Ray Jennings, the South African coach, has warned his team not to take West Indies lightly despite holding a good record against them. The South African team left yesterday on an eight-week tour of the Caribbean that includes four Tests and five one-day internationals.”The past is history,” Jennings told South African Press Agency. “There’s no point sitting back and saying ‘South Africa have a good record at The Wanderers’, and then we lose a Test there. It’s the same with the West Indies. We have to approach each Test without thinking about what happened in the past. Conditions change, players change, and records mean nothing.”South Africa have won 10 out of 15 Tests against West Indies and have lost just two. They also dominated the last home series between the two sides, winning the Tests 3-0 the one-dayers 3-1.”We will approach each match as a new challenge, and focus on what we have to do,” Jennings said, emphasising that the amount of travelling involved on a tour to the West Indies was also a factor. “Touring is always tough, with all the travelling we have to do – and that travelling includes getting to airports, sitting around waiting for flights, travelling to the hotels. And when you tour the West Indies, there is the additional problem of passport control and customs at each new island. Touring the West Indies is like touring five or six countries on one tour”Jennings also mentioned that South Africa would be on the lookout to improve their overseas record – they lost to Sri Lanka and India by identical 1-0 margins last year. “South Africa haven’t played well away from home recently, and we are determined to turn that around.”South Africa have suffered an early blow to their Caribbean campaign with Shaun Pollock being ruled out of the first Test due to an ankle injury. The team commence their tour with a three-day camp in Antigua. “We don’t want any one player to dominate everything,” he said. “Hopefully, everyone will play their part in the success of the team. I expect the senior players like Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs who have been there before to lead the way and help the other players get used to the conditions.”Speaking about the sponsorship row which has hampered West Indies cricket recently, Jennings said he was hopeful that the dispute would be resolved. “But whether it is or not will not affect how we approach the series,” he continued. “Obviously, we would like to play the strongest opposition, but we have to focus on our own performance and not allow the problems in the opposition camp to distract us.”
The board of directors of the new Northern Gauteng franchise held their inaugural meeting at SuperSport Park earlier this week to discuss some important matters concerning the new set-up.The board expressed its delight that the Titans’ and Easterns’ joint application for a franchise, to be based at SuperSport Park, had been successful, and they thanked the national board for the vote of confidence.The Northern Gauteng board consists of representatives of the Northerns Cricket Union, the Eastern Cricket Union and SuperSport. It comprises of Brandon Foot, the chairman, Andy O Connor, vice-chairman, Imtiaz Patel, Jesse Chellan, Andre De Villiers, Ashraf Seedat, Amarlal Soma, Prince Thethe and Imraan Soomra.The directors passed several regulations regarding both policy and operational matters. Firstly, it announced that the name of the team would be the Nashua Titans. Foot explained that Nashua had agreed to renew its sponsorship of the Titans for a furher three years. “The Titans brand is the oldest of all such commercial cricketing brands in South African cricket, and has proved to be eminently successful," Foot said. "It makes business sense to retain such a successful brand.”Another matter on the agenda was the the official team colours. The final decision was sky and navy blue, incorporating the colours of both the Northerns and Easterns. Furthermore, the name of the company to be formed by the franchise will include both Easterns and Titans in its title. The board will announce the coaching staff soon.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has described the practice facilities currently provided for the tourists in Kolkata as unacceptable.The England coach, Duncan Fletcher, has complained about the state of the nets provided at the Kolkata Sports and Cricket Club, but Indian officials claimed they would not be treated any differently if they were touring England.Fletcher is unhappy about the standard of the wickets, lights and the time allotted for practice at the nearby ground.”It’s not the right way to treat an international side who have come out herefor an important one-day series because you have to prepare properly for anyseries,” Fletcher said.”It’s dangerous in the nets because if you hit a leg-side shot in the firstnet, it shoots through to the other net and could take someone out. How can you concentrate when that’s going on?”When you pitch up somewhere you expect decent practice facilities, where they are we don’t really care. The wickets have not been conducive to good one-day practice. At the moment you can’t play shots you would play in one-day international cricket.”You’re basically playing defensive cricket because the ball’s doing too muchand the nets were wet yesterday and dangerous. You would expect nice flatwickets so you can practice your cricket and bowlers can learn to bowl on flatwickets.”The ECB’s Chief Executive Tim Lamb and Director of Cricket Operations John Carr have been engaged in a lengthy dialogue with their counterparts at the BCCI, secretary Niranjan Shah and president Jagmohan Dalmiya.They had requested a switch to Eden Gardens, the venue for Saturday’s opening one-day international, but a spokesman for the cricket association of Bengal, who maintain Eden Gardens, insisted England would only be allowed a single practice session there as previously scheduled on Tuesday.”It isn’t possible for England to practice there because we’re busy preparing Eden Gardens for the one-day international,” claimed the spokesman.”We can only make it available for training as decided earlier. I’m sure ifthe Indian team had landed for a match at Lord’s or some other top Test centrein England, they would not be allowed access to the main arena.”The England camp say they have been given several other reasons why Eden Gardens is unavailable. Fletcher was told it was because of security concerns, but the police claim it would be easier to patrol the team there.The current problems follow lengthy discussions about the forthcoming one-day series, during which India threatened to withdraw from next summer’s final Test at the Oval if England did not agree to play a five-Test series in 2003-4.England eventually added a further one-day international to the five already scheduled, and switched their warm-up sessions from Mumbai to Kolkata, where the first match was to be played.It has left England with just one warm-up game and five more days practice before they play the first one-day international in front of an estimated 100,000 crowd on Saturday.”The home Board has a responsibility for providing good net facilities tovisiting teams and there is no excuse for failing to do that,” Lamb said.”It is totally unacceptable to be provided with facilities like this and wehave protested strongly to the BCCI and will continue to do so.”Once we had made the decision to warm-up in Kolkata and then only had eightdays to practice, it was obviously very important to be provided with goodfacilities, and that hasn’t happened.”
Doug Watson’s highest limited overs score proved in vain as Northerns beat Natal by four wickets with 10 balls to spare.Natal totalled 230 for six, to which Northerns replied with 231 for six in 43.2 overs to end the home side’s winning streak at four matches.Man-of-the-match Watson scored 116 off 144 balls with eight fours and a six, surpassing the 102 not out he made against Free State in Bloemfontein in 1998-99.He was given a life in the 20th over when, on 46 with the total 82 for one, Gerald Dros at extra cover somehow managed to drop the gentlest of catches off the bowling of Pierre Joubert.However, that was the only charity Watson showed the visitors and the rest of his 116-ball innings was without blemish. It wasn’t strewn with big hits but at no stage was Watson bogged down – he always seemed to know where his next run was coming from.Would that some of his partners showed similar composure. Instead, Natal spiralled from 151 for two to 170 for five in the space of three overs to snuff out a genuine chance of posting a total in the region of 250. That undid the good work of the Natal top order, the best of which was a second-wicket stand of 64 between Watson and Wade Wingfield.The home side recovered somewehat by way of a sixth-wicket effort of 55 shared by Watson and Errol Stewart, whose industrious unbeaten 31 came off 23 balls. The partnership was ended with the first ball of the 45th over, when Watson was spectacularly caught by a diving Dros at extra cover.However, Natal promptly relinquished their recovered ground when Gary Gilder and Kent sent down opening spells of nought for 33 off five overs and nought for 35 off seven respectively.Jon Bastow and Eldine Baptiste kept it admirably tight at the other end, but every other over there was no pressure on Northerns’ top order and they were able to score freely as one short and wide delivery – interspersed with the odd friendly full toss or leg-side four-ball – followed another.The pattern was repeated throughout the innings, with Bastow bowling a ragged second spell of four overs in which he took one for 29, as Natal found out the hard way that teams do not win when they bowl muck.Johan Myburgh and Jacques Rudolph got Northerns off to a fine start with an opening stand that grew to 71 before Rudolph slapped his favourite cut shot straight at Jonty Rhodes at backward point in the 14th over.Myburgh and Martin van Jaarsveld then took Northerns 52 runs closer to their target with enterprising batting. But Natal struck back by snapping up five wickets for 69 runs in 12 overs, several of them with considerable help from the batsmen.Wingfield caused much excitement by bowling Van Jaarsveld off the bottom edge with his first ball of the match, and then dismissing Van Wyk and Allahudein Paleker with consecutive deliveries.However, with Dirkie de Vos cool, calm and completely collected at number four for his unbeaten 36 – and Steve Elworthy bashing 27 not out off 15 balls – Northerns were not about to let this one go.
An update has emerged on Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst’s interest in bringing a new midfielder to Ibrox this summer…
What’s the talk?
According to Football League World, the Gers are among a number of clubs in the race to land a deal for Coventry midfielder Gustavo Hamer.
The report claims that the Glasgow giants have been following the Dutch gem since last summer and could now swoop for him at the end of the season, when he will have 12 months left on his deal with the English Championship side.
Masterclass
Van Bronckhorst would be sealing a masterclass if he is able to work with Ross Wilson to strike an agreement with the Coventry star to join the club in the summer.
It would represent a big coup for the Gers as they appear set to face stiff competition for his signature. Celtic, Norwich, Brentford and Leeds are all reportedly keen on Hamer, which means that the Light Blues will need to convince him that a move to Ibrox is better for him than a potential switch to the Premier League or Parkhead.
The £6.5k-per-week wizard would be a fantastic addition to Rangers’ squad as he has shown off his quality in the Championship over the last 18 months. Coventry goalkeeper Marko Marosi dubbed him “unbelievable” and EFL pundit Ali Maxwell previously called him a “class act”.
Hamer has averaged an impressive SofaScore of 7.12 in the English second tier this season, scoring two goals and providing six assists from central midfield. He has also averaged 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game, illustrating that he has aggression to his play.
This comes after he averaged a score of 6.96 and provided five goals and two assists for Coventry last term, showing that he has improved since arriving in England. At the age of 24, he has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop further and could be an excellent signing for Rangers in the short- and long-term.
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Therefore, Van Bronckhorst would be sealing a masterclass by signing him, as the 47-year-old would be bringing in a talented young player to bolster the squad now and in the future, whilst also beating strong competition to land him.
Hamer has proven that he can be a creative force from a deep-lying position and this would be a huge boost for the Gers against teams who sit deep and look to absorb pressure for 90 minutes, as the Dutchman has shown that he can create chances from a number six and number eight role.
AND in other news, Forget Kamara: Rangers colossus who won 8 duels was Van Bronckhorst’s “superhuman” hero v St Johnstone…
ScorecardRiding on a 104 by opener Shreevats Goswami, India Under-19 scored 280 for 6 and restricted Bangladesh U-19 to 150 for 7 to register their second win of the tournament.Goswami, who had scored 97 in the previous match against South Africa, hit nine fours in his 134-ball knock and allowed India to post a second successive 250-plus total. He was ably supported by the middle order, especially Virat Kohli, India’s captain, who scored a 34-ball 54 with the help of three fours and four sixes. Of the eight bowlers tried by Bangladesh, only Rubel Hossain was able to trouble the batsmen and was duly rewarded with three wickets.Bangladesh’s task of overhauling India’s total was made stiffer with the revised target of 217 from 33 overs. Losing Rony Takulder in the first over, Bangladesh recovered to reach 86 for 1 by the 17th over. A flurry of wickets from then onwards saw them fall behind the asking rate and they finished 67 runs behind the target at the end of the 33rd over.
MCC’s controversial new debenture scheme, which offers the right for punters to buy tickets at Lord’s for eight seasons at costs of up to £12,000, has been strongly defended by its chairman, Charles Fry, as part of a recognition that the ground’s venerable status is not enough to guarantee international cricket.The scheme has prompted moves for the club to hold a Special General Meeting, but Fry insists that the money the debentures will generate – over £13 million – is “essential” if Lord’s is to “retain both its world-class status and its current share of major matches”.Without a further series of ground improvements, including a higher capacity, Lord’s runs the risk, according to Fry, of losing both its premier status and its ability to attract major fixtures – such as Test matches, one-day internationals and domestic finals. This was a risk that MCC’s Committee “is simply not willing to take”.While understanding the concerns of current debenture-holders, who are being asked to pay significantly more than before for their ticketing and dining privileges, Mr Fry emphasised that MCC’s Committee was “duty-bound” to take decisions which, however controversial among a minority of Members, were “in the interests of the game, the ground and the Club as a whole.”Acknowledging that the new Lord’s debentures – priced at between £8,000 and £12,000 each – are far more expensive than their predecessors, he argued that their costs were broadly similar to those charged in respect of other comparable sports venues, such as rugby union’s Twickenham headquarters.There are currently 18,000 full members and 4,000 associate members of the MCC. The current maximum annual subscription, entitling the member to enter the ground on every matchday, is £344. And, in addition to their anger about the increase in costs, members also expressed concerns that only corporate customers would buy the new schemes.But Fry said: “The debentures in the Mound Stand are currently all owned by MCC Members. Indeed, they have priority status when it comes to buying the new issue, and I would be delighted if they bought every seat that it covers.”But if they don’t, we need to ensure that all the debentures are still sold. Only then can we maximise our investment in Lord’s and, in the process, maximise its chances of retaining its current share of major matches – as all our Members would wish.”The current Mound Stand debenture-holders, all of whom are MCC members, will still have access to the pavilion and other areas at Lord’s, a privilege not afforded to corporate customers or the general public.
It has emerged that Zimbabwe’s cricket players have signed new contracts, ending speculation over their feud with the government-appointed Zimbabwe Cricket interim board.Media reports had said that the players had gone back on strike again, but Cricinfo has been told that about 16 players sealed the deals after a meeting with representatives of the interim committee, adding to the six who had already signed late last year.It had become clear that the players would be compelled to sign after most of them were said to be broke and were too weary of the row to have the energy to go into a prolonged legal battle with the interim board.The decision to end the strike now leaves the remaining cricketers in a tricky situation. Either they have to comply with the board or they walk away in an event of another dispute. ZC’s decision to refuse to recognise Clive Field, their representative, means they have no-one to fight their collective corner in the instance of another conflict.It is not clear what was proposed with regards to the outstanding sums totalling over $200,000 owed to players
Sanath Jayasuriya has signed a short-term contract to play for Somerset, as a replacement for Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, who was unable to confirm his availability. Jayasuriya, now 35, was reported to have been approached by Scotland but apparently turned down the offer.”This is a very exciting short-term signing,” said Peter Anderson, Somerset’s chief executive. “His availability has to be ratified by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board but we are not anticipating any problems.”Jayasuriya is expected to depart for Somerset straight after Sri Lanka’s postponed tour of New Zealand which finishes in mid-April. He will be available for five Frizzell Championship fixtures, four Totesport league matches and the early rounds of the C&G Cup, and is expected to make his debut against Yorkshire at Headingley on April 20.His contract runs only until the end of May, when South Africa’s Graeme Smith takes over after the completion of his international commitments. Albie Morkel, Somerset’s other prospective South African signing, has been replaced by Nixon McLean because of a long-standing ankle problem. In addition, it has been agreed with the ECB that Marcus Trescothick will be available for the opening match of the season.It will be Jayasuriya’s first stint with an English county despite a long 15-year career and he’ll be joined by Upul Chandana (Gloucestershire), Chaminda Vaas (Worcestershire) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Lancashire), who hopes to be fully fit in time for the season. During his time in England, he will be helping to raise funds for the Sri Lankan TWINS Tsunami Schools Project, of which he is Patron.A small gap in Sri Lanka’s international calendar has provided the opportunity for the largest-ever influx of Sri Lankan players into County Cricket. The demand has largely been for bowlers but frontline batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are also on the lookout for club or county contracts.
When the organisers of World Series Cricket decided to play cricket under lights, they could not have believed just how much their revolutionary idea would catch on. It had been done earlier but by gaining a foothold in Sydney it won a respectable face among cricket’s traditionalists. In the 25 years since that first match in Sydney, on November 28, 1978, the cricket world has been treated to a remarkable infusion of innovation that has breathed new life into the old game.A match between Australia and the West Indies was played on that date to test lights, and cricket never looked back. More than 50,000 were similarly curious and they were hooked. Of all the venues in the world for day-night cricket it is hard to go past the SCG – not only because of the climate which makes it ideal for the day-night game, but because of the way the lights highlight the traditional elements of the ground to lend it more character.The day-night phenomenon was crucial to attracting the paying customer support that was necessary to fund the increased pay packets the players picked up. So successful has it been that rather than being the extraordinary, lights at grounds are the norm.A total of 115 ODI day-night matches have been played at the ground. Australia has won 65 of its matches and opposing countries 47.Most runs scored by an individual batsman in day-night matches is held by Allan Border, who hit 570 runs in 25 matches. Adam Gilchrist has the highest score, 131 against Sri Lanka in 1999 while Craig McDermott has taken most wickets, 28 in 20 games.