All posts by csb10.top

We reported on potential problems in Australia and New Zealand with getting visas for the World Cup. Here are a selection of your replies. If you want to add to the debate, click here and tell us what you thinkI am a Jamaican and I am appalled at this misadventure by the Caricom Governments. This attempt to fleece cricket fans by the implementation of this excessive visa fee is further compounded by the ineptitude of the organizers in facillitating the process by even putting in place the infrastructure to efficiently collect the fee. Dehring’s explanation is pathetic and I know that he knows better. This is the proverbial “basket to carry water”. IanI’ve done as requested, sent off my passport and made my payment, and am now completely at their mercy – I just hope I see my passport again. Frankly, the money is not really a big deal – I’ve already spent thousands on match tickets, flights and accommodation, so another $100 isn’t the end of the world – but the inconvenience is huge. GeoffThis seems to me to be more of a petty tit-for-tat thing – apparently West Indians have to do likewise to get an Australian Visa, and this is a way of putting pressure on the Australian officials to do something about it. Us poor old kiwis get stuck in the middle of it all simply because of our geography.The last-minute $100 US visa stipulation will enrich Caricom a bit in the short term but wreck its reputation. Since processing thousands of visas is logistically impossible in the time frame left, the authorities owe it to fans (who will spend lots of $$$ in the islands) to either dump this insane regulation or simply charge the visa fee at the port of entry. Chris Dehring says that Caribbean people need visas to enter Australia, etc. So what? Don’t make me laugh; processing a few visas is not like processing thousands. AsokaThe Windies have instituted a fairly short sighted and opportunist ‘tax’ on fairly well off and numerous visitors for the World Cup. However, what is truly comical is that these fairly well off countries, with complicated and expensive visa processes are complaining to the third world about expensive and unfair treatment. Try being a Ghanian or Nigerian, or Trinidadian, with a pinch of humor and a great deal of patience you should be able to laugh off this whole “debacle”. Jalaluddin MohammedCARICOM Visa – Well I just paid for my Visa online and the office in Sydney to tell them I would be dropping my passport off. I didn’t seem to have any problems so it seems to be going OK so far – Let’s hope I get it back OK ! RichardsonDidn’t people from the Caribbean pay for visas to watch previous World Cups in both NZ and Australia? Carl CampbellVisas… The mere word sends shivers. I am an international worker and entry to most countries is not easy. As a tourist the idea adopted by a lot of countries is probably the best solution. Visa issue at point of entry (airport). Many countries use this system and it works well. There is a small risk of ‘undesirables’ getting in, but the embassy visa issuing doesn’t solve that either. As for the fee, I have a Russain visa which cost me $450. Airport issued visas would solve this problem too. Chris AdamsCaricom visa … what a lousy idea. Why didn’t they follow the Schengen visa model? Apply to the country of the main destination, and have other countries honor the visa issued by the main country. No need to set up any adhoc office, as in the Sydney shambles. Oh well. The only silver lining here is that the authorities in the various Caribbean islands can be very flexible, and in the end common sense should prevail. S ThomasThe visa issue is just the tip of the iceberg – none of the countries are ready to host the World Cup. In Guyana for example, they expect over 20,000 visitors and only have accommodation for about 2500-3000. Where would the rest sleep? Where would they find food? They do not have eating houses to feed 5000 people per night much less more. Jamica too has admitted that they do not have enough accommodation for the amount of people they expect. The outside world is not aware of the shambles going on within the host countries. Most of the Stadiums are not ready … even the hotel that is supposed to house the ICC officals in still not completed in Guyana and in the meantime the ordinary cricket fan who is doling out hard earned cash for the World Cup is being kept in the dark. Sita, Guyana

Namibia will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the ICC Intercontinental Cup when they take on Netherlands in Windhoek on Thursday. The hosts, who are in third place – 18 points behind the leaders, Kenya – are 14 points ahead of Netherlands, who sit in fourth. Should Namibia win, they will leapfrog Ireland to earn a place in a final for the first time.”One of our goals as a team is to get to the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, and this year, we have a great chance of doing just that,” Louis Burger, the Namibia captain, said. “It is a great competition and we take it very seriously. I think we are ready.”This is a big game for us. We are really looking forward to it becauset every time we play the Netherlands, it seems to be a good game. At this stage it is like a derby for us as we tend to play them a lot. They [the Netherlands] usually come very hard at us and I imagine they will do the same this time. We always go hard at them too so it should be fun. There is a good spirit in Namibian cricket at the moment. We play every game to win and right now it is working well for us.”Namibia will have to make do without their young batsman, Dawid Botha, who has opted to concentrate on academics ahead of cricket – for this match at least. And Burger, although philosophical, admitted his disappointment at Botha’s absence.”Losing Dawid is a blow for us because he is a fine player but he has committed himself to his studies so we have to plan without him,” he said. “There are a few other young guys coming through though so the future is very bright.”Two of those players are Sean Silver and Raymond van Schoor, who, like Botha, took part in the recent Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, and both are included in the squad for this match.Netherlands cannot be underestimated, however. In Ryan ten Doeschate and Alexei Kervezee, they possess two high-quality young cricketers, both of whom play county cricket, and are coached by Peter Drinnen, who was forced out of his Scotland post year . They also welcome back Daan van Bunge, the legspinner, to bolster their attack.Namibia squad: Louis Burger (capt), JB Burger, Raymond van Schoor, Gerri Snyman, Deon Kotze, Bjorn Kotze, Kola Burger, Tobias Verwey (wk), Louis Klazinga, Ian van Zyl, Craig Williams, Sean Silver, Sarel Burger, Nicolaas Scholtz.Netherlands squad: Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Geert Maarten Mol, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Jeroen Smits (capt, wk), Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:27

Kusal Perera blitz sees Sri Lanka home

It was the tale of two lefties in Pallekele. Kusal Perera hammered Sri Lanka’s joint fastest fifty in ODIs, which made a target of 288 look like a cakewalk. But when Pakistan’s tenacity brought them back and put the game on a razor’s edge – 92 runs needed off 112 balls with only four wickets left – debutant Sachith Pathirana produced a decisive cameo -33 off 28 – to help the hosts square the series with an action-packed two-wicket victory.Sri Lanka have lately struggled to find batsmen down the order who can handle the pressure of a chase, or that of a top-order collapse. From his first impression, Pathirana seems a good bet. Although known more for his ability with the ball, hence his batting position at No. 8, he displayed excellent mettle under fire.Pathirana allowed himself a few balls to get used to the pitch, and the wisdom of that decision became apparent very soon. From 4 off 11, he produced a smart late cut to shift gears. He smashed anything short either side of the pitch, and was even able to pick Yasir Shah’s googlies. One of those shots was calmly lofted over mid-off’s head. It must have helped though that he had a very composed Dinesh Chandimal for company, as the pair added 52 runs off 49 balls.Pakistan deserve credit for finding their senses after Kusal bashed them silly. He reached his half-century off 17 balls, filled with pick-up shots over the leg side very much like the one who’s record he equaled, Sanath Jayasuriya.Mohammad Irfan’s extra bounce posed little threat; Kusal’s smashed him at a strike-rate of 242.85. Kusal v Rahat Ali was another no-contest as well – 26 runs off eight balls. Even Mohammad Hafeez, with his penchant for dismissing left-handers, was carted around at a strike rate of 242.85. Kusal faced Anwar Ali for only three balls, but it included a flat, hard, vicious six over square leg. The innings lasted only 25 deliveries, but yielded 68 runs. By the time he creamed one of the bevy of length balls that Pakistan paraded for him down the throat of deep square leg, Sri Lanka were 92 for 1 in the ninth over. At the same time, the visitors had been 27 for 0. Slow and steady does have a history of winning the race, but it was the hare’s day today.The tortoise, of course, did not throw it away. Even with three runs required off 18 balls, Anwar got a leading edge from Thisara Perera to settle in point’s hands. But as that was happening, Chandimal had made sure to cross. Chandimal, who had produced a fine half-century four days ago but ended up on the losing side, did not want to feel that disappointment again. He struck 48 off 63 balls and was there until the end, as per his new role as a finisher, and sealed the third-highest chase in Sri Lanka.The fortunes of both teams changed frequently and somewhat drastically. Pakistan won a good toss, but their top order was not allowed to capitalise because Sri Lanka’s bowlers were extremely tight. At one point Angelo Mathews, who trusted himself to take the new ball and bowl in the death, strung 24 dot balls in a five-overs spell. But the other bowlers could not maintain their levels through the innings and Pakistan took advantage of that – 88 runs in the last 10 overs. There were also several catches dropped – Pathirana dropped two in the space of four balls – and umpteen misfields – Nuwan Pradeep on the boundary was a terrible liability. Those lapses contributed to Pakistan getting off the hook.Azhar Ali had laid the foundation with his fifth fifty-plus score in eight ODIs. He was 8 off 23 balls, but got going with a well thought-out loft over long-on. Singles and twos fed his innings until a less clever swipe towards cow corner cost him his wicket for 79 off 104 balls.That’s when Shoaib Malik took over with a run-a-ball fifty. With his experience, he was quick to assess the Pallekele pitch was rather slow. Brute force only worked against the bad balls, so until they came, Malik used the spinners’ pace to pick his gaps. Fifteen runs were collected behind point, and 26 more belted into the leg side. Finally Mohammad Rizwan hit 52 off 38 balls, and pasted Lastith Malinga around for 20 runs in the 47th over to leave Pakistan with an excellent chance to extend the lead they had coming into this game. As it stands, Sri Lanka have squared it 1-1.Although not without huffing and puffing. They lost four middle order wickets for only 19 runs, and a lot of them were ugly. Upul Tharanga was caught napping by an indipper from Rahat. Tillakaratne Dilshan dragged on for 47 off 63, Angelo Mathews called for a single and was halfway down the pitch before he realised Lahiru Thirimanne was not interested. The Sri Lanka captain could do little more than just give up. Then Thirimanne added to the slide by slicing a catch to deep third man. Pakistan became favourites at this point. But they had not accounted for Chandimal’s resilience.With the required rate always at manageable levels, Chandimal understood that the key to Sri Lanka’s victory was for him to stick around. And so he did. Thirty-two of his 43 runs came from singles. He did not let the pressure suck him into the big shot. Nor did he let the occasion of Sri Lanka’s victory suck him into a glory shot. It was a delicate little glance to long leg and up came the arms and out came a roar. It would seem that Chandimal had decided to mature.

New Zealand hope to have their captain Brendon McCullum back from the third ODI against Pakistan on January 31, and their fast bowler Tim Southee for the home Tests against Australia in February.McCullum has been out of action since aggravating his back injury during the second ODI against Sri Lanka on December 28, while Southee suffered a foot injury during the third ODI against Sri Lanka on New Year’s Eve. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said Southee would not make it back for the remainder of the home series against Pakistan and the limited-overs games against Australia.

McClenaghan not fazed by competition

Fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan is not worrying about whether he will make New Zealand’s World T20 squad, as he faces competition from team-mates Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Matt Henry. “It’s not on my mind,” he said. “In the past I’ve thought about things too far ahead and worried about that kind of stuff. We’re trying to make sure we focus on just the next game and prepare as well as possible.”
“I first came in as a new ball bowler and we’ve got a lot of guys who can swing the ball and take wickets at the top so my role’s changing. There’s more expectation of being able to close out the game and that’s the kind of pressure that I love. I want to be that guy who can close out an innings and win games.”
The coach Mike Hesson said New Zealand were not just looking to choose the four best fast bowlers, but to pick people who could complement each other by performing specific roles. “Guys are going to have to play different roles. It’s not a matter of playing our four best quicks, it’s having balance among them that they can do different roles: opening, bowling in the middle and at the death.”
“Very happy. Mitch as a T20 bowler is experienced in conditions around the world and he knows his game in T20 probably better than he does in other forms and he certainly showed that the other night [second T20I against Pakistan]. He’s a shrewd operator.”

“Tim is progressing nicely and he’ll be with us this week [in Wellington] to help work with his rehab,” Hesson said. “He’s unlikely [to play the Australia ODIs]. We’ll focus on the Test series at this stage and make sure that he’s firing. We certainly won’t force him playing any games earlier than that unless we need him. He could well play a Plunket Shield game to get him ready for the Tests.”McCullum is set to return for the final game of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand before he begins his last assignment in international cricket. New Zealand’s first Test against Australia will be McCullum’s 100th, and he is set to retire after the second Test in Christchurch.”He’s progressing really well and doing plenty of work away from the game, from a fitness point of view and we’re really pleased with the way he’s tracking,” Hesson said. “Hopefully he’ll play a part in the Pakistan series and if he does that will be good prep for the Chappell-Hadlee and beyond.”Another fitness concern for New Zealand was Corey Anderson, who has just resumed bowling – one over in the first T20I against Pakistan and four in the second – after playing as a batsman in two matches against Sri Lanka, and for Northern Districts before that. Anderson had suffered a stress fracture of the back during the Lord’s Test in May 2015.”I’m delighted how he’s coming along and he’s certainly confident with the body,” Hesson said. We’ve gone pretty slow with it to make sure that we give him the best chance of being back for a long period. I’m really pleased to give him a chance with the new ball and even happier that he took it.”We’ll just keep managing it. It [Test cricket] is not something we’re going to push. We’ve got some pretty clear loads in place to give him a chance of being on the park a lot longer. We’ve got some one-day cricket coming up and we’re hopeful he’ll be in a position to be able to play a decent role in those.”New Zealand play the final T20I against Pakistan in Wellington on January 22. The series is level 1-1.

Vimal Soni, the vice-president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, will take over from Chetan Chauhan as India’s team manager for the triangular one-day series that follows the Tests against Australia.The ODI squad will be picked after the third Test in Perth, said Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer of the Indian board.”Both these appointments were done at the BCCI’s Working Committee when it met in Mumbai [on December 16],” Shetty told . “Chauhan will return after the end of the Test series.”India lost the first Test in Melbourne by 337 runs. They are scheduled to play three more Tests – between January 2 and January 28 – before the triangular one-day series against Sri Lanka and Australia in February-March.

Syed Ashraful Huq, the chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) believes China’s foray into the game will boost the chances of cricket making it as an Olympic sport.”China’s standing as the world’s leading sporting nation can play a major role in influencing future Olympic rosters,” Huq was quoted as saying by the . He said China’s say could help cricket’s chances of making it to Olympics and that’s why the game needed to be developed in the country. “I don’t know if cricket can make it into the London Olympics in 2012, where it could have demonstration status, but maybe the one after that.”Huq indicated that although over 100 countries played the sport, the participation of a major nation like China could help it qualify as a truly global sport. He felt cricket’s debut at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games could be an opportunity to popularise the game in China.He expressed confidence over the game’s progress in Asia. “Eventually cricket will become the biggest game in the Asian Games – the number one, because it is seen by the most and it is followed by the most,” he said.Huq, who visited Guangzhou to see the cricket facilities being developed for the Asian Games, also praised the Pakistan Cricket Board for its assistance in promoting the game in China.Meanwhile, Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, indicated cricket’s ambitions of making it to the Olympics on a visit to India. “The ICC is in the process of seeking membership of the IOC [International Olympic Committee] which will be completed by this year and the long-term objective is to have cricket in Olympics,” he told AFP. With the Twenty20 World Championship to be held September, Speed also suggested that the format would be the ideal one for the Olympics.Cricket has been played only once at the Olympics, in 1900, though only one match was played, between England and France. Cricket also featured in the 1998 Commonwealth games in Malaysia.

The ICC roadshow arrives in London this weekend for the annual get together of the great and the good. In between cocktail parties and official receptions, the movers and shakers in world cricket have a lot on their collective plates.Things start on Sunday when the chief executives’ committee (CEC) meets at Lord’s to consider a number of issues relating to regulations and the business of the game. These include consideration of a range of proposed changes to playing conditions as recommended at the recent meeting of the ICC cricket committee.The main ones are changes to the Powerplay regulation, including the idea of the captain of the batting side being able to choose when to take one of them; if the last wicket in the first innings of a match falls within 30 minutes of the scheduled interval then the interval should be taken immediately with the second innings then starting correspondingly earlier (thus removing the possibility of a break of up to 75 minutes); mandatory change of ball in ODIs after 35 overs; introduction of a free hit for the delivery that follows a front-foot no-ball; the pushing back of boundaries on grounds where space allows.Also included on the agenda is the signing off of the playing conditions for the Twenty20 World Championship and discussion on the umpiring task force proposed by the cricket committee.In between that and the major meeting – that of the ICC board of directors on Wednesday and Thursday – there are other events featuring Associates and Affiliates.The board of directors is where the main work will be done. On the agenda are a number of issues including the appointment of a vice-president to take over the main role from Ray Mali in 2008, and whether Zimbabwe are strong enough to be able to resume Test cricket in November.On Friday the ICC’s annual conference take place in the pavilion Long Room, and that is followed by a Members’ Forum.ICC executive board Ray Mali (ICC president), Malcolm Speed (ICC CEO), Creagh O’Connor (Australia), Mahbubul Anam (Bangladesh), David Morgan (England) Sharad Pawar (India), Sir John Anderson (New Zealand), Dr Naseem Ashraf (Pakistan), Jayantha Dharmadasa (Sri Lanka), Norman Arendse (South Africa), Ken Gordon (West Indies), Peter Chingoka (Zimbabwe), HRH Tunku Imran (Malaysia), Stanley Perlman (Israel), Samir Inamdar (Kenya).ICC chief executives’ committee Ray Mali (ICC president) Malcolm Speed (ICC CEO), Sunil Gavaskar (cricket committee chairman), James Sutherland (Australia), Mahmudur Rehman (Bangladesh), David Collier (England), Niranjan Shah (India), Justin Vaughan (New Zealand), Shafqat Naghmi (Pakistan), Gerald Majola (South Africa), Duleep Mendis (Sri Lanka), Bruce Aanensen (West Indies), Ozias Bvute (Zimbabwe), Ricardo Lord (Argentina), John Cribbin (Hong Kong), Laurie Pieters (Namibia).

SuperSport Series

The pick of the bowling performances came from Zander de Bruyn, the former South Africa batsman and medium-pacer, who took advantage of first-day assistance in Port Elizabeth to take 7 for 67 and dismiss the defending champions, the Titans, for 171.Fifties from HD Ackerman and Johan Botha gave the Warriors a 38-run first innings lead, but the Titans batted superbly in their second innings: centuries from Heino Kuhn, the wicketkeeper and opening batsman and Faf du Plessis put them in a position to declare on 380 for 4. The match petered out into a draw, however, with the Warriors finishing on 159 for 4, De Bruyn completing a top-class match with 52.Yorkshire’s Jacques Rudolph, no more than a part-time leg-spinner these days, took five wickets to force the Cobras to follow on against the Eagles, but two fine centuries by Andrew Puttick and Henry Davids secured a draw for the home side at Newlands. The Cobras won the toss and sent the Eagles into bat, but misread the conditions as the visitors plundered 511 runs. Dean Elga scored 166; Rudolph 94 and Dillon du Preez came in at No.8 to belt five sixes in a blazing 122. Davids (67) and Vernon Philander (83) both had long stays at the crease as the Cobras replied, but they were still forced to follow on 171 runs behind.Any thoughts the log-leading Eagles had of notching their third win in four matches were dashed however as openers Puttick and Con de Lange (46) stayed together for the first 22 overs and Puttick (152*) and Davids then saved the game with an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 224 in 230 minutes. Davids’ 123 not out made him the leading run-scorer in SuperSport Series cricket this season.The match between the Lions and the Dolphins in Potchefstroom came closest to a result and also attracted the most overseas interest thanks to the appearance of the two England fast bowlers, Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett, playing against eachother. The Lions, strangely sent in to bat first by the Dolphins, piled up 553 for 8 before closing their account with Werner Coetsee (131) and Neil McKenzie (164) providing the bulk of the runs with a third-wicket stand of 270. Plunkett was the most successful bowler with 3 for 100 from 23 overs. Despite Ahmed Amla’s 123, the Dolphins were not able to avert the follow-on, even though Plunkett scored 45 in the lower-order to take them to 387 all out. The Dolphins’ second innings did not go well as they crashed to 177 for 9 with four overs remaining. Daryn Smit and Quinton Friend, Nos. 10 and 11, put paid to the Lions’ victory hopes however as they added 15 for the last wicket.The best partnership of the innings – 60 for the sixth wicket between Johnathan Vandiar and Wayne Madsen – was ended by Harmison, who dismissed both batsmen and finished with match figures of 4 for 93 in 27 overs. It was a grossly uninspired performance from him, however, and at times it appeared as though he and his wicketkeeper were the only two in the game.Player of the Week Henry DavidsTwenty-seven-year-old Henry Davids has long been listed as one of the most flamboyant batsmen in South African limited-overs cricket, but this summer he has featured like never before in four-day matches and is currently second in the averages and the leading run-scorer in the SuperSport Series.Previously, he had averaged just 29 in 44 first-class matches due to a frustrating tendency to play all the numerous strokes at his disposal regardless of circumstances.But March 2, 2007 may yet prove to be an important date in Davids’ career.The confidence he gained that day in destroying a Diamond Eagles attack featuring international bowlers Johan van der Wath, Nicky Boje and Thandi Tshabalala, as well as Kent’s highly-rated Kolpak player Ryan McLaren, with 93 not out off 52 balls in a Pro20 match is clearly still with him.A far more considered approach at the crease has brought Davids 432 SuperSport Series runs in eight innings, with two centuries and three half-centuries.Last week he went the distance in adding 108 not out to his first innings of 67 and helping to save the game for the Cape Cobras after they had followed on against the Eagles in Cape Town.”The most important change is mental, I don’t play as many shots as I used to,” he said. “I feel I’ve grown up a lot since last season, I think I’m more responsible.”

SAA Provincial Three-Day Challenge

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the umbrella body for major Indian television news channels, has dropped its threat to boycott the Indian Premier League (IPL) after a “successful meeting” with Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, on Wednesday night.”There is no question of a boycott now,” Chintamani Rao, the spokesman for NBA, told Cricinfo. “We have reached an agreement with IPL on the two main issues that needed to be discussed – accreditation and access to match footage. These issues were discussed, and also concerns from the IPL side.”It is learned that the IPL, which was facing a news blackout for the Twenty20 tournament starting Friday, has climbed down significantly to assuage the NBA’s concerns. Apparently, the IPL will now provide news channels with around four minutes of free match footage instead of the 30 seconds that was offered previously. Besides, the ban on channels using the footage in archival form has been lifted, with the IPL allowing an archival window of one year.Rao, who is also the chief executive of the Times Now channel, said that the BCCI’s accreditation rules will be followed for the IPL. This means that each channel will be given accreditation for one set of crew (journalist and cameraman) at each venue. The IPL had specified on Tuesday that only one pair representing an entire electronic media group would be given accreditation at each venue.The NBA, based in New Delhi, includes leading news broadcasters such as TV Today, NDTV, Times Global Broadcasting Company, TV18, Global Broadcast News Limited and Zee News.A statement released by the NBA on Tuesday night had warned of a boycott. It said that the NBA had sought clarifications from the IPL but, instead of receiving a response from either Modi or any of the other members of the IPL’s governing council, it received a reply from an official of the Sony Network, which along with World Sports Group, had bought the TV rights for the IPL.The statement said the NBA’s questions didn’t fetch a satisfactory response as Sony was “not in a position to discuss matters other than access to footage, and that any offer Sony could make in that regard was limited within the framework of its contract with IPL.” On Wednesday, Rao had said that “unless practical considerations are taken care of, it’s not possible to cover the IPL”.

Scotland are set to begin their first national Twenty20 tournament later this month after the first game was washed out on Thursday.The Murgitroyd Cup will be played in four regional divisions culminating in a finals day in Glasgow in August.The winners of the existing Mastertion Trophy in the east and Rowan Cup in the west will proceed to a semi-final stage, along with teams from new competitions in the Caledonia and Borders regions.The finals will be held at the Poloc club’s Shawholm ground. Each semi-finalist will receive £500 in prize money with the overall winner collecting £1000.