Siphatisiwe Moyo, the Zimbabwe allrounder, has pulled out of next week’s Women’s World Cup qualifier in South Africa with appendicitis.Moyo, 22, learnt of her condition in December and is to undergo surgery in South Africa.The qualifying series was originally due to be held in Pakistan in November last year but was moved to South Africa, following the political upheaval which ensued after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
50 overs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Shaun Pollock, supported by an assembly line of bristling seamers, set Pakistan up for the kill, before South Africa’s openers finished it with a lack of mercy that Jack the Ripper would’ve shivered at. Pakistan were trounced, ultimately, by ten wickets with 36 overs to spare at Cape Town, South Africa taking a 2-1 series lead with one match left to play.As with the series opening result at Centurion, numbers couldn’t fully convey the carnage. In the end, as Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers rained down a glut of boundaries, it seemed as if the Twenty20 game that started this series with the same result and manner was being replayed.But it was indisputably Pollock though who set up the romp, and in particular his first eight overs, which gave up but eight runs and took two wickets. Smith won a welcome first toss of the series and put Pakistan in under a gloomy sky, on a spicy pitch; a Pollock special he hoped for and a Pollock special he got.Bowling machines have been known to stray more than Pollock did, so precise were his lines and lengths. A little extra movement meant no batsman was ever in any control. He conceded his first run in only his fourth over, that too off a wide. By then, Imran Nazir had already gone in an exemplary first over, memories of the Durban spanking quickly receding. Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan were beaten for fun and at one stage, just getting bat on ball was surprise enough. When Younis did bunt one to short cover, the novelty was such that Akmal took off for a single that wasn’t. He slipped, Herschelle Gibbs didn’t.Eight for two after 10 overs captured Pakistan’s struggle like no words could. Mohammad Yousuf loosened the shackles a touch driving Pollock for the first boundary in the morning’s 11th over, but it was the briefest riposte. Pollock lured Younis into a misguided drive and if Pakistan were relieved that this was the penultimate over of a spell which included four maidens, they were in for a rude shock: to their dismay, the back-up was in no form to be considered that.Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt teased batsmen with skiddy pace and a hustling, bustling discipline. Having bowled five overs between them for merely 11 runs, Hall soon struck gold. Yousuf had just clipped him through midwicket politely, before he opened the bat-face and edged behind.That left South Africa fully on top, Pakistan seeking solace in isolated moments of batting parity with a series of scrambled singles and doubles. Inzamam-ul-Haq hung in, though visually his stand resembled that of the sole protestor’s standing in front of the tank at Tianamen Square. Symbolically, it was much less. Shoaib Malik helped offer cursory resistance in a 46-run mid-innings stand, but as he fell to Justin Kemp, even that hope frittered away.
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Run-scoring had hardly been hurried before, but it became a tortuously slow drip. Kemp, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini tightened their grip, Inzamam drew further into himself, wickets fell to loose shots and South Africa, led by de Villiers, relentlessly hounded Pakistan from the field.Famously multi-skilled, de Villiers’s fielding aptitude must be a first among equals. If ever one has so frustrated a batting side, it was de Villiers today, preventing any number of runs at cover and midwicket through the day. Behind the stumps, Mark Boucher threw in his take on Pollock’s consistency, becoming only the fourth keeper in ODI history to take six catches.de Villiers then put on his batting hat, and by the end of the first over, with a cracking cover drive, had helped South Africa to more runs (11) than Pakistan made in ten. With a series of hoisted pulls to balls that weren’t always short, he raced away. As he was pulling Abdur Rehman in the 11th over, South Africa had hit the same number of boundaries as Pakistan managed in their entire innings. With a straight, lofted six next ball, they had overtaken the boundary count.Smith finished it with the dexterity of a butcher and in timely fashion both men completed their fifties within a ball of each other in the last over. It completed a neat full circle for Pakistan, who in a week went from utterly hopeless in Centurion to the sublime in Durban, to the competitive in Port Elizabeth and finally back to the utterly hopeless here.
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Even as the second Test at Faisalabad got underway, the debate over the pitch at Lahore, where 1089 runs were scored for just 8 wickets, continued to simmer.Imran Khan, former Pakistan captain, wrote in his column in : “During my 21 years of international cricket, I have seen almost every team prepare pitches that suit it at home – it is a legitimate home advantage that has been used right from the inception of the game. Hearing the comments of the coach [Bob Woolmer] I am increasingly convinced that the grass on the Lahore track was shaved off in order to make it placid and risk-free.”Imran added that Woolmer can be forgiven for his contention that the home team has no right to intervene and ask for a pitch that suits its strengths due to the latter’s limited exposure as a player in international cricket. He also criticized the Pakistan coach’s defensive attitude, saying that he should focus more on his team getting 20 wickets and win matches.Woolmer, however, in his own column in the wrote: “For the record, I reiterate that as captain and coach, Inzamam and I will let the pitch committee know what type of pitches we would like, but we then leave it to the groundstaff.”Talking about Pakistan’s evolution as a world-beater, Imran added that he would like to see Woolmer work on finding a suitable specialist opening partner for Salman Butt, if they are to do well in England later this year.On India’s own dilemmas, the former fast bowler felt that Rahul Dravid shouldn’t open the innings, his 410-run partnership with Virender Sehwag notwithstanding. He wrote, “The No. 3 slot is a crucial one and Dravid is a vital cog in the Indian batting line-up. Losing him early could be disastrous for the Indians.”
Yorkshire have announced a new agreement which will ensure that country cricket continues to be played at Scarborough’s North Marine Road ground until at least 2010.The five-year-deal, which is dependant on the ground being maintained to first-class standards, will provide for two four-day and two one-day games each season."We believe the relationship between the two clubs is as good as it has ever been," said Bill Mustoe, the Scarborough chairman. "By sharing expertise, we welcome the partnership which will considerably enhance the financial arrangements of both parties".Yorkshire first played at Scarborough in 1874 and the ground became synonymous with end-of-season festivals. It has also hosted two one-day internationals, against West Indies in 1976 and New Zealand in 1978, and five women’s Tests.
Akash Chopra: will he go the Devang Gandhi way? © AFP |
When the Indian selectors sit down tomorrow to draw up a list of 16 people who will make a trip that could as easily end their careers as make them, people will be holding their breath across the country. Cricketers will wait by the telephone and fans by the television. After much deliberation, Syed Kirmani, Kiran More, Pranab Roy, Sanjay Jagdale and Kirti Azad have to decide whether they want an extra medium pacer or a third spinner, a reserve opener or a reserve wicketkeeper.The composition of this selection committee, with two former keepers, will most likely cause them to bend in favour of an extra wicketkeeper. And they will not be wrong in doing so, for there is no way Parthiv Patel can keep wicket in three tour matches and four Tests virtually on the trot. One can only hope that the selectors resist the temptation to make an uneasy compromise.It is believed that Deep Dasgupta is the first name they are considering. If only he was in better batting form, this might not have been a bad idea. But to pick him as the reserve wicketkeeper cum opening batsman will be playing into Australia’s hands. If India are serious about their long-term search for a keeper they must take Ajay Ratra on this tour. While he does not possess the natural glovework of Patel, he has shown a keenness to work hard and is by no means unreliable behind the stumps.The last time India toured Australia the fast bowlers interrogated Devang Gandhi like high-handed policemen would an unfortunate victim. His every deficiency was exposed and his confidence shattered almost irreparably. That’s perhaps the reason why the opening slot is the biggest cause for worry.Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra have done enough and more to pick themselves. When the team looks for a reserve opener, and one may very well be needed after a couple of Tests, they should plump for someone who is not intimidated and looks to score at every opportunity. Sadagoppan Ramesh answers to that name, but serious doubts still exist over his footwork and his tendency to throw it away after making a start. While these concerns are real, they do not quite cut ice in the face of over 1300 Test runs from 16 Tests.The selectors, though, did not think enough of Ramesh’s century against New Zealand at Rajkot to pick him for the home Tests. With that being as it is, they could well choose Sanjay Bangar. As a batsman who has done little wrong, and averages over two hours at the crease as an opener in Tests, only a cruel man would grudge his selection. His usefulness as a medium pacer will come to the fore in Australia, where seam, rather than spin, will rule the day. And, as if things were not confused enough already, Wasim Jaffer has thrown his hat in the ring with a string of good scores in domestic cricket.India need five seamers on the tour and the retirement of Javagal Srinath could well pave the way for one extra youngster on tour. Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar are automatic selections, and Aavishkar Salvi puts his hand up as the next in queue. L Balaji would dearly swap the two home Tests he played against New Zealand for an opportunity on a wicket that has a bit more for his style of bowling. But that will, in all likelihood, have to wait.The one settled thing in this Indian team is the middle order. Despite the talk about matchwinning potential, flaws against short-pitched bowling and the like, you simply cannot think about any changes in the middle order. Yuvraj Singh, who had an unspectacular debut at Mohali against New Zealand, will be persisted with. And that is only fair.Beyond this, there may still be surprises. Who knows, Vijay Dahiya’s career could be revived or Sairaj Bahutule given a chance to sample the outdoor lifestyle of Australia. To be fair to the selectors, if they can resist the temptation to pull such a rabbit out of the hat, they would have made a good fist of a difficult selection.Probable squad
Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Akash Chopra, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wk), Deep Dasgupta (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Aavishkar Salvi.
Australia won the battle but lost the war at the WACA on Sunday, beating South Africa by 33 runs, but failing to bag the bonus point that would have earned them a place in the VB Series finals.South Africa reached 250 for five in their 50 overs in reply to Australia’s 283 for seven, but much more importantly in the context of the competition, they got past 226, the score to which Australia had to restrict their opposition in order to claim the extra point.It is probably fair to say that while the South Africans would have preferred to beat Australia, keeping the hosts out of the finals was a perfectly adequate consolation prize. There is no doubt that South Africa fancy their chances against New Zealand and although they have beaten Australia only once in all games this summer, they will have found some satisfaction in thwarting their fiercest rivals.Australia, it must be said, gave themselves every chance of qualifying for the finals with a batting display that took wing in the closing overs of their innings. They would probably have aimed at around 280 when they set out and contributions from Adam Gilchrist (31), Mark Waugh (34), Ricky Ponting (26) and Damien Martyn laid a platform for a later charge.The opening stages of the match were no without incident. On 22 Gilchrist appeared to be caught at the wicket off an inside edge, Mark Boucher diving low to his right to take the chance off Pollock one-handed. Gilchrist, it seemed, was prepared to walk if Boucher confirmed the catch, but the South African wicketkeeper indicated that he, too, was not entirely sure that he had taken it cleanly.And so off it went to the third umpire and yet another instance of this particular use of technology causing more problems than it solves. In the crucial angle, Boucher’s glove was offscreen at the critical moment for all except those with expensive widescreen television sets. Whatever Darrell Hair’s faults as an umpire, he could hardly be faulted for giving this one not out. If television is so keen to involve itself in the game, it would seem the least the broadcaster could do would be to supply the third umpire with adequate equipment.Gilchrist did not last a great deal longer, though, getting out in bizarre fashion when a ball from Makhaya Ntini went off his thigh pad and helmet, by way of his shoulder, before looping up, over him and onto his leg stump.For all that the Australians were getting starts, Steve Waugh’s 42 was the highest score from the top and middle order (Michael Bevan lasting only four balls for 1 on this occasion) before Darren Lehmann and Brett Lee produced the best batting of the match. Lehmann, in the Australian team for the first time in the series, played an immaculate one-day innings, knocking the ball about for 49 off 46 balls, but it was Lee’s thunderous hitting that lifted the score to its impressive proportions.He hit the great South African fast bowler Allan Donald for six, four, six, four and six as the 48th over gave up 27 (the same amount scored by Shaun Pollock off James Franklin on Friday) and ended unbeaten on 51 off 36 balls as Australia gave themselves, at the very least, a fighting chance of reaching the finals.Pollock said afterwards that his side intended to wait until the final 10 overs before deciding whether to push for the outright win or settling for going past 226. Thus the innings tended to be watchful without being overly cautious as Jacques Kallis took up the anchor role and allowed his team-mates to bat around him.It was understandable, though, that the lesser score was South Africa’s primary aim and although Herschelle Gibbs (34), Boeta Dippenaar (33) and Jonty Rhodes (20) all got in, they all got out before capitalising on their starts.And so on went Kallis, at the end partnered by Lance Klusener, to take South Africa past 226, reaching his century off 117 balls and finish the match unbeaten on 104.In choosing Lehmann Australia sacrificed a bowler and in the end it may well have been their lack of a genuine fifth bowler that left them short of penetration. Certainly, Lehmann justified his selection with his batting, besides picking up two wickets, but Bevan and Steve Waugh cost Australia 43 from the six overs they bowled between them. The hosts played well, but they had not play well to start the tournament and in the end the two most consistent sides – in an inconsistent competition – have qualified for the finals.
Andhra bundled out Goa for 139 in their second innings to complete a facile innings and 67 run victory over the hosts in the South Zone Cooch Behar Trophy (Under-19) tournament match at the Rajendra Prasad Stadium in Margao on Sunday.The final day’s play started 25 minutes after lunch due to early morning rain and the Goan innings, resuming at 100 for 6, lasted only 75 minutes. Abdul Kadar (4 overnight) was the first to be dismissed at 104, giving a catch to Ayappaswamy off Shankar Rao. Redkar (9 overnight) also did not last long. He departed after offering a return catch to Shankar Rao. SK Suraj (5) departed in much the similar fashion but the bowler this time was Mohd Faiq. Left with last man Mithun Naik Govekar, KK Sagun then tried some heroics but after hitting five boundaries, he was the last batsman to be dismissed for 24 when he offered a catch to Varma off Shankar Rao.Shankar Rao was easily the best among the bowlers. The left arm spinner, who took four wickets in the second innings, ended the match with figures of 9 for 45 while the off spinner Mohd Faiq ended with 7 for 69. Andhra earned eight points from this outright win.
Frank Lampard’s difficult start to life with the Toffees continued after his side were smashed 5-0 away from home last night at the hands of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham.
Going in at half-time, the Blues were already 3-0 down. The former Chelsea boss tried to turn things around with a substitution ready for the second half, before being humbled 41 second after the restart, with Sergio Reguilon sweeping home Dejan Kulusevski’s cross.
Harry Kane finalised the embarrassing result for the Toffees, who remain just one point above the relegation zone.
The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who Everton’s three worst performers were on the day (to have played 45 minutes), with Lampard perhaps looking at these three players for possible changes ahead of a difficult clash against Wolves this weekend…
Michael Keane (5.8)
Keane was ranked as the third worst Toffees player with a 5.8 overall rating from SofaScore.
The defender scored an own goal before being shipped off at half-time, as Lampard tried desperately to provide more solidity at the back.
The former Burnley man failed to register a single one in any of the key four defensive statistics – clearances, blocks, tackles and interceptions – while he was also dribbled past and lost the ball once apiece and won just a single duel.
Seamus Coleman (5.8)
Admittedly tied with Keane in terms of rating (5.8), Coleman played the full 90 minutes compared to the centre-back’s one half – so the Irishman ranks second worst for the day.
The Everton captain also failed to make a single tackle or interception during the game.
More damagingly though, he lost the ball 16 times and failed to make a single key pass or accurate cross, offering just as little going forward as both he and Keane did defensively.
Jordan Pickford (4.9)
With a poor 4.9 rating, Pickford was ranked as the Toffees’ worst performer against Tottenham.
This comes as little to no surprise, having conceded five goals within the first 55 minutes.
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The goalkeeper lost the ball on 11 occasions, with a 54% pass accuracy affecting Everton’s play right from the very back.
He failed to make a single punch or high claim throughout the match, and even made an error which led to a goal – topping off a performance which he would have been disappointed with, regardless of the score-line.
In other news: Everton: Lampard gives injury update ahead of Wolves
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Victoria remained the Twenty20 kings with a third consecutive title as Western Australia were hit by a Blizzard and a Cyclone at the WACA. Aiden Blizzard’s blitz of 47 from 20 balls helped the Bushrangers reach 203 and despite an exciting 86 from Shaun Marsh, the Warriors fell 32 short in their chase.The major problem for Western Australia, apart from the hefty target, was the fast, accurate bowling from Dirk Nannes. The nickname on his back read “Cyclone” and he lived up to the moniker, sweeping up four wickets and pushing into the high 140kph region as the Warriors spiralled to defeat.He struck two early blows to derail the chase and returned at the end for two more, including Marsh, who had combined with Theo Doropoulos to give the Warriors a sniff after they had crashed to 5 for 59. Marsh belted four sixes in his 55-ball innings but was running out of time when he cracked a Nannes full toss to Cameron White at midwicket.He had already lost his key partner, Doropoulos, who was on 43 when he chipped back to the bowler David Hussey. Victoria’s spinners Hussey and Bryce McGain troubled the middle order but it was Nannes’ early strikes that set the scene.In what Perth fans will hope is not an omen for the WACA Test, which starts on Wednesday, the home side’s reply began with a contentious catch first ball. Luke Ronchi tried to evade a shortish Nannes delivery that flicked his gloves and might have fallen just short of the wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite, who claimed the take.It was a disappointing start to a challenging chase after Victoria worked their way to 8 for 203. They started brilliantly, reaching 0 for 65 from five overs, an effort that was largely thanks to Blizzard, who took 28 off one Danny McLauchlan over. Four sixes featured in those six balls, and one was flat-batted wide of midwicket so lethally that it ended up in the practice nets adjacent to the ground.Twice in their innings Victoria lost 3 for 5 but around those mini-collapses they were able to build a healthy score. Hussey added 38 and finished the tournament as the second leading run scorer behind only Marsh. One of the few Victorians who did not contribute was Rob Quiney, who fell to one of the most remarkable catches in recent memory.Quiney pulled Ben Edmondson to deep midwicket and David Bandy, hard up on the rope and with the sun in his eyes, jumped, stretched his right-hand above his head and pulled in the grab with both feet off the ground, baseball-style. He then had the challenge of landing back in the field of play and managed the feat with the grace of an Olympic gymnast, finishing with a pivot and swivel to acknowledge the crowd’s cheers.But his team-mates could not match his perfect ten and the title slipped away from Western Australia. Victoria, who have lost only one match in the three seasons of the domestic Twenty20 tournament, will head to the Champions Twenty20 league in October as arguably the world’s most in-form side in the shortest format.
Scorecard
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Brad Hodge justified his bold day-three declaration by setting up another chasing win for Victoria as they moved to the top of the Pura Cup table. Hodge closed the Bushrangers’ innings 117 runs behind South Australia on Sunday and his gamble paid off as he and Michael Klinger were the key contributors in running down the target of 322 for a three-wicket win.Klinger was unbeaten on 87 after steering the final stages of the chase and the home side ended the game with three overs to spare. While Klinger applied the finishing touches, Hodge kept the Bushrangers in sight of the result with 84 from 124 balls, including 11 fours and a six.The dismissal of Nick Jewell, who crawled to 36 off 111 deliveries, allowed Hodge and David Hussey, the first-innings century-makers, to accelerate and they produced a crucial stand of 79 in 71 balls. Hussey fell to a reflex take by Tom Plant at short leg and Hodge left with his side at 4 for 225, edging to first slip off Cullen Bailey.Bailey, the legspinner, was the most successful of South Australia’s bowlers with 4 for 103, but he was unable to stop Klinger. The Redbacks, who kept their two points, reached 5 for 204 before their first-session declaration, with Ben Cameron unbeaten on 51.