The crisis in Zimbabwe cricket plunged to new depths with an escalation in the damaging stand-off between the national executive body and their provincial chairmen.The increasing bitterness was apparent in the tone of Peter Chingoka’s response to a letter from the provincial chairmen which contained demands for explanations of what they described as “unusual financial dealings” by executives and staff.But Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, dismissed the bulk of the queries, insisting the answers could be found in already published documents. Almost all the others matters raised were, he claimed, routine.In a clear swipe at the chairmen’s involvement in the game, Chingoka said: “I am surprised that responses to most of the questions raised in your document have not been furnished to you and your colleagues who do not sit on the board by those of you who do and some of whom are, in fact, chairmen of various ZC committees. I am sure you will agree with me that those who are chairmen of their respective committees are actually closer than the writer to several issues you raise.”The exposure given to Chingoka’s response in the state-controlled Herald newspaper was in stark contrast to the scant coverage it gave the original meeting of the chairmen on October 21. There was also every indication that this latest incident in an increasingly bitter row between the board and stakeholders was being flagged as a racial battle.The chairmen’s letter probed the board’s finances, asking why ZC made a $2.4 billion loss, why there were no explanations on debts and staff loans, no explanation on income, no breakdown on sponsors and grants of $1.4 billion, and why there was no explanation on secretarial costs that chewed up $3.8 billion. The dossier also accused the board of constantly breaching its own constitution and demanded answers about the package of Ozias Bvute, the ZC managing director.The board’s critics have also accused it of attempting to sidestep any attempted coup by the provincial chairman by creating new provinces and disrupting exiting ones. Max Ebrahim, the chairman of Masvingo and the head of national selection, made clear that there was no racial divide. “It’s a case of six provinces and the players being together,” he said. “It’s a case of stakeholders versus two or three individuals bent on holding on to power.”The deepening crisis is being monitored by the ICC, although as this is a domestic matter, it is unlikely to become directly involved.
Australia’s Test series against India will be shown on live television following an 11th-hour TV rights deal.Fox Sports said it had finalised its rights to show direct telecasts of the four-match series, starting in Bangalore next Wednesday.The telecast – and the series itself – had been in jeopardy because of a legal battle over TV contracts.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) completed a deal overnight which effectively froze out both initial bidders – Zee Telefilms and the Disney-Murdoch owned ESPN-Star Sports.Live feeds of the matches will now be provided by TEN Sports, with distribution and marketing handled by the BCCI’s old television partner Doordarshan.Fox Sports will pick up the feed for exclusive live telecasts in Australia, which will be hosted by Brendon Julian, the former Test allrounder.
A serious Herschelle Gibbs at the King Commission hearings
Herschelle Gibbs is no stranger to controversy. In a short life he has run foul of the authorities on several occasions, most notably when he became embroiled in the infamous match-fixing scandal with the disgraced former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje. But in an interview with Simon Wilde in the London-based Sunday Times, Gibbs showed little remorse for his involvement with Cronje and even joked that he treated his six-month ban as a “holiday”.”I loved it,” he said when asked about his forced break. “I played golf virtually every week. It wasn’t a difficult time. I’m a happy sort of guy. I don’t really get down about things that don’t go my way.” The life-skills counselling that Gibbs undertook following the hearings appears not to have included the art of thinking before speaking.At the King Commission hearings, Gibbs broke down during questioning, and yet he admitted that soon after he and Cronje “had a good laugh”. And Gibbs added that he held no animosity towards Cronje for getting him involved in the scandal. “No. I never for one minute held it against him.”Barry Richards hinted that Gibbs isn’t necessarily the sharpest card in the pack. “Team management should not burden him with game plans and undue responsibility,” he told Wilde.Perhaps the best assessment of Gibbs comes from Wilde himself. “He is living proof of the dangers inherent in living the blinkered existence of the professional sportsman,” Wilde wrote. “He still laughs at serious issues and often opens mouth before engaging brain.”Click here for the full Sunday Times article
Hampshire Second XI go into their last ECB County Championship match of the season, against Warwickshire at Bournemouth Sports Club, knowing that to clinch the title they will need just 8 (eight) points, and that is surmising Yorkshire would get 20 points from their last match against Durham at Darlington.Both 3-day matches start on Wednesday 5th September.Hampshire have remained unbeaten all season, winning seven of their ten matches, Yorkshire who have played 12 games, have lost two.Tony Middleton, Hampshire’s second XI coach is confident his side can win the title. “They deserve to, the players have all given 100%, and despite first-team injuries during the summer, we have always brought in players ready to fill the gaps. In truth winning the Championship would be nice, but it is the development of the team, and seeing the young players, and one or two older ones vying for first XI places that is more pleasing. We have watched the likes of John Francis, James Schofield and Chris Tremlett all doing well for the firsts, and that is what 2nd XI cricket is all about”.Hampshire eleven: Jason Laney, Andrew Sexton, John Stephenson, Lawrence Prittipaul, Damian Shirazi, Iain Brunnschweiler, Irfan Shah, James Hamblin, Simon Francis, James Schofield.Full match details will be posted on the Hampshire web site each evening, and wicket-keeper Iain Brunnschweiler will be posting a daily report (www.hampshire.cricket.org).
Wolves have had a rather mixed bag of results so far this season, having won 12, drawn four and lost 10 of their 26 Premier League games under Bruno Lage.
In terms of their individual players, one man who has been anything but inconsistent in terms of his performances this season is Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The Midlands club originally signed the left-back on loan from Angers in October 2020 before eventually securing him on a permanent basis in last summer’s transfer window in a deal worth a reported £9.5m. Last season saw the defender make 21 league appearances and chip in with one goal and one assist along the way.
Having made an appearance in 15 league games so far this term, the Frenchman has earned him an overall performance rating of 7.12/10, making him the highest-rated player in Lage’s squad according to WhoScored. Also, it is considerably higher than the rating (6.56/10) he earned last season, showing the improvement he has made since then.
The 20-year-old has also proved himself to be a solid defensive presence for the Old Gold by making 49 tackles in the league, with an average of 3.3 per game. That is higher than any other Wolves player to have started more than two league games, and the joint-second highest in the entire league.
He has also made 15 interceptions and 22 clearances with 15 aerial duels won, showing that he has played a big part in his team’s rather decent defensive record, with just 21 top-flight goals conceded.
The youngster has also shown his manager what a threat he can be going forward, with an average of 1.9 dribbles and 1.1 crosses per game, the highest of any player currently at Molineux for both aspects.
Having been praised for his “phenomenal” performances in the past and called a “standout” player by Tim Spiers, that is certainly what the defender has been for the Midlands club this season, who have clearly made the right decision in keeping hold of him after his loan spell.
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If the £13.5m-rated gem can keep delivering strong performances for his club throughout the remainder of the season, he could well be viewed as arguably Wolves’ most important player for the 2021/22 campaign, as illustrated by his lofty WhoScored ranking.
In other news: Huge setback: John Percy shares worrying Wolves update, it’s a “big blow” for Lage – opinion
Hong Kong have included 43-year-old former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Campbell in their squad for the upcoming World Twenty20, which starts from March 8 in India.Campbell, who has a Hong Kong-Chinese lineage, played two ODIs for Australia in 2002 and has been a part of Hong Kong’s domestic set-up since 2012. He is also the national team’s current batting coach.Campbell had moved to the territory in 2012 to take up a role as head coach at the Kowloon Cricket Club, which he also represented as a player. He scored 160 runs in five matches, including two fifties, for Kowloon CC in the Hong Kong Premier League one-day Tournament in September-October last year.”I’m there to mentor them as I have done for so long,” he said. “It has been a while (since I played international cricket), but if you look at my numbers I think I’m still one of the best batsmen in Hong Kong. Brad Hogg is still going around for the Scorchers and I must admit he’s inspired me a bit to say age is just a number.”The squad for the World T20 also includes James Atkinson who, like Campbell, does not feature in the 15-member team for the Asia Cup. Medium-pacer Adil Mehmood and 19-year-old allrounder Ninad Shah have been picked for the Asia Cup, where Hong Kong will first have to play a qualifying tournament that starts from February 19. Both squads will be led by Tanwir Afzal.Hong Kong coach Simon Cook said that Campbell’s experience would help Hong Kong deal more clearly with high-pressure situations on the field. “His form in Hong Kong has been good in Premier League and Sunday games for Kowloon Cricket Club,” Cook said. “One of the things that we learned about our last World T20 tournament is that having that ability to think clearly in high pressure situations is critical and Ryan’s experience will be an enormous help in that regard.”The qualifying tournament for the Asia Cup will be played between February 19 and 22. Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman and UAE will play each other to decide the one Associate who will advance to the main draw involving the region’s four Full Member teams. Hong Kong will then kick off their World T20 campaign with a first-round match against Zimbabwe in Nagpur on March 8.Hong Kong squad for Asia Cup: Tanwir Afzal (capt), Mark Chapman (vice-capt), Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Tanwir Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Christopher Carter, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Waqas Khan, Adil Mehmood, Kinchit Shah, Ninad Shah, Anshuman Rath.Hong Kong squad for World T20: Tanwir Afzal (capt), Mark Chapman (vice-capt), Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Tanwir Ahmed, James Atkinson, Waqas Barkat, Ryan Campbell, Christopher Carter, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Waqas Khan, Kinchit Shah, Anshuman Rath.
Cricket Australia has signed off on a drugs policy that allows players to be caught four times before they are in danger of losing their contract. The document, which was prepared with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), was formed after a survey of the country’s players, with 88% saying the game needed an illicit substances code.The policy allows for a suspended fine and ban of 20 days for a first transgression and a second offence results in more small fines, a 40-day ban and the player’s state and country administration being told. A break of 12 months comes with a third violation and a fourth could lead to immediate termination of the player’s contract.”Cricket Australia is serious about keeping our sport drug free with a policy which balances deterrence with player welfare,” James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, said. “Cricket Australia, state and territory associations and the ACA understand that cricketers have the ability to influence the lives of others.”Paul Marsh, the ACA chief executive, said the policy had the right formula between stopping players from using drugs and providing support for those who were caught. The code will cover all men’s and women’s internationals, domestic and 2nd XI games and allows for random out-of-competition testing.
Munaf Patel’s troublesome left ankle was examined by a specialist from Johannesburg on Wednesday, and the injury is not thought to be serious enough to prevent his participation in the rest of the tour.Though he will miss the tour game against Rest of South Africa, there’s still a chance that he will be fit to play a part in the first Test which starts in Johannesburg on December 15. Patel left Potchefstroom on Wednesday morning, accompanied by Anil Kumble, and the duo only returned in the evening.On the surgeon’s advice, both MRI and CT scans were taken, and they revealed soft-tissue damage around the peroneal tendon. “There is so significant bone damage,” said the report. The surgeon has recommended a rest-and-rehabilitation programme, and it remains to be seen when he will be able to bowl at the nets in the lead-up to the first Test.
James Kirtley, the former England seamer, has been suspended from bowling by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after an independent assessment of his action at the National Cricket Centre.The assessment was undertaken at the beginning of the month by Dr Mark King, an expert from Loughborough University, after Kirtley was reported to the ECB twice during the 2005 season. King concluded that Kirtley’s action was outside ICC limits. The finding means that he cannot bowl until further tests show that he had rectified the faults.”It is disappointing and frustrating to be in this position again,” said Kirtley, “but from the experiences of last time I know the processes involved and am confident of clearing my name.”Kirtley is no stranger to such problems. In 2001-02 his England one-day debut was overshadowed by his being reported by the match referee in Zimbabwe, although he underwent remedial work and was subsequently allowed to continue. He has since played four Tests. He will now work on his action with Troy Cooley, England’s bowling coach, and will be re-examined when the problems have been ironed out.”We are obviously disappointed for both James and Sussex,” Mark Robinson, the Sussex manager, told the BBC. “The club is looking to digest and analyse the information in order to formulate the right plan for the way ahead.”
Fanie de Villiers, the former Test fast bowler, has appealed to the United Cricket Board (UCB) to "forget transformation" in an attempt to halt South Africa’s spiral of defeats.Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 49 runs in the fifth one-day international in Colombo on Tuesday to complete a 5-0 whitewash, and South Africa’s tenth consecutive one-day defeat. That equals South Africa’s record barren run, which they endured in 1994: the consequences then were Mike Procter’s sacking as coach and Kepler Wessels’s resignation from the captaincy.Sri Lanka also beat Graeme Smith’s team 1-0 in the two-match Test series.A scathing de Villiers said the flaws in South African cricket originated below international level. "Myself, Kepler Wessels and Pat Symcox have been warning for a long time that the systems are not in place, the fundamentals are wrong," he lamented. "We’re hoping that the mistakes we make won’t cost us too much, instead of being pro-active and working out those mistakes before they even happen. We are probably the only country in the game that is not pro-active, that simply hopes we are doing things right."de Villiers said he felt that South Africa’s United Cricket Board was squandering the experience at its disposal, and that, in its attempts to stop the slide, it should sidestep the hitherto untouchable goal of racial integration in all spheres and levels of cricket. "There is so much knowledge in the system that is not being used," he said. "Gerald Majola [UCB chief executive] loves cricket, Ray Mali [president] loves cricket. Everybody loves cricket. But the people need to know that there is knowledge in the system. The previously advantaged, if they want to call us that, have the knowledge that needs to be shared. You can’t not use those people."Let’s forget transformation and get the most knowledgable people involved. People like Kepler Wessels, Fanie de Villiers, Pat Symcox, Brian McMillan and Allan Donald. Let’s get them together in advisory situations, and when players like Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs retire we can get them involved. We don’t need to go the transformation route and involve people just because they were previously disadvantaged."Let’s get the people who have played at international level for long enough to have earned the respect of the current players involved."de Villiers was also critical of coach Eric Simons’s pledge to review his position if South Africa did not show improvement, and he had sharp questions for Anton Ferreira, the UCB’s coaching manager. "The players have never been the problem. If the players lose faith or form, if they are too arrogant, or negative or scared, who do you point fingers at? The coach. If I’m a player, and the coach says, `I will jump ship if they want me to,’ I would pin that coach to the wall! Now that the chips are down, now you want to jump ship? What kind of coach are you?”But the problem doesn’t lie just with Eric Simons,” he continued. “The problem lies with who is running professional coaching: Anton Ferreira. Whatever he has done, in the schools and the provinces and right up to international level, hasn’t worked. The players are not coming through, and those who do don’t stay there long enough."How can we struggle for five years to make Neil McKenzie a fulltime international player? The same goes for Boeta Dippenaar, Andre Nel and Mornantau Hayward. Whatever Anton Ferreira and the coaching panel have done has taken South African cricket from No. 1 in the world to No. 6 [in the official Test and ODI rankings]."Ferreira could not be reached for comment.