Ten days ago, the South Africans would have swaggered into Kingsmead like a top gladiator into the Circus Maximus, but after the 123-run capitulation at the Wanderers, the step has become a little less sure, and the brows a little more creased with worry. Apart from Australia, and Pakistan in Azhar Mahmood’s match, no team has won here since South Africa returned from isolation. India drew in 1992-93, on the back of a doughty century on debut from Pravin Amre, but were thrashed in ’96-’97 on a pitch that afforded extravagant movement off the seam.Yet, when confronted with a bit of movement at Johannesburg, it was South Africa that folded tamely, lasting just a few minutes longer than a Twenty20 innings, and Graeme Smith has a huge task on his hands to restore morale ahead of what has become a must-win game. And it wasn’t only the batsmen that let the team down at the Wanderers. With the exception of Shaun Pollock who was quite magnificent, the bowlers bowled far too short, buying into the stereotype of Indian frailty against pace rather than making optimum use of the conditions.Dale Steyn, who was supposed to rattle the cage with the new ball, barely induced a stroke and limped off after 10.1 overs, and with Makhaya Ntini also off-colour, India’s marquee batsmen all produced innings that were worth far more than a cursory look at the scorecard suggests. With the exception of Ashwell Prince, and Jacques Kallis, who got starts in both innings before falling to Sreesanth’s wonderfully controlled swing bowling, no South African batsman could do the same.The rot started right at the top. During his tenure as captain, Smith hasoften led from the front, scoring superb centuries in England and NewZealand that inspired famous victories. Throughout this series though,both he and Herschelle Gibbs have appeared highly suspect, and a change iscertain at Kingsmead. At the press conference on Saturday, Smith confirmedthat AB de Villiers, who opened with him against Australia a few monthsago, would move up the order, with Gibbs moved all the way down to No.6.It will also be massive game for Hashim Amla, who has captainKwazulu-Natal at provincial level. Prolific in domestic cricket, he hasyet to convince at this level, and there’s always the additional andunfair pressure of being one of the poster boys of the controversialtransformation process. The likes of Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaarwait in the shadows, and you also wonder how long it will be before NeilMcKenzie gets an opportunity to resume a stop-start career that has neverdone justice to what is undoubtedly a special talent.Smith spoke of how he had worked with Jimmy Cook, formerly of Somerset andthe Transvaal Mean Machine, and “just getting away from it” in a bid torediscover the scoring touch. He might also need to revisit the all-pacebowling strategy, though Paul Harris’s left-arm spin is unlikely tofeature even if Steyn fails to recover from his quadriceps strain.Morne Morkel is tipped for a debut, having impressed against the Indiansat Potchefstroom. His display there told you just why the likes of AllanDonald rate him so highly, but a Test match in such circumstances mightask an awful lot of a young man, even one with a wonderful future. Thesameness of their attack has been South Africa’s Achilles Heel in recenttimes, especially when compared to the likes of Australia and England, andMorkel’s inclusion won’t alleviate that problem.Despite the Wanderers fiasco, South Africa remain favourites on a bouncyKingsmead pitch that will certainly be quicker than the two-paced surfacein Johannesburg. Having been blanked 3-0 by Australia earlier this year,defeat against India doesn’t bear thinking about. If Kingsmead offersredemption, some might look back on what happened at the Wanderers as anaberration. But if it turns out to be a harbinger of things to come,either Smith or Mickey Arthur will surely have to pay the price.
A three-hour delayed start due to overnight rain denied any chances of a result as the match between Guyana and Leeward Islands ended in a drawat St Maarten. Guyana opted not to enforce the follow-on after dismissing Leewards for 349 and instead chose to bat out the rest of the day. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the captain, and Narsingh Deonarine played out the 33 overs remaining, scoring 65 not out and 58 not out respectively. Guyana finished on 159 for 2, with Adam Sanford taking both wickets.Earlier, Deonarine took the last three Leeward Islands’ wickets to finish with his career-best figures of 5 for 94 from 28.4 overs. With this draw, Guyana gain six points for the first-innings lead. Krishna Arjune picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his innings of 157.
Brett Lee will knock back "four or five" English county offers after Cricket Australia advised him to stay fresh for the Ashes. Despite a summer that has carried six Tests as 12th man, Lee will not use the break between the New Zealand tour in March and the start of the Ashes Tour in June for match practice.Neil Maxwell, Lee’s manager, said Lee had talks with the Australia selectors and was expected to decline a lucrative short-term contract. "They are keen for him to give it a miss and we would be silly not to follow their advice,” Maxwell told the Daily Telegraph. "They felt it would be too much of a drain on him.”While the selectors have asked him to slow down, Lee’s team-mates are telling him to hurry up because his run-up is threatening to cost them extra time and money. Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann have both advised him to speed up as Australia have regularly fallen behind their over rates during the VB Series."It is an issue for us,” Lehmann said. “That’s probably why we sometimes have to bowl myself and Andrew Symonds – probably not at the ideal time – to make sure we get our overs in. Lee’s got a long run, he knows that. He’s got to be quicker through his overs."Ponting told the Daily Telegraph "it was a bit of a concern". "There are times when sometimes I am forced to bowl the spinners when I probably wouldn’t want to because we are so far behind," he said. When a side fails to bowl its overs each player is fined 5% of their match fee per over and the captain’s loss is doubled. “It is something we have to address and get better at,” Ponting said.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian Cricket board, said that there were no plans to reschedule the planned Pepsi Triangular Tournament ODI against Australia on November 1 following the recent bomb blasts in the city which left 49 people dead and hundreds more injured.”There will be no change in the venue,” Dalmiya told reporters at a news conference in Calcutta. “It’s up to the government to look after security matters.”Dalmiya added that it was the responsibility of the government to provide extra security surrounding the match, were it deemed necessary. “It’s up to the Home Ministry to look into it. Who in the country can provide better security than the government?”
The Konica Queensland Fire will look to use the unexpected bonus ofpractice matches against world champions New Zealand this month toresurrect their faltering Women’s National League campaign.Queensland suffered their second successive defeat in as many rounds inthe WNCL over the weekend, losing both of their matches against NSW atDrummoyne Oval in Sydney.The Fire fought well on Saturday but lost comfortably on Sunday to leavethem winless so far this season.However Queensland will have the chance to put their house in orderlater this month with the New Zealand White Ferns coming to Brisbane toplay three matches.New Zealand had been scheduled to tour India but cancelled their visitin light of the international situation. Instead, they will play matchesagainst Queensland on December 17, 19 and 20 as part of their build-upto the coming series against Australia, the team they defeated in theWorld Cup Final at the start of the year.The first game of the mini-tour on December 17 will be at Allan BorderField with the remaining two games at the Gabba. All games will be daymatches.The Fire’s remaining WNCL matches are in January against the SouthernScorpions in Adelaide and the Western Fury at Allan Border Field.New Zealand will play a home and away series against the AustralianSouthern Stars team in February.
As per Italian news outlet Calciomercato.it, there has been a big update on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans for Juventus star and soon-to-be free agent Paulo Dybala.
The Lowdown: Spurs eye Dybala move…
According to reports recently, Tottenham are one of several Premier League sides in the mix to sign Dybala as a free agent with there still being no sign of a contract extension at Juve.
His current deal expires later this year with 90min claiming in February that Spurs and manager Antonio Conte were offered a chance to sign the Argentine.
Indeed, Dybala’s representatives have allegedly been sounding out potential landing spots and Calciomercato.it now say that Tottenham have made their first move pre-summer.
The Latest: Tottenham take ‘first steps’…
As shared by the Italian news outlet, Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have ‘already taken their first steps’ to sign Dybala alongside European heavyweights Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.
They also say Spurs are one of the clubs who have made an ‘offer’ to the forward’s entourage – with the outlet going on to cite ‘La Stampa’ whilst claiming Dybala has rejected this proposal and all other foreign approaches.
The Verdict: Keep trying…
The South American star apparently favours staying at Juve but the Serie A giants are now having great ‘doubts’ over his proposed stay in Turin.
This could potentially hand Spurs another chance as managing director Fabio Paratici chases Dybala for Conte.
Described as ‘one of the most important players’ in Italy’s top flight by Calciomercato.it, the 28-year-old has bagged 12 goals and six assists in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).
He can play across the forward line as a centre-forward, second striker and out wide (Transfermarkt), coming as a useful option for Conte in a variety of attacking roles.
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Valued at £45 million by Transfermarkt, evidence of his terrific form, bypassing this fee and signing him for nothing would be a masterstroke by Paratici at Spurs.
Currently in the prime of his career, a second attempt to sign Dybala must be made, with former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson even claiming he would be a ‘massive’ signing for any side.
In other news: Spurs may now lose player tipped to be ‘really important’, he’s eyeing a north London exit! Find out more here.
Victoria’s fast-bowling stocks have been bolstered with the recalls of Shane Harwood and Dirk Nannes for the Pura Cup match against the leaders New South Wales on Friday. The Blues hold a two-point advantage over the Bushrangers after four games, but the home team won the FR Cup match at the MCG on Wednesday night.”It’s a top-of-the-table clash and the Blues have obviously got some big names, but if you try to play the reputations, you’re already dead in the water,” Victoria’s Andrew McDonald said. “We’ve had some good wins of late so that gives us some confidence and hopefully we can put it together in this clash.”Harwood and Nannes, who took 3 for 28 on Wednesday, come in for Cameron White, the captain who has a broken foot, and Clint McKay, who has an ankle injury. Brad Hodge will lead the side again in White’s absence.New South Wales have been hit by the withdrawal of Phil Jaques, who has the mumps, while Brett Lee will miss the match to rest. Michael Clarke is also in some doubt due to hamstring soreness.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Robert Quiney, Brad Hodge (capt), David Hussey, Nick Jewell, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), Gerard Denton, Shane Harwood, Allan Wise, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, Peter Forrest, Simon Katich (capt), Michael Clarke, Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Grant Lambert, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.
A sensational spell of seam bowling from Sreesanth inspired a rampage like few others in India’s cricket history, as South Africa were shot out for 84, their lowest total since readmission to the international scene. Only once had a home team capitulated for less against India – Australia collapsed for 83 at Melbourne in 1981, though that was the final innings of the match – as South Africa were positively outplayed on a day where 20 wickets tumbled at the Wanderers.India’s batsmen had a chance to control the game either side of the bowling carnage. Sourav Ganguly almost ran out of partners in the morning, before a surprising burst from No.11 VRV Singh boosted the total to 249 and allowed Ganguly to complete a pugnacious half-century. VVS Laxman’s classy unbeaten 42 stretched the overall lead to beyond 300 as India inched closer to their first Test win in South Africa.History might have pointed to India’s batsmen crumbling against South Africa’s pace battery but their fast bowlers reversed the trend dramatically at the Wanderers, conjuring up an incandescent spell in conducive conditions. And it was largely thanks to Sreesanth’s glittering maiden five-wicket haul.Starting with a peach of an inswinger to dismiss Graeme Smith, then replicating the delivery to the right-handed Hashim Amla, summoning a jaffa to undo Jacques Kallis, screaming past Mark Boucher’s defences and swinging out Shaun Pollock with a fuller one, Sreesanth was simply unstoppable. The seam position rarely wavered, the swing was mostly controlled and the pace was up near the 140 kph mark. In ten overs, he administered to South Africa a dose of their own medicine.Kallis’s dismissal summed up the story. First over after lunch. First ball shaped away and ricocheted off the splice; the second shaped away and turned Kallis inside out; and the third one, the , shaped away yet again, kissed the edge and flew to second slip. It was seam bowling of the highest class and South Africa’s best batsman was made to look like a novice.Sreesanth wasn’t without support. Zaheer Khan’s lifter that accounted for AB de Villiers, taking off from a good length and deflecting off the outstretched bat, was simply unplayable. The fielding – Virender Sehwag’s superb catch at gully and Laxman’s sharp takes at second slip -backed them up spiritedly as India entered unfamiliar territory in an overseas Test. Ashwell Prince and Andre Nel ensured against abject humiliation – Nel frustrated India with both his cross-batted swipes and cheeky outstretched tongue – but Kumble returned, removed the sticky Prince and blasted through Makhaya Ntini’s defences.
It was a frenetic day, one that began with India losing their way and then recovering due to a battling effort from Ganguly and some hilarious slogging from VRV Singh. Ganguly, who continued his composed effort from last evening, appeared to be running out of partners at 205 for 9 but VRV Singh not only provided him valuable support but also crunched a quickfire 29.Ganguly impressed in both attack and defence. A clattered pulled six off the ferocious Ntini was straight out of the memory bank and it was followed by a thumped straight shovel off Kallis. He didn’t farm the strike, allowing VRV Singh a chance to free his arms, and was vindicated by some effective slogs that boosted India’s total. It also allowed Ganguly a chance to get to half-century, a gritty effort in trying circumstances.He played a role in the second dig as well, as India rode on several cameos. Sehwag’s chancy, yet splintering, 29-ball 33 set the tone before Ganguly and Laxman steadied the innings. Laxman was regal in his strokeplay, making exquisite drives and even venturing some confident pulls. A couple of swished straight drives, with the bat in a horizontal position owing to the twist of the wrist, sent gasps around the Bullring.South Africa’s bowlers let them down yet again, favouring a short length on a pitch that demanded pitching it up. Incidentally, Pollock became the first South African, and tenth bowler, to reach the 400-wicket mark, a fully deserving milestone for such a champion peformer. South Africa were expected to have home advantage but they played their part in handing India the advantage on one of the most memorable days in their Test history.Short Cuts Dileep Premachandran at Jo’burgHighlight of the day: On any given Saturday, it would have been ShaunPollock’s 400th wicket, but today he was eclipsed by a young man who canpoint to a haul of 24 Test wickets from five-and-a-half Tests. Sreesanthwas consistently the quickest bowler on either side, and he hit the seamas effortlessly as Glenn McGrath on a good day. Some atrocious battinghelped, but this was a day that will live long in India’s cricket lore, aday when the quick bowlers outgunned the opposition with their weapons ofchoice.Lowlight of the day: Several of the South African batsmen could tussle forthat accolade, but Herschelle Gibbs probably shades it for the half-asleepshot he played to get out. Lucky for him that it’s Mickey Arthur and notRay Jennings that’s coaching the side.Shot of the day: VRV Singh’s swat off Jacques Kallis that screeched to thecover fence. He batted only 19 balls, but his 29 was still more thananything South African managed.Ball of the day: It takes a special ball to get rid of a great batsman,and Sreesanth produced one to Kallis. It arced in a touch and then movedaway just enough to catch the outside edge. That was half the job done.VVS Laxman did the rest, pouching a superb low catch, even as Gangulydived across him.Catch of the day: Pollock’s stunner at mid-off to send off Mahendra SinghDhoni. Most eyes were already on the boundary rope when the shot was hit,but Pollock threw himself to his left, stuck out the left hand and held ondespite landing fairly heavily.Message of the day: Should have been: “Can we change to colouredclothes?”. South Africa have made tremendous progress as a one-day sideover the past two seasons, but their Test displays have been embarrassingat times. Too many of the players seem to be stuck in a complacent secondgear, a state of affairs that shouldn’t be acceptable.Off the park: All eyes turned to the Indian dressing room as SouravGanguly reached 50 in the first innings. Greg Chappell was on his feet andapplauding, like everyone else. Those who expected anything else appear tohave forgotten that Chappell needs a victory as much as every man in theXI. If they can pull it off, it will be an unparalled achievement.
Craig McMillan’s woeful batting form in recent times has prompted David Trist, a former New Zealand and Canterbury coach, to call for his sacking from the national side.McMillan, who contributed just 20 runs from three innings in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against Australia, has been called by Trist as a batsman failing to deliver the goods. “I’ve been a tremendous supporter of Macca over the years, but I believe the bell is tolling for him now. He just hasn’t delivered of late,” Trist told the . “At times he does not seem to bat to a plan and if there is one it’s hard to work out. There was a lack of conviction about his last innings in Christchurch that concerned me.”Trist, who coached New Zealand from 1999 to 2001, offered the name of Mathew Sinclair, who has played as both opener and middle-order batsman for his country, as a suitable replacement. Sinclair performed credibly during New Zealand A’s tour to Sri Lanka during September and October, and Trist has cited the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and West Indies as the ideal platform to finetune the squad for the 2007 World Cup.Another name highlighting the domestic scene is that of Jesse Ryder, the Wellington batsmen who has scored 133 and 79 to get his season off to a flier. With McMillan out of sorts, and the struggling Hamish Marshall, with 47 ODI caps, getting a five-ball duck to go with a 4 against Central Districts in his last match, Ryder has been marked out as a potential name for the upcoming one-day matches against Sri Lanka.However, Vaughn Johnson, the Wellington coach, has quelled rumours that Ryder is set for the international stage. “There is a lot of talk about Jesse Ryder at the moment, but I think the guy needs to be left alone to have another season of domestic cricket,” Johnson told a Wellington daily. “If he has that, then I think he might be a contender for next year. He’s only a kid and he hasn’t got much of a domestic one-day record.”Ryder, 21, has scored 564 runs at 22 at State Shield level but his first-class record is far more impressive with 1369 runs at close to 50, including a highest score of 236.New Zealand host Sri Lanka for a five-match one-day series beginning December 31.
Sourav GangulyOn whether this series would help India in the forthcoming series against Pakistan I thought we played well. I think we played well in Test cricket over the last couple of years. I don’t think this series has any relevance to the Pakistan series, that is still two months away. We will all play some domestic cricket before that series. We’ve beaten Pakistan in Pakistan last year. I think confidence is the key and I’m sure we will go into that series with a lot of confidence.On what India could have taken from this series We just try and keep on winning. At the end of the day it is Test cricket. For us it was important to win these two Test matches, for guys to pick wickets and score runs.On Bangladesh’s second innings collapse I thought the resistance would be a bit better, looking at the way they played in the first innings. We picked 12 wickets in the last session, that’s the way it goes.On enforcing the follow-on I spoke to the bowlers and asked if they were fresh and fit enough to come back and bowl again. They were, so taking their point of view we decided to bowl again.On Mohammad Ashraful I think he is a quality player. He played an outstanding innings, played shots on all sides of the wicket, off both front foot and back foot. We peppered them with short stuff early in the morning but he saw off that phase and then played one of the best Test knocks I’ve seen. I’m sure he is going to serve Bangladesh cricket for a long time. Ashraful played the best innings of the series.On experimenting a bit more in the one-dayers We are looking to give all the newcomers [some] games because we haven’t played one-day cricket in the last 3-4 months. Our one-day cricket needs to be lifted and people need to get an opportunity.On how the Test series will impact the one-dayers I believe in cricket every day is a new day. What you did in the last game, whether it is good or bad, has no relevance on the next game. We will have to wait and see how they play in one-day cricket. I don’t think it is fair to make a comment or statement on their one-day cricket on the basis of how they have done in these two Test matches.On batting well this year but not scoring hundreds It’s happened to me a lot this year. I’ve played well in Test matches this year, whatever opportunity I’ve had, I’ve been able to get runs but I’ve not been able to convert them into hundreds. It’s disappointing because you look forward to getting hundreds. I hope next time when I make a big score I go on to get a hundred.
Irfan PathanOn the Bangladesh tour It’s been a wonderful experience here in Bangladesh so far. I’m happy with my bowling performance and the way things are going. I’ve been bowling well in the last year and I’ve got the reward.On his cricketing journey in the last year In the last one year I’ve learnt so many things. I’ve seen good performances, I’ve seen bad performances. I’ve seen my injuries. It’s been a wonderful experience for me in international cricket so far.On addressing press conferences day-in and day-out These press conferences and awards are not going to come every day. Whenever you are asked to do something, you’ve to enjoy every bit of it. I’m not going to get five wickets every time, and when I don’t nobody is going to ask me for a press conference. It’s good to be asked question and give answers. I’m enjoying every bit of it.Dav WhatmoreOn the positives Bangladesh can take from this series I think what we have seen is the potential to do well. I think the difference between the two sides in the series really is the Man of the Series, Irfan Pathan. I think it’s clear to see that we have to resist the new ball. We are going to have to play better to get a score that is competitive.On the forthcoming Zimbabwe tour The realistic result for us against Zimbabwe is to win. But in saying that, in playing better teams like India I think we need to show bits and pieces, which I think we did. Taking away our second-innings batting, in the first two-and-a-half days, it was a test of character both in bowling and batting. The boys responded very very well and I’m sure we all agree. We just dug in for the last 28 overs. So there is more positives to take out of this game than the previous game.On playing against India Every game is a learning curve for us. It’s a great experience to play aganst a full Indian team. We’re very grateful to the Indians for having come over with a full team.On what to expect in the one-dayers It’s all a package in a one-day game and games can change very quickly so I wouldn’t discount the fact that Bangladesh may scare the opposition a bit.On Ashraful’s innings We are all priviliged to see the innings. We are all lucky to see a 124-ball hundred. Firstly I thought he probably batted better from 100 to 150. It’s nice to know there is somebody in the group who is capable of those things. What he himself would know and would want is the consistency. I would rank it up there with all the hundreds I have seen. His shot-making was something extra special and he was full of confidence.On the frustrations he feels as a coach I’m very lucky to be part of a group that is on a learning curve. They are able to give personal bests and Ashraful and Talha Jubair are examples and also Aftab Ahmad who gave his best. Yes, there is frustration on one hand but there is potential to gain a lot of happiness with the group who want to improve.On batting well in the first innings and crashing in the second Test matches are about the game but you got to keep coming up with performances. The team is growing into that. To be very honest, if you have a close look at that the half hour leading up to being asked to bat again, you will all agree that the team had done enough to avoid the follow on. It was desperately unlucky not to get that extra seven runs.