Scorecard Kevin Pietersen failed to make the starting line-up because of his foot injury, spending his day signing autogrpahs for his new fans, and he watched his Hampshire team-mates endure a tough start to their Division One life. They won the toss, batted, and had been bowled out by tea. James Adams and Michael Brown opened with a stand of 63, but once Mark Hardinges had Adams caught behind wickets fell steadily to a disciplined Gloucestershire attack who kept the ball pitched up. Simon Katich offered the only real resistance, adding 48 with Shane Warne, but he received little support. John Lewis and Hardinges picked up three wickets each, while Steve Kirby claimed two, including Warne, on Championship debut for his new club. In reply, Gloucestershire’s openers progressed smoothly until Warne traped Craig Spearman lbw playing an ambitious sweep, and despite losing Phil Weston late in the day they remain firmly in control Scorecard Honours ended even on a truncated day at The Oval, after an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 52 between Michael Yardy and Matt Prior guided Sussex from an uncertain 119 for four. For a full report see Match of the day
Scorecard Ashley Giles began his season in fine style, taking 6 for 44 to help Warwickshire launch the defence of their title in impressive fashion. Glamorgan had engineered a promising position, reaching 138 for 2, before Giles intervened, relying on flight rather than gentle spin. His first wicket, Michael Powell, began a slump that saw Glamorgan lose 8 for 60. The big scalp was Matthew Elliott, bowled through the gate by Giles for 83, and the tail folded meekly. Nick Warren, a young right-arm seamer, weighted in with three wickets as Glamorgan failed to register a batting point. Warwickshire’s openers completed a very pleasing day for the champions, seeing out the final session without losing a wicket – Simon Jones’s six over costing 30 runs.
The row surrounding the future of Kevin Pietersen at Nottinghamshire has taken another turn with a report in today’s Daily Telegraph that he is now expected to stay at the county.Last month, Pietersen publicly stated that he had played his last game for Nottinghamshire. "I cannot play for Notts any more,” he said. “I have told them and if they do not allow me to leave I shall have to take legal action. A number of counties are interested in me. I would prefer to play in the First Division.”But with a year remaining on his four-year contract, Nottinghamshire have understandably been determined to hold on to Pietersen, one of England’s rising stars. Pietersen threatened legal action, the county responded by insisting that he had no grounds on which to base a legal case.And today, David Collier, Nottinghamshire’s chief executive, reinforced reports that Pietersen would honour the last year of his contract. “He has not indicated that he will not be fulfilling his obligations and we have heard nothing about an industrial tribunal," he told The Daily Telegraph. "We feel there is a principle at stake and even if any action were started we would vigorously defend our position.”Opinions among the county’s fans appears divided as to whether someone who is seen by many as a disruptive influence should stay, but almost everyone backs the county’s hard stand."Some believe they should banish a clearly unhappy and seemingly disruptive influence from their ranks, while others contend that the player might have been better handled," wrote the Nottinghamshire Evening Post. "Whatever the case, the hope remains that Pietersen will see sense, make up with Nottinghamshire and treat us all to another vintage summer. But don’t hold your breath"”Before he let his views be known, I was one of his top fans," one supporter told the paper. “I felt the Trent Bridge admission price was worth it just to see him bat. But now I wouldn’t go down the local park to watch him.”
The second phase of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship will now commence from Wednesday (Jan 22) instead of Monday (Jan 20) with the eight pre-quarterfinals matches starting at various centres.Likewise, the quarterfinals will now be played from Jan 28, instead of Jan 26, according to Cricket Management Committee (CMC) which met at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday evening with its chairman Iqbal Qasim presiding.The dates of semifinals and the final have also been changed. Now the semifinals will take place from Feb 3 with Feb 5 being declared rest day because of Kashmir Day. Originally, the semifinals were scheduled to commence from Feb 1.The five-day final will be played from Feb 17 at Gaddafi Stadium. Previously it was slated to begin from Feb 6.CMC, in a sensible move, has also made widespread alterations in the original list of venues to avoid incomplete matches owing to fog which virtually played havoc with preliminary round ties in Punjab.For example, now the Group-I winners will face the Group-II runners-up in the round of last 16 at National Stadium, Karachi instead of Gaddafi Stadium. In all, five matches of the knock-out stage will be played at different venues than previously announced centres.The first four teams of each of the four groups have qualified for the last 16 round.The schedule of matches is as follows:Pre-quarterfinals (Jan 22-25):Match 1: National Bank v Habib Bank at National Stadium, Karachi (Umpires: Salim Badar and Athar Zaidi. Match referee: Mahmood Rasheed).Match 2: Pakistan Customs v Wapda at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: Aleem Dar and Nadeem Ghauri. Match referee: Khateeb Rizwan).Match 3: Allied Bank v KRL at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi (Umpires: Shakeel Khan and Riazuddin. Match referee: Munawwar Agha).Match 4: PIA v Bahawalpur at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: Mohammad Nazir Junior and Mian Aslam. Match referee: Khalid Niazi).Match 5: Faisalabad v Sialkot at Bahawalpur Stadium, Bahawalpur (Umpires: Siddique Khan and Rasheed Bhatti. Match referee: Saadat Ali).Match 6: Lahore Whites v Sargodha at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar (Zafar Iqbal Pasha and Ehtesham-ul-Haq. Match referee: Ishtiaq Ahmed).Match 7: Pak PWD v ZTBL at Aga Khan Gymkhana Ground, Karachi (Umpires: Afzaal Ahmed and Islam Khan. Match referee: Sadiq Mohammad).Match 8: Rawalpindi v Multan at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan (Umpires: Asad Rauf and Zamir Haider. Match referee: Pervez Akhtar).Quarterfinals (Jan 28-31):First match: Winners of Match 1 v Winners of Match 3 at National Stadium, Karachi (Umpires: Islam Khan and Athar Zaidi. Match referee: Ilyas Khan).Second match: Winners of Match 2 v Winners of Match 4 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (Umpires: Iftikhar Malik and Rasheed Bhatti. Match referee: Abdul Sami Khan).Third match: Winners of Match 5 v Winners of Match 7 at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi (Umpires: Afzaal Ahmed and Riazuddin. Match referee: Fahimuddin Alvi).Fourth match: Winners of Match 6 v Winners of Match 8 at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar (Umpires: Siddique Khan and Iqbal Butt. Match referee: Farrukh Zaman).Semifinals (Feb 3-7):First semifinal: Winners of first match v Winners of third match at National Stadium, Karachi (Umpires: Salim Badar and Shakeel Khan. Match referee: Anwar Khan).Second semifinal: Winners of second match v Winners of fourth match at Mian Aslam and Athar Zaidi. Match referee: Azhar Khan).Final (Feb 17-21): At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (Umpires: Riazuddin and Asad Rauf. Match referee: Ehteshamuddin).Final Points Table(At the conclusion of the league phase.Tabulated under played, won, lost, drawn, points):Group-INational Bank 5 2 0 3 24Wapda 5 1 0 4 21Faisalabad 5 1 1 3 15Sargodha 5 1 1 3 15Servis Industries 5 0 2 3 3Lahore Blues 5 0 1 4 0Group-IIAllied Bank 5 4 0 1 51Bahawalpur 5 2 1 2 26Pak PWD 5 1 0 4 18Multan 5 1 2 2 12Karachi Whites 5 0 1 4 9Dadu 5 0 4 1 0Group-IIIPakistan Customs 5 1 0 4 18Habib Bank 5 1 0 4 12Lahore Whites 5 1 0 4 12Sialkot 5 0 1 4 6Sheikhupura 5 0 1 4 3Gujranwala 5 0 1 4 3Group-IVPIA 5 4 0 1 48KRL 5 3 0 2 42Rawalpindi 5 2 2 1 24ZTBL 5 1 2 2 15Karachi Blues 5 1 3 1 12Peshawar 5 0 4 1 3Note: Bahawalpur were docked one point for non-submission of captain’s report on umpires
Pakistan will welcome back Wasim Akram and Rashid Latif for their NatWest Series encounter with England at Lord’s.Rashid Latif could not take the field after his innings of 66 on Saturday, said to be suffering from dehydration, but has made a full recovery. Akram missed the Cardiff game with a shoulder injury and did not take part in practice today, but is expected to play.Shoaib Akhtar, who had to leave the field during the game against Australia, has not recovered from gastroenteritis and will not play. He was said to be spitting blood after bowling against Australia due to over exertion; perhaps not surprising considering he bowled the fastest ever recorded delivery in Britain at 97.70 mph.”It’s a very important game, England are looking forward to winning it,” Waqar Younis commented. “They have lost their first two. We had a fitness problem with Shoaib and Rashid against Australia. We hope we don’t have that sort of problem again.”Meanwhile Pakistan all-rounder Abdur Razzaq has admitted that he would like to play county cricket, and he has been linked with a move to Glamorgan.”I’m waiting for a good offer,” he said. “I think I could improve a lot and learn a lot by playing county cricket. The wickets suit my sort of bowling. My concentration is on the stumps and keeping the line right.”
Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have a new transfer target on the agenda as news emerges on Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara.
The Lowdown: Kane and Conte worries emerge…
The Lilywhites’ key duo, coming in the form of star striker Harry Kane and elite manager Antonio Conte, have both been linked with a possible summer exit if Tottenham don’t match their ambition.
Conte dropped another hint this week with recent reports also detailing a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave at the end of this season, despite his deal actually expiring in 2023.
Kane, meanwhile, is also being linked with another move away this summer, potentially to Manchester City as they allegedly maintain their interest despite the Erling Haaland rumours (Sky Sports Germany).
Now, according to reports from Spain, it appears Tottenham have devised a plan to keep the duo this summer.
The Latest: Spurs eye Kamara move…
Indeed, it is claimed that Marseille’s soon-to-be free agent Kamara is now a target for Spurs as one of five players.
Tottenham have apparently drawn up this list with the intention of going ‘all out’ this summer as that is ‘the only thing they can do’ to ensure that Conte and Kane ‘stay at the club for next season.’
The Verdict: Right move?
The versatile ace, able to play in defence or as a midfield anchor, is set to leave for free later this year and comes as a proven Ligue 1 talent.
We are surprised Tottenham haven’t been linked sooner given Fabio Paratici’s love for free agents and it is reasonable to suggest Kamara would fit in seamlessly to Spurs’ midfield or back four.
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According to WhoScored, only Oliver Skipp (90.1%) has averaged a greater pass accuracy this season than Kamara (89.9%), with the Frenchman also matching Tottenham’s best tacklers with similar numbers in that regard.
Described as an ‘out of the ordinary’ player by former teammate Rolando, the fact Spurs could bypass his £22.5 million estimated market valuation and sign him for free makes this potential move a shrewd one.
In other news: Tottenham ‘monster’ now eyeing exit as club chiefs already take steps to sign him…find out more here.
Having lost their captain, Chris Gayle, with a broken thumb and hamstring injury, West Indies are contemplating promoting Shivnarine Chanderpaul to No.3 in their bid to square the five-match one-day series against South Africa after losing the opening game at Centurion on Sunday.Speaking on the eve of the second game at Newlands, stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo said the new opening combination of Brenton Parchment and Devon Smith would be persisted with, with Chanderpaul moving one notch up the order, ahead of Marlon Samuels.”We need to get better starts at the top,” Bravo said after the team’s practice session on Thursday. “There might be a change in the order with Chanderpaul going up to No. 3 for more stability.”The top order failed to convert their starts at Centurion, losing half their side with the score on 72. Runako Morton and Darren Sammy led a late revival to lift the score to 175 in 36 overs but it wasn’t enough as South Africa coasted home with two overs to spare.Coach John Dyson also concurred with Bravo, he didn’t use the inexperience of the opening combination as an excuse, despite being up against bowler-friendly conditions. He said the newcomers in the squad should utilise this opportunity to step up and make the most of it if the conditions are more batting friendly.”[Sewnarine] Chattergoon’s played before, Parchment of course is brand new, and Devon will be looking at his tour so far and saying to himself, ‘I could have done better,’ ” Dyson said. “So whoever gets the job tomorrow, it’s got to be in their mind that this is an opportunity to cement their place in the squad.”West Indies will be boosted by the return of fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who batted and bowled in the nets after injuring his shoulder in the Twenty20 international in Johannesburg. It is uncertain, however, who he would replace as Sammy turned in a good performance with the bat to cover for his expensive spell of 1 for 57 in seven overs.Graeme Smith, the South African captain, said he was pleased to see the competition for places pushing his players to perform at their best. However, he touched upon the need to restrict the run scoring in the death overs. The bowlers couldn’t halt West Indies’ late revival at Centurion, with Morton and Sammy adding 69 for the seventh wicket.”We’ve bowled very well up until about ten overs to go, but I don’t think we’ve finished really well,” Smith said. “That’s something we’ve been discussing and working on.”I’d like to see guys really contributing in the last ten. If teams have got momentum going into the last five overs, it becomes difficult to pull it back.”South Africa will be forced to make a change, with allrounder Justin Ontong ruled out for the next two games with a knee injury. Smith said South Africa would probably go in with the same line-up which beat New Zealand at Newlands last month, with Herschelle Gibbs returning to open the innings and AB de Villiers dropping down to No.6. Offspinner Johan Botha is likely to replace Ontong.
Top shot There’s a touch of arrogance about Saqibul Hasan thatmakes him so entertaining to watch. Even with five wickets down, he didn’tretreat into a shell, and when Andrew Flintoff pitched one a little toowide, he rocked back and sent the ball soaring over backward point. Itcleared the rope by a foot – the shot of a cornered tiger rather than ameek mouse.Armed and dangerous In his previous over, Mohammad Rafique hadFlintoff in all sorts of trouble with an arm ball. When he producedanother, there was no response, just statuesque football and ahalf-hearted prod that did nothing to keep the ball from the stumps.Comedy of errors Habibul Bashar admitted later that he was cursing theloss of another wicket when Shahriar Nafees looped one up towards MichaelVaughan at short midwicket. By the time he heard the shout of “He’sdropped it”, it was too late, and Vaughan’s throw to Paul Nixon – more infrustration than anything, he said later – gave England another wicket.Remember that old adage about keeping your eye on the ball?Net run-rate? What’s that? With wickets falling and the tail tocome, Nixon and Paul Collingwood played out 22 dot balls with just eightruns needed. Given that run-rate might be the clinching factor for asemi-final place, it was almost as perplexing as Graeme Smith’s decisionto give himself five overs (56 runs) against West Indies.Sing when you’re (barely) winning No one could complain about theatmosphere though. The English fans were in fine voice, belting out and , in addition to the usual BarmyArmy chants. Father Christmas led the choir for , though thecostume probably wasn’t such a good idea given the intense heat.How bizarre No, we’re not talking about the 1996 hit from OMC, butabout a group of fans who kept chanting, “India, India” midway through theBangladesh innings. But even they were eclipsed in the Joke of the Daystakes by another character who was waving a flag that said: . Too much sun perhaps?
Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, hinted that top players like Andrew Flintoff could be rested for the Champions Trophy in India in October and November this year, in preparation for the Ashes. Fletcher expressed concern that the players would not have enough time to rest and recuperate before the first Test at Brisbane on November 23, which starts just three weeks after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy, on November 5.”We will look to see who will need a rest before going to Australia and we will make plans accordingly,” Fletcher told . “We will have to look at the Champions Trophy and see what our attitude is towards it.”Flintoff was rested for the sixth ODI against India at Jamshedpur, with the hosts already having clinched the series 4-0. England face a packed home season against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which includes a maximum of seven Tests and ten ODIs. This will be followed by the Champions Trophy, the tour of Australia from November to February and the World Cup in the West Indies in March and April. The home season commences with the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on May 11 at Lord’s, less than a month after the seventh and final ODI at Indore on April 15.Fletcher added, “I’m looking at all the players all the time. That’s why I’m pulling guys out because I’m looking at September when people are just looking at the next week. You’ve just got to look quite a long way away down the line.”England, who finished runners-up in the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, have been grouped with world champions Australia, hosts India and a qualifier from the group stages.
When Lou Vincent debuted with a brilliant century at Perth in November 2001 he had the cricketing world at his feet. It has not been the smoothest of trips since but now a third Test century looms, followed by a lengthy stay in the New Zealand middle-order.With Stephen Fleming dropping down the order to rest his injured knee, Vincent was promoted to No. 4 and responded with an innings of maturity. There were nervous jitters early on – there usually are with Vincent – but there were also shots of authority.Vincent’s love of front-foot play brought a barrage of boundaries at the WACA but, since then, it regularly led to his downfall when he opened the innings. Edges behind the wicket were the result of his tendency to play defensive strokes powerfully rather than delicately.In progressing to an unbeaten 79 today, Vincent displayed patience in the face of some testing bowling while also pulling out some sizzling off-drives and he greeted a new spell of Farveez Maharoof with a pull in front of square for four.In the first 13 Tests that Vincent played he twice featured as one of four New Zealand centurions in a Test innings; at Perth and at Mohali in October 2003. He usually played as an opener despite the fact it was not his normal position in domestic cricket.After New Zealand lost to Pakistan 15 months back, Vincent was discarded until he returned for the first Test against Australia last month on the back of sheer weight of domestic runs. In five State Championship matches he rattled off 563 runs at an average of 112.60, with a top score of 185 not out.That success was not by chance either. Last year Vincent bought himself a house in the country and set about doing it up. He soon found that driving in nails away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland city was the ideal medicine to turn his game around. From rural carpenter to New Zealand cricketer, not the usual formula in these professional times but one that is likely to see him cement a cricket rather than a building contract for next season.
David Sales has been announced as Northamptonshire’s new captain. Sales, widely expected to take over the reigns, replaced Mike Hussey, who has opted to take a year out to concentrate on earning an Australian call-up.Sales, who made 210 not out on his Championship debut, became the youngest Englishman to make a first-class triple-century, when he made 303 not out against Essex in 1999.”I was hoping to be offered the job when it became available, and now I’m looking forward to taking it on. It’ll certainly be a challenge.” Sales said today. “We’ve had a couple of good captains recently in Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey, and I hope I can follow in their footsteps.”Sales added, “Obviously Mike got it right last year with the way he led the guys. We will have a pretty young side this season – but I know we’re all very keen to succeed.”Northants have signed the South African batsman Martin van Jaarsveld to fill Hussey’s overseas place. He will team up with Andre Nel, who made his debut for the club last summer and is currently playing a major part in South Africa’s series win over West Indies.The squad has been further strengthened by the recruitment of Usman Afzaal, the former England batsman, from Nottinghamshire, and the Welsh seam bowler Steffan Jones from Somerset.