Fidel Edwards has been fined 15% of his match fee for swearing loudly enough that he could be heard by spectators at the Chester-le-Street Test, and by television viewers. Edwards was found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct but his level-one offence was not deemed serious enough for the maximum fine of 50% of his match fee.Alan Hurst, the match referee, said there was some leeway for players to vent their anger but Edwards had acted inappropriately. “When bowling, and in frustration, Fidel swore loudly enough to be heard by spectators at the ground and television audiences,” Hurst said.”We are not saying that players cannot show frustration or demonstrate passion but Fidel’s means of doing that was totally unacceptable and does not set an appropriate example. The player regrets his actions and I trust this penalty will serve to ensure it does not occur again.”Edwards was reported by the umpires during the fourth Test between England and West Indies. He was found guilty of breaching clause 1.4 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to “using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting”.
Jonathan Hughes, a Yorkshire club cricketer, scored a remarkable 42 runs off one over. Hughes, 29, smashed six sixes, a four and a two in one over from Craig Hobson, which included two no-balls.Hughes, who plays for North Leeds, achieved the feat in a match against Hall Park in the Airedale and Wharfedale League’s Waddilove Cup. He went on to make 126 not out.”The first three balls went for six but I didn’t realise the first was a no-ball,” he told The Sun. “I pushed the next delivery, which was also a no-ball, to midwicket for two to reach my hundred. The next three went for six and the last for a four. It seemed to take forever, because of the time spent looking for the ball.”The first ball of the over was a chance which was put down by a fielder, who added insult to injury by dropping the ball over the boundary for six.Many news agencies reported that Hughes had broken the world record for runs off an over, but Cricinfo’s list shows that more have been scored on eight occasions.
Paul Marsh, the son of the former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, has been named as the new Chief Executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, after holding a managerial role within the organisation since 2001. He replaces Tim May, the former Australian offspinner, who resigned in March.After an extensive interview process, Marsh emerged as the outstanding candidate for the position and will commence in the role from July 1.ACA President Ian Healy confirmed that the ACA Executive was delighted with the appointment: “We consider the role of ACA Chief Executive to be one of the most important and influential positions within the cricket community and it was essential that the role be filled by a person with a passion for the game and its players.””Through his role as Manager of Member Services and Operations with the ACA, Paul has developed knowledge of the issues and built relationships with key stakeholders that will ensure he is an outstanding leader for the association.”Marsh said that he was looking forward to the challenge of heading the ACA: “Having worked with the ACA and for Australia’s past and present cricketers for the last three and a half years, I am ready for and excited by challenges this role will bring. My vision for the ACA is to ensure we make a genuine difference in the lives of our members.”
Guyana 248 for 7 (Sarwan 121, Chanderpaul 81, Collins 4-72) v Barbados ScorecardFour wickets in the final hour gave Barbados the edge on the first day of their Carib Beer Series semi-final against Guyana at Bridgetown. Until then it looked as if the defiance of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had wiped out the early success Barbados enjoyed.Sarwan and Chanderpaul came together inside the first hour with Guyana on the rack at 29 for 3, and added 203 runs for the fourth wicket in a little under five hours. Sarwan, coming into the match in good touch, hammered 13 fours on his way to 121, driving with ease and confidence. Chanderpaul, more circumspect, was the ideal foil with a determined 81.But when Ian Bradshaw had Chanderpaul caught behind by Courtney Browne (232 for 4) the floodgates opened, Sarwan fell in an identical manner one run later, and then Pedro Collins struck twice in the closing overs as Barbados battled back.Collins was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 72 in 20 overs, while Bradshaw’s accuracy tied the batsmen down. He took 2 for 38 from 30 overs, and at one stage bowled eight consecutive maidens.Barbados opted for an all-pace attack on what was a hard and fast track. “I’m a fast bowlers captain. I like fast bowlers,” Browne, their captain, explained. “If I had to choose, I would always choose four fast bowlers, especially if they are of good quality. We do have four good quality fast bowlers, so for me, that’s what I love.”Guyana’s form this season – they lost all three games on the road and only scraped into the semis thanks to their 100 per cent home record – and the frailty of the batting today – Sarwan and Chanderpaul excepted – means that Barbados are odds-on to reach next month’s final.
The so-called Zimbabwe A team, which turned out to be almost the full national side and only included players in the World Cup squad, recovered to beat a more genuine South Africa A team, winning the last two matches of the series last weekend in Harare.CONTENTS
Zimbabwe A v South Africa A (2nd match): Scorecard and Report
Zimbabwe A v South Africa A (3rd match): Scorecard and Report
Manicaland v Mashonaland: Scorecard and Report
Midlands v Matabeleland: Scorecard and Report
Eddo Brandes: Biography and first-class Career Record
Vigne Cup scores
The South African A team, captained by Graeme Smith, had probably been expecting to play a similar side from Zimbabwe, perhaps strengthened by three or four World Cup players. Certainly their mood in the deciding match at Harare Sports Club on Sunday was not very pleasant. The ICC Code of Conduct was blatantly ignored as certain players made their dissent at certain umpiring decisions very clear, with Alan Dawson reportedly the leading culprit. Fortunately umpire Duncan Frost handled the situation very firmly and well, or there might have been some very unpleasant incidents.Later in the week the Faithwear One-Day Series between the provinces continued in Bulawayo and Kwekwe. Local support at Bulawayo was even worse than in Harare. At the match between Mashonaland and Manicaland at Queens Sports Club on Wednesday, I counted a maximum of 13 genuine spectators at one time during the afternoon. Meanwhile at Kwekwe they had 500, with a sponsored braaivleis (barbecue) afterwards.ZCU should consider taking these matches away from Harare and Bulawayo, and next season playing them in Kwekwe and Mutare instead, where the provincial unions are energetic and capable of marketing the game effectively and the local population is still appreciative of inter-provincial cricket. It may be more difficult logistically, but a six-day cricket week at each of these centres will be far better supported than at Harare or Bulawayo. We must take the game to the supporters – and there are obviously precious few for inter-provincial cricket in the two main centres.Congratulations to Manicaland for finally ending Mashonaland’s seven-year run without defeat. Even with several leading players loaned out to the other provinces this season, Mashonaland have still turned in the best results; before Wednesday they had won all three one-day matches against other provinces and also sit on top of the Logan Cup table with two victories and a draw against Midlands. Their strength is partly psychological: they expect to win, and the other provinces have become conditioned to losing. Now Manicaland have finally broken their undefeated run of official matches stretching back seven years, perhaps the other provinces will realize that they can do it too. A more even competition will be all the better for Zimbabwe cricket.In this issue we also pay tribute to Eddo Brandes, who has now emigrated to Australia. We include an updated biography and a detailed summary of his first-class career.
When the national selectors appointed Sanath Jayasuriya as the Sri Lankancaptain ahead of senior players such as Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanamaand Hashan Tillakratne, there were some who had reservations about thedecision. Today, however, nearly two years on, most of those critics willhave been even silenced.But if you ask the modest man from the coastal town of Matara whether heever dreamt of becoming the national captain, he’ll give you that familiarbroad smile and tell you modestly that he never dreamt of becoming thecaptain of his country; all what he wanted was to represent Sri Lanka at thehighest level.”You can dream to play for your country, but you can’t dream to become thecaptain,” said Jayasuriya. “You need a bit of luck. But I tell you, I neverdreamt of captaining the country.”Jayasuriya was handed the captaincy at a crucial stage. Sri Lanka playedpoorly in the 1999 World Cup in England and the selectors decided to sackArjuna Ranatunga, a hugely respected figure and the captain when Jayasuriyamade his international debut.Jayasuriya admits to feeling “a bit frightened” when he was first given thejob. “The question I asked myself was whether I can do this job,” hereveals. “I had played cricket at that time for about 10 years, but Arjunawas captaining for 14 years and lot of senior players were around that time.I was thinking about lot of things, but in the end I thought to myself: Ihave played enough international cricket and I can do this job.”Looking back at the two years since, Jayasuriya says: “The first year wasthe toughest. It was not easy because Sri Lankan cricket was in a bad shape:we had lost the World Cup and straight after that they had changed thecaptaincy.””When I got the job I asked the boys for their fullest support. I told them:’we have to play as a team’ and asked for their support since I had neverdone the job before. When the players support you it makes your work mucheasier.”Jayasuriya started off well by beating Australia, the world champions, in athree-match test series at home. He then went from strength-to-strength,beating both Zimbabwe and Pakistan away from home. Since then, however, SriLanka has not recorded a test series victory, losing to Pakistan and Englandat home and in South Africa.The side lost games from winning positions. Against South Africa and Englandthe side recorded innings victories in the first tests, both of which wereplayed in Galle, only for the tourists to bounce back in Kandy.Jayasuriya believes that the fault for this lies at the feet of the batsmen:”The batsman didn’t score enough runs. You need batsman to put a minimum of350 to 400 runs on the board. When they don’t it’s very difficult for thebowlers to bowl. Basically the batsman didn’t perform wellenough, although luck didn’t favour us much either.”However Jayasuriya’s side has performed admirably in the shorter version ofthe game. In the new captains very first assignment, the Aiwa Cup, Sri Lankadefeated India and the mighty Australians. They then defeated Zimbabwe andPakistan convincingly away from home, New Zealand away, England at home, andhave won three of their last four triangular tournaments. The only set backin the shorter version was the recent 5-1 thrashing by the hands of Proteasand an early exit from the ICC KnockOut last October.”If you take a look at our performances you can obviously see that we havedone well in one-day cricket,” he said. “But the team is keen to do well in testcricket as well and want to be a better team than we are at the moment. I amparticularly disappointed about the last test series against England, whichwe should have won easily.”Jayasuriya says he concentrates on each series as they come and feels prettyconfident about the 2003 World Cup, although historically Sri Lanka have notdone well on South African soil. He hopes certain recent moves by theInterim Committee will help his side to do better this time around.”We have planned few things: we are preparing fast practice tracks atPremadasa Stadium and we are also trying to bring down some experts likeBarry Richards, to get some tips. He has come here earlier, and I hope that will help us,” says Jayasuriya.He warns his critics to not write him off yet. The proud winner of the mostvaluable player award of the 1996 World Cup is looking forward to anotherchance to grab the limelight, this time as the leader.
Jesse Marsch could bring CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic to Leeds United in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Mihailovic impressing in MLS
The 23-year-old American has made a name for himself in MLS, catching the eye with his creativity in the middle of the park.
Mihailovic has registered 16 assists in just 41 appearances for Montreal, not to mention chipping in with five goals for good measure.
Wirth Marsch now in charge at Leeds, it could be that the American looks to bring in some compatriots this summer, with Brenden Aaronson one such player who has been linked with a move to Yorkshire.
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The Latest: Journalist talks up American signings
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that he could easily see American players making their way to Elland Road in the near future, with Mihailovic tipped to join the Whites recently.
The journalist stated: “It wouldn’t surprise me if they signed one from MLS because of the way that the club is being built. But I don’t think they foresee that as a path to success right now.”
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The Verdict: Strong summer addition
Mihailovic may be unproven in European football but he has arguably done enough to show that he could be a shrewd potential signing by Marsch in the summer window.
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His aforementioned goals and assists tally speaks for itself and he plays in an area of the pitch where Leeds are arguably lacking currently, with Mateusz Klich their most creative midfielder in the Premier League this season with just two assists.
At 23, Mihailovic would also be a player who can mature into a formidable midfielder under Marsch, rather than being a short-term fix.
In other news, a Premier League club have been linked with a move for a Leeds star. Read more here.
Cricket Canada has announced its first ever major sponsor, Scotiabank, a big boost for a country’s cricket set-up which had been living “hand-to-mouth” according to its president, Ben Sennik.The board has agreed a three-year deal for an undisclosed sum that will make the company the premier national sponsor and official bank. The bank will sponsor both the men’s and women’s national teams as well as the senior and Under-19 championships in Canada.A Cricket Canada spokesperson told Cricinfo: “Scotiabank has been a long-standing supporter of cricket internationally, and their recognition of the position that cricket now has on the Canadian amateur sporting scene shows just how much the game has grown over the past decade or so. Their partnership with Cricket Canada will help to sustain that growth – importantly at the grassroots level and in our schools, as well as with the country’s elite cricketers.””It’s big day for us,” Sennik told the Toronto Star. “It’s very important, because it gives us now the muscle to go ahead in a more organised manner. The national team players are always in a dilemma because neither are they professional nor are they amateurs.”In recent years, the Canadian Cricket Association – now Cricket Canada – has been putting itself on a stronger footing both administratively and financially including the appointment of a full-time CEO and a national coach. The involvement of Scotiabank is one further step in the process. The CA spokesperson said: “It is important because as the sport grows in Canada in line with the country’s changing demographics and increased demands internationally, so the financial challenges increase.”Canada is set for another boost with rumours that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is about to sign a deal of assistance with them. Arjuna Ranatunga, the Sri Lanka CEO, was in Canada on a short visit recently and agreed to back Canada’s national side. However, concerns were raised about the level of the support given SLC’s well-publicised financial problems.And, contrary to reports, it is unlikely that Scotiabank’s support will lead to Canadian cricketers becoming professionals, at least in the short term. “There are a host of other factors involved in that process,” said the spokesperson. “But it is certainly a major positive step forward for cricket generally in Canada.”
Ireland have the Intercontinental Cup final all but won after a dominant first-day performance with both bat and ball that left Canada down and virtually out. In the morning session Ireland’s bowlers ripped the Canadians to shreds, and then Jeremy Bray cut loose with the bat, his brutal 146 underlining the gulf between the sides.Canada’s poor preparation for the match – not entirely of their own doing – was starkly evident almost from the first ball. Trent Johnston rightly chose to field first to make the most of any lingering moisture, and the move paid off as a succession of batsmen failed to cope with good seam bowling, their technical deficiencies at the crease which most proved to be their undoing.Failing to move their feet to the prodigious swing from Johnston and Dave Langford-Smith, Canada’s top three were each trapped lbw, with Jon Davison departing in the first over. That set the tone, and the writing was on the wall once Ashish Bagai shouldered arms to one that cut back in and in so doing lost his off bail.The middle order was no match for Ireland’s change bowlers either, with Thinus Fourie – replacing Boyd Rankin for this match – being rewarded for accuracy with 3 for 31 and Kevin O’Brien 2 for 4. Ireland were slick in the field as well, as exemplified by William Porterfield’s excellent low catch at point off a fierce cut from Qaiser Ali.Canada were 75 for 9 at lunch and the innings only lasted a few minutes into the afternoon. It was not hard to see why the Canadian board and selectors had stayed at home while the Irish were out in force.
The only hope Canada had was quick wickets, and lots of them. But Bray and Porterfield saw the shine off the new ball and then began to open up. If Canada had watched any of Bray’s innings during the World Cup, they had not learned anything, and they repeatedly gave him the width to unleash his trademark savage cuts and drives. By tea he had made 71 out of 97 for 0.Briefly after the break, Canada looked interested, but then Bray really opened up and it was like watching a sports car race away from traffic lights as Ireland disappeared out of sight. Two rasping straight drives and a slash through the covers brought Bray his hundred off 112 balls – 82 had come in boundaries – and Porterfield, until then content to let his partner dominate, also began to find the gaps to reach his own fifty off a more sedate 120 balls.Bagai chopped and changed his bowlers without success, and Bray grew increasingly carefree. He brought up the 200 with a deft leg glance but the next ball he played a tired slash and was caught at slip. Two balls later, Porterfield followed with the thinnest of edges to the keeper.Peter Gillespie followed Porterfield back to the pavilion shortly before the close, trapped in front by Samad, but it was no more than a consolation. Canada’s dreadful day was summed up three overs from the close when a wild throw – in a hopeless attempt of a run-out – sped through for four overthrows.Ireland’s batting is their real strength and they will press on tomorrow with 500 and a declaration around tea in mind. Canada will need to persevere and take heart from the last session today, but the reality is they are up against a much better side, and one that is professional in everything but name.
South Africa’s players are understood to be upset about the allegedly spin-friendly track at Newlands, the venue of the first Test against Australia starting today.Christo Erasmus, the groundsman who has already announced his intention to retire after this Test, said the South Africans had conveyed their disappointment. “They came to me and said they thought there would be more green grass,” he told . “I told them that you don’t need green grass to get pace and bounce. The fuss has been made too big. It’s the same story every year.”I’ve learnt to live with them being upset or not. It’s water off a duck’s back. Maybe the guys who are kicking up the biggest fuss will be the ones who score the most runs. Regardless what they see, it won’t be a raging turner like the SCG.”Erasmus said that the prevailing dry conditions took a toll on the pitch. “I want to prepare good pitches,” he said. “We must also ensure the Test last five days so that spectators can get value for their money.”Ricky Ponting said the pitch will assist his spinners. “It looks a bit bald on both sides. This will help our spinners,” he said. “In Melbourne and Sydney [in December and January against South Africa], we went in with both spinners on wickets that were quite juicy on day one, and as it turned out we ended up winning both of those games.”However, Ponting believes that the dry pitches could aid reverse-swing and thinks that South Africa have the wherewithal to exploit it. “I think it will be an issue through the series,” Ponting said. “I actually brought it up in the team meeting. It’s the end of the summer, the wickets are going to be fairly dry I would imagine. The ball reversed a little bit down in Durban in the one-day game. The outfield and ground are a lot harsher than here so it might do a little bit more down there.”It’s pretty much the same sort of time as when we were playing in England. It’s the end of their summer, dry wickets, the ball went a lot over there so we expect it to do a fair bit here as well.”The South Africans had requested the pitch to favour their seam attack. “I don’t think it’s any secret we are looking for wickets with a little bit of grass in it,” Micky Arthur, the South Africa coach, said. “We want to try and negate the Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill factor.”