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Those insisting the USA Cricket Association is once again close to being dysfunctional under the control of its president, Gladstone Dainty, were left frustrated after a board meeting called for September 24 by the board secretary was cancelled at short n

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2011Those insisting the USA Cricket Association is once again close to being dysfunctional under the control of its president, Gladstone Dainty, were left frustrated after a meeting called for September 24 by the board secretary was cancelled at short notice.Dainty, who is under fire from a number of directions over what is claimed is his complete lack of accountability, scrapped the meeting even though John Aaron, the secretary, had confirmed attendances from more than enough members to constitute a quorum.No face-to-face meeting of the executive has been held since November 2010, even though the position of chief executive has been vacant since Dainty removed Don Lockerbie from office ten months ago and elections scheduled for March have been delayed.”The problem is those attending were not from Dainty’s camp, so he changed the date to October 1″ one board member told ESPNcricinfo. “He appears to be particularly manipulative of some members of the board considered his long-time allies.”Another board member said Dainty was avoiding a meeting unless he knew he could guarantee enough of his supporters were present as he feared the executive could overturn some of his recent decisions.

Jersey stumbled to a three-wicket victory over Nigeria at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur in a replay of the round three game that the sides had been forced to abandon on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Jersey stumbled to a three-wicket victory over Nigeria at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur in a replay of the round three game that the sides had been forced to abandon on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions.The toss for the game took place on schedule, with Jersey choosing to field, but as soon as captain Peter Gough had made his decision the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain clouds blew in, leading to a delayed start and the match being reduced to 40 overs.Nigeria’s batting has struggled throughout this tournament, and they had another off day as 20-year-old left-arm spinner James Faudemer picked up 4 for 25, including the wickets of key top order batsmen Varun Behani, Oluwaseun Odeku and player-coach Sean Philips. Behani was Nigeria’s top scorer with 25 as they were bowled out for 110 in 32 overs.Nigeria fought back early with the ball, as after a quick turnaround they claimed three wickets before lunch. Jersey captain Gough was promoted to opening the batting alongside Ed Farley, the latter departing for a duck after facing just three balls. Gough managed just six runs before he was dismissed by Joshua Ogunlola, the medium-pacer finding the edge of his bat.Saheed Akolade then dismissed Ben Stevens, clean bowling the 19-year-old and four overs later Akolade sent Ben Silva packing after the 33-year-old was caught by some nifty fielding from Ramit Gill. Jersey slipped to 88 for 7 but they were seen home by Dean Morrison’s unbeaten 59.”I normally open the batting but today Peter Gough opened instead as I came in at No. 6 today,” said Morrison. “We lost early wickets, including two before the break which wasn’t great and it was up to me and Corey Bisson to steady the ship and we put on a 52 run partnership before he departed. It was then about batting through to make sure we reached the target, even if it was with only an over or so to spare.”Like I said, I normally open, but back when I played in Australia I used to come in down the order so when I came in today at six I knew what I had to do which was that to help the tail bat through. We had to keep trying for the win and I kept saying to the guys that came in to join me it was all about keeping going and getting victory.”It’s definitely taken the heat off us to have another win, although we can’t be complacent we have to win tomorrow to keep ourselves in with a chance in this tournament.”

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch

The Report by Abhishek Purohit23-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirat Kohli and Suresh Raina all but sealed the match with a 131-run stand for the fourth wicket•AFP

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch in Mumbai. Their fast bowlers struck three early blows but Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina motored to a 131-run stand at close to seven an over, showcasing the difference between the sides and sparking another needless bout of words in the middle as England’s frustration overflowed.It was England’s own batsmen who had let down their ragged bowlers down when they caved in against spin in the afternoon. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them after Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen had built on England’s quickest start of the series.Vinay Kumar broke the 73-run stand between Trott and an uncharacteristically subdued Pietersen, then Jadeja and Ashwin worked their way through a clueless England middle order, striking three times in six overs. Tim Bresnan took the score past 200 with a run-a-ball 45, but England were dismissed with 23 deliveries remaining when fast bowler Varun Aaron bowled Bresnan to finish with three wickets on debut.Disciplined pace bowling led by the impressive Steven Finn kept England in with an outside chance at the start of the chase. Kohli and Raina kept the runs coming, though, not allowing the score of 46 for 3 to tie them down in a partnership that steadily at first, and then emphatically, pushed England out of the match, making a 5-0 whitewash ever more likely.Finn and Bresnan had started with testing spells that kept the India openers quiet. The first five overs produced only 17 runs, leading Parthiv Patel to whip across the line and lose his stumps to Finn. Finn struck again in his next over when Gautam Gambhir inside-edged onto his stumps. His opening spell of 5-0-10-2 was followed by a sharp burst from debutant Stuart Meaker that induced Ajinkya Rahane into a poke outside off stump only for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to take a leaping one-handed blinder.Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner surprisingly chosen ahead of Grame Swann, bowled with heart, but it was unfair to expect him to have the same effect that the experienced Swann could have managed. Kohli and Raina continued almost unbothered, picking off the singles easily and finding the boundaries with crisp shots. The duo’s approach was in sharp contrast to England’s tottering line-up.Despite India being three down at the start of the bowling Powerplay, Raina took the chance and chipped Meaker just over mid-off for a boundary. His innings grew into a blur of scythes through extra cover and swings down the ground before Finn bowled him after a missed slog during a heated over. Raina had surged to 80 by then and with Kohli easing into elegant drives and cuts, India were runaway winners with almost ten overs remaining.England’s fate had virtually been sealed when their middle order tried to sweep and slog-sweep their way out of trouble. Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall on the shots, though the substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary was responsible for sending him back with a diving catch after running across from deep midwicket.Ravi Bopara missed one from Jadeja to be caught in front and Jonny Bairstow’s disappointing series continued when he was bowled by a ripper that pitched on leg and turned to hit off stump. Samit Patel and Bresnan tried to salvage something from 145 for 6 but Patel slog-swept Ashwin straight to deep midwicket in another disappointing batting Powerplay for England.Aaron, who had consistently hovered above 140kph on debut, came back to run through the lower order, hitting the stumps three times, the last of which straightened past Bresnan’s outside edge to clip the top of off, with England well short of a challenging total on a turning pitch without Swann.Things hadn’t looked as gloomy for England when Pietersen and Trott accumulated solidly in a steady partnership that helped them recover after Alastair Cook and Kieswetter departed off successive deliveries. Though Pietersen went hard at deliveries and mistimed his strokes at times, Trott kept the runs flowing, cutting Jadeja three times to the deep point boundary. Trott welcomed Vinay’s second spell with a cracking drive that beat the cover sweeper easily but was dismissed two deliveries later. Pietersen continued to find the field and the India spinners soon got on top decisively, yet again.

Pragyan Ojha has said the experience he got playing county cricket in England has helped him adjust to his new status as the senior spinner in India’s Test line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2011Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, has said the experience he got playing county cricket in England has helped him adjust to his new status as the senior spinner in India’s Test line-up. Ojha has played 11 Tests in total but has not played one since November last year. With both Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra dropped for the first Test against West Indies, he finds himself playing alongside debutant R Ashwin.”I took it in a positive way,” Ojha said of suddenly being given the responsibility of leading India’s spin attack. “I spoke to seniors like Anil [Kumble], Harbhajan, Rahul [Dravid] and [VVS] Laxman when I was out of the team and they all advised me to go and play county cricket. When you play there, you are given a lot of responsibility and they expect you to win games for them. That helps you grow as a cricketer. I also played the Irani Trophy where I tried some variations.”Ojha took 24 wickets at an average of 12.95 for Surrey in the County Championship in England over the summer, and marked his return to the India team with figures of 3 for 58 on the first day on a flat Feroz Shah Kotla pitch. He said the wicket was slow and unhelpful for bowlers, and the only way to find success was to stick to your lines.”The wicket wasn’t doing much and it was about sticking to one line, getting the basics right and just testing the patience of the batsmen.” He said he had particularly enjoyed his dismissal of Kraigg Brathwaite because he had beaten him in the flight and had him stumped.Though Ojha kept West Indies in check with his strikes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s unbeaten century gave West Indies a base from which they can look to push on to a big total on the second day. Ojha said it was a challenge bowling to Chanderpaul but he did think he had him in trouble a couple of times on the sweep shot.”Chanderpaul is one of the legends of the game and he has played very well here. The amount of experience he has is amazing. I really enjoyed bowling against him and, while he was batting, there were a couple of half-chances while he was sweeping when the ball fell short of square leg. It is a great battle bowling to a legend and hopefully I will get him out.”

Pakistan gave another demonstration of the batting solidity that has characterised their cricket in 2011, cutting the deficit to 46

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran19-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Taufeeq Umar was very good on the cut, scoring heavily around point•AFP

Sandwiched between the familiar Mirpur problems of morning fog and fading light in the evening, Pakistan gave another demonstration of the batting solidity that has characterised their cricket in 2011. Taufeeq Umar added another century to his already rich haul this year, and aided by several middle-order contributions and butter-fingers from Bangladesh, cut the deficit to 46 runs.The flamboyance of old may be missing – Pakistan rarely looked interested in pushing the tempo for much of the day – but the safety-first batting has served them well this year. Bangladesh’s attack was mostly pedestrian, and it was only with the second new ball that there was a sustained period of hostility.In the curtailed morning session, Taufeeq and Azhar Ali blunted the bowling as they stretched the partnership beyond 100. The only real chance of a wicket before lunch was when Taufeeq missed a delivery from Shakib Al Hasan that spun down the leg side in the 36th over. Mushfiqur Rahim collected the ball, and was so certain of the caught-behind that he vociferously appealed without bothering to try stumping Taufeeq who had advanced down the track.The day began with a 11-run over from Shahadat Hossain, but the scoring-rate returned to staid Test match levels after that. It was risk-free batting from both Taufeeq and Azhar, who were supremely patient at most times, but cashed in on the regular poor delivery. Taufeeq was very good on the cut, scoring heavily around point, while many of Azhar’s boundaries were off drives, including a classic past extra cover that took him to fifty.The track was providing little assistance to the quicks, and to make matters worse, in the first over after lunch, Nazimuddin shelled a sitter at gully to reprieve Taufeeq. Luckily for Bangladesh, Shakib got one to spin sharply away, taking Azhar’s outside edge on the way to the keeper. Azhar, at ease against pace, wasn’t at his most assured against spin, and his dismissal for 57 meant he has only one century despite 12 fifties.Taufeeq was unperturbed, continuing to grind the bowling even as Younis Khan took his time to settle in. The cut continued to bring in plenty of runs, there was a risky paddle for four off Shakib and an authoritative swat to midwicket off Mahmudullah. The century came up with a slap behind point for four, after which Taufeeq unleashed a bunch of off-side boundaries.Bangladesh’s spirits were sapped further when both Younis and Taufeeq were given lives in the first two overs after tea – Younis put down at deep midwicket by Shahadat Hossain, while Taufeeq offered a tough bat-pad chance that Shahriar Nafees couldn’t latch on at short leg.They didn’t have to wait too long for the second new ball, though, and that transformed the attack. Nazmul Hossain was outstanding as he got the ball to seam around, and thoroughly tested Younis’ technique outside off before getting Taufeeq to nick to slip.The batting hadn’t exactly been in top gear all innings, and more enterprise was necessary if Pakistan were to aim for a victory. Even as the light faded, Younis and Misbah didn’t go into a shell, picking off the boundaries as the quick bowlers overdosed on the short ball. Their partnership raised 47 at a decidedly brisk 3.76 before play was called off with Pakistan closing in on 300. They will need more quick runs on Tuesday if they are to set up a big total that could put the traditionally fragile Bangladesh batting under pressure for the remainder of the Test.

Matthew Coles, the Kent seam bowler, has been called up for the rest of the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after Surrey’s Stuart Meaker pulled out because of a lower back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2012Matthew Coles, the Kent seam bowler, has been called up for the rest of the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after Surrey’s Stuart Meaker pulled out because of a lower back injury. Meaker is returning to the UK for further assessment in the hope that he will regain fitness in time for the start of the English season.Meaker’s 44 first-class wickets at 22.56 played a central role in Surrey’s late rush to promotion last year and they will be unsettled about his potential absence as they try to re-establish themselves in Division One.The Lions have two more ODI fixtures against Sri Lanka, in Colombo on Friday and Tuesday, followed by a match against an England XI in Dubai on February 10. Coles only has to make the short flight from Chennai where he has been with England’s Performance Programme.Coles, 21, has 61 first-class wickets at an average of 36, and was afflicted by injury during much of Kent’s lacklustre 2011 Division Two season but his return to the side in August led to a belated upturn in fortunes for the county.

Peter Siddle, Australia’s rejuvenated fast man who has taken 11 wickets in this series at an average of 22.18, has said his axing in Sri Lanka turned things around for him

Sidharth Monga at the WACA10-Jan-2012Peter Siddle, Australia’s rejuvenated fast bowler who’s taken 11 wickets in this series at an average of 22.18, has said his being dropped in Sri Lanka turned things around for him. That snub in Sri Lanka last year, he says, made him work harder and come back a better, and more importantly a fitter, bowler.”I’d like to think so [the fittest he has been],” he said. “I’m feeling good. It’s a good change I guess, probably over the last five or six years I’ve been up and down with injury and had some tough times, but I think the disappointment of getting dropped in Sri Lanka sort of did hit a bit of a spot in me, and I knew I had to work on a few things.”Ever since then I’ve been a bit stronger, and bowling well and injury-free. Everything I’m doing at training and in preparation for games is working, so I’ll stick to that and hopefully I can keep going well for my team and we keep winning Test matches.”Last week Siddle picked up his 100th Test wicket, into the fourth year of an up-and-down, in-and-out career. “It’s obviously a big achievement but I don’t want to stop there,” he said. “I want to keep taking wickets and whether that’s a 110 or a 150 or 300, you never know but at the moment I just want to keep playing Test matches, staying on the park and keep performing well for my team.”Whenever I retire down, I’ll look back on it but at the moment it’s all about just keep moving forward each game and hopefully doing enough to keep winning Test matches for Australia.”Sachin Tendulkar – whom he famously described as “Peter Siddle’s first wicket” – has been dismissed by Siddle thrice. Two of those dismissals came when Tendulkar looked good for a century. One of them was on Siddle’s debut, the other two in the first Test of this series. “I think it’s just a plan I’m going with,” Siddle said of bowling to Tendulkar. “I’m being a lot more consistent than I have been in the past.”I’m probably lucky enough I’ve got him two times in Melbourne, but obviously in Sydney a couple of other blokes got him. We’re building the pressure, and whether it’s against Sachin or against [Rahul] Dravid, any of their batters, if I can build the pressure and it happens from the other end, we’re going to get the breakthrough. There’s no big plans in the way we go about it, it’s just about all three or four quicks or five bowlers bowling together in those partnerships to create the wickets.”One of the important men of that partnership, James Pattinson, is now out with a foot injury. That shouldn’t change things too much, Siddle feels. “Rhino [Ryan Harris] is pretty much an exact replacement,” Siddle said. “He’s a little bit smaller than Patto, but yeah 145k outswingers isn’t a bad bloke to come in and replace him. He’s definitely a player that can fill that role perfectly.”Siddle said that even though Harris has not got much first-class cricket under his belt after the injury, he is ready and has been bowling enough overs in the nets “against our batters in a fierce rivalry”.Siddle didn’t commit as to whether Australia will play four fast bowlers on this green pitch. “You never know with the wicket,” he said. “At the moment it does look good, but we’re still a fair few days out. It [four quicks] worked last year for us, but the wicket was pretty green. It was a nice wicket and we were lucky that we batted well enough to give us enough chance with the ball.”Siddle spoke of how tough it can be to face four fast bowlers. “On this ground sometimes, obviously [with] the pace and bounce, if the wicket does suit that it is very tough work,” he said. “It’s hard, you got the quicks coming at you hard and fast non-stop all day, which does build a lot of pressure. I think if we go that way, and we stick to obviously the consistency and patience that we’ve had out in the middle, the way we’ve been building the pressure, I think it can be obviously an exciting time to watch us go about it.”

Dean Brownlie has been diagnosed with a fractured finger and is likely to miss the rest of the limited-overs matches against Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Dean Brownlie, the New Zealand batsman, has been diagnosed with a fractured finger and is likely to miss the rest of the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. Brownlie, who made his one-day debut in the first ODI against Zimbabwe in Dunedin, sustained the injury while fielding in the second match in Whangarei on February 6.The New Zealand physio, Paul Close, said Brownlie would meet with orthopaedic surgeon before a recovery plan was drawn up. “Dean complained of soreness with the hand becoming more painful and swollen today,” Close said. “An x-ray this evening confirmed a fracture.”He is expected to miss the remainder of the Zimbabwe series but it’s a bit early to tell how long he will be out. His return to cricket will be based on how quickly the fracture heals and we should have clearer idea of the timeframe and best course of treatment after he meets with the orthopaedic surgeon tomorrow.”No decision has been made as yet on a replacement for Brownlie. New Zealand play one more 50-over game against Zimbabwe, followed by two Twenty20s.Brownlie made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in November last year, and went on to become only the third New Zealand player to score a half-century in each of his first three Tests.

In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2012In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season.Webster, who has influenced minds like Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Greg Chappell, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag, felt that there is a lot of value addition he can provide to the Kolkata players, especially in a pressure-filled Twenty20 environment where players “people tend to panic”.”A lot of people panic under these conditions. Usually, under pressure like that, people who stay calm and take step by step usually do better than people who panic and take bad decisions,” Webster told ESPNcricinfo, explaining the need for someone like to him to sit on the coaching bench and an “asset” to have.According to Webster, his primary job is to assist the coach and captain to get the best out of the players, and to help the players get the best out of themselves. The Barbados-born Webster, a former Warwickshire fast bowler with 272 wickets, had worked with the Indian team as a consultant during their West Indies tour in 2006 and briefly during the Champions Trophy later that year. It was in the West Indies where Sehwag, going through a slump in form and fitness, had a three-hour long chat with Webster, post which he admitted he had never chatted so “deeply with anyone.” The transformation was immediate and Sehwag thanked Webster to clearing his mind.The idea to get Webster came from Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ CEO. Mysore, who joined the franchise last year, realised that the tight scheduling in an IPL season and a short time window was a big challenge for a team to come together. He consulted the pair of Gautam Gambhir and Trevor Bayliss, Kolktata’s captain and coach, and the team management before calling up Webster.”There is very little time for a diverse group of players to come together and get to know each other and then focusing on the common goals and align the individual objectives, which is a huge challenge,” Mysore said.There was also the possibility, at times, of a young Indian domestic player being overwhelmed in the presence of more experienced international players. “For an uncapped Indian boy to find himself in the presence of legends like Jacques Kallis or a Brett Lee in the set-up suddenly and say ‘I am good enough’ and be confident, it is always easier said than done.”Hence, Mysore felt the best way to groom young players was to get a professional on board, like Webster, who had the credibility and experience to interact individually with the players and that could bring comfort to the squad. “He is someone who can relate to the players and make a difference because of his experience of having worked with so many great players,” Mysore said.Webster said the reason he took it up was because it was a “different and new challenge.” According to Webster, the performance problems remain the same across all three formats, the only difference being the pressure is condensed into a smaller time-span. “It is much quicker. There’s a lot more pressure,” he said. “The pressure is compressed into a shorter time, so in some respects it is slightly different from the longer formats.”Asked how he aimed to bring about a change, Webster pointed out that everything in sport is linked to performance. “Performance is built on four pillars: fitness, technical skill, strategy and tactics and finally the mental component. You must be strong in all four of them if you want to play well,” Webster said. And most are inter-linked. “The first three of those components is controlled by the fourth – how well you express the skills and how well you set your strategy is controlled by how well you use your mind.”According to Webster, in any form of sport – shorter or longer version – it is the mental skill that determines how well the athlete expresses his physical skill. And that is where his role, as a mental skills specialist, comes to the fore.Because of the demands on the players in a pressure-packed Twenty20 match, dealing with pressure is more important than in the other two formats. And being mentally confident becomes vital in such a scenario, but players are not so well trained in that area. “It is the pillar (mental) that has been neglected,” Webster said.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Darren Sammy said the sight of Australia rejoicing would stay with him, until he has the chance to do it himself

Daniel Brettig at Kensington Oval12-Apr-2012Kensington Oval’s dressing rooms are close together, only a clear glass partition separating the viewing areas of the two competing teams. Upon leaving the field in the aftermath of a three-wicket defeat, West Indies captain Darren Sammy had an eyeful of what it means to win a great Test match. On the other side of the glass Australia’s players had dissolved into a huddle of embraces, whoops and back-slaps, while the disconsolate hosts looked on.Sammy’s team is developing slowly, but must learn the hard lessons of how to keep fighting over five days of a Test. And how to resort to more than cynical delaying tactics when the result of a match is in dispute. But Sammy said the sight of Australia rejoicing would stay with him, until he has the chance to do it himself.”We dominated a top side with some good players and the way I heard them celebrating on the balcony means a lot to me,” Sammy said. “We’ll take that to heart and look to come back strong in Trinidad. I told the guys at the end of the Test match to keep their heads up. We did a lot of good things. I can remember in the pre-match interview both captains said one bad hour could turn the game around and that’s exactly what happened in this Test match. We dominated Australia for three and a half days and even today when we bowled, we made them fight for that 190.”Since becoming captain and forming his alliance with the coach Ottis Gibson, Sammy has taken West Indies closer to earning respect as a battling, striving team. However the lessons of past matches, including two keenly fought series against India at home and away in 2011, are as yet not fully learned.However Sammy also pointed to the gains of the first innings, in which Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards showed the way before Shivnarine Chanderpaul maintained his command of Caribbean batting. West Indies’ bowling was steadfast, augmented usefully in the second innings by Narsingh Deonarine’s off breaks – though the more mysterious finger spin of Sunil Narine was missed.”We’ve learned a lot of lessons. Remember Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi [where West Indies played last November]. Basically similar things keep happening,” Sammy said. “We keep getting close but we just need to find a way to get over that hurdle. That last hurdle. We’ve just got to come back strong. I think the bowlers stuck to the plan most of the time. The way the batters batted in the first innings, leaving alone a lot of balls and stuff like that and Shiv again, showing his experience, the two young openers – Kraigg and Barath – at the top. We did some good stuff, we just lost it in the second innings there.If Sammy’s tactics lurched towards the defensive for too much of Australia’s chase, he said he had been trying to keep a balance between searching for wickets and trying to tease the visitors out by withholding runs. Australia’s captain Michael Clarke refused to criticise his opposite number for tactics that the tourists would have been unlikely to employ, and offered supportive words for the vanquished.”I think they’re probably in a tough position because they haven’t got a full-strength team, do they? That must be hard for them,” Clarke said. “I want to give West Indies a lot of credit. I thought the way they batted in their first innings was outstanding. I think their bowlers knew the conditions well and they bowled pretty well.”I want to take nothing away from the guys in our change room. I thought a lot of credit needs to go to them to be able to get a win out of 450 [by the opposition] on the board on the first two days and our backs against the wall, but I’ll take nothing away from West Indies. I thought they fought really hard, I think it was a fantastic Test match.
“I know everybody at the ground enjoyed it, and hopefully the people back home and all around the world that watch continue to enjoy Test cricket. For me as captain, it’s very important we continue to make this great game very enjoyable and we want people to come out and support us and watch, and hopefully we get a great crowd in Trinidad as well.”A memorable match will live long in Clarke’s memory. As for Sammy, it will burn deeply into his.