All posts by csb10.top

The England batsman, Mark Butcher, says he hopes the authorities will be lenient with him after he voiced doubts about Ruchira Perera’s bowling action.In his weekly column for the Croydon Advertiser, Butcher suggested that the Sri Lankan seamer throws.In his column, Butcher wrote: “Having faced him (Perera) for some time, I cansay that he definitely straightens his arm. It’s not so bad when the ball ispitched up but when he bowls short he just runs up and throws it at you. I can’tbelieve someone gets away with it.”The Surrey left-hander could now face disciplinary action along the lines of that taken against Adam Gilchrist after off-the-cuff remarks on Muttiah Muralitharan. The Australian vice-captain was charged by the Australian Cricket Board after he questioned the legality of the off-spinner’s action.”It was a bit silly of me really,” Butcher said today. “It was in a conversational-type form in a column I have ghosted for me and I said it without really thinking – there was no malice involved in it.”There’s obviously going to be offence caused, but there’s no bad feeling from my part or from the team towards the Sri Lankans.”I’ve probably landed myself in a bit of hot water in certain quarters and Ijust hope they’ll be gentle with me.”It’s very unfortunate for Perera himself and it’s probably not his fault that all this is going on. Maybe if things had been a little bit clearer beforehand it wouldn’t have come to this, so there is a certain amount of sympathy for him as well.”When I see the Sri Lankan team tomorrow, I’ll be at pains to make themunderstand there was no malice involved and I have no problem with him.”Perera’s action was reported to the International Cricket Council by the match officials in the first Test at Lord’s. He is currently undergoing remedial action.An ECB spokesman said today: “We are aware of the article. We are discussing it with Mark and it would be inappropriate to say anything further at the moment.”

Dunstable:
Bedfordshire 257 & 198-6dec (A Cook 67, N Stanley 67)
Cambridgeshire 166 & 154-4 (C Jones 73*, G Freear 52)
Match drawn. Bedfordshire 10pts, Cambridgeshire 8Falkland:
Berkshire 260 & 167-2 (LH Nurse 50, J Arthur 59)
Cornwall 254-9d & 169 (PCL Holloway 84, NA Denning 6-42)
Berkshire won by 8 wickets. Berkshire 22pts, Cornwall 6Ascott Park:
Buckinghamshire 138 & 145
Norfolk 239-8d & 191-8d (CJ Rogers 63, JB Batty 5-69)
Norfolk won by 147 runs. Norfolk 21pts, Buckinghamshire 3Cheadle Hulme:
Cheshire 229 & 55-3d
Oxfordshire 98-3d & 187-5 (I Hawtin 82)
Oxfordshire won by 5 wickets. Oxfordshire 20pts, Cheshire 3Exmouth:
Devon 388-8 & 182-7d (JJ Williams 61, RI Dawson 55)
Shropshire 166 & 181 (TJ Mason 70)
Devon won by 223 runs. Devon 24pts, Shropshire 3Colwall:
Herefordshire 348-6 & forfeited second innings
Wales 83-8dec & 126
Herefordshire won by 139 runs. Herefordshire 23pts, Wales 2Grantham:
Lincolnshire 295-7d & 296-9d (R Howitt 85, A Dobson 81, J Trower 52)
Staffordshire 330-5d & 91-2
Match drawn. Staffordshire 11pts, Lincolnshire 9Corsham:
Wiltshire 183 & 351 (CRJ Budd 112, SR Woolbridge 5-108)
Dorset 392-8 & 95-7 (KJ Nash 5-93)
Match drawn. Dorset 11pts. Wiltshire 7

We take pleasure in sending you the list of officials for the Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka 2002.Practice match versus Sri Lanka `A’ at Moratuwa – 12-14 July
Umpires Ranmore Martinez, D.N. Pathirana
Standby Lalith Jayasundera

Practice match versus BCCSL Development Squad at NCC Grounds – 16-18 JulyUmpires A.G. Dissanayake, B. Jagath Nandakumara
Standby D.A.S. Dissanayake

21-25 July 1st Test Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka at P. Saravanamuttu StadiumMatch Referee Wasim Raja
Umpires Steve Bucknor, David Shepherd
Third Umpire T.H. Wijewardena
Standby Peter Manuel

2nd Test Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club – 28 July to 1 August
Match Referee Wasim Raja
Umpires Steve Bucknor, David Shepherd
Third Umpire Peter Manuel
Standby T.H. Wijewardena

Officials for the three one-day-internationals will be announced shortly.

A patient innings from Mark Ramprakash has kept Surrey in with a chance in their rescheduled C&G Trophy semi-final at Headingley. Ramprakash, who was not named in today’s England squad, hit a flawless 63 as Surrey totalled 173/8 on a green, seaming wicket.Sensing the nature of the pitch, Ramprakash was content to push the ball around for singles, hitting only four boundaries. He was superbly unflustered, bar a short period where he tried to smash Ryan Sidebottom out of sight, and it took a direct hit from Daren Lehmann to run him out.Craig White, with four for 35, was the pick of the bowlers. He bowled quickly, claiming the vital scalps of Alec Stewart, Adam Hollioake and Rikki Clarke. The players had to leave the field four times as squally showers swept in.Matthew Hoggard dismissed both openers, finishing with two for 21.Darren Lehmann had no doubt in putting Surrey in after winning the toss on agrey morning. Chris Silverwood and Matthew Hoggard beat the bat frequently, with Ian Ward soon trapped leg before.Alistair Brown was unable to play his natural game. After 25 balls and nine runs of hard graft, Brown became inpatient and slogged to third man where Michael Lumb took a neat catch.Though Hoggard was superb, Silverwood’s line strayed, with the ball swinging too much. Even so, Surrey only managed two boundaries in a tough first 15 overs which left the visitors 44/2.Stewart battled hard, but never looked assured, and felt for a White out-swinger to gift a catch to Richard Blakey behind the stumps.Nadeem Shahid looked to be positive, hitting a couple of boundaries. He fellfor 21, caught at short-fine leg sweeping Lehmann.Hollioake began with a flashing square drive, then lofted Sidebottom straight for four. On 16, the Surrey skipper missed a pull and was adjudged leg-before.White struck again to remove Clarke, caught behind going for an ambitious pull shot.After the departure of Ramprakash, Saqlain Mushtaq was superbly caught at deep cover by Anthony McGrath. Alex Tudor (17 not out) and James Ormond (five not out) saw the innings through.

Legendary spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s most famous Tamil cricketer, caused chaos in Jaffna – a war-ravaged Tamil city on the northern tip of Sri Lanka – on Sunday as thousands flocked to watch the off-spinner play in an exhibition game.Muralitharan, who last visited Jaffna as a shy nine year old during a family business trip, was provided superstar treatment by a cricket-starved population emerging from a two-decade long civil war that has cost an estimated 64,000 lives.

But with the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka government having agreed a ceasefire in February and with peace talks due to start in Bangkok later this month, Muralitharan’s visit came at a time of burgeoning optimism throughout Sri Lanka.Although his hometown is Kandy, a hill-country town far away from the troubles in the north, Muralitharan, the fifth highest Test wicket-taker of all-time with 430 wickets at 23.33, was given a hero’s reception throughout the weekendFor those craving peace, the national cricket team has represented a powerful force of unity, especially since winning the 1996 World Cup, showing that Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese can all live and work together in harmony.Muralitharan, who has steered away from politics during his remarkable career, was hopeful of a permanent solution to the northern conflict: “We have to wait and see what happens…but at the moment it looks good. The success of it depends upon political decisions the leaders make.”Muralitharan was forced to endure a grueling 12-hour drive from Colombo on the recently opened A9 road, stopping for lunch with the army at Omanthai before crossing into LTTE controlled territory were he shook hands with Tiger soldiers.He was clearly moved by the journey, having seen the destruction caused by the war first hand, saying, moments before his arrival in Jaffna: “It’s so sad to see the area like this, my only hope is that there’ll be lasting peace and an improvement in the living standard of the innocent people living here.”

Although he arrived after the closure of the last Tiger checkpoint before Jaffna, he was welcomed through by blushing women cadres. In the evening he attended a promotional dinner and for accommodation he had to make do without the five-star luxury international cricketers are accustomed to nowadays.On Sunday morning 15,000 spectators, most of whom arrived on bicycle, converged at Central College cricket ground, the cities most famous college, which stands in front of the magnificent-looking Jaffna library, the most striking building in the city.Muralitharan captained the Janashakthi XI, electing to bat first. He batted at number four, walking to the crease to thunderous applause. However, probably with the high expectations weighing heavily on his shoulders, he scored just four, as Janashakthi score 192 for six in their 30 overs.Jaffna responded well, coming within 14 runs of a famous victory. Ironically Muralitharan, one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket, failed to take a single wicket during a four over spell. Indeed, he was treated with scant respect as 19 runs were plundered off his first over.Popular wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana and fast bowler Ruchira Perera also joined Muralitharan in Jaffna. Kaluwitharana, who has been dropped from the national squad, scored just 10.It had been hoped that other senior Sri Lanka cricketers would also participate, but they were prevented from doing so by the cricket board, which did not want to risk injuries with the ICC Champions Trophy stating on Sept 12.

Steve James continued his prolific and quite remarkable run scoring feats at theRhos-on-Sea ground, recording his fourth successive century at the groundduring Glamorgan`s annual visit to the North Wales resort.On his last appearance at the ground, James hit an unbeaten 309 against Sussex -a club record for the highest individual score. Yesterday, the Glamorgan captainwas unbeaten on 143 as Glamorgan closed on 248-3 in reply to Nottinghamshire`sfirst innings total of 464.Should the Glamorgan captain reach another double-century today, he will emulatehis feat in 1999, when he struck 259* against Nottinghamshire. In fact, beforethe start of Thursday`s play James had scored 711 runs since hewas last dismissed at the ground.His full sequence at the Rhos ground is:

8 and 152* v Lancashire, 199210 and 32 v Durham, 199312 and 3 v Lancashire, 19946 and 84 v Middlesex, 1995162 v Nottinghamshire, 1997259* v Nottinghamshire, 1999309* v Sussex, 2000

Opener Kamil Khan struck a whirlwind unbeaten century as Rafiq Shirazi Memorial CC trounced Asghar Ali Shah CC by 105 runs in the Aga Khan Gymkhana Ramazan Cricket Tournament at AKG Ground here Monday.Right-hander Kamil hammered 123 off mere 66 deliveries and dominated the innings throughout.Wasim Naeem hit 57 off 42 balls with six fours while adding 134 for the first wicket with Man-of-the-Match Kamil, who stroked 11 fours and as many as seven sixes.Kamil’s brilliant cameo enabled Rafiq Shirazi Memorial CC reach 247 for two in their allotted 25 overs.Asghar Ali Shah CC, in reply, mustered only 142 for seven in 25 overs. Brothers Kamran Hussain, the left-hander, and Turab Hussain scored 32 and 31 respectively.Leg-spinner Zafar Ali bowled tightly to capture three for 19 in five overs, including one maiden over. Off-spinner Saif Khan chipped in with two for 12.Summarised scores: RAFIQ SHIRAZI MEMORIAL CC 247-2 in 25 overs (Kamil Khan 123 not out, Wasim Naeem 57, Imtiaz Safdar 29, Shahid Dawood 26 not out).ASGHAR ALI SHAH CC 142-7 in 25 overs (Kamran Hussain 32, Turab Hussain 31; Zafar Ali 3-19, Saif Khan 2-12).Tuesday’s fixture: Total Energy v Mohammad Hussain CC at 1.00pm.

The ICC’s code of conduct commission will conduct an inquiry into the two-year ban imposed on Marlon Samuels by the West Indies board, and submit its findings to the ICC board in July. The ICC board will then decide on the course of action.On May 9, the WICB’s disciplinary committee deemed that Samuels had breached section C4 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct regulations, which involves receiving money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute.”The official enquiry, headed by Michael Beloff, QC, and two other code of conduct commissioners, will review the finding of the WICB disciplinary committee and decide whether or not the punishment was appropriate,” Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC’s media and communications manager, told Cricinfo.”It [the commission] can approve or raise the sanction handed down but as that sanction imposed was the minimum, it does not have the power to reduce the ban.”In their submission to the ICC, Samuels’ lawyers, Churchill Neita and Delano Harrison, have included a written statement from Samuels, interviews given by Richie Richardson, who was a member of the West Indies board’s disciplinary committee, as well as a letter from Aubrey Bishop, the only dissenter in the committee.It was reported that, in case the ban is upheld, Samuels’ lawyers would file for a judicial review in Antigua in the hopes of gaining an injunction to allow him to play while the case is being deliberated.

Ricky Ponting will leave Antigua with no regrets despite failing to win a match his team controlled for most of the game. After being set an unachievable 372 for victory with Ponting’s overnight declaration, West Indies were able to fight their way through a tough final day to hand Australia their second draw in three Tests.Rain on the third day, a flat pitch and a defiant partnership between Ramnaresh Sarwan, who scored 128, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (77 not out) prevented Australia from wrapping up the series with one game to play. “We lost a bit of time but we had every opportunity today to win the Test,” Ponting said after play. “Ramnaresh and Shiv played very well and that partnership in the middle session that we couldn’t break was the difference between us winning and it being a draw.”Brett Lee backed up from his impressive fourth-day spell, when he picked up five wickets in five overs, with two of the first three breakthroughs before Australia were stalled by the 143-run stand between Sarwan and Chanderpaul. It was an impressive game for Lee, who captured career-best match figures of 8 for 110.”In his spell yesterday morning he ran in and bowled nice and fast, and his spell this morning with the new ball sort of gave us a chance,” Ponting said. “We figured pretty early in this game there was no point pitching the ball up and trying to swing it, you really had to bash it into the wicket and try to get a little bit out of it that way. He did that manfully throughout, as did all our bowlers.”Ponting said he was proud of the way his team stuck to its task during the match. “It’s been a difficult wicket for the fast bowlers, there’s been very little on offer and it has been a bit of a batsman’s paradise,” he said. “I’m sure when we get down to Barbados there will be a little bit more bounce and assistance from the wicket.” The players have some time off before they start preparing for the final Test from June 12.

Six venues in New South Wales, Australia, will host the 2009 Women’s World Cup between March 7 and 22, the ICC and Cricket Australia confirmed today. Just like the women’s World Twenty20 next year, traditional rivals – India-Pakistan and Australia-New Zealand have been drawn in the same groups. The most significant development in this edition is that for the first time since 1973, the tournament comes under the umbrella of the ICC, following its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) in 2005.”It is a best-of-the-best event that happens once every four years. It showcases all that is great about women’s cricket, and the ICC is delighted to have it under its umbrella for the first time,” David Morgan, the ICC president said.”The profile allows us to grow women’s cricket in the same way we have with the men’s game over several years, and we are already starting to see the benefit of the merger with the IWCC through ever-increasing coverage and the financial benefits for the top players that flow from that.”Significantly, coverage of the tournament is set to get a tremendous boost with ESPN Star Sports, the ICC’s television partners, set to cover at least six of the 25 games live. All six will take place at the North Sydney Oval, also the venue for the final.Leading women cricketers have welcomed the ICC’s initiative in uplifting the profile of the game, thanks to the television deal.”Events like these will enable women’s cricket to promote the game at the highest level,” Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar said. “The reason for this is that with at least six matches televised it will make the game more accessible to a wider audience. Thanks to this exposure it is only a matter of time before cricket will be competing with other high-profile women’s sports.”Charlotte Edwards, the England captain, said she was looking forward to her fourth World Cup.”It’s any captain’s dream to win a World Cup and the way we have played over the last twelve months puts us in a good position going into this one,” Edwards said. “A lot of the team has been playing together over the last four years or so, so we’re really gelling as a unit and it’s something that’s in the back of our minds as we go into these Natwest Women’s Series against South Africa and India.”Playing the tournament in Australia makes it even more special, particularly the fact that it’s in Sydney, a city we all love. We honestly can’t wait to get out there and test ourselves against the best in the world.”