Mark Richardson is the sort of batsman you don’t really travel miles to watch, but want in your side when the going gets tough. On a scorching day at Rajkot he held one end up in a manner that would have made Gary Kirsten proud, defying all manner of pace and spin. Forget Kirsten, it would have made John Wright proud, and that means a great deal to Richardson.”He [Wright] probably doesn’t know it but he is my role model,” said Richardson, pouring buckets of sweat after his marathon 381-minute stint at the crease. “I know when I was a kid and when I was playing backyard cricket, I wanted to be John Wright. Once I started batting, he’s the guy I tried to model my game on a little bit. I admire the way he played and if I could go half as well as him, I’d be pretty pleased.”But it could not always have been Wright as a role model, for Richardson began his first-class career as a left-arm spinner. When that began to fail, he put his head down and re-invented himself. “The fact was that I lost my bowling. I couldn’t bowl and I wanted to play first-class cricket. I started to play as a batsman and I would get very nervous waiting to bat so the best way to overcome the nerves was to bat first. I like the lifestyle of a first-class cricketer and I didn’t want to work in a factory or anything. I had to find a way of performing so I just put my head down and really self-taught my batting,” he said, as though it were a matter of snapping his fingers. Few people in the history of the game have gone from batting No. 11 to opening with such aplomb. Ravi Shastri springs readily to mind, but he again was a tough cookie mentally.”Ninety percent of batting today was mental, wanting to survive the whole day. This is my first bat in a game for probably three months since we returned from Sri Lanka,” he admitted. “We have done a lot of work in the nets but you can only do such much in the nets. I was desperate to get time in the middle and didn’t want to throw my wicket away cheaply but I hope I haven’t used all my luck up.” People who watched him bat will tell you there was hardly any luck involved in the course of Richardson’s unbeaten 128.Then again, there’s little reason to be surprised. Richardson had success in Sri Lanka on similar wickets. He puts his success down to a sound gameplan. “I just graft away. The wickets over in Sri Lanka were pretty flat. I put my head down and did what I know best. I don’t struggle overly with the heat. I find it tough but I’ve never had trouble with heat stroke or anything like that. I was just sticking to my gameplan, and it hasn’t changed in the last four years. I just stuck to that and hoped it would get me through.” He admits, though, that his technique against spin needs working on. “I am not overly happy with the way I play spin but I have got a technique that sort of works. I have had a bit of success with it and I just stick with it.”There’s so much talk of planning in this New Zealand camp that you might get the impression that the rest of the cricket world just walks out to the middle and has a whack. Pre-tour jousting began with talks of New Zealand’s special training camps where the accent was on mimicking Indian conditions. After scoring a century the good old-fashioned way, Richardson did the world a favour by debunking some of these myths. “We’ve done a lot of work about being accountable for our gameplans. We’ve only really had nets so we have tried to make the nets as close to game scenarios as we can and I think that does help when you go out to the middle rather than just treating net time as a bit of a hit. I don’t know if we are overly innovative but what we have worked on is being really, really dedicated in the way we train.”For some strange reason, that approach almost always seems to work.
Nashua Dolphins Squad selected to play in the Discovery Knockout ChallengeThe team for the Discovery Knockout Challenge to be played at Newlands on 2nd January will be chosen from the following squad:- THE TEAM WILL BE CHOSEN FROM THE FOLLOWING SQUAD:- 1. Doug Watson 2. Ashraf Mall 3. Ahmed Amla 4. Jonty Rhodes 5. Dale Benkenstein (Capt) 6. Jon Kent 7. Errol Stewart 8. Gulam Bodi 9. Nixon McLean 10. Andrew Tweedie 11. Jon Bastow 12. Rivash Gobind 13. Kyle Bender COACH: E. BAPTISTE MANAGER: D. CARLSTEIN FITNESS TRAINER: A. SHEDLOCK UMPIRES: R. KOERTZEN + B. JERLING T.V. UMPIRE: W. DIEDRICKS 4TH UMPIRE: L. MATROOS MATCH 1 (09H00) NASHUA DOLPHINS vs NASHUA TITANS MATCH 2 (12H30) NASHUA WESTERN PROVINCE vs HIGHVELD STRIKERS
Confronted by the pluperfect pitch they were promised and stymied by the traditional lack of variety in their all-pace attack, the West Indies once more let Pakistan wriggle out of a tight bind on the first day of the second Cable & Wireless Test at Kensington Oval yesterday.Almost exactly mirroring the first morning of the previous rain-ruined Test in Georgetown, when they were 39 for five, Pakistan found themselves 37 for five after an hour-and-a-quarter’s play.Sharp West Indian close fielders snared everything that came their way off bowlers who used their height to exploit the early bounce from a rock-hard surface and exploit the vulnerability of the Pakistani top order in such conditions.As the searing heat squeezed the early life out of both the surface and the bowling, Pakistan were revived by an innings of the highest class by Yousuf Youhana and the support he received from three successive partners.Entering in the fire straits of seven for three, the 25-year-old right-hander compiled his second Test hundred, a chanceless 115 before he was last out nearing the end of a protracted day. It was a tired shot, a deflection for the seventh slip catch of the innings, and gave the perennial Courtney Walsh his fifth wicket that raised his Test record count to 442.Although none matched the 206 between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdur Razzaq that transformed the innings in the first Test, Youhana’s counter-attacking stands of 73 with captain Moin Khan, 69 with Wasim Akram and 41 with Saqlain Mushtaq guaranteed a total of 253 that their varied bowling can work with.Sherwin Campbell and Adrian Griffith saw out the two overs the West Indies were left to bat before close and, on a second day when Kensington is traditionally at its most amiable to batsmen, the West Indies still have an excellent chance of building a useful lead.Previously out for four ducks on tour, the last first ball in the first Test, Youhana accumulated his runs over six hours with stylish, straight-batted orthodoxy that brought him 14 boundaries, mostly drives straight and through the off-side.No more than half-dozen of the 235 balls he received troubled him. Only leg cramps that twice required lengthy on-field attention and an unscheduled visit to the dressing room late in the proceedings slowed his progress – and that of the play that was extended by an annoying assortment of other interruptions.An inviting pitch, beige in colour, bare of grass and reminiscent of those on which the Three Ws, Sobers and the plethora of the great Barbadian batsmen of the past were raised, left Moin no option but to bat on winning the toss.In no time, he would have been wishing he hadn’t, as ill-advised strokes kept flying off edges into the slips and Razzaq’s clear aversion to the short ball was clinically exploited by Nixon McLean.Jimmy Adams, as he has done throughout the season, immediately set the standards for his team with a sensational catch at third slip, diving far and low to his right to grasp Mohammed Wasim’s deflection off Walsh.Imran Nazir, in his first Test of the series, followed in the next over, steering Ambrose into Campbell’s lap at first slip, the stroke of the raw 18-year-old that Imran is.Walsh struck again after half-hour when Younis Khan’s tentative defensive stroke flew from the outside edge to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at third slip.Once again, the responsibilty weighed heavily on the broad shoulders of Inzamam, Pakistan’s sole batsman of proven quality, but neither he nor Razzaq could repeat their heroics of Georgetown.Imzaman could not negotiate King’s bouncing leg-cutter and was comfortably taken by Adams at third slip and Razzaq fended off McLean’s bodyline delivery to be caught so low to the ground by Wavell Hinds at short-leg it needed several television replays before he was correctly ruled out by third umpire Halley Moore.Moin has developed a familiarity with crisis during his lengthy career and he responded to this one with typical gusto.He and Youhana plundered 38 off four overs from King and McLean, both of whom were expensive and disappointing in their support roles, and counted 16 boundaries between them.It took the return of Walsh, back with Ambrose after lunch, to make the crucial breakthrough as Moin was neatly snapped up by Chanderpaul at second slip for 38.The left-handed Akram, Pakistan’s longest-serving player in his 94th Test, picked up where Moin left off. He delighted in the West Indian tactic that fed him outside his off-stump where he could advertise his boisterous off-side strokes that brought him all of his seven fours in an arc between mid-off and third man.Whenever McLean shortened into his body, he was distinctly uncomfortable and when Ambrose went round the wicket to angle into him, he got himself into a tangle and diverted the ball into his stumps off the inside edge. Surely, after all this time, the West Indies would know how to best bowl to him.Youhana found another willing partner in Saqlain Mushtaq who remained with him for over an hour until, cutting at Adams’ left-arm spin, he provided Campbell with his third catch at slip.By then, there was little spark in the West Indies bowling. It took another three-quarters of an hour to wrap things up and a 37-year-old with a sore right ankle to do it.Sticking his right foot out to make an interception at mid-off shortly before tea, Walsh trod on the ball, tumbled over and lay motionless on the ground for a few worrying moments. When he got up, he limped to the pavilion for examination, was assured it was nothing serious and, typically, returned to the fray. In the circumstances, a host of others of his vintage would have taken the rest of the afternoon off.Not Courtney. Back he came and his reward were the wickets of Waqar Younis and, fittingly, Youhana.
Ok, so there’s no Premier League, La Liga or Champions League right now. The football season, however, is still far from finished.
From the Women’s World Cup to the Gold Cup, this summer sees a handful of tournaments taking place to ease the pain of fans around the world who can’t stop crying about the lack of club football going on. And that includes the Copa America, which will see South America’s biggest and best go head-to-head from next week to see who is the king of the continent.
The oldest international football tournament is set to be one of the most entertaining in decades this year, and it could be a competition that brings in to light players who fans around the world are yet to hear of, which is why we have come up with the Copa America Alternative XI, where only one player per nation is represented in the side.
With 12 teams competing in the competition, one nation had to miss out, and that country was Qatar. With all the formalities out of the way, here is the Copa America Alternative XI.
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Wuilker Farinez
South America has been a hotbed for goalkeeping talent since football arrived on the continent over a hundred years ago, and Wuilker Farinez could be the next great star.
The Venezuelan and Millonarios number one has been part of the national setup since the age of 19 when Farinez starred in the U-20 World Cup that saw the South American side make it all the way to the final before losing out to England 1-0. This summer the keeper will certainly be one of the young names to keep an eye on.
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Antonio Valencia
Arguably the most famous Ecuadorian player of all-time, Antonio Valencia’s shift from the wing to full-back has been more beneficial for country than it has been for club, as it has allowed a new generation of attacking talent to take up their natural positions in the XI.
Valencia’s pace and experience will be vital for an Ecuador side that will be keen on making an upset as they seek to win their first ever Copa America with the veteran defender leading them out in Brazil.
Gary Medel
Soccer Football – International Friendly – Chile v Costa Rica – Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile – November 16, 2018 Chile’s Gary Medel in action with Costa Rica’s Bryan Ruiz REUTERS/Pablo Sanhueza
Yes, that is former Cardiff City player Gary Medel, and yes, he’s still as nuts as ever. The former Bluebird has continued to hack down everyone who stands in his path, this time in the name of Besiktas, and for Chile, the 31-year-old is as important as ever.
Although Medel is more a defensive midfielder at club level, the Chilean has been a rock in the backline for the South American nation, and heading into the Copa America the former Inter Milan hard-man will be hoping to retain the continental championship and add a third to his trophy cabinet.
Fabian Balbuena
Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton v West Ham United – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – September 16, 2018 West Ham’s Fabian Balbuena during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Fabian Balbuena was an interesting signing for West Ham last summer, but after an adjustment period the Paraguayan defender more than paid back the fee Manuel Pellegrini shelled out for the former Corinthians defender, and on an international level, the centre-back has started to make an impact.
The defender has only made nine appearances for Paraguay, and this year’s Copa America could be the time Balbuena establishes himself as a vital player for Los Guaranies, who head to Brazil as the tournament’s underdogs.
Luis Advincula
Peru quickly became a neutral’s favourite during last year’s World Cup, and this time around in the Copa America Luis Advincula will be hoping to see more success on the pitch than off it.
The Tigres defender, who has been on loan at Rayo Vallecano this season, is one of the more experienced players in this Peru side, but his lightning pace has also made him one of the most feared attacking full-backs on the continent.
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Philippe Coutinho
After the disappointment of Russia last year, Brazil will be eager of a return to the top with a big performance in their home country, and supporters will be praying that Coutinho is back to best.
The Barcelona star has been lacklustre since his blockbuster move to the La Liga giants, but with Neymar out of the tournament, the pressure of success has been shifted onto Coutinho’s shoulders, who many will be expecting to perform.
Lucas Torreira
After an impressive World Cup and a stellar debut season with Arsenal, Lucas Torreira has quickly established himself as one of the most promising midfielders in the Premier League, and he will be essential to Uruguay this summer.
The 23-year-old rottweiler of a midfielder has been ever-present for his nation since Russia, and this summer could see the Arsenal man be the difference between a first Copa America title since 2011 or another competition where Uruguay could have done better.
Alejandro Chumacero
You know the name from your FIFA career mode when you were searching in the free agents pool, but in real life, Bolivia’s hopes will be pinned on Alejandro Chumacero, who is one of the few members of the squad that plays outside of the country.
The midfielder has been a mainstay for Mexican side Puebla since 2018 and is regarded as Bolivia’s best player heading into the Copa America, and at 27-years-old, Chumacero will have no better time in his career to show the world what he’s got.
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Lionel Messi
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final First Leg – FC Barcelona v Liverpool – Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain – May 1, 2019 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
Was there any doubt who was going to represent Argentina in this XI? Lionel Messi might be one of the greatest players to ever play the beautiful game, but on the international stage, the Barcelona superstar has had his difficult moments.
The forward has carried Argentina to World Cup and Copa America finals, and this summer could be Messi’s last big chance to claim international glory and further cement his status as arguably the best of all time.
Duvan Zapata
Soccer Football – Serie A – Atalanta v Juventus – Stadio Atleti Azzurri, Bergamo, Italy – December 26, 2018 Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Alberto Lingria
The Atalanta striker fired the Bergamo-based club to the Champions League for the first time in their history with a 28-goal haul season, and for Colombia, Zapata now has some big shoes to fill with Radamel Falcao’s goalscoring abilities slowly dwindling.
Shoya Nakajima
With the years of Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa fading away into the history books, a new era of Japanese football could be about to emerge, and in Shoya Nakajima, Japan could have their latest hero.
The most expensive Japanese player in history following the winger’s move to Qatar’s Al-Duhail last February according to the Japan Times, Nakajima made a name for himself in Portugal after a string of impressive performances for Portimonense, and the attacker’s contributions could lead to Japan surprising a few this summer in Brazil.
Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe coach, has been appointed head of the country’s cricket academy. Curran’s coaching tenure began in September 2005 and ended with the recently concluded home ODI series against South Africa, after which he was replaced by Robin Brown, the former Zimbabwe captain.In an interview to , a Zimbabwe daily, Curran reflected on his years in charge of the side and what the new role meant for him.”When my contract ended, Zimbabwe Cricket asked me to rebuild and restructure the academy,” Curran said. “It was a new venture and new challenge for me and one that would allow me to spend more time with my young family – something I have not managed to do of late because of all the travelling of international cricket.”Curran coached Zimbabwe for 42 one-dayers since taking over from Phil Simmons; in that period, the team won nine games and lost 28. Disputes between the board and its players led to the exodus of seniors like Heath Streak and the vacuum created by their departure saw the team plunge in world rankings. A self-imposed one-year suspension from Test cricket followed.Despite the lows, Curran reflected on the positives and said he’d observed a genuine improvement in performance over the last two years.”Everyone who has played for the country since I took over has improved in the true sense of the word,” he said. “I am not one who looks at negatives. Coaching a young and inexperienced side, as I was doing, demanded constantly looking at the positives. I was presented with the youngest international squad in the history of the game and I am very proud of the way they have all developed.”Curran dismissed reports of a rift with Tatenda Taibu, the former captain who returned to the side after a premature retirement in November 2005. Taibu made an immediate impact on his return and made a fighting century in the third one-dayer against South Africa as Zimbabwe made a fist of the target of 324.”Tatenda was not my player for very long because he left after I had just taken over. However, he came back a month ago and since then he has played his best cricket. His averages have more than doubled, his work ethic been outstanding, and he is one of the fittest in the team. He is always the last in the nets and is an excellent role model for our young team.”If he can maintain this rich vein of form, he will develop into one of the finest cricketers Zimbabwe has produced. I cannot afford to have clashes or differences come between me and a player because I need all players to perform well for my team as that is what I am judged on.”Curran said that his last series in charge was one of the best moments in his coaching career. Zimbabwe recovered from a dismal 72 for 7 to post 206 in the first match in Bulawayo and then posted 247 and 323 in the next two.”During the last series against South Africa, ranked second in the world, all the players showed their class. They showed character and passion – something for which I have been working for some time. These players were really at the top of their game. Their future is bright as results will follow if they continue in this vein.”
Zaheer Abbas has denied that he was replaced as Pakistan team manager because of the way he handled the crisis at the Oval, instead blaming internal cricket board politics within the PCB as the reason behind his dismissal.Abbas was criticised for an apparent lack of involvement in the events leading up to Pakistan’s protest and eventual forfeiture. Newspapers repeatedly referred to the image of Abbas speaking on his mobile phone, sitting outside the dressing room while the team devised a course of action to protest the allegations made by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove.Zaheer was replaced by Talat Ali, who was handed the manager’s post for next month’s Champions Trophy. “This came so suddenly, though I knew that change would be there one day because a team manager is only on a tour-by-tour contract,” Zaheer was quoted as saying by the London-based .”The reason my contract was not renewed was nothing to do with what happened at The Oval, it’s because [PCB director of operations] Saleem Altaf was totally against me and for no rhyme or reason. He had wanted to make Talat Ali manager for so long and he saw this as the right time to make the change,” said Abbas, referring to speculation before the tour to England this summer that Altaf wanted Ali as manager.”They try to say that I was on the phone when this ball issue was taking place but that was my job. I was there to help the media and that was what I was doing.”I have and always have had an excellent relationship with the English media and I wanted to cooperate with them, and overseas media. They reported fairly on Pakistan all tour and I hope some of that was because of my role.”When contacted by Cricinfo, Altaf refused to comment on the issue.
The United Cricket Board of South Africa has scored a major boost for amateur cricket by securing a sponsorship by SA Airways for both the inter-provincial and associate regions’ leagues that were launched last season for three and one-day cricket.Gerald Majola, the chief executive, described the sponsorship as a breakthrough for South African cricket. “This is the first major sponsorship of its kind in South African cricket. It is an integral part of our strategic plan to broaden the base and sharpen the pinnacle of our cricket.”It will be used to fund the UCBSA inter-provincial leagues for three-day and one-day cricket that were successfully launched last season, with all 11 UCBSA Affiliates and the five new Associates participating. The SAA sponsorship means that we can provide even more cricket for top amateur players. It will be a breeding ground for franchise and international cricket.Majola added that this grass-roots funding would have benefits right the way up the South African domestic system. “We have linked high-performance programmes to these amateur competitions to give a clear path for those who have the talent and commitment to go to the top.”The SAA sponsorship will also go a long way to help us keep up the traditions of provincial pride and identity through the leagues. We are very grateful to SAA for giving cricket yet another meaningful stepping stone towards nation-building.”Nozipho Japhta, SA Airways Executive Manager: Corporate Sponsorship, said: “South African cricket is a major nation-builder, and SAA is delighted to be part of their development programme. We are supporting amateur cricket because it is the feeder for the national teams of the future.”
At stumps, Jacob Oram was unbeaten on 40 and had passed 1000 Test runs and, as he told the media, he held some hope that Australia’s massive total of 463 could be chased successfully. Meanwhile, John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, defended his team’s decision to bat past lunch and praised Ricky Ponting as a captain.
Jacob Oram On the approach tomorrow We are up against history and this is a huge chase. All we can do is try to get through to small targets. We might be able to reassess at lunch or tea if a couple of guys get big scores.On his surprise at Australia’s declaration I’m not here to question the world champions’ tactics. I was under the imagination that they would come out and pretty much throw the bat. We had a look at the forecast and saw rain predicted. But they seem to be going well with the decisions Ricky makes and, when they had us 5 for 30, everything was rosy.On the pitch The rough is a big factor and when Warne bowls into it the bounce is a bit awkward. It’s tough and it’s always going to be, it’s a matter of survival and scoring is out. You have to try to negate the bounce and smother it. That’s worked so far for me.On the confidence of the top order I don’t know whether you can say we’re batting poorly or they’re bowling extremely well. They are bowling at the top of the innings and seem to be getting things out of the pitch that we can’t. They are making us play defensively and not giving us anything to attack.They are getting edges and we’re not. It’s good fun atthe same time.On his attitude Coming over here was always going to be tough and I was under no illusions. The results are obviously not expected, or what I hoped for, but the type of cricket is exactly what I expected and that’s why I’m enjoying it the most. I spent three weeks in Bangladesh – thisleaves it for dead and we’re losing. I’m loving being here; it’s tough, it’s bloody hard. But it’s not hard to get up: if it was it would be `hang your boots up`.On his bowling That’s the worst part of the series for me. I was disappointed with the way I was bowling in Brisbane, especially backing up a hundred, and it was probably my worst innings for New Zealand. I’m still not 100% at the crease, but happy enough with where it’s going.I’m extremely annoyed I haven’t got a wicket to my name and won’t get another chance. It’s bloody annoying.On the attacking batting towards the end of the day It wasn’t due to any change of tactics. It’s just the way Brendon McCullum bats. He strides out there with no lid on and full of bravado and it’s gone well for him. Against a champion leg spinner, bowling into thick rough, it was great to watch. Some of those shots you would think impossible, but he made them look easy. If he gets in tomorrow he could be a huge key for us.John Buchanan On the thoughts behind the declaration The more we believed we could dig the grave for New Zealand, or they could dig it for themselves, meant we could make a declaration. It’s not just about runs, wickets and overs.On deciding when to declare We had a number of options, including declaring straight away. The rest were at various stages through the morning, subject to the way New Zealand were placed. When we did we believed it was the appropriate opportunity. We had 140 overs for the rest of thematch and that gave us the opportunity to bowl 50 overs today.
On the match situation Obviously we were hoping to pick up a good percentage of wickets and we did, so at this stage we are very happy.On the rain forecast for tomorrow It was all factored in this morning. It’s very difficult to plan on what the weather is doingtomorrow.On the team’s bowling The way our bowlers went about the pre-tea session was exceptional partnership bowling. It was simply outstanding and it would have taken a very good teamto come through that period without losing at least a few wickets.On Ponting developing as captain The way he’s approaching his captaincy role was expected. He has had that capacity and shown it in the one-day side. The more you do it the greater the knowledge, experience and confidence you get in terms of managing and directing. His ability has always beenexceptional.On Matthew Hayden’s top-edge off Daniel Vettori He’s nursing a sore jaw, about four stitches and a little bit of ribbing from his team-mates. I’m sure we’ll see him bouncing around on the field tomorrow.
Zimbabwe face one of their busiest seasons ever. After a relative lull last season, they will play, politics permitting, ten Test matches against four different opponents. On top of that they have at least 28 one-day internationals between now and next June.West Indies arrive in November, followed by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia between February and June next year. Unless yet another Sharjah tournament crops up, Zimbabwe’s away tours consist of two trips to Australia, one for a two-Test series in October and the other for a triangular tournament, which will also in include India, in January and February.Given Zimbabwe’s decline in the last three years – mainly for political reasons – right now is scarcely the best time to take on world-champions Australia. In their one and only previous encounter in 1999-00, Australia won by ten wickets and the form-book would indicate more of the same.But Zimbabwe’s young players will learn from the experience, and they must hope to give at least a marginally better account of themselves this time. The more experienced players consider Australia to be the most sporting of their opponents. That may surprise many, but then the Australian players do not consider Zimbabwe a threat or an annoyance.On current form, Zimbabwe cannot expect to match either West Indies or Sri Lanka, even though both have suffered dismal overseas records in recent years. However, they both won in Zimbabwe the last time they played, and that was when Zimbabwe were considerably stronger than they are today.The most interesting series, then, will be against Bangladesh, who have improved remarkably since the last World Cup. Only the brilliance of Inzamam-ul-Haq prevented them from recording their first Test victory recently, over Pakistan, and they will now have Zimbabwe in their sights. They will have the home advantage, but Zimbabwe will certainly have to fight hard to stay ahead of Bangladesh.Each visiting team will now play five ODIs instead of three, of which three will be played in Harare, and the other two in Bulawayo. That means Harare will host what is probably a world-record of 12 ODIs in a season.Against everyone apart from Bangladesh, it is quite possible that Zimbabwe will struggle to be competitive. They have only one world-class player in Heath Streak, the captain, who is streets ahead of anybody else with the ball and is also worth his place on his batting alone. If he gets injured, Zimbabwe will indeed be in dire straits. Grant Flower appeared to be on the verge of greatness six years ago, but a chronic lack of form and confidence have reduced his average from 40 to 30, and he has never quite recovered against international bowling, although still a terror against lesser opponents.Stuart Carlisle, meanwhile, has played the occasional dazzling innings in one-day cricket, but has yet to master the world stage. Only these three of the party that went to England have played in even 20 Test matches, such is the paucity of experience in the Zimbabwe team at present.Having said that, there is youthful talent in abundance, especially among the allrounders. Andy Blignaut (25), Travis Friend (22), Sean Ervine (20) and Mluleki Nkala (22) are all players who both bat and bowl with great ability, and whose best years are ahead of them. Blignaut has already displayed some talent, but the other three all have a long way to go. The good news is that, if they stay in the country, they are capable of making it to the top.Other players still finding their feet, but with the ability to succeed, include Dion Ebrahim, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Douglas Hondo, Douglas Marillier and Raymond Price. Tatenda Taibu, aged only 20 and already vice-captain, is now a name on many lips, and it is hoped that Hamilton Masakadza, currently at the University of the Free State in South Africa, will be able to make up for lost time. Craig Wishart, harshly treated by the selectors over the years, may finally find his experience and powerful batting appreciated after it was missed on the England tour, while opener Mark Vermeulen, it is hoped, will get his head right and fulfil a promising career.One major gap in Zimbabwean cricket, to which Streak among others has frequently drawn attention to, has been the lack of cricket played by the Zimbabwe A team. This season the administrators have done their best to make up for this by scheduling first-class matches for Zimbabwe A against all four touring teams, and also by organizing a tour by Sri Lanka A in January and February. As with the senior tours, their programme will include two unofficial Tests and five one-day matches. A tour to Namibia took place in August, with two first-class matches played against the full Namibian team.At domestic level, the Logan Cup will again be played when, as far as possible, all the international players will be available, namely in September and then again in March and April. The same four provincial sides will take part and play each other home and away, giving a total of six matches per side. The inter-provincial one-day tournament, scheduled for December, will involve every team playing each of the others three times, meaning nine matches per side in total.In club cricket the news is less satisfactory. The national league, beset by mushrooming expenses and transport problems, has been suspended, and instead each of the four provinces will hold its own club competition. As was predictable, most of the leading players from elsewhere are signing up with Harare clubs to give themselves the strongest possible competition, much to the detriment of the game in the other provinces. It would surely have been a better plan to have kept the national league intact at first-league level only.Last season was probably the worst Zimbabwe have ever experienced, with the loss of the inspirational Andy Flower the greatest blow of all. This time round however, it is hoped that they will begin to claw their way out of the trough. The talent is there, though still very raw. Provided there is no more damage done by politics and economics, Zimbabwe can look forward to a brighter future with cautious optimism. But there is still an immense amount of work to be done.
The Gabba wicket left Queensland and Tasmania battered today but no one complained after the first day of an eventful Pura Cup match.Queensland emerged with first innings points from the batting carnage, making 132 in reply to Tasmania’s 100.The Tigers were 0-6 in their second innings after facing one over before stumps on a day which seemed it would never end for the batsmen.They had to cope with a Gabba greentop but Queensland skipper Stuart Law and Tasmanian wrecker Shane Jurgensen defended the pitch.Law put some of the wickets down to lazy shots while Jurgensen, who claimed 4-16 from 10 overs for the Tigers, couldn’t comprehend the constant procession tothe pavilion.Throw in Joe Dawes’ 3-4 from nine overs and Andrew Bichel’s 4-54 for Queensland, and you would think the batsmen were dancing around a minefield.”It’s not as juiced up or grassy as it has been here in previous years – some people just don’t like playing at the Gabba,” Law said.”I remember when you could hear a slurp when you marked your guard here in years gone by but there was nothing like that today.”At the start of the day, I wouldn’t have worried too much if we had to bat.”Law has seen the Gabba more than any other player – today becoming Queensland’s most capped player with 134 first-class matches.He won the toss and the wicket certainly wasn’t an issue when the Tigers scooted to 2-45 in 43 minutes.But Dawes, Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz (2-34), who became the state’s second highest wicket-taker with 350, tied a parachute to the visitors.Tasmania only scraped into triple figures thanks to Michael Di Venuto (28), Jamie Cox (20) and Damien Wright (18), and they were staring at a certain outright loss against the competition’s most ruthless team.Queensland even reached 1-52 before Jurgensen began the best day of his short career with his Brisbane-based parents in the stands.The 25-year-old lived in Brisbane until five years ago but he showed no remorse towards the team he once wanted to play for.His first two wickets came in successive balls – Martin Love (10) and Clinton Perren (zero) – but the hat-trick ball was a shocker.The 25-year-old rebounded with the wickets of Bichel, who slapped 23 from 19 balls, and Nathan Hauritz (four).He would have taken five wickets if he was awarded a certain LBW against Dawes, but Jurgensen was still smiling at stumps.”I really couldn’t sleep last night, even after I had a couple of beers to settle the nerves,” Jurgensen said.”I was jittery this morning because Queensland have such good batters and it really is tough to get out blokes of that quality.”The first session tomorrow could determine the path of this match, with Queensland’s quicks hoping the wicket regains some spice after a night under the covers.The drama of the day almost made Queensland forget about the late losses of batsman Jerry Cassell (virus) and Ashes quick Ashley Noffke (bruised heel).If Noffke had played, Dawes would probably have carried the drinks, while Brendan Nash made a promising 19 replacing Cassell.