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England mull scrapping home series against Bangladesh

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The high ratio of one-sided games involving Bangladesh make it an unattractive proposition to invite them © AFP
 

England are planning to scrap home Test series against Bangladesh after 2010 because of the increasing commercial unfeasibility of such contests, suggest reports in the UK press.The move, if formalised at an ECB-organised conference next month, will come as yet another blow to a Bangladesh side struggling to justify its status as a Test-playing nation; they are already an unattractive invitee for India, which has refused to invite them for a tour since they became the tenth country to receive Test status in 2000.Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, told reporters in Mohali about plans to hold a conference next month in which ways to ensure the primacy of Test cricket will be discussed. According to the , members of the England team, former England cricketers and directors of cricket at the 18 counties will meet in Leicester on January 19.Among other things on the agenda will be the quality of Test cricket and the number of one-sided contests. England, Clarke revealed, will not play Zimbabwe till they have a side of reasonable standard and, after 2010, will not invite Bangladesh, choosing instead to play there.”If we are going to have a proper strategy for Test cricket we want to have games like that we have just had in Chennai,” Clarke said. “It showed everybody just what a Test can be. There is a very hard-fought game between Australia and South Africa taking place in Perth at the moment. We have to make sure that the standard is there. Our friends in India feel pretty similarly.”A spokesman for the ECB, however, downplayed Clarke’s stance. “The meeting on January 19 is designed to discuss every aspect of international cricket, from over-rates to crowds to development to staging,” he told Cricinfo. “It’s about seeking an improvement at every level, not about deciding who England should play.”The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it would not react to Clarke’s comments. “We have nothing to say at this stage unless we receive any official communication from the ECB on this matter or from the ICC,” Jalal Yunus, BCB’s media committee chairman, said.An ICC spokesperson told Cricinfo that it expected all current FTP commitments to be fulfilled, and any subsequent arrangements would only emerge after the ICC board had decided on a way forward after the current FTP ends in 2012.”The ICC expects all its members to fulfill their obligations under the FTP,” the official said. “The ECB will fulfill this obligation by hosting Bangladesh in 2010. The nature of the ICC’s FTP after 2012 is currently under discussion within the ICC board. From the ICC’s perspective, we would like all members to play each other as often as possible. If the ECB chairman has a specific view on this, he can put them before the ICC board, of which he is a director.”According to the FTP, Bangladesh tour England in May 2010 for two Tests and three ODIs. Bangladesh, who were given Test status in 2000, have only one win in 57 Tests, that too against Zimbabwe. Though they have come close to upsetting Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, they have mostly struggled to avoid heavy defeat.A mass defection of players to the ICL recently has also severely depleted their resource pool. With India, cricket’s current financial centre, already not keen on hosting them, Clarke’s comments suggest they won’t soon be touring the spiritual home of cricket, which will only intensify the scrutiny on their Test status.

Katich stars as Australia take control

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

Simon Katich brought up his fourth Test century of the year © AFP
 

Simon Katich became the first Australian to carry his bat in a Test for more than a decade and set Australia on the path towards victory at the Gabba. New Zealand were barely in the hunt at stumps on the third day but Ross Taylor gave them a glimmer of hope in their chase of 327, which after they stumbled to 4 for 49 must have seemed as attainable as an Oscar for Paris Hilton.But wickets kept falling around Taylor and the loss of Grant Elliott, who was bowled by a lively Stuart Clark on the last ball of the day, meant New Zealand’s slim chances would largely rest with Taylor and the next man in, Daniel Vettori. A deficit of 183 appeared too steep for a team whose lower order in the first innings was about as useful as a Zimbabwean dollar.The match could have been over already but for an 84-run stand between Taylor and Daniel Flynn, who picked the gaps with sensible shots and rarely took risks. Flynn was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for 29 and his departure encouraged the already attacking Taylor to go for a few more shots in his unbeaten 67, which ended a drought of seven Test innings in which he had failed to pass fifty.Their chase had started in the worst possible fashion in the first over when Jamie How was drawn into a drive and edged to second slip off Brett Lee, who let out a roar of joy at picking up his 300th Test wicket. He became the fourth Australian to reach the milestone and, having picked up 2 for 38 in the first innings, it continued form turnaround following his tough tour of India.Clark also regained his mojo with a pair of important breakthroughs, including a juggling return catch off Aaron Redmond and a positive lbw shout when Brendon McCullum padded up to a delivery that nipped back marginally. Johnson chipped in with Jesse Ryder, lbw for 24, and Katich’s unbeaten 131 looked like it would be a matchwinning effort.He carried not only his bat but also Australia’s hopes – they had been in trouble at 6 for 115 late on the second afternoon. But Katich batted well with the tail and but for the 82 that Australia’s last two pairs added, New Zealand could have been pursuing a much less daunting goal of around 250.Katich combined with Johnson for an invaluable 53-run stand that featured some clean hitting from Johnson, who struck three fours and a powerful six over the head of the bowler Vettori. When Johnson miscued an attempted pull off Elliott and slapped the ball to mid-off for 31 the problems did not end for New Zealand. Clark kept the boundaries coming – he hit four in his 12-ball 18 – in a 29-run partnership.When Clark holed out to mid-off Katich became the first Australian to remain unbeaten through a completed Test innings since Mark Taylor in Adelaide in 1997-98. It continued a terrific career renaissance for Katich, who now has four Test centuries since his recall in the Caribbean earlier this year.He was bogged down early in the morning but grew in confidence and raced through the 90s within seven balls. A well-timed drive off Southee went so straight that the umpire Billy Doctrove had to practice his hurdling skills to allow it to run away to the boundary and the next ball Katich rolled his wrists perfectly in a textbook hook that smashed into the turf and flew away for four more.

Smart stats
  • Simon Katich became the tenth Australian batsman to carry his bat through an innings. The last was Mark Taylor, during his 169 not out against South Africa in Adelaide in 1998.
  • Brett Lee became the fourth Australian bowler to take 300 Test wickets. Lee reached the mark in his 73rd Test; Dennis Lillee did it in 56 – the fastest among all bowlers, Shane Warne 63 and Glenn McGrath 64.
  • Among the 23 bowlers to reach 300 Test wickets, Lee and Harbhajan Singh, the 22nd bowler to the mark, are the only ones to average over 30 per wicket.

The century came up with another boundary from his 179th delivery when he guided another hook fine off Iain O’Brien. Katich’s broad grin was understandable – it was at the same venue in 2005 that he failed against West Indies, was promptly dropped and faced the possibility of his Test career being over. The way he played in his return to the Gabba it was hard to imagine him ever having struggled.He punched through gaps with confidence and struck 16 fours, making it difficult to understand how none of his top-order friends could pass 20. The pitch had lost some of its zing but it was never a minefield. Even when Katich did survive some near misses he was already well set. O’Brien put down a hard but catchable return chance when the batsman had 70 and Ryder at short leg also missed a sharp but gettable opportunity off Vettori when Katich was on 86. The mistakes were not fatal for New Zealand, but they were costly.Equally frustrating for Vettori was his team’s inability to remove Katich’s tail-end partners, or at least shut down their scoring. Vettori had done his part earlier in the day when he picked up both pre-lunch wickets as the seamers’ impact eased. Lee found a novel way to get out when his inside edge squeezed between his legs and onto the stumps – had he been wearing inner-thigh pads the ball might not have got through. Vettori had already disturbed the stumps of Brad Haddin, who played the wrong line to an arm ball and was out for 19.But Katich ensured New Zealand would need to chase down nearly double what they made in the first innings. Their first Test win in Australia since 1985 was not completely out of the question at stumps on day three, but after the late losses of Flynn and Elliott, another tail-end collapse loomed as a more likely scenario.

Essex veteran Cray dies

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Chick Cray, one of the diminishing number of cricketers who played first-class cricket before the war, has died in a Torquay hospital at the age of 87.Cray made his debut for Essex in 1938, a week after his 17th birthday, and the following summer he held down a regular place despite not making a fifty in 15 matches. Then came the war which deprived him of six seasons, although he did play some first-class cricket in India while in the forces.He returned in 1947 in good form and enjoyed his best summer, scoring 1339 runs at 26.78, including the first three of his seven career hundreds. He passed 1000 runs again in 1949, and although he started 1950 well, hitting a career-best 163 against Nottinghamshire, he was released at the end of the season in circumstances that did the county no credit, receiving a curt telephone call while coaching in South Africa.He finished with 4218 first-class runs at 24.66 in 102 appearances. After leaving Essex he was the professional at Paignton in Devon for a number of years, also representing the county in the Minor Counties Championship. He retired from playing and coaching in 1961because he was increasingly troubled by a hand injury resulting from a car accident.He had a variety of jobs, ranging from kitchen assistant to postman, but rarely talked about his cricket exploits.

'We did not post a good total' – Malik

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Shoaib Malik: “We could not sustain the pressure in the final because our batting and bowling was not of high quality” © AFP
 

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has blamed his team’s slow batting for the defeat against Sri Lanka in the final of the T20 Canada on Monday. Pakistan could manage only 132 for 7 after being put in and Sri Lanka coasted home by five wickets with an over to spare.”Chasing nearly 130 to 140 runs in Twenty20 cricket is not that difficult, and had we scored another 20 runs it could have been difficult for the Lankan team to achieve the target,” Malik told . “Twenty20 cricket is always thrilling and minor mistakes on the part of any team can benefit the other side, and this is what happened when we did not post a good total.”Malik said the first ten overs of the innings hurt them as they could manage only 64 runs. “Things turned from bad to worse for us on a pitch on which scoring runs was always difficult,” he said.He said the bowling too wasn’t up to scratch, though he didn’t single out a particular player. Shoaib Akhtar, their strike bowler, had a forgettable match, leaking 40 runs in three overs. Malik raised Pakistan’s hopes by dismissing Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene, but Sri Lanka’s remaining batsmen had no troubles in scoring at less than a run a ball.”I do not want to blame anyone, I did my best to inspire the team and at one stage we broke through the Lankans’ defence but could not maintain an upper hand as the bowling was not accurate in the final session,” he said. “We won three back-to-back matches and we set a flow of victories through collective efforts but we could not sustain the pressure in the final because our batting and bowling was not of high quality.”Pakistan’s next assignment is the home series against India starting in January and Malik said the team had a lot to learn from this defeat.”Defeat does not mean the end of cricket. There is always room to improve and there is a dire need to put in resolute efforts and hard work to boost our performance.”

Arthur's contract extended until 2011

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Mickey Arthur will keep his job till at least 2011 © Getty Images
 

Cricket South Africa has extended Mickey Arthur’s contract as coach until the 2011 World Cup, and appointed Mike Procter as convener of selectors. The new selection panel also features former South African vice-captain Craig Matthews, Winky Ximiya and Mustapha Khan, who has been a selector for a number of years.”I am delighted to be back in the South African cricket fold. It’s a great privilege and honour to be convenor of selectors,” said Procter, the former international and current member of the ICC’s elite panel of match referees. “I realise that it is one of the most important jobs in South African cricket and look forward to meeting some of the players who I haven’t met, and it is obviously exciting taking over with a side that has been so successful in Test cricket.” Procter, 62, played seven Tests for South Africa.Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive, said Arthur’s contract extension was based partly on an “in-depth report” on the past few seasons. “The contract of Mickey Arthur has come up for review [and] Mickey presented a strategic plan to overcome the challenges of the next few seasons leading up to and including the ICC World Cup on the subcontinent in 2011.”Mickey presented to a panel comprising Dr. Logan Naidoo, Andrew Hudson, SA Cricketers’ Association representative Gerald Dros and myself,” he said. “The panel was impressed with his results as coach of South Africa, who recently completed their most successful season since unity as well as his plans for the future. The board had no hesitation in accepting this recommendation and we congratulate Mickey on a job well done so far.”Arthur said: “It’s a great honour. I thank the board for showing their faith in me and buying into the plan leading up to the 2011 World Cup and we hope we can deliver as we have in the last couple of seasons.”After former convener of selectors, Joubert Strydom, resigned last season, Majola stood in and a panel was established to interview applicants. “We have followed an extensive process that was urged by the [CSA] general council and board of directors following controversies over selection policies and the so-called presidential veto,” Majola said. “CSA was adamant that a proper HR process be implemented, including advertising and head-hunting, to replace the former system under which selectors were nominated by affiliates.”Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka, the president-elect of CSA’s new board of directors, appealed cricket be put above personal interests. “Let us subordinate our private and sectional agendas to what is good for our game,” he said. “Our love and respect for the game must forthwith begin to assert themselves. Let us bend our energies in looking after and further developing this precious treasure we have, and that is the wonderful game of cricket.”The challenge is therefore not mine, or at least not mine alone to establish unity in this organization. It is also a challenge for each and everyone here. It is a challenge for the provincial administrator or selector who refuses to acknowledge the winds of change in our sport. It is a challenge for the official who is embittered over the injustice of the past that he refuses to accept that what binds us is far greater than what divides us.”

Udal leads Middlesex for Stanford

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Shaun Udal will lead Middlesex in Antigua, a year after he retired from first-class cricket © Getty Images
 

Middlesex have named their 15-man squad for the Stanford Super Series in Antigua with Shaun Udal retained as captain after his late-season spell in charge.Ed Smith, who began the season as club captain, hasn’t been included which signals his time at Middlesex is drawing to a close. He injured himself at the beginning of the Twenty20 Cup and didn’t play again during the summer, handing over the captaincy firstly to Ed Joyce then to Udal.Two new faces have been named. The former Kent batsman, Neil Dexter and Warwickshire allrounder Neil Carter. Middlesex have signed Dexter on a long-term contract and Carter has been brought in on loan. “We are very grateful to Warwickshire for all their assistance in this matter,” said chief executive Vinny Codrington.Andrew Strauss will have the opportunity to take on his England team-mates, but Owais Shah will be involved with the national squad and isn’t available. Dirk Nannes, the left-arm fast bowler, is the other notable absentee from the side that beat Kent in the Twenty20 final after he returned to Victoria for the Australian domestic season.However, Middlesex have been able to retain the services of their other oveseas players – Tyron Henderson and Murali Kartik – for the week-long tournament. Henderson was the final-over hero at The Rose Bowl in July when he found three late yorkers to stop Kent’s chances of victory, while Kartik’s spin-partnership with Udal has been a revelation.Middlesex will depart for Antigua on October 19 ahead of their first match, against England, on October 26. Their major game is against the current Stanford 20/20 champions, Trinidad and Tobago, on October 27 which is with US$200,000 for the winning team.Squad Shaun Udal (capt), Neil Carter, Neil Dexter, Steven Finn, Billy Godleman, Tyron Henderson, Ed Joyce, Murali Kartik, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Tim Murtagh, David Nash, Alan Richardson, Ben Scott, Andrew Strauss.

New Zealand announce A squad for India tour

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New Zealand A squad
  • Brent Arnel, Neil Broom, Grant Elliott, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Martin Guptill, Greg Hay, Nathan McCullum, James Marshall, Michael Mason, Jeetan Patel, Aaron Redmond, Bradley Scott, Reece Young, BJ Watling
  • First-class squad: Same as above, except that Iain O’Brien and Trent Boult will replace Mark Gillespie and Jeetan Patel respectively

New Zealand Cricket has announced its 17-member A squad for the tours of Australia and India starting next month. The team will play two one-dayers and a three-day game against a Queensland XI in Brisbane before departing for India. The second leg of the tour includes a one-day tri-series also featuring Australia A, and two first-class matches against India A.The squad includes internationals like Peter Fulton, James Marshall and Michael Mason, as well Trent Boult, BJ Watling and Martin Guptill, who were part of the Emerging Players side which beat the Australian Institute of Sport in the Emerging Players Tournament final in July.Jeetan Patel and Mark Gillespie have been selected for the tri-series alone and they will be replaced by Iain O’Brien and Boult for the four-day games. The squad will be coached by Mike Hesson of Otago and managed by Glenn Turner, the former New Zealand captain.”We have taken the opportunity to assemble a team of emerging talent and players who will benefit from the experience of touring and playing in Australia and India,” John Bracewell, the New Zealand senior team coach, said. “The tour is helping to build the experience of these players and is part of a programme to build greater depth at the international level.”The tri-series will be held in Hyderabad and Chennai and New Zealand will stay back in Chennai for the two four-day matches. The first one begins on September 28 at the Guru Nanak College grounds. The MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the final match, starting October 3.

New Zealand excited by Champions League possibility

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Central Districts’ participation isn’t confirmed yet, with teams from West Indies or Sri Lanka also in the fray © Getty Images
 

The participation of Central Districts, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 champions, in the inaugural Champions League in India between September 29 and October 8 will, if it comes through, be a big boost to the domestic game in the country, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has said. The BCCI, the tournament hosts, confirmed that teams from Sri Lanka and West Indies will compete with Central Districts for one slot in the league, with England’s participation highly unlikely.”First up, it may well be off to India to participate in this competition, which is extraordinary,” Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, told the . “It’s still to be decided what money there’ll be. I think there’s a truckload of prize money, and traditionally that’s gone to players.”We need to accept the fact that our teams can compete on the global stage and it might seem extraordinary but that’s what it’s all about. And if this can become something that we regularly participate in, it obviously adds a significant edge to our domestic Twenty20 competition.”Central Districts have two high-profile New Zealand players, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram, in their ranks, both of whom played in the IPL. Since Taylor’s IPL franchise, the Bangalore Royal Challengers, failed to qualify for the Champions League, he would be expected to turn out for his state side. Since Chennai Super Kings have qualified, Oram would have to decide which team to represent, and Vaughan said the decision rests entirely with the player.The details of the Champions League will be finalised in Mumbai later tonight at a meeting to be attended by officials from the BCCI, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia. A team from Pakistan has also been confirmed.

Flintoff bludgeons Lancashire to victory

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First Division

Andrew Flintoff heads up the pavilion steps at The Rose Bowl after leading Lancashire to a six-wicket win © Getty Images
 

Andrew Flintoff hit the winning runs as Lancashire beat Hampshire by six wickets at The Rose Bowl to go within a point of Championship leaders Nottinghamshire. Flintoff made an unbeaten 39 off 23 balls in his county’s third win of the campaign, although he started unconvincingly with a pull over midwicket before unleashing a barrage of boundaries, including a towering straight six into the pavilion – and he was later called into the England 12 for this week’s Headingley Test. Resuming on 34 for 0 chasing 163, Lancashire lost two early wickets to Dimitri Mascarenhas and a third to James Tomlinson – Francois du Plessis leg before without offering a shot – before Stuart Law and Flintoff calmed the nerves, putting on 73 in eight overs.Kent moved into second place with a tense four-wicket defeat of Yorkshire at Canterbury. Needing 137 on a wearing pitch, Kent lost four wickets in the morning session but appeared well on course when they reached lunch on 101 for 4. But Rana Naved-ul-Hasan grabbed three wickets in as many overs immediately after the resumption to leave Kent on 108 for 7. Geraint Jones and Yasir Arafat smacked 34 in five overs to see their side over the finishing line, while Yorkshire completed a miserable day after having their Twenty20 appeal turned down.Durham settled for a draw against Somerset after they lost two quick wickets in pursuit of a stiff target of 283 in 52 overs at Chester-le-Street. With the first day completely washed out, a draw always looked on the cards. Marcus Trescothick made a breezy 50 as Somerset declared on 193 for 5, and when Durham slipped to 8 for 2 they gave up any thoughts of mounting a serious chase, eventually finishing on 113 for 4.For John Ward’s summary of Nottinghamshire’s drawn match against Surrey at Trent Bridge, click here.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts
Nottinghamshire 8 3 2 0 3 0 98
Lancashire 8 3 1 0 4 0 97
Kent 8 3 2 0 3 0 96
Yorkshire 8 2 3 0 3 0 85
Durham 6 3 2 0 1 0 77
Surrey 8 0 2 0 6 0 73
Sussex 8 1 2 0 5 0 73
Somerset 6 2 1 0 3 0 72
Hampshire 8 1 3 0 4 0 68

Second Division

Middlesex missed out on the chance to go top as Gloucestershire’s last pair of Anthony Ireland and Ian Saxelby held out for 22 overs to secure a draw at Bristol. Middlesex batted on for 85 minutes in the morning, reaching 212 for 4, setting Gloucestershire an improbable target of 324 from 72 overs. The seamers, led by Tim Murtagh (3 for 33) and Alan Richardson (3 for 34) ensured the home side were always struggling and at 147 for 9 the game seemed up. With light fading, Ed Joyce was forced to rely on his spinners until late on when the conditions improved. But Ireland survived 91 balls and 19-year-old trialist Saxelby 67 played out time.Derbyshire and Leicestershire settled for a draw after a see-saw day at Derby in which either side could have snatched a win. Set a target of 220 in 58 overs after Derbyshire had been bowled out for 200, Leicestershire appeared to be struggling on 100 for 6 before James Allenby and Tom Smith (42) added 93 for the seventh wicket. They needed 27 off four overs but the chase was called off when Charl Langeveldt clung on to a sharp return catch to dismiss Smith.Glamorgan staged a dogged last-day fight to secure a draw with Essex at Cardiff after starting the day staring at a likely defeat. Michael Powell led the way with a four-and-a-half hour unbeaten 86, putting on 68 with David Hemp and 90 with Jamie Dalrymple. Essex missed out when Powell was then dropped by Jason Gallian at slip for 42. Glamorgan only relaxed when they wiped out the first-innings deficit in the last hour, and the captains agreed to call time with five overs remaining and Glamorgan on 269 for 6. The home side later had more to cheer about when they were included in Twenty20 finals day.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts
Warwickshire 8 2 0 0 6 0 104
Middlesex 8 2 2 0 4 0 91
Essex 8 3 3 0 2 0 89
Leicestershire 8 2 1 0 5 0 86
Northamptonshire 8 2 2 0 4 0 86
Worcestershire 8 2 1 0 5 0 83
Derbyshire 8 2 2 0 4 0 77
Gloucestershire 7 0 2 0 5 0 59
Glamorgan 7 1 3 0 3 0 55

South Africa cut links with Zimbabwe

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Norman Arendse: ‘The general situation in Zimbabwe has now made [the bilateral agreement] untenable’ © Getty Images
 

Pressure from its own cricketers appears to have forced Cricket South Africa into an embarrassing about-turn regarding cricketing links with Zimbabwe.Norman Arendse, CSA’s president, and other senior administrators, especially Ray Mali, the ICC president, have adopted a policy of unwavering support for Zimbabwe Cricket. But last week a number of players made clear that the deteriorating social environment in Zimbabwe meant they were no longer willing to play against sides from there.”In the light of the worsening situation in Zimbabwe, CSA has reviewed its position in relation to Zimbabwe cricket,” Arendse said on Monday. “We have decided to suspend our bi-lateral agreements with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union until further notice.”In the past, CSA has defended Zimbabwe cricket against heavy odds, but the general situation in Zimbabwe has now made this untenable.”We will continue to comply with the ICC’s Future Tours Programme regarding Zimbabwe, as we are bound to this programme as a full member of the ICC. However, CSA will suspend its bi-lateral agreements with ZC, which includes development and administrative programmes, and the participation of Zimbabwe teams in CSA’s domestic competitions.””This was Cricket SA’s decision and was not brought about by any direct pressure from the players,” South Africa Cricketers’ Association spokesman Tony Irish said. “However, the vast majority of players, if not all of them, support this decision from a moral point of view as they don’t want to be associated with what is going on in Zimbabwe. The players association commends C SA on the decision”The news will be a hammer blow to the Zimbabwe board as the only really meaningful cricket they have been able to play of late has been in South Africa’s domestic competitions.As things stand, Zimbabwe have no domestic games scheduled until their new season starts in March 2009, and the only international fixtures arranged in the next year are home and away series against Sri Lanka.The timing of the announcement could not be worse, coming on the eve of the ICC annual conference in Dubai when, in theory, Zimbabwe could have asked to be readmitted to Test cricket. That idea is now as distant as at any stage in the last three years.