Jagoo returns as board plans way ahead

The annual general meeting of the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) has re-elected Ramesh Jagoo as a vice-president, a little over a year after he was booted off the executive committee.Jagoo was one of three VPs elected – Howard Petrook and Cliff Cox were the others – at the CCA’s annual general meeting in Mississauga. “It’s certainly good to be back and be able to serve Canadian cricket,” Jagoo told share.com. “I like the direction in which this board is heading and I believe I could use my knowledge and experience to assist them in moving forward with their vision.”Traddie Simpson was officially appointed as the new treasurer, a role he has been filling informally since Charles Pais’s departure in January. "Nobody wanted the treasurer position, so I chose to accept it because I felt I could make a contribution there,” Simpson told share.com. “It was a lot easier to get a VP than a treasurer.””When we assessed our financial state earlier this year, we realized that we were in dire financial straits,” explained Ben Sennik, the CCA’s president. “Within a matter of days in the position, Traddie was able to incorporate excellent accounting systems, thus providing the basis for the board to receive monthly financial statements and virtually day to day monitoring of the finances.”

Glamorgan return to winning ways at Cardiff

A disciplined batting and bowling performance saw Glamorgan return to winning ways at Cardiff with a7 wicket victory over a lacklustreWarwickshire side who were without both of their overseas players. Glamorgan`s victory wastheir first since July 13th and their first over Warwickshire in a League match inWales since 1997.The Glamorgan bowlers dismissed the visitors for 196 in 43.5 overs after the Warwickshire captain,Micahel Powell had won the toss and elected to bat first. Apart from Trevor Penney who made anunbeaten 64, none of his batsmencould master an accurate Glamorgan attack who included Andrew Davies for the first time for 8 weeksfollowing a hand injury.It was Davies who made the early breakthorugh, dismissing Neil Carter in his second over, whilstMichael Kasprowicz bowled Ian Bell for just 5. Alex Wharf,who had received a mauling from the Essex batsmen in midweek, came on as first change and delivereda controlled five over spell, conceeding just 14 runs and picking up the valuable wicket of the prolific Nick Knightthanks to a fine diving catch by Mark Wallace.The wicket-keeper also took another good catch later in the innings as the Glamorgan spinners – RobertCroft and Dean Cosker contained the visiting batsmen, with Cosker taking 2-3 in 10 balls, beforeAdrian Dale returned to finish off the innings, taking two wickets in his fourth over. Dale finished with figuresof 3/16, whilst Cosker had the fine figures of 3/44, and Croft only conceeded 38 runs in his accurate9 over spell.Needing to score at 4.3 an over, Glamorgan made a poor start, losing Jimmy Maher in the opening over,but Robert Croft and Michael Powell then shared a stand of 76 in 14 overs, before Powell chipped a ballto mid-wicket. But Croft was in a determined mood, and he duly went on to score 70 from as many balls, hitting11 boundaries and recorded his fourth half-century of the season, all of which have been at Cardiff.Croft was eventually bowled by Bell, but a watchful 47 from Matthew Maynard and a sublime 41 from David Hemp sawGlamorgan to their victory target without any further alarms and maintain Glamorgan`s quest of retaining theirDivision One title. The victory, achieved with 4.1 overs to spare puts them just two points behind leaders Gloucestershire and Surrey.

New Assistant Coach Mark Garaway starts at Somerset

Mark Garaway Somerset’s new assistant coach and Director of the ECB Reginal Academy recently started his new job at The County Ground.Mark, who is twenty eight years old is no stranger to Somerset since he sent several years of his childhood living in West Somerset.His family then moved to Ventnor in the Isle of Wight where Mark played for the age group teams.Whilst playing for the Under 16’s he was spotted by Hampshire County cricket Club, and made several appearences for the county Under 19’s and Second Eleven in the same season.Mark, who was a wicket-keeper batsman, made his first team debut for Hampshire in 1996, but because of the presence of Adie Aymes his first team appearences were limited so he started to develop his interest in “coaching and managing players” he told me.He played his last game for the county in 1999, and in January 2000 took up the post of Cricket Development Officer with Hampshire. Somerset Coach Kevin Shine rates his new assistant very highly.”Mark is a skilled developer of young players, a good communicator and a talented coach in his own right. He will fit in very well with the environment that we have created here at Somerset” the coach told me.

'It's time for Project West Indies Cricket' – Mitchell

Keith Mitchell, the chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket governance, has expressed “grave concern” over the comments of West Indies coach Phil Simmons about outside influences robbing him of the best possible ODI squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.Mitchell recommended it was time for “Project West Indies cricket”, which would encourage unity, openness and co-operation from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) administrators to ensure Simmons and the selectors were given the autonomy to do their jobs.”The head coach’s comments about the selection of the West Indies one-day team to tour Sri Lanka are highly disturbing,” Mitchell wrote in an open letter to the WICB on Sunday.Earlier this week Simmons had revealed that he and Clive Lloyd, the chairman of selectors, were outvoted 3-2 in the selection meeting on September 23 on the inclusion of allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard. The pair have been out of the ODI side since the series in South Africa this January. At the time Lloyd had said he had spoken to the two players and explained to them that the selection panel wanted to move on and give youngsters more chances.But Simmons said Lloyd and Jason Holder, the West Indies Test and ODI captain, wanted Bravo and Pollard in the squad.”The disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad and it’s disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life … [people would use] their position to get people into a squad; or in this case, get people left out of a squad. It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the selection of the ODI team.”According to Mitchell, all the leaders involved – captain, coach, selectors – needed the support of the WICB and no intrusion, if West Indies cricket had to regain its lost glory.”The team is now at an important crossroads, and it will require wisdom and good leadership to chart and follow the right path. It will therefore take the skill, motivation and priorities of the men who lead and the players who follow, to restore the team to world prominence.To that end, the leadership unit must receive the full and unequivocal support and cooperation of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and the backing of an independent selection panel, that is free of interference, fear, or favour.”Mitchell said one reason his political party was elected to power in Grenada in 2013 was because it placed the interests of the country before any personal agendas. That was part of the manifesto called Project Grenada that Mitchell said had proved successful.”We need a similar “Project West Indies cricket” approach if the team is to be successful. The entire cricketing organization should be fighting battles on the field against opposing teams, and not with each other in boardrooms and offices,” Mitchell said. “I believe that if Simmons is given the right tools to do his job, the liberty to make critical cricket decisions, the autonomy to create learning environments in which young players can grow and prosper, and the freedom to field the best teams, West Indies cricket will flourish.”Mitchell also highlighted that Simmons, in the short time he has been coach – he took over after the World Cup in March – had already managed to sit with national players across the Caribbean and help them understand and buy into his vision.”Already the head coach and his coaching team have taken a great step forward by gaining the trust, respect and loyalty of the West Indies players. These are things that administrators and other West Indies coaches struggled with and failed to achieve during the last fifteen years.”A disgruntled players’ fraternity up in arms against a divided WICB and a revolving door of coaches and captains have been some of the factors responsible for West Indies cricket not only sliding down the rankings table but also losing face and respect in world cricket. Dave Cameron, the WICB president, who was elected for a second term recently, has tried hard to gain the players’ confidence and win over his opponents within the board, but has been severely criticised throughout his tenure. Nothing signified this more clearly than West Indies’ aborted tour of India last October.Bravo, who was the ODI captain on that tour, led the pullout with one ODI, one T20 and three Tests pending, due to a protracted disagreement between the players, the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association over the payment structure specified by the players’ revised contracts. Calling the episode a “monumental disaster”, the BCCI demanded $41.97m as damages from the WICB. Since then Cameron has received a lot of flak with critics, former players and CARICOM officials blaming him for the embarrassment caused to West Indies cricket due to the pullout.Ralph Gonsalaves, the St Vincents and the Grenadines Prime Minister and Mitchell’s associate on the CARICOM committee, accused Cameron of “dishonouring” his word after Bravo and Pollard were first dropped from the ODI squad. Gonsalves said Cameron had assured him at an earlier meeting that none of the India 14 would be “victimised” and the squads for South Africa tour would be picked on merit.Mitchell’s remedy for the WICB is to be more inclusive. “A sports organization needs good management and administration to function at its best, but it cannot win battles on the field without sensible, coordinated and innovative leadership at every level throughout its ranks. The organisation must not be divided unto itself.”Mitchell even quoted Pope Francis, who, in his speech at the United Nations earlier this week, “reminded the world about the dangers of polarisation, anger, hatred, resentment, exclusion and adversarial attitudes, and the benefits of inclusion, kindness, unity, cooperation and common purpose. We sincerely hope that his words were heard and heeded by our cricket administrators.”

Odoyo century leads remarkable chase

ScorecardThomas Odoyo’s maiden ODI century led a remarkable Kenya fightback in the opening match of their short series against Canada in Nairobi. He came in with the home side in tatters at 49 for 5 chasing 231, but calmly set about a recovery before taking the game away from Canada with a flurry of boundaries alongside a composed Jimmy Kamande who helped add a match-winning stand of 98 in 13 overs.Odoyo, who opened his first-class century count against Bermuda last week, was again in commanding form and highlighted his importance to Kenya and also his standing among Associate players. Kenya were falling apart when he arrived in the 11th over, but he was quickly into his stride. Any half volley that came along was emphatically dispatched through the covers, while short balls didn’t cause any problems. As the requirement was reduced to double figures he began using his feet to the spinners and finished the chase in fine style with a straight drive off Sunil Dhaniram. The paltry crowd of a hundred or so spectators grew as Odoyo expanded his shots and a large group of schoolchildren arrived to cheer him on.But Odoyo wouldn’t have succeeded without support from his team-mates, in particular Alex Obanda, the nineteen-year-old. Obanda might have missed out had Tanmay Mishra been picked, but Mishra didn’t attend training and, to compound the confusion, he is preparing to go to university in India. They didn’t miss him today, however, with Obanda repairing the initial damage with 30 in a stand of 86. Kamande, who earlier bowled an economical spell of offspin, then showed his batting skills with a 31-ball 37.The result was hard luck on Umar Bhatti, the left-arm opening bowler, who had produced an outstanding spell, bowling his 10 overs straight through for three wickets. He had David Obuya caught at mid-off, removed Nehemiah Odhiambo with a first-ball edge to the wicketkeeper and accounted for Steve Tikolo for a duck in similar style.Canada had wasted a promising position with the bat after racing to 89 for 2 in the 13th over. They slipped to 131 for 6 as Kamande and Tikolo conceded 62 in 20 overs between them. But 36-year-old Arvind Kandappah, making his ODI debut, ensured against a complete collapse. He added 52 with Jason Patraj (20) then Umar Bhatti contributed a 17-ball 22.Kandappah reached fifty off 73 balls and hit three sixes, but Canada couldn’t bat out their 50 overs. Patraj was taken at extra cover and Bhatti heaved to mid-on, although they had at least given their side something to bowl at. For a while it looked like enough, but then Odoyo made his presence felt.

Nafees and Mehrab set up easy win

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Shahriar Nafees continued his superb form © AFP

A flamboyant half-century from Shahriar Nafees plus a more sedate contribution from Mehrab Hossain jr guided Bangladesh to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe, in the second one-day international at Bogra, and a 2-0 series lead. Their opening stand of 104 broke the back of the run chase after a disciplined bowling performance had restricted Zimbabwe to an under-par 217, despite Sean Williams’s 61.Nafees, who struck an 105 in the first match, cut loose against the new ball and any thoughts Zimbabwe had of clawing themselves back into the series disappeared as rapidly as the ball off Nafees’s bat. He struck 10 boundaries with his half-century arriving off 45 balls. Mehrab took more than twice as long for his landmark, but it was an equally important contribution which ensured there was no back into the match for Zimbabwe.Saqibul Hasan added some blows of his own in a 28-ball 36 and Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, had the satisfaction of being in the middle when the winning runs arrived with more than seven overs to spare. This result, coupled with Bangladesh’s nine-wicket win in the opening match, continues to suggest there is even a noticeable gulf appearing between these two teams – especially in sub-continental conditions.The Bangladesh spinners again played a key role in holding the Zimbabwean batting as Saqibul, Mohammad Rafique and Abdur Razzaq conceded 117 off their combined 30 overs. Stuart Matsikenyeri and Chamu Chibhabha added 49 for the second wicket before Mashrafe Mortaza forced Matsikenyeri to nick one to Khaled Mashud.Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza buckled down, but the introduction of spin in the ninth over put pressure on both batsmen. Saqibul trapped Chibhabha leg before for 31, and Masakadza and Williams added 76 for the fourth wicket. Mazakadza began slowly, and just as he opened up with a fine slogged six off Saqibul, he was stumped off the same bowler.Williams too was sluggish to start off with – he was troubled by Rafique and Razzak on occasions – but still collected fours by employing the sweep and cut with his first ODI fifty came off 61 balls. However, when he was trapped lbw by Rafique Zimbabwe’s hopes of exploiting the final overs went with him.Zimbabwe must now win the third match, in Bogra on Tuesday, if they want to keep the series alive.

Younis and Afridi promoted to top grade

New central contracts announced for Pakistan players © Getty Images

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, and Shahid Afridi, the allrounder, have been elevated to the top category, according to new central contracts announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Meanwhile, Danish Kaneria, the legspinner, and Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper have been promoted from grade three to grade two. However, the board has not made any monetary increase in the new contracts.The central contracts in Pakistan cricket are divided into three pay categories. The grade one players get a monthly retainer of Rs 200,000, the grade two players Rs 125,000 and those in grade three Rs 75,000. The monthly retainers are beside the match and tour fees paid to the players.Meanwhile, , the Karachi-based daily, reported that the board violated its own performance criteria laid down in the contracts system when it promoted Akmal to grade two although he has still not accumulated the necessary 150 points required for that to happen. Akmal has at present 104 points to his credit.Central contracted players:Category `A’: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi.Category `B’: Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Kamran Akmal.Category `C’: Asim Kamal, Salman Butt, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shabbir Ahmed, Yasir Hameed, Arshad Khan, Imran Farhat, Bazid Khan.Pakistan `A’ and Juniors: Misbah-ul-Haq, Hasan Raza, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammad Asif, Yasir Arafat, Najaf Shah, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Arshad, Imran Tahir, Zulqarnain Haider, Ashar Zaidi, Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Khalil

How they were out

Scorecard

New Zealand first innings 353


Mark Richardson c Ponting b Kasprowicz 19 (1 for 26)
Edged perfect legcutter to second slip
Stephen Fleming c Warne b Kasprowicz 0 (2 for 26)
Edged straight ball to second slip
Scott Styris c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 27 (3 for 37)
Poor foot movement and straightforward catch
Nathan Astle run out (Clarke) 19 (4 for 138)
Parried by Gillespie in gully, direct hit at non-striker’s end
Mathew Sinclair c Ponting b Gillespie 69 (5 for 138)
Caught low at second slip
Craig McMillan c Gilchrist b Warne 23 (6 for 180)
Thin edge giving bowler the charge – would have been stumped
Brendon McCullum st Gilchrist b Warne 10 (7 for 206)
Beaten by legbreak, very close for third umpire
Daniel Vettori c Warne b Kasprowicz 21 (8 for 264)
Edged slashed drive high to second slip
Kyle Mills c Hayden b Warne 29 (9 for 317)
Defensive prod well held low at first slip
Chris Martin c Ponting b Warne 0 (10 for 353)
Bat-pad high to silly point

Australia first innings


Matthew Hayden lbw b Mills 8 (1 for 16)
Trapped on back foot and hit high on pad
Justin Langer lbw b Vettori 34 (2 for 85)
Plumb in front to ball that jagged back and stayed low
Ricky Ponting c Astle b Martin 51 (3 for 109)
Well caught at square leg off hook
Darren Lehmann c McCullum b Vettori 8 (4 for 128)
Caught behind off attempted drive

Hamstring injury sidelines Robin Smith


Robin Smith square cuts at Northampton

Robin Smith will miss this Sunday’s National League match against Nottinghamshire Outlaws after pulling a hamstring in last weeks victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks.”It is hoped that Robin will be fit for the Frizzell Championship match against Glamorgan at The Rose Bowl next week”, said a club spokesman, “if not he should be ready for the floodlit match at Trent bridge on 21st July”.Smith pulled his joint attempting a quick single, and continued batting with the help of a runner (Derek Kenway) until he was run out. Enjoying some of his finest form, Robin is also in the middle of a successful Testimonial campaign.

England XI share honours with MCA XI

England XI had a good outing today at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.On the second and final day of the two-day match against MumbaiCricket Association President’s XI, played on Monday, England XIamassed 370/3 in 90 overs, in reply to MCA XI’s 373/5. The match endedin a predictable draw.England got off to a solid start in the morning. Marcus Trescothickwas as always in an attacking mood, pulling the medium-pacer AavishkarSalvi for a six. Trescothick played some cracking shots to the fenceas the bowlers erred in line and length. In contrast, Mark Butcherfound the attack not to his liking. He made batting look a difficulttask and inched forward as if treading through a minefield.Trescothick was the star of the morning’s play, using his feet totackle the spinners and showing positive approach. He walked down thetrack and smacked two huge sixes over long-on off the bowling ofNilesh Kulkarni to move from 48 to 60. The Somerset opener lost hiswicket to aggression, going for a sweep of Ramesh Powar and top-edgingthe ball to Kambli at square leg. Trescothick made 60 off 68 ballswith the help of three sixes and six boundaries.Michael Vaughan didn’t do any better than Butcher; he was verytentative in his brief stay in the middle. Vaughan (2) pushed forwardat a delivery from Kulkarni and the faint edge was well taken bywicketkeeper Abhijit Shetye.Nasser Hussain walked in to join Butcher at the score of 91/2 andimmediately made his intentions clear by lofting Kulkarni for four.Soon after the luncheon break Butcher (33 off 104 balls) put an end tohis misery by running himself out. Thorpe joined Hussain and the twomost experienced batsmen in the side went on about their task withoutany fuss. There was nothing in the bowling to suggest that they werethreatening to take a wicket.Hussain and Thorpe punished the bowling all around the park. Hussainwas the aggressive of the two, smashing his way to 70 retired hurt off125 balls, which included seven boundaries and three huge sixes.Thorpe was keen on gathering the runs, waiting for the ball till thelast moment to play it on both sides of the wicket. The amount of timethat is this stylish left-hander from Surrey has to play the strokesis amazing to see.Thorpe made 45 off 83 balls, striking four boundaries and took EnglandXI to 232/3 at the tea break. Thorpe too retired hurt to pave way forCraig White and Mark Ramprakash to have a go after the tea break.England XI scored 138 runs off the 28 overs, which was also the fourthwicket partnership between the two batsmen. Ramprakash remainedunbeaten on 58 off 96 balls, striking five boundaries. The highlightof the session’s play was the explosive batting by Craig White.The Yorkshire all-rounder struck five huge sixes and seven boundariesin his whirlwind unbeaten knock of 79 runs off 73 balls. White wassimply superb against the spinners, using his feet to smack the ballhigh and over the fielders. Ramprakash too played a fine hand, showinggood technique against the spin trio.England can take heart from the performance of their batsmen, whichwill be crucial in the Test series. Trescothick, Hussain, Thorpe,Ramprakash and White are all in good form. Unlike many visiting teamswho struggle in the tour opener, England showed lot of resolve andcharacter on a hot Monday afternoon, giving away nothing to the homeside.

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