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The players’ statement in fullZimbabwe Cricket took the unprecedented step of barring five journalists from its annual general meeting in Bulawayo today.Four local reporters and one from international agency AFP arrived at Queens Sports Club for the meeting only to find their entry blocked by Lovemore Banda, ZC’s communications and media manager. He told the five that they would have to wait for an official press conference later in the afternoon. However, the five refused to budge and two police officers were called to escort them out of the building.The move was all the more surprising as some of those ejected had been reminded less than 24 hours earlier that the meeting was taking place. And further confusion came when Ozias Bvute, the ZC managing director, told them that it was “not my decision.”It is likely that ZC banned the reporters as tough questions were expected in the light of yesterday’s statement issued on behalf of the country’s players which slated the board, accusing it of being “at best incompetent, and at worst, a bully”.

The MCG could lose out on its annual one-day international if a South Australian proposal is approved by Cricket Australia. For many years, the MCG and the SCG, in Sydney, have staged a final each in the tri-series which is an integral part of the Australian summer, but declining attendances at the MCG have resulted in the South Australian Cricket Association asking for the Melbourne final to be rotated between the Adelaide Oval, the Gabba in Brisbane and the MCG.SACA would like the new roster, which guarantees Sydney a final, to come into existence the season after next. According to the Melbourne’s The Age, Cricket Victoria have cited extenuating circumstances for the drop in spectator interest – a wash-out one year, 44 degree temperatures in another, and a final without Australia.Cricket Victoria has also refuted SACA’s claim that it could stage the final more profitably by selling out the far smaller Adelaide Oval. Sydney finals are usually packed affairs, with the SCG’s capacity being less than 50,000, but the MCG has found it difficult to pack in a full house (80,000) even when the more popular sides like England and India visit. quoted Geoff Tamblyn, Cricket’s Australia chairman as saying, “Cricket Victoria will defend its position to host the final.” The state is banking on the fact that it has an agreement with the MCG to provide at least eight days of international cricket each summer. Were the one-day final to be removed from the roster, there would be just seven such days on the calendar.

All Today’s Yesterdays – June 29 down the years1950
A landmark day for West Indian cricket. West Indies won their first Test in England, a 326-run thrashing at Lord’s, led by a mystifying display from their young spin twins Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine. They were both playing their second Tests, having each only played two first-class matches before the tour. Valentine’s match figures were 116-75-127-7 (the 75 maidens are still a Test record), and Ramadhin’s 115-70-152-11; it was the slowest torture imaginable. They were abetted by 168 from Clyde Walcott, an innings that John Arlott described as being "of thunder, of almost biblical intensity". England never recovered, and lost 3-1 a series they had expected to win comfortably. Maybe hubris set in. A crowd full of West Indian fans didn’t care as they celebrated joyously, and a famous Calypso song – "With those little pals of mine, Ramadhin and Valentine" – was born.1939
Birth of the gangling Victorian seamer Alan Connolly, a bit of an unsung hero for Australia in the sixties. He finished with 102 wickets, and four five-fors – none of which came in Aussie victories. His best figures were 6 for 47 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth … when Australia were routed by 323 runs. Unusually, Connolly excelled overseas, with 66 in 16 Tests. At home he took only 36 in 13. He also played county cricket for Middlesex.1965
Whatever happened to Paul Jarvis, the England pace bowler who was born today? When he became Yorkshire’s youngest-ever player – at just 16 years 75 days – he was burdened with a "new Fred Trueman" tag, but he never got close, taking only 21 wickets in nine Tests. Injuries didn’t help, nor did the selectors’ penchant for shunting him in and out of them (those nine Tests came in five instalments, either side of Jarvis’s ban for going on the South African rebel tour of 1989-90). Jarvis later played for Sussex and Somerset, but got nowhere near leaving the legacy people expected, although he has taken almost twice as many one-day wickets in India than any other Englishman. It’s not much consolation.2000
The fifth-highest opening partnership in Test history – and Sri Lanka’s highest by almost 150 runs. In a dead rubber against Pakistan at Kandy, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu put on 335, with Atapattu making his third Test double-hundred. In a match of only 155.4 overs, Atapattu was still there at the bitter end, 207 not out and having dead-batted allcomers into submission.1931
Another weighty partnership, this one for the eighth wicket. Les Ames and Gubby Allen got England out of a hole by adding 246 against New Zealand at Lord’s, with Allen making his only Test hundred and Ames his first in England. At the time it was the highest for the eighth-wicket in Test history, but it’s been passed twice in the last six years, by Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq at Sheikupura in 1996-97, and by Nathan Astle and Adam Parore at Perth in 2001-02.1939
Birth of the link in the only three-generation Test-playing family. West Indian opener Ron Headley was the son of the great George and father of England seamer Dean. He played just two Tests, both in England in 1973. Headley played much of his cricket in England, for Worcestershire and Derbyshire.1911
Long before speed-guns inflated Shoaib Akhtar’s ego further, Worcestershire’s Robert Burrows bowled Lancashire’s William Huddleston in a County Championship match at Old Trafford – and sent the bail flying 67 yards. It’s a record that even Shoaib hasn’t broken.Other birthdays
1947 Jeff Moss (Australia)1969 Simon Brown (England)

Amit Pagnis, first-innings centurion for Railways in their Ranji tieagainst Rajasthan in Delhi, scored another hundred in their secondinnings, enabling his captain Abhay Sharma to effect a declaration andgiving his side a good chance at a second successive outright victory.Rajasthan’s innings ended without further fuss, closing at 175.Railways, however, made a bad start, losing both openers for 13.Pagnis and in-form Yere Goud then put up a 136-run partnership,repeating their fine collaborative effort from the first innings. Goudmade a steady 59 before he was caught and bowled by opposing captainPudiyangum Krishnakumar. Pagnis found more support from Sayed RazaAli, who scored a blistering 47 off just 45 balls. When Railwaysdeclared, Pagnis was unbeaten on 133.Facing a Himalayan target of 393 runs, Rajasthan look unlikely to winthis game; indeed, given their first innings collapse and MuraliKartik’s fine form, one would not be blamed for predicting an outrightwin for Railways.The Madhya Pradesh – Uttar Pradesh match at Indore was more keenlycontested; Uttar Pradesh, overnight on 164/5, were bowled out for 238.Rizwan Shamshad completed a stolid half-century, ensuring that hisside’s total was substantial; for Madhya Pradesh, Yogesh Golwalkarpicked up four wickets.Madhya Pradesh, thus, started their second innings looking to build ontheir lead and set their rivals a steep total. Former Indian one-daybat Amay Khurasiya top-scored for his side, hitting 54 off 96 balls.None of the other batsmen, however, could come up with substantialcontributions and Madhya Pradesh ended Day Three on 185/6, 262 runsahead of Uttar Pradesh.

ScorecardRob Key was one of five Kent batsmen to pass fifty•Getty Images

Ravi, Jesse, Hoddy and Napes. As rampant seam attacks go, it’s not really a patch on Josh and the Three Mitches. But, for most of the patrons at the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, that was a somnambulantly pleasing fact.Thirty miles and several light-years from the scene of yesterday’s crime at Lord’s, life went on as normal in Kent’s most idyllic of outgrounds. Kent churned out the runs, 352 of them on the day, for the loss of four wickets. Essex stuck wilfully to their task, outplayed on the day maybe, but proving positively incisive compared to the horrors being endured by Sussex’s and Glamorgan’s bowlers at Horsham and Colwyn Bay.Fourth versus eighth in the second division of the LV= County Championship brought with it an excuse not to be drawn to the edge of one’s seat, or chew one’s nails to the quick. Instead it was an excuse to sit back and soak in, as Kent closed on an imposing 420 for 4, a lead of 160 leaving them well placed to exact revenge for their five-wicket defeat on a Chelmsford minefield in April.The spectators who bimbled around the boundary’s edge included plenty refugees from England’s Ashes debacle: horrified survivors of that grim fourth day, as well as mildly bewildered holders of those now-redundant fifth-day tickets, all booked up but with nowhere to go.In between their perusals of the second-hand bookstall at midwicket, or their chats with Jack Russell – the Gloucestershire and England legend was incongruously in situ, selling signed copies of his painting compilations – the faithful were rewarded with a meandering day of accumulation.None of Kent’s batsmen made fewer than Sam Northeast’s 43, but Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 81 from 71 balls – 46 of which had come in his first-evening onslaught – remained the clubhouse-leading score by the close.His aggression and timing was matched, in the gloaming, by the evergreen Darren Stevens, who enlived the evening session with 11 fours and a fierce six over midwicket off David Masters, as he and Ben Harmison laid into the new ball to carry the total past 400 in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 117.In between whiles, Kent’s batsmen took turns to drive the innings along without ever seizing the day by the scruff of the neck. Bell-Drummond looked the likeliest to do so, but with the third ball of his second spell, Ryder bowled him off a big inside-edge, his deceptively lolloping run-up giving way to a command of swing and seam that has now earned him 34 wickets at 23.76.Rob Key, restored to the opener’s role that he had relinquished during his last stint as captain, made a confident 71 – a lower-octane affair than his 87 against the Australians at Canterbury last month, maybe, after which he had joked that he wasn’t paid enough to face Mitchell Johnson at full tilt, but one which ended amid the threat of unexpected bounce. Graham Napier kicked one off a good length and Key, visibly taken aback, flapped an uncommitted pull to a stooping Nick Browne at square leg.That ought to have been Napier’s second of the day after Joe Denly had been dropped by Ryder at slip before he had scored. But he was quickly into his stride thereafter, clipping Napier through midwicket to get off the mark, and moving serenely along to 69 from 121 balls before Ravi Patel, the left-arm spinner, bowled him through a loose drive.Northeast, by that stage, had lost his leg stump to Jamie Porter, Essex’s quickest bowler whose methods were less suited to the conditions than those of his team-mates – his 18 overs were milked for 105 runs, including a loose morning spell in which Key and Bell-Drummond had picked off the boundaries at will.”I always enjoy playing at Tunbridge Wells, it’s always a decent wicket and enjoyed spending some time out there today,” said Denly at the close. “It’d be good to get one over Essex, and we are in a very strong position. Hopefully tomorrow we can kick on again, get a good lead and hopefully put them under some pressure.”It was very slow wicket,” he added. “Early on, Keysy and Deebs [Bell-Drummond] played very well with the newer harder ball, but when it got softer it was pretty hard to score and time, and my innings was a little bit scratchy. But at the end when the new ball was taken, Stevo and Ben were able to score a bit more freely and put us in a good position.”

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been named Newcomer of the Year at the 10th annual SA Sports Awards in Bloemfontein on Sunday.Rabada holds the record for the best figures on debut – 6 for 16 against Bangladesh, including a hat-trick – and is widely believed as the next big thing in South African cricket. He has played all forms of the game and has been particularly impressive with his ability to bowl quick, full and accurate. Dale Steyn has said the 20-year old Rabada had more talent at that age than he did, and now CSA chairman Haroon Lorgat has chimed in with: “Kagiso Rabada is a standout talent and destined for greatness.”The nominees for the SA Sports Awards had been chosen subject to a time frame from September 1 2014 to September 30 2015 and included AB de Villiers for the SA Sports Star of the Year award. Medium-pacer Shabnim Ismail was in the running for the corresponding award in the women’s category as well. All of which were a sign that South African cricket was in good hands, according to Lorgat.”The success of our programmes is also reflected in the fact that we had several other finalist nominees including our World No. 1 Proteas Test team, the world’s best batsman, AB de Villiers, for the SA Sports Star of the Year, Shabnim Ismail in the SA Women’s Sports Star of the Year award, and Geoffrey Toyana as SA Coach of the Year.”While Kagiso deservedly won his award the other nominees make us equally proud and deserve our congratulations for being recognised among the best in their respective categories.”Former first-class cricketer Rushdie Magiet, who played 37 matches in a decade-long career, was one of four recipients of the inaugural Steve Tshwete Lifetime Achiever award. Magiet, 72, represented Western Province from 1971-72 to 1980-81 and took 109 wickets at an average of 13.63 and an economy of 1.83.”I know Rushdi Magiet personally and he has indeed given a lifetime of service not only to cricket but also to social responsibility,” Lorgat said. “We are delighted that he has received this well merited award.”

Worcestershire have been forced to move another match away from New Road after further rain exacerbated the recent problems caused by the flooding. The game against Sri Lanka A will now be played at the Royal Grammar School ground in Worcester.”The Royal Grammar School has kindly donated the use of their high quality playing facilities so that the game can go ahead and provide both Sri Lanka A and Worcestershire with some much needed cricket,” said chief executive Mark Newton. “We are most grateful given the short notice. The weather forecast for the day is good and we look forward to some high class cricket in lovely surroundings.”Spectators have been advised to take their own seats or blankets as there won’t be any seating at the ground. There won’t be a PA system, either, or any public bars so up to four cans of beer and one bottle of wine will be allowed in.Earlier this week, the ECB moved Worcestershire’s Pro40 match against Hampshire to Derby after the Championship match against Kent was abandoned on the third day. The club had hoped to get the ground fit after the flooding, but further rain left the outfield unplayable.

Hasan Durham, Bermuda’s left-arm spinner, has been reported for a potentially flawed action after the second ODI against Canada in Toronto, the ICC confirmed.A biomechanics expert appointed by the ICC and the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) will submit a report on Durham’s action in the next 21 days. The report will be submitted to the ICC who will send it to the BCB and until the BCB receives the report, Durham will be able to continue playing.However, if Durham’s action is found illegal he will be suspended from bowling in international matches and he would have to apply to the ICC for a re-assessment of his action to resume bowling.Durham was referred to the first stage of the process of checking potentially flawed actions after his was assessed by the match officials. The report was made by Ian Gould and Roger Dill, the on-field umpires, Karran Bayney and Ruban Sivanadian, the third and fourth umpires, and the match referee Jeff Crowe.

Cricket Australia said on Friday that it would name its Test squad and one-day international squad for the Super Series against a World XI after the Ashes Test series in England.Australia will play against a World XI team in three one-day international matches in Melbourne on October 5, 7 and 9 and a six-day Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground from October 14-19.CA said that the squads of 13 for the Test, and 14 one-dayers will be selected from the following players:Test squad Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Daniel Cullen, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Michael Lewis, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Nicholson, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne, Shane Watson.ODI squad Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Daniel Cullen, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Michael Lewis, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Marcus North, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Damien Wright.

Graeme Smith has warned that South Africa’s selectors are going to start taking a firmer line on players who do not perform consistently during South Africa’s upcoming tours. Following the tour to Sri Lanka in August, South Africa travel to England for the Champions Trophy, to India for a Test series, and back home for five Tests against England.”This year’s going to be more cut-throat. We’ve got to start delivering,” Smith told in South Africa ahead of the team’s four-day training camp in Pretoria. “The leeway now is gone. There are three tours coming up and there’s going to be nowhere to hide for anyone, including me. I’m aware of that and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”All of us can improve from last year, can become more consistent, can become harder, can win more games for our team, can handle situations better under pressure,” he added. “There are a lot of us who can look at ourselves and improve.”I want to see us taking bigger steps in getting certain positions right, handling pressure well in one-day cricket. If we need to defend 60 in 10 overs at the death we’ve got guys who can do it. If we need to get 100 off 110 balls with four or five down we’ve got guys who can finish those games for us. That’s where we’ve let ourselves down, especially in the last year in those crunch 50-50 situations.”This will be Smith’s first tour of Sri Lanka, and he will be leading the side in two Tests and five one-dayers. South Africa drew their last Test series in Sri Lanka in 2000, but were thrashed 3-0 in the one-dayers, and struggled against Muttiah Muralitharan’s spin on his home turf in both formats.”I know we lost badly there the last time,” added Smith. “We’ve got six or seven guys who have been there before and speaking to some of them, they say they got a major wake-up call, they didn’t realise how much it would turn. So we’ve had a bit of experience.”