New Zealand Cricket today confirmed that star all-rounder Chris Cairns would not be available for selection for the CLEAR Black Caps tour to Pakistan.Cairns is recovering from surgery nearly 6 months ago to the patella tendon of his right knee.New Zealand Cricket Fitness Advisor, Warren Frost, said while Cairns had initially targeted the Pakistan series for a return to international cricket this timeframe was always going to be tight.”Chris’ rehabilitation is progressing well. He has begun running and will soon begin sports specific exercising including bowling.”Had the One Day International series been played after the Test matches there would have been a small chance of him being fit for them. However as the one dayers are first they are too soon for him to target and a Test match loading would not be a sensible way to reintroduce him to the demands of international cricket,” Frost said.After a spell overseas Cairns is now continuing his rehabilitation programme at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre at Lincoln University.
A brilliant bowling performance by Chamath Perera enabled Panadura S.C. to beat Matara S.C. by 42 runs in their Premier Limited Overs Tournament match played at Panadura Esplanade today.Panadura, who elected to bat first after winning the toss, were bowled out for 212 in the 49th over after a good bowling performance by MatarSC. M. Ramzan and F. Farook captured 7 valuable wickets between them for the south coast side. M. Silva top scored with 38. S. Liyanage (31), D. Perera (28) and C. Silva (27) also chipped in.In reply, Matara S.C. in reply did not have any answer to Chamath Perera, who picked up four wickets for 11 runs in his allotted 10 overs. Matara were bowled out 170 in 48 overs.F. Farook also had an excellent match; he scored a superb 72 in 99 balls, consisting of 9 fours and a six to go along with his bowling performance. All the other batsmen failed to impress with the exception of M. Wickremasekara, who scored 37.
The colour of the ball, sightscreen and clothing all changed and,half-way through, so did the weather. The West Indies’ cricket didn’tand they were beaten by Australia just as badly in the first match ofthe triangular Carlton Series of One-Day Internationals at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last night as they were in the fiveTests earlier.In heat that touched 39 degrees Celsius before a cool change droppedit 10 degrees in an hour, they bowled inconsistently, batted withoutpurpose, fielded shoddily and missed five catches. The World Cupchampions were virtually flawless in completing victory by 74 runs.The margin was even wider than it appeared. Batting under lights afterthe thermometer dipped, the West Indies were basically out ofcontention when Brian Lara was third out in the 19th over for 28. Theywere then 57 for three and never threatened to overhaul Australia’s267 for six after that.Marlon Samuels batted with the poise he showed in his three Tests totopscore with 57 from 96 balls. But, aged 19 and in his second One-DayInternational, his mission was simply damage limitation.He arrived in the sixth over after openers Wavell Hinds, caught in thegully, and Sherwin Campbell, taken at third man, had both beendespatched with only nine scored. Lara was dismissed by medium-pacerIan Harvey just when a stand with Samuels seemed to be developing,wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist snaring his edge as he did so often inthe Test series. Ricardo Powell lasted 27 precarious balls for 12before lobbing a catch to mid-on from off-spinner Andrew Symonds and,for the next 14.2 overs, Samuels and Ridley Jacobs batted aimlessly inadding 49.Once local favourite, Shane Warne, ended his spell of 10 overs in hisfirst international of the season, the crowd of over 50 000 took toamusing itself with Mexican waves and the antics of three pitchinvaders as the cricket became meaningless.Symmonds briefly drew their attention back to the middle by dismissingJacobs, Samuels and Mahendra Nagamootoo with the first, fourth andfifth balls of the 41st over. Captain Jimmy Adams, demoting himself toNo. 8, and Laurie Williams batted out the overs in an unbrokenpartnership of 54 but it meant nothing to patrons who were streamingout of the MCG long before the last ball was bowled.Australia’s total was based on a second-wicket partnership of 111 in22.2 overs between Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting after Nixon McClean’swell-judged, running catch at third man accounted for Adam Gilchristoff Cameron Cuffy in the third over.Waugh hoisted Cuffy for six 10 rows back into the seats in theMember’s Stand and had just passed 50 when he fell to another finecatch. He hoisted Laurie Williams and Hinds, moving in from long-on,ended the stand.The West Indies claimed the valuable wickets of the dangerous MichaelBevan, Ponting and captain Steve Waugh while limiting the scoring to49 between the 31st and 42nd overs. Ponting, let off by Williams on astraightforward catch in the deep when 32, fell to a sensational takeby Powell, sprinting in from deep square-leg and diving forward.Captain Waugh, in his 300th One-Day International, holed out to longoff from Samuels who, along with Nagamootoo, sent down his fullcomplement for ten overs of spin.At 193 for five in the 42nd over, the West Indies had chances to limitAustralia to under 250. They blew them as Powell and Williams bothdropped Symmonds, who added 74 off 52 balls with Martyn.Williams fell back so heavily on his head in muffing his chance atpoint, he had to leave the field for attention, adding injury toinsult. The last ten overs yielded 83, the last two brought 26, thelast, from McLean, 15. It carried Australia to a total that requiredbetter batting than the West Indies have shown all season and theynever looked like getting close.Australia play the third team in the tournament, Zimbabwe, at theGabba in Brisbane tomorrow and meet the West Indies again thefollowing day at the same venue.
The day-time temperature in Hyderabad is around 32 degrees Celsius. It gets hotter inside a stadium filled with tens of thousands of noisy fans and when there’s no love lost between the two teams, the contest could well and truly boil over. India and Australia play each other in the third of seven ODIs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, and if the walk matches the ample talk from both teams, it could be a bumpy but exhilarating ride.Australia are likely to be strengthened by the return of their captain Ricky Ponting, who missed the first two games because of a hamstring strain he sustained during the ICC World Twenty20. Australia’s one worry has been their tendency to lose quick wickets at the start – 18 for 2 at Bangalore and 8 for 2 at Kochi – and Ponting’s inclusion, most likely at the expense of Brad Hodge, will allay fears of the middle order having to bail them out again. Ponting hasn’t played an ODI since the World Cup final and even though he didn’t contribute much in Australia’s Twenty20 campaign, his captaincy and presence at No. 3 and will undoubtedly bolster his team.”I’m hoping to play,” Ponting said. “Everything is looking positive for me at the moment. I went to the ground and had a good workout at the nets yesterday. There are a few other things with the physio and physical trainer to do, but if I get through that I will be up for selection.”Nathan Bracken, the left-arm medium-pacer, has also joined the squad after attending the birth of his son and has a strong case for selection, although fitting him in is trickier than Ponting. Bracken has an excellent record in India where he’s taken 29 wickets in 14 ODIs at an average of 17 and an economy rate of just over four an over, but the attack that Australia fielded in Kochi performed superbly. They completed an emphatic 84-run victory by dismissing India for 222 and the one spot that Bracken could fill is that of the allrounder James Hopes.The ability of the Australian middle-order to recover from poor starts and the pin-point accuracy of the bowlers is what has given them a 1-0 lead. They were well prepared and executed their plans perfectly, a fact that Yuvraj Singh, the Indian vice-captain, admitted to on the eve of the third ODI. Yuvraj fell to one of those traps in Kochi, spooning a drive to Matthew Hayden, who was strategically placed at short cover.India also face a selection dilemma with Sourav Ganguly passing his fitness test. A hamstring injury had ruled him out of the Kochi game and Robin Uthappa took his place, scoring 41 off 30 balls. If Ganguly was to return, it would have to be in place of Gautam Gambhir or Uthappa, unless the team management implement their rotation policy and rest either Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid.Yuvraj, however, said “rotation is part of the future plan but we’ll play our best XI tomorrow”. Whether the best XI included Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, or just two out of those three, he didn’t say.India frittered away a strong start in Kochi and allowed Australia’s middle-order to reach 306. The offspinners – Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar – were particularly ineffective, conceding 87 off 15 overs between them without a wicket. Their batsmen failed to string together partnerships and the chase never gathered enough momentum to challenge the target.India were outplayed with bat and ball but matched Australia sledge for sledge in the second one-dayer. Yuvraj admitted the verbal jousting between the teams got out of hand during the first two games and wanted “more cricket and less talk” on Friday. The intention is all very well but will emotions be kept under check when the pressure mounts? Don’t bet on it.TeamsAustralia (likely) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Brad Haddin, 7 Brad Hogg, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Stuart Clark.India (likely) 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rahul Dravid, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Sreesanth.
Scorecard Tasmania were in the driver’s seat at the end of the second day of the Pura Cup match against Queensland at Brisbane. Half-centuries by Travis Birt, Brett Geeves and Michael Di Venuto helped the Tigers gain a first-innings lead of 138 before their opening bowlers, Adam Griffith and Ben Hilfenhaus, rattled the top order to leave the home side at 3 for 54, still trailing by 84.Resuming at 1 for 70, Di Venuto and Birt added 72 for the third wicket to take them closer to Queensland’s total of 196. Di Venuto fell 12 runs short of his century, caught by Martin Love off Nathan Rimmington, and his dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse.After being reduced to 6 for 214, Tasmania regained control through Birt and Geeves, who added 57 for the seventh wicket. Geeves struck 12 boundaries in his entertaining 65 off 77 balls but was lucky to be let off on 38 when Andy Bichel spilled a sharp return chance. Birt also made 65 and played a more sedate knock.Dismissed for 334, the Tasmanian opening bowlers soon had Queensland reeling after picking up three wickets for five runs. Matthew Hayden was forced to drop down the order due to an injured finger, and his absence was felt as Griffith accounted for Martin Love and Jimmy Maher in successive overs.Love chased a wide delivery outside off stump, edging to Daniel Marsh at first slip, and in the next over Hilfenhaus got the crucial wicket of Clinton Perren, who was caught behind first ball. James Hopes reached 40 by stumps and was being assisted by Lachlan Stevens.
Brett Lee says Australia will spend a few days “taking the pressure off” before Saturday’s tour game against Essex at Chelmsford. Australia, who narrowly lost the fourth Test on Sunday and are behind 2-1 in the series, will have two days in London before starting their preparation for the final Test at The Oval starting on September 8.Lee said the team was very upset and disappointed to lose by three wickets after “a very tough four days” at Trent Bridge. “We can’t reflect over what’s happened in the past too much,” he told . “We can have a few days away from cricket, we can enjoy it and have a game of golf. Do whatever takes the pressure off.”Since returning to the Test side at Lord’s, Lee has made valuable contributions with 152 runs at 30.40, including being not out at the end of the second and third Tests, and 19 wickets at 33.68. “Physically it’s been a tough four days, it’s been a tough four months,” he said. “It’s a matter now of going to freshen up.”
The Pakistan board has come in for severe criticism from the Senate Committee on Sports and Culture for the team’s poor performance in the home series against India. In a meeting held with PCB officials – including Shaharyar Khan, the chairman, and Rameez Raja, the chief executive – the committee was especially critical about the ad hoc nature of decision-making by the board.According to a report in The News, a Pakistan daily, Enver Baig, one of the senators in the committee, lashed out against the PCB: “I spoke of ad hocism in the board for the last five years today and asked Shaharyar Khan how long this was going to continue and he had no answer to give.”But he has promised that in three months time constitutional amendments would be made but the committee also told him categorically that he will not bulldoze any amendments in the constitution and he will place all the intended amendments before a general body meeting and only implement and incorporate them if they are approved by the general body.”Baig was also unhappy with the fact that Rameez continued to do commentary on television and occupy a senior position in a bank despite holding a full-time job with the board. The report stated that Rameez had the permission of the ICC and Pervez Musharraf, the chief patron of the PCB, to hold all these positions, but Baig wasn’t convinced. “Rameez informed us he would be going to South Africa shortly on a commentary assignment, we asked Shaharyar who will run board affairs in his absence on a day to day basis.”The manner in which cricket is organised in the country has come in for adverse reactions following Pakistan’s defeat in the Tests and the one-dayers against India, a series in which the entire country invested plenty of time, money and emotion. “Even the heavy expenditure can be justified if the team had produced good results against India,” Baig explained. “But they disappointed a lot.”The committee is supposed to file a report on Pakistan cricket, and Baig warned that the board could expect more uncomfortable questions in future. “The senate committee’s look into Pakistan Cricket Board affairs is not over as yet. We are not finished as yet and will be holding two more meetings in Lahore and Karachi before finalizing a report.”
James Anderson has become the youngest player ever to take a hat-trick for Lancashire, as Essex slumped to 97 for 7 at lunch on the first day of the Frizzell County Championship Division One match at Old Trafford.
Anderson was already a shoo-in for his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s next week, but he emphasised his readiness by trapping Nasser Hussain lbw first-ball for 0 with a beautiful inswinging yorker, the second of his three wickets.Darren Robinson had already fallen for 11, caught in the gully by Alec Swann, and Anderson completed the hat-trick with the first ball of his next over, when Will Jefferson was caught behind by Warren Hegg for 19.It was the first hat-trick at Old Trafford since Dominic Cork famously skittled the West Indies in 1995, and the last Lancashire bowler to complete the feat was Mike Watkinson, their current coach, against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1992. Anderson’s achievement overshadowed the Lancashire debut of Carl Hooper, the former West Indies captain, who has gained special dispensation to replace the injured Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.It was a mixed day for England captains. Essex’s captain Ronnie Irani, who led England’s one-day side in a tour match at Bowral last winter, also fell for a first-ball duck, but Michael Vaughan scored 103 for Yorkshire against Northamptonshire, his first century of the season.
It was the 68th match between these two sides. The record now reads :India 35, Sri Lanka 28, abandoned 5.
Umpires Asoka de Silva and Peter Manuel were officiating in their 10thand 35th match respectively.
Saurav Ganguly was missing a ODI for the third time in his careerafter being suspended by ICC match referee. He could not play againstAustralia at Kochi on April 1,1998 as he had been suspended by SouthAfrican match referee Peter Vander Merwe for showing dissent whengiven out by umpire David Shepherd in India’s first innings atBangalore in 1997-98. Ganguly was also handed over a one-matchsuspension by Australian match referee Barry Jarman for excessiveappealing in the Kanpur ODI against Zimbabwe on December11,2000.Ganguly thus,could not appear in the following match at Rajkoton December 14,2000. Ganguly was also captaining India at that time.He thus achieved the dubious distinction to become first captain to besuspended for a match on two separate occasions.
Rahul Dravid was leading India for the second time in his career. Hehas now led India to victories in both the matches he has captained,the other occasion being the Rajkot one-dayer against Zimbabwe lastyear.
Sri Lanka’s total (183) was its lowest in a completed innings againstIndia in Sri Lanka. The previous lowest was 211 at this same ground onJuly 25,1993.
Sri Lanka’s total was the lowest ever total in ODI history to includea century stand for the opening wicket. The previous lowest was 189 byAustralia against South Africa at Melbourne on December 9,1993 withMark Taylor and Michael Slater putting on 105. The following tablelists lowest such totals :
Total
For
Vs
Venue
Date
Partnership- Batsmen
183
Sri Lanka
India
Colombo RPS
28-07-2001
103- Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana
189
Australia
South Africa
Melbourne
09-12-1993
105- Mark Taylor & Michael Slater
190
Australia
West Indies
Sydney
18-01-1980
103- Rick McCosker & Julian Weiner
194
England
West Indies
Lord’s
23-06-1979
129- Mike Brearley & Geoff Boycott
196
England
Australia
Sydney
06-12-1994
100- Mike Atherton & Alec Stewart
198
South Africa
Pakistan
Durban
09-02-1993
101- Andrew Hudson & Kepler Wessels
Note : Only completed innings have been taken intoconsideration
When Amay Khurasiya and Virender Shewag opened the Indian innings itwas the fourth opening combination for India in this tournament andfifth in last five matches. India opened with Ganguly and Tendulkar inthe final of Coca Cola Cup at Harare on July 7,2001. With injuredTendulkar out of the team,Yuvraj Singh and Ganguly opened the inningsin India’s first league match in this tournament against New Zealandon July 20. Ganguly then chose to bat in the middle order in the nextmatch against Sri Lanka on July 22 and Amay Khurasiya and Yuvrajopened the innings. When India played against New Zealand on July 26,Ganguly decided to return to his regular position and opened theinnings with Virender Shewag making it five opening combinations infive matches !! .However this is not an Indian record. India playedwith different opening combinations in seven consecutive matches fromJanuary 18,1981 to June 2,1982 and from October 3,1984 to December27,1984.
The wicket of Rahul Dravid was 200th for Chaminda Vaas in ODIs. He wasappearing in his 163rd match. Vaas became third Sri Lankan afterMuttiah Muralitharan (246 wickets) and Sanath Jayasuriya (202 wickets)and 15th bowler overall to do so. Incidentally he became only thethird left arm bowler in ODIs to reach this milestone after PakistaniWasim Akram (440) and fellow teammate Sanath Jayasuriya (202).
VVS Laxman was winning his maiden MoM award in his 24th match.
Liverpool’s revival continued with a hard-fought win at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, but it would be remiss to avoid the glaring issues that remain within Arne Slot’s squad.
The Premier League champions will not defend their title this season. Too much is wrong, with tactical imbalances persisting and key personnel beginning to succumb to injuries.
Alexander Isak, 26, is unlikely to play a significant part again this season – if any – after breaking his leg against Spurs while in the process of scoring. Micky van de Ven clattered into him. Liverpool chiefs are bleak in their outlook, and expect a lengthy layoff.
Now, if it wasn’t clear before, do Liverpool need to push and sign a new forward during the January transfer window.
Who Liverpool are looking to sign in January
At the top of Liverpool’s Christmas wish list is Bournemouth superstar Antoine Semenyo, whose eight-goal and three-assist return in the Premier League has sparked something of a frenzy for his signature, which is available for £65m for the first ten days of the winter transfer window.
Unsurprisingly, competition for the Ghana international is thick, and though reports are conflicting, transfer insider Ben Jacobs believes “Manchester United and Manchester City are the leading contenders.”
Sporting director Richard Hughes understands the severity of Liverpool’s attacking crisis, with Isak ruled out indefinitely and Mohamed Salah away at AFCON.
Therefore, a move could be made for West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen, with TEAMtalk revealing that Liverpool would be ready to act on their long-standing interest in the right-sided forward by making a bid, but only if the player becomes available.
Indeed, Irons owner David Sullivan would only allow him to leave if an offer exceeded £100m, and even then, it might not be enough. The Hammers are five points adrift from safety in the Premier League, and losing Bowen at the campaign’s midpoint would all but condemn them.
Why Liverpool should sign Jarrod Bowen
Cast your mind back to August 2023. Salah is being courted by suitors in the Saudi Pro League, and Liverpool are to reject an offer worth £150m for their Egyptian superstar.
Salah was and is irreplaceable, but Bowen had been earmarked as a potential successor at the time, having been said by talkSPORT host Tony Cascarino to have entered “the Salah club” due to his prolific, intelligent style off the attacking right flank.
The 29-year-old Bowen’s vast Premier League experience suggests he could have a lot to give Slot’s Liverpool over the next few years, should a move indeed be in the pipeline.
He might have only scored five goals – supplying one assist too – across 17 league outings this term, but the £150k-per-week talent’s consistency and talismanic reputation at the London Stadium suggest he could add more stability and dynamism to Liverpool’s right side, much needed if Salah is to leave, as has been mooted after his outburst at Elland Road earlier in December.
Bowen is a star and he’s a leader. This is exactly the kind of player Liverpool need to maintain the Salah-esque presence that may or may not be wrenched from Slot’s squad for good in the coming weeks.
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And it’s not as if Bowen lacks athleticism and pace. In fact, Sofascore record that he averages 4.6 duels and 1.5 dribbles per match in the Premier League this season. Semenyo averages 6.1 duels (though a lot of this is due to his aerial prowess), and he has completed 1.6 dribbles per game.
Given that FBref data shows that Semenyo is one of Bowen’s most statistically comparable rivals in the Premier League this season, it’s clear that Liverpool could hit the jackpot with this one, signing a player whose loyalty and talent over in east London could be attributes to endear him to the Reds fanbase swiftly.
West Ham – Record Premier League Scorers
Player
Apps
Goals
Michail Antonio
268
68
Jarrod Bowen
210
60
Paulo Di Canio
118
47
Mark Noble
414
47
Carlton Cole
216
41
Data via West Ham
After all, Semenyo is earning quite considerable praise for his clinical edge, but Bowen still ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90 – and in a rather uninspiring West Ham team at that.
Liverpool certainly wouldn’t be happy to pay a £100m sum for Bowen’s services, but a deal could be struck for a more agreeable fee, especially if the Three Lions star agitates for a long-fated move to Merseyside, playing a role that Semenyo may well not be able to match, should he join Liverpool instead.
He's as good as Van Dijk: Liverpool make £66m Guehi upgrade a key target
Liverpool have now made this £66m star a top target heading into 2026, who could be an upgrade on going after Marc Guehi.