Matthew Hayden, the Australian Test opener, will undergo a scan for a possible crack to the little finger on his right hand sustained during Queensland’s defeat against Tasmania in the Pura Cup at Brisbane. However, Dr Simon Carter, the team doctor, said Hayden was in no doubt for the first Ashes Test.Initial x-rays did not show a fracture after he attempted a catch, but he will undergo more tests after batting in pain at No. 7. He scored 36 off 46 balls as Queensland slumped to a seven-wicket defeat.”The X-ray was inconclusive. His hand is still sore and that’s why he batted late today,” Dr Carter said. “He’s going to have another scan tomorrow to get a definitive answer on whether he has a small fracture, but either way if there is a [crack] he won’t be in doubt.”
Gavin Hamilton, the Durham all-rounder, has announced he will retire from county cricket at the end of this season. Hamilton spent a decade with Yorkshire, before joining Durham in 2004 – but he failed to hold down a regular place in the first XI. He has spent part of the summer on loan with the Scottish Saltires, and plans to play for Scotland next summer.Hamilton, 31, came to prominence in the 1999 World Cup while playing for Scotland; he was subsequently selected for England’s tour to South Africa, and made his Test debut in Johannesburg. But it wasn’t a memorable experience, as he was dismissed for nought in both innings.Durham’s coach Martyn Moxon paid tribute to Hamilton in a statement released on Thursday: “Gavin has been an excellent member of our squad for the last two seasons and, although he has only played a handful of first XI games, his contribution both on and off the field has been extremely valuable.”
Ashley Ross, one of the technical directors of New Zealand Cricket, has been chastised for making sexual innuendoes in a presentation. Ross, who briefly coached New Zealand, is alleged to have delivered a coaching presentation titled “Phone sex, masturbation and the real deal: Cricket training as it has always been”.Ross is said to have compared phone sex with throw-downs, masturbation with net practice and the “real deal” with simulated game situations. The presentation apparently tried to bring out the the parallels between three different levels of cricket practice, and the three different levels of sexual practice. It is believed to have been delivered to at least two groups of qualified coaches over the past year.New Zealand chief executive, Martin Snedden, condemned this approach and said that he wasn’t comfortable with these methods. The quoted him as saying, “It’s certainly not the angle we would usually take on coaching, and it’s fair to say I’m not comfortable with it. That sort of thing does not fit easily with the NZC culture – it’s not the way we go about things.”Snedden also cautioned against over-reaction and felt that the issue shouldn’t be blown out of proportion “The bottom line,” he continued, “is that Ashley was delivering a presentation to a closed group of coaches who he knew very well.”Emily Drumm, the former captain of the New Zealand women’s team, said that this latest strategy stretched the boundaries of common decency and termed it as “an absolutely disgusting analogy”.Drumm, who had earlier decided to skip the tour of England and Ireland, added, “It’s a ridiculous way to discuss the issue. He’s obviously become bored, has tried to come up with a fresh approach, and has overshot the mark by quite some distance. The shame is that Ash is a sound technical coach and has often offered fantastic advice. He’s been a great help for the top women cricketers, and is an excellent source of information.”
On the eve of the launch of the new Twenty20 Cup competition that gets underway at the County Ground this evening when Somerset entertain Warwickshire the county have received some good news regarding one of their favourite adopted sons.Sir Vivian Richards who would have been ideally suited to Twenty20 cricket has announced that he will definitely be a making a nostalgic return to play at the County Ground in Taunton at the age of fifty one when he appears for Lashings Cricket Club against his old county on July 21st.Sir Viv, along with Ian Botham and Joel Garner made up the big three in the Glory Years of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s when the county won the Gillette Cup and the Bensons and Hedges Cup on two occasions and the John Player League once.He played for Somerset between 1974 and 1986 and scored nearly 15000 runs at an average of just under 50 which included 322 against Warwickshire in 1985.Chief executive Peter Anderson said yesterday "David Foalb the Lashings coach and managing director has confirmed that Viv Richards will definitely be appearing along with Richie Richardson and Jimmy Adams, which is great news."The great man is also expected to officially open the new Sir Viv Richards Gates that are situated at the Priory Bridge entrance to the County Ground on that day.Tickets for the match against Lashings Cricket Club that will be 45 overs per side and will get underway at 1pm are available from the club office, 01823 272 946.
The South Australian State Selectors have named the four teams for round 3 of the 2001 Redbacks League. Both matches will be played at Park 25.Jason Gillespie will be playing in the Chappel XII.Round 3 (10.00am Start) Sun 30 September
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has revealed the latest information regarding the fitness of midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, who has been out since December.
What’s the latest?
According to the Villa boss, the 28-year-old still isn’t training with the first team but is scheduled to return to full training after the upcoming international break.
The 41-year-old said: “Marvelous Nakamba will be in full training for us after the international break, which is positive. He’s not too far away and he’ll do certain sessions with our Under-23 group next week.
“We’ll integrate him into the first-team set-up. That’s good news for us.”
The Zimbabwean hasn’t played since the mid-December defeat at Liverpool, when he sustained the knee injury which has kept him out of action for three months and counting.
Villa supporters will be gutted
While the news that Nakamba is nearing a return is welcome, Villa supporters must be desperate to have the midfielder back in action as soon as possible.
After an impressive three-game winning streak, Gerrard’s side were beaten 2-1 at West Ham last Saturday, a result which highlighted the need for an alternative in midfield, and next up is another massive test as the Villans host Arsenal in today’s lunchtime kick-off.
The preferred midfield trio of John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey has been a treat to watch at times, although the Villa faithful will be keen to have another option in case of injury or suspension to one of the favoured three.
Prior to his injury, Nakamba started all of Gerrard’s first five matches in charge, which highlighted him as one of the Englishman’s favourites, and his return to action will be very welcome.
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The defensive midfielder had been averaging two tackles, one clearance and 0.8 interceptions per game prior to his convalescence, highlighting why Villa fans will surely be delighted to have him back in contention in a couple of weeks’ time.
Still, Gerrard could certainly have done with the Zimbabwean today, especially with the Midlanders coming up against an Arsenal side whose five-game winning run was only ended by a title-chasing Liverpool in a tightly-contested clash in midweek.
In other news: Aston Villa dealt another injury setback which will have many supporters sweating
England received an eve-of-Test boost with the appearance of Kevin Pietersen at their practice session on Wednesday. He had been confined to his hotel room yesterday with a high temperature and was put on antibiotics.”He’s alright,” said England’s captain, Michael Vaughan. “He had a net but didn’t take part in the run-around fielding drill, but he’ll be fine to go into tomorrow’s game.”It was just a virus,” said Vaughan. “It was slightly worrying yesterday but the doctor said so long as he got his tablets down he’d be okay. Obviously it’s better for seeing him here having a bat, and a big relief for the team because he’s such a big player.”Pietersen is England’s second-highest run scorer in the series with 203 runs at an average of 50.75. He won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 134 in the second innings at Lord’s which gave England the upper hand in a drawn Test. At Trent Bridge, Pietersen was the fielder at whom Zaheer Khan waved his bat angrily during the jelly bean controversy. He was dismissed lbw by RP Singh for 13 in the first innings and 19 in the second, a short while after he evaded a head-high beamer from Sreesanth.In Pietersen’s absence, England’s penultimate practice session involved just 10 players, because the reserve seamer, Stuart Broad, had been released to play for Leicestershire in a Pro40 match at Derby. No reserve was summoned to cover for Pietersen.
“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.
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.
While Michael Vaughan and the England team practised at the Chester-le-Street ground for Tuesday’s match against New Zealand, a burglar walked into the English dressing room and, after a quick look around, strolled away with Vaughan’s watch and wallet, as well as £300 and 17 credit cards that belonged to Darren Gough.According to The Daily Telegraph, security cameras caught the thief on tape, and established that he was careful not to leave behind fingerprints. He spent three minutes inside the dressing room and took the long way out to avoid detection. His job was made easier by the absence of a security guard outside the dressing room.Vaughan, who lost more than £1000 and the valuable watch, believed that the thief was familiar with the layout of the ground. “It’s a maze finding your way to the dressing room,” he said. “We’re always getting lost.”If the thief knows his cricket, the contents of Vaughan’s wallet could well surprise him. Besides the money, it contained a match ticket from the recent Antigua Test, autographed by Brian Lara, who broke the 400-run barrier in that game. Incidentally, though other valuables were lying around the room, they were left untouched.