Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, has been ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury suffered just prior to the team’s scheduled departure for the West Indies. Razzaq sustained the injury during a practice session on Monday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and doctors have said that he might be out for up to three weeks.”I am simply devastated. One moment we are practicing and planning for the big tournament and next moment doctors tell me I am out of it,” Razzaq told agencies. “It is hugely disappointing for me to go out this way,” said Razzaq, who would have been playing in his third World Cup, had it not been for the last-minute injury. Razzaq, who has played 229 ODIs for Pakistan, recently missed the Test series in South Africa because of an elbow injury.”Razzaq suffered the injury during practice and we suspect it may be ligament damage or even a fracture. He is out for three weeks,” PJ Mir, the media manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board, told . “Azhar Mahmood will be his replacement.”Mahmood, who was already kept on standby given the injury worries in the fast bowling line-up. Pakistan were already in a state of confusion as Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the fastbowling spearheads, were in doubt to be fit in time for the World Cup.Shoaib and Asif are currently in England for medical check-ups and were not present for the dope tests conducted by the board on the players in the World Cup squad. Shoaib had pulled out of Pakistan’s tour to South Africa after he picked up a hamstring injury during the second Test at Port Elizabeth. Asif, who played the entire tour, is carrying an elbow injury.The two had tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone in October when the board tested players before the Champions Trophy. They were both handed bans from international cricket but in an unexpected turn of events a drugs tribunal, appointed by the board, reversed the judgement in December on account of the fact that the players were able to prove “exceptional circumstances” for taking the drug.”It is a big blow. We were celebrating Umar Gul’s fitness boost when this sad news came,” Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, was quoted as saying by AFP. Gul had just been cleared to play after an ankle injury threatened his chances of making it to the Caribbean for one-day cricket’s premier tournament.”It is a major blow for us because Razzaq is one of our main players,” Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain said, in reaction to the news of Razzaq’s injury.
Scorecard Uttar Pradesh started their campaign in a disastrous fashion losing to newly-promoted Haryana. Having to chase a mere 145 runs in their second innings, the UP batsmen crumbled against the medium pace of Joginder Sharma and Sachin Rana. Both Sharma and Rana grabbed five wickets apiece and shot out UP for 104. Earlier, after Jyoti Prasad Yadav, the captain, chose to field first at the Green Park Stadium, Uttar Pradesh – led by a five-wicket haul from Praveen Kumar, the 20-year old allrounder- restricted Haryana to 277. Haryana attacked through a four-wicket haul from Joginder Sharma but half-centuries from Shiva Shukla, Gyanendra Pandey and Rizwan Shamshad propelled UP to a 33-run first innings lead. UP then hit Haryana hard through four-wicket hauls from Ashish Winston Zaidi (4 for 61)and Praveen Kumar (4 for 55) to bowl them out for 145 before the batsmen succumbed to the pressure of chasing a final-innings target. Scorecard If pressure of chasing killed them against Haryana, UP were never in the contest in their second round game against Baroda. After UP put up 346, thanks to half centuries from Suresh Raina and Rohit Prakash, Jacob Martin led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 251, his 23rd first-class century, and Connor Williams hit 138 to take Baroda to a mammoth 605, gaining a 259 first-innings lead. Martin’s was a stellar effort as Baroda firmly wrapped their fists around a hapless bowling effort that dented the UP psyche that reflected when the hosts came out to bat again. Not one batsman touched the 40-mark as UP collapsed on the final day and gave Baroda an outright victory. Scorecard Piyush Chawla, the 17-year old legspinner, grabbed a seven-wicket haul and Rizwan Shamshad hit a century to ensure that UP picked their first points of the season, albeit just 2 from a drawn encounter, against Services. Half-centuries from Yashpal Singh and Sarabjit Singh, captain and wicketkeeper, charged Services but Chawla removed both of them enroute to a five-wicket haul to restrict Services to 321 before Shamshad’s first century of the season lifted UP to a 115-run first innings lead. On the final day Chawla and Zaidi grabbed two wickets apiece to almost snatch a outright victory but Jasvir Singh held firm with a fifty as Services ended on 161 for 6. Scorecard The good batting form found against Services continued into the UP’s fourth-round match against an in-form Punjab at Lucknow. This time it was Raina who led the way with a power-packed 127. Kumar and Chawla chipped in their career best scores to lift UP to 433. Punjab’s attempt at a third win this season was thwarted after Zaidi took five and dismissed them for 238, forcing them to follow on However, Dinesh Mongia responded to the crisis with a magnificent unbeaten 175 to save the game.
Scorecard The pivotal point in UP’s campaign – the entry of Mohammad Kaif. Kaif took over the reigns from Jyoti Prasad Yadav and led UP to their first win of the season. Shalabh Srivastava and Zaidi rocked the Hyderabad top order while Chawla blew the tail away as UP shot out Hyderabad for 142 before riding on Kaif’s 91 and Shukla’s 116 to run to a 198-run first innings lead. Chawla starred with the ball again, grabbing a five-for to bowl out Hyderabad for 227 before the UP openers knocked off the 30-run target to achieve their first victory. The tide was finally beginning to turn. Scorecard Kumar starred with an allround performance to propel UP to a win against Andhra at Anantapur in the last league game. First he shone with the bat and powered UP from 262 for 7 to a strong 365 with a breezy 68-ball 78, his career best, with six fours and four sixes. Pandey had earlier lifted them from a shaky 128 for 5 with a patient 253-ball 88 to lay the platform for Kumar to explode later. Kumar then grabbed a five-wicket haul and with a little bit of help from Chawla (3 for 43) bowled out Andhra for 208 and gave UP a 157-run first-innings lead that allowed them to force a follow-on. Andhra fought back through an 84 from Syeb Sahabuddin but Kumar’s second five-for in the match restricted them to 307,setting a target of 151. This time there was no fumbling under pressure of a run-chase. Kaif promoted Kumar to open the batting and the 20-year-old allrounder responded with a half-century before Kaif and Raina put up an unbroken 60-run partnership to charge UP into the semi-finalsSemifinal Scorecard It was an upbeat UP team that entered the semi-final encounter against Mumbai at Wankhede Stadium. And that confidence reflected on the opening day; Kumar and Srivastava shared seven wickets between them to rock the top order before Chawla cleaned up the tail to bowl out Mumbai for 199. Mumbai fought back through a double strike by Aavishkar Salvi which reduced UP to a shaky 13 for 3 before Raina led the UP fightback with a fine 72 and was involved in a 123-run partnership with Kaif (64) to lift UP to a 51-run first innings lead. In the second innings a triple strike by Zaidi left Mumbai reeling at 48 for 4 before a 119-run partnership between Amol Muzumdar and Ramesh Powar and a plucky breezy effort from Vinayak Samant pulled them out of the crisis as they finished on 264, setting a target of as many. Kaif guided UP’s run chase, Raina charged it with a cameo performance, and Shamshad and Jyoti Yadav chipped in with vital contributions that saw UP reach the target with five wickets in hand to enter the final for the third time.
Shoaib Akhtar has been reprimanded by the Pakistan Cricket Board and fined US$500 for displaying “erratic behaviour”, after appearing before a disciplinary committee to answer charges that he had violated his PCB contract.”We have heard Mr Shoaib Akhtar at length and have gone through the record placed before us,” said the PCB in a statement. “We are of the considered opinion that this is a case, at the most, of indiscipline. It seems that [Shoaib] has taken the Code of Conduct very lightly and has displayed erratic behaviour.”The statement added that the PCB hoped Shoaib would abide by the Code of Conduct in future, and “behave in the best interest of cricket and Pakistan”.The committee was chaired by Justice Amir Alam Khan and included Abdul Salam Khawar, Maqbool Elahi Malik and Syed Asghar Haider, the PCB’s legal adviser. This hearing took place a day before the Pakistani selectors sit down to pick the team that will tour India.Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chief selector, told the media on Monday that Shoaib was still carrying a niggling injury and needed all the rest he could get in order to be fully fit for the series against India. “Akhtar has informed me that he still carries a niggle and needs time to recover,” AFP quoted Bari as saying.”I have conveyed to him that Pakistan needs a fully fit Akhtar for the important India tour,” added Bari. “We have requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to provide us a full fitness report on each player so that we can decide on the team when we meet on Friday.”However, Bari said that he hoped Shoaib knew what he was doing. “It’s his own decision not to play [in a domestic match to prove fitness], it’s for his own good that he attains full fitness through a match, because his reputation as the spearhead is at stake.”But Pakistan have more fitness worries than just Shoaib. Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Khalil, two other fast bowlers, both picked up injuries during Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia and are in the process of recovering. Shabbir Ahmed, who is recuperating from a knee surgery, and Umar Gul, who is suffering with a stress fracture, have been ruled out of taking any part in the Indian tour.
1986 The beginning of England’s tale of four wicketkeepers. When Richard Hadlee sent Bruce French to hospital in the first Test at Lord’s, England needed a replacement keeper. Bill Athey donned the gloves for two overs, and then Bob Taylor – aged 45 and at the ground doing PR work for the sponsors Cornhill Insurance – sheepishly came onto the field and kept so impeccably that it seemed he’d never been away. The next day Hampshire’s Bobby Parks stood in from after lunch, and then French resumed on the fourth day – for all of one ball, which was all it took to wrap up New Zealand’s innings. Oddly, none of the four took any catches.
1997 At Headingley, a pivotal moment in an Ashes series. With the serieslocked at 1-1, Australia were 50 for 3 in reply to England’s 172,Matthew Elliott poked at an awayswinger from Mike Smith, and edged itgently towards first slip – where Graham Thorpe dropped it. It was adolly. Off the very next ball, Dean Headley nabbed Steve Waugh, so theAussies might have been 50 for 5. Instead their fifth-wicket pair ofElliott and Ricky Ponting, who made his maiden Test century in his firstAshes Test, added a soul-destroying 288. Elliott, 29 when he wasdropped, plunged 170 daggers into Thorpe’s heart. England were pummelledby an innings – and Smith, who himself later dropped Elliott, never didtake a Test wicket.
1999 Lucky 13th for New Zealand. They had got close on a couple of occasions,not least on their previous visit in 1994, but at the 13th attempt, NewZealand won a Test at Lord’s. The architects of their nine-wicket winwere Chris Cairns, who took 6 for 77 to shoot England out for 186 intheir first innings, and Matt Horne, whose even 100 ensured that theinitiative was not lost. England, who had won an extraordinary match atEdgbaston to go 1-0 up, never recovered, and eventually succumbed 2-1.It was an inauspicious start to Nasser Hussain’s tenure as captain.
1957 The hat-trick taken by fast bowler Peter Loader against West Indiesat Headingley was the last by an England bowler in a Test until Dominic Cork in 1995. Loader dismissed West Indies captain John Goddard thenbowlers Sonny Ramadhin and Roy Gilchrist, as West Indies collapsed to142 all out. England replied with 279, which was enough to seal aninnings victory, and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
1914 At the age of 66, the incomparable WG Grace made 69 not out for Eltham away to Grove Park, his last innings in club cricket. He died thefollowing year.
1900 Living up to his reputation as one of the biggest hitters in history,Gilbert Jessop scored a hundred before lunch twice in the same match,for Gloucestershire at Bradford against a Yorkshire opening attack ofGeorge Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes.
1993 In an exciting one-day international at Colombo’s Khettarama stadium,India beat Sri Lanka by one run in the last over.
1964 A maiden Test century for Bob Simpson turned into a monumental 311 at Old Trafford. The match ended as a monumental bore.
Other birthdays 1968 Rudi Bryson (South Africa) 1930 Murray Chapple (New Zealand) 1925 Alistair Taylor (South Africa)
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that the EnglandManagement Advisory Committee (EMAC) is to be disbanded following a structural review.Following a meeting at Lord’s, the ECB’s Management Board voted to replace EMAC with a new seven-strong panel to be known as the International Teams Management Group (ITMG).The new group’s remit will include all international teams and the NationalAcademy. It will be chaired by a non-executive who will be elected by the First Class Forum and have a seat on the Management Board.Executive members of the ITMG will include the ECB Chief Executive, Tim Lamb, Director of Cricket Operations, John Carr, Performance Director, Hugh Morris, Finance Director, Brian Havill plus the England Head Coach, Duncan Fletcher, and the Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney.Tim Lamb and David Graveney both currently serve on the England ManagementAdvisory Committee, which is chaired by Brian Bolus, together with four other non-executive members.The decision to disband EMAC is one of the principal recommendations made bythe ECB Structure Working Party which has on-going responsibility for reviewing the Board’s constitutional and governance process.Announcing the decision, Tim Lamb said: “This move, following the earlierdisbanding of the International Affairs and the Development of Excellencesub-committees, will help to further streamline our administrative anddecision-making procedures, and this has been clearly recognized by theManagement Board.”
Leeds United have suffered a blow in their quest to sign Nottingham Forest’s on-loan right-back Djed Spence, with Tottenham firmly in the race.
The Lowdown: Spence impressing for Forest
The 21-year-old joined Forest on loan from Middlesbrough last summer and he has caught the eye with his attacking prowess down the right flank.
Spence has made 27 Championship starts so far this season, completing nearly two dribbles per game, not to mention being hugely impressive in the FA Cup, with a quarter-final clash at home to Liverpool to look forward to.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright hailed him as ‘unbelievable’ after Forest’s 1-0 win over the Gunners back in January, with fellow Highbury legend Martin Keown hailing the youngster as a ‘Rolls-Royce’ in the next round’s win against Leicester.
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The Latest: Spurs keen on move
Sky Sports reported in January that Leeds are ‘keen’ on Spence as they seek a long-term replacement for Luke Ayling, but they now face serious competition from Tottenham, as he is believed to be at the top of Spurs’ wishlist.
According to Football League World, Antonio Conte is eyeing up the Englishman, whose Middlesbrough contract runs until the summer of 2024.
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The Verdict: Blow for Leeds
Spence looks like a tailor-made option to come in as a long-term replacement for Ayling this summer, with the latter now 30 years of age and not likely to remain at his peak for much longer.
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His direct running and attacking mindset could be a good fit for Jesse Marsch’s style of play, with the new Leeds manager fond of his full-backs going forward.
The lure of joining Spurs could be too much for Spence to turn down, however, especially if they manage to secure Champions League football under Conte this season.
In other news, Fabrizio Romano has made a key Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.
Virender Sehwag has made light of the hype over the bouncy pitch at the WACA in Perth, saying he would be intent to play his shots if given a chance in the third Test, starting on January 16.Sehwag, who cracked a 73-ball hundred in the Indians’ warm-up game against ACT Invitational XI in Canberra, was confident of earning a spot and was happy he had rediscovered his rhythm in this innings.”I have played a couple of one-day games in Perth and done well,” he said when asked of the challenge of playing on arguably the bounciest pitch in the world. “The ball comes on to the bat nicely and allows one to go for shots. It’s a wicket that plays true. I always bat with a positive mindset and things won’t be different here. And I never look at the pitch before batting, so the approach will be the same.”Sehwag, whose last Test was in Cape Town a little more than a year back, made no bones about the fact that he preferred Tests to one-dayers. “It gives me more time to play my natural game,” he said. “In one-dayers, one has to think about runs, overs and different fields. Tests give me the chance to play an attacking game.”Sehwag has had a torrid time off late and his selection for the tour was a big surprise, considering he had made just 66 runs in three Ranji Trophy games. “I spent a lot of time with my coach in Delhi, AN Sharma,” he said. “We worked on my mindset. I’ve also been doing some yoga. I needed to get over a negative mindset which was making me play too many shots. I’m happy I batted with a positive mindset today.”He was patchy in the first innings, struggling to 24, before a brilliant catch did him in. “I was trying to spend time at the wicket in the first innings but today the wicket was very slow. So I played like I did in the past. If there was a ball to be hit, I hit it. If I get my chance, I just want to grab the opportunity and come back to Test cricket.”
Bradley Scott, the Otago allrounder, has been added to New Zealand’s 30-man squad for the World Cup.Scott’s inclusion in the expanded squad was confirmed today. He replaces Nathan Astle, who retired from all international cricket last month.The 15-man squad for the World Cup, starting next month in the West Indies, will be named on February 13.Scott, 27, is a left-arm fast-medium bowler and left-handed batsman who has helped Otago earn a home final in the State Shield one-day competition in Dunedin on Saturday.He has taken 11 shield wickets this summer at an average of 32.81, with an economy rate of 3.99 runs per over.In a provincial career spanning 40 one-dayers, Scott has taken 51 wickets at 31.90, with an economy rate of 4.58, and scored 302 runs at 21.57.
In the battle of the big fish, Canterbury surged into the top spot in the State Shield points table with a convincing demolition of second-placed Otago. Michael Papps pushed his claims for a national recall with an accomplished 73 while Peter Fulton, fresh from a good one-day series against Sri Lanka, smashed 85 from 70 balls complete with seven fours and a couple of sixes as Canterbury made 257 for 6. Aaron Redmond, bowling his legbreaks, was the most successful Otago bowler with 3 for 40 from his 10 overs. Following a dismal series with the ball against Sri Lanka, Chris Cairns produced a display that will give him confidence ahead of a busy New Zealand touring season. Sharing the new ball responsibilities with the impressive Stephen Cunis, Cairns ran through Otago to finish with figures of 4 for 23 from seven overs. Cunis played his role well with 2 for 26 as Canterbury’s opening duo made a mockery of Otago. Jonathan Trott, enjoying a good season, stood head and shoulders above his team-mates in scoring an unbeaten 83.
Virender Sehwag, the Man of the Match in the deciding game of the series, admitted that the Indian team were very upset with their shock loss in the second game, and wanted to make certain there was no repeat of the fiasco. “Of course we were very upset because we lost against Bangladesh,” said Sehwag. “We don’t deserve to lose against Bangladesh. We came here with a very positive mindset and were ready to give them a good total if we batted first. We decided we won’t give them any chance to come back in this game.”Sehwag himself has had a poor run in the three-week tour of Bangladesh, but made amends with a brisk 70. “I was a little bit upset with my performance because I didn’t get runs in the last three innings against Bangladesh,” he said. “I was pretty confident. I wanted to bat the first five overs easily and then may be I would get a good, big score.”Mohammad Kaif, who won the Man-of-the-Series award for his consistent performances, explained that he has been in good nick in the last few months. “I think I have been hitting the ball well, not only in Bangladesh but it started from England I guess. I got promoted and batted at No.3 and 4. I’ve been very lucky, I’ve kept my rhythm going in the nets.”Meanwhile there was plenty to be happy about in the other camp as well. “I’m happy with the progression both with individuals and with the team, since the New Zealand series,” said Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach. “Mashrafe Mortaza has made a strong comeback and Khaled Mahmud has found some form as well.”Buoyed by Bangladesh’s strong showing against India, Whatmore and his team were eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming home series against Zimbabwe. “The series can’t come quick enough,” he said. “We want to play tomorrow.”When asked whether yesterday’s surprise win against India had proved some of the points Whatmore had been making over the past few months, he said: “It did. I know it was not a full strength Indian team but still it was a strong opposition. This match was a great effort, it was a sort of strong effort that will win you matches even against other teams. The way we fought when we bowled and fielded made me very proud.”