James Franklin, the New Zealand left-arm fast bowler, has signed for Glamorgan for the forthcoming season. Franklin, 25, will arrive in mid-May as a replacement for Michael Kasprowicz, following New Zealand’s tour of South Africa.”We are delighted that James is joining us,” John Derrick, the Glamorgan coach, told the team’s website. “His left-arm bowling will add extra variety to our attack, and he is coming over to Wales on the back of a highly successful season in New Zealand.”Franklin is well accustomed to the English season having played for Gloucestershire two seasons ago, where he took 7 for 60 on debut against Lancashire. He also featured in the Test and one-day series when New Zealand toured England in 2004 and, last month, captured eight wickets in New Zealand’s 2-0 drubbing of West Indies.”I have spoken several times in the past couple of weeks to John Bracewell, the coach of the New Zealand team,” Derrick added. “He has a very high regard for James` ability, both as a left-arm swing bowler and as a middle-order batsman. In fact, in John`s opinion, James could bat at number six in the future for New Zealand.”Franklin won’t be alone this season: he joins a host of compatriots including Andre Adams, Shane Bond, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Hamish Marshall and his captain Stephen Fleming, all of whom have been signed up by other counties.
Ali Bacher, the man who did so much to introduce new technology into international cricket, has said that umpires should be allowed to use television replays to help them in making lbw decisions.In an interview with Mihir Bose in the Daily Telegraph, Bacher said that unless this was done, the authority of officials would continue to be eroded. “Umpires are increasingly being placed in unreasonable positions,” he explained. “They are, in a sense, competing against ever improving technology and are destined to fail. The limited advances in assisting the umpires have not, in my view, kept adequate pace with the growing sophistication of the technology.””Current legislation is placing umpires in an untenable position by not allowing them access to the same information as is readily available to the public. Media are in a position to determine more accurately the decision-making ability of an umpire.”My proposal seeks to permit the standing umpire to consult the TV replay umpire whenever he chooses on specific matters aimed at assisting him in arriving at the correct decision.”Bacher pointed out six scenarios where the umpire’s naked eye was not infallible. These included balls pitched fractionally outside leg stump and whether the ball struck the pad on or outside off stump.He concluded by saying that while he wanted more use of third officials watching television, he was not in favour of extending that to include using Hawkeye-type technology.Bacher has been increasingly vociferous in putting forward this argument, and on a recent trip to the West Indies he outlined his plans at the prestigious Sonny Ramadhin Memorial Lecture in Trinidad.
Ian Blackwell hits out during his 62 from 43 balls
England 328 (Solanki 79, Strauss 51, Blackwell 62, Talha Jubair 3-67, Mohammad Ashraful 3-55) beat Bangladesh Cricket Board Development XI 161 (Giles 3-25) by 167 runs ScorecardWhatever England might have learned from their practice game against the BCB Development XI, it did not teach them much about tight finishes. They dominated from the first ball, and eventually coasted to victory by 167 runs.It was a case of men against boys. The oldest Bangladeshi was 23, and most of the rest were much younger. So the result was hardly in doubt before the start, but the one-sided nature of the match became painfully clear as Vikram Solanki and Andrew Strauss piled up an opening partnership of 146 within the first 20 overs.The gulf was rubbed in when the BCB XI batted. Chasing 329 for victory, they fell behind immediately, and lost further ground as the afternoon dragged on. They never looked like getting the runs, but nor did England look like ripping through them, so the innings meandered like a lethargic river.Faced with such a large total, the Bangladesh batsmen had no option but to risk all in the hope of becoming a hero. Some prospered briefly, but none could keep it up. Manjurul Islam (not the recent Test fast bowler but a left-arm spinner) came nearest to heroics. He scored 47, but as it was already 68 for 6 when he came in he was on a hiding to nothing. Of the others, Mazharul Haque, with 41, was the only other player to exceed 22. There was no great collapse, just a steady ebbing away of wickets.England bowled decently, using eight bowlers in all. Ashley Giles took three wickets, to make up for his fruitless show in the second Test, and he was economical, though little can be read into this performance.But England did the main damage earlier. In front of a grand total of three spectators, Strauss, on his England debut, built on a cautious start, while Solanki was fluent from the first ball, his shots as silky as ever. They were aided by loose bowling – there were 12 extras in the first five overs – and some shabby fielding.It was an odd innings, though – everything happened in reverse. After that very quick start, the scoring rate gradually declined. The first maiden of the innings came in the 49th over. As Strauss and Solanki had kicked on at more than seven an over, it was not too fanciful to suggest that England might make 400. After all Andrew Flintoff (the captain for the day) and Ian Blackwell were still to come.And as the crowd grew, Flintoff and Blackwell did come. For a while they did not disappoint: they hit sixes – big cartoon ones – and struck fours with ridiculous ease. But on a day of dull predictability, such bright spots were never going to last. Flintoff made 43 and Blackwell 62 as, mainly through greed, England were bowled out for 328 with three balls remaining. Wickets really only fell when batsmen tripped over themselves in their eagerness to make runs. Solanki, Giles and Anthony McGrath were all caught playing lofted straight-drives, while Blackwell missed a huge heave. Gareth Batty was the last man out, top-edging a high full-toss as he attempted to pull.But England’s biggest problems came when they got down on one knee. They swept more than an overworked broom, and though it was profitable at times, it was always dangerous. Strauss and Flintoff both fell to slog-sweeps, while Paul Collingwood, after a scratchy 16, was bowled round his legs trying to paddle the ball to fine leg.Although the competition was not stretching, Michael Vaughan was pleased that the seven additions to the England squad were given the opportunity of a match. The team for the first one-dayer on Friday will have a different look. Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick will return, and Richard Johnson and Rikki Clarke, both rested here following illness, have a good chance of regaining their places.
Still smarting from the nine-wicket loss at Bloemfontein, the Indian team will take the field at Buffalo Park, East London, on Saturday hoping to iron out some glaring flaws in a first-class match against South Africa A.Deprived by rain of their earlier preparatory fixture at Chatsworth before the first Test, the visitors sorely lack match practice, especially in the longer version of the game. Barring Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, the Indian batting creaked with rust, as did much of the bowling attack.Sourav Ganguly, lambasted in recent times for his weakness against the short ball, has opted to place work above family. With his wife Dona giving birth to the couple’s first child, Ganguly initially was to have flown home for a brief visit. The Test loss, however, has forced a change of plans; maybe an opportune one, for the skipper now has a valuable chance to sort out his technique ahead of facing Shaun Pollock and Nantie Hayward at Port Elizabeth.The East London match will also give off-spinner Harbhajan Singh a chance to test his fitness in a match situation. A groin infection forced him to glumly watch the equally glum Bloemfontein proceedings from the pavilion, and there is no doubt that, as India’s intended trump card, Harbhajan will be raring to confirm his participation in the second Test.One player who will not be putting on his whites at Port Elizabeth is Sameer Dighe. It seems now that the selectors’ decision to pick two wicket-keepers, which appeared foolish and unwarranted initially, has paid unexpected dividends. Dighe’s back spasms, which were to have kept him out of just the first Test, have now been diagnosed as more serious, with doctors stating that he would not regain match fitness before the start of the third Test.There has, meanwhile, been no call for a replacement to fly out from India. In the words of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah to PTI, “The team management in South Africa has not asked for any replacement for Dighe, who will be flying back home soon, and as of now we will not be sending any player.”The retention of Deep Dasgupta for the Test series has now proved fortunate, especially from the point of view of the young Bengal ‘keeper. Although he showed some nerves behind the stumps on Test debut, he also displayed pluck and sense in his first-innings knock of 34, giving fellow rookie Virender Sehwag the needed support to reach his century.South Africa, meanwhile, have named an impressive-looking second-string team in spite of some players dropping out with injuries. Captained by Dale Benkenstein, the side includes Jacques Rudolph, mightily successful against the Indians in earlier tour matches, contortionist chinaman Paul Adams, all-rounder Justin Kemp, and tearaway Andre Nel.The most significant name in the line-up, however, is that of Daryll Cullinan. Returning to first-class cricket last weekend after a several-month hiatus due to knee surgery, Cullinan is pushing for a Test berth ahead of relative newcomer Boeta Dippenaar. If included, he will only strengthen a South African batting line-up that displayed clinical efficiency in demolishing India earlier this week.India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sunder Das, Connor Williams, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Deep Dasgupta (wicket-keeper), Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish NehraSouth Africa A: Dale Benkenstein (captain), Jacques Rudolph, Graeme Smith, Martin van Jaarsveld, Daryll Cullinan, Justin Kemp, Kruger van Wyk (wicket-keeper), Paul Adams, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Garnett Kruger, Gulam Bodi
The question of why criminal charges were not brought against Lou Vincent has been raised by Chris Cairns’ defence in his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court. Vincent is one of the key witnesses against Cairns but has faced no legal action despite admitting to match-fixing and money laundering in the UK.Vincent, who has previously said Cairns ordered him to fix matches, was banned from cricket for life in 2014 under ICC regulations and his evidence forms a large part of the case brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).Vincent was not given any guarantees that he would not be charged by officers investigating the case but Oliver Pownall QC, representing Cairns, suggested the Metropolitan Police was only interested in material that could be used against Cairns.The court also heard of CPS concerns that not pursuing charges against Vincent could “seriously undermine the prosecution”. Notes from a meeting in February 2014 questioned whether Vincent was “rushing to the door” to implicate others and minimise his own role.However, detective chief superintendent Michael Duthie said that his main concern had been investigating the allegations of perjury, emphasising that issues to do with fixing were for the ICC and ECB. Cairns is accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice during his 2012 High Court libel action against Lalit Modi.”My decision was to investigate what happened at High Court, not match-fixing,” Duthie said. “I knew [Vincent] cheated and lied. We didn’t give any immunity or promises. If he started giving evidence about criminality in interviews with our staff, we would have stopped and cautioned him.”Pownall suggested that the idea Vincent would have been pursued for his crimes was a “sham” and that officers feared he would not give evidence against Cairns if he was also charged, something Duthie denied.Duthie and detective constable Lucy Wade were the final witnesses to be called by the prosecution. Cairns, who denies all charges against him, is due to the take the stand next week.The trial continues.
Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a summer swoop for Sven Botman…
What’s the word?
That’s according to the Daily Star, who claim that Spurs are desperate to land the Lille centre-back ahead of Premier League rivals Newcastle United in a bid to appease manager Antonio Conte.
The Magpies narrowly missed out on a chance to bring the 22-year-old colossus to St James’ Park last month and remain among the favourites to seal his signature ahead of next season.
A left-sided and left-footed centre-back is one of the Italian’s absolute priorities when the transfer window reopens and Botman fits that exact profile, with Conte giving the club’s hierarchy his seal of approval.
The Dutch international could cost in the region of £30m.
Conte needs him
This would be the sort of signing that could kickstart an encouraging summer of spending as Conte will need to bolster his playing squad in multiple areas if he’s to continue to improve the club on the pitch.
The January window was a little disappointing but only because there were only two incomings for their four outgoings. Sporting director Fabio Paratici called upon his former club Juventus to sign Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Out the other way went Dele Alli permanently, and Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Bryan Gil on loan, leaving the 52-year-old awfully light on options, particularly in midfield.
But defensively, Spurs have always struggled and that much has been evident in their four defeats in their last six fixtures. Full-back Ben Davies has been playing in a back three due to him being the only left-footed option in the squad capable of playing as a central defender.
That makes Botman not only an appealing prospect but one that Conte desperately needs.
The young centre-back appears to be an ideal fit for Spurs and an ideal fit for the Premier League, at least based on ex-Southampton star Jose Fonte’s glowing endorsement.
“Fonte has played with an array of top-class centre-backs in his career including Virgil van Dijk, Toby Alderweireld, Pepe in the Portuguese national team and Gabriel last season who is now at Arsenal.
“From what I understand of Fonte’s impression of Botman, he thinks he’s the best of all of them,” revealed The Times journalist Duncan Castles (via the Express).
“He describes him as a machine and a man who doesn’t make mistakes and also indicates that for a young player playing alongside an experienced professional, he’s very open to learning and taking instruction and improving his game.”
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Botman played a crucial role in Lille clinching the Ligue 1 title over Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain side last season, where he featured in 37 games and averaged 3.2 aerial duels won, 3.2 clearances and 1.5 interceptions, via WhoScored.
Then-manager Christophe Galtier deemed him to be a “leader” and since, he’s continued to impress in the French top-flight. The £27m-rated defender remains among Les Dogues’ top-three performers this term, as per WhoScored.
On the above evidence, Paratici could certainly kickstart Spurs’ summer rebuild with a bang by signing the impressive left-sided centre-half, who Conte absolutely needs for next season.
AND in other news, Spurs’ “utterly thrilling” £10.8m-rated dynamo has just fired a big statement to Conte…
Mohammad Yousuf will have legal counsel representing him at the next arbitration hearing in Mumbai examining his pull-out from the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The representation will be arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the hearing on January 24.Yousuf initially signed up with the ICL after being dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the World Twenty20 last September. Soon after, however, he was convinced by the PCB to turn his back on the ICL, represent Pakistan and also sign up the Indian Premier League (IPL), a rival circuit officially sanctioned by the BCCI.Organisers of the ICL have insisted that Yousuf cannot renege on his contract and appear for the IPL and sent him a legal notice last year, which prompted the arbitration hearing. However, Yousuf or any representation, failed to appear at the last hearing in Mumbai in December.”There is another hearing on January 24 in Mumbai and we are keen for them to hear Yousuf’s side of the story before they take any decisions,” Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said. “This is an arbitration hearing trying to mediate in this dispute, not a court of law. They issued a hearing without listening to Yousuf’s version last time and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen this time. We will have legal representation at the next hearing.”At the same time, the board has also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, arguing that the dispute should be heard in Lahore, where Yousuf is based and where the contract was signed.Ashraf also said that the board was considering the cases of other players who played in the ICL and are, for the moment, barred from playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. Former Pakistan openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, as well as Shabbir Ahmed, played in the ICL recently and the PCB has subsequently prevented them from playing domestic cricket.The players have gone to court challenging the ban but Ashraf said the court had dismissed the petition. Farhat and Umar were prevented from playing in the just-concluded Quaid-e-Azam trophy final for Habib Bank. But their futures will now be discussed at the board’s governing committee meeting on January 25 and there appears a chance the domestic ban might be revoked.”We will look at their cases, but I want to reiterate that they all had an opportunity to play for Pakistan,” Ashraf said. “Some of them [Farhat] even had central contracts but they handed them back and chose to play there. That is their choice certainly for the contracts are lucrative, but we are also now paying players well when they play for regions.”The players should be asked why they chose that option, but we would like to move forward from the matter now. We don’t want a confrontation with any of them.”
Catch of the dayWhen it’s not going your way even the toughest of catches are pouched. And so it was for Robin Uthappa. He flashed hard outside the off stump to Malachi Jones, who was bowling his first ever ball in a World Cup match, and the thick edge flew towards the slips cordon. The slips cordon consisted of one Dwayne Leverock, standing at a wide (and we’re not referring to his size) first slip. Leverock launched himself to his right and plucked out a one-handed catch that would have made Mark Taylor proud.Six of the daySachin Tendulkar doesn’t often bat at No. 6. But on the day, India’s decision was a masterful one, and despite a slow start, Tendulkar began to toy with the bowling as only he can. The shot of his 29-ball 57 was when he gave himself a bit of room against the left-am spin of Dwayne Leverock and timed the ball over long-off. There was a minimum of power used, but the timing was so sweet that the ball sailed into the stands.Silly banner of the dayIn this time in cricket where some unfortunate things have happened, not least of all the death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, you would expect that fans turning up at the matches would exhibit some sense of perspective. But one gent held up a placard that read: “Last warning to Team India. Reach Barbados or stay forever in Trinidad.” That’s just not funny, and neither is it in good taste.Comeback of the dayIt’s been 59 innings and almost two years since April 2, 2005 when India played Pakistan in Kochi. That was when Virender Sehwag scored his last hundred in One-Day Internationals. Out of form, struggling for runs and in some danger of having his house attacked back home in Delhi, Sehwag struck gold with an 81-ball 100, and ended on 114. It’s too early to call it a return to form, but it’s at least a return to his runscoring ways.Gaffe of the dayIn the 15th over of the Indian innings, David Hemp sent down a no-ball to Virender Sehwag. The batsman had a swing and a miss, and Dean Minors, the Bermuda wicketkeeper, had the bails off in a flash. There was an excited appeal, and perhaps the excitement got to the umpire, Aleem Dar, as well. Or maybe he just didn’t see the no-ball call. He referred the decision to the third umpire, despite the fact that a batsman cannot be stumped off a no-ball.
Australia’s players have been told to prepare for the most unpleasant crowd behaviour of their careers during the tour to South Africa. As the squad left for the six-week trip today, Ricky Ponting expected the conditions to be more hostile than on previous eventful visits.The South African reaction following the three-Test series in Australia either side of Christmas, which Australia won 2-0, will add to the tension after incidents of racist crowd taunts throughout the tour. “I think it will be,” Ponting said in when asked if the crowds would make it the most unpleasant overseas tour. “It certainly has been in the past when we have been there. At the Wanderers [in Johannesburg] when we were there for a previous tour we had to get a tunnel erected over the players’ walkway to stop people spitting at us and pouring drinks over us.”Ponting said this trip would carry an extra element after the home series, which included constant big statements from Graeme Smith and a competitive contest despite the end result. “There will certainly be a bit more of an edge to this one,” he said. “We are aware that our arrival will be eagerly awaited and we understand that it’s going to be a very tough tour, both on and off the ground. But having said that, it’s always an enjoyable tour because of the spirit between the two teams and the fact that South Africa are always incredibly competitive.”Australian players have rated South Africa and New Zealand as the worst for crowd abuse and James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, expected the team to be a target. “There are always countries in the world where your players are going to cop more abuse than others,” he told the paper, “and South Africa tends to be higher on that list for us.”South Africa, who failed to make the VB Series finals, will be boosted by the likely returns of Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis after they left the Australia tour with injury. “They will be a different proposition over there,” Ponting said. “They’ll get some of their players back and a couple of guys which will help their side out a lot.”With Nel and Ntini fit it will make a big difference, as will Kallis coming back in because he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.” The tour starts with a Twenty20 game on Friday.
Unbeaten centuries from Thilan Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby rescued Central Province from a perilous overnight position against North Central Province in the final round of Provincial Tournament group matches. Their efforts leave Central Province favourites to qualify for the final next week in Dambulla against the same opposition.Samaraweera had faced one nervy delivery the previous night when three wickets had tumbled in the space of just 11 deliveries after North Central Province were bowled out for 314. However, like he has done many times before, he steadied the middle of the innings and then ground on an on, exploiting a bowling attack weakened by the tactical decision to rest key bowlers before the final.Bathiya Perera (14) departed early in the morning, one of three wickets for Omesh Wijesiriwardene, before Kumar Sangakkara, the Central Province skipper, and Samaraweera wrestled hold of the initiative with an 104-run stand for the fifth wicket. The fall of Sangakkara just before lunch appeared a serious blow to their chances of securing a vital first innings lead but Kandamby continued his purple form.Kandamby has had a difficult time in the recent past, failing to convince doubters about his ability after a short spell in the national squad. Critics, pointing to a sub-30 first-class average and a comfortable waistline, were unimpressed about his abilities despite rave reviews from the A team management. But in the last two provincial matches he’s taken a giant leap in his career, this time scoring 109 from 196 balls with 12 fours and a six.The pair were left undefeated at the end of another sweltering Colombo day having carried the team to 380 for 5 after their unbroken 240-run stand. With two days to go and a rested bowling attacked waiting in the wings, they now have an opportunity to push for an outright victory against a team missing skipper Mahela Jayawardene who is resting a finger injury. Scorecard In the other match being played, Southern Province, also final contenders, were left fighting for survival after Chaminda Vaas produced a captain’s knock for Western Province, scoring 130 from 205 balls, to secure a large 183-run first innings lead. Southern Province finished the day strongly, reaching 93 for 1 at the close, but with much work to do.Vaas had excelled with the ball on the first day, taking 4 for 39 as Southern Province were bundled out for a pathetic 134, the only notable contribution coming from Harsha Vithana. He was then entrusted with batting responsibility as his top order, Ian Daniel (40) excepted, wilted, slumping to 133 for 6. Vaas’s hundred was the third of his career and it left Southern Province on the rack.