Yorkshire still 175 runs in arrears at Colwyn Bay

Those who had rashly criticised Michael Kasprowicz and Alex Wharf for leaving the fieldlast night in poor light were made to eat their words as the pair continued their merryassault on the Yorkshire bowling, with the pair adding an invaluable 137 runs in 26 oversas Glamorgan amassed a formidable 466 on the second morning of the Champiohsip match at Colwyn Bay.Wharf raced to 50 off 76 balls, with eight fours and a six, before hoisting Steve Kirby ontothe pavilion roof for another six. A single to third man brought up the 100 partnership – injust 17 overs – as the pair recorded a record 8th wicket partnership for Glamorgan against Yorkshirein Championship cricket.Kasprowicz then reached his half-century from 79 balls with 5 fours and two sixes, as Yorkshirethen opted for the spin of Andy Gray and the medium pace of Anthony McGrath. For a while, the runspree continued as Wharf lofted Gray out of the ground, but three balls later, the switchdid the trick as Wharf was caught behind off Gray for 79.Only one more run had been added when David Harrison was leg before to McGrath, and then Kasprowiczwas caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 51, as Glamorgan`s first innings came to an end – the fifthtime in succession that they had passed 450 on this ground.Then it was the turn of the Yorkshire batsmen to take advantage of the placid wicket, as Matthew Woodand Stephen Fleming added 104 in 32 overs. Fleming survived an early chance against Dean Cosker, butthereafter showed good judgement and timing to reach 50 from 81 balls, with six boundaries.Wood dropped anchor at the other end, after also surviving a sharp chance in the slips, but theintroduction of Robert Croft`s off-spin brought the opening stand to an end as Fleming was caught atshort-leg for 61. McGrath then came in and maintained the assertive approach, hitting Croft for a six anda four as he became the next batsman to score a fluent half-century.But there were few loose deliveries on offer and the Yorkshire batsmen had to resort to quick singlesin order to keep the scoreboard ticking over, as their partnership passed the 100 mark. Wood eventuallyreached his composed century with a crisp ondrive off Dean Cosker – his 17th four from 214 balls.Glamorgan`s perseverance was eventually rewarded as three wickets fell in the last half hour, withMcGrath, on 92, top-edging a sweep off Cosker to Mike Powell at slip. Michael Lumb was then bowled byCroft shouldering arms, before Yuvraj Singh was bowled by Cosker for 2. However, Wood remained unbeatenat the close on 124, as Yorkshire ended the day on 291/4, still 175 runs in arrears.

Indian team undergoes major revamp before England tour

Tinu Yohannan
© CricInfo

When the going gets tough, the tough are supposed to get going. In SouthAfrica, where things were tough for the Indian team, the medium-pacersfailed to get going in conditions that assisted their trade. Inresponse, the national selectors have sent the whole lot of mediumpacers packing, while announcing the squad for the first Test againstEngland. While Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath were spared theignominy of being dropped since they were already injured, the trio ofZaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar were axed. Taking theirplaces are the uncapped, unsung yet talented Tinu Yohannan, IqbalSiddiqui and Sanjay Bangar.”The performance of the medium-pacers in South Africa was notsatisfactory,” said Chandu Borde, chairman of selectors, in explainingwhy the committee had opted for such drastic changes in the medium-pacedepartment. “We though this was the right time to give these guys(Yohannan, Siddiqui, Bangar) a break,” he added.When asked about the inexperience of these cricketers, Borde countered,”We can’t always go by the number of wickets someone takes. We feelthese boys have talent and deserve a chance.”Siddiqui, who made his first-class debut way back in 1992, has a fairlyundistinguished first-class record, claiming 236 wickets in 69 matchesat an average of 30.58. A well-built, energetic sort of character,Siddiqui has been in and out of the reckoning without ever making thegrade until now.Yohannan is the greenhorn of the lot, with just eight first-classmatches to his credit. However, his ability to generate a bit of extrapace and slip in a well-aimed yorker make him a tough customer tohandle.

Sanjay Bangar
© CricInfo

Railways all-rounder Bangar is perhaps the most deserving of the threenew faces in the side. Having bowled his heart out on Indian tracks for84 first-class wickets at an average of 37.80 , Bangar also makes a morethan useful contribution with the bat. Opening the innings in the longerversion of the game, Bangar’s 3,112 runs include 5 tons and has come at anaverage of 35.77. His ability to move the ball both ways while stillmaintaining a good line and length makes him a very useful player tohave in any condition.The rest of the Indian team retains itself. Connor Williams, by virtueof his showing in the unofficial ‘Test’ against South Africa clings onto his spot as Shiv Sunder Das’ opening partner. The middle-order whichboasts some of the brightest talents in the game – Sachin Tendulkar,Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly – escapes all manner ofselectoral censure. Deep Dasgupta will continue to don the gloves.

Sarandeep Singh
© CricInfo

The most interesting thing to note in the forthcoming tour however wouldbe the composition of India’s spin attack. Harbhajan Singh and AnilKumble will do the bulk of the bowling, with Sarandeep Singh waiting onthe sidelines to be called up if needed. Virender Sehwag, who isunlikely to play given the recent controversy over his suspension,completes the fourteen.The press conference announcing the team was marred by needlesscontroversy as the British journalists badgered both Borde and NiranjanShah, BCCI secretary about the selection of Sehwag in the fourteen. However Borde pointed out that the job of the selectors was to pick the side purely on cricketing merit and nothing else. It will now be left to the BCCI top management to decide the final XI that will be take the field on next Monday.India’s 14 for first Test:Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das, Connor Williams, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Deep Dasgupta, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Sanjay Bangar, Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan.

New Zealand A imposing win

New Zealand A skipper Scott Styris provided the all-round inspiration behind his side’s 134-run success in a 50-over friendly with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.Styris struck a rapid 57 in a total of 279-9 and then claimed 3-34 from eight overs, including the important wicket of Australian Ian Harvey, as Gloucestershire were restricted to 145-9, with wicketkeeper Reggie Williams unable to bat through injury.After Styris had won the toss, Michael Papps and Jacob Oram laid the basis for an imposing score by the tourists with a second wicket partnership of 90 in 17 overs.The runs come quicklyIndeed, the New Zealand top order scored at such a fast rate that the 200 arrived in only 36 overs.Papps struck five fours in his 97-ball innings of 66 which ended with a catch to Jeremy Snape at square leg off the bowling of Gloucestershire captain Mark Alleyne.Alleyne also had Oram caught behind by Williams after the left-hander had hit four fours and two sixes, both from spinner Martyn Ball, in his 50-ball innings of 51.Styris played equally well for his 57 before he skied a catch to Dominic Hewson in the deep to give Harvey one of his three wickets.A late clatter of wickets kept New Zealand under 300, but it was never seriously threatened by Gloucestershire.Disappointment for GloucsHewson and Harvey put together a second wicket stand of 63 in just eight overs, but there was precious little other resistance.Harvey, who took four boundaries off one over from Daryll Tuffey, brought up his fifty from only 38 balls. But he was then out from the next one when he was well caught by James Marshall, low at short extra cover, off Styris.Spinner Bruce Martin bowled economically to remove James Averis and Ben Gannon in a return of 2-10 from 5.2 overs.The last eight Gloucestershire wickets fell for 60 runs in 21 overs and it was a sorry batting display by the Benson and Hedges Cup holders.Their disappointment was compounded by a nasty facial injury to Williams, who was deputising behind the stumps for the rested Jack Russell.Wicketkeeper Williams injuredHe was struck abover the right eye by a delivery from harvey in the 48th over. He was taken to Cheltenham General Hospital and had three stitches inserted in the wound.He later returned to the ground with his eye closed by the severe bruising.Williams said of the ball that did the damage: “It was like a top spinner that flew up off the surface. Until the bruising goes down, I don’t know how long I will be out of action.”

Wolves handed Semedo injury blow

Wolves defender Nelson Semedo could potentially miss up to two months of action with a hamstring injury, reports the reliable John Percy.

The Lowdown: Semedo a key man for Wolves

The Portuguese ace has enjoyed a good season for a flourishing Wanderers defence, making 23 starts in the Premier League in total.

Semedo has been predominantly used in a right wing-back role by Bruno Lage, chipping in with one assist and providing pace and width down the right flank.

As Wolves prepare to host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, however, a big injury blow has emerged.

The Latest: Defender suffers injury blow

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Percy confirmed that Semedo would be out of action for between four and eight weeks with a hamstring issue:

“Wolves defender Nelson Semedo set to be out for 4-8 weeks with a hamstring injury. Earliest return could be in April after the international break, following scans this week. Portugal international has started 23 of Wolves’ 26 PL games this season. Big blow for Bruno Lage.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]

The Verdict: Chance for Hoever to shine?

This is a major blow for Lage in his side’s quest to finish in the European places this season, with Semedo’s quality and experience an important part of Wolves’ success since August.

It means youngster Ki-Jana Hoever could now be trusted with filling the void left by his teammate, having made three league starts to date in 2021/22 and fan favourite Jonny Otto not quite fit enough to be a regular fixture in the team yet.

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At 20, the Dutchman’s lack of experience could be a problem, but he arrived as a prodigiously gifted signing from Liverpool, having been described as ‘sensational’ by Jurgen Klopp, so this is a wonderful chance for him to finally prove his worth to the fans.

In other news, Tim Spiers has reacted to a key Wolves update regarding one player. Read more here.

Gibson praises Harmison's comeback

Steve Harmison: A little bit rusty to start with, but improved throughout his nine-wicket haul © Getty Images

England’s bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, believes Steve Harmison is working his way back to his best form after grabbing nine wickets in the first of his two outings for Highveld Lions in South Africa.Harmison had not played a first-class match since July. He missed England’s Test series against India after undergoing a hernia operation and was not initially included in the squad that sets off for Sri Lanka on Thursday. However, he seems set to earn a late call-up after taking 6 for 91 and 3 for 78 against Cape Cobras in Paarl this week.It was not a flawless performance by any means, and Harmison was once again troubled by a spate of wides and no-balls. But he found an improved rhythm in the second innings, which pleased Gibson no end.”First day, first innings, it was his first ball since July, so you expected probably that he wasn’t going to go in at 100 per cent,” said Gibson. “He’s here to get back into things and he was obviously a little bit rusty for a start.”The second innings was a lot better – he only bowled two wides as opposed to 20 – with a lot more control, and he’s obviously had a lot more bowling under his belt and it showed. He bowled quite well and in pretty good areas.”Gibson was a team-mate of Harmison’s at Durham this season, and has been sent to South Africa to assess his rehabilitation. “I’m feeding back information [to the selectors] all the time on how he’s going, his mindset and the wickets,” said Gibson. “The biggest issue is that we need him to be firing and bowling up to Test standard, but the ultimate decision isn’t mine.””I think as long as he’s happy in himself that he’s bowling well then obviously he’s going to move on to Sri Lanka,” added Gibson. “I don’t think he would want to go to Sri Lanka if he didn’t feel like he was ready for that. He will know whether he is ready or not.”

Kallis's hot streak

Jacques Kallis and Durban have made for an irresistible combination © Getty Images
  • The last time India took the field in a Test match at Durban, they were blitzed by Allan Donald and co. – they managed 166 runs for 20 wickets, and slumped to a 328-run defeat. Going into the second Test of this series, India have the momentum, but Graeme Smith will hope that memories of that win can lift his side as they try to level the series after the Johannesburg defeat. The venue has been a good one for the home team, especially lately – they have a 11-9 overall win-loss record here, but in the last 16 Tests it reads a very impressive eight wins and just two losses – to Pakistan and Australia. (Click here for the full list of results, and here to check out more stats on the venue.)
  • India’s experiences here have been less memorable, with a draw and a loss win in two Tests. Among the members of the current squad, four players – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble – experienced the humiliation of 1996 first hand, of whom only Dravid, with a gutsy unbeaten 27 in the second innings, came out with his reputation enhanced.
  • India were blown away by pace ten years back, and the form book since then clearly indicates that fast bowlers have continued to flourish here. In the last ten Tests, pace has accounted for 266 wickets at 29.47 and a strike rate of 59 deliveries per wicket, while spinners concede 34.60 runs per wicket, and only strike once every 73 balls.
  • Shaun Pollock has played ten Tests here, and his stats at Durban mirror his career numbers – his 38 wickets here have come at 22.02 apiece. Both his average and strike rate are marginally better than his overall career stats. Makhaya Ntini too has enjoyed the pace and bounce on offer here, with 29 wickets in six matches at 26.58.
  • Jacques Kallis only managed 39 runs in two innings at Johannesburg, but if his stats in Durban are anything to go by, the Indians can expect to chase some leather when he is at the crease. Kallis averages 57.13 in his ten Tests here, but his recent form at this ground is outstanding: he has made hundreds in each of his last four Tests, versus Pakistan, West Indies, England and Australia. For Smith, though, Durban has been a disaster – in nine innings he has only managed a highest score of 42 and a miserable average of 17.50. The Indians have already had better of him on this tour so far, and these numbers will only encourage them further.
  • Langer says war of words is 'tame'

    Allan Donald hopes the South Africans are behind Graeme Smith © Getty Images

    Justin Langer called the war of words build-up to Friday’s first Test “tame” and Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler, hoped Graeme Smith knew what he was doing. As the ICC stepped in to calm down the pre-series verbals Donald said he was worried for the South African team after Smith’s comments that Australia had lost its aura after the Ashes and they would be disappointed if there was no sledging.”[Smith] can handle himself fine, but my concern is for the rest of the team,” Donald told . “If his aim was to provoke the Aussies then he’s done that. I can understand what Graeme was trying to do … I just hope everyone else is behind him.”Langer told the paper he was surprised by the ICC’s request to follow the spirit of the game in the lead-up to and during matches. “Having just come from the Anthony Mundine and Danny Green [boxing] fights on Sunday night, it’s pretty tame compared to that,” Langer said. “It is part of the theatre of the build-up. The same things happen before the start of every series.”Michael Hussey said in there was history between the teams but the Australians wanted to stick to the “spirit of cricket” code they drew up and adopted. “They are two passionate teams who have a red-hot go, and in the heat of the moment I guess some things do happen,” he said.Cricket Australia is not worried by the ICC request and a spokesman praised the team for their behaviour in the past two years. “The banter that goes with the game, that’s fine, that will always be part of the game,” the spokesman Peter Young told the Sydney Morning Herald. “During the Ashes a lot of words were exchanged but the series was played in a competitive and sportsmanlike spirit.”Clearly there is no love lost between Australia and South Africa but there is no love lost between most sides and that’s fine as long as they get the balance right. The exhortation to our players is to play the game hard but fair, and by and large we think they’re getting that right.”

    Jennings hints at Boucher return

    Mark Boucher might be back in the South African team soon© AFP

    Ray Jennings, the South African coach, has hinted at a return to the national team for Mark Boucher. “I don’t really know why he [Boucher] was taken out of the equation, but I think he’s paid his dues, or whatever the case may be, and I think he will definitely be back in contention for the national team,” said Jennings to the SuperSport website. “If we want to beat England, we’ve got to come out blazing with our best players.” Boucher was left out of the South African team that toured India, and his replacement, Thami Tsolekile, hardly distinguished himself.But, Jennings was less optimistic about Herschelle Gibbs, the opening batsman, making it back to the national team in a hurry. “There are no guarantees,” he said. “We have found other opening batsmen, for instance, so Gibbs won’t necessarily just walk back into the team. And do we go on past performance or on current form?”Jennings also stressed on how important it was for South Africa to develop world-class spinners. “You don’t know until you get there how much the ball spins,” he said. “Our spinners may be called spinners in South Africa – in India people would laugh at that. They will have to work on their skills and extend their attention to detail.”Meanwhile Grame Smith, the captain, speaking ahead of South Africa’s series against England, praised his team for their performance in India. “We played a lot better cricket, and we extended ourselves,” he said. “We took a younger side, and we performed a lot better than people had expected.”I think we all gained something from the experience, especially the younger players – the heat, the crowds, the intensity. I don’t think you can get any more intense than in Kolkata when you’re trying to get the best out of a Test match.”

    Career-best ratings for Ntini and Smith

    Makhaya Ntini has climbed four places to 6th in the PwC Ratings, after demolishing England at Lord’s with match figures of 10 for 220, while his captain, Graeme Smith, has leapt seven places to 12th in the batting stakes. Smith, who has yet to qualify for a full rating because he is a relative newcomer to Test cricket, has every chance of breaking into the top ten before the end of the series, after picking up 621 runs in his first three innings alone.It is the highest rating yet achieved by both Ntini and Smith, although not all the South Africans have been upwardly mobile this week. Shaun Pollock has slipped back to second spot in the bowling, after his mauling from Andrew Flintoff on the final day, although he is a single point behind the new leader, Muttiah Muralitharan.Flintoff himself has jumped 18 places after his brutal 142 from 146 balls, although he is way down the list at No. 61. England, however, still have six batsmen in the top 30, including Michael Vaughan at No. 3, and Graham Thorpe – who may be back in the side by the time the third Test starts at Trent Bridge next week.England’s bowlers have all slipped in the ratings. The most significant mover is Darren Gough, who is now out of the top 20 and at his lowest rating for six years.

    Rank (Change) Player Team Points Average Highest1 (-) Brian Lara WI 887 51.55 9082 (+1) S.R.Tendulkar Ind 843 57.58 8993 (-1) Michael Vaughan Eng 836 50.21 8774 (-) Matthew Hayden Aus 821 52.00 9355 (-) Ricky Ponting Aus 816 51.11 8586 (-) Jacques Kallis SA 804 50.40 8497 (-) Adam Gilchrist Aus 799 58.80 8768 (-) Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak 793 48.92 8579 (+1) Rahul Dravid Ind 789 53.46 87510 (-1) H.H.Gibbs SA 785 45.18 81511 (-) Mark Richardson NZ 767 48.73 76712 (+7) Graeme Smith SA 753* 78.62 75313 (-1) K.C.Sangakkara SL 737 48.20 81614 (-1) Steve Waugh Aus 730 51.07 89615 (-1) M.Jayawardene SL 717 47.24 84016 (-1) Justin Langer Aus 713 45.86 78317 (-1) Yousuf Youhana Pak 692 47.71 76218 (-1) S.Chanderpaul WI 690 44.20 73719 (+1) Stephen Fleming NZ 673 38.60 69220= (+3) Mark Butcher Eng 668 34.26 684(+2) Damien Martyn Aus 668 46.51 806Rank (Change) Player Team Points Average Highest1 (+1) M.Muralitharan SL 861 23.55 9152 (-1) Shaun Pollock SA 860 20.70 9103 (-) Glenn McGrath Aus 848 21.71 9144 (-) Harbhajan Singh Ind 746 26.59 7635 (-) Jason Gillespie Aus 740 24.92 7786 (+4) Makhaya Ntini SA 739 28.16 7397= (-) Stuart MacGill Aus 691 26.22 763(-) Shoaib Akhtar Pak 691* 27.18 710(-1) Andrew Caddick Eng 691 29.91 73410 (-1) Anil Kumble Ind 688 28.00 87211 (-) Saqlain Mushtaq Pak 680 28.93 76412 (-) Jacques Kallis SA 669 28.60 71313 (-) Waqar Younis Pak 650 23.56 90914 (-) Daryl Tuffey NZ 643* 26.85 66315 (-) Zaheer Khan Ind 634* 33.35 63416 (-) Mervyn Dillon WI 619 32.23 69217 (-) Heath Streak Zim 614 26.85 79518 (-) Shane Bond NZ 613* 24.30 63619 (+2) Chaminda Vaas SL 572 30.67 72320 (-) Matthew Hoggard Eng 569* 33.62 719

    Click here for the full list of ratings

    ICC must avoid embarrassing itself further

    ©CricInfo

    The cricket world is in danger of being split into two as a result ofthe ICC backing the decisions of the match referee Mike Denness atPort Elizabeth. There are a lot of issues in this episode, which wouldgive birth to all sorts of arguments and in a way every argument wouldhave its justification. What has happened over the last three days issomething, which will alter the functioning of the apex body ininternational cricket if not the history of the game.Mike Denness has gone by the book in meting out sentences to theIndian cricketers. There is nothing wrong with that but the main boneof contention is that he has not been consistent in punishing anyoneand everyone guilty of going against the ICC code of conduct for theplayers. There has been mixed opinions from across the world about theBCCI and the Indians over-reacting because Tendulkar has beensuspended and fined for allegedly “tampering with the ball”. That’ssheer nonsense. The point here is that six players have been broughtto book.

    ©AFP

    Tendulkar, at worst, can be deemed guilty of cleaning the seam withoutinforming the umpire. Yes, there is some logic in that ruling. But toaccuse him of ball-tampering and imposing such severe fines was goingover the top. There have been instances when past conduct (good orbad) has been taken into account before fining or banning a player.Some referees have even taken the inexperience of a player intoaccount. In the case of Tendulkar, it is a fact known the world overthat he would be the last person to resort to cheap tactics. A finewould have been more than adequate if the referee wanted to get intothe limelight. Sehwag, meanwhile, has just got into internationalcricket and to ban him almost straightaway is being far tooridiculous.The final straw was the sentence given to the Indian captain, SouravGanguly. There was no word from the umpires on the field that his boyswere appealing either excessively or menacingly. That being the casethere was no way Ganguly could have been fined and suspended for notcontrolling his team. Thank God that Denness did not fine Dravid andDasgupta for playing too sedately on the final day! The one thing tobe considered is that going by the book is alright but when theplayers have no right to even fend for themselves, it would be prudentto bring common sense into play and also go by the spirit of the laws.Going by the way Denness has gone about things, it seems that commonsense was something he chose to ignore completely.The ICC as always has shown how reluctant it is to take any kind ofaction based on reason or fair play. It was not a surprise that ICCsupported Denness to the hilt, for if at all any organizing body isfull of double standards, then it is the ICC. If the ICC’sinvestigating authorities can take a single word “NO” to absolvecertain players regarding their alleged involvement in match fixing,then what prevented the ICC taking Tendulkar’s word when he said hemerely cleaned the ball, not altered its condition. Then, of course,the English authorities have always adopted the “holier than thou”attitude towards the rest of the world and even more so in the case ofthe sub-continent.The BCCI should be appreciated for the stand it took and it was timethe bubble burst. There has always been a general feeling backed byenough evidence that the Indian cricketers were hard done by onseveral occasions by the match referees. That the UCBSA has askedDenness to step down is almost a fierce slap on the face of the ICC,which goes to show how strong the international cricket body is. The”Denness Drama” will continue for a fair period of time and it willinteresting to see how the plot unfolds in the next few weeks. At themoment the ICC’s power and its very existence is in question and it isa case of acting now to restore some sense back into this game andavoid further embarrassment in the future.

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