Belinda Clark has been appointed to lead Australia’s cricket academy – the first woman to hold the role. Clark, Australia women’s capain, will take up the post as the Centre of Excellence’s manager in September, when she returns from the Ashes tour of England and Ireland. This could mean that she stops playing international cricket – but she will make this decision upon her return.Cricket Australia confirmed that Clark, who is a Level 3 coach, will replace Trevor Robertson who will step down after two years. “Belinda is a natural leader,” said James Sunderland, the board’s chief executive, “an extremely competent cricket administrator and we are very fortunate to be able to appoint someone of her calibre.”The Centre of Excellence was set up in 1988 and 240 players have benefited from its work, with 34 of them going on to represent Australia in Tests or one-dayers.
On the evening before Australia start their eagerly awaited three-Test series in Sri Lanka, there were two main talking points in Galle. The big philosophical one is whether, after an unexpected drawn series against India in January, the first cracks have appeared in Australia’s cricketing empire. The more immediate one is the biscuit-dry, mosaic of a pitch at Galle’s International Stadium. The cracks in that are a bit more obvious.The wicket is the only patch of baked brown in an otherwise lush outfield and square. From the press box, it is like looking at an oasis in reverse. Baked by the fierce south Sri Lankan sun and dried by the breeze off the nearby Indian Ocean, the pitch does not have a blade of live grass to hold it together.”It will certainly turn, virtually from ball one,” said John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, at the ground on Saturday. “There is a question as to how long it will actually last.” In truth there’s not much question at all: this pitch will break up quickly and favour the spinners.Sri Lanka will play just one seamer – Chaminda Vaas – and pack their attack with slow bowlers. Tillakaratne Dilshan will probably share the new ball – he bowls quickish offbreaks – with back-up from legspinner Upul Chandana, another brisk offspinner in Kumar Dharmasena, and the slow left-armer Sanath Jayasuriya. Their seventh batsman, Thilan Samaraweera, also bowls offbreaks, when he can get a look-in. And then there’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 7 for 46 here against England in December, on a pitch less favourable to slow bowlers than this one.”We are not scared of fast bowlers, but we are playing to our home advantage,” said Hashan Tillakaratne, Sri Lanka’s captain, on Sunday. “We want to give our bowlers the best wickets they could bowl on.”For Australia, Shane Warne, who has now served his 12-month drug ban, will return at the very first opportunity. (Ordinarily, players are made to battle to regain the baggy green, but Warne is no ordinary bowler.) Warne’s fellow legspinner, Stuart MacGill, also looks set to play.Brett Lee’s ankle had not recovered enough for him to train on the eve of the match. So Michael Kasprowicz, who can reverse-swing the ball on dry wickets, is set to open the bowling with Jason Gillespie. It’s almost three years since Kasprowicz, 32, last played a Test – in India’s sensational VVS Laxman-inspired comeback at Kolkata in 2000-01. By Australian standards this is not a strong attack, and Ricky Ponting, whose debut as Test captain has almost been overlooked, will probably have to summon up some Stephen Fleming-like inventiveness in the field.Andrew Symonds will make his debut, batting at No. 6 and filling in a few overs (he can bowl either medium-pace or flattish offspin). That is tough on Simon Katich, who made a hundred in Australia’s only warm-up game, and another in their last Test. Of course there is no Steve Waugh. Still, the local Sunday Leader‘s claim today that Australia have a huge vacuum in the middle order seems a touch optimistic.The evening before the match, Sri Lanka were leaving no part of their spin-based game plan to chance. Locally they say cricket always brings rain at Galle, and as evening fell, tarpaulins were placed not only over the controversial square but also on almost every inch of the outfield. The match is scheduled to start at 0430 GMT.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Marvan Atapattu, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Hashan Tillakaratne (capt), 7 Thilan Samaraweera, 8 Upul Chandana, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Kumar Dharmasena, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.Australia (probable): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Michael Kasprowicz, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Stuart MacGill.Paul Coupar, the assistant editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, will be following Australia in their Test series in Sri Lanka.
Ahead of today’s one day international against New Zealand in Christchurch Marcus Trescothick telephoned back to the County Ground in Taunton.The England opener said, “I’m really pleased to be in New Zealand, it’s one of my favourite places after England. The weather has been really great, and I’m enjoying the local foods,” which after his upset stomach in India will be a relief no doubt.He sounded in cheerful mood ahead of today’s game and was pretty relaxed and said that he was having a good time.”I’m looking forward to the one day series and the Test matches and to getting runs on the New Zealand wickets.”No doubt Marcus will be disappointed with his own performance and today’s result, but will hopefully make up for it in the next match which will be played in Wellington on Saturday.Marcus is a regular reader of the Somerset site so he can rest assured that everyone back home is rooting for him to do well out in New Zealand.
Saurashtra scored 287 for seven in 99.1 overs in reply toMaharashtra’s mammoth 539 for six declared in the West Zone Ranjitrophy match at Rajkot on Monday.Saurashtra began the third day on 41 for no loss. Prashant Joshiscored a fluent 107 off 250 deliveries, laced with 15 hits to thefence. Joshi and Veteran Shitanshu Kotak shared a 168 run partnershipfor the second wicket off 64.5 overs. Kotak made 61 and Sudhir Tannachipped in with 48. The middle order could not capitalise on the goodscores by the top order batsmen. Paceman Iqbal Siddiqui bagged two for72 and Sachin Aradhye bagged three for 62.
Following a season in which Sadio Mane had bagged 11 goals and registered seven assists over 37 Premier League appearances, it was no surprise that Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be interested in a deal to sign the Southampton winger in the summer of 2016.
Indeed, Spurs came so close to landing the Senegal international that it was claimed the winger had visited the club’s training ground in order to discuss the terms of a switch to Mauricio Pochettino’s side, however, the Argentine coach was ultimately unable to convince Daniel Levy to meet forward’s wage demands.
As a result, Liverpool swooped in for the attacker, landing Mane in a £34m deal and handing the then-24-year-old a five-year-contract at Anfield – from which point the former RB Salzburg sensation has blossomed into one of the finest footballers on the planet.
Levy had a shocker on Mane
Indeed, following his 2016 move to Merseyside, Mane has gone from strength to strength under the management of Jurgen Klopp, scoring 86 goals and registering 34 assists over his title-winning campaign.
The £72m-rated dynamo has also impressed for Liverpool in European competition, bagging 21 goals and notching seven assists over lifted Europe’s most prestigious club prize after beating – incredibly ironically – Spurs 2-0 in the final.
Aside from boasting both a Premier League and Champions League winners medal, the winger has also won the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Supercup and the Carabao Cup during his stay at Liverpool, in addition to lifting the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
And, as a result of his remarkable form both at Anfield and at international level, the £200k-per-week Mane has been linked with moves to the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent seasons, however, with Liverpool having previously slapped a £200m price tag on the 29-year-old, whether or not either of the Spanish giants will be able to afford a move for the winger remains to be seen.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
What is clear, however, is that Levy’s decision not to sanction a 2016 move for the player who Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dubbed a “wild animal” has proven to be a shocker on the part of the chairman, as, in doing so, not only did he ensure that Tottenham failed to secure the services of one of the world’s best attacking talents, but he also cost the club a potentially enormous payday – something that will undoubtedly be one of Levy’s biggest regrets during his time in north London.
AND in other news: Paratici eyeing bid for £84m “thoroughbred bomber”, “he’s the future” of Conte’s Spurs
The Israel Cricket Association has announced that India A will play three one-day matches in Israel as part of the country’s 60th anniversary celebrations.The ICA confirmed that the Indian board had agreed to the tour during which what was described as a “full-strength A side” will play against an Invitational XI featuring players from a number of countries, including Adam Bacher.Seven overseas cricketers are reported to have accepted the invitations and the squad will be supplemented by local players.
Ravi Shastri, India’s cricket manager for the tour to Bangladesh, made it clear that there was no way he would be continuing with the job as he had other professional commitments, even though this tour had been like, to quote a journalist, a “honeymoon”.”I like honeymoons. The more the merrier,” Shastri said. “But I was very clear right from the outset that I would do this job because it was a tough time for India. I was free, but I had made my stand clear with the establishment that I was under a contract with ESPN-Star who are my employers. I am a professional, I believe in work ethics, I believe in contracts.”Had he asked ESPN-Star to release him for the India job? “It’s against my nature. When I have a contract in hand, I respect it,” Shastri said. He may have finished with the Indian team for now, but would like to see Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh continue in their capacities of bowling coach and fielding coach respectively. “If I am asked, they should stay in place,” Shastri said. “Venky and Robin did a fabulous job. They were dedicated cricketers; this job too they did with dedication and pride.”Shastri again rubbished the talks of a divide among the team. Before departing on the tour he claimed India weren’t enjoying their cricket, but after a period time with the players has had a change of heart. “I didn’t go to the World Cup… but I kept reading a lot,” he said, “but what I saw was a brilliant bunch… I had thought that was nonsense. I know now that it is absolute nonsense.”So what had been done to bring a smile back? “That’s dressing-room stuff. We have discussed a lot, we have gone one-on-one with each individual.”Shastri had taken charge of the team during precarious times after a poor World Cup and Greg Chappell’s departure. He said his way of tackling that was to shut the past out completely. “I focus on the present. The present were these boys given to me by the selection committee.”Shastri may have completely negated the past, but he is on the committee that selects the future coach in a week’s time. However, being the true professional that he is he kept his cards close to his chest. He would not even discuss what kind of coach India needed.
Ben Hutton, the Middlesex captain, has dropped himself for their next Championship match, against Yorkshire at Southgate on Wednesday. Having scored just 170 runs in five matches this season he has been demoted to the second eleven and the captaincy has been handed to Scott Styris.It is a significant decision and John Emburey, the director of cricket, said it showed that no one was safe in the team if they didn’t perform. This is not the first time Hutton has stood aside for the benefit of the side; he has previously left himself out of the one-day team. His place as opener will be taken by Nick Compton, who has performed encouragingly in the middle order.Last year wasn’t full of runs for Hutton, either, with 16 Championship games bringing 899 runs at 32 and he was criticised at times for some negative captaincy. His replacement, Styris, didn’t set the world alight in his first match of the season, scoring 13 runs and going wicketless against Warwickshire two weeks ago.
A statement from Bob Merriman, chairman of Cricket Australia, has allayed fears that Andrew Symonds might lose his playing contract in the wake of his disciplinary indiscretions last weekend. Despite his match-turning heroics with bat and ball against England on Thursday, an Australian newspaper had reported that top officials were debating whether or not to take additional disciplinary action after his well- documented night on the tiles in Cardiff last Friday.Ricky Ponting, the captain, had not commented on the matter subsequently, apart from expressing his delight over having Symonds back in the squad, and no reaction was forthcoming from James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, who was in London for a meeting of the International Cricket Council. However, Bob Merriman, the board chairman, while suggesting that a fresh look would be needed at behavioural codes for players, said: “The majority of directors have concluded there should be no further action against Symonds.”The tour management had fined him and suspended him for two matches, but Cricket Australia still haven’t drawn a line under an incident which precipitated the shambolic defeat against Bangladesh at Sophia Gardens. According to , the manner in which the punishment was dealt with, and also the circumstances under which information about Symonds’all-night binge was leaked to the media, are to be scrutinised.The article quoted a board source as saying that some within the organisation had raised the question of whether Symonds had been in breach of contract, since Section 7.1 of the players’ contract clearly states: “the player agrees to perform his services under this contract diligently, faithfully and with utmost integrity”. It goes on to mention that the individual has agreed “to keep himself fit and in first-class physical condition to enable him to play to the best of his ability in all matches for which he is selected”.Ponting, John Buchanan and Steve Bernard – captain, coach and manager – had decided to fine Symonds and suspend him for two games after a disciplinary hearing following the defeat to Bangladesh. And according to the newspaper, a team meeting which had preceded that had seen a senior player emphasise the importance of players adhering to the terms of the Spirit of Cricket pledge.However, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) had insisted that it would seek legal advice should there be any attempt to cancel Symonds’ contract. “I’m very, very surprised at Cricket Australia’s further contemplation of this issue as far as the player is concerned,” said Tim May, the ACA chief executive, quoted by AFP. “The issue has been dealt with. Do we propose to penalise this bloke twice? Why the directors are taking it further is beyond me.”
The publication of confidential correspondence between the Anti Corruption Unit and the PCB, detailing the former’s concerns over match-fixing in the Pakistani camp during two ODI tournaments in 2002, raised some uncomfortable issues, and leaves more questions than answers.The two letters, both written by Lord Condon – the Elliot Ness of international cricket – highlighted concerns the ACU have over the activities of senior Pakistani players during the Champions’ Trophy in Colombo in 2002 and the Morocco Triangular preceding it. The letters were written in response to an inquiry from the PCB, who at the time was reviewing an appeal filed by Wasim Akram against the recommendations of Justice Qayyum’s report on the match-fixing scandal.Tauqir Zia, at the time the PCB’s chairman, acknowledged the correspondence, but stated that it was part of the PCB’s ongoing cooperation with the ICC against corruption, and no further action was taken because, as the letters clearly state, no proof or evidence of wrong-doing was available. That, then, would have been that, but the leaking of these documents throws a different light on the matter.Rameez Raja, the PCB’s chief executive, speaking to Wisden Cricinfo, expressed concerns about the leak. “It is an old story that doesn’t concern anyone now. We have been in contact with the ICC but if there is no proof, what can we do? The timing of the leak is bad, with a big series coming up. We will be carrying out an investigation at our end to find out what happened with the leak and will be making an official announcement in a couple of days.”It is difficult to ascertain whether the content of the leaked letters or its source is of more significance. If the players involved also include members of the current setup, then the matter holds menacingly disturbing implications.Raja’s comments, that it is an old story raked up in the name of sensationalism, suggest that current players are not involved. If this is the case, then the leak, and the motive behind it, becomes important. Ostensibly, it appears that someone within the PCB is trying to derail a new administration or further blacken the name of the previous one. Either case should not be surprising to followers of the political games often played out in the corridors of the PCB.The ICC and ACU released an official “no comment” statement after the documents came to light, and have refused to budge from that position. Waqar Younis, who was captain at the time, has strongly condemned the ACU for making “allegations or raising suspicions without proof.” However, as it was the PCB which had initiated the correspondence for the purposes of its own inquiry, there is little wrong with the ACU providing any information they felt was relevant to the inquiry – solid evidence or not. That the letters were leaked can hardly be blamed on the ACU.With the ICC leaving the matter to the PCB, the whole affair stands now at a temporary impasse. The PCB will examine the issue of the leak itself through an official inquiry, one that will be launched in the next couple of days.More than the nature of the story itself, one suspects the key may lie with the person responsible for the leak and his motives. Pakistan’s match-fixing closet apparently has some skeletons to drag out still.