The Board of Control for Cricket in India has appointed Ranjib Biswal, a national selector, and D Dongoankar as managers of India’s one-day and Test side managers for the series against West Indies starting May 12.Ravi Sawant, the Mumbai Cricket Association vice-president, has been appointed as assistant to Dongaonkar. The BCCI also appointed Arindam Ganguly as India A manager for their tour to Australia from June 28 to July 25.India play five one-day internationals and four Tests against West Indies.
Bennett King, the West Indies coach, has blamed inherent weaknesses in the domestic structure for the team’s poor results in the international arena. West Indies, once invincible on home soil, have performed abysmally at home in recent times, thumped by England last year, and easily beaten by South Africa in two of three Tests so far this season.Addressing the media before the final Test in Antigua, King said: “I believe one of the main problems with the West Indies at the moment is the gap between regional cricket and international cricket. They are trying their best but if you go and watch regional cricket closely the lines that they bowl aren’t conducive to taking wickets at international level.”King insisted that a failure to adequately pressure opposition batsmen had been the root cause of insipid bowling displays. “We’ve talked with all the coaches and to a man they have been supportive of the approach that we are trying to put forward,” he said. “That means all our bowlers, including spinners, bowling attacking rather than defensive lines. We need to put pressure on opposing sides.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the captain, stressed that the West Indies would have to improve all aspects of their play to be competitive against a South African side that has played some superb cricket since escaping with a draw in Guyana. “We are going into the match in a positive frame of mind and we’re looking for a win,” said Chanderpaul. “We’ve been trying hard, we’ve had meetings where everybody has contributed. That makes my job easier, and I’m happy with that. But I’m not happy with our results.”
Waqar Younis has hit out at allegations that Pakistan had deliberately underperformed in one-day tournaments in Morocco and Kenya in 2002. Responding to a letter by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) to the Pakistan board which raised the issue, Waqar, who led the team in both competitions, emphasised that there was no truth to the allegations.”We just did not play well and we lost quite a few close matches. Luck did not favour us. But I know everyone tried hard to win,” he said, according to a Press Trust of India report. Waqar added that these stories were floating around only because Pakistan had lost the one-day series to New Zealand and had an important series against India coming up. “Whenever the team loses a few matches on a trot or an important series is coming up, you hear and read about such allegations about match-fixing. So this is nothing new for me.”I can only say if the ACU has any evidence and is convinced any player is involved in corrupt practices, he should be exposed and punished. But simply making allegations or raising suspicions without proof is not fair on the players also. Pakistani people are very emotional and it is now customary to hear and read about allegations of match-fixing if the team does not perform to expectations.”Waqar may feel that Pakistan lost a few close games in those tournaments, but a look at the records suggest otherwise. In Kenya, Pakistan suffered humiliating defeats against Australia – by 224 runs and nine wickets – while in Morocco, they lost to South Africa by 54 runs and to Sri Lanka by 39. Pakistan’s only narrow loss was by 8 runs to South Africa, a match they needed to win to qualify for the final.Meanwhile, the report also stated that Waqar had confirmed his participation in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s domestic tournament, in a bid to win a place in the Test squad for the series against India. “I have not given up hope of playing for Pakistan again, that is for sure.”
In the last couple of years, the Indian team has registered limitedovers series victories over New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe athome, and had only lost to world champions Australia, that too by aslim 3-2 margin.
Yet another lesson is that the lack of an all-rounder continues to have considerable impact on the middle overs. Agarkar, in this context, continues to be an enigma. Despite a couple of good performances with bat and ball, he still has not cemented his place in the side, which for a lad of his undoubted talent can only be termed disappointing.
Given this admirable record, it came as no surprise when they werelisted as hot favourites to wrap up the six-match series againstEngland in double-quick time. With these expectations in mind, whenthe final margin reads three-all, then it is clear that there issomething wrong with the Indian side and that there are lessons tobe learnt.The first lesson to be driven home is the fact that the Indians justdo not learn from past mistakes; notice how they threw away winningchances in successive games at New Delhi and Mumbai. When the askingrate, with wickets to spare, is under six an over, where is the needto go for shots that have an element of risk?The second lesson is that they cannot move in for the kill. The bestexample of this came about during the last-wicket partnership betweenAndrew Flintoff and Darren Gough at Mumbai. When the ninth wicket fellat 218, there were still eight overs left in the innings. JavagalSrinath, Ajit Agarkar and Sourav Ganguly, between them, had 10 oversyet to be bowled. And yet, the bowling was entrusted to SachinTendulkar and Hemang Badani. Flintoff and Gough, scarcely believingtheir good fortune, alternated between singles and the occasionalboundary, and before one was aware of it, the score had leapt by 37runs from seven overs. When the final margin of victory is five runs,the folly in allowing the last-wicket pair to put on so many isunderlined. Incidentally, Srinath later needed just one delivery toterminate the partnership.The third lesson concerns India’s bench strength. With Rahul Dravidunavailable and VVS Laxman dropped midway following a series of lowscores, the responsibility in the middle order rested on the young andinexperienced shoulders of Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif and Badani.The trio generally failed to give the scoring rate an impetus afterthe electrifying starts from Tendulkar, Sehwag and Ganguly. This wastrue even in the matches that India won.Yet another lesson is that the lack of an all-rounder continues tohave considerable impact on the middle overs. Agarkar, in thiscontext, continues to be an enigma. Despite a couple of goodperformances with bat and ball, he still has not cemented his place inthe side, which for a lad of his undoubted talent can only be termeddisappointing. Under the circumstances, India had no option but toplay six batsmen and four bowlers. It must be said that overall thebowling was better than the batting, even though the gamble of playingSarandeep Singh instead of Harbhajan Singh at New Delhi proved costly.In Ajay Ratra, it must be said that Indian cricket has unearthed atrue find. With encouragement, he could be the solution to the vexingwicket-keeping problem. But there were a few other gains from theseries. The recognised batsmen scored the runs, while the frontlinebowlers took the wickets. It was also good to see Ganguly return toform with the bat, even though his leadership qualities took a bit ofa dent. The tendency to let things drift at times was apparent. It maybe tempting to say that England, admittedly a team with certainlimitations, did not deserve to share the series. But their showingwas a supreme example of what fired-up team spirit and inspiringcaptaincy can achieve. Certainly, history and form were against them,and yes, man for man, the Indian team looked stronger.But matches can also be won in dressing-rooms and hotel corridors, andnot necessarily on the field. England proved this cricketing adage inspades by delivering a performance that could not fail to win thehearts of even the most diehard Indian cricket supporter. They werethe underdogs, and for a team dismissed as no-hopers, their levelingthe series in the manner they did should rank as one of the mostoutstanding feats by any visiting team in India.England clearly had no intention of throwing in the towel even afterthey were down 1-3, or even when India looked to be in a winningposition in the last two games. If the batting lacked consistency,they could always depend on one or two batsmen making a sizeablescore. Marcus Trescothick was a revelation, and there is no doubt thatthe tour will do him a world of good. Hussain himself came up with anumber of useful contributions. Nick Knight took some time to find hisbearings, but his century at the Kotla was a classy effort. The middleorder remained a problem, but Flintoff made up for this with a fewbreezy knocks.The bowling covered up for any loopholes in the batting. The seamerswere quite outstanding, and Gough, Andrew Caddick, Flintoff andMatthew Hoggard served the side admirably. By the end of the tour,Flintoff had emerged as a genuine match-winner, and Hussain got anunexpected bonus with spinners Jeremy Snape and Ashley Giles strikingwhen it was most needed. Giles’ second spell at the Kotla was one ofthe highlights of the series. It takes guts for a bowler to even thinkof bowling again after he has conceded 32 runs in his first four oversand when confronted by an inform Ganguly treating spinners withdisdain. But Giles ripped the Indian innings apart with some incisivebowling, and his five wickets in five overs proved decisive.England were also well served by young James Foster who, withencouragement, could have a long and fruitful career behind thestumps. The fielding, not generally known to be England’s strongpoint, was a revelation. Led by their skipper, the players threwthemselves at the ball, dived and leapt to take catches, and displayedan efficiency that almost matched the South Africans at their best.Hussain, as he had done in the Test series, again led by both personalexample and with tactical acumen. A lot of thought had been given toplotting a particular batsman’s downfall, and in matters of strategy,Hussain certainly stole a march over Ganguly.
Boland were just 82-runs from victory at the end of the third day’s play in their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West in Kimberley on Sunday.It was largely thanks to left-arm seam bowler Neil Carter who took career best figures of six for 63 to reduce Griquas to 205 all out in their second innings and an overall lead of a paltry 112-runs.At the close of play Boland were easily in control on 31 without loss. Henry Davids was on 25 while Jonathan Trott had scored a much more sedate four.Earlier Boland had been bowled out for 230 having started the day at 190 for eight. Justin Ontong advanced his overnight total from 60 to 68 before being caught by Craig Tatton off Dion Kruis.Carter smashed a quick 21 to give the visitors a useful lead and set up a win that will mean little as they will not carry the points of the match through to the Super Eight phase of the competition because Griquas will not be involved.But even so, the approach was clinical and professional and on a wicket that assisted the seamers, Carter took full advantage of the situation.He removed opener Willie Dry (6) and Grant Elliott (1) to have the hostsreeling at 27 for two. A 39-run partnership between Martyn Gidley and Pieter Koortzen stemmed the flow of wickets.He later claimed the tail to put his side in a position where defeat will be as unbelievable as a seven-foot dwarf.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere Fiorentino, as shared by Sport Witness, there has been a promising West Ham United transfer update involving Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.
The Lowdown: Moyes set sights on new defender…
The Irons, and by extension manager David Moyes, have allegedly earmarked the signing of a defender as a real transfer priority ahead of this summer window.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
Indeed, club insider Claret & Hugh back that the club and Moyes have a ‘desire’ to ‘strengthen the backline’ with links emerging to the likes of Joe Worrall (Nottingham Forest) and James Tarkowski (Burnley).
As Moyes’ transfer plan begins to take hold ahead of July 1, there has been a very promising twist out of Italy involving Milenkovic – a name Hammers will know all too well.
The Latest: West Ham enter pole…
Last summer, there were claims that the Serbia international was extremely close to a London Stadium move, with his bags even packed according to reports.
Now, as per Corriere Fiorentino (via SW), it appears West Ham are back in real contention to sign the 24-year-old.
According to the Italian source, Moyes’ side are ‘in first place’ for Milenkovic ahead of other suitors with his report also backing that Moyes wants to add a new defender.
The Verdict: Get it done?
This move could hinder on West Ham’s European status next season with the centre-back apparently eager to play on the biggest stage.
That being said, if Moyes’ men achieve the brilliant landmark yet again for 2022/2023, we believe Milenkovic could be a shrewd option.
The 6 foot 4 powerhouse possesses a physicality tailor-made for the English top flight and has garnered real praise from some of the biggest footballing names on the continent.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ex-teammate Dusan Vlahovic, for example, didn’t hold back in his plaudits for Milenkovic – calling his international teammate a ‘sensational defender’ when speaking on Sky Italy in 2020 (via ACF Fiorentina).
His estimated market value of around £20.7 million is certainly reasonable, and given his contract at the Artemio Franchi Stadium expires in 2023, West Ham could be in a strong position to negotiate an even lower fee this summer.
In other news: Bigger and bigger: Insider now shares very promising off-field development at West Ham! Find out more here.
Shelley Nitschke picked the right time to hit her highest ODI score to help Australia come back from a 2-1 deficit and win the Rose Bowl in the final match in Lincoln. Nitschke’s 82 was part of a 144-run opening stand with Alex Blackwell, who made 91, and laid the platform for back-to-back wins to ensure Australia remained unbeaten in any series this decade.Saturday’s fourth match was not without its alarms as they edged a tight success, but Sunday’s contest was a dominant eight-wicket thumping set up by the batsmen. They were left to chase 250 following fifties from New Zealand’s Sara McGlashan and Nicola Browne – Sophie Devine also thrashed 40 off 27 balls – and did it with 3.1 overs to spare.Nitschke and Blackwell remained undaunted during their record opening stand for Australia in New Zealand. It was Blackwell’s second fifty in two days, but the first of the series for Nitschke, which came off the back of two half-centuries against England.After Nitschke fell to Lucy Doolan, having just passed her previous high of 81, Lisa Sthalekar (61 not out) combined with Blackwell to add 80 for the second wicket. Blackwell fell just short of her second ODI hundred before Sthalekar, who reached her second half-century of the weekend, and Karen Rolton added the final six runs.Though Australia have taken every Rose Bowl since 1998-99, New Zealand have given them tight contests in the past three series, while England also tested them with a 2-2 draw in February. England then went on to beat New Zealand.Australia showed their fighting spirit with a courageous comeback but they are now world leaders by a nose only. This has been a packed calendar for three of the top four sides and the aim of the games was to see where the teams were at and gain some decent experience for next year’s World Cup and proposed Twenty20 World Cup.On the evidence of the three recent series, the verdict is an open one. There is more cricket to play before 2009 but next year is an increasingly mouth-watering prospect.
Bennett King has resigned as West Indies coach after their failure to reach the World Cup semi-finals, according to the West Indies Cricket Board director Jackie Hendriks. The Jamaica Gleaner also reported Hendriks confirming Ian Bradshaw, the left-arm fast bowler, had followed Brian Lara into international retirement.”The West Indies Cricket Board [WICB] has accepted with regret the resignation of coach, Bennett King,” said a WICB statement. “Mr King, in his resignation, offered to remain in office until May 31 to facilitate the establishment of the regional cricket academy. Mr King was responsible for establishing and managing the Australian academy and developed the basic plan for a WICB academy structure.”His presence during the month of May will provide us with an opportunity to better understand the challenges facing the board as it implements the new structure. Mr. King will not accompany the team on the England tour and the board will subsequently announce the management team, including the coach, for that tour.”King moved from the Australian Academy to West Indies in 2005 but has been unable to reverse the side’s inconsistent form. “I have heard that he recommended his assistant David Moore to take the team to England,” Hendriks told the paper. The tour is due to start next month.King has continued the trend of coaches leaving after the World Cup. Greg Chappell, Duncan Fletcher and Dav Whatmore have resigned while John Buchanan will walk away when the tournament ends.Bradshaw, 32, played only three matches during the World Cup and his last appearance was in the loss to South Africa on April 10. He appeared in five Tests and 62 ODIs, taking 78 wickets at 29.47.
James Anderson has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka after scans revealed he is suffering from a stress fracture of the lower back.”It’s a huge blow to Jimmy,” said Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s coach. “He’s worked hard and patiently at his cricket to get back into the Test and one-day environment and obviously was hoping to be involved with England right through this summer. But he is a fighter and he will get all the help possible at Old Trafford to overcome this setback.”This is a further blow for England a day after Simon Jones was forced to leave the field when he felt a twinge in his knee. Anderson has recently forced his way back into the Test team, playing a major role in England’s victory at Mumbai, which levelled the series at 1-1. He then played a significant role in the one-day matches that followed and has been rested since his return home from the tour.Anderson has had injury problems before, involving his heel and ankle. On the 2003-04 tour of Sri Lanka he injured his ankle playing squash and was then forced to withdraw from the England squad to play New Zealand, at Headingley, in 2004 with a heel problem.
Rain caused Australia the most discomfort in New Zealand, but it couldn’t wash away a string of brilliant performances by Gilchrist, McGrath, Warne and Ponting. When the quartet is in form it is hard to think of any team that could match it. New Zealand managed to pressure Australia for two days in the first Test before being ruthlessly overpowered – a constant theme of the tour – and only wet weather prevented a 3-0 result. Hamish Marshall and Daniel Vettori were the home side’s high points while the Australians were busy jostling for top billing again.Australia 9.5Adam Gilchrist Absolutely amazing and the Man of the Series. Turned the first Test with 121 off 126 balls and the second with 162 off 146 balls, in which he passed Ian Healy’s tally for the most runs by an Australia wicketkeeper. Belted Australia ahead at Auckland with 60 not out off 62 at No. 8 and terrified New Zealand’s bowlers. Wicketkeeping was barely noticed but picked up seven catches.Glenn McGrath Brilliant. Closed down the main threat of Stephen Fleming and hounded 18 wickets at 15.72. Changed the Christchurch Test with six first-innings scalps to end Australia’s lethargy and hardly bowled a ball off line in the final Test, giving away 89 runs in 50.2 overs for 7 wickets. Will begin his opening over at Lord’s with 499 Test victims.9Shane Warne The second of Australia’s bowling diamonds, Warne kept shining and New Zealand couldn’t find a way to avoid the glare. Embarrassed Hamish Marshall around and through his legs in the first Test, finishing them off with 5 for 39 as they collapsed for 131. A constant threat in the remaining matches, he collected 17 wickets at 22 to extend his world record.8.5Ricky Ponting Played the innings of the Test with 105 and 82 not out at Auckland when he danced at almost a run a ball on a pitch nobody else mastered. The second knock was brilliant under lights as he flayed to finish the match a day early in drizzle. Left New Zealand with 289 runs at 96.3 and showed his ruthlessness as captain by piling on 570 before the Wellington declaration. Still could have been more damaging with the bat, missing a pair of half-centuries in the first Test.7Damien Martyn Beat early struggles at the Basin Reserve to post a delightful 165, his highest Test score, alongside Gilchrist. Was twice trapped playing back to spin, although both deliveries hit his bat, but breezed to 235 runs at 78.3 to cap a satisfying series.6Justin Langer Belted Australia to victory with second-innings half-centuries in the first and final Tests to banish jitters of chasing low totals. Deserved another half-century at the Basin Reserve after he gritted through the first-morning difficulty to stabilise the side on the way to 570. Dropped a comfortable chance at slip at Christchurch, but was safer with next three offerings.Simon Katich His on-again off-again Test career is back on. Again. Returned for his first Test since India and jumped Australia from passing the follow-on to parity. His 118 was shot-laden and attractive, but was towered by Gilchrist’s explosion. Finished the tour with a pair of 35s and can get comfortable for an extended run at No. 6.5.5Jason Gillespie Reversed an awful first-Test first innings, which increased calls for him to give way to Brett Lee, into three lbws that toppled the top-order. Given a tip by Merv Hughes to straighten his run-up, he arrowed in to reconfirm his place as Australia’s No. 2 paceman. Will move into fifth place on Australia’s wicket-taking list with his first wicket in England after joining Richie Benaud on 248Michael Kasprowicz Held his spot ahead of a deafening campaign for Lee and celebrated his 100th wicket at the Basin Reserve. It was a satisfying milestone and his regular incisions and sliding cutters regularly challenged the batsmen. Ended the series with eight wickets and can look forward to the Ashes after a stint with Glamorgan.4Matthew Hayden Spent most of the first Test rubbing his injured shoulder and ached – and failed – to end his poor streak. A patient 61 in the second Test showed he was willing to work, although hard for his runs but he couldn’t turn starts into substance. Will enjoy the break but not the horrible run-out to end his summer.3Michael Clarke Finding life as an international much harder with the bat after his promotion to No. 5. Scores of 8, 8 and 22 gave him a thud after his glowing Test start. A couple of stunning run-outs boosted the side and his ability to pick up a wicket when thrown the ball will increase comparisons with Mark Waugh and Doug Walters.
New Zealand 8Daniel Vettori Bowled superbly at Christchurch for six wickets and was a regular tormentor on pitches ordered for seam instead of spin. Missed support in delivering 123.5 overs, and if it wasn’t for Gilchrist’s crash-tackling his figures would have sparkled. Hampered by back trouble, he averaged 66 in an amazing lower-order batting performance and picked up eight wickets.7.5Hamish Marshall Stunning maiden Test century – only his second in first-class cricket – with 146 that scared Australia at Christchurch. Looked at ease against the pace but twice fell to Warne when more patience and a better legside defence was needed. Set up New Zealand with a gutsy 76 at Auckland and collected 269 runs at 44.83. An exciting long-term prospect.6.5Nathan Astle Acted up as the side’s senior batsmen with Fleming out-of-form and performed at his best in the opening and closing stages. His results had an almost symmetrical feel with 74, 21, 9, 4, 19 and 70 and he deserved a century for the extra responsibility. Also contributed with a wicket in each Test.6James Franklin Hit and miss in the first two matches before finding his range with a career-best six wickets in the final Test. Twelve series victims was a worthy return for a bowler who swung the ball regularly and increased his pace following the Australia tour last November. Picked up four first-innings wickets in the second Test after wasting two new balls, and also improved his batting contributions.5Lou Vincent Recalled after more than a year away, he ensured he would be a starter for the Sri Lanka series with 160 runs in six bats. The Wellington half-century showed his attitude and greater maturity, and he hauled New Zealand from disaster with 40 from 33 balls in the final Test. New Zealand will need more from him in the future.4Craig Cumming Showed he could see off the new ball and may be a medium-term option if his game tightens up by becoming more selective with his hooking and pulling. Made a big impression with 74 on debut before falling horribly to a legside trap, but tailed off at Auckland with 5 and 0.Brendon McCullum Competing with Gilchrist proved too much. Too eager to attack, his batting was disappointing for someone so talented, and his wicketkeeping swayed on both sides of good. Grabbed a super legside catch standing up to dismiss Ricky Ponting, but needed to take more chances in earlier matches to trouble Australia.3Stephen Fleming The move from No. 4 to opener was a failure in a disastrous sequence of 18, 17 and 0 so he dropped down for the final Test, improving with 65 and 3. As captain he let Australia off in each Test – Gilchrist deserved a lot of credit for this – when he could have tackled manageable totals. A respected leader who missed his chance to beat Australia.Iain O’Brien Matthew Hayden was his first Test wicket on debut and he kept moving the ball around in various spells, but he lacked overall impact. Was dropped for Eden Park, but could be a useful third-seamer with better support from the openers.2Chris Martin Kept running in and swung the ball wildly on occasions, but his impact was minimal. New Zealand miss an opening bowler who can strike regularly and Martin, who took two wickets at 198.5, is not the answer.James Marshall Made his debut as an opener in the third Test, where batting with his twin brother was the highlight. Fought his way to 29 in the first innings, ran out Clarke with a fine throw, and was McGrath’s 497th wicket in the day-three gloom.Paul Wiseman A tough non-selection at Christchurch and Wellington, he was brought in for the dropped-in pitch at Auckland. Collected Damien Martyn with a big-turning off-spinner for his only wicket.1Craig McMillan Red-faced after falling to Warne legside trap at Christchurch and lucky to get another go in the second Test, where he fell to a wild slog-sweep and was bowled by Warne. Dropped for Auckland because Australia had his number.