England’s players have been given until the end of the Champions Trophy this weekend to decide whether they are prepared to tour Zimbabwe next month. The deadline follows the announcement by Steve Harmison yesterday that he was not willing to take part in the trip.The official line of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is that no more withdrawals are expected, but newspapers today are reporting that several players, most notably Andrew Flintoff, are having serious doubts.Flintoff was one of the players who was adamant that England should not travel to Harare during the last World Cup, and given that the situation there has not improved – and arguably has deteriorated – it is conceivable that he might join Harmison. Flintoff became a father earlier this month, something which is likely to have hardened his stance further.Insiders say that about half of the 15-man squad were against playing in Zimbabwe last year, and Harmison’s comments in his News of the World column hinted that there were still serious reservations. “My decision was made in Cape Town over 18 months ago when England’s World Cup squad spent an horrendous four days before finally deciding not to go to Harare,” he wrote. “Nothing has changed for me. The situation there is worse now.”Richard Bevan, the chairman of the PCA, said that no other cricketers had flagged with him that they were considering withdrawing. “If any player does have an issue for personal conscience reasons, he’s already been told he doesn’t have to travel,” Bevan told the BBC. “That’s not to say the ECB or anybody else is ignoring the issues going on in Zimbabwe and certainly this will not be treated as a normal tour. I think the majority of players will be going and will be supporting the ECB. But let’s wait until the selectors have picked a side.”
David Sewell’s season in Dutch cricket has come to an abrupt end following problems with his registration with the VRA club which is leading the competition.It is understood problems associated with his ability to play for the club were realised and dispensation was sought, however it was not granted and he is no longer eligible for the side. It is likely he will be returning home to Otago soon.Those New Zealanders remaining continue to have mixed fortunes. Andre Adams in his last four innings for HCC has had scores of 62 not out, nine, two and 25 while his bowling returns have been one for 49 off eight overs, one for 17 off eight, two for 41 off 10 and three for 29 off 10.Tama Canning, for VOC, scored 45 and took one for 43 from 10, then followed that with 50 and one for 47 off 10, 10 and two for 30 off 8.2 overs. David Kelly has had scores of 17, 20 and 30 for Rood en Wit.In his last three games for Hermes DVS Greg Todd, scored 23, 20 and 19, but also took three for 28 off 10 overs. Former Canterbury player Darron Reekers has been performing well for his Quick Haag club but he hasn’t been able to shift it from the bottom of the table. He scored 54 off 56 balls in one game, then 49 and 29 and, in his most recent match, yesterday he didn’t bat but took four for 20 off 10 overs.Former international Shane Thomson scored 56 not out for competition frontrunner VRA while in his last two innings for HCC, Alex O’Dowd has had scores of 52 and 64.In her last two matches for Rood en Wit Sarah Burke has taken two for 35 and three for 13, both off nine overs and in her last match she scored 40 not out.Craig Spearman has scored the 500th run of his first-class season with Gloucestershire after the latest round of games in which he hit 15 boundaries on the way to scoring 85 against Derbyshire. However, he scored a duck in his second innings. Chris Cairns has been showing some consistent batting form in recent matches with 19 and 58, off 42 balls, against Kent in a 287-run loss while in his last two one-day games he has scored 65 not out off 56 balls against Scotland and 57 not out off 58 balls in a five-wicket win over Hampshire.Stephen Fleming scored 13 and 42 not out for Yorkshire in their 10-wicket win over Derbyshire while he followed that with 90 off 107 balls in a seven-wicket loss to Surrey in the one-day competition.Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been getting plenty of bowling, taking one for 104 off 14 overs against India A and four for 74 off 14.3 and one for 124 off 20 overs in the 287-run loss to Kent.Around the leagues, Rob Nicol has found something more like his run scoring touch with 64 and 52 on the last two Saturdays for Rishton in losses against Bacup and Enfield. Michael Parlane, in the East Anglia League with Swardeston, hit 79 in a two-wicket win while taking two for 76 off 16 overs but on the past weekend he was out for a duck and took two for 49 in a 54-run loss.In the Liverpool and District competition, Warren McSkimming is in 10th place on the premier league run scorers list. He has scored 301 runs for Lytham and is averaging 60.20. He scored 106 not out in a drawn match against Leigh.In the first division of the same league, Aaron Barnes heads the runs list with 753 runs in 14 games, at an average of 83.66. James Marshall is third with 624 at 48.00.Meanwhile, Chris Harris continues to make his mark with the Lashings XI. In a match against the Bunburys, Harris scored 52 not out in a total of 239 for four and in their next match against Waltham Forest he took four for 40. In their most recent match against Acton, a 21-run win to Lashings, Harris scored 110 in the total of 330 for seven.
NatWest Series Day/Night One-Day International India v Sri Lanka Thursday 11th July 2002 2.30pm start “This match is the biggest International sporting event to be staged inBristol during 2002″In world cricket there can be no more spectacular match than India v Sri Lanka. These two great one-day sides meet in Bristol to renew their rivalry, with some of the world’s greatest cricketers marking up these two flamboyant sides. Sachin Tendulkar leads the star-studded Indian side again Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lankan one-day specialists.A match not to be missedAll ticket applications will be taken from 1st November 2001. 2002 Members’ Price Reduction – members get booking priority for the month of November.Tickets can be obtained from The Ticket Office, Gloucestershire CCC, The County Ground, Nevil Road, BRISTOL BS7 9EJTicket Hotline – 0117 910 8010 Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3.30pmTicket Prices
Rangers have been hit with a late Ibrox injury setback ahead of their return to European action in Glasgow later today…
What’s the latest?
In his pre-match press conference, Gio van Bronckhorst revealed that the Wales international will be unavailable for selection against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League.
Ramsey was missing from the squad against Dundee United at the weekend and it was stated that he would be back in training this week. However, it has now been confirmed that he has not returned in time for this huge Europa League second leg clash.
The club Tweeted this update from the head coach: “Ramsey won’t be in the squad for tomorrow, no other fresh injury news.”
Livid
This update will surely leave Rangers fans feeling livid as Ramsey’s career at Ibrox has got off to almost the worst possible start.
He has been at the club for the best part of a month and a cup clash with a League Two outfit is the only match that he has been able to start so far.
The Juventus loanee has been used as a substitute once in the Europa League and two times in the Premiership, failing to register a goal or assist in either competition – with limited game time.
This will be particularly frustrating for the supporters as he arrived with plenty of hype due to his pedigree and experience. He has played over 400 matches for Juventus and Arsenal – two big European clubs – throughout his career and managed over 150 direct goal involvements for club and country.
Therefore, him being out is a major blow for the Gers because of what he could bring to the side, particularly against Bundesliga opposition in Dortmund. His career statistics show that he knows how to perform at the top level and his know-how could have been crucial tonight had he been available for selection, from the start or off the bench.
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Fans will be annoyed that van Bronckhorst will not be able to call upon his expertise and they may even be starting to wonder whether there was any point in signing him in January with his limited availability already creating issues.
However, there are plenty of games left in the season and he still has time on his side to get himself back to full fitness in order to then make a big impact on the side in the clutch stage of the campaign.
AND in other news, Forget Amad: Gvb must unearth “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers dynamo who impressed Murty…
ScorecardFile photo: Tagenarine Chanderpaul struck an important second-innings fifty in Guyana’s victory•WICB Media
Gudakesh Moti, the left-arm spinner who made his first-class debut only a month ago, has taken a fourth five-wicket haul in five matches to entrench Guyana atop the Regional 4-day Tournament points table for 2015-16. He bowled 23.3 overs, allowed a meager 33 runs, and snatched up six wickets to hand Jamaica their second loss of the season, by 117 runs at Sabina Park.Fourth-innings chases are invariably tough, but the hosts’ battling line-up did not do themselves any favours. They had already been bundled out for 146 in their first innings, which was the major reason for their target being 326. In the second innings, as many as six batsmen faced more than fifty balls each, but none of them could reach a score of fifty. That is not to slight the increased determination. Tamar Lambert made 30 off 128, debutant Rovman Powell spent over two hours at the crease for his 23 and Jamaica batted out more than 100 overs in search of the draw, but it wasn’t to be as Motie broke through. The 20-year old dismissed the final six batsmen, including Lambert and Powell to become the top wicket-taker in the competition.That mantle had been with Jamaica’s own left-arm spinner Nikita Miller only a few days ago. He had taken 6 for 46 off 26 overs to restrict Guyana to 189 in their first innings, and claim the top spot. Motie only got one wicket off 11 overs on his first try, but Jamaica didn’t have it much easier as his left-arm team-mate Veerasammy Permaul spun them out with 5 for 25 in 22. 5 overs, an economy rate of 1.09.Guyana claimed a lead of 43, then Tagenarine Chanderpaul became the only batsman with a substantial score in the entire match, a situation his father Shivnarine has come across many a time. Tagenarine made 81 off 249 balls and, with handy contributions down the order, pushed the lead past 300. ScorecardA string of top-order fifties from Trinidad & Tobago beat a string of lower-order fifties from Windward Islands for the first-innings points in St Lucia.T&T won the toss and their bowlers put on a strong show to reduce Windward Islands to 76 for 5. Then came the rally with Andre Fletcher digging in for 63 off 159 balls and offspinner Shane Shillingford eventually outscoring him with 64 off 161 balls. No. 10 Mervyn Matthew chipped in with 48 runs, including seven fours to drag Windward Islands to 306.T&T had help from the lower order too – No. 10 Marlon Richards whacked 60 off 58 balls with five sixes – but their total of 382 was set up by No. 3 Yannic Cariah’s 70 off 216 balls and middle-order batsman Yannick Ottley’s 99 off 218 balls, with 12 fours. They took a lead of 76 runs, and the subsequent seven points that came with it. Left-arm fast bowler Kevin McClean took 4 for 66.Windward Islands then batted out 81.4 overs and were at 189 for 8 when the match came to a close. It was a slow moving draw, with the run-rate less than three in all three innings Devon Smith made 56 off 186 balls at the top of the line-up and Shillingford again showed his capability to bat by spending 94 balls at the crease for his 34, which included 4 sixes.
Trinidad and Tobago Under-19 suffered from another poor all-round display in their final West Indies Under-19 Challenge match against defending champions Guyana at Canaree, St Kitts.T&T lost the encounter by a narrow five-run margin after needing six runs off the last over of the match with only one wicket in hand. The loss allowed Guyana to proceed to the semi-finals of the tournament along with Barbados, Jamaica and Leeward Islands.In the other games yesterday, Leewards defeated Windward Islands by 192 runs to book their place in the next round and Barbados were able to come out on top against leaders Jamaica by five wickets.Guyana, who were also in a must-win situation, amassed a competitive total of 201 for 8 in their 50 overs with Rajindra Chandrika top scoring with 43. Javon Charles was the pick of the bowlers for T&T, picking up 3 for 35.T&T, in reply, kept the game interesting right down to the end as Sumant Maraj battled for 36 overs to top score with 56 but that was not enough as T&T eventually ran out of batsmen after trying to accelerate the scoring late in the game.”It was a very disappointing tournament for T&T,” said team manager Narsingh Rambarran. But Rambarran said there were also some positives.”Darren Bravo was very consistent throughout the tournament while Milton Dookran provided him with some good support. There are some talented players there who can go further in the game.”
Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka Cricket’s chief executive, has criticised South Africa’s decision to pull out of the Unitech Cup following a bomb blast in Colombo on Monday. South Africa’s withdrawal came after an independent security assessment by a Dubai-based firm said that “the current risk to the team is at an unacceptable level”.”I am amazed at their decision to return home,” Mendis told AFP. “The government put in place presidential-level security for the team, yet they were not convinced. They took advice from a Dubai firm which is even more surprising. I did not see anyone from this firm in Colombo, yet they prepared a security report within 24 hours sitting in Dubai.”The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) issued a statement fully supporting the decision while saying that it was an extremely difficult one to make. “This has been a very tense last three days” said Tony Irish, the Chief Executive Officer of SACA. “Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and I have been in constant contact with the team in Colombo while the process necessary for making the decision has taken place. It has been a very difficult time for the players, especially having to deal with the uncertainty of the situation.””At the end of the day, you have to rely on what the security experts say and base the decisions on that. The team’s security consultants, Nicholls, Steyn and Associates, have been very thorough and the independent ICC security consultants concurred with their security assessment. One cannot underestimate the difficulty of this decision, but it does show that Cricket South Africa places the emphasis on where it should be, namely the safety of the players and the national team.”
Tatenda Taibu will lead a 16-member squad in the upcoming tri-series, also involving New Zealand and India. The selectors named Heath Streak as the vice-captain and also included other former dissidents – Andy Blignaut, Craig Wishart and Stuart Carlisle.Zimbabwe will hope for an improved performance in the one-dayers after a thrashing at the hands of New Zealand in the two-Test series. The Zimbabwe Board XI for the warm-up match against New Zealand at Bulawayo on August 22 will be chosen from the same set – minus Taibu and Streak who will be returning after taking part in the Afro-Asian Cup in South Africa.Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe allrounder who recently replaced Phil Simmons as the coach, said he aimed to transform Zimbabwe into one of the top teams in one-day cricket. “I want all the team to rapidly improve by 5%,” he told AFP, “because that will impact on the team as a whole. I am a team man but also a really competitive person, and always have been. I want that to rub off and I’m sure it will.”The one-day series gets underway on August 24 with Zimbabwe taking on New Zealand in the opener at Bulawayo.Zimbabwe squad 1 Tatenda Taibu (capt), 2 Heath Streak (vice-capt), 3 Stuart Carlisle, 4 Chamunorwa Chibhabha, 5 Charles Coventry, 6 Keith Dabengwa, 7 Brendan Taylor, 8 Craig Wishart, 9 Andy Blignaut, 10 Gavin Ewing, 11 Blessing Mahwire, 12 Hamilton Masakadza, 13 Waddington Mwayenga, 14 Edward Rainsford, 15 Vusumuzi Sibanda, 16 Prosper Utseya.
Sri Lanka’s cricket authorities are adamant that the Asia Cup will proceed as planned, despite Wednesday’s suicide bombing in Colombo that killed five people.The Asia Cup, in which the Test nations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be joined by the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, is set to begin on July 16, and continue for a fortnight.But Ray Illangakoon, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, told BBC Sport that there was no threat of cancellation. “It is not a bad situation here. Not one cricket board has approached us and asked for a re-scheduling of the tournament.” he said, adding that extra security would be provided on request, although no team had yet seen fit to do so."Security is a matter of concern," added SK Nair, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, “though it was not discussed at the selectors meeting. We will be coordinating with the Sri Lankan board on this issue.”
South African Erasmus Hendrikse hit an unbeaten century as Trojans powered to the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 summit with a seven-wicket win at Paultons.The Stellenbosch University all-rounder hit two sixes and 11 fours in an undefeated 103, which carried Trojans past Paultons’ 172-9.John Robinson cracked 65 for Paultons, who were always on the back foot after struggling at 28-4.Australian Justin Larrescy blasted a quick-fire 115 as Rowledge easily overhauled South Wilts’ 172-9, Alton, the third club with an unblemished record, trimmd resurgent Hambledon (185), with Bruce Oliphant hitting a match winning 58 not out.West Indies B all-rounder Chaka Hodge hit 73 and Mark Fletcher (53) set the stage for Jeff Hose to score an unbeaten 40 in Ventnor’s five-wicket win over Hungerford. The Berkshire side included several MCC Young Cricketers in their side.Winchester KS leapt several places in the log with a handsome 60-run win over Havant II, while Flamingo’s dropped into the relegation zone after a thumping 132-run defeat at Hook & Newnham Basics.