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July 11, 2001
Cricket |
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The Ashes Tour
West Indies in Zimbabwe West Indies opener Chris Gayle continued the good form he showed in the final of the recently concluded tri-series in Zimababwe. Batting first against the President's XI at the Country Club Ground in Harare, West Indies could muster only 191 with the Zimbabwe bowlers especially D Mutendera (3-41) putting on a good show. The Presidents XI in turn were left struggling before they declared their innings close at 128-9. In the second innings however the tourists were powered by an unbeaten double century by Chris Gayle. The young Jamaican south-paw was batting on 297 with 40 hits to the fence. With a day left in the game and being 520 runs ahead the West Indies (457-5) will be looking to press for victory on the final day.
Miscellaneous :
The chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia said that cricket is the last thing that should feature in the Indo-Pak talks to be held in India this weekend. He said Kashmir was the key issue and if that was not resolved the cricketing relations between the two countries would worsen. He said talks on the cricketing relations should begin only once the Kashmir crisis was sorted out. The mystery behind Sachin Tendulkar's injury has finally come out into the open. It appears that the master blaster was hurt while fielding during one of the tri-series preliminary matches by the spike of his shoes. X rays have ruled out any fracture but the injury is painful and the maestro has been advised rest. Tendulkar may join the team on the last leg of the Sri Lankan tour. Meanwhile whispers have been going around about the tensions in the Indian dressing room between India's dashing opening pair of Tendulkar and Ganguly regarding the statements Sachin made in the media recently about his willingness to take on the role of captaincy.
South African team manager Goolam Rajah lashed out at the allegations made by a former wicket keeper Ray Jennings who said that South African players have regularly taken to the field after consuming performance-enhancing drugs. Rajah said Jennings has a history of rubbing people the wrong way. South African fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam will undergo his second shoulder operation this weekend in Cape Town. Ngam who had his first shoulder surgery to treat a torn tendon has been experiencing difficulty with some movements and has hence been advised to go in for a second surgery. A three-member team appointed by the BCCI is to inspect the ground and facilities at the Moin ul Haq Stadium, Patna to assess its capability to host top level cricket matches. The three-man committee includes BCCI secretary Sharad Diwadkar, Mumbai Cricket Association secretary RS Shetty and former Indian off spinner Shivlal Yadav.
The name game! Sri Lanka's exotically named cricketers have taken their toll on journalists the world over. A correspondent of "The Australian" in 1983 mentioned in his report, 'Lillee claimed the wicket of Athula Samarasekara before Sumithra Warnakulasuriya came in to hit some entertaining shots'. In the next line he simply wrote 'but Bruce Yardley came in to bowl and got rid of what's his name….' Yesterday's News ......................... News Roll archive |
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Speculations regarding who will be the next captain of England continue as senior players of the side appear reluctant to take up the responsibility. Leading contenders for the post are former skipper Michael Atherton, his opening partner Marcus Trescothink, Alec Stewart, Mark Butcher and bubbly fast bowler Darren Gough. Butcher and Stewart have clearly expressing their unwillingness to do the job and Gough, who seems to be the only one willing to take on the role, feels that Trescothick is still too young to handle the pressures of captaincy. The 37 year old Stewart who was the captain in the first of the Ashes Test played at Edgbaston last week said he had only agreed to do so in an emergency and felt it was time the selectors look to mould a future captain rather than entrust him with the job.
A heavy security ring has been set up for the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly after a plot by a Kashmiri militant group to kidnap many prominent Indian sports personalities was unearthed. Commandos now heavily guard Ganguly's residence in Calcutta. India's star batsman Sachin Tendulkar who is at present holidaying in an unknown destination with his family has also come under the security net.
Pakistan's Shahid Afridi will be the Leicestershire County Cricket Club's overseas player for the on-going season. This follows the injury to one of their players, Daniel Marsh. Afridi will be with the county until early September before he leaves for Pakistan to fulfill his countries international commitments.