There appears to have been confusion over the dimensions and rigidity of the imported balls
English cricket was rocked yesterday when Patricia Hewitt, the trade and industry secretary, claimed that cricket balls would be a casualty of the escalating trade war between the European Union and the USA.Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Hewitt was discussing a proposed five percent duty on about 1000 different goods imported from the USA into the EU. “They include really familiar things like orange juice, ice cream," she explained, "and cricket balls, which it turns out are imported from the United States.”The news came as a surprise to many, not least the England & Wales Cricket Board who said that it was “not aware of any county which was importing the finished article from the States”. The manager of the MCC’s Lord’s shop told The Daily Telegraph that he was “not even aware that cricket balls are made in America”.It would be expected that Dukes, the manufacturers of balls used by many county and international teams, would be aware of the threat from the USA. But owner Dilip Jajodia was equally bemused. “I am surprised," he told the newspaper. "The bureaucrats do not know what they are talking about.”The government maintained that cricket balls were flooding in from the States, producing figures which claimed to show that balls – diluted to include polo as well as cricket – to the value of £67,000 were brought into the EU from the USA between 1999 and 2001.Few, if any, appear to have found their way onto the UK marketplace, so presumably the EU now has a pile of balls to add to its butter mountain and wine lake.
Marlon Samuels has been ruled out of the World Cup, but the gifted Jamaican batsman may be appearing in the opening round of the Carib Beer Cricket Series on Friday.Samuels was withdrawn from the West Indies team after a report submitted to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) by Dr Akshai Mansingh following an MRI scan on his left knee.In an interesting twist, there were suggestions that the 22-year-old Samuels could make himself available for Jamaica.Mansingh told the Jamaica Observer that Samuels was free to play in the regional first-class tournament until what he termed further medical evaluation."He (Samuels) will require further evaluation and this is being recommended to take place overseas. Arrangements by the WICB are being made for this to happen. Until then the choice of playing is his ," Mansingh said.Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) sources said Samuels was expected to turn up for training with the Jamaica 16-man Carib Beer squad yesterday and today.
Damien Fleming bowled Australia to a first innings lead of 81 by taking 6-59on the second day of the Vodafone Challenge Match at Taunton.The pace bowler’s best haul of the tour saw Somerset dismissed for 267 afterAustralia had declared on their overnight 348-3.Rain delayed the start of play until 1.45pm, with 31 overs lost. But Flemingsoon made up for lost time, sending back Piran Holloway, Mike Burns andPeter Bowler with clever variation of pace to leave Somerset 33-3.Aamir Sohail, one of two Pakistan Test players guesting for the county,helped launch a recovery, with 20-year-old Devonian Matthew Wood (39)helping to add 78 for the fourth wicket.Sohail went on to a half-century off 118 balls, with seven fours, survivinga dropped chance in the slips off Fleming when he had made only six.He eventually fell for 50, but useful contributions down the order from RobTurner (42), Keith Parsons (38) and Ian Blackwell (30) allowed Somerset toreach a respectable total.Fleming returned to clean up the tail, removing Turner, Blackwell and JasonKerr, only to be denied career-best figures when Ashley Noffke spilled astraightforward chance at mid-off offered by last man Jamie Grove.It was left to Colin Miller to dismiss Grove in the final over of the day,leaving Australia in control.Michael Slater did not take the field for Australia because he was resting abruised wrist, sustained while batting of Friday. But the injury was notthought to be serious enough to threaten his participation in the SecondTest Match, starting at Lord’s on Thursday.
Sheffield Wednesday have now reportedly halved their asking price to sell the club, with one “consortium” back in the race to complete a takeover as a result.
McEvoy drops out of Sheffield Wednesday takeover race
Having initially set a soft deadline of December 5, Sheffield Wednesday’s administrators will be frustrated that a takeover of the club is yet to be completed. The saga is simply rolling on, as if the Owls’ downward spiral towards League One following their point-deduction when they first entered administration earlier this season.
Off the pitch, it has been a waiting game. But on the pitch, the players have suffered the consequences. To make matters worse, manager Henrik Pedersen could now be facing an injury crisis ahead of a transfer window that is incredibly unlikely to feature extensive additions, if any at all.
As for the takeover itself, reports claimed last week that Mike Ashley and the Storch group were leading the race to buy the club until fresh rumours emerged that John McEvoy had dropped out of contention as part of the latter.
The Storch group have reportedly found a new partner, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to jump ahead of Ashley. The former Newcastle United man has been a consistent name in the takeover race and could be on his way back to English football.
It’s not over yet, though. According to The Star’s Joe Crann, Sheffield Wednesday have now halved their asking price down from around £30m to as little as £15m, opening the door for a previously interested party to re-enter the race.
Sheffield Wednesday bidder returns at new price
Keen to attract other candidates, the Owls have lowered their price. As a result, as per Crann, “at least one consortium” who were previously interested in buying the club are now set to re-enter the race.
The Star reporter said on X: “Understand that offers less than the mooted £30/35m are now set to be considered when it comes to the sale of Sheffield Wednesday, with at least one consortium who was formerly interested set to step back into the mix. Around £15-20m could be enough.”
Sheffield Wednesday set to make "critical decision" as takeover bid launched
The Owls are yet to name their new owners.
ByTom Cunningham
This is also a major boost for Ashley, who had reportedly submitted the lowest bid out of the remaining candidates. Now that the Owls have lowered their price, his offer may well be deemed acceptable.
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It’s certainly an unexpected twist, but one that administrators may have deemed necessary to finally welcome a new era at Hillsborough. As the new year approaches, there simply must be some good news on the horizon for Sheffield Wednesday fans.
Championship relegation is inevitable and another point-deduction could still arrive, yet new owners would at least spark belief that the future could be so much brighter.
Bollywood superstars Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan are likely to beassociated with teams in the unofficial Indian Cricket League, Cricinfo haslearnt. However, unlike the Indian Premier League, the ICL has ruled outhanded over ownership to the superstars.”Ever since our inaugural tournament we have seen some interest fromBollywood personalities and we are at an advanced stage of discussionswith a few of them,” Ashish Kaul, the executive vice-president of Essel Group, told Cricinfo.”This may involve owning a part of the stake, it may have to do withlong-term associations, or long-term sponsorships, tie-ups.”However, Kaul confirmed that the ICL were not changing their model andwould not hand over entire ownership to individuals. “Our cricket is notfor sale,” he said, “and we are not going to function with auctions.”Khan and Kapoor, it is learnt, are leading contenders to have long-termassociations with teams. Both may be marketed as the face of the team andused as ambassadors in sponsorships.Kapoor had performed at the opening ceremony of the inaugural edition of the ICL in Panchkula. The latest instalment of the ICL kicked off on March 9, with two new teams – increasing the total to eight – and is to be held at three venues, Panchkula, Hyderabad and Gurgaon, instead of one.
Niall O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman, has been cleared byNorthants to play for Ireland during the Friends Provident Trophy.”He wants to play for Ireland in the FP Trophy and his request hasbeen accepted,” an ECB spokesman told the BBC. “At the end of thisyear he qualifies for England, so he won’t be able to do the samething next year.”O’ Brien can still play for Northants in the competition even thoughhe has already played for Ireland. However, it only works that wayround, bizarrely enough: once a player has played for their county inthe competition, they can’t play for their country.Irish and Scottish players were given special dispensations last year- they can play for their countries until they have played for theircounty in the competition. Eoin Morgan, for example, played a fewgames for Ireland last year, and then also played for Middlesex.
As Glamorgan celebrates its newly-won Test status and prepares to host the 2009 Ashes, the outlook is rather more bleak down at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire, where the county’s chairman and chief financial backer, Rod Bransgrove, is believed to be considering his future at the club.Bransgrove saved the club from liquidation after their move from Northlands Road in 2001 by pumping in £3.5million of his own money in shares and investments, and now says he is “shocked” and “angered” by yet another snub from the ECB.”I am in a very difficult position now,” he told Sporting Life. “I’ll have to speak to our board and legal advisers, and consider whether this has become personal and if it is beneficial for Hampshire cricket to have me around.”Back in February, Bransgrove warned that he could not carry the club on his shoulders forever. Last season, they announced losses of more than £750,000 and cutbacks have since been implemented. “I need some help from the ECB and have to make a decision,” he told The Times. “Do I force the issue or give up?””There are a lot of handshakes and old friends involved in the decision-making,” he added. “It is ironic that we beat a county with a Test ground, Warwickshire, in the C&G final last year and yet their profit (£750,800) is the same as our loss.”Bransgrove’s dismay is justified, seeing as the £30million Rose Bowl is already in situ, while the Cardiff redevelopment plans have yet to be ratified by the city council. Much has been made, however, of the inaccessibility of Hampshire’s ground, which has no local rail connections and just a single access road, and the pitch itself has come in for some criticism as well.”They have made us aware of the reasons which, in their view, are that there needs to be more evidence of improvement in the standard of pitches at the Rose Bowl,” Bransgove confirmed to Sporting Life. “They have said ‘no thank you’ – and so it seems we still have work to do.”Forthcoming Test schedule2007 West Indies Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Lord’s and Old Trafford India The Oval, Lord’s and Trent Bridge2008 New Zealand Lord’s, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge South Africa The Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s2009 Zimbabwe Lord’s and tbc Australia The Oval, Cardiff, Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s
Gloucestershire 178 for 9 (Windows 39, Fisher 39) v Kent at Maidstone Scorecard Gloucestershire’s lower-order salvaged some pride on a desperate first day at Maidstone, and rescued their innings from the depths of 92 for 7 to 178 for 9 at stumps. Ian Fisher and Matt Windows top-scored with 39, while the No. 10, Carl Greenidge, was 23 not out at the close. Gloucestershire’s total was far from being riches, but after the start that they endured it was as good as they could have hoped for. After being asked to bat first, they slumped to 54 for 5, in the face of good bowling from Amjad Khan, Andrew Hall and Simon Cook, who finished with three wickets.Surrey 214 for 4 (Clinton 84) v Warwickshire at Whitgift School in Croydon Scorecard Richard Clinton top-scored with 84, his second half-century of the season, as Surrey prospered in the 58 overs available to them on a damp day in Croydon. After winning the toss and batting first, Surrey lost the in-form Scott Newman for 4 to Heath Streak, but Clinton and Mark Ramprakash added 112 for the second wicket to balance the books. Ramprakash was bowled by Neil Carter for 39 to trigger a slump of 3 for 34, but Jon Batty and Ali Brown were making serene progress by the close.Nottinghamshire v Hampshire at Trent Bridge No play due to rain.Glamorgan v Sussex at Swansea No play due to rain.
Division Two
Derbyshire 246 for 5 (Stubbings 92) Essex v at Chelmsford Scorecard Stephen Stubbings was run out eight short of his first century of the season, as Derbyshire made Essex work hard for their wickets at Chelmsford. After winning the toss and bowling first, both Essex spearheads, Darren Gough and Dale Steyn, went wicketless and it was left to Ravinder Bopara to make the breakthrough, as Michael di Venuto fell for 23. Ben France, Derbyshire’s Brunei-born middle-order batsman, chipped in with 42.Lancashire v Northamptonshire at Old Trafford No play due to rain.Leicestershire v Somerset at Oakham School No play due to rain.Worcestershire v Durham at Worcester No play due to rain.
Glenn McGrath remembers nearly every one of his 425 Test wickets. Dennis Lillee, in the first of umpteen interviews to flog his new autobiography, claimed he could recall only “three or four”. It explains, in part, why McGrath is viewed as a slightly colourless machine and Lillee, all sweat and gold necklaces and green-and-yellow headbands, as the knockabout demon of a more relaxed age. It also explains, alas, why his book is a turkey.Lillee was a once-a-century bowler, with a fierce snarl, exquisite action and rugged, distinctly sexual, charisma. His legend lives on today. He has never overstayed his welcome as a national coach or selector, never hankered after TV stardom – notwithstanding the occasional badly acted carpet ad. He has spent his days quietly tinkering with wannabe fast bowlers from Perth to Chennai, out of sight but never entirely out of mind.As a result there remains a mystique about Lillee. A passer-by on the streets of Sydney, spotting this book under myarm, slipped almost religiously into that old Bay 13 anthem “Lill-ee, Lill-ee, Lill-ee”. His fans will never forget. Lillee, unfortunately for the sake of his book, forgot years ago.He retired from international cricket in January 1984. Months later he released an autobiography called Over And Out! His new book is essentially a rehash of the old, filled with boyish pranks and beer-slurping adventures. Dennis The Larrikin asks the Queen for her autograph. Dennis The Menace has a run-in with some old fogeys on the board. Dennis The Larrikin shepherds Rod Marsh, who has just sunk 45 tinnies en route from Australia, around Heathrow. Dennis The Menace has another run-in with more old fogeys …And so on. The difference is that 19 years on the details seem scratchier, the anecdotes less punchy. Lillee has softened with age too. In Over And Out! he damned Kim Hughes, his ill-fated captain, as “a man whose judgement I’ve never really respected”. Now he says: “I never disliked Kim Hughes … I rate [him] as a top bloke and friend.”His ghostwriter Bob Harris does him few favours. Lillee frequently repeats himself, sometimes in the same sentence. Misnomers abound (Jeff Dyson, Alex Stewart) and clichéd cricketspeak prevails; Lillee’s holiday in Venice is “one of the greatest trips of all time”. He also overdoses on superfluous exclamation marks!A couple of revelations, however, are well worth repeating. Back in the gloomy mid-1980s, when even New Zealand sometimes beat Australia, Allan Border bugged Lillee to make a comeback. Lillee said no. Border persisted, pestering Lillee’s minders until he eventually caved in. Yet by the time Lillee got himself fit Border had changed his mind, leaving Lillee to endure a couple of mediocre stints with Tasmania and Northants: an incongruous bookend to a brilliant career and an intriguing insight into just how desperate Border was.Then there is the curious case of Greg Chappell’s non-selection for Australia’s 1969-70 tour of India. Don Bradman, then a selector, apparently said, “we don’t want him going to India and getting sick” – a comment not recorded in Adrian McGregor’s studious 1985 Chappell biography.Ramachandra Guha recently identified Bradman, alongside Keith Miller and Shane Warne, as one of three Australian deities in India. Yet Bradman never set foot in the place, declining to leave the team’s boat when it docked in 1948. “The Don clearly did not like India, and maybe even had a phobia about it,” is Lillee’s verdict.Lillee is at his most engaging when he is not the central character. He is apocalyptic about India’s superpower emergence, predicting a revolution that will make World Series Cricket “pale into insignificance”. He debunks the hysteria that still engulfs Ian Botham’s fluky 149 at Headingley: “I get sick and tired of people saying it was one of the greatest innings … I expected to get him virtually every ball.”Australians have historically been better at playing cricket than writing about it. This is changing. The last four years have witnessed a wave of new books – some serviceable, others stupendous – about little known or long forgotten past players: Jack Marsh, Warwick Armstrong, Eddie Gilbert, Don Tallon, Jack Iverson, Gil Langley.Still there is a gap. Sparkling, standout accounts of the true giants – Miller and Harvey, Benaud and Border – are almost non-existent. Even the supreme Bradman blockbuster has yet to be written. The same goes for Lillee. But watch out for Glenn McGrath’s autobiography when it comes. Now that could be a corker.
Australia’s one-day captain Ricky Ponting says his team’s confidence can only have been boosted by their stunning 10-wicket win over England in the first VB series final at the SCG.”To walk off the field and have the game won inside 13 overs was amazing,” Ponting told Sky Sports. “The beginning of the innings set the tone. There was a little bit in the wicket. It bounced around and swung, which is unusual, but the three fast bowlers did a good job, Warney (Shane Warne) did a good job and the fielding was top notch.”We’ve done well in one of the two innings of a game over the last few weeks but today we put it all together and it is really pleasing. We’ve been below our best lately but we’ve put it together today and you can only get your confidence up from playing games like today.”England’s captain Nasser Hussain admitted that England will need to improve massively if they are to avoid humiliation in the finals, the second of which is at Melbourne on Saturday.”It was a terrible day at the office,” Hussain said. “We were completely outplayed – they played exceptionally well. The wicket seemed to do a little early on. There was definitely some bounce and we struggled and lost wickets regularly.”Then when they came out in that situation they had licence. The press will say 12 overs but the game was gone by then. They got confidence and you have licence when chasing a score like that, but it was difficult early on.”We’ve just got to get the embarrassment factor out of our system. To play in front of a full crowd and lose like that was embarrassing. Not many in the team had a good game and everyone needs to look at their own performances to see where they can improve.”Meanwhile Shane Warne was delighted to end his last one-day spell at he SCG in the best possible style – with the wicket of Paul Collingwood from his last ball.”It’s always nice when you win,” Warne enthused. “It was my last one-day international in Sydney which has been a special place in both forms of the game. It was my first game back so I was a bit nervous and apprehensive but I’m happy to be back.On today’s evidence, Warne’s last bow in home one-day internationals will be at his home ground, the MCG, on Saturday.”It will definitely be my last one-day in Australia – if we win,” Warne added. “It’d be great to finish off in Melbourne and to walk off after a victory would be perfect.”Brett Lee, who began England’s demise with the early wickets of their two openers, admitted they were crucial breakthroughs.”All the bowlers did a great job but it was good to get a couple of early wickets,” said Lee, who took three for 29.”Consistency-wise I’m probably bowling my fastest, but that comes down to rhythm because I’m not trying to bowl fast. The target was to get early breakthroughs but to have them four for 30 was great.”