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Already minus top wicket taker Dan Goldstraw, BAT Sports face a mini injury crisis as they bid to kick start their ECB Southern Electric Premier League challenge against Bashley (Rydal) at Southern Gardens tomorrow, 1pm.BAT, who have played only 11 overs cricket this season due to the wet weather, have both former Hampshire medium-pace bowler James Schofield and potential new ball partner Kirk Stewart doubtful with back injuries, and young all-rounder Damian Shirazi "touch and go.""It really will be a Saturday morning roll call to see who’s fit and who’s not," said skipper Richard Dibden."I expect Damian (Shirazi) to be ok, but Schofield and Stewart must be rated very doubtful." BAT may have to call up Mark Page to partner Chris Thomason in a new-ball attack.Bashley, with one win and a defeat so far, have a major injury problem of their own, with Australian import Brad Thompson expectted to be ruled out for several weeks with a broken finger.The Hampshire Academy should win their first game against Liphook & Ripsley, who lie bottom of the table after consecutive defeats by Portsmouth and Andover.The Young Hawks were beaten by Calmore Sports in their only game of three to have avoided the wet weather.Promising King Edward VI all-rounder Alex Richardson expects to play in the Ripsley Park match – but won’t know until this evening which team he will actually turn out for.Under the Premier League’s dual registration arrangements, Richardson has been allowed to play for Liphook as well as the Academy.Tom Pegler and Stuart Bailey return to play for Calmore Sports, who look to build upon their Academy success.But a visit to defending champions Havant is demanding in the extreme for Calmore, who face recently arrived Australian import Matt Cox, the South Melbourne off-spinner.Bournemouth are keeping their fingers firmly crossed for a break in the weather so they can get their ECB Premier League challenge up and running against Andover at Chapel Gate.It’s been tremendously frustrating start for Bournemouth, whose May 10 win at Bournemouth was sandwiched between postponements against BAT Sports and Portsmouth."We’ve won our only match and need to press on from there," says Richard Scott, Bournemouth’s Director of Cricket."But the weather has been so poor it’s been impossible for anyone to get into any sort of nick."Scott had a special word of sympathy for Western Australian Adam Voges, who has only batted twice in Bournemouth’s colours since arriving on Easter Sunday."He’s itching to get going, having looked really good against Dorset and South Wilts," Scott said.Scott himself may drop down to captain Bournemouth’s 2nd XI at Calmore, but a final decision is unlikely to be made until this evening.Andover beat Liphook last time out, with Roger Miller scoring the only Premier League century of the season so far.Army and Combined Services opening bowler Alec Senneck could partner Hampshire’s James Tomlinson in a new look South Wilts opening attack at Portsmouth.Senneck has been posted to barracks near Salisbury, while Tomlinson could be available for the first time this season.

A strong reply by the Mumbai Cricket Association XI ensured that their MRF Buchi Babu cricket tournament first round match against New Zealand A remained evenly poised at the end of the second day’s play at the Guru Nanak grounds, Chennai on Friday.With a day’s play remaining, the men from Mumbai, who were 198 for four at close, need another 132 runs to gain the first innings lead and effectively win the match. Their hopes will be pinned on opener Nilesh Patwardhan, who is batting on a patient 95 made off 210 balls during a relentless 330-minute vigil in the middle.In a well-paced innings, the Mumbai opener hit eleven fours. Patwardhan’s innings meant that his team made a fitting reply despite the other top-order batsmen failing to get good scores against a full-strength New Zealand A attack led by new ball bowlers Chris Drum and Kyle Mills.Patwardhan’s most significant partnership was with No 3 batsman Sachin Sawant who made 18 off 114 balls. The two added 62 runs for the second wicket. The unbeaten 52-run fifth wicket stand between Patwardhan and Sushant Manjrekar, who was batting on 21 off 80 balls, was the other highlight of the innings.Earlier, Paul Valthaty while making 22 off 63 balls had provided the Mumbai innings the right direction by putting on 47 runs for the opening wicket with Patwardhan. Saket Adhikari, the No 4 batsman, was out for a duck after scratching around for 16 balls while Kiran Powar, who followed him, made 17 off 29 balls.In the morning, the New Zealand A last wicket pair of Shane Bond, a last-minute inclusion, and Drum added 54 runs to guide their team to a healthy 329 in their first innings.While Bond went ballistic, hitting six fours in his 45-ball innings of 37, Drum was the steadying influence making 16 off 42 balls.The partnership ended when left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar, who plays for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, snared Bond. The wicket also completed a five-wicket haul for Pawar. Paras Mhambrey who claimed two New Zealand A wickets and Nilesh Kulkarni and Aziz Shaikh, both of whom claimed one each, were the other successful bowlers. Indian discard Ajit Agarkar went wicketless despite bowling 12 overs.On Thursday, former New Zealand opener Matthew Horne, batting at No 3, made a stroke-filled 111 runs off 141 balls studded with 20 rasping hits to the boundary while guiding his team to 277 for nine at close of play. Another New Zealand opener Matthew Bell who made 47 and Hamish Marshall who made 33 were the other significant contributors. Horne and Bell added 144 runs for the second wicket off 47.4 overs but thereafter the New Zealand team lost wickets at regular intervals.

ScorecardFile photo: Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling figures this season – 6 for 27, 5 for 45, 6 for 71, 7 for 55, 6 for 75 and 7 for 60•AFP

Three matches, 37 wickets, two fifties, and six successive five-fors. After driving Saurashtra to an innings win against Tripura and then toppling Jharkhand inside two days, Ravindra Jadeja continued his Ranji season to remember by picking up 13 wickets against Hyderabad to maintain his team’s winning start.Saurashtra, having already conceded the innings lead, began the second day at 10 for 0. However, just like in their first innings, they lost wickets in a bulk and soon found themselves floundering at 68 for 6, staring at a big loss. However, Chirag Jani, the No.8 batsman, scored a counterattacking 65 and battled with the tail to lift Saurashtra to 215. His knock set Hyderabad a target of 170 and gave Saurashtra something to defend. Mehdi Hasan was the pick of Hyderabad’s bowlers, taking his second five-for of the match (5 for 69).With figures of 6 for 27, 5 for 45, 6 for 71, 7 for 55 and 6 for 75 already under his belt this season, Ravindra Jadeja went about adding to that tally by dismantling Hyderabad’s batsmen for the second time in two days. He collected 7 for 60, and in the process equaled the record held by Australia’s Charlie Turner for most consecutive five-fors in first-class cricket. Bavanaka Sandeep top-scored for Hyderabad with 46, but received little by way of support from his team-mates, as Ravindra Jadeja bundled the team out for 134 in 40 overs to seal a 35-run victory.
ScorecardJammu & Kashmir took control of their Ranji clash against Tripura in Agartala, as the visitors amassed a first-innings total of 428, and then removed two Tripura batsmen before stumps. J&K, who began at 303 for 4, were dealt an early blow on day two when Parvez Rasool, the overnight centurion, was dismissed five overs in. Tripura clawed their way back with three more quick wickets, but a 76-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Bandeep Singh (63) and Umar Nazir Mir (36) lifted J&K past the 400-run mark. Manisankar Murasingh, Rana Dutta and Abhijit Sarkar claimed three wickets apiece for Tripura.The hosts began their reply poorly, as the opener Arindam Das was bowled by Ram Dayal in the very first over, but Rajib Saha and Udiyan Bose led a recovery, putting up a 79-run stand. However, Tripura suffered another setback towards the end of the day, as Dayal struck again to trap Bose lbw. Tripura were 85 for 2 when stumps were called.
ScorecardA middle and lower-order slide prevented Kerala from putting a stronghold on their Ranji clash against Services in Delhi. Kerala, who began at 198 for 2, were buoyed by Rohan Prem’s century (101) and Sachin Baby’s fifty (51), but from a strong position of 242 for 2, the team lost its last eight wickets for just 80 runs, being bowled out for 322. Offspinner Rajat Paliwal was the pick of Services’ bowlers, taking 3 for 33, while Diwesh Pathania and Muzzaffaruddin Khalid claimed two apiece. Services began their reply brightly, as a 66-run opening stand between Anshul Gupta and Soumik Chatterjee ensured the hosts were still in the running for first-innings points.
ScorecardParas Dogra’s 18th first-class ton kept Himachal Pradesh on course to collect a vital first-innings lead against Goa in Dharamsala. Goa, who began the day at 265 for 7, ended with 324. Their overnight centurion Sagun Kamat went on to make 163, but did not receive any substantial support from the tail, as Rishi Dhawan snared 6 for 108 to bundle Goa out in 104.4 overs.HP began their innings brightly as Ankush Bains and Prashant Chopra put up an opening stand of 51, but both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession by the 11th over. Dogra, though, coming in at No.4, was resolute, remaining unbeaten on 139 with 18 fours and three sixes. He added 119 for the fifth wicket with Nikhil Gangta, who scored 47 before being dismissed off the last ball of the day. HP were 298 for 5 when stumps were called.

Samuel Luckhurst has been left slamming the display of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in Manchester United’s 4-2 win away at Leeds United in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Big three points

Given the rivalry down the years between the two teams, and the fact that United are in the race for the top four, it was a big three points for Ralf Rangnick’s men.

After the Whites shocked them by coming back quickly from 2-0 down to level the score at 2-2, goals from Fred and Anthony Elanga calmed things down again for the Old Trafford faithful.

The Latest: Wan-Bissaka slammed

Taking to Twitter, Manchester Evening News journalist and chief writer Luckhurst slammed Wan-Bissaka during the match, suggesting that Atletico Madrid will want to play against him midweek:

“Atletico will be hoping Wan-Bissaka keeps his place.

“History repeating itself with other players.

“Pogba, superb in the first-half, has gone quiet, Fernandes is rattled and #mufc probably need a change on the flank.”

The Verdict: Dalot back in

While the Red Devils won the game, Wan-Bissaka would have been disappointed with his own individual performance.

The right-back lost out on six of his duels, and failed to block any shots on his goal, while he also recorded no key passes, accurate crosses or long balls, losing possession 15 times in total (SofaScore).

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Given that Diogo Dalot is averaging more tackles, clearances, shots, crosses and long balls in the Premier League than Wan-Bissaka so far this season (WhoScored), the Portugal international should provide a sterner test for the reigning La Liga champions in the UEFA Champions League first leg, and coming off the back of this display, Rangnick should really consider dropping Wan-Bissaka for him for the clash.

In other news, find out which Liverpool target MUFC are now eyeing a summer move for here!

	Howzat? My boy’s got a deal with the Bulls © Getty Images

Queensland’s reputation as the family state is growing with Craig McDermott’s 16-year-old son Alister picking up a contract with the Bulls for 2008-09. Following another disappointing campaign, Queensland are looking at players still at school to fill their rookie spots, with the Beenleigh-Logan batsman Michael Johnson also expected to be named when the full squad is released next week.Craig McDermott was selected for Queensland as a 17-year-old, earning the nickname ‘Billy the Kid’, and went on to a Test career of 291 wickets. His boy carries similar bowling characteristics and the instantly recognisable red hair.”My wife Ann-Marie and I are very proud of him and all our family, but we have said to him that getting a contract is where the hard work really starts,” Craig told the Courier Mail. “This is the first of a lot of steps he has to take to get where he wants to go.”Craig has helped his son, who plays with the Gold Coast club, with a couple of things, “but he has done most of the work himself”. “He has a good action and is getting the most out of himself.” Alister was named in the honorary Australian Under-17 side for 2007-08 along with Johnson, Queensland’s Youth Player of the Year.The father-and-son links at the Bulls are currently strong with Ryan Broad, the boy of the former batsman Wayne, Michael Buchanan, whose father John appeared in eight state games, and Ben Laughlin – his dad Trevor won three Test caps – representing the state over the past season. Nicholas Buchanan, Michael’s brother, could add to the list if he continues to develop while Andrew Tazelaar, the offspinner, is the offspring of the bowling hero Dirk. The teenagers were part of the Queensland Under-17 team along with McDermott and Johnson.

Zimbabwe’s national side looks set for a major overhaul after the beleaguered board held a week-long bowling course last week to aid in a fresh selection process for a new-look team that officials say will stand competitively.The course, staged at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and at the Harare Sports Club, was held to aid in the selection of a team that will represent Zimbabwe in the forthcoming tours by the A sides of West Indies and South Africa at a time when the country’s cricket fortunes are at an all-time low.Sources within the national team revealed that Zimbabwe Cricket had hired an Australian cricket specialist to conduct a bowling course for players drawn from around the country. “We are attending a bowling course which is being conducted by an Australian coach and it has been very intense,” said one participant, adding that Zimbabwe was on the prowl for a fast bowler to enhance the team’s attack.Lovemore Banda, the ZC media and communications manager, confirmed that a course was held but would not confirm whether an Australian expert had been called in. “Kevin Curran [national team coach] conducted a course … during the first week of this month. The majority of the participants were those pacers who showed a lot of potential during the 2007 Logan Cup.”However, there are also concerns that players who participated at this year’s World Cup could still be owed their dues. Banda could neither deny nor confirm the issue of non-payment of players: “The issue of payment is a contractual matter,” he said. “Is it of public interest whether the players are paid or not?”

Sourav Ganguly is back in the fray for Bengal © AFP

Sourav Ganguly has been included in the 25-member probables list for his state side Bengal for the 2006-07 domestic season, after agreeing to strike up a cordial working relationship with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Ganguly made himself available while meeting with Saradindu Pal, joint secretary of the CAB.”I had a talk with Ganguly”, Pal told reporters. “He made himself available. We have named him in the probables.” Pal added that there was no discussion on the Bengal captaincy.In the recent CAB presidential elections, Ganguly backed opposition candidate Prasun Mukherjee, after sending out an email accusing the Jagmohan Dalmiya faction of playing with his career. Ganguly lost the Indian captaincy after the tour of Zimbabwe last year, after Greg Chappell, the India coach, criticised his attitude, and has struggled to regain his place in the team ever since. Dalmiya, who has backed Ganguly through several controversies in his career, won the elections with a narrow margin of five votes and retained his post as president. However, he stated that he held no grudge against Ganguly.Ganguly’s selection in the probables list for India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy is still uncertain.

Mohammad Kaif: ‘The conditions have been hard for everyone. Even if you’re just standing on the field, you start sweating’© AFP

On returning to the side despite having been tagged a one-day player for so long
I was feeling good, and I did quite well in England, where I made two 50s and also batted higher up the order. I’m making my comeback after three years.On why he was in so much distress
I was cramping up. I don’t think I drank enough water. I’d had viral fever in Bangalore, and I think it was a combination of two things, weakness and dehydration.On what he considered an achieveable fourth-innings target
It depends, it’s hard to say. Our spinners are bowling well and Zak [Zaheer Khan] chipped in with a crucial wicket at the end. We’ll be looking to chase 100, or maybe even less.On the pitch and the conditions
It’s quite slow and low. The spinners are getting turn and bounce. The conditions have been hard for everyone. Even if you’re just standing on the field, you start sweating.On how he approached the innings
It was important to remain patient. I had a crucial partnership with Parthiv Patel. But the conditions were not easy.On India’s lower-order batting
In the first Test, Irfan [Pathan] and Parthiv batted really well. We’ve been putting a lot of effort in. Against teams like Australia, it’s always a close contest, and the team needs every run it can get.On his run-out
It was quite funny to be honest. I was a little lost, unable to concentrate.On whether Australia raised any objection to his having a runner
They were a little confused about whether to allow a runner or not. But I told them that I was not completely fit, and that I was cramping up.On getting Gilchrist at the fag end of the day’s play
It was a great wicket to get. He’s a player who can change the game at any stage. He made that hundred in Bangalore and has done well in these conditions. It will definitely help us to have new batsmen at the crease tomorrow.

Malcolm Speed arriving at Harare yesterday© Getty Images

The International Cricket Council has reacted swiftly to the news that Malcolm Speed, its chief executive, had flown to Zimbabwe only to be snubbed by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. The ICC announced that it would hold an emergency board meeting, in the form of a telephone conference, this Friday (May 21), to decide whether the two scheduled matches between Zimbabwe and Australia should be stripped of their Test status.The ICC’s press release was couched in diplomatic terms, but the anger at the conduct of the ZCU was clear. It referred to the refusal of the ZCU to defer the matches “as proposed by the ICC and agreed by Cricket Australia”, the first official acknowledgment that such a step had been planned: less than 24 hours ago suggestions to that effect were said not to be part of the discussion.”The decision by the ZCU to withdraw its invitation to Malcolm Speed was unfortunate,” said Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s chairman. “Instead, he met with Peter Chingoka [the ZCU chairman] and Vince Hogg [the chief executive] on the understanding that they would relay to the full board the view of the international cricket community on the importance of preserving the integrity of Test cricket at its meeting today.”The ZCU has now indicated that it intends to proceed with these matches as Test matches,” Mani continued, “and I have called a meeting of the ICC executive board to establish clearly if the ICC directors believe that affording these matches Test status is appropriate.”Mani added that the issue at stake was the integrity of Test cricket, not the internal dispute which has dogged Zimbabwe for the last seven weeks. “It’s up to the directors to determine if these matches should have Test status or not and to exercise their judgment as to what course of action best protects the integrity of the international game.”Mani chairs the executive board, which includes Speed, but neither of them has a vote. Seven of the ten directors have to agree on a motion for it to be carried. The directors, representing the Test-playing countries, are Bob Merriman (Australia), Mohammad Ali Asghar (Bangladesh), David Morgan (England), Jagmohan Dalmiya (India), Sir John Anderson (New Zealand), Shaharyar Khan (Pakistan), Mohan de Silva (Sri Lanka), Ray Mali (South Africa), Teddy Griffiths (West Indies) and Peter Chingoka (Zimbabwe). There are also three representatives of the associate-member countries: Rene van Ierschot (Holland), Jimmy Rayani (Kenya) and Tunku Imran (Malaysia).

The World Cup final has most people thinking that Australia are the odds-on favourites. However, a closer look at the numbers suggests that the two teams are quite evenly matched. If you are wondering how Australia can be stopped after 16 consecutive one-day international wins, remember that it was India who halted their run of 16 consecutive Test victories in 2001.Cricket is a funny game and has more statistics than any other sport in the world. West Indies, the champions of the first (1975) and second (1979) World Cups, remained unbeaten in both tournaments for ten consecutive matches till they lost the title to India in 1983. However, before losing the final at Lord’s, their run of unbeaten games was halted – by India, in Manchester, June 10th 1983.That was India’s maiden victory over a Test-playing country in a World Cup and also the first defeat for the West Indies in a World Cup.Now Australia are unbeaten in World Cups since 23rd May 1999 when they lost to Pakistan by ten runs at Headingley and are unbeaten in 17 matches (7 in 1999 & 10 in 2003).With Australia as reigning world champions, India might repeat history to halt Australia’s world record of consecutive victories.In my opinion, both teams are evenly matched but India is a more balanced team (in batting & bowling) while Australia is a bit stronger in bowling. It is interesting that a pace trio in both teams dominates the bowling department.For Australia, Brett Lee (20), Glenn McGrath (18) and Andy Bichel (15) have taken a total of 53 wickets while India’s trio of Zaheer Khan (18) Srinath (16) and Ashish Nehra (15) have taken 49 wickets in the current World Cup.While Australian reserves have stepped up admirably to replace players, it is more interesting that India’s bench strength is such that Anil Kumble & Ajit Agarkar with 474 ODI wickets between them could not get a proper chance. India’s success with seam has meant that Harbhajan Singh has taken only eight wickets.In batting, for Australia every batsman has played one or two useful innings while for India, Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly have dominated their batting. Rahul Dravid played useful knocks in two matches and youngsters Yuvraj Singh & Muhammad Kaif also played their roles in important games.In this World Cup Australia have won ten out of ten matches played while India have won nine out of ten. Australia have comprehensively defeated all three Asian teams, all former world champions, Pakistan, India & Sri Lanka (twice) in this World Cup.So if India win, it will be ten victories for both teams and if it’s a victory for Australia, then people may well call them the `Brazil of Cricket’. I think this is the second time in eight World Cups that both finalists are so well balanced, as the records show. The earlier instance was when West Indies met Australia in the 1975 final.Can Australia’s current run of consecutive ODI wins be halted by India, in Johannesburg, March 23rd 2003?