Bermuda’s authorities have finally acted over the disgraceful scenes which marred this year’s Somerset-St George’s cup match.Almost four months after the game, the Bermuda Cricket Board fired Herbie Bascome, the Under-19 coach, and put George O’ Brien jr and Stephen Outerbridge on suspension for two years. The pair had already been fined by their clubs.The match itself was an ill-tempered affair, and it has continued to overshadow Bermuda’s other achievements in recent months. That has not been helped by the time it has taken the BCB to address the issue.Bascome, who captained St George’s, was also put on probation for two years and told he couldn’t coach a national side until January 2007. He was accused of sledging during the game. He had denied the claims, and his punishment appeared to be harsh considering that meted out to the other two for their behaviour – O’Brien allegedly punched Outerbridge, after the latter reportedly spat on him.The pair are expected to be included in Bermuda’s World Cup squad, although it seems unlikely that they will room together.
Harbhajan Singh expressed his happiness at Surrey having chosen him as their overseas player for the 2005 season. Speaking after the first day’s play against South Africa at Kanpur, Harbhajan said that he was looking forward to playing at The Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds.In his only Test there, the fourth and final game of the 2002 series, Harbhajan picked up 5 for 115 in the first innings of the high-scoring encounter which was finally drawn with Michael Vaughan falling five short of his double century after Rahul Dravid had compiled 217.His last match at the ground was during the NatWest Challenge against England where he finished with 2 for 14, one of his most economical spells, in a match where England scored 307. Harbhajan suggested that his display that day might have impressed the Surrey bigwigs. “I have fond memories of the ground where one of my best figures have come,” he said, adding that Surrey had approached him with an offer during the ICC Champions Trophy that followed.”I was keen and had to wait for the Indian Board’s approval, which has finally come now,” he said. This is not the first time that Harbhajan has agreed to a contract with an English county. In 2003, he agreed terms with Lancashire, only to skip the entire campaign after he was advised to rest the troublesome finger which subsequently needed surgery in Australia last winter.
At 32, it is unlikely that Habibul Bashar will ever set the world alight. But for the time being he is providing a ray of hope every time he goes out to bat for Bangladesh. With 376 runs already in the series against Pakistan, Bashar has earned his team some long-overdue respect.In an exclusive with Wisden CricInfo, Bashar spoke to Nagraj Gollapudi about his new-found self belief, and his evolution as a player.You seem to do well against Pakistan – one century and five fifties so far. I don’t look at it that way at all. It’s just that I somehow ended up performing well against them.
“Whatmore has contributed a lot … He just wants us to perform from our hearts and his motivational words have given us this self belief.”
But so far in this series you are the highest run-getter. I have finally found the self-belief, which was not there previously. Before this series, I had this psychological block and was unable to convert my fifties into hundreds. But I can confidently say that block is no more, now that I’ve reached my second Test century.
So how did it feel after getting that century? It was like a mountain off my shoulders. Throughout the previous night I was unable to sleep properly: I went to bed around midnight and suddenly woke up at three o’clock. I couldn’t settle down, always thinking about the century, which was just 18 runs away. But throughout this misery I was positive, telling myself that I would be able to break that barrier. I was very angry with myself for playing a rash shot when on 71 in the first innings, and my only aim then was to improve on that effort. My 97 at Peshawar showed that the Karachi effort wasn’t just a fluke, and I almost made another big one today, but got out in a casual fashion. [He made a valuable 72 in the third Test at Multan]Where did this self belief come from? Our coach Dav Whatmore explained to me how important my role is as a senior player and batsman: the team’s batting relies on me and the youngsters in the team look to me to show them the direction. When I started playing I was like any other rookie batsman and I used to just swing the bat at anything. I still am not brilliant at restraining my aggression, but I am steadily learning to be patient and more focused on the job.So Whatmore really has made such a big impact in so short a time? Yes, truly – in this short time – without really doing anything, he has contributed a lot. By that, I mean he doesn’t do anything special. He is never negative in what he says, and whatever’s on his mind, he gives it to us straight. He just wants us to perform from our hearts and his motivational words have given us this self belief. You would argue, why wasn’t this approach taken by the former men in charge? And it’s true – they never gave us that kind of belief. We were never confident enough to show the kind of intensity we are now showing on the field.How much progress do you think Bangladesh has made since acquiring Test status? We are getting there, and with more experience and more games we’ll raise our standards further. And with the type of guys like Dav to lend a hand, I am confident Bangladesh will soon thrive and make real progress. When we first played Test cricket, the team consisted of a few oldies who were past their best, and no-one to give us proper guidance, so it was really difficult to make the desired growth quickly enough. However, at the moment there has been an infusion of raw talent, which needs time and proper nurturing if the individuals and team are to prosper. So there has been progress, even if it’s been minimal.
“The Australian series was like a watershed for Bangladesh cricket. Before that there was no direction to our game – we were just drifting along …”
Does Bangladesh have a strong domestic structure in place to produce international talent? Our structure is not perfect, but I would say we are getting there. The grounds – including the national stadium at Dhaka – are not up to global standards, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board is doing a great job and trying to help the players. So I feel it would take a few more years – two or three – for things to fall in the proper places.What about the pool of young talent: is it healthy or running dry? I would like to cite an example. Before we were granted Test status there were about 100 youngsters watching cricket, but today there are thousands more watching the game. So for every hundred there may be one genuine talent, and likewise ten more for every thousand. Cricket is the most popular sport at the moment in Bangladesh and our good performances have given hope to young ones and parents alike in opting for the game. And I feel very happy about that.You’ve been in great positions in the first two Tests of this tour, only to throw it away. How can you change that? As I said, most of the batsmen are still young and at an impressionable age. So it is very difficult for them to curb their impulses. They can only be cured as they gain experience. Also, for that to happen, a senior player like me has to lead by example.Doesn’t that mean that your captain, Khaled Mahmud, will be having a negative impact on the youngsters? Yes, it does, but he [Mahmud] is just unable to get it right. However, I can tell you one thing – over the years, Mahmud has been liked by everyone in the dressing-room and he really is a good leader of men. Unfortunately he hasn’t produced the goods to back that up. The team understands that and we hope he gets in the groove soon.What about the bowlers – do they have the talent to claim 20 wickets in a Test? You know we don’t have it at the moment, but there are youngsters who are showing the right kind of attitude to make inroads into the opposition. But I think we need a real match-winning spinner. Without that it is really difficult to take regular wickets.You’ve suffered 17 defeats in a row. Do you really have enough self belief to enter a Test match with a positive attitude? Till now it wasn’t there, but the Australian series was like a watershed for Bangladesh cricket. Before that there was no direction to our game – we were just drifting along, but in reality we were drifting apart. However, Whatmore helped us just in time. Also, the Australian players gave us enough motivation by chatting to us and helping us improve our game. We were very touched by that kind of gesture coming from the best and toughest side in the world. That trip helped us tidy up our mistakes and we have done a fair job so far in Pakistan. But there’s lots more to do.
As if anxious to spend as little time as possible at Goodyear Park, India took just 11.3 overs to sweep to a 10-wicket victory over Kenya in their Standard Bank One-Day International on Friday evening.There were very few spectators in to watch the two “away” teams in this triangular and those that were present might have felt a little short-changed in terms of overs for money. Kenya lasted only 37.1 overs in making 90 and, in all, the match consisted of just 48.4 overs.India didn’t bother to used their regular openers, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, entrusting the task of knocking off the runs to Deep Dasgupta and Virender Sehwag. In many respects Sehwag is a Tendulkar lookalike and apart from the resemblance he played a Tendulkaresque innings, helping himself to 55 before the match ended. Dasgupta’s contribution was 24.The gulf in class between the haves and the have-nots of international cricket was never more evident than on Friday as the Kenyans were simply blown away. The only thing that went right for them was winning the toss, but even this proved a mixed blessing.Ajit Agarkar bowled Ravindu Shah with the last ball of the second over and from there on things went downhill for Kenya. Agarkar’s opening six-over spell brought him three for 9 and he was to come back later in the innings to finish with four for 27.And when he wasn’t in action from the Loch Logan end, Anil Kumble was, claiming three leg before victims as he took three for 14 in his 10 overs. It was an innings, in fact, mostly notable for its statistics – eight wickets fell to bowlers operating from the Loch Logan end, there were five lbw victims, four batsmen out bowled and just one catch in the innings – and an umpiring curiosity.When Thomas Odoyo had 9 he was adjudged run out by umpire Dave Orchard after being sent back by Martin Suji. As he left the field, the third umpire Wilf Diedricks got on the radio to Orchard to inform him that he’d made a mistake.At this point Odoyo was already off the field of play, but Orchard reversed his decision and called Odoyo back. It was, in the end, the right decision, but Orchard got to it by probably the wrong procedure. In a match so one-sided as this one it made no difference, but in a tighter contest a major controversy would almost certainly have erupted.How much Kenya benefited from this trouncing is a moot point. It is one thing to argue that the East Africans, and other lesser sides, need to play the bigger teams for experience, but one-sided humiliations serve very little purpose for anyone.And, certainly, the Bloemfontein public voted with their feet by almost completely ignoring this match. A head-to-head series between South Africa and India would have provided six or seven matches and far better cricket than the mismatches currently involving Kenya.Perhaps the only positive feature of the entire match was the fact that by winning so easily India have now moved to the top of the triangular table on run rate over South Africa.
Being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur back in the summer of 2018, Daniel Levy ultimately failed to pull his finger out for then-Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.
Indeed, despite it being reported that the 26-year-old had identified Spurs as his preferred destination, as well as Villa demanding a fee in the region of just £40m in order to part with the England international, the Tottenham chairman did not manage to get a deal over the line for the versatile forward – with Grealish remaining a Villa player.
However, just three years later, Levy’s indecision concerning the Birmingham-born sensation was made to look extremely foolish, with Manchester City coughing up £100m in order to prise the attacking midfielder away from Aston Villa – breaking the British transfer record in doing so.
And, considering the form the £72m-rated forward had been in for the Midlands club in the season prior to his move, it is not difficult to understand why Pep Guardiola believed the 26-year-old would be worth his hefty price tag.
Indeed, over his 26 Premier League appearances in 2020/21, the £250k-per-week star scored six goals, provided ten assists and created 14 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making a quite remarkable 3.2 key passes – the joint-most in the division, alongside Kevin De Bruyne – per game.
These returns saw the player who Aston Villa podcaster Steve Froggat dubbed a “world-class superstar” earn a breathtaking seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.54, not only ranking him as Villa’s best performer in the league but also as the fourth-best player in the top flight as a whole.
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As such, while hindsight is a wonderful thing, considering the world-beater Grealish has turned into since Tottenham’s failed attempts to sign the forward back in 2018, Levy’s inability to get a deal over the line for the playmaker has undoubtedly proven to be something of a nightmare for Spurs – as not only have the north London side missed out one of the most exciting players in world football but also a colossal payday.
AND in other news: David Ornstein drops huge behind the scenes Spurs claim, Conte will be buzzing
West Indies Under-19 entered the quarter-final of the World Cup in controversial and tense circumstances, as Keemo Paul effected a mankad to claim the last Zimbabwe Under-19 wicket – that of Richard Ngarava – with three runs needed off the final over. Paul ran through the bowling crease without entering his delivery stride and broke the stumps, catching the non-striker Ngarava with his bat on the line while he was standing a couple of steps out of his crease.The two on-field umpires conferred before asking West Indies if they wanted to uphold the appeal, and once it was confirmed that they did, the third umpire was called in and found the batsman just on the line, ending Zimbabwe’s campaign in a game they had to win to make the quarter-final. The dismissal was within the rules of the game.A visibly upset Zimbabwe captain Brandon Mavuta refused to comment on the mankad after the game “We got so close, no comment about it. I don’t have anything to say right now,” Mavuta said. “No comment.”The West Indies captain Shimron Hetmyer said he was comfortable with the decision to appeal for the wicket. “I would say yes, cricket is a game of uncertainties, we’ve seen it happen in cricket before, it’s not a big deal for us.””Probably not,” said Hetmyer, when he was asked if he thought if it was in the spirit of the game.The Zimbabwe manager Admire Marodza said the team was unhappy but there was little they could do but console the players because the dismissal was within the rules. “It is too early to comment but we are trying to get emotions under control in the dressing-room. Everyone is disappointed at the loss,” Marodza said. “Rules are rules. We can’t change them and we can’t change what happened. A run-out is a run-out. I don’t think it is anything to protest about. We are not happy about losing the game from such a good position. The way our boys competed, it is an achievement. We are happy how we played in this tournament.”The Zimbabwe coach Stephen Mangongo said he was “disappointed with the way the game ended.””I have debriefed the boys in the dressing room and they were all crying,” Mangongo said. “We have explained that technically the run-out is legal. We left it to the last man and we should not have done that. It was a hard lesson and they have learnt it the hard way.”I am proud of my boys. Restricting the West Indies for 226 on a batting-friendly wicket was a good performance and we were up for the chase. And like any other games, we lost quick wickets under pressure.West Indies coach Graeme West said he felt sorry for Zimbabwe after the game. “I can imagine what they must be going through now. I feel sorry for them because they got themselves into winning positions and then we pulled it back. I share their disappointment.”
A couple of weeks ago you wouldn’t have thought too much while picking Baroda to be the overwhelming favourites over Hyderabad. Nine players had been pouched by the Indian Cricket League, leaving Hyderabad with a gaping hole in the team sheet while Baroda had been in the final four last season where they threatened to gatecrash Mumbai’s party. You would still expect Baroda to come out top on the honours board here but they can expect a fight from the hosts.Young players are filling up the vacancy with merit. Vivek Jaisimha, Hyderabad’s coach, and Kanwaljit Singh, the bowling coach, are sighing in relief at the performance of the young team. Despite yielding the first-innings lead and in a precarious position in the second, following-on, they fought hard to hung on to a draw against Bengal in the first game. Everything clicked in the second game against Punjab, where they came away with a first-innings lead and three points.”This is a young team, full of players who won the Under-22 South Zone title this season. We are not putting any pressure on them and are very pleased by the way the boys are showing hunger to do well,” Jaisimha told Cricinfo. “The target is to finish in the top three of the group and if we get into final four this season it would be great. If the boys carry on the way they are performing we can do it.”The team does have some promising talent. There is Ravi Teja, the dashing opener who has five fifties and a hundred – in a draw against Punjab – from seven games, Anoop Pai and allrounder Amol Shinde. The bowling, especially the spin department, is pretty decent. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner with India A experienced, will lead the attack. He has another promising left-arm spinner, Lalit Mohan, for company. Ashwin Yadav, SM Shoaib and Mohammad Khadar offer hope in the seam department. Daniel Manohar, who cracked a ton in the game against Punjab, offers the much-needed experience in the absence of VVS Laxman.Barada look a very settled side who have traversed the path to success. In Satyajit Parab and Connor Williams, who represented India in an unofficial Test against South Africa in 2001, they have a experienced opening combination. They have just thrashed Bengal by an innings and have the in-form Yusuf Pathan, who hit 183 and took ten wickets in that game, Rakesh Solanki, the top-scorer in the same, and Rajesh Pawar, the left-arm spinner who picked 4 for 23 in the second innings. And then they have Irfan Pathan, a man who would have a point or two to prove after being not considered for the Tests despite the injuries to Sreesanth and RP Singh.But the pitch might thwart him and the rest of the bowlers. It looks loaded with runs and both Paras Mhambrey, Baroda’s coach, and Jaisimha reckon the match will be all about getting the first-innings lead. Both teams have had intensive nets session, spreading over three hours, for the last two days. Unless the pitch turns out to be a devil in saint’s clothes, expect a run-fest.
Greg Chappell, the India coach, has defended his coaching philosophy, calling for supporters of Indian cricket to be more patient as far as results are concerned.His comments come in the wake of Sourav Ganguly’s statements about fans expecting results too quickly, urging them to give Rahul Dravid more time to grow into the job. Speaking to the media in Durban ahead of the second ODI against South Africa, Chappell outlined the importance of having a proper structure, but cautioned that success cannot be achieved overnight, citing instances with England and Australia.”Countries everywhere, corporates, use a system,” said Chappell. “There are highs and lows in everything, you have to be patient about things and cannot afford to be too emotional, or it will lead you nowhere. In Australia, for instance, we started a process in the mid-eighties, and it took nearly nine years for things to come together. The England line-up that won them the Ashes last year was also the result of a process that took five years.”Chappell had also reacted to criticism from former players that his plans India hadn’t worked, given India’s current slump as a one-day side since the tour of West Indies. One of the main talking points has been the constant shuffling in the batting order and the persistence with certain youngsters who haven’t performed consistently enough. Chappell backed the strategy of persisting with youngsters, highlighting the importance of identifying players at the junior level.”If speaking the truth in India is a problem, then Indian cricket has a problem. Ideally, the junior cricket programme should go hand in hand with the plan for the seniors. If it doesn’t, then it is fraught with danger. A feeding process is necessary, because if there isn’t one, it would create a vacuum when senior cricketers leave in a bunch.”Following India’s defeat in a warm-up match against Rest of South Africa in Benoni, Chappell was not very perturbed about the performances of the fast bowlers, especially Munaf Patel and Sreesanth, who were guilty of leaking too many runs towards the end of the innings.”They were inexperienced at that and it showed but they can only gain experience by going out there and getting it. I also promise you Munaf will be good. We could not have won in the West Indies if we had gone with the same combination we went with in Pakistan.”
At the Wanderers the Cape Cobras cruised to an easy six wicket win over the Lions thanks to a 70 from Andrew Puttick and a 64 not out from JP Duminy. Set a target of 271 the Cobras eased past it with the loss of four wickets. Earlier the Lions collapsed from an overnight 262 for 5 to be bowled out for 296, mainly due to the 6 for 39 from Alan Dawson who finished the match with 10 wickets.In Durban the Dolphins and the Titans played out a draw with the bad light denying the Titans a deserved win. The Dolphins was set a target of 322 after the Titans declared their innings at the overnight total of 246 for 5. The Titans looked to the left arm spin of Paul Harris to take them to the win, but he could only manage three wickets to go with the five he took in the first innings. For the Dolphins it was left to Doug Watson (59) and Dale Benkenstein (43 notout) to steer the team into the safety of the draw with them holding on at 231 for 8 when bad light ended the match.Rain and bad light allowed very little play to be played on the final day in Port Elizabeth with the game called off as a draw. The Eagles declared their second innings at 136 for 7 setting the Warriors a sporting target of 178. A game effort from the Warriors to bat on under some very poor light ended when the umpires eventually decided that it was too dark to continue. The Warriors had scored 70 for 2 when the game was called off.
Adam Gilchrist has escaped the pressures of captaincy, wicketkeeping and batting at No. 3 by taking a four-day holiday in Singapore. All 16 members of the Australian squad have been given a leave pass and Gilchrist, John Buchanan, Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke flew out of India after rains washed out the final day of the second Test at Chennai.”I’m really looking forward to this break,” Gilchrist said. That was hardly surprising, after he coped with the pressure of the first two Tests, along with the scorching heat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. “We’ve got a few days off and we’ve all got the chance to have some time away from cricket. I’m actually going to have the chance to catch up with my family and I really can’t wait. It’s going to be a great energy boost for me.”Gilchrist, who was thrust into the captaincy role due to Ricky Ponting’s thumb injury, rejected criticism of his wicketkeeping that arose after he dropped three catches at Chennai – one of them from Sourav Ganguly off Michael Kasprowicz and a couple of half-chances off Shane Warne.”When all this initially came on, when Ricky was out, I remember thinking it was a bit of a worry,” he said. “I had an assessment of it and felt like I wanted to take it on and so far, so good. Personally, I’ve been pleased with the way it’s gone.”I’ve detected some criticism about my wicketkeeping but it’s funny, the difference between perception and what you believe in yourself. I feel like I’ve kept as well as I ever have. I missed a chance the other night off Ganguly and there have been a couple of little ones off the spinners that people have written up as missed chances. It’s a pretty tough call in these conditions to criticise a wicketkeeper to a spin bowler. I’m not sure how many of you have ever kept wicket but the ones off the spinners, believe me they’re either in or they’re out.”Most of the players will spend their break in the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, but the more adventurous ones are likely to travel a bit. Matthew Hayden will head for Goa, while some others were reportedly eyeing Fisherman’s Cove, near Chennai, as another possible location for a short holiday.The squad will reconvene at Mumbai by Saturday to begin preparations for the third Test at Nagpur, which starts on October 26.