Scorecard and ball-by-ball details The one-off ODI between Scotland and Pakistan was abandoned due to persistent rain without a ball being bowled. The match was due to start at 10:45am local time but was delayed due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. As the teams arrived, the officials decided to have an inspection at 12noon local time after which the playing conditions were to be decided.Minutes before the inspection, however, heavy rain resulted in an early lunch that never finished as the umpires and the match referee deemed that the outfield and the weather would not improve in time to get in the minimum requirement of 20 overs.Pakistan now travel to Glasgow where they take on India on Tuesday in their second and final ODI on this short tour of Scotland.
Makhaya Ntini has won the Mutual & Federal South African Cricketer of the Year award for the second year running.Ntini, the winner in 2004-05, ended the season with 19 wickets in the home series against Australia and 20 against New Zealand. Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock were the others nominated for the award.”Yet again, Makhaya is a worthy winner. He’s both the smiling face and the steely cutting edge of South African cricket,” said Bruce Campbell, the managing director of Mutual & Federal. “His unprecedented run of five-wicket hauls makes him the year’s outstanding performer. Everyone at Mutual & Federal is proud to salute this great champion of the game.”Shaun Pollock, the top-ranked bowler and allrounder in the latest ICC ODI rankings, picked up the Standard Bank One-Day International Cricketer of the Year Award. Pollock was also honoured by his fellow players when he received the SA Players’ Player of the Year Award.Johan van der Wath, the allrounder who came into the international scene during South Africa’s tour of Australia, bagged the SA Newcomer of the Year award while AB de Villiers was voted SuperSport Fans Cricketer of the Year.Apart from recognising international players, the awards also honour domestic performers and administrators. The Coach of the Year award went to Phil Russell of the Nashua Dolphins. Chris Scott of the Wanderers was adjudged Groundsman of the Year while Marais Erasmus was Umpire of the Year.
Ricky Ponting laid a wreath in northern France for 11,000 Australian soldiers without marked graves as the one-day squad paid their respects to fallen heroes yesterday. The players, including many who visited Gallipoli in 2001, watched Ponting and Penelope Wensley, the Australian ambassador to France, place flowers at the Australia National Memorial near the town of Villers-Bretonneux.John Buchanan said the visit would help forge a closer team spirit as they witnessed what a sacrifice their compatriots had made. “It’s more a life experience rather than a cricket experience, almost irrelevant to the tour to some degree,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to really expand everyone’s horizons a little bit in terms off other Australians’ experiences in a war theatre.”Ponting’s squad also took a guided tour of the Franco-Australian Museum, which celebrates in part the special link between the two nations. Australia’s soldiers are highly regarded in Villers-Bretonneux because they recaptured the small northern town from Germany on April 25, 1918 in a battle significant to gaining Allied control of the Western Front. The players spent time at the Victoria College and ate lunch at Le Kangaroo Restaurant as the town continues to remember the soldiers.
England seem likely to cancel their winter tour of Zimbabwe when the 15 members of the England & Wales Cricket Board’s management meet next week. A 17-page report submitted by Des Wilson, the former vice-chairman of the Sports Council, which will greatly influence the management committee, is expected to state that now moral and political reasons should be considered as well as those of player safety.Wilson’s document suggests that moral issues alone should prompt England to give the tour a miss. “The safety and security of a touring party can in today’s circumstances no longer be the only factor in deciding whether or not to proceed with a controversial tour,” he told The Times. “Can we tour this country knowing what we do about its stance on human rights and the suffering of its people?”The main thrust of the ECB’s argument for not touring Zimbabwe during the World Cup was player-safety, but if it accepts Wilson’s suggestions – and the indications are that it will – then the tour is almost certainly dead in the water.Last year, David Morgan, the ECB chairman, gave assurances to his Zimbabwean counterparts that England would honour the tour. His comments, made to prevent Zimbabwe cancelling their trip to England last May, are likely to be disregarded in light of the report.Since then, Robert Mugabe has pulled Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth, following widespread protests over his regime’s poor record on human rights, and critics insist that the human-rights situation inside the country continues to deteriorate.And unlike the World Cup boycott, which resulted in England being heavily fined by the ICC, there would be no penalties for refusing to go, as the ICC has no juristiction over bilateral tours. The only real potential pitfall is that Zimbabwe might in turn refuse to participate in the ICC Trophy which is taking place in England in September. But since that is an ICC-administered event and not a bilateral tour they might face penalties from the governing body for withdrawing.Zimbabwe recently hosted a full series against West Indies, and Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all scheduled to tour there later this year. If England refuse to tour, the ECB might suggest moving the series to a neutral venue.
England Under 19’s ended the third day of the First Test against Australia in Adelaide 230 runs ahead of their hosts with one second innings wicket remaining, thanks to a fine 97 from Somerset’s Neil Edwards.The tall left handed opener from Penzance was disappointed to be run out just three runs short of what would have been a richly deserved century.He told me: "It was definitely good to get some runs under my belt, and going into the morning I felt really confident and relaxed and really up for it."He continued: "I was pleased with the way that I had played both the seam attack, and especially the spin, which has been causing me problems on the tour so far. Soon after lunch got my fifty, and from there on I was in the frame of mind to take the game to them a bit and started to attack all their bowlers!!"Regarding his dismissal he said: "I had no idea what score I was on when I called for a single off the leg spinner that was half stopped by a diving full stretch fielder at mid wicket. I was already well down the wicket and I was nearly home when the fielder directly hit the stumps! There was a run there but some confusion had left me run out on 97 but I was’nt too disheartened when the boys told me my score. However it would have been something really special to have made my first Test century on my England debut."He concluded : "This was a really special day that I will never forget, and I would like to thank everyone at home for their support."Somerset coach Kevin Shine was full of praise for the young opener. He told me: "Neil is a player for the future. He is a genuine opening bat who has got his feet on the ground and should build upon this experience. England Under 19 cricket has been a spring board for many star players like Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick and Neil is capable of following in their footsteps."
Tasmania has cruised to victory over Queensland in its Mercantile Mutual Cup game at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart today. Set 102 for victory, the Tigers needed just half of the allocated overs, reaching the target for the loss of only three wickets.The Tasmanian side’s chase began poorly, with Michael Kasprowicz claiming the wicket of opener Todd Pinnington (0) with the first ball of the innings. Pinnington was caught behind, edging the ball to keeper Wade Seccombe.Kasprowicz’s opening partner Adam Dale snared the Tigers’ next wicket, just three overs later, as Seccombe again took an easy catch behind the wicket. The dismissal of Dene Hills (3) left the Tigers teetering at 2/8.Opener Jamie Cox (27) and Shaun Young (52*) set about rebuilding Tasmania’s innings, as Cox guided a Kasprowicz delivery past gully for four.Young survived an appeal for lbw off the next Kasprowicz over, and rubbed salt into the wound by driving the next ball through gully and point to the boundary.Cox and Young continued to find the fence, both beating the mid off fieldsmen in consecutive overs. Young was probably a touch lucky to survive two lbw appeals off Dale’s bowling.The introduction of Ashley Noffke to the bowling attack proved fruitful for the Tigers. Young first cut the bowler through gully and point for three, and then added four more to his score, driving over Noffke’s head.Cox took Young’s lead and in Noffke’s next over cut a delivery past point for four, and then deftly chipped the ball over square leg for two. Young featured in the runs again as he took another boundary off the Queensland bowler.However, a quick delivery from Dale saw Cox (27) become the Tasmanians’ third victim, out to a lbw decision. Young was then joined at the crease by teenager Shane Watson (16*).Young and Watson quickly piled on more runs, the former again finding the boundary through the gully. The man of the match reserved special punishment for the medium pace of Scott Prestwidge, pulling him twice through square leg for sixes in the same over.With Tasmania needing just six runs to win, rain looked likely to set in. However, Young took delight in again driving Noffke to the boundary, then bringing up his 50, and registering the winning runs by lobbing a shot into vacant space at deep cover point.After a brilliant display with the ball earlier in the day on a helpful pitch, the Tasmanians took full points from the match. What made it even better was that they also recieved a bonus point for reaching their target within 35.1 of the maximum forty-four overs available to them in the rain-reduced contest. The win will not completely remove the sour taste left by the drubbing they received from the Bulls in the Pura Cup match between the sides that concluded two days ago. However, the determination, spirit and unity shown today by the Tigers shows there is still a spark in Tasmanian cricket.
Rangers chief Ross Wilson made a number of moves in the January transfer window to shape Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.
He brought in James Sands, Aaron Ramsey and Amad Diallo on loan, whilst also landing Mateusz Zukowski on a permanent basis.
One position in which he has opted to wait until the summer to strengthen is centre-back. He secured a deal to sign John Souttar on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, but did not bring anyone in to immediately bolster the squad in that position.
Blunder
The Gers were linked with a swoop for Belgian defender Danilho Doekhi throughout the January transfer window, with the Vitesse Arnhem tank reportedly available for a cut-price fee of £2m with his contract expiring later this year.
Wilson will now be left feeling red-faced, as Doekhi’s recent form suggests that the 23-year-old would have been a brilliant signing for the club.
In his last four appearances for Vitesse in all competitions, the Dutchman has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.35. He scored two goals from centre-back and won an incredible 33 duels – 8.25 per game – whilst captaining the team in two Eredivisie and two Europa Conference League outings.
Meanwhile, Rangers slipped up in the Premiership recently as John Lundstram was played as a makeshift centre-back against Motherwell. His lack of quality in that position was left horribly exposed for the away side’s first goal as he got caught flat-footed in a one-on-one in the build-up, which played a major role in van Bronckhorst’s side drawing the game 2-2.
Thomas Letsch, manager of Doekhi’s current club, previously lauded the 23-year-old’s talents, saying: “He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player. flat developed. He coaches other players very well. He is calmer than other players and perhaps that makes him less noticeable, but he is the reserve captain for a reason.”
These quotes highlight the immense quality the defender provides on the pitch, and his recent statistics back up the hype that his manager delivered to him.
Across 20 Eredivisie starts this season, Doekhi has won an impressive 68% of his duels whilst making 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he is a strong defender who is able to read the game well, with his average SofaScore rating of 7.01 suggesting that he is also able to provide consistently high-quality displays.
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.
Therefore, Wilson will surely be disappointed in himself after failing to strike a £2m deal to bring the 23-year-old to Ibrox in January. His statistics suggest that he would have been a boost to Van Bronckhorst’s squad, and the Dutch head coach would not have been forced to resort to using Lundstram at centre-back.
Hopefully this blunder will not cost Rangers the league title this season and they will be able to snap up Doekhi for nothing in the summer. The Gers now rely on their current central defenders stepping up and ensuring that the club are not still regretting their failure with Doekhi come May.
AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine…
Gilli, but not Adam: As you walk down from the Madras Cricket Club gate to the media entrance, there are dozens of posters on lamp posts and walls. All of them feature a young man in various smiling poses. This is Vijay, matinee idol for a new Tamil generation. His biggest hit was called and we’re reliably informed that it has nothing to do withthe greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time.Welcome to Chennai, Mr Cricket: After that breathtaking 50-ballcentury in Mohali, this was Michael Hussey’s first home game and the roars and chants of his name as he walked out to bat were similar to those that will greet Lionel Messi later tonight when he steps onto the Nou Camp turf. The silence when he inside-edged one from Dhawal Kulkarni was all-pervasive and it suggested that IPL fans are quickly becoming one-eyed, like every good home crowd should be. The sole exception was when Sachin Tendulkar was spotted on TV, talking to the commentators. God, afterall, transcends parochial boundaries.Friendly fire: Dwayne Bravo over-pitched and Matthew Hayden teedoff so quickly that Suresh Raina had to fall to the ground like someonepole-axed by Joe Frazier. After that, ducking a bouncer should be child’splay.Queen for the Super Kings: For most of the evening, the soundsystem belted out popular Tamil tunes, but after the 16th over of theinnings, it was Queen’s We Will Rock You that had them stomping theirfeet in the stands. The way Hayden and Mahendra Singh Dhoni finished the innings off,it was an appropriate tune as well.Going going, Gony: If the Mumbai Indians were going to score 209, it really needed Sanath Jayasuriya to play a blinder. But after carving Jacob Oram for four boundaries, he was too late on a pull against Manpreet Gony. The displaced Punjabi is built like Brian McMillan and bowls at lively pace. That crucial wicket was part of a fine spell where he conceded only 18 runs and did a McGrath by bowling a maiden.A soapy hat-trick for Murali: Coming on to bowl the 11th over, Chennai’s adopted son – his wife is from here – started with three shocking wides down the leg side. If you ever needed proof of how badly dew can affect a bowler, this was it – Mr. Accuracy himself looking likehe was trying to grip a wet bar of soap.
The long-awaited showdown between the government and the Kenya Cricket Association failed to happen after a judge at Nairobi’s High Court decided there was not enough time to hold the hearing and rescheduled it for March 7.Last week Milton Makhandia, a High Court judge, ordered Ochillo Ayacko, the sports minister, and the KCA to appear in court at the same time in a bid to resolve the bitter dispute. The minister has been trying to suspend the KCA and replace it with a cross-party “normalisation committee”, while the rump of the KCA executive is battling to retain control of what remains of the association.While the delay might suit the court, it is certain to thrust Kenyan cricket even further into crisis. As long as the KCA remains even nominally in charge, it will not receive any financial support from the ICC, sponsors, or the bulk of the Kenyan cricket community. Almost all coaches have been sent home, and it is understood that the board has no money to meet debts.Furthermore, the ICC Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia which is due to take place in Windhoek on February 25 now risks becoming a total farce. Many of Kenya’s leading players are on strike, while others haven’t even been told they have been picked for the squad and are unlikely to be able to play at such short notice. While central funds are available to get players to and from the game, and also to accommodate them there, there is no money for other expenses or back-up.
The International Cricket Council’s proposal to have lbw decisions referred to third umpires by batsmen has evoked a strong reaction from S Venkatraghavan, the former Indian offspinner and umpire, who says such a move would reduce on-field umpires to mere dummies.Venkatraghavan, who officiated in 73 Tests and 52 one-dayers, said instead of resorting to the television umpire for every decision, the ICC should put in place quality umpires to minimise chances of a wrong decision. He also said ICC must not hesitate to pull up umpires if they make too many mistakes.”I am a traditionalist and in my opinion, the ICC should put in place the best umpires instead of coming up with such proposals,” he told Press Trust of India. “A player has to accept the decisions given by the on-field umpire. After all there are certain rules wherein the on-field umpires can seek the assistance of the third umpire before declaring a player dismissed for stumping, run-outs and even for catches taken on the boundary line.”These are perfectly alright but I am not able to accept the fact that the leg-before decision will also be referred to the third umpire. Such a rule will reduce the on field umpires to dummies. If this rule change is accepted that would mean that every jurisdiction is given to the third umpire. It amounts to having the game held without on-field umpires, who could eventually be termed as dummies and robots. That will take the charm out of the game. I think I have officiated during the best of times when the game was played as per the laws of the game.”