A five-wicket haul from India seamer Iqbal Siddiqui helped Maharashtra reduce Saurashtra to 288 for nine on the opening day of the West Zone Ranji match between the two sides at the Nehru Stadium, Pune.The fact that most of the visiting batsmen failed to build on their starts after Maharashtra had put them in proved to be the former’s undoing. RV Dhruv who made 50 off 82 balls and opener PP Joshi who made 47 off 64 balls were the top two scorers for Saurashtra.For Maharashtra, Siddiqui, a left-arm seamer who made his Test debut for India in the recent Mohali Test, claimed 5 for 92, while Hrishkesh Kanitakar, claimed 2 for 41, with his gentle off-spinners. Suyash Burkul, the 20-year-old right-arm medium-pacer making his Ranji debut claimed the other wicket to fall on the day.
Warren Hegg may be something of a forgotten man in English cricket but thatfailed to stop him from playing an innings to remember at Headingley thisafternoon. Against a persistently accurate Yorkshire attack, Hegg was theone batsman to capitalise on a good start, his innings the differencebetween mediocrity and competitiveness as Lancashire’s soared to a mark of267 – against Yorkshire’s 4/0 – on another two-paced Leeds pitch.It was Hegg’s chanceless 75, spiced as it was with nine well struckboundaries, which proved the defining factor in a fightback much needed bythe visitors. With only a solitary half century to show from nineteenprevious appearances at the crease this county season, the former England’keeper chose an opportune moment to turn his form around in what shapes asone of the most crucial matches of the summer. Stern late resistance alsocame in the form of a painstaking 19 in a shade under two hours from GlenChapple (whose concentration on occupation of the crease enabled him toshare in a vital 88 run stand for the seventh wicket with Hegg) and a handyunbeaten 29 from number nine, Richard Green.Undone by some excellent bowling, principally from the redoubtable MatthewHoggard (4/70), the Lancastrians had looked to be tumbling deep into themire as they surrendered five wickets for fifty runs to find themselvesteetering at 128/6 an hour after lunch. Enter their enterprisingwicketkeeper-batsman, whose ability to tuck and chip the ball into gaps notonly slowed Yorkshire’s momentum but also evinced increasing signs offrustration. Michael Atherton (21), John Crawley (23), Sourav Ganguly(28), and a characteristically aggressive Andrew Flintoff (28), had allmade decent enough starts to raise hopes of a solid top order performance,but they failed to a man to continue on with a job that, in the end, was byfar best left to Hegg.
Crystal Palace are enjoying a comfortable season in the Premier League, currently 11th in the table but there is no doubt that Patrick Vieira will want to push for that top half finish in his first season in charge at the club.
The French manager’s team have been grinding out results as of late and are currently unbeaten in their last four league games in the Premier League, most recently holding the Premier League champions to a draw at Selhurst Park.
Vieira will now be hoping that he can inspire that final charge to get inside the top half of the table, especially when they are so close, just two points behind ninth-place Aston Villa.
Palace must seize every opportunity open to them in the final months of the campaign, and with that in mind, it might be a good opportunity for the manager to freshen up the attacking line with a player who is a proven and experienced goal-scorer.
Odsonne Edouard has not been given much time in the team for the last few months, despite only Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha scoring more goals than him this season so far, but for some reason, he has only played 26 minutes of football in the team’s last five league fixtures. It’s a wonder why when you consider the attacking threat he offers.
The £79k-per-week star who was hailed a “special talent” by former manager Neil Lennon, has been effective in offensive play with six goals and three assists, creating two big chances and making 0.8 key passes per game, playing 52 minutes on average during his 23 appearances this season, according to SofaScore.
When he plays consistently in a team, his threat in front of goal only heightens which is something we saw at Celtic last season when he played in Lennon’s side week in, week out. He tallied up 22 goals and six assists in 40 appearances for the Hoops, which ultimately caught the eye of Palace.
Now with a highly competitive attacking line in Vieira’s side, Edouard has found himself pushed out of the team and unable to gain minutes.
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However, judging by the statistics in his previous performances and goal involvements for both Palace and Celtic last term, the centre forward could be the key to unlocking that top half finish come May.
In other news: Parish dropped big CPFC howler on “super talented” £20m machine
ScorecardJake Lehmann (pictured playing in the BBL) completed his second first-class hundred on the third day in Adelaide•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Jake Lehmann completed his second first-class century on the third day of South Australia’s match against Queensland in Adelaide, but the Redbacks faced a huge task to push for victory on the final day. Set 418 to win, South Australia went to stumps on 0 for 29, with Tom Cooper on 18 and Mark Cosgrove on 10, and they needed a further 389 runs.The day had started with South Australia on 5 for 252 in their first innings and Lehmann was on 92; he moved into triple figures for the second time this summer and was the second-last man dismissed for the Redbacks, lbw to Peter George for 126. George finished with 3 for 50.Queensland’s 159-run first-innings lead ballooned in the second innings as Sam Heazlett scored 72 and Chris Hartley made 55, with Test squad member Chadd Sayers collecting 2 for 51. Test opener Joe Burns made 30 to add to his 35 in the first innings as he prepares for the series against New Zealand.
Steve Harmison’s hopes of playing in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy next week were dealt a major blow when he limped off the field during England’s final warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.Harmison, who had earlier taken his first wicket of the tour in a much-improved performance, pulled up after bowling three balls of his 11th over. He paused for a while at the top of his mark, and appeared to clutch at the lower right-hand side of his back. After a brief consultation with Michael Vaughan, he left the field immediately and James Anderson completed the over.The initial fear among the England camp was that Harmison had suffered an aggravation of the muscular tear in his lower back that ruled him out of the end of the English season, but England’s coach, Peter Moores, said that the new problem was unrelated, and even held out hopes of Harmison featuring again before the end of the match.”It’s not something he’s had before,” said Moores. “It’s a bit of a twinge, a back spasm, and the physio doesn’t think it’s anything major. Hopefully it’s one of those things that settles down in the next 24 to 36 hours, and he’ll be able to play a part in the second innings.””It’s not exactly what you want,” said Moores. “Harmy’s disappointed because I think he found good rhythm. He started to really hit his straps a little bit and enjoy himself, and was looking forward to having another crack. But we’ve all had muscle spasms in the past – they hit you like an electric shock and if that goes away you can get right again as quick as it went.”However, with just six days to go until the Kandy Test, Harmison’s participation must be in severe doubt, not least because of the blow it will deal to his already fragile confidence. The injury occurred at the beginning of his fourth spell of the day, and though he was not sent for a scan, it came at a moment when he looked set to recapture some of his best form.”He was really happy,” said Moores. “When Harmy’s bowling well he attacks the crease and today he was doing it with confidence, with his foot half-and-half on the line. He was getting better all the time, and this has put a bit of a cloud on what was otherwise a really good effort.”In the aftermath of England’s first warm-up match at Colombo Cricket Club, Harmison had spoken of his determination to fight for his England place, but also rued the run of bad luck that had left him on the fringes of the squad. Prior to his back problem in August, he had undergone a hernia operation that had ruled him out of the Test series against India.”In the past we still had bowlers knocking on the door, but I went through a long period of not being injured,” said Harmison. “Now I can’t get rid of an injury without another one cropping up.”I need to spend some time on the park, and if I do that and bowl properly, I feel I’m as good as anyone in England. When I’m not bowling that well, and coming back [from injury] all the time, then there are better bowlers than me.”
ScorecardZimbabwe plumbed new depths on day one of their game against Bangladesh A at Mirpur when they subsided to 146 all out, mesmerised by the spin of Enamul Haque jnr.By stumps, Bangladesh A had reached 69 for the loss of Javed Omar and Gaza Salahuddin. After their dismal performances in the recent one-dayers, Zimbabwe were looking to gain some confidence with a strong performance against weaker opposition, but things did not go to plan as they were ripped out in just 58.5 overs.After they lost Tinashe Hove in the first over of the innings, the story of the day was the inability of the middle order to cope with Haque. Zimbabwe, who have lost 12 ODIs on the spin, lost four wickets for 15 runs in the middle of their innings, collapsing from 44 for 2 to 59 for 6. Only the strokeplay of Sean Williams and some defiance from the tail saved them from further embarrassment, with Haque finishing with 5 for 21 from 16.5 overs.Zimbabwe needed to take early wickets, and a double breakthrough from Anthony Ireland gave them hope, but Rajin Saleh and Tushar Imran consolidated before the close to leave the visitors with a lot of work to do tomorrow.
David Hussey, the Victoria batsman, has warned the new domestic Twenty20 competition could harm the games of players as they swing from four-day matches to the abbreviated contests. Hussey is a veteran of 14 matches after playing mostly for the English county Nottinghamshire and his message came as Cricket Australia launched its Twenty20 Big Bash, which starts in January.”All players should be wary of it,” Hussey told . “It’s not easy to transfer your game from Twenty20 into a four-day competition. They’re both very different competitions and both are very difficult.”Hussey came second behind Dominic Thornely in a big-hitting contest at the Junction Oval yesterday, with Thornely striking a ball 130 metres. Thornely, the New South Wales batsman, told the paper he expected Twenty20 specialists to become a feature of the competition.”The separation of the one-day and Test teams was a big deal, but since then selectors have picked specialist teams for not only different versions of the game but also for different grounds,” he said. “The style of player in Twenty20 may not be the style of player you would pick in a Test or even a one-day team, so you would have specialist teams for that game as well.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said the competition was aimed at attracting new audiences and was one of the most revolutionary steps in Australian domestic cricket since the introduction of a limited-overs competition in 1969-70. “New rules, fast paced, action packed – the Twenty20 Big Bash will be a fun and easy way to connect with the sport for both the uninitiated and ardent cricket fans,” he said. The Big Bash, which has each state playing two preliminary matches, starts on January 6 and the final will be held on January 21.
Scorecard Auckland’s domination of the State Championship continued with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Central Districts at Eden Park’s Outer Oval. Auckland now sit at the head of the points table having taken maximum points from their three games.Resuming at 274 for 8, CD lost their last two wickets within the first four overs of the day as Bevan Griggs was left stranded on 77. Tama Canning turned out to be the most effective bowler with 4 for 65. Chasing 222 for a win, Auckland were never in any sort of trouble as Richard Jones and Matt Horne combined in a 172-run opening stand, a record opening partnership for Auckland against Central Districts, and steered them towards the target. Jones stroked 16 fours in his composed 110, his sixth first-class century, and Horne supported him with a steady 72. Both batsmen fell to Jamie How but by then the game was all but sealed. Scorecard Greg Todd helped extend Otago’s lead to 352 before Jeff Wilson’s four-wicket haul helped them pull off a 114-run win over Canterbury in Dunedin. Todd, who smashed eight fours in his 59, received good support from the tailenders as Otago stretched their lead in the morning session. The bowlers then responded to the call and wrapped up the Canterbury innings just before the overs ran out.Craig McMillan played the lone hand for Canterbury with a fighting 82 but the Otago trio of Jeff Wilson, he will play for New Zealand against the FICA World XI, James McMillan and Brad Scott completed a fine win.
The Cricket Reform Group, the collection of former players and enthusiasts who announced at the end of the summer their belief that English cricket needed revolution rather than reform, is set to meet with the England & Wales Cricket Board next week to discuss its proposals for the future of the game.The CRG are headed by Michael Atherton, and include another former England captain, Bob Willis, as well as the journalist Michael Parkinson, businessman Nigel Wray, and Willis’s brother David.The CRG’s proposals are nothing if not radical, calling for a dramatic reduction in the number of counties (and with it professionals) as the most visible measure of a plan which aims to revamp the game at every level. The original manifesto had the feel of being the result of a long lunch during the Oval Test – it was presented on a single sheet of A4 paper. By the time of next week’s meeting the CRG will have prepared a far more detailed document.”Our manifesto for change is now in its final stages,” David Willis told the Independent on Sunday. “Michael Atherton has undertaken discussions with a whole range of people in the game, and a number of very important people as well as players.”Not too much is known about the detail of the CRG’s plan, but it will include a reduction in the amount of first-class cricket, an end to Minor Counties cricket, and more emphasis on the top tiers of club cricket.John Carr, the ECB’s deputy chief executive and one of those who will attend the meeting, was keen to underline that while new proposals were always welcome, there was much to be commended with the game as it is. “Of course we will be taking them [the CRG] seriously. We have to achieve a balance between being prepared to be honest and review our procedures, and reinforcing the fact that there is a lot that is good about the game at the moment. If there has been some concern about what the CRG have said, it is that.”The CRG’s founders don’t see the meeting with the ECB as the end of their attempts at radical reform, rather the beginning. Whatever the outcome, they will continue their fight for change, and if the ECB are not wholly enthusiastic then the CRG hope that they can win support by going directly to the public. This one will run and run.
Round three matches at the Commonwealth Bank Under 19 Championship Series in Newcastle were played as one-day fixtures on Sunday following the abandonment of play at all four grounds on Saturday as a result of heavy overnight rain.Western Australia were aiming to upset the hosts, and undefeated Pool A leaders, New South Wales in their clash at No.2 Sportsground. But, in what has become a common theme underpinning the Blues’ batting throughout these Championships, the third wicket pairing of Jarrad Burke (37 from 57 balls) and Mark Faraday (43 from 43 balls) set the platform for an all-out assault from the lower order. Bankstown’s Brad Roworth took to the Western Australian attack to smash eight fours and five sixes in making 82 from only 54 balls as New South Wales blasted 109 runs from the last ten overs of their innings to finish with a commanding 7/273.WA paceman Robert Slowey was spared the expense of bowling toward the end of the innings after he picked up the wickets of both opening batsmen to finish with 2/22. The Championship’s leading wicket taker, Beau Casson, continued to deceive opposition batsmen, dismissing both Burke and Faraday before finishing with figures of 3/44 from his ten overs of left arm wrist spin.Western Australia batted themselves into a very strong position in the reply to be 1/126 after 26 overs. Opener Craig Simmons dominated the early scoring before being dismissed for a very well compiled 82 from 93 balls. That left captain Shaun Marsh to take the lead role in accelerating the innings to 2/164 with as many as 17 overs still in hand. However, the inability of his Western Australian colleagues to rotate the strike didn’t allow Marsh to face sufficient balls to maintain the momentum. When he was dismissed for 64 from 82 balls with the score at 6/210 in the 44th over, the game had escaped WA’s clutches. After Brendan Mills played out a maiden, the Western Australians finished at 9/235. It left New South Wales as the only undefeated team in Section A and the Blues are now favoured to regain the Championship title after a two-year absence from the Final.Scrappy, uninspiring cricket was the order of the day in the other Section A match between Queensland and the so far pointless Victoria at No.1 Sportsground. Play was under way on time despite the fact that close to half the ground resembled a lake for much of Saturday following a downpour on Friday night.Victorian captain Mark Simpson won the toss and elected to bat first but his side wasn’t able to capitalise upon the opportunity. The Victorians’ indifferent running between wickets masked a lacklustre fielding display from their Queensland counterparts. Opening bowler Scott Brant applied the early pressure and was ably assisted by Chris McCabe (2/21) and John Loader (2/22). Loader was playing his first game of the Championship having replaced the injured Grant Sullivan who flew home to Mackay last week. Again it was wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite’s (45* from 61 balls) attacking strokeplay and aggressive running between the wickets that allowed the Victorian’s to post any sort of total before their innings came to an end at 148 in the 49th over.The early loss of Luke Davis to the ever consistent pace bowling of Robert Cassell, and a regular stream of wickets thereafter, kept Victoria in with a chance of stealing the match. However, their inability to place sufficient pressure on Aaron Maynard (57 from 59 balls) ensured that the Queenslanders kept their noses in front and were able post a four wicket win with 10.3 overs to spare.The match between South Australia and Northern Territory – the two undefeated teams in Section B – needed to be transferred from Passmore Oval to the picturesque Wallsend. And, when the South Australians were dismissed for only 153 from 46.2 overs against a Northern Territory outfit that had amassed 739 runs in its first two games, they must have been feeling a little nervous that the match had started at all.The much-touted top order of the South Australian’s failed to produce, with only Callum Ferguson (31 from 85) standing out before lower order efforts from Stewart Smith (27 from 38 balls) and Steven Crook (26* from 49 balls) helped to bolster the total. Ryan LeLoux picked up his second four wicket haul of the Championships to finish with 4/28 from his ten overs of leg spin and was again ably supported by Leigh Mauger (2/17 off nine overs) in his efforts to restrict the South Australian total.The Territory started positively against the pace of South Australia’s new ball combination of Trent Kelly and Chris Duval. With the score at 1/39 and captain Shane McNally undefeated on 23, the side appeared well placed. However, a dramatic collapse saw them lose a stunning six wickets for just nine runs to plummet to a total of 7/48 and forego the opportunity to remain undefeated at the completion of the preliminary rounds of matches.The damage was inflicted by Duval (3/21 from ten overs) and change bowler Mark Cosgrove (3/13 off eight), who swiftly compensated for his lean Championship with the bat. The innings was eventually wrapped up for 82 from only 31.3 overs, leaving South Australia as the leading team in Section B and with the daunting task of facing New South Wales in the Semi Finals.The remaining game had both Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory seeking their first points of the Championship. As has been the case in their two previous matches Tasmania could not find a batsman capable of posting a big score despite promising starts from captain George Bailey (34 from 68 balls), Xavier Doherty (26 from 49 balls) and Luke Butterworth (34* from 55 balls). The surprise leading light for the ACT with the ball was middle order batsman and occasional medium pacer Justin Haywood who finished with 3/12 from 3.5 overs. He dismissed Doherty and then polished off the tail to leave Tasmania defending 163.Sven Holcombe’s 86 in Round 1 aside, the ACT had struggled with the bat in their earlier matches and needed to improve significantly to surpass the Tasmanians slim total. It was not to be the case, though. Holcombe fended at Ben Hilfenhaus’ first ball to be caught behind and from there only Holcombe’s opening partner, Warwick Baker, showed any resolve. He posted the only double figure score of the innings – with his 31 from 84 balls – as his team crashed to be all out for 69 in the space of 38.2 overs. The left arm orthodox spjn bowling of Doherty (3/3) and Ben Coombs (2/7) was complemented by the medium pace of Clinton Viney (2/17) in the rout.At the completion of the Preliminary Rounds of matches the standings are as follows;
New South Wales
Queensland
Western Australia
Victoria
South Australia
Northern Territory
Tasmania
Australian Capital Territory
Tuesday will see the commencement of the Semi Final round of matches.Championship pace setters New South Wales will be looking to continue their charge toward the Final when they take on South Australia at University No.1. South Australia will undoubtedly face their toughest match to date after topping Section B.Having pipped Western Australia in their battle for second place in Section A, Queensland will go into the teams’ clash at No.2 Sportsground with an important advantage. If weather intervenes in the match – as it did during their earlier encounter in the Championship – and a first innings result is not achieved, they will have done enough to progress to the Final.Victoria will be looking to retain their place in the top section of the draw for next year’s Championship when they confront the ACT at Belmont’s Miller Field.Tasmania, meanwhile, will be looking to press for a positive early result against Northern Territory at Lorn Park before Xavier Doherty’s departure to join his colleagues in the state’s senior squad for the Tigers’ Pura Cup clash with the Queensland in Brisbane that begins on Thursday.Play in all four matches will commence at 11am.