty in naming a greater slip catcher than Hammond.” There are assessments from RES Wyatt, Andy Wilson, Les Ames and Gubby Allen.We first see Hammond in the nets at Bristol in 1946, his final domestic season, before he captained the MCC’s winter tour of Australia. It had been 26 years since his first-class debut at the age of just 17. There is footage of his century against New Zealand in 1931, and the 240 at Lord’s in 1938, memorable for all who were fortunate enough to see it. Accustomed as we now are to modern methods of ground communication, the sight of a barrow being wheeled around the Lord’s outfield to reveal the outcome of the toss is an endearing piece of nostalgia.Seen by some as a complex, even intolerant man, Hammond could be distant and aloof. This impeded his captaincy. According to his Gloucestershire and England team-mate Charlie Barnett he “never learned the art of asking,” and Hutton says that he was “not good with the press” in Australia in 1946/7. By that time Hammond was suffering from health problems, and his life after retirement from cricket was a chequered one.After emigrating to South Africa upon the break-up of his first marriage, he encountered financial difficulties before being gravely injured in a car accident in 1960. Although he was later filmed back in Bristol assisting Gloucestershire’s membership drive, he never fully recovered. He died of a heart attack on the 1st July 1965.Hammond’s name lives on at the County Ground, where a room in the pavilion is named after him, and he ranks with WG Grace at the head of Gloucestershire’s panoply of great cricketers. As RC Robertson-Glasgow wrote: “He enriched the game with a grace, simplicity and nobility that may never be seen again.”

Virender Sehwag and Munaf Patel are set to return to the Indian side for the series against Sri Lanka but the selectors may hotly debate the final spot

Anand Vasu02-Feb-2007

Back in the fray: Virender Sehwag and Munaf Patel are set to return for the Sri Lanka series © AFP
It might be the selection that immediately precedes the one where the World Cup squad will be picked but, for once, there is no shroud of mystery. The issues before the national selection committee are fairly simple and the performance of various individuals in the four-match series against West Indies wenta long way in answering the questions that were beginning to give the team management a real headache. Firstly, it seems almost a done deal that Virender Sehwag will be back. Secondly Munaf Patel seems to have done enough in the nets and in a practice match to put himself up for selection.The dropping of Sehwag for the West Indies series was always a temporary measure. With no domestic cricket around, there wasn’t a realistic chance of him fighting his way back into the side. Thebreak was merely a chance for Sehwag to go back to Delhi and sort out a few glitches. Whether he has done that or not remains to be seen,but he’s too big a player to be left out longer than this.With only four matches to go before the World Cup, Sehwag must get a look back in if he’s part of the team’s plans for the big event. Strange and unpredictable things have happened in Indian cricket, but this time around the selectors will have to go the conventionalroute. This will mean that Gautam Gambhir’s time in the Indian team will come to an end, as Robin Uthappa has done more than enough, both with bat and on the field, to keep his place.Munaf’s case is not nearly as straightforward but with onlyAjit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan being certainties, among the medium-pacers, in the starting XI, he might well get a go. The selectors are naturally wary of picking Munaf, after the misadventures of South Africa – where he was fit one day, unfit the next, fit again, only to play in the last Test when he was clearly undercooked. They will not want to take such a chance again; yet will know that if Munaf is in contention for a World Cup spot then he must be played now. The team think-tank clearly believes that Munaf has a role to play – thanks mostly to his ability to put the ball in good areas – and this will go in his favour. And that’s where Rudra Pratap Singh may lose out.So, with Sehwag and Munaf likely to add to the twelve who figured in the last match against West Indies, there’s really only one spot up for grabs. Interestingly, it is not quite a straightshoot-out for that place between players of similar disciplines. There is Ramesh Powar, the feisty offspinner who bats down the order, Sreesanth, the even more feisty fast bowler who tends to go for a bit too many runs in ODIs, and Suresh Raina, the electric fielderwho has shown much potential with the bat without actually coming good.These three must be frontrunners for the fifteenth slot, but that’s notto say the selectors won’t look elsewhere. The final spot, perhaps even the final two, will be decided by the balance the team is looking for. This direction will come from Rahul Dravid, the captain, and Greg Chappell, the coach, and it remains to be seen howthe selectors, led by Dilip Vengsarkar, who holds strong views on many of these subjects and players, react.

For West Indies, 2007 was a year of tumult, crammed with historical events and twists, ugly politics and blame games. But it ended with a grand victory in South Africa

Vaneisa Baksh04-Jan-2008

Jerome Taylor is bowled by Steve Harmison at Headingley, sending West Indies to an innings-and-283-run defeat – the worst in their history © Getty Images
Up to the end, West Indies’ 2007 was crammed with historic events and twists. Feverishly, Caribbean territories prepared to host their first World Cup, a logistical feat that cannot really be appreciated without understanding the political, cultural and economic background.The legacy of the tournament itself – despite the immovability of nearly a dozen modern stadia – remains a fluid one, dependent largely on intelligent and creative use of the physical infrastructure that cost more than most of the countries could afford.The games themselves were not fascinating affairs, and it was only after strident complaints about the ICC’s heavy-handed insistence on security measures that stripped away the Caribbean essence that there was finally some relaxation in the rules. Yet the event was clouded by Bob Woolmer’s death, which ended in a murder investigation as bizarre as the death itself. Following closely was the surprise announcement by Brian Lara that he was retiring from international cricket, with rumours surfacing within a month linking him to the new Indian Cricket League. They turned out to be true, but Lara was a dud at the event, and it was clear to see he really had no sporting interest in it.It was also a year of shifts and changes in personnel. In April, coach Bennett King resigned, and after considerable speculation, the position was filled by John Dyson. Ramnaresh Sarwan was also named as captain, and Michael Findlay the new manager. Sarwan and Marlon Samuels later voiced harsh criticisms of King as coach, Sarwan calling him the “worst coach” ever. Whatever the truth, it was evident that team and administrators continued to be at loggerheads.Bruce Ananensen, appointed WICB CEO in February, exacerbated already fractious relations with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA). Arbitrators had to be called in to determine who was really saying what in negotiations. By the tour of England, where they lost three matches and drew one (with Sarwan injured and out, and Daren Ganga filling in), things grew even uglier as Aanensen publicly called players “incompetent”. Chris Gayle, named captain for the ODIs, offered his own criticisms of the WICB and was reprimanded by the president, Ken Gordon, who demanded an apology. Gayle declined and went on to lead the team to a 2-1 win in the ODI series.Lara had been a divisive force in Wet Indies cricket, but the way he went acknowledged nothing of his large contribution. What it said about the cricket culture was the saddest part of it allBy the time the WICB’s annual general meeting rolled around, things had grown so hostile, it was clear changes had to come again. The long-serving Julian Hunte was voted in with a mission to soothe jangled nerves and restore some harmony to relations. Adroitly, he included WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine on the board of directors, and promised to be friend and guide to all. Also on his agenda was the implementation of the comprehensive report of a three-member governance committee, headed by PJ Patterson, to chart a course of rehabilitation for West Indies cricket. One committee member, Ian McDonald, pleaded that the report not end up as a dust magnet like all its predecessors.In the meantime Allen Stanford began his campaign for the 20/20 tournament, which had been a resounding success in 2006, to be held in Antigua in 2008.At the end of the year, as the team headed off to play first Zimbabwe and then South Africa, with Chris Gayle retaining the captaincy and Clive Lloyd as manager and Dyson due to join them, expectations were so low that Hunte’s Christmas letter to the team focused more on putting up a good fight than winning: “If we go down, it must be to a superior team and that we go down fighting. There is no shame in losing, the shame is when you do not put out or give of your best.”That the team outplayed South Africa for more than 90 per cent of the first Test to achieve their fist Test victory in nearly three years could not have been imagined by anyone who has been following West Indies cricket. It was a solid end to a tumultuous year and a really high note on which to start 2008.New men on the block
Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards may not be new kids on the block, but they seem to be new men. All have demonstrated more finesse with their bowling lines and lengths than in the past, and this has been accompanied by greater concentration over longer periods. Even their physical statures have altered, the lankiness of the teens now giving way to the more substantial frames that are necessary for a fast bowler’s stamina and strength.Fading star
It might be extreme to pitch Ramnaresh Sarwan as a fading star, but he’s had an injury-shadowed year that snatched the captaincy away from him before he even had a chance to explore its meaning. Worse for him, it has pitched a bright star up at the helm, thus reducing his chances of reclaiming it when he is fit. Sarwan still has a lot of life as a player, but he may find that it will require more than he was putting out to keep his desired spot.

Boxing Day Revolution: West Indies outplayed South Africa for the major part of the Port Elizabeth Test © Getty Images
High point
For supporters and players the team’s performance against South Africa in the first Test would have been encouraging. More than anything else, it suggested that West Indies were still capable of resolute batting, strong bowling and alert fielding all at the same time. It had been so long since a Test victory, it felt like a series win.Low point
Brian Lara’s retirement in itself was not so much the low – although he could easily have stayed another year. It was the shabbiness surrounding it. He’d been left out of the tour to England, and it was clear that the board was preparing for an offload. At his last match in Barbados, Marlon Samuels ran him out without a care that people had come to say farewell. Lara had been a divisive force in West Indies cricket, but the way he went acknowledged nothing of his large contribution. What it said about the cricket culture was the saddest part of it all.What does 2008 hold?
Within days, the South Africa encounter will give a broader indication of the state of the cricket on the field. In the meantime the much heralded restructuring of West Indies cricket should begin in earnest, with the implementation of plans such as an academy based in Barbados with supporting arms in the territories.The Stanford 20/20 tournament is scheduled early to set the tone for the new wave of exciting cricket. Following that, Sri Lanka and later Australia arrive for Tests.

He was often New Zealand’s bulwark against disaster. He still could be

Don Cameron04-May-2008

After yet another selfless defensive innings, Wright would sign off saying that he felt sorry for the folk who had paid to watch © Getty Images
The mood was merry that night in 1978 when Geoff Howarth’s centuries in bothinnings saved the third Test against England at Eden Park and gave New Zealand the deserved dignity of a one-all drawn series.Dick Brittenden, that marvellous cricket-writer, had finished his 1500 words or sofor the , I had delivered my smaller tribute to the , and we were sipping our first ale of the evening when this fresh-faced young man approached, his eyes bearing a gleam that did not come of alcoholic prompting.”Gee, hasn’t this been a great Test – Geoff getting two hundreds, New Zealand playedwell, all the lads are happy. And I get to meet you two gentlemen who write sowell about sport.”So began 30 years of delight in the generous, genial, and very often memorable,company of John Geoffrey Wright. Formerly of Northern Districts, Auckland,Derbyshire and New Zealand, followed by coaching Kent and India, and now musteringhis energy for what could be his most important task of all – the revival of NewZealand cricket.It should be noted that some three weeks before that flattering meeting, the sameWright had made his Test debut against a howling gale and a furious Bob Willis (the adjectives are interchangeable) with the umpire Bob Monteith the only person present not to agree that Wright had got a first-ball fine edge to Bob Taylor.By lunch Wright was 23, by stumps 53 not out. His boyish hopes of a maiden Testhundred disappeared so fast, his dinner-time comment was: “If that is Test cricket,you can stick it.”In passing it should be noted that only two English cricket correspondents coveredthe tour: John Woodcock and Michael Melford – were there ever two more charming menin any press box? – and rather than fulminate about Wright’s not out, they restrainedtheir joy until Geoffrey Boycott (acting captain vice the injured Mike Brearley) wasdismissed for 77 in only 442 minutes. They rose and clapped their notebooks togetherin a joyous chorus: “He’s out, he’s out.”That was Wright’s second great stroke of luck. The first had come as the lad fromthe sublime farming country north of Christchurch moved up the traditional lines ofprivate school, to farming, to cricket. But the batting door to the Canterbury team was jammed shut by Cran Bull, Peter Coman, Bevan Congdon, Barry Hadlee, Brian Hastings, Vic Pollard, Murray Parker and Keith Thomson.Away up in Gisborne, John Guy, a superbly gifted left-handed batsman and analyst whonever really recovered from a bitter argument with John Reid during a tourof South Africa earlier, was forming a strong sub-division of Northern Districts cricket,about as far as you could get away from headquarters in Hamilton.Guy, an expert judge of talent, had already picked up Rod Fulton, of similar North Canterbury background to Wright, who also had found there was no room for him in the Canterbury side. Guy was soon to hire Howarth when the gifted youngster, after having started well with Surrey, could not be assured of paid transport to and from his Auckland home.So the Wright career was soundly based in the Gisborne sunshine, followed by a briefacquaintance with Kent, and then a long and invaluable apprenticeship withDerbyshire. Wright’s sunny nature was sometimes clouded-in by some aspects of beingin a struggling county, but he realised that the regular flow of matches was the ideal method of forming the right technique.Wright was so often New Zealand’s bulwark against threatening disaster. Never aglamorous role. And he himself often signed off yet another selfless defensiveinnings by saying that he felt sorry for the folk who had paid to watch.But among his 12 Test hundreds there stood the brilliant beacon he lit at LancasterPark in 1982. New Zealand, slaughtered by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in thefirst innings, were being tweaked out by Bruce Yardley and Allan Border in thefollow-on. Wright, so often the dutiful squire, this time was the gallant anddefiant knight on horseback. He distributed 26 fours in his six-hour innings of 141,many of them with the sort of flowing left-hander’s cover-drive that David Gower would be proud to own.In 1985, Wright had ample opportunity to show his gritty defence in the West Indiesagainst Malcom Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh, whiletrying to shepherd the novice Ken Rutherford at the other end. Two draws, a loss, and then the fourth and final Test at Sabina Park. Wright by this time seemed to waddle to the crease, padding and armour-plating swaddling his body.He scored 53 from 138 in the first innings, seeing Jeremy Coney suffer a broken armin the process. Came the follow-on and Wright emerged wearing everything except a deep-sea diving suit. Did he dig in? No, he had had enough. It was Sabina or the BlueMountains, so to speak. The blade flashed and ten runs absolutely poured in – c Dujon, b Garner, 10, from 12 balls.If only Wright had realised that the West Indies quicks were tired and did not want afollow-on. Geoff Howarth, in his last Test before Surrey and then New Zealand beganto pension him off, played one of his best Test innings for 84, Jeff Crowe chimed inwith a glowing 116 from No. 3, and Wright, who had been battered by the fastbowlers for so long, watched from the sidelines.Alas, normal service resumed next morning. After the Howarth-Crowe four-hour standfor 210 was finished, New Zealand quickly lost seven wickets to the refreshedbowlers and were defeated by ten wickets.Wright survived, and sometimes even enjoyed, the challenge of the fast bowlers’bouncers. He loved his helmet, but wondered whether a box was equallyessential. “Over the course of a lifetime I figure I’ll get more use out of mybrains than my balls.” His first biography was dedicated “to my thigh pad”.In search of the perfect technique he once glued his batting gloves to thebat-handle. “Quite successful when hitting the ball, a problem when runningbetween the wickets.”Rod Marsh did not really appreciate Wright stuffing prawns into the fingers of his keeping gloves. Marsh did not realise until he opened his coffin at the SCG some days later, and out in the middle had to listen to Wright demanding he stand deeper and deeper because the pong was so awful I most admire Wright for his friendliness, his humour, his genuine love of cricketand its players. When times were cloudy, he always had a deep fund ofgood humour of the “gee-whiz” or “cor blimey” variety to buoy his team’s spirits.I feel certain he does not have an enemy in the game he has so adorned.Mind you, Rod Marsh did not really appreciate Wright surreptitiously stuffing prawns into the fingers of his keeping gloves while the two enjoyed a social beer after a match at the WACA. Marsh did not realise until he opened his coffin at the SCG some dayslater, and out in the middle had to listen to Wright demanding he stand deeper and deeper because the pong was so awful.Wright could be totally obliging to the travelling reporter, and also, asbefore the third test at Edgbaston in 1990, greet each of three rainy pre-match dayswith the rock-solid assurance that he would field if he won the toss, and then decides (orperhaps Richard Hadlee whispered in his ear) to bat.Wright’s position among New Zealand’s batting elite is secure. His captaincy wasalways interesting, his touring customs often mischievous, but there was never adoubt that he was a fiercely patriotic and loyal New Zealander eager to make themost of his assets.And New Zealand needs Wright’s skill and leadership now. He has worried about theflawed technique of too many New Zealand batsmen in recent matches. He is in aholding pattern at the New Zealand Cricket high performance centre, while JohnBracewell’s curious coaching path sidesteps towards its probable end. Wright is closing in on 54 years, most of those crammed with cricketing experience and expertise. Only fools would let him escape.

Are India looking more at the past – in Kumble’s great record, in the old two-spinner theory – than looking to play the four best bowlers available?

Cricinfo staff16-Oct-2008
Will Anil Kumble be fit, and will India play two spinners? © AFP
The biggest question India grappled with a day before the start of the second Test was the fitness of Anil Kumble, their captain and an integral part of a two-spin, two-pace attack. The answer, about 21 hours before the captains walked out for the toss, was the same as it was in Kanpur earlier this year. He was troubled by a bad shoulder then, as he is now. “If I can bowl, I will play…So I will assess how I feel in the morning,” Kumble had said a day before the Kanpur Test. “It’s 24 hours before the match, so we’ll just wait and see how it responds,” he said on Thursday. He didn’t play in Kanpur, and we’ll know only at the toss tomorrow if he does here.”It’s a lot better than what it was yesterday,” he said. Yesterday he hadn’t even bowled at the nets. Today he said he did, in the privacy of the indoor nets.India go into an important Test match with more questions than answers, in contrast to their opponets. Stuart Clark, one of Australia’s main bowlers, was injured during the Bangalore Test. He didn’t bowl yesterday, took a fitness test today, during which he bowled around 30 deliveries, and didn’t look fit enough to play a Test. As a result the man who will take his place, Peter Siddle, knows a day in advance, and has time to settle his nerves before his Test debut.The replacement for Kumble, if needed, both as player and captain, will get to know about an hour before the match. It’s an academic thought but India don’t have a designated vice-captain either. Going by the Kanpur precedent, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should lead the side if Kumble is not fit to play. Australia have always gone after the opposition captain; here, the captain has left himself open to being a target.The weather, and its effects on the pitch, could also have a bearing on the combination. The rains have meant the pitch has stayed under the covers for too long, and hasn’t had the desired amount of sunlight. As a result, it is expected to retain some of the moisture underneath the top surface, which looks pretty dry. The curator expects the pitch to be sluggish until, as he hopes, the sun beats down on it consistently.Again, there are two ways of looking at the sluggish pitch. The spinners might not get the kind of bounce they enjoy in Mohali – as Kumble has done here, with two Man-of-the-Match performances. The pace bowlers might not get the kind of carry. In such a scenario, Munaf Patel sounds a better option than Amit Mishra, going by recent form and experience. This is also the venue where Munaf made his promising debut two years ago. He has gone through a lot since then, and is back with the same promise, perhaps more.Kumble’s fitness and the ideal combination in his absence has left a lot of doubt. But there is a larger question India need to come face to face with, sooner or later and regardless of Kumble’s fitness. Are they ready to – and it’s not as bold a move as it sounds – play three fast bowlers in home Tests? Especially when there are three pace bowlers close to pretty much the best they have been?Are India looking more at the past – in Kumble’s great record, in the old two-spinner theory – than looking to play the four best bowlers available?And if they choose to go with five bowlers, it will involve another emotionally detached decision, the kind India are not known for. Playing five batsmen would mean dropping either Sourav Ganguly or VVS Laxman. One of them is in his last series, the other is three Tests short of 100. Even though the batsmen did enough in Bangalore to save the Test and their places in the side, the bowling attack didn’t look potent enough to force the issue. This pitch here is expected to be better for batting.The last time India went with three fast bowlers, when not playing five bowlers, in a home Test, was against Pakistan in 2004-05 – incidentally, at the same venue. L Balaji, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan had done well then to bowl Pakistan out on the first day but in the second innings, when the pitch became easier to bat on, India couldn’t bowl Pakistan out. Pakistan started the fifth day 53 runs ahead with four wickets in hand. Kumble managed two wickets on the fifth day, but the match was saved by Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal.The pitches in India have, however, changed since. It’s hard to find a track – Kanpur was an underprepared exception – that of late has been a typical Indian minefield. Are India looking more at the past – at Kumble’s great record, at the old two-spinner theory – than looking to play the four best bowlers available?

Ricky Ponting has become Australia’s leading Test run-scorer after passing Allan Border’s mark of 11,174 during the third Test at Edgbaston

Peter English at Edgbaston31-Jul-2009Even if Ricky Ponting didn’t lug around so many records they wouldn’t mean much to him. Wins and runs in an innings are what he counts, not career tallies or averages or his place on the latest ICC rankings. Following a couple of Test captains who spoke often about the game’s history, Ponting lives more in the now. Now, he is Australia’s most prolific batsman, having passed Allan Border’s tally of 11,174 early on the second day at Edgbaston.Border’s record was one of sweaty accumulation, a haul achieved over 16 years, most of which was spent dragging his side out of desperate situations. Ponting’s mark has been one of style, often as a supporting batsman to some of the game’s greats, and lately as a man who has been asked to set the tone for a team that no longer glistens at every spot in the order.This is his 134th Test, 22 fewer than Border managed, and he was unable to stroke them far ahead on the second morning. On 38 he tried to hook Graham Onions and was caught behind, ruining his hopes of lifting Australia after their double loss from the opening two deliveries. Walking off with 11,188 runs, he might have considered how life has changed over the past two-and-a-half years.In 23 matches since the 2006-07 Ashes, a whitewash which farewelled Warne, McGrath, Langer and Martyn, Ponting has 1820 runs at 44.39, almost 12 runs down on his career mark. His days became even harder with the retirements of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, leaving him as the last relic of a bygone era when the Australians had basically won before they took the field. He says he is enjoying moulding a new side, a unit which is undeniably his. Everything, including the mix of results, is unfamiliar.Unless this Ashes series turns particularly bad and Ponting can’t cope with joining Billy Murdoch, the 1800s leader, in losing two series in England, expect him to stand down after the 2011 World Cup. He will be 36 when it is held in the subcontinent and he has not lost a match in the global tournament as captain, a role he accepted in the lead-up to the 2003 success.While he is not as tactically astute as his predecessors, there is never any question over the incredible standard of his batting. Australia have been fortunate to have him since he eased 96 on debut and was stopped only by a horrible lbw decision. The fiery attitude which shocked those in the dressing room on his return that day has driven his quest to No. 3 on the Test run-scoring table.