With just a few weeks to go until the start of the new cricket season Somerset coach Kevin Shine was in a very positive mood when I spoke to him at the County Ground earlier this week.He told me: "As far as I am concerned all of the players have met my initial challenge of hitting the ground running. I have been very pleasantly surprised because they have met my targets, and booked themselves in regularly to work with me over the last few months."The coach continued: "Now we are all looking forward to March 24th, the day that everybody reports back for the new season, and then April 2nd when we play our first friendly out on the grass against Glamorgan."He went on: "It has been a different pre-season to last year. This year we have put the responsibility much more onto the players themselves to identify their strengths and weaknesses and then help them to plan and develop their skills levels."What did the coach expect in 2003. He told me: "We know that this season in Division Two of the county championship we just have to win matches, and my challenge is to try to improve an already talented group of players. To give ourselves a chance of being promoted we will need to win at least seven or eight matches, and we need to win matches at home."He continued: "Over the last few seasons it has been a case of `fortress Taunton’ and getting 10 or 12 points from drawn matches at home to try to stay in the top division. This season however we need to start winning at home especially as a win is now worth fourteen points, two more than last season."Looking forward to he new season the coach continued enthusiastically: "With Andrew Caddick and Marcus Trescothick now having six weeks off I would be disappointed if they don’t figure in some early season matches and in Nixon McLean and Richard Johnson we have got two high class bowlers."He went on: "In our end of season post mortem one of the weaknesses that we identified was the lack of competititon for places. We have certainly delivered competition with our three new signings and have some high quality players here so there will be tough battles for places.""Competition is healthy for the side, and if we do suffer some injury problems then this season we have got some back up, where perhaps last year we didn’t. On the other hand it did allow players like Simon Francis to come of age very quickly," he continued.The coach also talked about the quality of some of the younger players who are at the club. He said: "There really is some young talent here and we now have a situation where the Head and Assistant coaches along with Mike Burns the captain all work regularly alongside these Academy youngsters. They are all pushing their way through towards the first team which has got to be good for the long term prospects of the club."
Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s captain and unbeaten centurion, promised a more positive approach on day two after the visitors crawled towards a position of strength on the opening day of this two test series.New Zealand laid the foundations for a large first innings score, finishing the day on 207 for two, as Fleming scored 112 from 248 balls, his fifth test century, combining with Mark Richardson to post a record 172 run stand for the second wicket."It was an important toss to win but we then had to set a basis for getting a big score. I think, on reflection, if we had got another 20 or 30 runs more we would have had a pretty good day but as it was tough going out there," said Fleming.He described Richardson’s innings as "outstanding" and was delighted by his own performance, but warned that there was plenty of work still to be done."In the context it was a pretty important one because the top order had to get runs," he said. "It was defensive kind of day – would have liked to have been a bit more dominant and the fields were set deep throughout much of the day."We have got a platform now. If we can get 100 runs or so on the board then we can start being more positive – we have to get a good score on the board and create some pressure for Sri Lanka in the last innings."Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s star offspinner, bowled 27 without a wicket – although three chances were missed off his bowling – but Fleming still identified him as the major threat."Murali is tough. You can’t really score many runs off him because reading him is very difficult. Survival is the first instinct and scoring second – that’s why we ended up with a scoring rate of about two per over."Hashan Tillakaratne, leading the side after the resignation of Sanath Jayasuriya, refused to panic but admitted to being disappointed by the side’s fielding."It was not a bad day except that we dropped a few catches and that helped them get to 207 – other than that I thought we bowled well," said Tillakaratne. "I am disappointed a little by the fielding but I am sure we will do a good job tomorrow."
Little has gone right for Bangladesh lately, and now their captain, Khaled Mahmud, has been fined for criticising umpires following their innings defeat by South Africa in Dhaka earlier in the month.Mahmud told reporters that he was less than impressed with the performances of Billy Bowden and Steve Bucknor. Both umpires were lambasted in the local press, with Bowden singled out after several highly contentious decisions.”The International Cricket Council has decided to deduct 50 percent of Mahmud’s match fee following a complaint by match referee Clive Lloyd,” Mahbub Anam, a Bangladesh Cricket Board official, revealed.
Darren Thomas, who was injured in Glamorgan`s opening CountyChampionship match of the season, has been included inGlamorgan`s 12 man squad for the Championship match against Northamptonshire starting at Northampton on Friday, May 30th.Thomas underwent surgery after damaging knee ligaments whilst bowling against Derbyshire in mid-April, and he returnedto action earlier this week playing for the county`s 2nd XI against Warwickshireat Coventry.The Glamorgan squad for the Northants match is as follows:
J HughesA DaleDL HempMJ PowellMP MaynardMA Wallace +RDB Croft *DS HarrisonMS KasprowiczAG WharfDA CoskerSD Thomas
England have released Sussex fast bowler James Kirtley from their one-day squad for the upcoming triangular one-day series with South Africa and Zimbabwe, following Richard Johnson’s return to fitness.Johnson, 28, who took six wickets on his Test debut against Zimbabwe earlier this month, missed England’s 2-1 one-day series win over Pakistan with a knee injury, having originally taken Kirtley’s spot in the 15-man one-day squad.Kirtley did not feature in the Pakistan series which England wrapped up onSunday with a four-wicket win at Lord’s.England open the triangular series, against Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge onThursday (June 26).
Glamorgan needed just 13 balls to score the remaining 12 runs they neededto beat Durham by 8 wickets at Cardiff. This victory – their 4th of thesummer – allows Glamorgan to rise up to 3rd place in the Division Two table,and, with four Championship matches remaining, it gives a major boost to theWelsh county`s promotion hopes.Whilst wicket-keeper Mark Wallace deserves much credit for his career-best 117, thevictory was largely the result of a remarkable spell after tea on Friday afternoonby Michael Kasprowicz. The Australian took 9-22 in 10.4 overs as Durham dramaticallycollapsed from 119-1 to 174 all out.Kasprowicz, who took 11-105 in the match at Chester-le-Street last year, returnedthe second best bowling figures in Glamorgan`s history, and his spell, for therecord, was as follows:
10th ….w(Love).11th ….1.12th ..4…13th 4… w (Lewis).14th ….w (Peng)w (Wells)15th ..w (Mustard)…16th ……17th …44.18th .w (Bridge) 4lb 1..19th …w (Pratt)4.20th .w (Killeen)….21st .w (Phillips)
Kasprowicz`s final return of 9/36 was a career best and his analysis eclipses three othermajor records – his figures surpassed the previous best by an overseas player for the Welsh county (8/17by Waqar Younis against Sussex at Swansea in 1997), and are the best ever inWales by a Glamorgan bowler (9/43 by Jim Pressdee against Yorkshire at Swansea in1965). In addition, they were the best ever at the Cardiff ground, beating Pat Pocock`sreturn of 9/57 for Surrey against Glamorgan in 1979.The only superior analysis for Glamorgan remains Jack Mercer`s 10/51 against Worcestershireat New Road in 1936, whilst George Geary`s astonishing 10-18 for Leicestershire at Pontypriddin 1929 are still the best ever return in a first-class match in Wales.
All Today’s Yesterdays – July 23 down the years
July 22| July 24
1953
Birth of a batsman who took a while to find his feet in Test cricket butwent on to become the best of his generation. Graham Gooch scored 8,900runs in Tests, a record for England – after being dismissed for a pairon his debut, against Australia at Edgbaston in 1975. Pick of the bunch,333 and all, was his 154 not out against West Indies at Headingley in1991. According to the Wisden 100, only Don Bradman and Brian Lara haveplayed greater innings in a Test. He was also the first player with amoustache to play Test cricket for England since Peter Smith in 1946-47.
1994
The day Mike Atherton put some dirt in his pocket – and nearly lost hisjob. With England taking one hell of a beating against South Africa atLord’s, Atherton used the dirt to dry one side of the ball and so helpDarren Gough get some reverse-swing. Having dirt in his pocket was notillegal, but rubbing it on the ball contravened Law 42.5, and the matchreferee Peter Burge called him to explain his actions. Burge acceptedAtherton’s explanation, but the following day Atherton admitted lying toBurge. For that, he was fined £2000 by Ray Illingworth – half for lying,half for having dirt in his pocket – and crucified by the press. Illylater told anyone who’d listen that the fines saved Athers’ job. Lost inthe furore was a real spanking for England: they lost by 356 runs, andwere bowled out for only 99 in the second innings. That was a poignantnumber: Atherton weathered the storm and made a brilliant, bloody-minded99 in the next Test at Headingley.
1949
Birth of a world-class allrounder who lost a Test career because SouthAfrica were banned. By the time South Africa were re-admitted, Clive Rice was past his best – but his best had been considerable. A hardhitting batsman and aggressive pace bowler, he formed a famouspartnership with Richard Hadlee that bowled Notts to the CountyChampionship in 1981 and 1987. He was South Africa’s first captain afterthe ban, in three one-day internationals in India in 1991-92 – but itwas hardly a consolation.
1998
On the first day at Trent Bridge, Hansie Cronje scored acentury in his 50th Test, and launched a famous pre-planned assault onthe recalled Ian Salisbury, but South Africa went on to lose the match.
1851
Birth of pioneering Test batsman Charles Bannerman. Against England atMelbourne in 1876-77, Bannerman faced the first ball in Test cricket,scored the first run, the first fifty and the first hundred. By the timehe retired hurt with a damaged finger, he’d made 165 of Australia’stotal of 245, still the highest percentage of a completed innings in allTests. His highest score in his two subsequent Tests was an unremarkable30 – but his place in Test history is secure. His brother Alick, afamous stonewalling batsman, also played for Australia.
1949
Brian Close made his Test debut, against New Zealand at Old Trafford. At18 years 149 days, he’s still the youngest ever to play Test cricket forEngland. In 1976 he became one of the oldest: 45 years 140 days.
1934
On his favourite English ground, Don Bradman completed his second triplecentury in a Headingley Test, making 304 and sharing a stand of 388 withBill Ponsford, who hit 181.
1938
If it’s Headingley, it must be a big score by Bradman. The Don made 103against England. No triple century this time, but the pitch was trickierthan those in 1930 and 1934.
1884
On the last day of the first Test ever played at Lord’s, George Ulyettcompleted figures of 7 for 36 to bowl Australia to an innings defeat.
1942
Death of a double international. Andy Ducat died as he wouldprobably have wanted to die: batting in a match at Lord’s. He playedfootball and cricket for England, scoring the only goal of the gameagainst Wales in 1910 and making 3 and 2 in his only Test, against theall-conquering Australians at Headingley in 1921.
Other birthdays
1950 Alan Turner (Australia)
1952 Paul Hibbert (Australia)
1972 Floyd Reifer (West Indies)
All Today’s Yesterdays – September 12 down the yearsSeptember 11 | September 131937
The first of West Indies’ great postwar fast bowlers was born. With his gold chain bouncing at his throat, Wes Hall made the ball do the same to opposition batsmen. After one of the longest run-ups in Test cricket, he bowled genuinely fast – and he could do it all day, as in his marathon spell in the famous Lord’s Test of 1963, when he bowled unchanged for over three hours on the last day. His partnership with Charlie Griffith on that tour was the stuff of English nightmares. Hall enjoyed the dramatic moment as much as anyone: he bowled the last over of the first tied Test, at Brisbane in 1960-61. He took 192 wickets in 48 Tests (exactly four a game), with best figures of 7 for 69 against England at 1959-60, when he was at his frightening fastest. It’s still a mystery that he was never chosen as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year.1901
Although his performance was upstaged by Gilbert Jessop’s typically explosive 233, it was Charles Fry who set a record that hasn’t been broken. Playing for the Rest of England against Yorkshire at Lord’s, CB scored 105 (“a beautiful innings” according to the ). It was his sixth consecutive first-class century, setting a record equalled only by Don Bradman in 1938-39 and Mike Procter in 1970-71. The Rest made 526 and won by an innings.1948
If Lillee and Thomson were the tormentors-in-chief in the mid-1970s, batsmen didn’t get much respite when Australia’s first-change came on. Max Walker, who was born today, was known as Tangles because he bowled off the wrong foot – but no-one chuckled at his relentless support bowling. And when the terrifying twosome were injured, Tangles was an effective front-line bowler in his own right. On the Caribbean tour of 1972-73, for example, he took 26 wickets to help win the series 2-0. In the sixth Test at Melbourne in 1974-75, he took 8 for 143 in an England innings of 529. His best Test figures were also the most expensive eight-for in international history, but typical of Walker, who never said die. It was opposition batsmen who were usually in a tangle.1925
In the season in which he passed WG Grace’s total of 126 first-class hundreds, Jack Hobbs set another record right at the end. Playing for the Rest of England against the champions Yorkshire, he made 106 in the first innings. It was The Master’s 16th first-class century of the season, a record until Denis Compton hit 18 in 1947.1932
Birth of classy strokeplayer Waqar Hassan, whose only Test century was a big one: 189 against New Zealand at Lahore in 1955-56. His partnership of 308 with wicketkeeper Imtiaz Ahmed was Pakistan’s first 300-run stand in Tests and is still their highest for the seventh wicket against any country. Pakistan won by four wickets. Waqar made six other Test fifties, including 97 at Calcutta in 1952-53.1979
A partnership of 222 between Allan Border (162) and his captain Kim Hughes (100) made up the bulk of Australia’s first-innings total of 390 at Madras. In his first bowl in Test cricket, slow left-armer Dilip Doshi finished with figures of 6 for 103, which set him on the way to a rare little record. He and Clarrie Grimmett are the only bowlers to take 100 Test wickets after starting their international careers when they were over 30.Other birthdays
1924 LA (Lawrence Anderson) “Fish” Markham (South Africa)
1968 Richard Snell (South Africa)
1977 Nathan Bracken (Australia)
Defending champions UCT and WPCA one day champions, Victoria will represent WP at this years MTN National Club Championships which start in Pretoria later this week.The full fixture list is as follows;
MTN CLUB CHAMPS 2003Section oneDATE HOME TEAM AWAY TEAM VENEU19/09/2003 Victoria Avion Park Centurion laudiumStellenbosch UNIV Technikon free state Hofmeyr ParkSpec Savers UPE United Technikon oval20/09/2003 Technikon free state Victoria Technikon ovalUnited Avion Park Eersterust ovalSpec Savers UPE Stellenbosch UNIV Aloe Park21/09/2003 Victoria United Aloe ParkTechnikon free state Spec Savers UPE Technikon ovalAvion Park Stellenbosch UNIV Hofmeyr Park22/09/2003 Spec Savers UPE Victoria Hofmeyr ParkStellenbosch UNIV United Technikon ovalAvion Park Technikon free state Centurion laudium23/09/2003 Victoria Stellenbosch UNIV Eersterust ovalSpec Savers UPE Avion Park Technikon ovalUnited Technikon free state Centurion laudiumSection twoDATE HOME TEAM AWAY TEAM VENEU19/09/2003 Impala Pirates Harlequins ovalSparkport Delta UCT LC ovalYorkshire Tuks Groenkloof oval20/09/2003 UCT Impala Mamelodi ovalTuks Pirates LC ovalYorkshire Sparkport Delta Irene CC21/09/2003 Impala Tuks Groenkloof ovalUCT Yorkshire Harlequins ovalPirates Sparkport Delta Irene CC22/09/2003 Yorkshire Impala Eersterust ovalSparkport Delta Tuks Groenkloof ovalPirates UCT Irene CC23/09/2003 Impala Sparkport Delta Harlequins ovalYorkshire Pirates Mamelodi ovalTuks UCT LC oval