England’s injury worries ahead of the first Test at Kandy on Saturday were exacerbated on the second day of their final warm-up match in Colombo, when James Anderson joined Steve Harmison on the casualty list.However, David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, said that Anderson had merely been withdrawn as a precaution, after reporting soreness and discomfort in his left ankle. He was expected to take the field on the final day.The problem appears to have been caused by a return drive in the first innings, when Anderson was struck on the boot in his followthrough. Though he emerged ahead of the Sri Lankan second innings to go through his warm-ups with England’s remaining seam bowlers, Matthew Hoggard and Ravi Bopara, he withdrew from the field after only a couple of deliveries, on the advice of the team doctor, Mike Stone.In the absence of his two fast-bowling colleagues, it was left to Matthew Hoggard to carry the England attack, and he did so with aplomb, taking 5 for 25 in nine overs. “Jimmy was happy to come out and bowl,” said Hoggard, “but it’s a practice game and it’s not crucial.””He’s bowled a lot of overs in the last month or so, and did really well in the one-day series, so not crucial that he missed out on 27 overs in one session. We felt we could could leave it 24 hours because we thought we’d have a long spell tomorrow.” Thanks to the efforts of Hoggard and Bopara, however, that will not now be the case.Meanwhile Harmison, who reported a back spasm during his first-innings stint, was said to be moving more freely after a swim and extensive physio. “We are expecting him to improve and we will test him out when we get to Kandy,” said Graveney.Chris Tremlett, who is based with the England Performance Programme in Chennai, is the likeliest stand-in if England do require pace-bowling back-up. That, however, is not on the cards just yet, as Harmison himself was an addition to the original 15-man tour party that was selected in September.It wasn’t just England’s bowlers in the wars. The Sri Lankan legspinner, Kaushal Lokuarchichi, had to undergo an operation after suffering a broken finger while dropping a tough caught-and-bowled chance when Bopara had made 17.
Shane Warne, the most successful bowler in Test history, is expected to announce today that he will retire after the final match of the Ashes series in Sydney.Apart from his world-record 699 wickets, the skill that has surged Australia to the top of the world in Tests and ODIs, and his personality that makes him almost compulsory viewing, he has revived an art that was dying when he first started to bowl. Australia’s previous big-name legspinner was Richie Benaud, who retired in the 1960s, but Warne turned history on its head.He started by receiving a thrashing in 1991-92, but he recovered and seemed to peak during the prolific years of 1993 (72 wickets) and 1994 (70), when his mesmerising powers quickly made him a global figure. Back then his nickname was Hollywood and he claimed his life was a soap opera. The show will not stop despite his expected decision in Melbourne to walk away.Amazingly, Warne was not only able to maintain his danger through career-threatening finger and shoulder injuries and a 12-month drug ban, but he was able to increase it. In 1996 he had a serious operation on his finger, the shoulder surgery in 1998 was supposed to finish him and the rest forced in 2003 by a diuretic he took to lose weight was expected to send him into the commentary box for life. Each time he came back stronger, wilier and wildly successful.In the past three calendar years he has 208 wickets, including a record 96 in 2005, and has ruined a new generation of aggressive batsmen. He did it mostly with his legspinners, topspinners and a fast-bowler’s attitude. The feared flipper, the “mystery ball” of the 1990s which did more to unnerve batsmen than any of his other qualities, was never as skiddy after the finger and shoulder operations. Instead he used variations – he could deliver five or six legspinners – and mentally tested batsmen with his accuracy, stamina and histrionics. It has been a breathtaking mix.
Over the past two Tests he has floored England in the second innings and re-captured the Ashes that his team-mates lost in 2005. With a double of 40 wickets and 249 runs, Warne did not deserve to be in the defeated side. On the field he was magnificent, but off it he was a mess, crying in his room at the break-up of his marriage. The indiscretions were as much part of Warne as his total control whenever he entered a cricket ground. It is an incredible contradiction.Warne was born in Melbourne on September 13, 1969 and wanted a career as an Australian rules footballer. Fortunately he failed and his sharp sporting mind and huge wrists concentrated on cricket. He made his debut for Victoria in 1991 and his first two overs went for 20. Later that year he was drinking with his mates at the MCG not knowing that in a week he would be appearing in his first Test. He had played only four first-class games for his state and the step up was a shock.The following summer he toured Sri Lanka, taking 3 for 11, to win a lost Test and rattled West Indies with 7 for 52 on his home ground to start a magical, eventful, controversial and never-to-be repeated ride. He passed Dennis Lillee’s Australian record of 355 in New Zealand in 2000 and took the world mark four years later in India. His best figures of 8 for 71 came against England at the Gabba in 1994-95 and he holds an unwanted record of having the most runs (3043) without scoring a century.After 143 Tests he is one away from taking his 700th victim on his home ground at the MCG from Boxing Day. In two Tests he will almost certainly be gone and Australia will have lost its second greatest player.
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.”
India tsunami relief As a global charity working in all of the countries affected by the tsunami, World Vision as global agency has given a long-term commitment of $100 million. This money will be spent over the coming few years, not only to provide immediate aid and relief but to rebuild, rehabilitate and restore.Targeted beneficiaries so far: approx 200,000 Monies committed so far (toward a US$2m budget): US$1.34 mWith procurement of relief material going forward at a very fast pace, the distributions in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam have moved into top gear. To ease the workload of the teams in the field some of the major items such as utensils are being procured centrally in Chennai while food items and clothes are purchased close to the project locations.In Cuddalore, the relief teams reached 1,039 families with clothes, towels and blankets in the villages of Thalanguda, Puddukuppam and Sonangkuppam. The team in Nagapattinam, while continuing enumeration in various locations, managed to reach 2,275 families in the villages of Kallar, Thiruthuraipoondi, Vetharanyam and Tharangampadi. In addition to clothes, towels and blankets, the people were provided with cooked food, biscuits, bottled water, soaps, disinfectants, and tooth powder.As most of the families are still based in camps, World Vision continues to provide them with food aid as well as non food items. Once the families start heading back to their homes, more food items will be provided to them.As part of a long-term assistance program, World Vision is looking at rebuilding houses of 2,000 families in Cuddalore.Sri Lanka tsunami relief World Vision Lanka is helping people across Sri Lanka who were affected by the events of December 26. In the first week, World Vision targeted 200,000 beneficiaries in twelve of the countries fifteen districts. US$1.2 million in aid deliveries made it to the field between December 27 and January 3.The majority of aid items, including food, clothing, hygiene products, sleeping mats, pillows and blankets were purchased locally. Additional aid is scheduled to arrive on several humanitarian airlifts in the coming days. Additional vehicles to deliver aid are to arrive at Colombo airport tomorrow as well as blankets for relief distribution.Two other relief flights are scheduled to arrive on Thursday (Jan 6). The first, a 747cargo plane from the World Vision/WFP warehouse in Brindisi, Italy will bring 83 tonnes of blankets, sleeping mats, tarps, cook sets and soap. The second flight from Dubai loaded with 55 tonnes of equipment including gerry cans, tarps, blankets, and water filters is also due for arrival. The goods will be rapidly transported to areas in need within the next few days. Additional humanitarian flights are being arranged for next week.Emergency Relief teams deployed in Ampara, Batticaloa, Killinochchi, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Gampaha, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee have distributed relief packs to 30,908 families – benefiting a total of 153,700 people in these districts. World Vision relief teams have directly distributed cooked food, dry rations, kitchen utensils, clothing, medicines and water to the displaced living in temporary shelters in the affected districts. Of the 15 affected districts, six are located in the North and East and consist of both government-controlled and LTTE-controlled areas. World Vision Lanka has an established presence in some of the LTTE-controlled areas and has already distributed aid there.World Vision is a humanitarian relief and development organisation and has been engaged in humanitarian work in Sri Lanka since 1977.
Brian Lara was named Trinidad’s Cricketer of the Year by Gus Logie, the West Indies coach, at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s 47th annual presentation function last week.As well as his efforts against Australia and Sri Lanka for West Indies this season, Lara also contributed to victories for Trinidad and Tobago in the Carib Beer regional series, making him the clear favourite for the honour. Ravi Rampaul, who holds the record for the most wickets in a regional youth series, was named the Young Cricketer of the Year over the weekend.Logie announced the awards at the function, before which he addressed the club’s up and coming players. He said all eyes would be on the successful young players in the coming season, and warned them of the pressures of making it to the top level.Logie said: “You will have to love it. Love the battle, love the challenges, love to see the momentum shift, and you must not be scared to defy the norm.”
A six-wicket haul from Lalit Patel saw Gujarat notch up a tight ninerun win over Ranji champions Baroda in their Ranji Trophy league matchat Vadodara on Sunday.Set a total of 237 for victory, Baroda looked to be coasting towardsit during an 80-run stand between Tushar Arothe (47) and Ajit Bhoite(42). The former, in particular, played aggressively, making his runsoff 69 deliveries.Arothe’s fall at 209, as the sixth wicket, triggered off acollapse.The last four wickets fell for only 18 runs, as none of thetailenders could even slog their way to victory. Gujarat, by virtue oftheir outright win, pick up eight points from this match.
Virender Sehwag has become the latest high-profile former cricketer to confirm his participation at the inaugural Cricket All-Stars series, co-promoted by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, in the USA next month. However, his decision means he will miss part of Haryana’s Ranji Trophy campaign. Sehwag scored a century in his most recent match for them, against Karnataka in Mysore.Anirudh Chaudhary, Secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association, told ESPNcricinfo that Sehwag had said he would miss one game for the state side, which they were “absolutely okay” with. Chaudhary confirmed that Sehwag would be playing Haryana’s next match against Bengal starting on Friday, October 30, in Rohtak before leaving for the US.While Sehwag will surely miss Haryana’s next match against Assam, starting November 7, it appears unlikely that he will be back in India in time for the one after that, against Odisha on November 15. The All-Stars matches are scheduled for November 7 in New York, November 11 in Houston and November 14 in Los Angeles. Chaudhary conceded that Sehwag would struggle to return in time for the match against Odisha “if he plays all the matches”, but insisted the association wasn’t perturbed about his absence.”Every match he is part of this team is huge for this team,” he said. “Every interaction with him benefits the players. We are looking at him mentoring the players and our objective is achieved by his presence around the squad. Once a player has announced his international retirement, anything he contributes at Ranji level we should gleefully accept.”Sehwag had announced his retirement from international cricket last week and joins VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar as the former India internationals who will play in the USA. However, Sehwag is the only player still playing domestic cricket. He has also signed up for the Masters Champions League, another tournament featuring retired players, expected to be held in January in the UAE.
Speaking to Football Insider, Paul Robinson of Sky Sports has described Ajax star and reported Liverpool transfer target Antony as having ‘exceptional’ quality.
The Lowdown: Liverpool eyeing Brazil winger…
The Brazil international, who has been a revelation in the Eredivisie this season, is thought to be attracting the attention of the Reds’ Fenway Sports Group ownership.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, writing in a column for Anfield Watch, Liverpool are ‘huge admirers’ of the Ajax forward, with scouts watching him as far back as 2020.
Despite the signing of Luis Diaz from FC Porto last month, it is believed that the Reds are keeping tabs on Antony amid the uncertainty surrounding both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
The Latest Robinson raves…
Speaking to Football Insider, former England goalkeeper Robinson has given his seal of approval for a potential move for Antony, claiming that the 22-year-old has ‘exceptional quality’ and is ‘similar’ to the likes of Salah, Mane and Diaz.
He gushed: “Antony is a real top player. I have done the Eredivisie a few times this season and I’ve watched Ajax closely.
“Antony is very, very creative. He has great awareness around the box, is quick, can deliver a ball and has chipped in with a fair amount of goals as well.
“He has exceptional quality but he’s very similar to what Liverpool have got. When you look at Diaz, Salah and Mane, Antony is very similar to them. You can only play three up there and you’ve got [Diogo] Jota and [Roberto] Firmino as well.
“But at the same time, Antony is a top, top class player who would fit perfectly into that Liverpool formation and style of play.”
The Verdict: Get it done?
Chipping in with 11 goals and nine assists in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), Antony has been nothing short of brilliant for the Dutch giants.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It is little wonder that Ajax could reportedly demand up to €50m (£41.7m) for his services, but going by his age (22) and seemingly sky-high ceiling, he could be worth the investment from FSG if they are to back Jurgen Klopp in the transfer market.
In other news: FSG now prepared to move for £177,000-per-week ‘beast’! Find out more here.
Zimbabwe will play more cricket than ever this winter with the announcement that they will field a representative side in all three franchise tournaments in South Africa this season.Explaining the rationale behind the decision taken by the boards of the two countries, Brian Basson, general manager, CSA cricket operations, said that all full member countries had been requested by the ICC to assist Zimbabwe in the development of their cricket. Because of the close geographical proximity, he said, South Africa have a special responsibility in this regard.Because this initiative has been undertaken at short notice, Zimbabwe will only play a single round in the four-day SuperSport Series with all their matches being at home. The franchises will take their points forward from these matches although this will not apply to Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe will, however, play a full double round, home and away, in the MTN Domestic Championship and a full single round (home and away) in the Standard Bank Pro20 series. Should the Zimbabwe side qualify for the knock-out phases, these matches will be played in South Africa,The initiative will be reviewed after the completion of the season. There will be no changes to the fixtures as originally announced for matches between the South African franchises.
The dressing room door at the Wanderers tells you that you’re now in[Highveld] Lions territory, but Rahul Dravid refused to be pessimistic orintimidated as he looked ahead to Sunday’s game against South Africa.While he said that it would be a test of character for the younger membersof his side, he was confident that there was enough experience within theranks to cope with the challenge posed by a South African team that edgedAustralia 3-2 in a one-day series last March.”There have been some good past experiences here and some not-so-goodones,” he said, when asked whether India’s poor record against SouthAfrica in these climes would have any bearing on the outcome. “It’s a goodthing for this team to be tested on this tour going into some big eventsnext year. We know it’s going to be very competitive, really tough andwe’re going to have to play very well. But the boys are keen to learn andadjust to conditions which they are not used to.”With persistent drizzle forcing them indoors on Friday and Saturday, thebatsmen geared up with long sessions against the bowling machine. VirenderSehwag, who was rated an unlikely starter 24 hours ago, came through wellon Saturday afternoon, playing a full range of strokes in the nets. “We’lljust have a final fitness test depending on his fielding,” said Dravid.”Unfortunately, due to the weather, we haven’t had a chance to have thatpractice, but we’ll see how he feels tomorrow morning.”Dale Steyn’s searing pace proved too hot to handle in the warm-up game,but Dravid reckoned that the more callow men in his squad would only havegained from the experience. “You get off the plane and come up against apretty good bowling attack on what the South Africans considered anabove-average bouncy wicket in Benoni,” he said. “But it was a goodexperience and we’ll learn from that. You can see that they’re very keento learn and adapt. In some ways, it’s a good early lesson for our boys onwhat they are going to experience and how they might have to cope.”He also brushed aside suggestions that Indians were more vulnerableagainst pace than other sides. “We have some proven players, guys who havedone very well against fast bowling and who have outstanding records inour country and outside – including getting runs here and the World Cup,”he said. “We have some good young players as well, who have to get betterand improve.”Dravid himself scored his first Test century at the Wanderers nearly 10years ago, and his memorable duel with Allan Donald in an ODI at Durban isstill remembered by many. “I’ve always enjoyed playing in South Africa,”he said. “You get good sporting wickets that give you a chance. I’vealways believed that if you have good technique, you have a much broaderrange of shots to play.”The key is to get through the initial difficult period and adjust to thebounce but after that, you can actually showcase your skill as a batsman alot better than at some other places where you have to play aone-dimensional game.”The No.3 slot has had no regular occupant for a while, with Irfan Pathandoing the job on several occasions in the recent past, but Dravid refusedto be drawn on whether he would be promoting himself up the order inbowler-friendly conditions. “We’re missing a bit of experience with Yuvraj[Singh] in the middle order, so it’s a question of getting the balanceright,” he said. “You might see me come up the order, but I’m mindful ofthe fact that we can’t be too top-heavy as well. We need someone tocontrol the middle and later overs. Probably, we’ll use [Mahendra Singh]Dhoni to do the role of Yuvraj.”Despite the fact that only four men reached double figures against Rest ofSouth Africa, Dravid was of the view that India needed to persist with thefive-bowler strategy that has often been employed in recent times. “I’msomeone who likes to play five bowlers,” he said. “Australia are usingtheir allrounder as an opener. Going ahead, we’re going to have to bebrave and positive. That’s the only way I know how to play. We’re going totake the bull by the horns. Six batsmen should do the job.”With the overcast conditions suggesting a pace-oriented attack, AnilKumble is likely to sit out though he picked up 2 for 31 in the warm-upgame. “We picked Anil keeping in mind his experience and the kind ofconditions we’re likely to face in the West Indies,” said Dravid. “It wasa chance to get him in the squad and for us to dip into his knowledge andexperience. He’s great guy to have in the side. We may have to pickbetween one of them on this tour.”Another of those on the comeback trail is Zaheer Khan, and after thesavaging that Sreesanth and Munaf Patel got at the hands of JacquesRudolph and Albie Morkel, he and Ajit Agarkar are likely to be entrustedwith the old ball on a pitch where South Africa chased down 434 not solong ago. “We’re looking at all sorts of combinations,” said Dravid.”Zaheer has bowled very well and is looking very fit and hungry. It’s agood sign for us. He also brings his experience – not only in the deathovers, which is important, but also right through the innings.”Having lost both previous matches against South Africa at this storiedvenue, Dravid and his men can only hope that it will be third time luckyon Sunday. South Africa’s pedigree on home turf means that they’ll have toplay out of their skins to do what even Australia couldn’t a few monthsago.