Brushing aside suggestions of including a second wicketkeeper in the 15-member World Cup squad, Ajit Wadekar, the former Indian captain, said the team cannot afford to have two stumpers for the mega event.”We cannot afford to have two keepers in our World Cup squad. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is enough. If the other keeper is included, he would just be a passenger,” he said. “As far as Dinesh Karthik’s inclusion as a batsman is concerned, we have a lot of pure batsmen and if required we also have Rahul Dravid who can perform ‘keeping duties,”Dwelling on the batting department, particularly the openers, Wadekar – the first Indian captain to achieve series victories in West Indies and England in 1971 – said that seeing past performances and the stature of the event, Virender Sehwag should be a part of the squad. “Sehwag should be there among the three openers selected for the World Cup. Looking at his past performances and prowess, especially in the shorter version of the game, he should be included and the upcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka is an ideal opportunity for him to get back among the runs.”With pitches being relaid in the West Indies, two spinners will be sufficient for India to make a balanced bowling attack, Wadekar pointed out: “Two spinners in the form of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will be sufficient for the World Cup. We already have four medium pacers and it would be the right composition.”
Phil Jaques reinforced his claim to a place in the national side with a superb century – a record fourth in the ING Cup this summer – that led New South Wales to a 12-run win against Tasmania. Jaques smashed 138 out of 311, but Tim Paine threatened to win it for the Tigers with a hundred of his own before a middle-order collapse.Paine and Travis Birt set up the ideal platform to chase the huge total with an opening stand of 179. Birt played the more aggressive innings, hitting two sixes and ten fours in his 89 before falling in the 31st over. Adam Polkinghorne and Michael Di Venuto added quick runs and when Di Venuto became Stuart MacGill’s second wicket, Tasmania needed only 85 off 77 balls. However, NSW managed to slow things down.MacGill dismissed Paine in the 46th over when the equation had risen to 40 off 25, and the pressure proved too much for Tasmania. They lost six wickets for 18 and finished on 9 for 299. MacGill took 3 for 44 but it was Aaron O’Brien’s three-wicket burst at the death that sealed the match for NSW.After choosing to bat, Jaques powered NSW in a 65-run opening stand with Craig Simmons. Matthew Phelps joined Jaques after Ben Hilfenhaus dismissed Simmons and Matthew Nicholson off successive overs and they added 130 in 134 balls. Phelps made 67 while Jaques motored along to a century that included 15 fours and a six. He fell for 138, taking his season tally to 658 in eight matches, and he overtook the three hundreds in a season of Stuart Law, Darren Lehmann, Matthew Hayden, Matthew Elliott and Brad Hodge.
A shoulder injury, a run drought and a bout of pleurisy have given Matthew Hayden a wretched summer, but entering the second Test tomorrow he feels as hungry as when he was pushing his way back into the Australia side five years ago. Despite being put under intense scrutiny this season he said careers ebbed and flowed and he had enjoyed the extra challenge.”I’ve heard all sorts of things in the last 12 months. It wasn’t an easy summer,” Hayden told the Courier-Mail. “When you first start, you’re battling to get in the side and I still feel I’m maybe at that stage. But that’s not a bad marker to have because it makes you feel sharp and hungry. But no matter what mental or physical state I’m in, I really do try hard when I’m playing cricket.”Hayden could have sat out the first Test last week, when he made 35 and 15, but he was desperate not to give up his place, and a solid training regime has him in better shape for tomorrow’s second Test at Wellington. “It’s a case of not cutting a sucker an even break,” he said. “Even as of the first Test I wouldn’t have been capable of playing a one-day game, but Test cricket is a little different. I just want to play.”Hayden has doubled the time spent in the nets by his teammates, but his shoulder injury will still affect his fielding, which was obviously hampered at Christchurch. “The last time in New Zealand [in 1999-2000] it was a waiting game and it hasn’t been dissimilar to this trip,” he said. “I’ve played pretty well and then I’ve been hanging back and waiting to go.”
The spring run-scoring spree of NSW captain Steve Waugh and Simon Katich continued with a hard-hitting 270-run partnership against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.The blistering Blues were 408 for 5 at stumps on the first day of the Pura Cup match thanks to the third wicket stand between Katich and Waugh on a pitch dubbed the “Bellerive belter”.An in-form Katich amassed 171 runs with 22 fours and two sixes before coming unstuck in the 73rd over. Dabbing the ball to the off side and racing through for a single, he was run out when left-arm quick Andrew Downton returned to Tigers captain Dan Marsh at the bowler’s end. Katich had earlier delivered his ton with two consecutive boundaries, also propelling the Blues beyond the 200-mark.Waugh was caught at mid-on by Michael Di Venuto for 157 off a ball from Tasmanian paceman Damien Wright, who finished the day with 3-72. Mark Waugh was unbeaten on 20 at stumps, with Brad Haddin on 18.
New South Wales cricket has suffered a major setback ahead of Sunday’s ING Cup Final against Queensland with the news today that batsman Graeme Rummans has tested positive to the banned masking agent probenecid.Rummans, 25, has been withdrawn from the Blues’ team to play in that match and will appear before the Anti-Doping Committee of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) in Melbourne next Thursday. He faces the possibility of a two-year ban from interstate and international cricket at that hearing.”Obviously, you don’t like to hear of this sort of thing in any sport,” said David Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer of Cricket New South Wales.”But our focus (with Graeme) now is on the hearing itself next Thursday.”Gilbert added that steps have been taken to ensure that the development will not distract the Blues from the defence of their domestic one-day title when they take the field at the ‘Gabba this weekend.Rummans’ appointment with the three-person committee comes after he was found to have produced a positive reaction to probenecid following a state training session in late December.Probenecid is a drug taken primarily to manage gout and is occasionally used in combination with antibiotics to treat a small range of infections. Its presence on the list of drugs formally banned by the ACB is a result of its ability to hamper the detection of other prohibited drugs in a person’s bloodstream.Rummans, a left handed strokeplayer from the St George club in Sydney, has played a total of 21 first-class and 25 one-day matches for New South Wales since making his senior debut for the state in 1997-98. He was the captain of the state’s colts team in 1996-97 and 1997-98, and also toured Zimbabwe with an Australian Academy team in 1998-99. His solitary first-class century was registered in the second match of that tour.Only one player in Australian history has previously returned a positive result under the system of random drug testing of state players that operates under the auspices of the ACB and the Australian Sports Drug Agency.Ultimately found guilty of an offence in his use of the banned steroid nandrolone, then Western Australian paceman Duncan Spencer was suspended from interstate and international cricket for a period of 18 months by the ACB in April.Late this afternoon, Rummans indicated that he would be contesting his case and said that he welcomed the opportunity of a hearing to prove his innocence.
Haryana took a first innings lead of 266 runs overMadhya Pradesh in the final of the Cooch BeharTrophy at the Deccan Gymkhana on Friday. MadhyaPradesh were shot out for 197 in 75.2 oversshortly after lunch on the third day. Haryanachose to bat again in the second innings and were167 for one off 39 overs at stumps on the thirdday for an overall lead of 433. They are thusvirtually assured of the title.Resuming at the overnight score of 86 for two, theMP batsmen failed miserably to overhaul themassive Haryana total of 463. Mohnish Mishra (40)was the first man to be dismissed in the morninggiving keeper Ajay Ratra his first victim of daywhen he edged an outswinger from Joginder Sharma.His fall ended a 71-run partnership for the thirdwicket off 23 overs. Mishra played 109 balls andhit seven of them to the fence. Maninder Singh,his overnight partner, soon followed, falling tothe same duo. Singh scored 39 off 83 balls withsix hits to the fence. The dismissal of both theovernight batsman triggered a collapse in themiddle order, as they lost six wickets for 67runs. Haryana took control and mounted thepressure on the batsmen who faltered against someaccurate bowling. Amit Mishra tempted and toyedwith the batsmen with his variations in flight andturn. The close in fielders were in businessthroughout the session. At the lunch interval, MPwere reeling at 165 for eight off 63 overs.The post lunch session witnessed a fightback ofsorts by the lower order batsmen. Ambalal Patidar(28) and Jitendar Likhar (18) added 46 runs off14.5 overs for the ninth wicket. MP were finallydismissed, 46 minutes after the interval. Mediumpacer Joginder Sharma, a product of the NationalCricket Academy, bagged four for 72. Amit Mishrabowled his spinners to good effect picking upthree for 39. Ratra had a fine day behind thestumps, collecting five catches.Despite having a big lead, Haryana chose to bat inthe second innings. Openers Manvinder Bisla andBhuvanesh Sharma put on 45 runs off 12.3 overs.Then Ambalal Patidar tempted Sharma with twoflighted deliveries before trapping him leg beforewicket with the third ball with a faster deliverythat kept low. His dismissal brought in SumitSharma to the crease. Sumit and Bisla wereconcerned in an unbroken partnership of 122 runsoff 161 balls for the second wicket. By stumps,Bisla was unbeaten on 96 off 134 balls with nineboundaries and two massive sixes. Sumit Sharma wasbatting with 51 off 65 balls, inclusive of ninehits to the fence.
Newcastle are hopeful that Joelinton will return for Thursday’s Premier League trip to Everton.
The lowdown
Eddie Howe’s team travel to Merseyside as they look to return to winning ways after their lengthy unbeaten streak came to an end against Chelsea last Sunday.
Joelinton, one of the club’s top earners on £86.5k per week, has missed out on the Magpies’ last two matchday squads with a minor groin injury.
Howe said that the 25-year-old was ‘close’ to being available for the trip to Stamford Bridge but couldn’t complete a full training session before the match.
The latest
Newcastle World journalist Jordan Cronin has provided an update on Joelinton’s fitness ahead of Thursday night’s clash against Everton.
He wrote that ‘it is hoped’ that the Brazilian forward will be back in action at Goodison Park, having had four additional days to get himself fit for the match following Sunday’s loss in west London.
The verdict
Joelinton’s impending comeback is a significant boost for Howe and Newcastle. He had established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet before this slight setback, starting the 44-year-old’s first 14 Premier League games in charge on Tyneside.
Cronin said last month that 25-year-old had enjoyed an ‘absolutely extraordinary’ upturn in fortunes under the new boss.
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After Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey missed the Chelsea game through illness, Howe was forced into what he called a ‘complete tactical reshuffle’. However, with that duo also expected to be back in contention for Thursday night, he shouldn’t have to deal with the same headache this time around.
In other news, Luke Edwards takes aim at ‘fake-in-the-know’ types as he explains one Newcastle absence
Three players from Hyderabad Heroes, who finished fifth in the recently-concluded Indian Cricket League (ICL), were involved in an accident in the north Indian hill station of Shimla. Allrounder PS Niranjan, fast bowler Alfred Absolem and middle-order batsman D Vinay Kumar suffered injuries when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck on December 14.Niranjan lost three teeth apart from having 10 sutures in his mouth, while Absolem needed 20 sutures on his body and Vinay dislocated his shoulder.”After finishing our engagements, we decided to go to Shimla for an outing,” Niranjan told the . “[Abdul] Azeem sir [assistant coach], [Ambati] Rayudu, Vinay, Absolem and myself took a car for that purpose. The driver was a bit too reckless and in fact I had asked him to slow down just five minutes before the accident took place. It happened about 70 km from Shimla. While taking a bend, the driver failed to spot the bus coming from the other direction. Both vehicles collided head on.”Azeem sir and Rayudu had seat belts on and hence were spared. But we were were thrown forward. Absolom hit the windshield and suffered severe gashes. I hit the steering wheel and took the impact on my mouth. Both of us had bleeding injuries and luckily there was a nursing home nearby. We were shifted to a bigger hospital. I was in ICU for two days before being discharged.”Eight players from Hyderabad joined the ICL, a Twenty20 competition played between six teams in India. Absolem managed just one wicket from three matches, while neither Niranjan or Vinay got a game.
ScorecardA storm put paid to South Africa’s chances of winning this series 5-0. Nevertheless, they still had time to reach 200 for the fourth time in four matches batting first – today’s effort was 216 for 6. Daleen Terblanche made her second fifty of the series, and Mignon du Preez boosted them late on with an unbeaten 55.A rare failure for Cri-Zelda Brits (8) couldn’t wipe the smile off her face; she finished the series with 183 runs and will settle for the 4-0 cleansweep, and a job well done as stand-in captain. Pakistan showed some encouraging signs, reaching 38 without loss from 11 overs. It was shaping up to be the highest opening stand of the series – the highest being 40 – when lightning forced the players off the field and ultimately ended the match.The series victory will give South Africa the boost they needed after missing out on automatic qualification for the 2009 World Cup after being pipped on home soil by the West Indies in the 2005 tournament. That means they now face qualification and will have to attend the qualifying tournament later this year.South Africa have only played three one-dayers since the World Cup – against West Indies immediately after that competition in a hastily arranged ODI series. Their morale dented after unexpectedly losing out on qualification, they lost 2-1 at home.This series against Pakistan provided them with the opportunity to get their confidence back and on the evidence, a 4-0 drubbing without three players including their captain, they’re on course to gain a place at the 2009 World Cup in Australia.
Inzamam-ul-Haq has termed Virender Sehwag as a “major threat” ahead of the home series against India but is confident that his bowlers can restrict the Indian batsmen and win the series for Pakistan.”Although I would say India start off as favourites simply because they’ve a more experienced and mature all-round side, I’m confident that our bowlers can win the series for us because they are in good form. What gives me confidence is that Shoaib Akhtar has bowled splendidly in the recent series against England while Danish Kaneria showed in just two spells that he is our most improved and effective bowler. Plus the other bowlers have backed these two with some solid and disciplined performances and that’s indeed heartening when you are preparing to take on a strong Indian side.”The fact that our bowlers are bowling well now is significant because when India last came here in 2004 and won the Tests and one-dayers our bowlers, specially Shoaib and Danish, were not in good form. Our bowling was also better when we went to India last year and we fared better then we had done at home. Which is why we are quietly confident of restricting their batsmen despite their impressive track record.”Inzamam, who has played 105 Tests and 351 ODIs noted that for some reason or the other Pakistan had in the last two years not been able to field a full and 100 percent-fit pace attack. “We did this against England and beat them even though Shabbir was sitting out after being reported for his action.”Shoaib, in particular, has changed a lot and he is now a more focused, disciplined and hungry bowler and his performances have lifted the other bowlers as well. Against England he didn’t take wickets all the time but every time he produced an inspired spell the others came and took wickets. Shoaib — all said and done — has a reputation as a fast strike bowler and that does add to the pressure on the batsmen. He knows now that you don’t just scare top batsmen, you plan them out,” he said.”To be honest I don’t think any batsman would feel comfortable facing Shoaib in his current form. But the bottom line is our bowlers will have to retain the same qualities of discipline and line and length which they showed against England to be successful against the Indians,” he noted.Inzamam, who has scored 8,052 Test and 11,141 one-day runs, said when the Pakistan players meet for the short conditioning camp in Lahore from Thursday strategies for the coming series would obviously be discussed. “Bob [Woolmer] is joining us on the 7th after which we’ll sit down and discuss every Indian player individually. I think we’ve the bowling and fielding to restrict even someone like Tendulkar despite his greatness and outstanding record. We’ve seen his innings against Sri Lanka recently and we know what to do. The main thing is that our bowlers have bowled a lot to him in the last two years so they also know how to bowl to someone like him.”We see Virender Sehwag as a major threat because he is such a free flowing player that once he gets set in he can demoralise any team rapidly. Devising ways to get him out early would be a challenge for us. He is one player who bowlers don’t like bowling too because of his unorthodox approach and quick eye,” Inzamam said.Sehwag scored a triple hundred in the first Test when he last toured Pakistan two years ago and also made a double hundred against them in Bangalore Test last year. “The Indians have a formidable batting line-up and when you play against such a team what we’ve learnt is that you must have at least three sets of plans to rely on when you bowl to quality players like Tendulkar, Sehwag or Dravid. It’ll be interesting to see how Rahul handles the pressures of captaincy as he remains their most dependable batsman and he has always delivered under pressure. I personally think he’ll be up to it. But as an opposing captain I would like to get him out as early as possible,” Inzamam confided.