It was a tale of two sets of nerves at the post-match press conference: Stuart MacGill’s as he returned to Test cricket after ten months away and Shane Watson’s on debut. MacGill calmed his with the wicket of Younis Khan, after starting with 0 for 43 from six overs, and took four more on the way to 5 for 87. Stumbling through his first delivery, Watson bowled in support of themain men and finished with 0 for 28 from 10 overs:
Stuart MacGill On the slow start to his comeback I definitely didn’t start the way I wanted, but I think I can be forgiven for being a little nervous – I haven’t played [Test cricket] in a long time. As calm as I try to be, the first Test back each time seems to get me. I knew once I’d taken a wicket it would change, and fortunately it did.On his performance Because I’d been bowling well I expected it to happen, and [I knew] I’d show everybody what I’ve got. But I’m happy, I wasn’t sure at the end whether the weather was getting cold or I was getting tingles.On the difference when he started getting wickets When I was keen I was rushing through my action, and that was where the short balls outside off stump came from. Fortunately, at my age, I knew that and knewthere was nothing to panic about.On the satisfaction of five wickets It’s important to maintain the same sense of satisfaction no matter what stage of your career. A five-for in a run of 10 or 12 Tests is every bit – sometimes more – important than your first one back. Because there’s the element of nerves you feel like it’s more important.On the need for a strong return There were thoughts running through my mind that if I didn’t get wickets in this game you guys would all say “That’s it, there’s never going to be twolegspinners playing again in the same match.”On his confidence levelsI’ve been bowling so well this season that it couldn’t go wrong in a day, and it would happen at some stage. It was almost like being on the couch – workingthrough it myself, and it started to come right before tea. To get the first wicket is a very important moment.On bowling with Warne I’ve said it enough now for somebody to believe me. I really don’t mind who I bowl with at the other end. In a team that is so talented it’s important not to let them down. When Warney came back on I was doing my job and we both looked like getting wickets.On when he could play next Shane’s [Watson] emergence is going to help me play more Test cricket. It may predominantly be on turning pitches, but there’s also a possibility that teams who are perceived to play wrist-spin poorly may also get the same treatment. There’s a perception out there that New Zealand and England have deficiencies in that area.On the pitch Batting tomorrow will be good, but as the game goes on there will be less and less bounce. It will be a little bit more difficult to score once the ball has lost its shine. I expect to do a lot of bowling in the second innings.On the Pakistani batting While there were obviously some shots that weren’t great, it’s a wicket that’s hard to come in and bat on. You feel an obligation to keep the scoreboard going. I’m reluctant to be too critical, because I’ve seen it in other teams that I’ve played against this season.
Shane Watson On his first-day nerves It’s been a very nervous day, but after I got my nerves out of the way and fell over for my first ball I felt all right. I was happy with the way the ball come out, and got a bit of confidence in the field.On his bowling I felt like I fulfilled my role and bowled fairly tight at times. I have to keep the pressure at my end so the other guys can keep plugging away.On bowling in a Test The great thing is I’ve had a great start with my one-day career and bowling in front of those big crowds. I felt quite comfortable at the start bowlingwith the big crowds around me.On preparing to bat I’ll probably be a bit more nervous when I bat, mainly because it’s two against 11. I look forward to getting a chance. I don’t know where I’ll bat, probably No. 6 or 7, it doesn’t worry me.On being picked ahead of Michael Kasprowicz All I can do is play my best. It’s disappointing he’s missed out because he’s been bowling so well. I can’t really worry about those pressures because I’d goinsane.
Leg weary Alton return from their South Wales tour to face Hungerford in a potentially tricky Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 match at the War Memorial Ground.Alton are unbeaten and 18 points clear at the top, but Hungerford will be at full strength with their MCC Young Professional recuits all available.Second placed Ventnor will expect to keep their title hopes alive at relegation-threatened Flamingo, while Rowledge should be too strong for Hook & Newnham Basics.Trojans must beat South Wilts II at Stoneham Lane to keep their flickering promotion hopes alive.Winchester KS host Southsea at River Park, with Paultons expecting to pour more relegation gloom on Portsmouth II, who have lost their last six games.
The chairman of the West Indies selectors, Mike Findlay, has come to the defence of a controversial decision to include Brian Lara in the party to tour Sri Lanka in November.Lara has been hampered by hamstring injuries for almost a year and was unable to participate totally in training last week because there are still fears that he has not yet fully recovered from the injury. He was forced to return early from the recent West Indies tour of Zimbabwe when the problem flared up once again.Findlay said: “Brian still has a future in West Indies cricket and he can still make a significant contribution to West Indies cricket. We are not going to allow history to condemn us that we hadn’t given one of the best batsmen in the Caribbean and best in the world every assistance we could in sorting his problems, whether they are mental or physical. What appears to some people to be leaning on the side of Brian Lara is not that at all.”Lara proved during the recent Red Stripe Bowl competition that, injured or not, he could still score heavily. He came close to establishing himself as the leading batsman in the competition’s history after a prolific season.There is no doubt that the requirement for a fit and in-form Lara became even greater when a back injury forced Shivnarine Chanderpaul to withdraw from the squad earlier this week.
While Newcastle United do boast a fine history of producing exceptionally talented players, with the likes of Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne having come through the youth setup at St. James’ Park, it would not be an unfair statement to make that the Magpies’ production line has tailed off somewhat in recent years.
Indeed, while the likes of Sean Longstaff, Matty Longstaff and Freddie Woodman are players who would appear to have a bright future in the game, not since Andy Carroll made his first-team debut back in 2006 has there been a nationwide level of excitement regarding a product of the Magpies’ academy.
However, that could be about to change, as 19-year-old attacking midfielder Joe White has been generating a great deal of attention.
Newcastle’s new Waddle?
Indeed, after handing the teenager a second-half appearance in a 2-0 win over Burton Albion back in August 2021, Steve Bruce appeared to be extremely excited about the potential of White, stating of the forward-thinking midfielder:
“He caught the eye, didn’t he? We brought him up about 18 months ago before [the pandemic] and he quietly impressed us. And, all of a sudden, they grow all of a sudden, find a yard of pace and look bigger and stronger. And he’s certainly done that. Over the last couple of games, in particular, I’ve been very, very pleased with what I’ve seen.”
However, it not only the 61-year-old impressed with the talent of the youngster, as Eddie Howe opted to hand White a new deal in January of this year, amid reported interest from Chelsea, Leeds United, Celtic and Rangers, with the 44-year-old going on to say of the midfielder:
“With Joe White, I’ve been very impressed. I saw him playing for the development squad recently, and he performed really well. He’s a talented player.”
Following the signing of his new contract, the 19-year-old was sent on loan to further his development at League Two side Hartlepool United in the January transfer window, where the teenager has already made his mark on Graeme Lee’s side, registering two assists over his seven league outings thus far.
This creativity in the final third is something that has been apparent throughout White’s progression in the youth ranks in the North East, with the attacking midfielder having scored eight goals and provided nine assists over his 33 appearances for the U18s, as well as bagging two goals and four assists over 30 outings for the U21s.
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And, while it is still extremely early days in White’s career, should he continue this level of creativity in senior football, he could very well go on to become Newcastle’s new Chris Waddle – the attacking midfielder who scored 52 goals over his five-year spell with the Magpies at the start of his own career.
Indeed, Newcastle supporters should be very excited about the 19-year-old who Howe dubbed a “very good technical player” with a “bright future” – as he could quite easily become the next big thing to come out of the North East.
In other news: £20m down the drain: “Bewildering” £40k-p/w flop has been rinsing NUFC for 254 weeks
Greg Chappell, the former India coach, has sought to clarify his recently publicised comments about a “racist attack” on him in India, saying the comments were made at an “emotional time”. Chappell had alleged the attack on him in January, at the Bhubaneshwar airport, was a racial one.Chappell’s allegations came in an ABC documentary to be screened next week. In it, he hit out at the Indian authorities who, he said, attempted to play down a serious breach of security in the eastern state of Orissa.Asked about those allegations on Wednesday, Chappell himself preferred to downplay the incident. “It’s old news,” he told the Indian television channel CNN-IBN. “It was a very emotional time when I made these remarks. It’s a long way back and I’d like to talk about other things now. I’m looking forward to being involved with the Rajasthan Cricket Academy for the next three years.”Meanwhile the Indian board has denied Chappell’s allegations. “No way can it be called racist,” the Indian board secretary, Niranjan Shah, told Cricinfo. “We treated the issue just like we would have treated [it with] any other Indian player. I remember calling him and finding out the issue. We also enhanced security and provided adequate protection. The local police also provided us with support.”
The biggest game of the Australian cricket year just got a whole lot bigger. Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is always a massive event but with the retirements of Shane Warne, the home-town hero, and Glenn McGrath the occasion has grown like the commercialisation of Christmas.A week ago the prospect of a stadium jammed with close to 100,000 spectators was likely to be a non-event. The Ashes had been won in Perth 15 days after the contest started and the Australians had shut down the only team to conquer them since Ricky Ponting’s reign began. Now even the thousands of British tourists flying in for what they hoped would be an exhilarating climax have a special event to soften the experience.First on Warne’s list is the one wicket he needs to extend his world record to 700. While the fourth Test is a state farewell for Warne, it is also a game of statistical quirks. Warne’s career haul of 699 is helped by the six victims he picked up in the Super Test last year, an ICC decision that upset traditional record keepers, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground is also heavily promoting the ground’s 100th Test.The same statisticians who feel Warne should have to wait say the same about the MCG, which hosted a rained out match in 1970-71 that is credited by Cricket Australia but not the ICC. Neither minor dilemma will matter to the Victorians who laud their ground and idolise Warne.Warne is not the only Australian looking for a 5-0 defeat of England to cap his career. Ponting has spoken of his desire not to let up on opponents who came with a chance that was quickly washed away. The teams’ Christmas celebrations will be different and England should not expect any end-of-series gifts.Andrew Flintoff has experienced a difficult time on his first playing tour of Australia and knows his side must take any opening in the final two games. “Every time they’ve come back at us hard, and we’ve not been able to apply pressure or seize the opportunities,” he told reporters. “But for two Test matches, if we’re going to have a chance to win against Australia, we’ve got to do that.”The home side may have trouble focussing on the overall goal as two of their most treasured individuals are honoured over the next two weeks. There is a lot to look forward to for Australian fans as the festive season becomes one of local celebrations.Australia (probable) 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Glenn McGrath.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Kevin Pietersen, 6 Andrew Flintoff (capt), 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Sajid Mahmood, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar.
Moments after Sachin Tendulkar created a record for most centuries in Test cricket, Sunil Gavaskar, the man whose achievement Tendulkar surpassed, and Kapil Dev, the former Indian allrounder, heaped praise on the master.Gavaskar, a man who has been close to Tendulkar throughout his career, was lavish in his praise. “I have said it before that Tendulkar is the closest thing to batting perfection that the game has seen,” he told Press Trust of India. “Look at the stillness of the head, the straightness of his backlift, the ease of playing shots off either the front foot or the back foot and of course, the range of shots that he possesses against both pace and spin in all kinds of conditions.”What makes him even more special is his demeanour on and off the field,” he continued. “He is the perfect role model for youngsters who want to make a success of their lives. Congratulations are also due to his family who have helped him to stay focused. They deserve a big round of applause too for their part in his success. Well done Sachin, and keep that Champagne on ice.”Kapil, who was in the Indian team when Tendulkar made his debut as a 16-year old in 1989, was among the first to pay tribute to Tendulkar’s achievement. “I think it’s important he sets another target, another challenge, because it’s very hard once you achieve everything,” Kapil told BBC Asian Network Sport. “It’s entirely up to him now, how long he wants to play.”Gavaskar too was adamant that Tendulkar had much more to contribute to Indian cricket. “Make no mistake, he is not going to stop at 35,” he added. “He will score many more and give pleasure to cricket lovers all over the world … he is only 32 years old and should be able to play for another six years at least, if not eight. He could well finish with 50 centuries in Tests and be the first to score 100 international centuries. Congrats Sachin, and God bless.”Wasim Akram, the legendary Pakistani bowler, was convinced that the best was yet to come. “This guy will get more dangerous now. He will break many more records,” he was reported as saying by , a Mumbai-based tabloid. “The pressure is off and India will win more matches now.”Akram, who bowled to Tendulkar in the 1980-90 Test series in Pakistan, remembered him as being something special. “We bowlers did not fear him but we were wary of him. He is undoubtedly the most talented player I have seen,” he added. “This hundred had to come. He’s got plenty of cricket left in him.”Sourav Ganguly, who was at the non-striker’s end when Tendulkar crossed the milestone, was glad to have been there. “Today is Sachin’s day…I’m really fortunate to congratulate him first,” he told . “He’s a champion. I want to use the word genius for him because of his 73 hundreds, about 25,000 international runs, 17 years of play maintaining the consistency – only a genius can do that.”Cricketers aside, Tendulkar even received a message from Abdul Kalam, India’s President. “The nation is proud of you and may you achieve success in future in all your ventures,” President Kalam wrote in a special note to Tendulkar.Tendulkar finally fell for 109 early on the second morning, and departed to a standing ovation from the crowd at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
A haze hung low over the Bangabandhu Stadium, but the dark clouds of security threats had lifted enough for India’s first full tour of Bangladesh to get underway. The stadium was abuzz with activity, and both teams had an extended practice session even as the floodlights were pressed into service halfway into the morning. While the punters reckon that this series is unattractive, both teams have enough to play for.”It’s probably more important to us than it is to India, I would think,” said Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach. “We are very pleased that India have come to Bangladesh and brought their full team. Every game is tough, maybe with the exception of Zimbabwe, which we’re looking forward to.” But, for India, who lost at home to Australia, and did not quite thump a weakened South African team, this series is a great chance to get their act together. Barring Virender Sehwag, the batting line-up – the backbone of this team – has failed to put up big scores.Sourav Ganguly will be taking no chances. He made it clear that the newcomers – Gagandeep Singh and Shib Sankar Paul – would have to wait a while before they have a crack at the highest level, because India were likely to field the same team that played the second Test against South Africa at Kolkata. An attack with Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan sharing the new ball, and Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh taking up spinning duties is the combination that will best suit this pitch.”It’s a typical Dhaka wicket,” said Ganguly. “A bit damp, but otherwise a typical Dhaka wicket.” A typical Dhaka wicket offers opportunity for tall scores and liberal turn. “The pitches here are pretty good. There are lots of pitches around the world that you might worry about, but you wouldn’t worry about the pitch at the Bangabandhu Stadium,” said Whatmore. “It’s a very good pitch for batting. Even though it spins, it doesn’t spin that quickly. If you get set you get good value for shots as a batsman. But as a bowler, if you put the shoulder in, it spins.”But the return of Mashrafe Mortaza, the tall strapping fast bowler who has been out of the Bangladesh team since he suffered a knee injury a year ago, has done wonders to bolster the morale of the Bangladesh team. Recently, on pitches with a tinge of green, he had batsmen ducking and weaving in domestic cricket with his awkward rising deliveries. Habibul Bashar believed his team had no problems with steep bounce. “It might not seam, but it will have some bounce. We’re happier [batting] on bouncy pitches. We are more troubled by low bounce,” said Bashar. But he admitted that India’s spinners would pose a challenge on any surface. “Harbhajan and Kumble are the kind of bowlers who can exploit any wicket. They are two great bowlers. We just have to handle them.”For Kumble this series is certain to be a memorable one. It is inconceivable that he will not pick up the one wicket that will take him past Kapil Dev. Sachin Tendulkar also has an opportunity to draw level with and even surpass Gavaskar’s tally of 34 Test hundreds. But these are not the team’s primary focus. “You can’t go into a Test match like that,” said Ganguly. “If things happen in the due course of the game, then they do. But you can’t go into a Test thinking about records or about scoring this many runs or taking this many wickets. We have two guys in the team close to records – Anil and Sachin – so if it happens it will happen.”Probable teams India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Zaheer Khan.Bangladesh 1 Javed Omar, 2 Nafis Iqbal, 3 Habibul Bashar (capt), 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Rajin Saleh, 6 Mushifiqur Rahman, 7 Khaled Mashud (wk), 8 Manjarul Islam, 9 Mohammad Rafique, 10 Tapash Baisya, 11 Mashrafe Mortaza.
Fidel Edwards’s figures of 5 for 36 are the third-best figures by a West Indian bowler on Test debut. Here’s the list of the top 10 West Indian performances on debut..normal {color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;}
A new Function Room on the 3rd Level of the Bradman Stand at Adelaide Ovalhas been named the Gil Langley Room.While a number of prominent people who have made a contribution to sport,sport administration and Adelaide Oval were considered, there was aunanimous decision by the SACA Board in the naming of the new room.Gil, who died recently, made his first class debut for South Australia in1945-46 as a specialist batsman and donned the gloves during the 1947-48season. He was selected for Australia as wicket-keeper in the 1951-52 seriesagainst the West Indies, and played regularly for Australia until 1956. Hewas recognised as one of five “Cricketers of the year” by Wisden in 1957.Gil was also a successful footballer, who played for, and captained Sturt,as well as South Australia.He entered politics and became the Member for Unley for 20 years, he wasalso elected as the Speaker of the House.