Cricket Australia (CA) will send a security delegation to assess the situation in Zimbabwe ahead of the team’s proposed tour in September, but they may yet be given a get-out clause with the Australian government considering what action it could take to call off the trip.CA officials and representatives from the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) met with the foreign minister Alexander Downer on Thursday with increasing unease surrounding the prospect of the tour. Downer said the government was exploring a range of legal options.”If, legally, the government can stop it, then clearly that’s an option,” he told . “I don’t think it’s practical for the parliament to legislate to stop it in a one-off situation like this but if there is [an] existing legal basis, then that’s an option for us that we would stop it ourselves.” He reiterated his view the tour would be seen as a propaganda victory for the president Robert MugabeJames Sutherland, the board’s chief executive, said: “After tonight’s meeting, we understand very clearly the government’s concerns and preference for us not to tour Zimbabwe. In conjunction with the ACA, we will continue to work through these issues in the coming weeks and fully brief the players and CA’s board of directors so they are as informed as possible before a decision is finalised.”CA is also conscious of world cricket’s requirements that each country visit all other nations regularly as part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program. Cricket Australia is strongly committed to the global development of cricket. As with all planned international tours, a joint Cricket Australia-Australia Cricketers’ Association security delegation would travel to Zimbabwe to assess the safety issues closer to the date of the planned tour.”Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the ACA, said the meeting had enabled discussions to take place on what was a very complex issue. He said the ACA would continue to “work with Cricket Australia, the Australian government and international cricket authorities in the hope of reaching an acceptable outcome”.John Howard, the prime minister, has already said the government would pay any ICC fine levied on Australia for not touring, which would amount to around $2m. If the final decision is the tour goes ahead it will be down to individuals to decide whether they are willing to take part.”There are some issues there and every individual player will be asked what their own views on that are, and they’ll have a chance to make up their own mind what they want to do,” Ricky Ponting told The Australian earlier this week. “I’m sure every individual player will be asking themselves ‘should I or shouldn’t I be touring Zimbabwe?'”
The ICC’s Executive Board which meets in Dubai on March 21 and 22 has a number of crucial issues on its agenda. “This meeting is an important opportunity for the directors from across our membership base to guide the direction of international cricket on a range of major issues,” ICC President Ehsan Mani said.A new six-year Future Tours Programme is likely to replace the current five-year programme for the ICC’s 10 Full Members. The new proposal, a culmination of two years and 10 drafts, would require all the Full Member-sides to play home and away series against each other within the six -year period, each series comprising a minimum of two Test matches and three ODIs.The draft FTP also provides opportunities for several series to take place on a more frequent basis including Australia v England, Australia v India, Bangladesh v Zimbabwe and England v India among others.The board will also evaluate Zimbabwe’s readiness to resume Test cricket when it approaches the end of its 12-month voluntary withdrawal from Test commitments early in 2007. It will be apprised by Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the Interim Committee of Zimbabwe Cricket, regarding financial mismanagement, the composition of the Interim Board and on improving relations with players.The board will receive an independent written report from India’s Solicitor General Goolam Vahanvati on incidents of racist crowd behaviour in Australia during the home series against South Africa. The meeting will also consider a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to increase the number of venues from three to four for the Champions Trophy. The ICC had previously indicated that should the BCCI seek to increase the number of venues, the extra costs would be borne by the BCCI. The change would require amendments to the schedule but the tournament duration would remain the same.The meeting will take a decision on whether to prematurely end the experimental Supersub rule after feedback from stakeholders, including current and former players, in February had recommended its scrapping.The introduction of a formal pitch-monitoring process, which would include potential sanctions ranging from a formal warning to suspension of international status for venues that produce substandard pitches, and making an anti-doping code mandatory for all ICC events beginning with October’s ICC Champions Trophy in India are also on the anvil.
When did you decide to enter the fray? They [the Indian board] were trying to get in touch with me for couple of weeks, but last week I decided to take up the offer. It’s an honour to be associated with the India team.Do you have a vision for Indian cricket? At the moment it’s just an interview that I am going to attend, so I have nothing to say about the plans and what I’ve got to bring to Indian cricket and all that. If I was given the job, obviously, my first job would be to get to know the players – to know what makes them click, how we can get them to perform. Then I would outline my style: I play fair, but I like to play tough.How did you get involved in coaching? It started from my young days where, as a young boy, I started preparing wickets in the area I grew up in. When I joined Barbados I was always the guy willing to offer advice when I saw things. During my playing days on the English county circuit for Middlesex and then in South Africa for Western Province, apart from playing, I was involved in coaching a lot of youngsters like Mark Ramprakash, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs, to name a few. My first job as a fulltime coach was for Sussex from 1996 to 1999, and then as a batting coach for Hampshire. In 2002 I was the batting coach for Barbados.What do you consider your strengths as a coach? I have got the eye to pick up flaws and correct them. And a lot of people have always told me that and that’s what always encouraged me to coach players.Have any of the India players spoken to you about a possible coaching offer? None. But over the years I’ve had a very good relationship with some of the former Indian players, and that is a plus point for me.What are India’s strengths as a team? They have got a very, very famed batting line-up. Also, with a few young fast bowlers, along with the spinners like Harbhajan Singh, they look good.What do you think about the reports of the suggestion to appoint a foreign coach or consultant to work in tandem with an Indian manager or assistant? It would be fantastic to work with an Indian assistant, as then it would help me learn more about the guys. If I am offered a job to assist Indian cricket in any way I would accept it.
What the key players said after the match:Marvan AtapattuSri Lanka’s captain We thought 240 was a good score, but the way we finished was not too good getting just 45 runs in the last 10 overs. We did not plan enough at the end, and if we had concentrated on getting ones and twos we would have got around 270-odd.The [Symonds lbw] decision was made and the umpires decided to call him back and they asked me whether I had a problem with that. Our guys knew it was a wrong decision and we didn’t know what to do but when they asked him I was happy to call him back. It’s only a game, after all, and we have to play the game in the right spirit. I said no because we all make mistakes and it was clearly a mistake. I don’t see anything wrong in that.Ricky PontingAustralia’s captain It was close and a great game of cricket. I was pretty happy with the way wewent about things today. We were behind the eight-ball early in the gameafter a very good opening partnership, but we fought back really well withthe ball. The batting was pretty good – just two runs shy. The guys will take a lot of confidence out of knowing that we can perform as well as we did today on a very worn Sri Lankan wicket.You are always disappointed when you lose a close game, but we are not goingto point the finger at any individuals. If you look back over the game youcould probably pick up half-a-dozen incidents [that cost us the game].We needed one of us to go on a finish it off, as it was not easy getting astart out there. But I played a poor shot and Matty [Hayden] got caught on theboundary and we did not finish the job. He played really well but we have come to expect that from him as he churns out runs in both forms of the game for us.The venue was good but I was a little disappointed that we used the samewicket today. With there not being a lot of cricket here I would havethought there would have been time for the curator to prepare two wickets.Chaminda VaasMan of the Match and bowler of the fateful final over Marvan asked me to bowl the final over and I used my experience and tried tobowl six yorkers, and it went nicely. I have played 220-odd matches but Ithink this was the best one that I have played. I have been playing forSri Lanka for ten years and I know exactly what to do on these wickets.
On a pitch which had been relaid during the winter, and which appeared to be quite acceptable for State Shield one-day cricket, the Canterbury Wizards were far too good for the Otago Volts, winning their match at Invercargill’s Queen’s Park by 117 runs.Winning the toss, Otago put the visitors into bat in warm conditions.The Canterbury openers were controlled and watchful, with the result that a good foundation was set by them.Michael Papps top scored with 65, while Shanan Stewart (45) and Chris Cairns (43) gave fine support. If Cairns continues this form to the World Cup he will be of great benefit to his country.Otago, with 14 wides, would be concerned with this aspect of their game.Canterbury totalled 232 and could have scored a few more but faltered slightly towards the end of their innings.The Otago bowling was adequate without being outstanding. Kerry Walmsley took three for 46 and Nathan Morland took two for 25. Shayne O’Connor was looking good when his first seven overs had cost only 16 runs but he conceded 19 from his last three though still managed to finish with one for 35. James McMillan suffered early and ended with one for 48 and Warren McSkimming took one for 38.Otago, setting out after the 233 required for victory, made heavy weather of the task and at one stage, when 66 for eight wickets, looked like being severely embarrassed.Its tail of O’Connor and Walmsley scored 22 and 25 not out respectively and showed the top order batsmen what could have been done.The pitch may have changed slightly from the Canterbury innings but basically it was as Otago coach Glenn Turner stated “bad shot selection” which led to his team’s defeat.”Next time we should stay at Stewart Island,” he said, “and perhaps a rough ferry crossing in the morning may wake us up.”Dismissed for 115, Otago were soundly defeated by their northern neighbour with Hayden Shaw returning the outstanding one-day figures of five for 14 from 8.1 overs.He cleaned out the Otago middle-order to effectively squash any hopes of an Otago revival.Stephen Cunis, with three for 17, and Chris Martin (two for 33) completed the Canterbury bowling success.Otago will have to improve dramatically in their next game on Sunday to have a chance of a top three spot while Canterbury are, perhaps, finally on the up.
Rain brought a merciful release for the bowlers as the Bath Festival pitch continued to prove a batting paradise on the second day.The home side declared at lunch at 553-5 after Mike Burns had taken his score to 221, the highest ever by a Somerset batsman against Yorkshire.Mark Lathwell also batted brilliantly to be just two short of a century when Jamie Cox closed the innings. The former England batsman had faced only 109 balls, hitting 12 fours and three sixes.Soon Somerset’s seamers were finding life just as tough as their Yorkshire counterparts, offering little threat as Matthew Wood and Scott Richardson began to take some revenge.Both openers had reached half-centuries in a total of 119 without loss when the rain, which had been threatening, brought an end to the day’s play after 29.3 overs of the Yorkshire innings.Earlier Burns had finally fallen to a catch at the wicket having batted for more than seven and a half hours, facing 367 balls and hitting 28 fours and a six.After sharing stands of 206 with Cox and 161 with the other Matthew Wood playing in ths match, Burns helped Lathwell add 132 for the fourth wicket before departing with the total on 525. He had come in at 26-1.Lathwell was denied a century before lunch by the tim it took to retrieve the ball after his third six off Middlebrook. It sailed over the hospitality marquees and into a car park.After a year out of the game following knee surgery in 1999, Lathwell struggled to rediscover his best form last season but he has now passed 50 in five of his nine Championship innings this summer.Somerset coach Kevin Shine said: “I was very impressed with Matt Wood who had a great debut, and showed a lot of promise.” Regarding Mike Burns, Shine said: “Mike looked a class batsman out there; that’s the best that I have ever seen him play.”When asked about Mark Lathwell being stranded on 98 not out when Somerset declared, the coach said: “Mark’s innings was fantastic, a great knock, very exciting and free-flowing. We always knew that we were going to declare at lunchtime. Mark wasn’t too bothered that he missed out on his hundred.”
Manchester City have now identified a “stunning” £35m star as a top target, as there is a belief he could be an ideal fit in Pep Guardiola’s system.
Man City send out message with victory at Crystal Palace
Man City have struggled defensively at times this season, recently shipping four goals in the dramatic 5-4 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage, but they made a statement with their victory against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Not only were Pep Guardiola’s side solid at the back, keeping their second clean sheet on the spin in the Premier League, but they were also potent going forward, with Erling Haaland bagging a brace, and Phil Foden netting his seventh league goal this term.
However, while there is still a long way to go, the Blues remain two points behind Arsenal as things stand, and a fresh injection of quality in the January transfer window could boost their chances of catching Mikel Arteta’s side.
Man City are keen to improve their attacking options, with it emerging they are now leading contenders to sign AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, and the Ghanaian is not the only Premier League star they have their eye on.
According to a report from Caught Offside, Man City are now preparing to step up their move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who has been identified as a top target, as there is a feeling he could thrive in Guardiola’s system.
Liverpool remain in the race to sign Guehi, having nearly signed the centre-back during the summer, before the move fell through at the last minute, but it may take a relatively large fee to prise him away from the Eagles.
Although the Englishman’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, there have been suggestions that it could take around £35m to get a deal done this winter.
"Stunning" Guehi could be ideal signing for Man City
Nathan Ake is reportedly keen to leave City during the upcoming transfer window, which means it may be important to bring in a new centre-back, and the Palace captain could be the ideal addition to Guardiola’s squad.
Subscribe for expert Man City transfer analysis Want clearer context on transfer moves? Subscribe to our newsletter for Premier League transfer analysis, tactical fit breakdowns and concise insights into signings like Marc Guehi to better understand their potential impact. Subscribe for expert Man City transfer analysis Want clearer context on transfer moves? Subscribe to our newsletter for Premier League transfer analysis, tactical fit breakdowns and concise insights into signings like Marc Guehi to better understand their potential impact.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The 25-year-old is vastly experienced at Premier League level, having made 147 appearances in the competition, and he received high praise for a solid display in a 3-0 victory against Aston Villa earlier this season.
The 26-time England international has continued to impress in December, making a number of important contributions in Palace’s 1-0 victory against Burnley, which earned him a SofaScore match rating of 8.8.
Marc Guehi’s key stats vs Burnley
Number completed
Duels (won)
10 (10)
Assists
1
Clearances
10
Signing Guehi could give Man City a real boost in the Premier League title race, and they should definitely make a move in January.
Brett Lee has completed an outstanding year by winning his first Allan Border Medal despite missing the entire World Cup with an ankle injury. Fittingly, in a season when he took over from Glenn McGrath as the spearhead of Australia’s attack, Lee became the first bowler since McGrath in 2000 to claim the major award.He also took home the Test Player of the Year title, while Matthew Hayden was named the One-Day International Player of the Year. Lee finished with 125 votes in the Allan Border Medal count, ahead of Hayden on 107 and last year’s champion Ricky Ponting on 64.It was Lee’s first time on the stage at the medal ceremony since 2000, when he was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. He said it was a thrill to be taking such an important role in the side following the disappointment of missing the World Cup triumph.”I’m really enjoying that leadership role,” Lee said. “It sits a bit funny with me being called the strike bowler or the main bowler because it’s a team effort. I actually thought missing 19 matches I was absolutely no chance. That was a very hard time missing the World Cup, watching it on TV was very hard.Lee said the medal was a pinnacle after the low of his lengthy spell out of the team leading up to the 2005 Ashes. “I spent 19 months on the sideline carrying the drinks,” he said. “But to appreciate the good times you have to go through the bad times.”In a year that was dominated by coloured clothing – Australia only played six Tests during the voting period – Lee polled in all but one Test. His 12 votes in the Test count put him five ahead of Hayden (7), while there was a traffic jam for third, with five players grabbing three votes.There was no question that Lee was the star in the longer form of the game during a summer when Australia equalled their own world record of 16 consecutive Test victories. He was named Man of the Series in both the Sri Lanka and India contests and finished with 40 wickets during the voting period, at the average of 20.58.Against Sri Lanka he collected 16 wickets at 17.56 in two Tests, while in the four India games he grabbed 24 victims at 22.58. Lee’s success was not limited to Tests and he picked up 30 ODI wickets at 21.70, however his injury meant it was not surprising that he finished 11th in the one-day count.Hayden ended up with 24 votes, ahead of Ricky Ponting on 19, and there was a three-way tie for third, with Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist and McGrath all on 14. Hayden’s award capped a terrific return to the one-day arena after he lost his spot following the 2005 tour of England.In his first series during the voting period, Hayden belted an Australian-record unbeaten 181 in the Chappell-Hadlee Series in New Zealand, and things improved from there. He was the leading scorer at the World Cup in the Caribbean, making 659 runs at 73.22, and a blistering 66-ball century against South Africa was a highlight.A productive ODI tour of India followed and Hayden finished the 12-month period with 1462 runs at 56.23. He made four centuries and six fifties and he said he was “fully stoked” to win the award after he was not part of the one-day team in mid-2006. His World Cup began with serious injuries to both feet but he said that was never going to stop him help Australia defend their title.”Fifteen months out from the tournament I looked to be in deep trouble, not looking to play one-day cricket again,” he said. “I had a deep fire in my belly. A couple of broken feet at the start of a tournament is perhaps not the way you want to start. It was just a lot of work getting back into that side, and from that moment on I don’t think broken feet were going to stop me.”
Shot of the Day Tamim Iqbal batted like a puppy on a leash for the first 35 balls ofhis innings, visibly straining to cut loose but holding himself backat the behest of his master, Dav Whatmore. Finally, in the 12th over -James Franklin’s first – he’d had enough. First up came a clunking cutthat whistled through point for four, then two balls later he was offdown the pitch in a reprise of his India innings. He didn’t quite getto the ball however, and was forced into a late adjustment,under-edging a cut through fine leg. Set a field for that!Hangtime of the Day The problem with West Indian cricket, so we are led to believe, isthat NBA basketball is poaching all the tallest and most athleticyoung men in the region. In their absence, it was left to SaqibulHasan to demonstrate why the shorties just don’t cut the mustard.Though he leapt heroically to intercept a clipped drive from HamishMarshall at mid-on, and held his shape in the air for an age, hemanaged merely to get a fingertip to the chance, and the moment waslost.Déjà vu of the Day It’s hard to pinpoint just what’s so irresistable about Shane Bond.His run-up is hardly the most thrusting ever seen, and his pace – froma distance – seems a notch or two below the Malingas and Taits of thistournament. But time and again he just gets it all spot on, and hisstartled opponents are too slow to adapt as the ball hustles throughtheir defences. Against England in St Lucia, he struck with the thirdand sixth balls of his second spell, en route to figures of 2 for 19;today he struck with his first and sixth of his second spell, forfigures of 2 for 15.Lost leprechauns of the Day They danced and they sang and chased their pots of gold, but there wasno doubt about it. The posse of five puzzling Irishmen at midwicketcould not have been more out of place had they been riverdancing at areggae concert. It was widely assumed they’d misread the itinerary anddecided “D2” matches were the place to be, but in actual fact itturned out they were just passing through en route to Barbados, wheretheir all-conquering “D1” heroes take on Australia next Friday. Not soIrish after all.Indiscreet photo opportunity of the Day No, it wasn’t Percy Sonn with his pants around his ankles (althoughthat would at least have proved he still exists – the only thing lowerthan the attendances at this World Cup has been his profile … whereis he?). Instead it was the sight of the reserve umpire, BillyBowden, who spent several minutes of the New Zealand innings sat bythe sightscreen, tapping the ground with a white stick. The suspicionsof a generation of international batsmen have been confirmed.Dead-horse floggers of the Day Even as they presided over yet another hopelessly over-policed andunder-attended non-event, the ICC’s scandalous obsession with thebottom line shone brazenly through the corporatized gloom. Up on thebig screen, as regularly as they dared to promote it, flashed thedemand:
“Buy the official World Cup song, ‘Game of Love andUnity’, at outlets around the ground”
Love and unity? Just who do they think they are kidding anymore?
Bob Simpson has joined the current coach John Buchanan in supporting Glenn McGrath’s push to play in next summer’s Ashes series. Despite his age – McGrath will be almost 37 when the first Test starts in November – both Australian mentors are confident fitness and a lack of high-quality match-play will not be problems when England arrive. Ricky Ponting has also chipped in by saying McGrath is “vital” to the team and placed him in the same daunting category as Shane Warne and Brett Lee.Simpson, a former national player, captain, coach and selector, told the McGrath’s “Rolls-Royce action and rhythm” would continue to support him. “He doesn’t need the explosive pace to perform,” Simpson said. “I don’t think fitness will be an issue for him, so if his attitude is where it needs to be I have no doubt he will play on. If he wants to play he should be given every opportunity.”McGrath has not bowled since pulling out of the VB Series to be with his family while his wife Jane has cancer treatment. He ruled himself out of the South Africa and Bangladesh tours and aims to come back in October’s Champions Trophy before his Ashes Test return.Buchanan, who often disagrees with his predecessor Simpson, was confident McGrath would add to his 542 Test wickets. “You only have to look at Glenn’s figures to say he’s always a viable option,” Buchanan told the paper. “But obviously from his point of view there are a lot of family issues that need to be sorted out first. I guess we all wait and hope that it works itself out, and if it does then I’m sure you’ll see Glenn McGrath striding in and adding to that tally.”Ponting said it would not be a big ask for McGrath to make the Ashes series. “The big problem that he’s had is coming back to international cricket when he’s had a big break,” he said. “If he wants to be a part of the Ashes tour then I know he’ll work exceptionally hard whenever he gets the chance and he’ll do as much bowling as he can.”We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope he is around. We all saw how much we missed him in a couple of Tests in England.”Australia are looking for a three-match replacement for McGrath and this weekend will be crucial for the contenders playing in the Pura Cup. Michael Kasprowicz, Jason Gillespie and Shaun Tait have chances to impress before the selectors name the Test squad early next week while Ponting added Victoria’s Shane Harwood to the list.Ponting will speak to the on-duty selector Andrew Hilditch and Phil Jaques, who has faced each bowler in the domestic competitions this year, before the outfit is announced. “Australian cricket has been lucky we’ve had the bowlers of Warne’s and McGrath’s and Gillespie’s calibre over the last almost ten years,” Ponting said. “You know what you are going to get when you throw them the ball. That’s always going to change and what we’re obviously after now is to get guys to step into their shoes and do the job.”The current one-day attack has opportunities at Cape Town tonight and in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. The side should be boosted by the return of Stuart Clark after it struggled to counter the trouble caused by Graeme Smith’s century at Centurion. “I really see it as just a bit of fine-tuning, and that’s what we’ve got to try and work on in the next couple of days,” Buchanan said. “It’s about the key deliveries that each of those bowlers might have.”