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USACA objections raise eyebrows

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Documents leaked to Cricinfo suggest that far from coming as surprise, the USA Cricket Association were aware of the ICC’s objections to its offered Memorandum of Understanding from the outset. And it also seems that the USACA did make an offer to try to resolve its differences with the ICC.From the off, the USACA expressed concern with the MOU, and Gladstone Dainty, the USACA’s president, wrote to the ICC claiming that it was too restrictive and also that it was "counter to the charter of USACA as a non-profit organization, and has the potential for serious tax consequences and possible criminal consequences."While details of the ICC’s response is not known, at the end of December he again wrote and, referring to letters dated November 1 and December 20, angrily told the ICC that "it is … mischievous and self-serving for the ICC to attempt to interfere with the USACA’s election process. All communication should be directed through USACA . Any other mechanism for communicating …is presumptuous and out of line."Dainty was also increasingly worried by what he viewed as the lack of control was the ICC to follow the course it had proposed. "We are prepared to work with the ICC and any other party in a spirit of cooperation toward the goal of developing the game of cricket in the United States," he said. "However, we are firm that we will not give up our autonomy or cede our responsibility to any others."A reply from Matthew Kennedy, the ICC’s development manager, dismissed Dainty’s objections and, in turn, accused the USACA of being dilatory and obstructive. "Your reply," Kennedy wrote, "causes considerable dissatisfaction and distress to us. We are rapidly reaching the conclusion that Project USA is doomed to failure. ICC would never take any action that would either jeopardise USACA’s tax-exempt status or create any financial or other issues for USACA."With time running out, Dainty seemed to back down a little, acknowledging that "we acknowledge your response that this is not so" on the matter of stripping the USACA of its autonomy. But, still unhappy with the idea that profits from Project USA would head away from the States, he proposed a USA Cricket Development Trust Fund which would be administered by trustees (three from the USACA, two from the ICC) and which would ensure that all income was invested back into in USA cricket. Dainty implied that this idea had been given private backing by the ICC although there is no evidence of this.The suspension of Project USA followed shortly afterwards.What the correspondence makes clear is that Dainty and the board of the USACA were concerned about monies generated by Project USA being taken offshore and possibly used elsewhere. That is strange given that the ICC stated from the off that all funds raised would be invested back into the USA, a position which it has never moved from. The necessary accounting prerequisites were also put in place early on.The suspicion is that the objections being raised owe more to how the money is controlled rather than where it would be spent. The governance issues flagged many times by the ICC show that it is right to want to keep a tight hold of the reins. The worry is that the USACA looks as if it is quite willing to cut off its nose to spite its face.

Tucker guides Bermuda to sensational victory

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Bermuda 125 and 311 (Tucker 123, Minors 66, Henry 4-69) beat Canada 207 and 181 (Qaiser Ali 52, Durham 3-29) by 48 runs
Scorecard

Janeiro Tucker brought Bermuda right back into the game © ICC

Bermuda produced a major upset by beating the favourites Canada by 48 runs in Toronto, putting them in pole position to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Cup.Bermuda had seemed down and out yesterday when they slumped to 116 for 5 in their second innings, only 34 ahead, but a sixth-wicket stand of 119 between Janeiro Tucker and Dean Minors brought them back into the game. The partnership was worth 93 when play resumed and, although Minors soon fell, Tucker marshaled the tail superbly, making an outstanding 123 and giving his bowlers something to get their teeth into.Canada, with far more experience and on home soil, were still favourites to chase 230, but that changed when Saleem Mukuddem and Kevin Huddle reduced them to 13 for 3. Sunil Dhaniram and Ashish Bagai stopped the rot with a stand of 53, but Dhaniram’s departure for a run-a-ball 35 was almost immediately followed by Bagai’s wicket, and at 73 for 6, Bermuda scented victory.The game had another twist left, as George Codrinton (40) and newcomer Ali Qaiser (52) posted 91 for seventh wicket to take Canada to within 66 of their target. But Hasan Durham nipped out the tail, aided by Qaiser being run out by the narrowest of margins, to complete a remarkable turn around.Bermuda have little time to bask in their success. They play their next match, against Cayman Islands in Toronto, on Saturday, knowing that victory will secure them a semi-final place against Kenya in Namibia. But should they draw or lose, then Canada could still pip if they were to comprehensively beat Cayman Islands when they meet next Wednesday.

Warne breaks the world record

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Shane Warne: broke Muttiah Muralitharan’s record of 532 Test wickets and stands alone at the top of the pile© Getty Images

Shane Warne has claimed the world record for the most Test wickets as he overtook Muttiah Muralitharan’s tally of 532 earlier today. Warne’s crowning moment came when he had Irfan Pathan caught at slip by Matthew Hayden with a peach of a delivery that drifted away from the left-hander and turned in.It was by no means a walk in the park for Warne – he toiled hard to pick up 3 for 95 in addition to his rather meagre returns of 4 for 193 in the first Test. But the moment was a special one, and the knowledgable Chennai crowd gave Warne a rousing response. David Shepherd, the umpire standing at the end where the wicket fell, was quick to congratulate Warne, as was Rahul Dravid, the batsman who replaced Pathan.But it did not always seem like Warne would make this record his. Muralitharan has been on a hot streak in recent times, and only an injury to his shoulder gave Warne the breathing space to catch up. Murali has taken only 91 Tests to get to 532 wickets, each of his wickets costs 22.86 runs (Warne 25.64).Murali first claimed the record when he beat Courtney Walsh’s tally of 519 wickets, against Zimbabwe in Harare. He then raced on to 527 wickets, with a 6-wicket haul in Bulawayo. Warne then matched the feat, picking up seven wickets against Sri Lanka in Darwin. Murali has not played a Test since August and Warne has two Tests after this one in which to stretch the lead.

Mascarenhas in form in Australia.

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Hampshire’s Dimitri Mascarenhas helped his Australian Grade team Melville in the the Semi-Final of the WACA Vodaphone Trophy with a sparkling 160. Mascarenhas will be playing in the final against Bayswater-Morley this weekend March 27th and 28th, before returning to Southampton.The match report from courtesy of the Melville Cricket web site.Melville have cruised into the first grade final, scoring a massive record breaking 511 against South Perth at Fletcher Park. After Scott Meuleman (42), Ben Lillis (49) and Adam Voges (54) got the side away to a good start, Dimitri Mascarenhas made his maiden first grade century, finishing with 160 as he combined first with Chris Wood (40) and then Steve Russell (60no) to put the result beyond doubt. With Melville needing only a draw to make the final, South Perth declined to bat, giving the Melville bowlers another week off.

A short history of the Ashes

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  • Ashes history: 1861-1888
  • Ashes history: 1890-1914
  • Ashes history: 1920-1938
  • Ashes history: 1946-1970
  • Ashes history: 1970-1989
  • Ashes history: 1990-present

“In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia.”Australia’s first victory on English soil over the full strength of England, on August 29, 1882,inspired a young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, to write this mock “obituary”. Itappeared in the Sporting Times.Before England’s defeat at The Oval, by seven runs, arrangements had already been made forthe Hon. Ivo Bligh, afterwards Lord Darnley, to lead a team to Australia. Three weeks later theyset out, now with the popular objective of recovering the Ashes. In the event, Australia won thefirst Test by nine wickets, but with England winning the next two it became generally acceptedthat they brought back the Ashes.It was long believed that the real Ashes – a small urn thought to contain the ashes of a bailused in the third match – were presented to Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. In 1998,Lord Darnley’s 82-year-old daughter-in-law said they were the remains of her mother-in-law’s veil,not a bail. Other evidence suggests a ball. The certain origin of the Ashes, therefore, is the subject of some dispute.After Lord Darnley’s death in 1927, the urn was given to MCC by Lord Darnley’s Australian-bornwidow, Florence. It can be seen in the cricket museum at Lord’s, together with a red andgold velvet bag, made specially for it, and the scorecard of the 1882 match.The text on the urn is as follows:-When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;
The welkin will ring loud,
The great crowd will feel proud,
Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;
And the rest coming home with the urn.

Imperious Australia crush India by 208 runs

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Australia 5 for 359 (Hayden 126, Martyn 67, Symonds 66) beat India 151 by 208 runsScorecard


Matthew Hayden soaks up the applause at the SCG
©Getty Images

In a performance which was, if anything, even more ruthless than the one they put up in the 2003 World Cup final, Australia crushed India by 208 runs, clinching the VB Series in style and proving, quite emphatically, that they remained by far the best one-day side in the world. In the process, they inflicted on India their second-worst ODI defeat (after the 245-run loss against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000-01), and ensured that a series which had so many memorable moments for India ended in dismal fashion.The match ran almost exactly to the script that was written at Johannesburg almost a year ago. For Ricky Ponting, who smashed an unbeaten 140 in that match, read Matthew Hayden, who struck a beautifully paced 126 here. Damien Martyn played the ideal foil for the second time with a fluent 67.Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke then gave a brutal exhibition of power-hitting in the slog overs, as 110 came off the last eight overs, lifting the total to 359, exactly as many as in the World Cup. The best India could have hoped for from there was to salvage a semblance of pride, but even that turned out to be too much to hope for as the top five were back in the hutch within the first 15 overs.The Indians were on the back foot right from the start, after Ponting won the toss and opted to bat on a shirtfront. Already handicapped by the absence of Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar, the Indian attack had little in their bowling armoury to challenge the might of the Australians, and showed all the fatigue of having spent three gruelling months on tour. By the time the slog overs approached, Sourav Ganguly, like in the World Cup final, could only watch helplessly and wait for the 50 overs to be bowled out.Adam Gilchrist and Hayden began in typically frenetic fashion, bringing up the fifty in the eighth over, as both Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji, in an attempt to cramp the batsmen for room, drifted on leg stump and were duly punished. India briefly mounted a comeback, getting rid of Gilchrist and Ponting in quick succession, but then came the 173-run second wicket stand which laid the perfect platform for the final assault.Hayden’s was a typically characteristic innings, punctuated by plenty of clunky blows at the start off the seamers – his fifty took just 37 balls – and then some meaty slog-sweeps and down-the-pitch hoicks off the spinners. Equally importantly, he nursed a circumspect Martyn back into form during the crucial middle overs, keeping the runs coming at a fair clip and allowing Martyn to find his groove by milking the attack for singles.


Sourav Ganguly had nowhere to hide
©Getty Images

Realising that the pitch didn’t have much pace or bounce, Ganguly pressed the slower bowlers into service, and while that briefly reduced the run-glut briefly, regular service resumed as Hayden tonked a couple of sixes off Virender Sehwag and Murali Kartik, whose nightmare tour continued to get worse. Martyn gained in fluency too, reaching his fifty off 58 balls, and then unveiling some sumptuous square-drive and flicks.The third wicket partnership finally ended when Martyn holed out to Hemang Badani at midwicket off Pathan (3 for 230), and though Hayden went soon after, missing a too-ambitious reverse-sweep off Sachin Tendulkar (4 for 248), that proved to be a blessing for Australia, for it brought on stage Symonds and Clarke.Pulling and flicking the ball with awesome power, the pair put together a tremendous exhibition of power hitting. It wasn’t as if Ganguly didn’t try out different bowlers: Pathan, Tendulkar, Kartik, Nehra and Balaji all tried their luck, and they all disappeared for more than ten per over, as the pair added 99 in a mere 7.5 overs as the Indians became increasingly ragged in the field. Nehra finally landed a yorker on target to dismiss Symonds, but by then the demolition job had already been done to perfection.Thoroughly demoralised by the utter carnage in the afternoon, the Indians came out to bat knowing that the only question that remained was the margin of defeat. There were the odd sparks of defiance – Sehwag clipped the first ball of the innings, from Jason Gillespie, over fine leg for six, while Tendulkar played a couple of delightful flicks and punches off the back foot, but both were done the Gillespie-Lee combine – Lee, fielding at short fine leg, picked up a stunner when Sehwag attempted to hoick one to leg, and then picked up a more straightforward catch to get rid of Tendulkar.From there it went rapidly downhill for India, as 2 for 49 became 6 for 59 in the space of eight overs. VVS Laxman spooned a catch back to Lee, a dismissal which needed the third umpire to confirm it wasn’t a bump ball, Rahul Dravid was run out by Martyn’s direct hit for 0, ending a record 120-match run without a duck, Ganguly slapped a drive straight to point, and Yuvraj Singh nicked one to the keeper. The rest of the batsmen helped themselves to a few meaningless runs, but the contest was over well before Brad Williams got through Balaji’s defences to put an end to the Indian misery.

Indian players warned of Kiwi competitiveness

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India’s cricketers won’t be lacking for advice when New Zealand tour travel there next month for a Test and one-day series.With the Indian team scheduled to arrive in Bangalore ahead of their preparatory camp, Kapil Dev – their former captain and coach – echoed the words of John Wright, warning them not to take New Zealand lightly.Kapil said the conditions would be tough for New Zealand, but that had always been the case. The New Zealanders are used to playing on green pitches, that have recently proved to have more bounce as well.India has rarely provided those sorts of conditions and after the problems experienced by New Zealand’s groundsmen last summer, it was always likely that India’s pitches for the return visit would be low on the user-friendly scale for the New Zealanders.Kapil said New Zealand had a reputation for rising to an occasion, and that was what made them dangerous. He also said that he didn’t think New Zealand were convincing winners over India last summer – it was just that they exploited the conditions better.Wright said the New Zealanders were “under-rated”. They had performed well on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, and Wright said it was up to India to perform better, and to build on their good home record. Both Kapil and Wright were happy with the depth emerging in the pace bowling department.Wright added he had no problems with the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had chosen 36 players for the conditioning camp. The exercise would be good from a fitness point of view, and he was confident he could handle the numbers.

One good, one bad and one for the future

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David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, said the meeting prior to the third npower Test match was one of the most important in quite some time. They faced some big decisions, he said. Well, after much head-scratching they have now been made. And the reaction: one good, one bad and one for the future.With Graham Thorpe unavailable with a back injury, Ed Smith was the second-best option to replace Anthony McGrath. Smith has been in fine fettle for Kent, and his selection is a plus point for county cricket. Previous players, such as Chris Adams and Aftab Habib, have made big waves in the domestic game and then drowned when thrown into the deep end of Test cricket. Smith deserves his chance to prove he isn’t one of them.Gareth Batty is unlikely to play at Trent Bridge unless England choose two spinners, but his inclusion confirms his position as twirler No. 2 to Ashley Giles. Batty had a tough taster in his two one-day internationals against Australia last winter, and impressed many with his loopy offspin. His inclusion will also keep Giles on his toes.With a clutch of fast-bowling injuries such as Richard Johnson, Matthew Hoggard, Alex Tudor (the list goes on), England searched far and wide for a replacement for Darren Gough. The obvious successor, James Kirtley, has been with them all summer. After missing out in the four Tests so far this season, he deserves to make his debut. However, England now have another option in Glen Chapple.Chapple, 29, completes the triumvirate of new faces. His inclusion is the most shocking, but it would be harsh to call it a shocker. He has the experience of three England A tours, and has been a consistent performer for Lancashire for over ten years – and boy, do the England attack need consistency. Admittedly he would bolster the lower order, but he’s no Gough with the ball. Could he be another McGrath (Anthony, not Glenn) in disguise?James Anderson and Steve Harmison have correctly kept their places and they need to stop bowling with learner plates on their backs and appreciate the virtues of the other two L’s (line and length). Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart haven’t been pensioned off, although it might have been the end of a long and tiring road for Nasser if Thorpe had been fit. Michael Vaughan hinted he didn’t want Hussain, Stewart and Thorpe in the same team, but he needs at least two of them in these uncertain times for England.Probable team1 Michael Vaughan (capt), 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Ed Smith, 6 Alec Stewart (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Ashley Giles, 9 James Kirtley, 10 Stephen Harmison, 11 James Anderson.

Security tight as New Zealand arrive in Lahore

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High security as the New Zealand squad arrives in Lahore
© AFP

After weeks or will-they, won’t-they, a weakened New Zealand team finally arrived in Lahore for the start of their short tour of Pakistan.The trip, scheduled as compensation following the abandonment of New Zealand’s 2002 tour after a bomb blast in Karachi, gets underway with back-to-back day-night matches at Lahore on Saturday and Monday, with five games in all. Faisalabad hosts the third match on December 3 before the series ends at Rawaplindi on December 5 and 7.There were several high-profile absences in the squad, with four players – Ian Butler, Craig McMillan, Scot Styris and Lou Vincent – withdrawing after receiving anonymous e-mail threats a fortnight ago. Stephen Fleming pulled out after failing to recover from an abdominal injury.The arrival was low-key with the tour party quickly ushered through the airport and onto their hotel, all the time accompanied by a large number of police and army commandos.”We will provide the New Zealand team with full-fledged security,” insisted Adnan Bokhari, the sub-inspector of the Lahore police. “They are our distinguished guests and the security is just like that we usually give to any head of state.” Bokhari added that 2000 police and 150 commandos had been allocated to provide security for the New Zealanders.

Sri Lanka look set to appoint interim coach

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Sri Lanka look set to employ an interim coach for the forthcoming New Zealand Test series following current incumbent Dav Whatmore’s request for early leave from his contract.The Sri Lankan born Australian’s contract expires at the end of May and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has yet to decide upon a replacement.With Sri Lanka due to start a two-match Test series against New Zealand on April 25 there appears no other option but to appoint an interim coach.Whatmore communicated his willingness to step down early shortly after being informed that his contract would not be renewed before the Sharjah Cup.On Friday morning he handed over an official letter confirming his position, explaining that it would not be in the interests of the team for him to continue."We want Dav (Whatmore) to continue for the New Zealand tour and the triangular series but he has indicated an unwillingness to do so," said Anura Teenekoon, the BCCSL chief executive.The frontrunner for the temporary post appears to be former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis, who was employed as an advisor during the run-up to the World Cup.Australian Steve Rixon, New Zealander John Bracewell and South African Graham Ford have all been short-listed as potential full-time coaches but a final decision remains some weeks away.Captain Sanath Jayasuriya also confirmed his resignation on Friday morning, handing over a letter to Teenekoon, who then informed the new chairman of the selectors Lalith Kaluperuma.His successor will not be announced until after the Sinhalese New Year but Marvan Atapattu is the clear frontrunner for the high-profile job.