Queensland have looked back in their bid to move off the foot of the Pura Cup table by picking the batsman Martin Love after his lengthy comeback from knee surgery. Rather than blooding a new player in the final three games, the Bulls, who have not won in seven attempts this season, have recalled Love, 33, in place of another veteran in Clint Perren for the match against Western Australia from Monday.Love, the state’s leading run-scorer, made 0 and 10 against the Warriors in November and re-proved his fitness with 187 for the Queensland Academy of Sport. He will be joined in the squad by Shane Watson, who has recovered from another hamstring injury. Watson will not bowl in the match to help his fragile body.Aaron Nye has been dropped and Scott Brant, the Gold Coast swing bowler, has come into the squad. The game will be Michael Kasprowicz’s final first-class appearance for the Bulls after his decision to retire.Adam Voges, who was in the national squad last week, will miss the contest for Western Australia with a slight hamstring injury. However, Marcus North, the captain, has regained fitness from a degenerative knee problem and will lead the Warriors, who are in third spot, 12 points behind the leaders New South Wales and Victoria.Queensland squad Ryan Broad, Jimmy Maher (capt), Greg Moller, Martin Love, Shane Watson, Chris Simpson, Chris Hartley (wk), Ashley Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz, Daniel Doran, Scott Brant, Grant Sullivan.Western Australia squad Justin Langer, Chris Rogers, Marcus North (capt), Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Luke Ronchi (wk), Liam Davis, Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Ben Edmondson, Mathew Inness, Steve Magoffin.
James Hopes has failed to recover from his thigh strain in time for Queensland’s limited-overs match against South Australia at Brisbane on Wednesday. Hopes hurt his leg on the first day of the Pura Cup clash between the two sides on Friday but the Bulls remain confident it will not be a long-term injury.Ryan Broad has been rewarded for his 95 in Queensland’s first innings and will replace Hopes at the top of the order. Ray Phillips, the Bulls’ chairman of selectors, said Hopes was expected to be fit for the Ford Ranger Cup final on February 25 should the top-of-the-table Queensland make it.”If the final had been this week, then James probably could have played at a pinch but with ten days until the final, the medical staff recommended he miss Wednesday’s game in order to be 100% for February 25,” Phillips said.The Bulls have made two more forced changes from their last one-day game more than two weeks ago, with Shane Watson now on national duty and Michael Kasprowicz out with an abdominal strain. Nathan Reardon, the allrounder, and Scott Brant, the fast bowler, were both included in the 12-man squad.South Australia made three changes to their line-up, recalling Callum Ferguson and regaining Darren Lehmann from his hamstring injury and Shaun Tait from his ODI call-up. Ken Skewes, Mark Cleary and James Smith made way for the returning trio.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Ryan Broad, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Aaron Nye, Michael Buchanan, Chris Simpson, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Scott Brant.South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Callum Ferguson, Mark Cosgrove, Darren Lehmann (capt), Nathan Adcock, Simon Roberts, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Shaun Tait.
Inzamam-ul-Haq acknowledged that the absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi will hamper Pakistan’s chances in the remaining two one-day internationals against India.”The Pakistan team is poorer due to the absence of players like Shoaib and Afridi,” he wrote in his column for . “Both have very important roles to play as bowlers. Because both Shoaib and Afridi won’t be playing in the next two one-day internationals, this would surely have an adverse effect on the team’s combination. But in this time of crisis we really are helpless. Still, we’d try our best to win the last two one-dayers.”Inzamam also chose to clear the air about Shoaib’s injury, maintaining that the fast bowler had been ruled out purely on a fitness basis. “Shoaib has been ruled out of the Pakistan team because of his fitness problems,” he said. “His injury has given rise to a new controversy within the country as well as internationally. Almost everyone has termed his injury as something `mysterious’ and rumours have started to fly around in a sickeningly rampant manner.” Inzamam remained skeptical, however, about Shoaib’s chances for the immediate future. “Shoaib’s stress fracture of his left ankle is infinitely more serious and I have a feeling that he won’t be able even to make next month’s tour of Sri Lanka,” he added.Refuting calls for himself and Younis Khan to bat higher up the order, Inzamam said that Pakistan’s gameplan would remain the same. “In the series against India, we have been playing our matches with a long batting line-up,” he said. “We took a chance with Shahid Afridi by sending him to open the innings. Unfortunately, this decision back-fired. In the remaining matches, we plan to send Shoaib Malik at one-down, Mohammad Yousuf at number four, I will come in at the fifth spot and Younis will bat at the number six position.”Lamenting Pakistan’s poor performance in the field, Inzamam called on his players to step it up.”Both matches at Multan and Karachi are going to be crucial for us. Where the last two games were concerned, I would lay the blame on our sub-standard fielding for our defeats,” he said. “In Lahore, our fielding was so pathetic that the players couldn’t even block straight fours on eight occasions. We have been trying during our practice sessions that our fielding ability improves. If we are unable to manage that, then I’m afraid we won’t be able to defend the series.”The remaining fixtures are at Multan on Thursday and on Sunday at Karachi.
Belinda Clark struck a magnificent 86 to lift Australia to an easy victory against New Zealand in the first one-dayer of the three-match Rose Bowl series at Perth. Australia rattled up 207 from their 50 overs, before shooting out the visitors for 120, the perfect start to their final preparations for the impending World Cup in South Africa. The defending champions New Zealand, however, must improve their batting in the next match if they are to stay in the hunt in this three-match series.The captain Clark played a typically charismatic innings on her way to 86 from 114 balls. She received strong support from Mel Jones: they put on 97 for the third wicket before the medium-pacer Nicola Browne trapped Clark lbw to break the stand (3 for 176). Jones crunched 55 from 78 before becoming one of four run-out victims as Australia wobbled late on. But the damage had already been done.New Zealand made a nightmare start to their reply, as they slumped to 2 for 3. It was a position they could not recover from, and wickets tumbled steadily from there on in, as Australia’s bowlers turned the screw. It was a polished performance from the Australian attack: no bowler went for more than three runs an over, with Clea Smith the pick, returning figures of 2 for 29 from her ten overs. New Zealand pulled up 87 runs short, more than aware that they have a rebuilding task on their hands when the series resumes at the WACA on Saturday (March 12).
The Electrolux Indian Cricketer of the Year was chosen through a peoples’ choice vote. All performances from September 2002 to August 2003 were considered. The results are: The Winner Rahul Dravid Dravid was his usual reliable self, featuring in many vital rescue operations. But his greatest contribution to India’s successful one-day campaigns was his willingness to double up as wicketkeeper, which allowed India the luxury of seven batsmen. At The Oval against England, he saved India with an epic 217 in the last Test; in the Champion’s Trophy, he, along with Mohammad Kaif, kept India alive in the first match against Zimbabwe with a doughty 75. He then chipped in with a hundred in the first Test against West Indies, and rounded things off in the World Cup with vital halfcenturies against England and Pakistan.TestsM6 R496 HS217 Av62.00 100s2 50s1 ODIsM30 R854 HS109* Av47.44 100s1 50s5The other nominees Sourav Ganguly Ganguly was among the top run-getters in the World Cup, with three centuries – though closer examination will reveal that all these came against weak opposition. His other one-day century came in a grudge match against England in the Champions Trophy, but even here he was overshadowed by Virender Sehwag. But Ganguly is in the reckoning more for his inspirational leadership which took India to the finals of the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. Ganguly’s biggest strength has been his ability to rouse the young members of his side to their full potential, and under him India have acquired a new toughness and stomach for combat.Tests in 2002-03M6 R129 HS51 Av14.33 50s1 ODIs in 2002-03M32 R1090 HS117* Av43.60 100s4 50s5Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan has only gotten better and better. He was easily India’s best new-ball bowler of the season and, who knows, if Ganguly had won a couple of tosses in New Zealand, Zaheer could well have bowled India to a series victory. In India, he was impressive in the Tests against West Indies, bowling an incisive spell to restrict them in the first innings at Mumbai. His one-day performances were top-class right through: his opening spells were always testing and he was superb at the death, bowling a fuller length and slipping in the odd slower ball. He had a superb World Cup till Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden spoilt his party in the final.TestsM5 W21 BB5-29 Av18.19 5W/I2 ODIsM26 W40 BB4/19 Av21.45Virender Sehwag Sehwag scored five breathless hundreds in the season, none more devastating than his 104-ball 126 against England in the Champions Trophy, where he scattered fast bowlers with the freedom of a batsman practising big shots in the nets. Against West Indies at Mumbai he scored his first Test century at home, a blazing 147 that laid the platform for India’s win. Two other one-day hundreds came in New Zealand, in a series where no other batsman crossed into triple figures. His World Cup was moderate: he got plenty of starts, but wasted most of them; his best innings came in the final, in a losing cause.TestsM6 R338 HS147 Av33.80 100s1 50s1 ODIsM35 R1274 HS126 Av39.81 100s4 50s5Mohammad Kaif Kaif was at the forefront of a most astonishing Indian fightback in the final of the NatWest Series against England at Lord’s when, with Yuvraj Singh for ebullient company, and a combined age of 41 to ward off the demons of failure, Kaif compiled an innings of quite staggering certainty. His very next outing, against Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy, produced a similar blend of audacity and industry to rescue India from an equally bleak situation. And though his scores fell away during the World Cup, his reflexes and athleticism in the field were a vital component of India’s march to the final, as typified by his pick-up-and-swoop from mid-on to run out Nick Knight in the group match at Durban.ODIsM 35 R 620 HS 111* Av 24.80 100s 1 50s 2 Yuvraj Singh Tall, domineering and with a straight drive like a golf swing, Yuvraj is the answer to a million mid-innings collapses. For so long, India’s exalted batting line-up has been a top-heavy affair, frequently lacking in ballast at the crucial moments. That accusation stands no longer. With Yuvraj striding to the crease at No. 6, no cause is ever lost, and few 21-year-olds can express their intentions with such princely eloquence. Yuvraj has passed fifty on 13 occasions in one-day internationals. No fewer than 12 of these have resulted in an Indian victory, the most remarkable of which was probably the triumph in the NatWest final. He is the epitome of a new breed of Indian cricketer, unencumbered by past failures and fired by the optimism of youth. When Yuvraj is on song, India dances to the refrain.ODIsM 33 R 726 HS 102* Av 31.56 100s 1 50s 6
Pakistan breathed a sigh of relief in Christchurch today when keeping their ICC Under-19 World Cup aspirations alive by qualifying for the Super League series when beating England by six wickets.Having been beaten by Nepal in their match, the Pakistanis were in a must-win situation today and they made the most of it after winning the toss and putting England in.England were soon in trouble with their two openers back in the pavilion with only 22 runs on the board.However, Nicky Peng maintained the consistent form he has shown with the bat this summer to score a handy 59 off 83 balls and with assistance from Gordon Muchall (18), Bilal Shafayat (21) and Kyle Hogg (40) built a position of reasonable advantage.But England could well have done with extra runs in the two overs they missed out on as a result of being dismissed in 48.1 overs.Irfan-ud-Din used his off-spin to good effect to take four for 42 from his 10 overs, including the key wickets of Peng and Hogg.Pakistan made a solid start which wasn’t spectacular but was certainly effective. Opener Salman Butt scored his 35 off 93 balls while his partner Kamran Younis scored 15 off 41 balls. Thirty-five runs were scored for the first wicket and then a key 83 runs for the second wicket as Khaqan Arsal joined Butt to score 62 off 76 balls.Kamran Sajid was 22 not out out and Asim Butt scored 20 to round out a Pakistan batting effort which saw the side home to their six wicket win in the 45th over.Tim Bresnan took three wickets for 46 runs for England.
VVS Laxman, with an unbeaten 346, created Ranji history by becomingthe first batsman to score two triple hundreds in the 65 year oldcompetition as Hyderabad rubbed Karnataka’s nose in the dirt for thesecond day running in their Ranji Trophy semifinal at the MChinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday.Undeterred by the loss of Mohd. Azharuddin for 123 in the seventh overof the day, after a 288 run fourth wicket association, Laxman marchedserenely onward, abetted by two able partners in Vanka Pratap andParth Satwalkar. Cuts, drives, pulls and flicks all flowed inprofusion from Laxman’s blade as he played every shot in the bookexcept the hook to lift Hyderabad to an invincible position of 663/6at close of play.Azhar and Laxman began in frenetic fashion in the morning, takingseven boundaries off Prasad and Ganesh in the first six overs. Azharescaped a run out appeal when Mithun Beerala threw down the stumpsfrom point with a direct hit. He also tried to pull a shortish onefrom Prasad but the ball lobbed off the edge, landing just short ofmid on. The danger signals were there and in the same over as the twoafore mentioned incidents, Prasad had his revenge. Driving away fromhis body, Azhar presented a catch to Vijay Bharadwaj at second slipwho grabbed it with alacrity.Laxman survived another chance at 194 when Bharadwaj stretched to hisright at first slip and got both hands to the ball but it justwouldn’t stick. Laxman duly got to his double ton with a gentle pushthrough the on side to leave everyone wondering what the final harvestwould be. Vanka Pratap played some elegant on drives, both the loftedversion and all along the ground as he added 124 for the fourth wicketwith VVS before Joshi bowled him round his legs when he missed anintended sweep.Satwalkar continued the good work, holding up one end, and permittingLaxman to forage for runs without a care in the world. Laxman simplylooked unstoppable and although the Karnataka attack toiled manfullythey were clueless on where to bowl to him. Indeed they seemed tothrow in the towel at one point as the irregular bowlers, B Akhil andA Vijay conducted the proceedings when Laxman reached the vicinity ofhis triple hundred. He got to the landmark with a push into the coversthat was worth only a single but for the kindness of Venkatesh Prasadwho managed to give away an overthrow from close range.Satwalkar departed in the first over after tea, caught behind by Naiduoff Akhil for 37. In one final flourish, Laxman hit Joshi over longoff for the first six of the day and the second of his innings, andalso lofted Ganesh for back to back boundaries over cover andmidoff. After Riaz Sheikh was sixth out at 636, the shutters werepulled down as Laxman and Fiaz Ahmed played for the morrow. ThilakNaidu had been immune to the fielding lapses all this while and gaveaway his first bye with the score at 646 although five more followedsoon after when the ball went through to hit the helmet behind him. Aclutch of records beckon tomorrow when Laxman resumes his innings andHyderabad will probably have no compunctions in snuffing out the lastembers of Karnataka’s resolve by extending their innings for plentymore.
Joe Gomez is expected to move away from Liverpool this summer, with rivals Everton and Antonio Conte’s Tottenham among the teams interested in his signature.
While Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is believed to want Gomez to stay and remain apart of the squad, he doesn’t know where the Englishman can fit in, and with game-time not at all guaranteed at Anfield, a sale is expected.
His departure could provide some of the more younger players an opportunity to become apart of the first team squad, including Sepp van den Berg, who has become a fan favourite at Preston having spent the last year there, after joining on-loan back in February 2021.
The Dutchman would effectively be a like-for-like replacement for Gomez versatility wise, with both players showing competence at playing in the right-back position as well as playing in the centre of defence.
Having played in 40 games in all competitions already this season, van den Berg has scored two goals and kept 13 clean sheets – becoming one of the first names on the team sheet at Deepdale.
Averaging a 7.03 in his second season in the Championship, the 20-year-old hasn’t made a single error which has led to a goal and is making 2.2 tackles per game as well as accurately completing 75% of his passes.
In addition, the youngster who was dubbed “complete” and compared to German defender Mats Hummels by scout Jacek Kulig, is completing on average 1.7 interceptions and 3.2 clearances per game, as well as 73% of his dribble attempts and 63% of his duels, while giving away less than one foul per game.
Branded “quality” by teammate Ryan Ledson, van den Berg himself believes this will be his last loan spell at Preston, with bigger things in mind – saying previously: ” I have felt all of the love I’ve gotten ever since I came here and I really appreciate it.
“It means a lot to me and helps me. You never know, but I reckon after this season that it unfortunately has to come to an end.”
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Despite being valued at just £2.7m by Transfermarkt, he arrived at Anfield back in 2019 for £1.71m, and will be looking to add onto his four senior appearances for the Reds next season, and Gomez’ departure could give him a great opportunity to do so.
In other news: Liverpool now plotting bid to sign £36m-rated “magician”, just imagine him & Jota
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s captain in the limited-over formats, has urged his team-mates to respect the international guidelines for on-field behaviour in the wake of the Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds controversy. He said there would be some allowance for “chit-chat” between players as long as there was nothing untoward being uttered.”Whoever the players are, they know the international guidelines that are set out to be followed,” he said, when asked about the importance of player behaviour in the forthcoming limited-over games. “Each and every player should respect it. It is the responsibility of an individual more than their skipper to know the limitations and to know where they stand.”It was reported that the Australian players were unhappy over Harbhajan’s reprieve, given that he had been handed a three-match ban in the first hearing. Dhoni would also remember the World Twenty20 match in Durban last year, a match that marked the start of the fractious relationship between the two sides.”We don’t really care about whatever has happened so far,” he said a day before the Twenty20 international in Melbourne. “It’s a fresh start and we’re going to play some good cricket. There’s always chit-chat going on between the players. If nothingcontroversial is said, I think both the teams will be happy with it. We can’t just shut up and play. It’s cricket and you’ve got to do lots of things with the bat and the ball and there should be chit-chat out on the ground.”Dhoni preferred that contentious catches be referred to the third umpire, a procedure which was used in the final two Tests of the series. Before the first Test in Melbourne, Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting had agreed to take the fielders word but reviewed the pact after the controversial Sydney Test. “I believe in referring it to the third umpire,” Dhoni said. “A fielder can mislead so it’s important that it’s referred to the third umpire.”Was he expecting a hostile reception from a crowd that’s expected to be close to 90,000? “If they are not on the field it does not really matter,” he said. “We don’t care whether we receive a hostile reception or not. In Eden Gardens there are 100,000 spectators, in Kochi there are 80,000 spectators. Still, this is a huge ground and playing in front of such numbers would be exciting.”
Stephen Fleming is confident that recalled opener Lou Vincent can once again rise to the occasion against Australia when the two sides meet in the next CB series match on Sunday. Vincent, who has played 87 ODIs and spent his teenage years in Adelaide, has flown to Perth to join the New Zealand squad following Nathan Astle’s shock retirement.Vincent is expected to open the batting alongside Fleming and should have fond memories of the WACA ground after scoring a century on Test debut there in 2001.Fleming said although Astle’s retirement was a blow, Vincent was a capable replacement. “It changes the fabric,” he said, referring to the loss of Astle. “But you get Lou in, who has got skills to offer, and he’s experienced.”Not the experience that Nathan has got, but he has played against these guys quite a bit. He has opened the batting for New Zealand a lot. He has worked hard after getting a setback at home and he is coming into form, which is a positive sign.”Astle’s departure also increases the pressure on Fleming, who has himself been battling for form in the CB Series. However, Fleming believes he and Vincent can create a successful partnership at the top of the order.”My view is that I obviously need to get the majority of the runs, being the experienced player, and I haven’t done that so far. Lou can create a strike-rate with the way he plays and if he comes off then it makes my job easier.”New Zealand are contemplating resting Shane Bond for Sunday’s game, with oppressively hot conditions forecast. Kyle Mills’ comeback could also be delayed because of the heat.Fleming said his team wanted to beat Australia, but admitted their main focus was on finishing above England in the tri-series in order to reach the finals. He added this would be reflected in team selection, with New Zealand to play England again on Tuesday in a match that could decide which side made the finals.”You have got to prioritise a little bit,” he said. “You want to win each game and I want to beat Australia, but we have to be smart about our resources and look towards the finals, if we can get there.”But he remained confident Australia were within reach despite being unbeaten after five games. “Of course they are beatable, but you have to play well to do it and we haven’t played well enough so far. We played OK in Sydney and got close. We’ve competed in good areas for pockets, just not long enough. I don’t think we are too far away.”