All posts by csb10.top

THE Western Australian Cricket Association is pleased to announce that bowler Matthew Nicholson has been cleared to resume training.Nicholson suffered a rare arm injury when bowling during last Friday night’s ING Cup win over Tasmania.In a freak injury the former Test paceman ruptured a tendon in his right forearm when bowling the fourth ball of his first over.He had an MRI scan on Monday and was examined by a surgeon on Monday night.Nicholson is receiving constant treatment from WACA physiotherapist, Ross Clifford."The issue now is to ease the pain in Matthew’s arm and get him playing as soon as we possibly can," Clifford said."We want him to be completely pain free by the weekend with a view to him resuming playing."Nicholson will endeavour to be fully recovered in time to play club cricket in the SunSmart League with Scarborough on Saturday.If he bowls without pain, Nicholson will be available for selection in the Pura Cup match against the Southern Redbacks in Adelaide starting on Thursday-week, December 19.

Surrey County Cricket Club is pleased to announce that former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed will replace fellow country man Saqlain Mushtaq whilst he is on International duty with Pakistan. Saqlain will return to the Club after the final of the Morocco Cup.Keith Medlycott, Cricket Manager stated:”Mushtaq Ahmed has been playing for Little Stoke Cricket Club in Manchester and we are grateful to them in allowing Mushtaq Ahmed the opportunity to play County cricket again. Signing Mushtaq Ahmed on a short term contract was important to the Club and he will bring some invaluable experience and balance to the squad.”Mushtaq Ahmed, aged 32, has played 50 Test matches and 143 One Day Internationals. He is an experience leg spin bowler who was named Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1987.

NAIROBI – If Jason Gillespie is true to his word he shouldn’t bowlanother no-ball until some time next year.Gillespie, who took career-best figures of 5-22 as Australia routedPakistan in the opening match of the triangular cricket series here,says bowling no-balls is one of his pet hates.He proudly calculated he bowled only one no-ball last season.”I hate bowling no balls, I don’t bowl many – in fact last season Ithink I bowled just one,” he said ahead of today’s match against Kenya.”I did bowl one on Friday so that’ll do me for another season.”At Australian training here, Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Andy Bichel andBrett Lee can be seen helping each other out with their run-ups.Gillespie pays minute attention to detail and compares his run-up tothat of a long jumper trying to hit the take-off board at full speed.”That’s exactly how I approached my run-up a couple of years ago – it’slike a long jumper because really you just have to hit the same spotevery time. You don’t want to be over (the crease) too many timesbecause that costs the team runs.”Where Gillespie seems to have perfected the skill, Lee has struggled inrecent seasons but Gillespie was hopeful the speedster’s problems werebehind him.”Brett’s been tinkering with his run-up a little – just trying a coupleof things to find a little bit of rhythm and smoothness in his run-up,”he said.”He bowled fantastic today [at training] – his rhythm was excellent.”Gillespie played down his five-wicket haul in Australia’s 224-run winbut did admit it made up for the times he should have been moresuccessful but for bad luck.”I feel I’ve bowled pretty well without luck a couple of times in thepast but the other day was one of those days when the ball didn’t alwaysgo exactly where I wanted it but wickets came my way.”Gillespie has played surprisingly few one-dayers since his introductionto the side in 1996, racking up just 38 games as injury and specialistone-day bowlers kept him on the sidelines.But in the past two seasons, the rangy South Australian has been a moreregular part of the team.He hopes the back and leg injuries which have troubled in the past -most recently keeping him out of the second and third Tests againstSouth Africa in Melbourne and Sydney last year – are finally a thing ofthe past.He’s getting on top of injuries by bowling less at practice and bycutting out road running from his training to remove the stress it putson knees and back. Yoga and pilates sessions have also helped.

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

A high-scoring thriller which produced 412 runs finally went the way of Rajasthan Royals, as they edged Chennai Super Kings to record their tenth win of the IPL and further consolidate their position at the top of the table. After Graeme Smith had powered Rajasthan to 211, Chennai put up a spirited run-chase, thanks largely to Albie Morkel’s 40-ball 71. In the end, though, his effort wasn’t enough, which means Chennai still have work to do to make it to the last four.Smith’s 51-ball 91, and his stunning 127-run opening-wicket stand with Swapnil Asnodkar, put Rajasthan firmly in control at the halfway stage, but Chennai mounted a remarkable reply, with three of their top four making significant contributions. Morkel, Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina ensured they kept up with the asking rate throughout – 30 were needed off the last 15 balls, when Rajasthan tightened up their act with accurate bowling and spirited fielding, with Mohammad Kaif putting in an outstanding performance around the long-on and long-off boundaries.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who came in at the fall of Parthiv’s wicket, chipped to long-off from Sohail Tanvir in the 18th, and after S Badrinath fell in the next over, Chennai were left with 15 from the last over. With Morkel still around, Chennai had a chance, but Tanvir was superb, pitching it full, on the stumps, and giving away just four runs. Eleven were needed off the last two, and when Morkel flicked one straight to short fine leg, Chennai had fallen short again. Unlike their previous run-chase, though, when they made a hash of a target of 127, there was no shame in losing this one.A target of 212 was a stiff one, but Chennai’s start suggested they were hardly intimidated. After Stephen Fleming’s early run-out, Raina and Parthiv carted the bowlers all around the MA Chidambaram Stadium in a 70-run stand that came off just 6.5 overs. Raina has struggled over the last few matches, but here he was unstoppable, driving and cutting fluently through the off side, and pulling Munaf Patel when he dropped it fractionally short.When Raina fell, miscuing Warne to midwicket, it didn’t hamper the run-chase at all, for out walked Morkel. While most batsmen preferred to move to leg and make room, Morkel’s chosen method was to stay still at the crease, and then hit straight through the line over long-on and long-off. To anything drifting on leg stump, he used the short-arm pull or the slog-sweep to excellent effect. A couple of huge sixes off Yusuf Pathan and Munaf got him on his way, and Warne wasn’t spared either, as a slog-sweep easily cleared midwicket.Parthiv wasn’t as explosive, but he played his part well, interspersing well-timed hits to the boundary – including a superb straight six off Warne – with clever nudges on both sides of the stumps to give the strike back to the more powerful strikers. He was clearly running out of steam, though, and his dismissal brought out Dhoni, who could have been the ideal man for the situation. As it turned out, though, Rajasthan had enough runs to the board to edge this one.The match produced 39 fours and 18 sixes, and that was largely due to a perfect batting strip: the pace was even, allowing batsmen to hit through the line, while there was no seam or swing movement for the bowlers. Add a super-quick outfield and sweltering heat to the equation, and there was little to cheer for the fielding team.With their team already in the semi-finals, Warne experimented with team strategy, choosing to bat first, and the move paid off immediately: the third ball, from Makhaya Ntini, was a no-ball, the free hit was promptly deposited over long-on by Asnodkar for six, and that signalled the start of the deluge. Both batsmen hit cleanly through the line of the ball, freeing their arms to crash boundaries through the off side or pull over midwicket. Manpreet Gony suffered early, as Asnodkar drove and pulled him for boundaries, and Smith soon joined in the fun, cutting and flicking Albie Morkel for fours. To make matters worse for Chennai, the hard pitch favoured the batsmen in more ways than one: when Smith played one off Ntini hard into the turf, it bounced so high over the fielder at point that Ntini could only smile in resignation.The first six overs produced nine fours and two sixes, and with the total reading 67, Rajasthan were on their way. Muttiah Muralitharan was brought into the attack in the seventh, but he couldn’t stop the bleeding either, as Smith lofted him over wide mid-on, and then slog-swept a mighty six. L Balaji was even more profligate, with Smith and Asnodkar creaming 20 in his second over.Of the first 12 overs, ten produced ten or more runs, as Rajasthan put together their third century stand for the first wicket. Asnodkar and Smith fell in quick succession, but the two wickets didn’t slow the run-fest, as Akmal quickly got into his stride, coming down the pitch and carting the third ball he faced into the long-on stands. His 26-ball half-century lifted Rajasthan to 211, and on a flat pitch, they needed all those runs to come out on top.

The horror story of the first Test at Kensington Oval has not onlyaffected the West Indies team.While the Windies have been struggling to get their game going againstNew Zealand on the inside, the vendors on the outside have beenstruggling to get items sold.The first day’s crowd was disappointing and again yesterday, the fansdid not come out in numbers. A Barbados Cricket Association officialyesterday said ticket sales for today’s play have again been slow and asmaller crowd could be in the Oval for the next three days if the gamegoes the distance.Sales are not so good. I think it’s because of the (football) World Cupand there aren’t that many tourists coming to cricket like the last time(against India), said Vincent Adamson of Mama’s Pot, a popular foodstall.People aren’t tired of cricket, they just are not interested in NewZealand because they have no stars.Owner of the stall, David Adamson, has a differing view on why thingsare at a lull.None of the local boys, except for Pedro Collins is playing, and Bajanslike to see their own. Also, the series wasn’t well advertised as it waswhen India were here, he said.That in itself, along with the fact that there is a general downturn inthe economy, is what is hurting sales at this Test match. What I hope todo is to make back the rental cost, right now compared to the last Testseries, I would say business is down 50 per cent.Over at Al’s Food Tent, one of the women told SUNSPORT: It is not goingwell at all. The last time we had cricket, when 1 p.m. we were sold outand looking to go home; not today, she said pointing at the several fulltrays of local food.Even an hour before the day’s play was finished one food stall outsidethe Kensington Stand had closed its shutters and pulled stumps. This wasa symbol that nothing much was happening and nothing much was expected.Not only the food stalls are feeling the pinch of the small crowds.Deborah Hall, owner of Debbie’s Variety, which specialises in Africancrafts, agreed that things are slow.The stall is getting some sales, not much but I am contented withwhatever I make. People, I think, hold their money for the One-Dayersand spend a lot more.Allison Lucas, one of the popular barbecue chefs, said: Friday was veryslow, today [yesterday] was a lot better. People just are not interestedin New Zealand and everyone is feeling the pinch.

Former Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Sallu was honouredby the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) for his meritoriousservices rendered as national selector during the last two decades.In a grand reception held here on Tuesday night, Pakistan CricketBoard (PCB) chairman, Lt.-Gen Tauqir Zia presented a shield toSalahuddin Sallu. The LCCA president Aamir Hayat Khan Rokari alsopresented a shield to the PCB chairman.Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said that it was apositive step taken by the LCCA to honour Salahuddin Sallu who belongsto Karachi and hoped that such steps whould be taken on reciprocalbasis in future.The celebrated sports personalities who attended the function weresquash legend Jahangir Khan, former and current Test sars ZaheerAbbas, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Moin Khan, ShahidAfridi, Shafqat Rana, Azhar Khan and Imran Nazir.Jahangir Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim,Moin Khan, Shahid Afridi and Shafqat Rana also expressed their viewsto highlight the contribution made to cricket by Salahuddin Sallu whowas national selector eight times and once chairman in 1999. Sallu waschief selector of the KCCA for 10 years during which time Karachi wonevery major trophy.

</tableTributes are being paid to the Surrey and England all-rounder Ben Hollioake, who has been tragically killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 24.The England coach, Duncan Fletcher said: "Ben was a hugely talented young cricketer, a popular member of the side, and he will be greatly missed by everyone in the England dressing room."He was one of a number of young players that we were looking to take to the World Cup with the one-day squad next winter and it's tragic that a young life has been lost in this way."The chairman of England's selectors, David Graveney said: "This is a great loss of someone who was so young and so talented."Everyone will remember the impact Ben made on his ODI debut at Lord's against Australia in 1997 and I also remember how proud his family was when both brothers were capped together for England against Australia in the Trent Bridge Test match in the same year."This tragedy will hit Surrey County Cricket Club particularly hard following the death of Graham Kersey and my thoughts go to everyone at Surrey and also to Ben's family."The former England coach David Lloyd, who gave Hollioake his first opportunity at international level, was stunned by the news."You would be hard pressed to find a more popular lad anywhere in cricket," Lloyd said."This is absolutely devastating news for everyone who knew him and many of this England side who are playing against New Zealand at the moment would have grown up with him in junior cricket or played with him at Surrey."He gave you this impression of being laid back, but there was no one who worked harder at their game than Ben."He never quite cemented his place in the England side but there was no one who worked harder to get there."I remember his debut at Lord's when he played so well and his parents were there to watch it and the pride in their faces while he played that innings. It's so very sad."Paul Sheldon, Surrey's chief executive, said: "This is devastating news. It's terrible to lose such a supreme talent as Ben's, just as he was beginning to realise his full potential as a cricketer."Hollioake's Surrey colleague, the former England captain Alec Stewart, said: "Ben was the most naturally gifted and talented cricketer I've played with. This is a tragic loss of a great team-mate and friend. My thoughts and sympathies are with the Hollioake family."The Managing Director of the Professional Cricketers' Association, Richard Bevan, said: "I am shocked and appalled by this dreadful tragedy. Ben was in the prime of life and his death is truly devastating. On behalf of everyone at the PCA I extend my deepest sympathy to Ben's family."