Despite an iffy weather forecast it dawned fine in north London today, and England’s openers will soon be out in the middle again, looking to build on a lead which is already substantial at 223. In an ideal world Michael Vaughan would pile on another 250 runs or so and declare around tea-time, giving himself at least four sessions to bowl West Indies out again on a slowish pitch which is taking a little turn.But Plan A, as Brian Lara has discovered, doesn’t alweays work. Despite the currently cloud-free sky, the weather may yet intervene. But piling on the runs isn’t impossible on this pitch, as England’s openers demonstrated last night, putting on 71 in 22 overs without apparent effort. Marcus Trescothick’s first two shots, which he eased through the covers for fours, might have caused the bowler, Tino Best, a restless night.In the first innings West Indies’ bowling was wayward, and their fielding worse. Lara will want a better collective effort from his men today, and maybe a little help from the clouds, which have largely deserted him since that overcast first morning, when he put England in only for the cumulo-nimbus to roll away amd reveal acres of blue sky.
43.3 oversWest Indies 249 for 1 (Hinds 103*, Lara 75*) beat Australia 247 for 8 (Lehmann 107, Gayle 5-46) by nine wicketsWavell Hinds scored a magnificent 103 not out, his second century in three days, and Chris Gayle emulated Viv Richards’s feat at Dunedin in 1986-87, with five wickets and a half-century in the same match, as West Indies cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Australia in the seventh and final one-day match in Grenada. The icing on the cake was applied by Brian Lara, who cracked Darren Lehmann for three consecutive sixes to rampage to victory, and Australia’s all-conquering tour had ended in abject defeat.
Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels celebrate another wicket
Let it not be forgotten that the series had been done and dusted after four games, but there was still plenty pride at stake. Ricky Ponting himself had described the final three matches as a series within a series. But now, after 21 victories in consecutive matches, Australia have lost three in a row to the same team for the first time since the Texaco Trophy series against England in 1997.Australia, Lehmann excused, were off the pace throughout the match. They began their innings in a tangle, as Lara manipulated his spin bowlers to wonderful effect, and they finished in a heap. Hinds and Gayle became the first West Indian opening pair to post three figures against Australia in one-day cricket, and Hinds and Lara compiled a second, even more vigorous, century partnership in the same innings.Australia were visibly shattered by the end. Their fortunes were summed up by two men – Ricky Ponting, the man of the tour, who was unable to lead his team in the field after being clattered on the right hip early in his innings, and Jason Gillespie, who snarled and glared his way through ten economical overs, but dropped the most outrageous sitter at long-off when Hinds was on 76. With Lara at his bat-flinging best, it was hardly a match-turning moment, but it was the sort of chance that the World-Cup vintage Australians would have gobbled.They had been all at sea in the first 15 overs of the match. Unsettled by Lara’s unorthodox tactics, which involved a solitary opening over from the offspin of Marlon Samuels, Matthew Hayden (8) clipped Merv Dillon straight down the throat of Dave Bernard jr on the midwicket boundary (a replica of his dismissal on Friday), before Adam Gilchrist played back to Samuels with uncertain footwork and inside-edged onto his stumps for 5 (18 for 2).
Darren Lehmann: his fourth one-day century was in vain
Had it not been for a quick-footed contribution from Lehmann, Australia would have been even deeper in the mire. Lehmann is an unlikely understudy for the ultra-athletic Michael Bevan, but he used the crease well to nurdle the spinners and clip the quicks off his pads. He limited himself to four fours and one out-of-context six in his first 70 runs, before unfurling his reverse-sweep and booming drive to crack six more fours in 20 balls. He found good support from Andrew Symonds (48) and Brad Hogg, who played a number of air shots early on, but eventually began connecting with his deft sweeps and flicks, finishing with an important 53 from 58 balls.The final total was some 30 runs more than West Indies might have hoped to concede, after their domination of the early exchanges. But it mattered little when Hinds and Gayle came together at the start of West Indies’s reply. As usual, it was Gayle who made the early running. He nearly kneecapped umpire Doctrove at point with a blistering cut shot in the second over, before resuming his feud with Brett Lee, cracking him for a pair of fours in the fifth over. Gayle, who suffers from a heart complaint, tired visibly after his early exertions, and at one stage had to take several minutes’ rest and a drink of water before continuing. But continue he did, raising his fifty with a mighty six over long-off, as Symonds’s first over disappeared for 13 runs.But Symonds soon had his revenge, though not before Hinds had thumped him for a six of his own, as Gayle was deceived and bowled by a yorker-length quicker ball (116 for 1). Gayle’s innings had lasted 68 balls with one six and eight fours, but there was no respite for Australia, as Lara strode to the middle. Hinds cranked up a gear, slamming Brad Hogg over long-on for the second six over his innings, and was deservingly named Man of the Series in the post-match presentations.For Australia, a five-week break cannot come soon enough. They have been on the road virtually non-stop since November, and with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to follow, they shouldn’t have to exert themselves too much in the next few months. West Indies, on the other hand, are riding the crest of a wave, and Sri Lanka are likely to find the going pretty tough when they arrive next week.
Former Pakistan stalwarts accused New Delhi of double standards andbelieved that India had pulled out of the Asian Test Championshipbecause they were afraid of losing. Intikhab Alam, a former captainand coach, said: “It’s a senseless decision. In my personal opinion,the Indians are afraid of losing to Pakistan.”Hasib Ahsan, another vocal Test off-spinner, went a step ahead when hesuspected Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) involvement inthe withdrawal. “I suspect that BCCI themselves asked their governmentnot to clear the tour because they know they can’t go anywhere afterlosing to Pakistan in Lahore,” he said.Pakistan had thrashed India in the inaugural Asian Test Championshipfixture at Kolkata in near silence. India were last year bulldozed byMoin Khan’s men in the Asia Cup one-day tournament in Dhaka. Pakistanwon both the titles while India failed to qualify for the finals.The Indians have suffered a string of defeats after their historicsuccess against the Australians at home. They lost the one-daytournament finals in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka while lost the first Testat Galle by 10 wickets. “If India thinks that Kashmir issue would beresolved by not playing cricket, then they are foolish,” Hasibcontinued, adding: “India has mixed sports and politics and I knew itfrom the last two to three months that they have no plan to come toPakistan.”Intikhab said: “This decision spells politics and politicians would bethe only gainers and cricket will be the loser.” Intikhab questionedNew Delhi’s policy of only targeting cricket. “Yasin Merchant won theAsian snooker championship in Karachi in June while an Indian playerappeared in a squash tournament in Peshawar earlier this month. InOctober, India will be sending its contingent for the SAF Games. Butwhen it comes to playing cricket, they disallow permission.”New Delhi’s policies and logic are mindboggling in the backgroundthat they had said in April that they had no objection if India playsPakistan in any multinational tournaments,” Intikhab said.Intikhab demanded New Delhi to spell out its policy and come out cleanrather than confusing the situation and playing ping pong withPakistan. However, the former Surrey player felt that since all thethree Asian countries have won World Cups, they needed to play againsteach other more often to form a formidable Asian block.Wasim Akram, under whose captaincy Pakistan won the Chennai andKolkata Tests in 1999, wondered if he would get another chance to playa Test against India. “I don’t know if I will get a chance to playthem again. I am in the twilight of my career and time is not in myhand. That’s precisely why I was keen and geared up for the LahoreTest,” Wasim, who was also a member of Imran Khan’s 1986-87 BangaloreTest winning team, said.Wasim said New Delhi’s decision has not only dampened the hopes anddreams of cricketers of the two countries, it has also spoiled theparty of billions of fans.”If the Australians or the Englishmen dream to play in the Ashes,cricketers from Pakistan and India like to play against each other.Similarly, there is probably more interest in the followers of thegame when India and Pakistan lock horns rather than Australia facingEngland,” Wasim said.PCB Cautious: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reacted cautiously tothe fate of two other assignments involving India after New Delhireportedly withdrew its team from the Asian Test Championship startingAug 29.Pakistan `A’ is scheduled to tour India in Nov while traditionalrivals are to jointly host a quadrangular tournament next year inMarch, also involving the West Indies and Zimbabwe. While the PCBofficials restrained from any comments on New Delhi’s decision, theysaid a formal invitation from India regarding the Pakistan `A’ team’stour was still awaited.”As regards the quadrangular tournament, that stage at present is toofar away. Let’s see how the winds blow in the days to come,” directorof the PCB, Brig Munawar Rana, said from Lahore. Brig Rana, on India’swithdrawal, said since the highest authorities in India have taken thedecision, Pakistan’s response would be issued by Islamabad. He,however, admitted that a statement from the foreign office wasexpected sometime Wednesday evening.The PCB official said India had informally invited to host Pakistan`A’. He, nevertheless, added that once a formal invitation isreceived, it will be considered keeping in mind the present situation.
Former Premier League manager Alex McLeish has tipped Tottenham star Harry Kane to quit the Lilywhites for a Champions League contender in the summer transfer window.
The Lowdown: Kane’s future is uncertain
Daniel Levy suffered a testing summer last year after the England captain made it clear that he wanted to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The Sky Blues made a staggering £125m bid for the striker, with Spurs sensationally rebuffing the offer as Levy desperately sought to keep hold of his most prized asset.
As reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the 28-year-old will assess Tottenham’s progress over the remainder of the season before he makes a decision over his Spurs future. The club will not initiate contract talks due to their failed attempts last time out, so it is up to the striker to do that himself.
According to former Scotland manager McLeish, Kane will leave Tottenham in the summer.
Speaking to Football Insider, he claimed: “My prediction would be that he will leave.
“I think I said that before and he didn’t, but I have to believe Harry will try and get to one of the bigger clubs. Spurs are a huge club, don’t get me wrong. But he’ll want to go to a club that are achieving far more consistently than Spurs.
“If Spurs become an incessant winning team, it’s possible he’ll want to stay with the manager. He will then believe the manager has re-galvanized the team.
“He could possibly see him as the father figure-type thing. Saying things like: ‘I love him, I’m not going to go, I see a future and we’re going to win things with this guy.’
“But my money would be on him going to a club who have a better chance of winning not only the league but the Champions League.”
The Verdict: Conte’s key man
It would be disastrous for Antonio Conte and his project at the north London club if his star striker chooses to pursue a move elsewhere in the summer.
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When compared with players in the same position over the past year, Kane ranks in the 92nd percentile for total shots, the 91st percentile for non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, and in the 90th percentile for progressive passes made (via FB Ref).
Despite having a poor season by his own standards, the England international remains Tottenham’s top scorer this season, with 16 goals in all competitions.
With few alternatives in the centre-forward position, this demonstrates just how important he is to Conte and Spurs. However, at 28, he may feel that he is approaching a crossroads in his career in terms of contending for major prizes, which makes McLeish’s prediction a plausible one.
In other news: Antonio Conte green-lights Spurs move for new top transfer target
January 5, 2016 Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)Tom Latham will be keen to impress after posting middling scores in the series so far•AFP
Big Picture
Following two humbling defeats at the beginning of the series, would anyone have given Sri Lanka a chance of finishing the series level? With a bounce in their step since Nelson, and a number of injuries having eroded New Zealand, Sri Lanka might have a nearly-even shot at finishing 2-2. Having defeated only West Indies in the past 12 months, a drawn away-series will count as something of a moral victory.When Brendon McCullum aggravated a long-standing back injury by skidding into the advertising hoardings, New Zealand had hoped the pain would pass, and that they would get their captain back before the end of the series. Coach Mike Hesson has now said McCullum’s condition is more serious than initially thought. As such, he is unlikely to play in the deciding ODI. Kane Williamson is set to take the reins again.Though Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell are both out of contention, but through Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Trent Boult and Mitchell McClenaghan, the hosts still possess a pace battery capable of exposing Sri Lanka. They may be hampered slightly by a Bay Oval surface that is known to be a little sluggish though, and the less-heralded spin-bowlers – Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi – may have roles to play.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first) New Zealand: LWWLW Sri Lanka: WLLWW
In the spotlight
Tom Latham may not have played any matches in the series if the top order had all been fit, but injuries to Williamson, then McCullum have enabled his inclusion – probably for all five matches. He was steady in the Test series, but has so far been only middling in the ODIs – with a high-score of 42 in the third game, in Nelson. A good score in the final game will help signal to the selectors that he is indeed the man to replace McCullum at the top of the order, once McCullum retires at the end of the home season.Once Sri Lanka’s frustrating, unfulfilled talent, Chamara Kapugedera has had something of a rebirth in the past year, in which he played two excellent middle-order innings in Colombo T20 internationals. In Christchurch, he played two typically aggravating innings, in which he hit promising lovely early boundaries, but fell before he had made a significant contribution. He didn’t have the chance to bat in either of the Nelson games, but he will know that the back-end of this tour is crucial for him. Strong performances here will likely see him through to Sri Lanka’s World T20 squad.
Teams news
New Zealand’s major selection conundrum will be which seamers to play. Bracewell has left the squad and Boult has been brought in. McClenaghan may be the man to miss out.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt.), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Trent Boult, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish SodhiWith Thisara Perera having delivered two decent overs in the rained-out match in Nelson, Sri Lanka may consider playing him in Mount Maunganui as well – though Nuwan Pradeep is the more aggressive bowling option. The top order is likely to stay in tact. Jeffrey Vandersay failed to contend with a slippery ball in the fourth game, but will probably retain his place.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka , 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Chamara Kapugedara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan Pradeep/Thisara Perera
Pitch and conditions
The strip at Mount Maunganui has generally played slow and low, and has not been conducive to high scores in the past. The weather forecast suggests a full, uninterrupted match will be played. It is expected to be cloudy but dry, with the temperature rising to 21 degrees.
Stats and trivia
New Zealand have played two ODIs at Bay Oval, against South Africa, and lost both. The highest total in these matches was 282 – the other three scores were all below 250.
Chamara Kapugedara – a specialist batsman – has played 78 ODI innings, and averages 21.70. Before this series he had last played an ODI for Sri Lanka in August 2012.
Quotes
“Brendon’s really struggling with his injury. He hasn’t progressed as well as we would have thought, so he’s probably unlikely to play tomorrow. Long-term he will get some further assessment. He’s not playing the T20s, so he’ll get a decent break before Pakistan arrive, and certainly before Australia arrive.”
Ricky Ponting could become the first player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy twice after he was shortlisted with three other players for the ICC’s major prize. Ponting will compete with Kevin Pietersen, Mohammad Yousuf and Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the Cricketer of the Year award, which will be announced in Johannesburg on Monday.The four players were selected from an extended list of 12, while the nominations for the Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year have also been cut to four. Ponting is the only man with a chance of winning all three titles, which was a reward for another superb year in which he made 1185 ODI runs at 51.52 and 576 Test runs at 82.28. He also led Australia to triumphs in the World Cup, Champions Trophy and the Ashes.Pietersen, Yousuf and Muttiah Muralitharan are also up for the Test player award, with Yousuf’s record of five centuries and 944 runs at 94.40 from his six Tests making him hard to beat. However, Muralitharan had a stellar year with 43 wickets at 11.60 and Pietersen scored 1255 runs at 57.04.The ODI title is an Australian-dominated affair with Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Jacques Kallis the four nominees. Hayden’s remarkable return to the Australian line-up brought 1368 runs at 62.18, Kallis scored 1149 runs at 60.47, while McGrath enjoyed his farewell year with 50 wickets at 19.34. Cricketer of the Year Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) Kevin Pietersen (Eng) Ricky Ponting (Aus) Mohammed Yousuf (Pak) Test Player Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) Kevin Pietersen (Eng) Ricky Ponting (Aus) Mohammad Yousuf (Pak) ODI Player Matthew Hayden (Aus) Jacques Kallis (SA) Glenn McGrath (Aus) Ricky Ponting (Aus) Emerging Player Ravinder Bopara (Eng) Shakib Al Hasan (Bang) Shaun Tait (Aus) Ross Taylor (NZ) Captain of the Year Mahela Jayawardene (SL) Ricky Ponting (Aus) Associate ODI Player of the Year Ashish Bagai (Can) Thomas Odoyo (Ken) Ryan ten Doeschate (Neth) Steve Tikolo (Ken) Umpire of the Year Mark Benson Steve Bucknor Simon Taufel Women’s Cricketer of the Year Jhulan Goswami (Ind) Lisa Sthalekar (Aus) Claire Taylor (Eng)
Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, is looking forward to a disciplined performance from his bowlers in the remaining qualifying matches of the Champions Trophy after making a winning start.Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 37 runs in the opening qualifier under lights here on Saturday, but their bowling left a lot to be desired. They conceded 36 extras, the second-highest contributor in Bangladesh’s total of 265 for 9, after posting a challenging 302 for 8. Their bowlers sent down 13 wides and six no-balls.”We did not play our A-class game and there are certain areas where we have to improve and we will do that in remaining games,” said Jayawardene. Sri Lanka play Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad on October 10 and defending champions West Indies on October 14 at Mumbai in their last two qualifying matches. The top two sides will advance to the main draw that features world champions Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan.Jayawardene said his team did not perform up to the mark in the opening game because they had not played much international cricket in recent months. They played their last full one-day international three months ago. “We didn’t play a smart game, especially in the second half of their innings but we have not played many one-dayers recently and that was one of the reasons why we were not able to perform to our potential.”He didn’t blame the dew for his bowlers’ below-par performance when they fielded under lights at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium. “The dew came on only around 8.30pm and by that time the spinners had nearly bowled their overs,” he said. “We have to expect such things in day-night matches. I think it is good that we fielded in the evening. It will give us an idea what to expect in remaining matches.”Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, defended his decision to field first after winning the toss, saying his bowlers failed to make the most of conditions in early stages. “It was a good toss to win,” he said. “There was grass on the wicket, but we didn’t put the ball in the right areas in the opening 10 overs.”Seamers Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel and Farhad Reza failed to get early wickets and went on to concede 188 runs in 28 overs. “In the end, the target proved too high for us,” said Bashar, whose team still managed to post their highest-ever total against Sri Lanka in 18 one-day internationals.Jayawardene, however, said he would have batted first had he won the toss. “It was a good wicket to bat on. I think it is always better to set a target when you play against teams like Bangladesh.”Bangladesh will now meet the West Indies on October 11 and Zimbabwe on October 13 at Jaipur.
Darren Gough believes England have the firepower to conquer the world, after their dramatic Ashes victory over Australia this summer. England embark on tours to Pakistan and India this winter, with selectors due to announce the touring squad on Monday.Gough, who played 58 Tests and 157 one-day internationals for England, believes England now have the capacity to win against any opposition in any conditions following this summer’s historic triumph.”I honestly believe England have got the attack for all conditions now,” he said. “The last time we played there [in Pakistan], it was all about mixing it up with slower balls and offcutters; but this England attack do that naturally anyway – I don’t think the conditions will faze them.”Earlier today, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq stated ‘the conditions in Pakistan will not suit’ England’s attack, which Gough disagrees with. “It won’t be easy for them and it’s a difficult tour, but it won’t be beyond them,” Gough added. “In Pakistan you tend to get flat wickets and a lot will depend on team spirit away from the cricket, which won’t be a problem with this side.”England are poised to name a 16-man Test squad, but with the 12 players who featured in this summer’s Ashes series virtually picking themselves, the selectors’ main discussions will centre on the back-up players.Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones still has the support of coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Michael Vaughan despite an inconsistent summer behind the stumps; Nottinghamshire’s Chris Read, Essex’s James Foster and Matt Prior of Sussex are vying for the back-up spot.Worcestershire’s Gareth Batty and Northamptonshire’s Monty Panesar are possible inclusions as reserve spinners, while James Anderson and Chris Tremlett are fighting for inclusion as the back-up seamer. Robert Key, Ed Joyce and Owais Shah will battle it out for inclusion as a spare batsman alongside Paul Collingwood.The 15-man one-day squad also virtually picks itself having done well during the one-day series against the world champions, although England may choose to include some younger players to give them experience as part of the long-term build-up to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.That could mean Gough being replaced, possibly by Gloucestershire’s Jon Lewis, which Gough concedes is a possibility:”I know they want me around, but the one thing they’re going to have to discuss is whether they need to have a look at someone else just in case I’m not around for the 2007 World Cup,” he said. “This winter would probably the ideal time to do it and that’s the decision they’ve got to make. Either way it’s fine with me as long as the communication is good and they tell me what they’re planning.”
Cricket Australia will request the ICC to grant next year’s Super Series official status, thus raising the stakes in the high-profile clash between the world’s number one team and the best of the rest. reported that James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, and Matthew Hayden believed that the matches were important enough to merit mention in the record books.”I see that at the moment the ICC haven’t given the matches official Test status or one-day status, ” said Sutherland. “I actually don’t agree with that. I think the matches are big enough and worthy enough of having official status so that they do go in the record books. That’s something that we’ll certainly be talking to the ICC about into the future so they can re-address that issue.”Hayden was just as enthusiastic about the high-profile series, and said that the Australians would take the competition seriously. He too wanted to see the series made official. “I’d prefer to see it as Test-match status,” he said. “It’s a genuine, best-of-the-era side versus what has been a really great side in the Australian cricket team. It’s unique in that we’ve never come across a tournament like this in the past. It certainly begs to be a great competition.”While he was eager to take on the rest of the world, Hayden believed that the six-day Test could be the start of a new wave of timeless Tests, because sometimes, five days just weren’t enough. The Sydney Test against India last January was a case in point. Fox Sports quoted him as saying: “I know it’s a lot of cricket and a massive ask, but there are just some things you can’t get a result out of. That wicket last time at the SCG in particular was an absolute belter. It tended to be more of a bat-a-thon than anything, so it would have been good to see that played out over time.”The bat-a-thon Hayden was referring to resulted in 1747 runs scored over five days, at an average of 350 runs a day, for the loss of only 25 wickets. But while Hayden believes that it would result in more decisive matches, timeless Tests are an unlikely proposition because of commercial considerations and broadcasting limitations. Incidentally, the last was played between England and South Africa at Durban in 1939, and it dragged on for 10 days. Well-placed at 654 for 5, England needed only 42 runs for victory. However, they were thwarted by the fact that they had to catch a ship back home on the eleventh day.
Durham County Cricket Club’s Frizzell County Championship fixture againstWorcestershire on 14-17 May will be played at Grangefield Road, Stockton CC.The game will give Head Groundsman, Dave Measor, every chance to prepare aworld class pitch for the npower Test Match between England and Zimbabwe on5-9 June 2003.Durham County Cricket Club Chairman Bill Midgley said: “We are delighted tobe playing at least one of our games at an outground in the south of thecounty this season.”Tickets for the npower Test Match are on sale now priced at £25 for adultsper day for the first four days and £10 for U16s for the first three daysand £5 for the Sunday. Call the Ticket Hotline on 0191 387 5151 orTicketmaster on 0870 90 90 190 or visit www.CricketTickets.net.