Shane Warne has usually registered his major wicket-taking achievements on overseas tours, but on Boxing Day he will have the chance to raise his 700th Test victim on his home ground in Melbourne. Warne passed Dennis Lillee’s 355 wickets in New Zealand, his 500 was reached in Sri Lanka and the 600 came up in England last year.After his 4 for 115, which pushed Australia to a 206-run win and earned them the Ashes, he will be cheered on by a crowd of close to 100,000 at the MCG as he attempts the one dismissal needed to become the first man to the mark. “What an amazing, remarkable milestone that will be,” Ricky Ponting said. “Shane could not have scripted the thing any better. I’m pretty sure he won’t be looking to do any training whatsoever in the lead-up in case he gets injured.”Warne started England’s final-day fall by bowling Andrew Flintoff, who played over and outside a full delivery, and he was on track for 700 until Ponting ran out Geraint Jones with a sharp underarm and Stuart Clark trapped Sajid Mahmood. As the WACA was only half full the scene was not appropriate for such a Warne occasion, but he made sure it would almost certainly occur in Melbourne as he dismissed Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar. After sealing the final wicket and the Ashes Warne was held in the air by Andrew Symonds for what seemed like minutes as the team huddled.Michael Hussey, the Man of the Match, was also consumed by the mass of bodies before the players spread around the ground to thank the supporters. A Western Australian who returned 74 not out and 105, Hussey received a lot of attention.”It’s pretty special, especially on my home ground and with my family watching,” Hussey said. What is also special is Hussey’s incredible average of 86.33 after 14 Tests, which has been boosted by four half-centuries and a hundred in this series. “What a great player he’s been and will continue to be,” Ponting said. “His preparation and his love of representing his country are second to none.”Coming into the one-day side he was remarkable and since he’s been in the Test side he’s been even better. I checked his figures the other day and he was averaging 85 so that would indicate he’s not doing too much wrong.”
The ICC has admitted that umpiring standards during the three Tests between Australia and West Indies slipped, but argued that the overall standard remained very high.Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, said he was happy to acknowledge that errors were made. “There’s no point shying away from that,” he explained, “but having said that, we feel the overall standard of umpiring has improved in recent years, particularly with the advent of the elite panel.”The ICC maintains figures on every match, assessing the percentage of out and not-out decisions against each appeal deemed to be correct. Two seasons ago, when this scheme first started, the percentage was 90.9; last year, that rose to 94.8%. It is, however, unclear whether this includes the significant number of spurious appeals which are a feature of some games, or just the closer ones.”We expect the percentages [for the West Indies-Australia Tests] to be lower than those averages but for the first time we have the means now of providing the umpires with feedback and addressing that.” The West Indies board was so outraged with a series of poor decisions that it lodged a formal protest with the ICC.”We feel the overall standard of umpiring has improved in recent years,” Richardson added, “particularly with the advent of the elite panel.”The elite panel should number eight, but David Shepherd, who umpired his last Test in June, has yet to be replaced, adding to the burden on the others. In the last year, for example, Billy Bowden has stood in 12 Tests and 22 ODIs, a possible total of 82 days, discounting the time spent traveling and preparing. He has officiated in every major country except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in that time. It is hardly surprising that the seven have begun to look jaded of late.Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, indicated that the elite panel might well be expanded, but it will not be easy to find more officials to stand up to the intense pressure and time away from home the job involves. Peter Willey, regarded as one of the best umpires, declined a place on the elite panel as it would have meant him spending too long away from his family.
Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, has said that suspending England from international cricket was never really considered. On Wednesday, Mani watched the second one-day international at Harare Sports Club, when England beat Zimabwe by 161 runs."Talk of suspension was never on the radar," he told reporters. "The threat of suspension was a possibility, even if it was only a 1 per cent or 5 per cent or 10 per cent possibility. It could have been a terrible penalty, which would have hurt badly.”I felt terribly disappointed because the tour was hugely important for the development of cricket in Zimbabwe. The country has enough problems without adding another. The game would have gone backwards and that was my concern, not punishing England.”Mani is a resident of St. John’s Wood in London, close to Lord’s, and is aware of the antipathy in England towards the tour taking place. But at the same time, he supported the way David Morgan, the ECB chairman, has handled the entire affair. "He has gained a lot of respect in the ICC for the way he handled this issue. I could see that England were caught between a rock and a hard place, but he has been absolutely superb, honest and totally upfront with people. He has had to deal with a lot of domestic pressures, which is understandable because of the unique situation between England and Zimbabwe. The issue was not going to die down."Mani wants to meet with England’s players within the next few day to talk about all aspects of their experience of Zimbabwe. “It is very important to hear their views," he said. "I want to know what they think about the level of cricket in Zimbabwe and their experiences in the country so far.” England are due to play back-to-back one-day matches at Bulawayo over the weekend.
There is justifiable pomp and ceremony going on up in Durham at the moment as the raring-to-go Riverside revs up for its first taste of Test cricket. A special clock at Chester-le-Street has been counting down the seconds till the match starts – possibly with Durham’s own Steve Harmison bowling the first ball, if the fates conspire to get the toss right.That clock was set in motion 101 days before the match. Why 101? Well, it has been 101 years since England last tried a new Test ground. That was Bramall Lane, in Sheffield, which staged the third Test of the 1902 Ashes series. Australia won by 143 runs, with Clem Hill scoring the only century – and England never played there again. It’s unlikely that Chester-le-Street will be such a one-cap wonder.The 1903 Wisden intoned that the defeat was "a severe disaster for England", but observed: "The match – the first of its kind ever decided at Bramall Lane – naturally proved a strong attraction, but a mistake was made in fixing it for the latter part of the week, Monday being always the best day for public cricket at Sheffield."Nowadays the Sheffield public can’t see first-class cricket on any day of the week, as Bramall Lane cannot stage it any more. Even in 1902 it was primarily a football ground – Sheffield United’s – and in 1973 a stand was built across what was the square to make the ground a proper four-sided soccer stadium. In case you’re wondering why England played there anyway, it’s probably because Yorkshire’s headquarters were at Bramall Lane until they moved to Headingley in 1903. (That didn’t stop them playing a Test at Headingley in 1899, though.)In fact, in 1902 they liked the new-ground idea so much they tried it twice. Three weeks before the Bramall Lane game, England and Australia kicked off the Ashes series in the first match ever staged at Edgbaston. We have some idea of the arrangements for that game, because Rowland Ryder, the son of Warwickshire’s secretary at the time, wrote about it in his book Cricket Calling (Faber, 1995). Ryder recalled that his father had no assistant and no telephone. The only help in counting the gate receipts came from the groundsman, and they toiled till 3am to do it. Fortunately for the dedicated duo, Tests at the time were only scheduled to last three days.The backroom staff at Chester-le-Street will number rather more than the secretary and a groundsman-cum-cashier. But some of them will still be awake at 3am before the Riverside’s Big Day – especially if rain is threatened.Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden CricInfo.
Newly appointed Sri Lankan Sports Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, whoreplaced Laksman Kiriella on Friday after a cabinet reshuffle, has vowed tocome down hard on endemic corruption within national sports bodies, the mosthigh profile of which is the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka(BCCSL).Speaking at his first public appearance, the closing ceremony of the 27thNational Sports Festival at the Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala, on Saturday,the minister declared: “I will not allow the businessmen to misuse money.”He warned officials that he would not hesitate to “punish” any guiltyoffenders.During the course of his speech he pledged greater support for out-stationareas, commenting that: “One has to invest money on rural sports developmentto produce more Sanath Jayasuriya’s.”In March this year the previous minister decided to dissolve the cricketboard and launched an ongoing inquiry into claims of financialmismanagement. The accusations centered on tenders by and payments for theconstructors responsible for constructing a five million dollarinternational stadium in Dambulla. No substantive evidence, however, has yetbeen revealed and no charges have been made.Since the dissolution, the board’s affairs have been managed by an InterimCommittee, headed by Vijaya Malalsekera, who is close to the PresidentChandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The Sports Minister also had met the officials of the Interim Committee on Saturday.
England have beefed up their spin department by picking offspinners Danielle Hazell and Danielle Wyatt in the 14-member squad for the three-match Women’s Ashes T20 series. Left-arm spinner Rebecca Grundy has also been included in the squad. Seamers Kate Cross and Fran Wilson, who were part of the Test squad, have been left out of the T20 series, which starts at Chelmsford on Wednesday.Hazell is currently the top-ranked T20 bowler in the ICC Rankings while Wyatt has also featured in more than 50 T20s, claiming 46 wickets and scoring 395 runs.”We have called-up Danielle Hazell and Danielle Wyatt for the three must-win Women’s Ashes NatWest IT20s,” England’s head of performance, Paul Shaw, said. “Together they offer us a lot of international T20 experience, with well over 100 caps in this format between them, and Danielle Hazell currently topping the ICC T20 bowling rankings.”We know that we face a huge challenge to get back into this Women’s Ashes contest, but there is a lot of pride and fight within this England women’s squad, and I know that the players will give it everything in these last three matches.”The hosts, trailing 8-2, need to sweep the T20 series if they are to mount a successful defence of the Ashes. Australia, on the other hand, need only one win (or a no result) to reclaim the Ashes, after clinching the solitary Test and sealing a 2-1 victory in the ODI series.England squad: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt
Sam Allardyce is no stranger to bringing a team up in to the Premier League and then establishing them as a solid top-flight team under his watch.
He did it with Bolton between 1999 and 2007 and is now in a similar position with West Ham, having led them back to the Premier League after just one season in the Championship. But just how far can he take the Hammers?
The early signs have been impressive in the Premier League for West Ham, despite their style of football being increasingly criticised by rivals fans and the media. But his so-called ‘long-ball’ or ‘direct’ style of play sees West Ham sit eighth in the league after collecting 19 points from their opening 13 games.
Those that have watched West Ham regularly this season will have also noticed that they like to play on the floor, too. The likes of Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Mohamed Diame in the centre of midfield allow them to play slick, passing football whenever they need to, while the towering presence of Andy Carroll up front gives them the option of direct, route one football as well.
It is this type of versatility in Allardyce’s tactical approach that can see West Ham become an established top-flight team once more. Record signing Matt Jarvis and the currently injured Ricardo Vaz Te add width to West Ham’s attacks, and will both cause defenders arial problems with their crossing ability throughout the season.
The most notable mark he has already made at West Ham is the tightness of West Ham’s defence. Under Avram Grant, in the season they went down, West Ham conceded a whopping 70 goals and finished the campaign with the division’s worst goal difference of -27. They kept just five clean sheets all season and shipped, on average, 1.84 goals a game.
Thirteen games into this season and the Hammers have already kept five clean sheets and have shipped an average of 1.15 goals a game, which is a significant difference after just one season out of the top flight.
The one thing Allardyce will see that needs improvement is his strike force. Andy Carroll is doing a fantastic job up top on his own, but with just one goal in his first nine appearances for the club, West Ham clearly need more of an out-and-out goal scorer to aid Carroll, who’s role at the moment involves more holding the ball up for the likes of Nolan to run out to from midfield.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, we can expect Allardyce to bring in the type of striker they need in helping the midfield and defence in scoring the goals that will ultimately see them win games. They have been a tough side to beat so far this season, which is evident from their win away at Newcastle and their goalless draw at home to champions City. But with just three of their 16 league goals coming from strikers so far, they’ll be looking for some extra help up top to re-enforce their attacking capabilities.
That brings me on to Allardyce’s shrewdness in the transfer market. The ability to prize Kevin Nolan away from Newcastle into the Championship for a reported £4 million has to be one of the best bits of business the club has seen in recent years. Additionally, players like Ricardo Vaz Te, Joey O’Brien and George McCartney have all admitted that they owe a lot of their recent good form to Allardyce’s faith in them after their careers had initially looked to have hit brick walls.
Furthermore, Allardyce seems to be getting the best out of Andy Carroll after he clearly struggled with life at Liverpool and he saw him as the perfect fit into his team, especially with his best mate and captain Kevin Nolan already making a big influence at the club.
This is where West Ham have uncovered a gem in Sam Allardyce. His ability to identify players he feels can slot seamlessly in to his team and then get the best out of them is second to none. The relationship he has with his players is unrivaled and that has been rewarded with the evident high confidence within the camp thus far. Several players have recently told the press there is a good vibe within the dressing room at the moment and that has a lot to do with the way Allardyce runs things.
Beyond this season, depending on where West Ham end up by the end of the campaign, West Ham can expect much of the same. Shrewd transfer dealings, confident players and a mixture of route one and slick, passing football is Allardyce’s recipe for success and, so far, it is working at Upton Park.
Also, if the Hammers are handed the keys to the Olympic Stadium, that will give Allardyce even more scope for West Ham to become more than just an established top 10 Premier League side.
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Having said that, he eventually took Bolton into Europe in his fifth season at the Reebok without much of a budget, and that was after seeing his side narrowly avoid relegation for two successive seasons before then.
The world is Allardyce’s oyster at West Ham at the moment and, although West Ham fans should not expect instant success, he has everything at his disposal to ensure West Ham will not suffer another relegation battle in the near future and begin their quest to be an established top-flight club once again.
And that is why I think Sam Allardyce is West Ham’s best managerial appointment since Harry Redknapp. It’s a bold statement, I know, but we’ve done a lot worse sine Redknapp. Do I really need to name names?
With a bit of patience and with the fans behind him, he and West Ham can go places.
Leeds United continue to monitor the situation of Ryan Kent ahead of this summer’s transfer window, and it’s thought that the winger would seriously consider a switch to Elland Road…
What’s the word?
That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh update on the 25-year-old’s future at Rangers amid persistent interest from west Yorkshire.
Just last month, Football Insider claimed that the Whites had a long-standing interest in the Oldham-born talent, whose future in Scotland is in doubt as he enters the final 15 months of his current contract. He remains on Leeds’ radar, even despite the departure of Marcelo Bielsa.
“If Leeds were to meet that [his £20m release clause], I’m sure it’s something that Ryan Kent would seriously consider, moving back down to England and to the Premier League at this stage of his career,” the reporter told GIVEMESPORT.
Summer boost?
With uncertainty over the futures of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, who both have been linked with interest from Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, it would make sense for Leeds to remain keen on Kent.
The £12.6m-rated left-winger has continued to impress north of the border, delivering 19 goal contributions across 36 appearances this season, building on his efforts of 13 goals and 15 assists during their title-winning campaign last term, via Transfermarkt.
In 164 games for the Teddy Bears, Kent has delivered 30 goals and 44 assists, averaging a direct contribution once every 177 minutes.
Such form has seen him lauded as a “magician” by Gers teammate Leon Balogun, whilst journalist Andrew Dickson described him as “completely unplayable” on his day only a few months ago.
It seems more likely than not that the Brazil international leaves Elland Road in the summer, though things are less clear for Harrison, so paying £20m for Kent would surely be fantastic business for the club and they have been boosted by these comments from transfer expert O’Rourke.
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Whilst it would be painful to see Raphinha – who is in “advanced talks” with the LaLiga outfit – leave, they can soften the blow with the arrival of the former Liverpool graduate this summer, and that should leave many around west Yorkshire absolutely delighted.
AND in other news, Orta could truly kickstart the Marsch era at Leeds by signing £75m-rated “big talent”…
It would not be a surprise if Mahela Jayawardene spent time each day looking into his hotel mirror chanting the line “We believe we can beat Australia”. Like The Little Engine That Could, Jayawardene must hope that if he says something often enough it will come true and mountainous tasks will be conquered.Over the past two weeks he has used a lot of lines about challenging Australia. He has never been boastful or confrontational, but at first he was mildly convincing even when his team was struggling for runs in the final warm-up. When he repeated the message after the innings-and-40-run Test defeat at the Gabba it sounded more like an empty promise.”We need to believe in ourselves that we can beat Australia,” he said quietly. “If we don’t have that belief there’s no point turning up in Hobart. I firmly believe that we’ve got the personnel to do that and we just need to back our ability … Our all-round game needs to improve and I believe we can do it.”The motivational mantras must be swapped for on-field toughness in Friday’s second Test and the tourists require more than a good talking over the next couple of days. Methods to deal with Australia’s suffocating bowling line and restrictive fields need to be found along with tactics to stifle the hosts’ powerful batting order. Trevor Bayliss, the coach, will have a busy few days and the team will be desperate for the return of Kumar Sangakkara to provide some backbone.Sri Lanka may have arrived in Australia with a balanced squad but that changed when Sangakkara’s hamstring tore in the first week of the tour. Ricky Ponting, who recognises the threat of the wicketkeeper-batsman and has caught glimpses of his training and net sessions during the match, expects Sangakkara to play along with Lasith Malinga, who was left out in Brisbane.Jayawardene was too cautious to predict the return of either, but Malinga’s cause was helped by Ponting’s local knowledge. The ball did not swing when Ponting scored 96 and 124 in the Pura Cup match at Bellerive Oval two weeks ago and the lack of movement will boost Malinga’s chances of inclusion. Vaas was picked at the Gabba because of his swing capabilities and he may have to wait until Sri Lanka face England next month for his 100th Test.It would be brave if the visitors dumped such an experienced performer for a vital game, but they need to have their most potent combination available if they are going to create any Australian cracks. Their tactics in the first Test were conservative and they were beaten easily despite the public mutterings of self-belief. Attacking actions must replace the words on Friday.
John Buchanan feels no sympathy for his opposite number Duncan Fletcher after England’s second consecutive Test loss. “That’s a difficult thing to do in my position,” Buchanan said in the . “He would not have felt that way towards me when the shoe was on the other foot last year.”In 2005 it was Buchanan who was under pressure as the series wore on while Fletcher was sitting comfortably on the way to winning the Ashes. “When all is said and done, they are your opposition,” Buchanan said. “He and I respect that, and realise that we have jobs to do. You understand what other teams go through, but it’s your job to find weaknesses to exploit. To a certain degree, you have to be emotionless in your approach.”One of the off-field problems for Fletcher over the past week has been his role as coach and selector. However, Buchanan, who has no official say on the make-up of the squad, told the paper the approach has merit.”If you look around other countries, and not just England, the coach has a very significant role in team selections,” Buchanan said. “In many ways, they set the agenda and direction for the team. Right the way through, they have an active involvement in the way those teams perform. That role is still evolving in Australia.”Buchanan will walk away from the side after the World Cup and has only three more Tests in the inner sanctum. “We have not won the series yet, but should we achieve that, I think there will be a hint of personal satisfaction,” he said. “It’s probably in the recesses of our minds.”