Lancashire have reappointed Warren Hegg as their captain for the 2004 season. Hegg, 35, made his debut for Lancashire in 1986, and has skippered them for the last two years. In 2003 Lancashire finished as runners-up in the County Championship, and won the Second Division of the one-day National League.Next year Hegg, who won two England caps on tour in Australia in 1998-99, will lead a team bolstered by the recruitment of the England allrounder Dominic Cork from Derbyshire. Heggg said today: “I’m thrilled that the club have decided to award me the captaincy again. It’s a huge honour to lead the team and I’m looking forward to a successful season next year.”
It’s the halfway point of the Pura Cup season; the ING Cup campaign has moved beyond its midway mark; and two-thirds of the summer’s Test program has been completed.But the women’s cricket season is really only just beginning after South Australia’s stunning 27-run win over Victoria at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.The Victorians had entered the weekend as one of only two unbeaten teams in this summer’s National Women’s Cricket League series. But they left it having surrendered their joint billing with New South Wales and facing stiff competition from South Australia in the race for positions in the finals series.A convincing 77-run triumph over the Scorpions on Saturday had confirmed the Victorians’ edge over the South Australians on the table. And another win yesterday would have gone a long way to leaving New South Wales and Victoria out of reach of their rivals.But the early loss of captain Belinda Clark (4), Louise Broadfoot (13) and Melanie Jones (11) – in pursuit of a victory target of 157 – quickly compromised the Spirit’s plans of shutting the South Australians out of finals contention.”It was a fantastic win; everybody pulled together really well to get the job done,” enthused Heather Booth, one of the stars of the victory with a crucial 13 with the bat, two fine catches and a brilliant spell of bowling that netted figures of 2/11 off ten overs.”We’re a very young side but the girls have really stood up and taken on the challenge so far this year.”Everybody in the team has given 100% in every match, and it’s good for us to show the other teams that we have the talent to beat them.”And also to demonstrate that we’re potentially good enough to make the top two.”Captain Karen Rolton was in similarly outstanding form for the home team.The Australian vice-captain struck 65 in the morning to provide most of the impetus to the Scorpions’ innings and then complemented it in the afternoon with a haul of 1/24 from one delivery short of her full allotment of ten overs. Crucially, she was also responsible for the early demise of rival skipper Clark – Player of the Match on Saturday with a typically brilliant 84 – by having the Australian captain caught by Booth at mid on.Her influence in helping to restrain the run flow; building the pressure on the Victorians; and knowing exactly when to introduce the likes of Booth and Player of the Match Belinda Noack (3/37) into the attack, was also instrumental.Other results will still need to continue to fall the South Australians’ way over the next three weekends if their first finals appearance for four years is to become a reality.However events unfold, though, a New South Wales-Victoria match-up is now no longer the formality that many had imagined.
An unbeaten 140 by Ranji player KA Fayaz helped Andhra to score 324 for five wickets at close of play on the opening day of the three day KSCA Coca Cola South Zone (under-25) cricket tournament in Bangalore on Monday.Winning the toss, Andhra lost LNP Reddy (14) at 23. He edged medium pacer Sunil Kumar to wicketkeeper Rajasekhar Shanbal in the sixth over of the innings. But the other opening batsman KNV Krishna Mohan (40) and Fayaz added 74 runs for the second wicket off 21 overs. Krishna Mohan then edged a ball from Karnataka captain T Aditya to Shanbal. Balaji K Singh (4) did not last long and when Gnaneswara Rao (10) fell, Andhra were shakily placed at 124 for four.Fayaz and skipper I Srinivas (68) however set Andhra on the road to recovery with a fifth wicket association of 164 runs off 37.3 overs. Before Srinivas was caught by Shanbal off Ashwath, he had faced 120 balls and hit ten fours.The recovery process was maintained with Fayaz and H Vatekar (22 not out) adding 36 runs in an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 36 runs off 11.4 overs before play was called off, about an hour before the scheduled close due to bad light. By close, Fayaz, who had batted 271 minutes and faced 210 balls had hit 14 fours and two sixes, both off spinner N Aswath. For Karnataka, Sunil Kumar took two for 49 while Ashwath, who was expensive, captured two for 104 off 21 overs.
Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is attracting interest from a number of English sides, according to SBI Soccer’s Larry Henry Jr.
The Lowdown: Option to buy
The Hoops brought in the 24-year-old on a season-long loan from Tottenham late in the summer transfer window and have the option to make a move permanent in the summer.
Should it materialise, a full-time transfer will cost Celtic an initial fee of £6m, with the American becoming a regular under Ange Postecoglou.
He was recently described as a ‘big player’ by Callum McGregor, but it appears as if the Hoops may have serious competition for his services.
The Latest: Four clubs keen on Carter-Vickers
Henry Jr, who provided numerous updates on the defender over the summer, shared a story on SBI Soccer following contact with ‘a source close to the player’.
He revealed that Leicester City and Wolves headline the newest quartet of English clubs showing an interest in the 24-year-old, along with Watford and Bournemouth.
The Verdict: Carter-Vickers’ choice
Even though Celtic have the option to make a move permanent, ultimately Carter-Vickers will be the one to decide his next move.
Hopefully he will be open to signing terms in Glasgow and won’t be tempted by a Premier League switch, especially as he has missed just one Premiership encounter since joining the Hoops.
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No Celtic player has made more clearances per game or has been dribbled past on fewer occasions than the American centre-back, as per WhoScored, so a permanent deal could make sense for all involved.
In other news: ‘Great to see’ – Journalist buzzing as injured Celtic gem spotted back in action after ‘long spell out’
John Eugene blasted the first century in Stanford 20/20 history, but could not prevent St Maarten from falling short of St Vincent and the Grenadines by ten runs at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Coolidge.Eugene, who claimed the US$25,000 Man-of-the-Match award, gave St Vincent a scare by launching into a late-over blitz with the run-rate having climbed to 18 runs an over, smashing 20 off the 17th over, 24 off the 18th and 14 off the 19th. But with 14 required in the final over, Eugene could not sustain the momentum against left-arm seamer Keon Peters, who conceded only four runs to clinch a ten-run win for St Vincent. Eugene, however, managed to bring up his hundred off 46 balls.St Maarten, chasing 169, found it difficult to get off the blocks, scoring just 50 in ten overs, and slumped further to 88 for 5 as legspinner Orlanzo Jackson claimed three wickets. But the tide changed when the 37-year-old Eugene, who hit seven fours and six sixes, added 66 for the sixth wicket with Kenroy David, who contribution with eight.Opting to bat, St Vincent rode on an unbeaten 37-ball 73 by wicketkeeper Lyndon James. James took his team to a commanding position after they had lost four wickets for 50. Most of James’ runs came during his unbroken 118-run fifth-wicket stand with Alston Bobb (38 off 27 balls),During his innings, James seemed to have his sight set on hitting the clock tower at the top of the Southern Stand, with two of his four sixes coming close to fetching him a US$100,000 bounty. But he had to be content with the Play-of-the-Day award worth $10,000 for launching a six out of the ground and into the adjoining airport runway.
Australia and India could meet in a one-day series in North America this year with New York and Toronto shaping as the likely venues. But player workloads and the suitability of grounds mean the planned venture is no certainty, according to Cricket Australia.Michael Brown, CA’s operations manager, said India had approached Australia with a proposal for the limited-overs series. “You never say never but details at this stage are sketchy,” Brown told .Another possible stumbling block in the negotiations could be wrangling over the percentage of revenues to be shared between the two boards, with Australia reportedly demanding an equal share and the Indians demurring. Australia’s tight schedule features a trip to Zimbabwe in June, between the World Cup in March and April and the Twenty20 world championship in September.”There is also the issue of player leave,” Brown said. “So there are a few things to consider. India wanted to hold a tournament similar to the one we had in Kuala Lumpur.”A bilateral contest between India and the world’s number one team is aimed at capitalising on India’s lucrative pay television market, with each of the planned seven games expected to generate up to $6 million. A triangular contest would mean lesser returns for each participant and the possibility of a relative lack of viewer interest if India fails to reach the finals, as happened in the DLF Cup in Malaysia in October. The BCCI reportedly sold the offshore television rights for each game in the series that featured India for $US5.8m but had to offload the Australia-West Indies matches for only $US1.2m.The reported that India held the upper hand in negotiations as other nations would jump at the opportunity should Australia pass up the chance. But it also suggested the Indian board was desperate to play Australia if they hoped to raise $42 million from the series.It’s believed an indoor NFL stadium in New York would host the games, meaning the matches would be played on a synthetic pitch. But Brown had his own doubts. “I’m not even sure whether they would have a suitable ground in New York,” he said.
Australia 5 for 318 (Martyn 70, Symonds 66, Katich 60) beat Sri Lanka 7 for 202 (Jayawardene 50) by 116 runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary How they were out
Australia overcame an indifferent start to crush Sri Lanka by 116 runs in the opening match of this season’s VB Series at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome. Only briefly, when Australia struggled in their first 15 overs, was this even a contest but from the moment their batsmen cut loose, it became an increasingly one-sided affair. There was more than enough entertainment to keep a decent crowd amused, but it left a suspicion that Sri Lanka will struggle to retain a foothold in the competition.The game’s watershed came in the 16th over when Damien Martyn was caught off a no-ball from Chaminda Vaas. He certainly did not hear the call and was trooping off before he became aware of the reprieve. He celebrated by smacking Vaas for a massive six over cover and never looked back. With Simon Katich, he added 74 in 11 overs and Australia disappeared into the distance.Sri Lanka began brightly after putting Australia in, dismissing both Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting for 13 in a rather low-key beginning, Gilchrist missing an attempted heave over midwicket and Ponting, after an indifferent stay, gave Ruchira Perera the charge and missed. At the 15-over drinks break, Australia were 2 for 64 and Sri Lanka, coming into this match in dreadful one-day form, sniffed the slightest of openings.But the real strength of this Australian side is that it bats in depth, and that frees their batsmen to play their shots with little fear. There was a certain inevitability that Katich, who had been trying to run himself out all afternoon – surviving several close calls because the fielders kept missing the stumps – would go that way. His luck finally ended when he had made 60, Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring a direct hit after a classic yes-no mix-up with Martyn.To the crowd’s delight, that brought in Andrew Symonds, and rather than check the momentum it just resulted in it going into overdrive. It was one of those days when everything he tried came off, and even when he mistimed his strokes the end result was still the same. With Martyn he added 106 at more than a run a ball and Marvan Atapattu could do little other than shuffle his bowlers around. The outcome was the same whatever he did, although the fielding was at times sloppy – Atapattu himself dropped Martyn – and against the world champions, that’s a luxury no side can afford.
Martyn’s 64-ball 70 ended with a rather tired swish and Symonds (66 off 61) fell to a freak dismissal when his straight drive hammered into Michael Clarke’sboot and lobbed to Dilshan. It mattered little by then, and as Symonds departed he grinned at a smiling Clarke and indicated he was owed a post-match pint. You can laugh when you are cruising.Clarke and Michael Hussey then dismembered the corpse, improvising at will and smashing the ball to all parts as they added 90 in a little under 11 overs at the death.If Sri Lanka faced a daunting ask when they started their innings, it soon became almost impossible when Australia caught them cold. Brett Lee’s opening two-wicket burst and a third from Nathan Bracken all but ended this match as a contest as they slid to 3 for 31.Lee struck with his second ball, bring one back to clip Upul Tharanga’s off stump, and then in his second over Jehan Mubarak nicked one low to Ponting at second slip. With Australia’s fielding and bowling every bit as good as their batting had been, the game took on an increasingly one-sided feel, and when Kumar Sangakarra’s attempted leg-side flick looped to Clarke at mid-off, it was a question of by how much Australia would win.The remainder of Sri Lanka’s innings was of little consequence. Michael Vandort opted for crease occupation – always a good strategy in a one-day run chase – and made a turgid 48 off 117 balls before he ran himself out to end his and the crowd’s misery. Mahela Jayawardene made a breezy fifty of no consequence, James Hopes bowled a tidy spell, but it was all academic.Australia, in case anyone doubted it, looked to be back to their opposition-crushing best, but Sri Lanka have some serious issues to overcome. Since October they have won only two of the 12 ODIs they have played, and both of those have been in dead matches. On today’s evidence, that record is unlikely to improve during this series.
Adam Gilchrist lbw b Perera 13 (1 for 25) Missed attempting swing over midwicketRicky Ponting b Perera 13 (2 for 58) Simon Katich run out (Dilshan) 60 (3 for 132) Damien Martyn b Fernando 70 (4 for 238) Andrew Symonds c Dilshan b Mubarak 66 (5 for 241)
Upal Tharanga b Lee 2 (1 for 2) Inswinger clipped off stumpJehan Mubarak c Ponting b Lee 2 (2 for 11) Edged low to second slipKumar Sangakkara c Martyn b Bracken 16 (3 for 32) Leading edge to attempted leg-side flick, looped to mid-offTillakaratne Dilshan b Bracken 29 (4 for 93) Missed straight oneMichael Vandort run out (Ponting) 49 (5 for 118) Poor judgment, well shortMarvan Atapattu c Katich b Hogg 8 (6 for 137) Acrobatic catch above head at widish mid-offMahela Jayawardene c & b Hopes 50 (7 for 176) Bowler held back ball, chipped return catch
The Pakistan Cricket Board wants to hear Bob Woolmer’s comments, in their original form, on the umpiring decisions in Australia, according to . Woolmer had alleged that his team were at the brunt of an overwhelming number of bad decisions – a statement that angered the ICC and sparked off a global discussion over the effect of appeals designed to influence umpires.Woolmer was reported under the ICC Code of Conduct for making a “public critisicm of, or inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or match official”. Since it was a Level 2 breach, Woolmer could lose at least 50% of his match fee or, in the event of a maximum penalty imposed, could even be banned for one Test or two ODIs. Considering that Pakistan play India next, the board will be keen to avoid the maximum penalty.Shaharyar Khan acknowledged that Woolmer’s comments, in their original form, were required by the board. “Yes, we have sought Woolmer’s comments after the International Cricket Council (ICC) drew our attention over the matter,” he said. “Apparently his comments are not severe, but we would see it once we get his comments.””It went 29-5 against us,” were the words that started a debate over umpires in Australia after Woolmer’s side returned from a tour there with few positives. More recently, a statistical point on this website noted that, since 2002, fewer Australians have been dismissed leg-before than players from any other side in Australia.
John Reid, the former New Zealand captain, has been appointed president of New Zealand Cricket (NZC). Reid succeeds Dave Hoskin, who held the position for three years.Announcing the news, Martin Snedden, chief executive of NZC, said: “John is respected worldwide for not only his skills as a player but also for his work as an international match referee. I have no doubt John will be a great ambassador for New Zealand Cricket in his new role.” Apart from the 58 Tests he played in – of which 34 were as captain – Reid was the match referee in 50 Tests and 98 one-day internationals.Snedden also praised Hoskin’s contribution during his period as president. “David did an excellent job for New Zealand Cricket during his three-year tenure and we appreciate the significant contribution he has made.”
Peter McGlashan of Hawke’s Bay has been named captain of the New Zealand District Association team to play Bangladesh starting next Friday in Wanganui.The match is not a first-class fixture but a rare chance for players in the Hawke Cup regions to get exposure to playing an international side.District Associationteam manager Ross Dykes, says the side has been selected from New Zealand district teams only and does not include any players from the metropolitan areas or any current first-class players.”The majority of the team is made up of players who have previously played first-class cricket or who are now on the fringe of first-class selection,” says Dykes.”It’s a mixture of experience and up and coming talent who realise that it’s a rare honour for a district team to be playing an international side.”I’m sure they’ll be very competitive.”The team is: Peter McGlashan (captain, Hawke’s Bay), Tim Anderson (Nelson), Simon Andrews (Hamilton), Peter Fulton (Canterbury Country), Jaden Hatwell (Hamilton), Peter Ingram (Manawatu), Harley James (Canterbury Country), Taraia Robin (Hawke’s Bay), Grant Robinson (Hamilton), Neil Rushton (North Otago), Greg Todd (Wairarapa), Scott Baldwin (12th man, Wanganui).