Category Uncategorized

New South Wales has beaten Tasmania to the hosting rights for Australia’s defence of the 2009 Women’s World Cup. Cricket Australia’s board chose the state’s submission on Friday and the chairman Creagh O’Connor hoped the event would continue to lift the game’s profile.”Women’s cricket is growing quickly and the Australian women’s team is looking forward to defending the World Cup on home soil,” O’Connor said. “This is an exciting time for the sport.”David Gilbert, the Cricket New South Wales chief executive, said the decision was great news. “Cricket New South Wales has a comprehensive range of international and first-class facilities,” he said, “is proven in the smooth running of major events and is a long-term advocate of the women’s game.”Tasmania was also interested in staging the competition and the state will be considered as a venue for the tournament’s warm-up matches. Australia won the 2005 World Cup after Karen Rolton’s century set up the 98-run success over India.

Former Zimbabwe batsman Murray Goodwin is to play in South Africa for the Eastern Cape Warriors. He played 19 Tests between 1998 and 2000 and was one of the first in the country to turn his back on international cricket.”Murray is a great signing for the Warriors and it reinforces our strong desire and stated intent to put cricket in the area back on the map,” Dave Emslie, the franchise’s CEO, said. “Murray has extensive international experience and has identified very strongly with the role we have spelt out to him. His role will be first and foremost to score as many runs as possible and to be an example to our young players we are busy developing.”Goodwin has plied his trade across the world, with his most success coming at Sussex.

Muttiah Muralitharan has embarked upon a short tour of the war-torn areas of Sri Lanka’s northern areas on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme to raise awareness of the suffering caused by a two-decade-long war.Muralitharan visited the northern Tamil city of Jaffna on Monday and then Kilinochchi – the political and administrative base of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), the separatist group that has been fighting the civil war with the government – on Tuesday, followed by Vavuniya on Wednesday.Having met with a senior Tamil Tiger political leader for over an hour, Muralitharan called on the Sri Lanka government to take the initiative in the stalled peace talks to get both sides talking once more and find a permanent solution to a bloody civil war that has left thousands dead and millions in poverty.”As a sportsmen, all I can say is that Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims come together to play cricket side by side,” Muralitharan told Reuters. “Likewise, the politicians and the LTTE must come together and make peace for the good of this country’s people. The LTTE is willing to come to the peace table and the people of the south want peace. The government should fulfil their wishes and come for negotiations.”Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s most famous Tamil, was given a heroes reception when he visited a school being rebuilt after war damage. He has concentrated on charity work since a shoulder operation sidelined him from international cricket in August. He had only just returned from a global tour to drum up funds for his own charity, the Gunasekera-Muralidaran Foundation, which he set-up with his close friend and agent, Kushil Gunasekera, a former cricket board official.Next week, Muralitharan’s jet-setting lifestyle will continue as he travels to London for two days on the invitation of the government to help promote Sri Lanka at the World Travel Mart. This will be followed by a quick stop in Seoul to pick-up an award having been judged an “Asian Hero” by magazine.Muralitharan will then fly to Australia to meet his surgeon, Dr David Young, to get an update on his shoulder’s recovery, which has so far progressed smoothly. He remains confident of returning for Sri Lanka’s next tour to New Zealand and is targeting the second Test against New Zealand at Wellington starting on January 22.

England won by seven wickets
ScorecardPreview – England line up the knockout punchDay 1
Bulletin – Chanderpaul and Bravo boost West Indies
Verdict – West Indies swing and miss their chanceDay 2
Bulletin – Rain washes out the second day
Roving Reporter – Moving talk amid the showers
Day 3
Bulletin – Strauss and Thorpe steady the ship
Verdict – A bar-room brawl of a day
Day 4
Bulletin – Windies build lead after Bravo’s burst
Roving Reporter – The strange case of the unresumed innings
Verdict – Flintoff approaching true greatness
Day 5
Bulletin – Key and Flintoff seal the series
Verdict – Brimful of confidence

Day four of fourCounty Championship Division OneMiddlesex v Lancashire, Lord’s
Scorecard
Middlesex maintained their unbeaten record this season on another rainy day at Lord’s. Only 27 overs were possible, in which time Andy Strauss and Sven Koenig continued to rebuild Middlesex’s road to recovery against Lancashire. Strauss doubled his overnight score to reach 100 not out, while Koenig also stood firm to reach 71 not out. Middlesex added 87 runs during the day, and were 85 behind Lancashire when the match was abandoned at tea.It was Lancashire’s third consecutive rain-affected draw.Warwickshire v Sussex, Edgbaston
Scorecard
Melvyn Betts and Dougie Brown bowled Warwickshire to an unexpected and exciting win against Sussex at Edgbaston, which sent them top of Division One. Most people would have banked on the draw when Sussex started their second innings after lunch, but Warwickshire skittled them for 106 in the two sessions. Only three batsmen reached double-figures while Betts (5 for 43) and Brown (4 for 17) ripped through the innings as Sussex were routed by 234 runs. Earlier, England hopefuls Ian Bell and Jamie Troughton set up Warwickshire’s win with a century apiece, as Warwickshire declared their second innings on 285 for 7. It was Bell’s first championship hundred in two years and Troughton’s fifth of his first-class career.Division TwoGlamorgan v Gloucestershire, Cardiff
Scorecard
Gloucestershire secured their second victory of the season with a six-wicket win over Glamorgan at Cardiff – despite some batting heroics from David Harrison and Michael Kasprowicz. After Jonathan Lewis and Ian Butler had reduced Glamorgan to 203 for 8, Harrison (66) and Kasprowicz (78) smashed a ninth-wicket stand of 140 which gave the sparse crowd some entertainment, and also ensured Gloucestershire batted again, needing a target of 95 from 25 overs. And Craig Spearman made sure they weren’t caught out by the time with a rapid 39 from 38 balls as Jonty Rhodes and Mark Alleyne carried Gloucestershire to victory with 10 overs to spare.Yorkshire v Derbyshire, Headingley
Scorecard
Graeme Welch (4 for 74) and Mohammad Ali (3 for 26) led Derbyshire to their first win of the season with a 166-run victory over Yorkshire at Headingley – and justified Dominic Cork’s decision not to enforce the follow-on yesterday. A target of 407 was never going to be an option for Yorkshire, who tried to bat out the day for a draw. Resuming the day on 12 for 0, Welch started the path to victory when he bowled Michael Vaughan for 38, and then soon removed Anthony McGrath for 4. Wickets continued to tumble, and only Michael Lumb stood between Derbyshire and a well-deserved victory. But when he fell at the ninth wicket for a dogged 86 to Mohammad Ali, the work was done for Derbyshire, who moved up to second in the table, one place above Yorkshire.Worcestershire v Zimbabweans, Worcester
Scorecard
Match report

Andy Flower, a giant among pygmies, again played the role of Horatius on thebridge, frustrating the might of South Africa as they attempted to wrap upthe First Test match against Zimbabwe in four days. Flower set severalrecords during the day and he was still there with 138 at the close, havingso far batted for 12-and-a-half hours in the match. His team finished 10 runs frommaking South Africa bat again, with three wickets in hand.As play began, a few quiet singles from Flower, 43 overnight, took him tohis fifty; this was the fifth time in his career he has scored a century anda fifty in the same Test match, and the fourth time in two years. It washis 11th fifty in his last 14 Test innings, and he has now played 15successive innings without being dismissed by a bowler for less than 40.An on-drive from his overnight partner, Hamilton Masakadza, off ClaudeHenderson for four brought him his fifty and also Zimbabwe’s first centurypartnership in four Tests against South Africa. Flower’s next landmark was200 runs in the match, for the fourth time in his career, all during thelast two years.Masakadza enjoyed a life on 56 when he cut Makhaya Ntini hard into thegully, and Shaun Pollock was unable to hold a sharp chance. Overall theSouth African fielding in this match was a little short of their usualstandard of near perfection, with Zimbabwe also benefiting in both inningsfrom several misfields. Another difficult but possible chance came on 70,when the same batsman edged a cut from Lance Klusener low past first slipJacques Kallis, who was unable to get a hand to it.Masakadza enjoyed another life on 79, immediately after lunch, missed offanother hard chance in the gully. Then Henderson settled into a tightleg-stump line that tied him down, and finally got his man, caught at shortleg off pad and bat for 85. It was a good decision by umpire Tiffin despitea comparatively muted appeal, after both umpires during the morning hadcorrectly, according to replays, given several close decisions in favour ofthe batsmen. The pair had added 186 for the third wicket.A reverse sweep for four off Henderson in the last over before the secondnew ball brought Flower his second century of the match, the secondZimbabwean to do so after his brother Grant, and the first wicket-keeper todo so in Test cricket. Nobody else has performed the feat against thestrong South African attack since readmission; in fact, not since AustralianJack Moroney in 1949/50.When South Africa took the second new ball, Andy retreated intowatchfulness. Grant, still battling with mental and technical problems,scored 16 before driving Ntini straight to cover just before tea, when Andywas on 115 and Zimbabwe still needed 65 more to avoid the innings defeat.On either side of tea the cricket developed into a war of attrition as SouthAfrica, unable to dismiss Flower, bowled a defensive line outside off stumpto restrain him. Flower occasionally broke through the field but GuyWhittall (3) never looked happy before being adjudged lbw to Henderson.Heath Streak (19) was brilliantly caught by Kallis at second slip offPollock, while Flower hung on, though visibly tiring after almost two fulldays keeping wicket followed by an even longer period at the crease. TravisFriend, though, looked like repeating his impressive defiance of the firstinnings and was unbeaten with 10 at the close.

Amir back after a five-year hiatus
Mohammad Amir finished with a match haul of five wickets in his first domestic first-class match after serving out a five-year ban for spot-fixing. He played in Sui Southern Gas Corporation’s opening match against Lahore Blues at the Gaddafi Stadium. The match ended in a tame draw after SSGC were set a target of 267 on the final day.Amir last played a domestic first-class match in 2009. On his return to the format, he bowled 21 overs in the first innings, conceded 55 runs and took three wickets. He picked up 2 wickets in 13 overs in the second innings and also scored an important 66 runs off 187 balls to help SSGC overcome a collapse in the first innings.Zafar misses a Test chance, but takes four
Zafar Gohar the 20-year-old left-arm spinner, was also among the wickets for SSGC with a match haul of 4 for 124. The bowler could have been a part of the Tests against England had he not missed his flight to the UAE Dubai. Gohar, who played against England in their tour game before the Tests, was expected to replace an injured Yasir Shah and was expected to fly in overnight to join the Pakistan squad for the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Instead, Gohar – who had a visa and other logistical arrangements ready – missed his flight after sleeping through departure announcements, and Pakistan went into the Test with three seamers.FATA begin with draw
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) who recently qualified for first-class cricket began their stint in the tournament with a draw against Habib Bank Limited at the Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot. They debuted with five new players. Rehan Afridi, who has played most of his cricket from Abbottabad, joined FATA to score his first hundred of the season. The highlight of the match was a double-hundred and a half-century by Mardan-born Fakhar Zaman. Zaman’s knocks helped HBL set FATA a target of 304, but the latter managed to hold on for a draw.WAPDA wait on Butt, Asif
Water and Power Development Authority have recruited Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif but both players were left out of their playing XI against Karachi Whites. The players have been given a non-executive 17th grade employee contract but the department has directions from the PCB to not play them until they complete their education and rehabilitation programme in February.

Haryana were in a position of considerable strength at stumps on thesecond day of their North Zone Cooch Behar Trophy match against Jammu& Kashmir at the MA stadium in Jammu on Monday. After being in arrearsby 218 runs on the first innings, J&K were 31 for two in their secondinnings at close.Resuming at 61 for no loss, Haryana declared at 346 for seven.Manvinder Bisla (45) left early but the other opener Bhuvnesh Sharmaand captain Ishan Ganda added 114 runs for the second wicket off 31overs. Sharma was then out for 78. He faced 137 balls and hit 12fours. Sumeet Sharma (13) did not last very long but Ganda and DeepakJoon compounded J&K’s agony by some fine strokeplay. Ganda reached hiscentury but retired hurt when his score was 101. He faced 186 ballsand hit 12 of them to the ropes. Joon’s 40 was compiled off 70 ballsand Amit Mishra contributed a valuable 28 inclusive of two fours and asix.In J&K’s second innings, opening bowler Nitin Aggarwal dismissedMudassar Ashraf and Vimarash Kaw in the space of three deliveries forducks, leaving the home team an uphill task to stave off defeat on thefinal day.

Worcestershire have given the go-ahead for New Road to host their next Championship game, against Lancashire starting on Friday, in spite of the recent flooding that caused the complete abandonment of their last home fixture against Kent.Following a meeting at New Road involving representatives from both Worcestershire and Lancashire, as well as the ECB’s Alan Fordham and Chris Wood, it was decided that the ground would be fit for an 11am start on Friday morning.The decision is something of a surprise given the controversy that was caused by last week’s washout against Kent. Although the ECB acted with leniency in what they described as “exceptional circumstances”, the decision to allow Worcestershire to replay the abandoned fixture was vehemently opposed by Yorkshire, who feared that a dangerous precedent had been set.Lancashire and Hampshire also backed Yorkshire’s stance on the decision. “It was a flawed decision and creates a precedent,” said a Lancashire statement, “opening the floodgates for future situations deemed ‘extreme circumstances’. We therefore urge the ECB to reconsider this decision.”However, Lancashire’s chief executive, Jim Cumbes, was more conciliatory after Monday’s inspection. “On arriving at New Road this morning I was surprised at how well everything looked,” he said. “It’s obvious that the staff at Worcestershire County Cricket Club have worked very hard over the last few days to get this ground and its facilities up to the standard they are.”There were one or two minor issues I had with the outfield,” added Cumbes, “but nothing a couple of days of drying weather won’t fix.”Worcestershire did have alternative venues on standby – at Kidderminster, Himley and Worcester Royal Grammar School, where a game against Sri Lanka A was played on Saturday. The forecast for Friday is more heavy rain.

Durham have signed the former New Zealand offspinner Paul Wiseman for the 2007 season.Wiseman’s last match for New Zealand was their steamrollering of Sri Lanka in April 2005, who they beat by an innings and 38 runs, but he was wicketless and faced the axe. Now 36, he has represented Durham A this summer and is keen to make the most of this new opportunity to pass on his experience to a younger generation.”Paul is a player who we believe can offer a great deal to our set up, giving us good performances on the field and offering support to our younger players during their development,” Martyn Moxon, Durham’s head coach said. “Our aim has always been to compete at the highest possible level and by bringing in the likes of Dale Benkenstein last year and Paul this year we continue to provide our young cricketers support within the team as well as the opportunity to benefit from the experience of these guys.”Wiseman commented that he was “excited to be joining a club that is going places” and added: “The Academy and development set up at Durham has a proven track record of producing quality players and I am delighted to have the chance to lend my experience to the next generation.”