The picturesque ACA-VCDA Stadium, located on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, will host its first international game tomorrow when India defend their 1-0 lead against Pakistan before an estimated 26,000 spectators.The stadium was built only recently and has hosted just one international team before, when the touring New Zealanders took on a Board President’s XI here in 2003. Unlike Kochi, the venue of the last game, which had several tiers of stands built upon each other and seated more than 60,000, the stands here are comparatively low, allowing spectators a view of the beautiful hills that surround the ground. But in the preparation for the game there is evidence of thought and care not seen at Kochi, with a temporary shelter put up over the stands to protect the paying public from the hot April sun.For the players out in the middle, though, there will be no such respitefrom the baking heat, though it is more breezy here than at Kochi, and thelow-lying stands allow the breeze into the playing arena. Even so, cricketin this weather is as much a test of endurance as of skill. As RahulDravid suggested in the pre-match press conference, the team that copeswith the heat better is the one likely to win.Certainly there were signs of disorientation in the way Pakistan batted atKochi, after fielding in the first session and being given the runaroundby Virender Sehwag and Dravid, so there is little doubt that the sidewinning the toss tomorrow will choose to bat first. The pitch is expectedto be a belter, and the evenly grassed, well-cut outfield looks like itwill give batsmen full value for their strokes.India are expected to field the same eleven that played at Kochi, and tookthe team to the biggest-ever victory by India over Pakistan by a runs-margin in an ODI. Pakistan are sure to make some changes, if for no otherreason then from the worry of going two-down in the series. Their bowlinglooked a little toothless at Kochi, especially after the opening bowlershad gone off, so it would not be a bad idea to bring Danish Kaneria intothe side; and the batting line-up, which flopped so badly in the firstgame, might benefit from being tweaked slightly so that Shahid Afridiopens the innings.There are indications though that Younis Khan, who missed the last gamebecause of illness and whose return would boost the team’s confidence, maynot play tomorrow, and for good reason. These are conditions that will sapthe fittest and hardiest of men, and may not be the best place to test outif a player has made a full recovery.Teams (probable)India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 4Rahul Dravid, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mohammad Kaif, 7 Mahendra Dhoni (wk), 8Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan 10 Lakshmipathy Balaji, 11 Ashish Nehra.Pakistan 1 Shahid Afridi, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq(capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 ArshadKhan, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.
Vince Wells has announced his retirement from first-class cricket. Wells, who began his career at Kent before moving to Leicestershire in 1992, signed for Durham at the start of the 2003 season.A typical bits-and-pieces English allrounder (he bowled medium-pace wobblers and batted in the middle order) Wells – at 33 – was a surprise choice for the England one-day side in Australia in 1998-99. He took 3 for 30 – including three of the top four – in the first Carlton & United Series final against Australia and then cracked 33 in 39 balls. It was enough to keep him in the squad for the 1999 World Cup, but although he featured in England’s warm-ups in Sharjah, he didn’t play a game in the tournament.He explained that the decision was brought about by a desire to pursue business interest in southern England. “I’m disappointed to have to draw a line under my time at Durham early,” he said, “but this opportunity is too good to turn down.”David Harker, Durham’s chief executive, added: “We are sorry to lose the services of such an experienced and admired player, but we understand his need to move on. On behalf of everyone at Durham I wish him the best of luck for the future.”Durham will retain his registration for the coming season in case of emergencies.
Virender Sehwag: lacked support from team-mates to make century count
New Zealand utilised an adherence to basic disciplines to severely punish an Indian team that forget theirs to go 2-0 up with a 35-run win in the National Bank Series match at Napier today.India were all out in the 44th over, for 219, chasing New Zealand’s total of 254/9.Things couldn’t have gone much better for New Zealand, nor much worse for India.New Zealand won without having to use their fast bowler Shane Bond. All of their batsmen got time in the middle, although some of them didn’t use it as well as they might have in the perfect conditions for a One-Day International, their bowlers got a workout and they demonstrated yet again the virtues of being competitive in the field throughout their bowling effort.India, by comparison, produced a fielding so performance so poor that it is difficult to remember anything in recent history in this country that could compare. They also bowled their overs so slowly they were docked two overs in their chase, as well as losing 10% of their match fees.They did have the satisfaction of producing one batting performance of note.The pocket-sized Indian battleship, Virender Sehwag called into Napier last evening and gave a demonstration of the powerhouse qualities to his batting that have been unseen until this match on the tour of New Zealand. He was eventually run out for 108 when he lost a contest with Daryl Tuffey who sprinted through on his run through, dived and hit the wicket with his underarm lob.Nicknamed “Mini-Me”, a play on the Austin Powers character because of his likeness to Sachin Tendulkar, by the New Zealanders after they struck him at the start of his international career in Sri Lanka last year, Sehwag gave a great demonstration of his abilities in a hard-hitting display which resulted in his fourth ODI century, scored off 111 balls and which included eight fours and two sixes.It was an innings in which he refused to be dictated to by circumstances. He lost his captain Sourav Ganguly in the first over and then other batsmen at regular intervals. It was batting with a like-minded spirit in Mohammad Kaif that he was his most dangerous, but fortunately for New Zealand, Tuffey caught the edge of Kaif’s bat when he had taken only 24 runs out of the home attack.Then after Sanjay Bangar took advantage of a gap at first slip to take four runs off a ball from Jacob Oram, he tried to repeat the shot next ball, but he wasn’t quite as accurate in his placement and wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum took the edge to leave India struggling at 187 for six wickets and with the required run rate back up to 6.35.New Zealand’s innings was dominated by the 136-run stand between Nathan Astle and Mathew Sinclair. Apart from the fact that it offered runs of a quality, and a quantity, not seen this summer, it was just the sort of stand needed to bolster the New Zealanders after the frustrations that have visited both sides during the series.Astle was not quite his commanding self, but there were signs enough to suggest the Indians are going to be on the receiving end of an Astle special before too much longer in the series.There were not quite as many chances as he would have liked square of the wicket on the off side, although he did pierce the two gully field set for him with a lovely boundary all the way along the ground. But if unable to get as much away there as he wanted, he compensated for that with some lovely drives, none better than the lofted off drive for six runs from Bangar’s bowling.His 50, his 31st in ODIs, came up off 71 balls and he was out, attempting another big hit over the mid-wicket boundary which fell short of the intended target and into the hands of Zaheer Khan from Ganguly’s bowling.Sinclair weighed in with great support at the other end and hit the fourth ODI half century of his career while making 78. He had some hesitant moments while getting underway but started to hit the ball cleanly and his advance down the pitch to loft Harbhajan Singh for six runs over extra cover was clear evidence of his improving state of mind.But with Craig McMillan having come and gone so quickly, Lou Vincent used the quick singles option to get his innings going and to keep the momentum rolling for the side. But in the process, Sinclair loosened up and tried an unnecessary reverse sweep which he hit directly into Rahul Dravid’s gloves.Having lost some key support, it was the opportunity for Sinclair to take New Zealand through to the 50-over mark, but his choice of shot that led to his dismissal was symptomatic of some bad decisions made right through the latter part of the innings which could be an important lesson in the overall context of the season.Vincent’s running was a revelation and a timely reminder that offensive running can be invaluable in breaking up the efforts of the fielding side.The New Zealanders were a much more competitive unit in the field and their efforts were typified by McCullum with the gloves. He equalled the New Zealand record of five dismissals in an innings, set by Adam Parore against the West Indies at Goa in 1994/95.McCullum made four catches and a stumping for his haul.The bowlers were given a solid workout with Kyle Mills coming back from an early mauling to take three wickets while Tuffey completed another first over special and ended with two for 35.All in all, the sort of performance which while satisfying for its execution, had enough in it to demand even more effort in the next match in Christchurch on New Year’s Day.
Although Justice Edwin King refuses to discuss the matter ahead of his final report into match-fixing and corruption, it seems unlikely that he will recommend the scrapping of the indemnity against prosecution offered former South African captain Hansie Cronje ahead of his evidence at last June’s hearings in Cape Town.A report in the Sunday Times in London on Sunday claimed that Cronje would have his indemnity revoked upon release of Judge King’s final report, expected some time this month, and could face criminal prosecution and possible extradition to India.Most observers, however, believe this to no more than speculation. United Cricket Board spokesperson Bronwyn Wilkinson said on Sunday that the Judge had no intention of discussing his report before handing it over to the South African government.The Sunday Times report quotes the King commission’s chief investigator Shamila Batohi as saying: “In his interim report, Judge King ruled that Cronje had more to tell, that he had at times contradicted himself and had been evasive. There is no further evidence upon which the judge could change that evaluation.”Since there’s been no way to cross-examine Cronje further, the judge cannot possibly say something totally contradictory in his final report.”At the same time, Judge King did not recommend the scrapping of the indemnity offered Cronje and there seems no reason to believe he will do so now.The King commission held no further hearings nor called any new witnesses after June last year and its eventual closure earlier this year left a sense of incompleteness. Nevertheless, there was no further opportunity to cross-examine Cronje nor to hear new evidence and on this basis a recommendation that Cronje be prosecuted would come as a surprise.If Cronje persists in a legal challenge to the life ban imposed on him by the UCB, however, new evidence could emerge. In this case, the South African authorities might have to consider whether Cronje had breached the terms of his indemnity.There is, however, a broad feeling that the South African government has all but lost interest in match-fixing for the time being and that this lack of political will, as much as anything else, contributed to the unexpected closure of the King commission.
Manchester United will be without Edinson Cavani for this evening’s visit of Leicester City to Old Trafford.
What’s the latest?
Ahead of the clash against Brendan Rodgers’ side, the Red Devils interim boss was giving team news updates as the Premier League resumes following the latest international break.
Speaking in the press conference at Carrington, Rangnick said that his international players “all seem to be fit” but then declared that “the only player who is injured, unfortunately again, is Edinson Cavani.”
Cavani was injured on international duty with Uruguay and was forced off with calf problem in the first half of his country’s recent clash against Chile.
On the extent of the 35-year-old’s injury, Rangnick said: “According to the doctor, he will be out for a couple of weeks, four weeks, maybe even five weeks. So we will have to wait and see. That’s obviously bad news to have another striker missing out. Apart from that, all the others seem to be fit.”
Rangnick will be raging
With just nine games to go, United are up against it in the race for Champions League qualification, trailing fourth-placed Arsenal by four points having played one match more.
Although Leicester’s defence has been rather porous this term and Cavani has rarely started in the top flight, Rangnick would have ideally liked to have the Uruguayan at his disposal this evening.
Since joining United, the veteran striker has had a big impact. In total, he has scored 19 goals for the Red Devils, and whilst that is impressive for a 35-year-old who is past his prime, it’s his effect on United’s pressing ability which has truly made him stand out.
With around five pressures per game, his work rate is second to none at Old Trafford, although it’s his successful pressure percentage per 90 of 36.7% which makes him one of the best in this metric, with the Uruguayan ranked within the 99th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.
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Cavani is not just an industrious workhorse in the final third, either. Red Devils legend Paul Scholes has hailed the veteran’s “perfect first touch” and drawn comparisons with another lethal marksman of old in these parts in Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Therefore, with such a crucial fixture coming up this evening, Rangnick will be raging that the Uruguay marksman was struck with injury in midweek and has duly been ruled out for the visit of Leicester, who have won their last three meetings against United in all competitions.
In other news – Man Utd facing disaster over “phenomenal” £31.5m-rated star, supporters will be fuming
England were considering raising their grievances around the ‘Snicko’ technology used in Australia with the match referee on Wednesday night, after its supplier took “full responsibility” for an apparent error in process.Australia centurion Alex Carey had scored 72 when he flashed at the first ball of the 63rd over, bowled by Josh Tongue, and England’s fielders – including wicketkeeper Jamie Smith – immediately appealed for a caught-behind decision. Ahsan Raza, the standing umpire, gave Carey not out on-field, and England reviewed his decision almost immediately.There was a prominent spike shown on the Real-Time Snickometer technology used in Australia, but it appeared three or four frames before the ball passed Carey’s bottom edge. Chris Gaffaney, the TV umpire, said that the spike was “before the bat” and that the ball appeared to have “gone well under” the bat: “There’s a clear gap, no spike.”Related
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But Carey, who added a further 34 runs after his reprieve, suggested that he had hit it: “I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat. It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early? If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.Carey said that he was “clearly not” a ‘walker’, and added: “Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today.”Warren Brennan, the founder of BBG Sports who provide the technology used in Tests in Australia, told : “Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing.”In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”The ICC has two approved “sound-based edge detection technology” suppliers: Real-Time Snickometer (RTS), which is used in Australia, and UltraEdge, which is used in the rest of the world.Simon Taufel, the former umpire performance manager at the ICC and a repeat winner of the umpire of the year award, suggested on that the technology may have malfunctioned.”The confusing element here for everyone was that the spike occurred at least a couple of frames before the bat, which was just amazing,” Taufel said. “I have never seen a spike like this occur without the bat hitting something like a pad, or the ground, or the ball hitting the pad.”My gut tells me, from all of my experience on-field, and also as a TV umpire, that I think Alex Carey has actually hit that ball and the technology calibration hasn’t been quite right to game the outcome that it was looking for.”
Snicko previously came under scrutiny in the first Ashes Test in Perth, when Smith was controversially given out caught behind on review, and England’s bowling coach David Saker said that the dressing room had harboured concerns about the quality of the technology throughout the series.”The boys were pretty confident he hit it,” Saker said at the close of play. “I think the calibration of the Snicko is out quite a bit, and that has probably been the case for the series. There’s been some things that don’t really measure up.”At that stage, it was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but you get through it. In this day and age, you’d think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that.”Saker added that England will consider making representations to Jeff Crowe, the match referee: “I don’t think we’ve done anything about it so far but after today, maybe that might go a bit further,” he said. “There have been concerns about it for the whole series. We shouldn’t be talking about this after a day’s play, it should just be better than that. It is what it is.”According to the ICC’s playing conditions, the match referee has final oversight on the technology to be used in a given match, in consultation with the ICC technical official, ICC management, and the relevant national governing bodies (in this case, Cricket Australia and the ECB).BBG Sports also supplies the Hot Spot technology that was once commonly used as part of the Decision Review System. But host broadcaster Fox Sports explained last year that it had been dropped after “constant criticism” and amid fears about its reliability in hot weather.Australia finished the opening day on 326 for 8 after choosing to bat first, with neither side able to seize control of the third Test. “It would have been nice to [lose] a few wickets less,” Carey said. “[We had] opportunities today to go big and missed little moments, but we’re still really in the game.”Saker said that the day was “pretty even”, adding: “It’d be nice to knock them over really quick in the morning and then bat very big. It’s pretty important our first innings is a big innings because I don’t think the wicket will get easier [at the] back of day four and five.”The ICC was contacted for comment.
The Cobras registered an amazing come-from-behind victory over the Lions as the Potchefstroom pitch made a remarkable recovery from its ill-form on the first two days. JP Duminy, the left-hander who is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s brightest batting talents, converted his immense promise into tangible destruction as his century saw the Cobras chase down 355 to beat the Lions by five wickets.The Cobras’ second innings of 358 for 5, built on Duminy’s elegant 115 and 96 from Henry Davids (the competition’s leading run-scorer), was all the more impressive after were skittled for just 80 in their first innings.The Cobras won the toss and sent the Lions in to bat first on a saucy pitch, thanks to a cold front that had swathed neighbouring Gauteng in rain for three days. After an opening stand of fifty between Blake Snijman and Alviro Petersen, Monde Zondeki made excellent use of the conditions, swinging the ball wildly to take 5 for 55 – his fifth five-for of the tournament – and the Lions were bowled out for 181.The Cobras’ reply lasted a mere 22.5 overs though, with Friedel de Wet (3 for 23), Garnett Kruger (4 for 27) and Heinrich le Roux (3 for 7) sharing the wickets in a fine bowling display. Vernon Philander top-scored for the Cobras with 23 not out, but he was to play an even bigger role when he took the new ball for the Lions’ second innings. Swinging the ball beautifully, Philander took 7 for 64 as the Lions were bowled out for 253, setting the stage for Duminy’s majestic, match-winning century.Although the Cobras were celebrating their second successive win, the Eagles are still the undisputed kings of the competition, enjoying a 20-point lead over second-placed Dolphins. The Eagles had the better of their match against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth, which was ruined by the arrival of rain on the final day. The Warriors batted first and posted a fairly adequate 279, thanks to Zander de Bruyn’s 111 and Davey Jacobs’ 61. A hesitant batting display by the Eagles saw them slip to 245 all out, with Dean Elgar scoring 63 and Boeta Dippenaar and Ryan Bailey falling just short of half-centuries. Juan Theron, the fast bowler, was the most took 3 for 41.The Eagles then took control, however, when the Warriors slumped to 195 all out in their second innings. Johan Botha was the only top-order batsman to shine, scoring 51, a score which Mario Olivier matched in the tail. Olivier, of course, is the bowler who came to prominence by taking all 10 wickets in an innings against the Eagles in Bloemfontein at the start of last month. It left the Eagles with a target of 230 to win and a full day in which to get it, but they could only reach 42 without loss before rain washed out play.The Titans and the Dolphins were also forced into a draw as rain washed out the first two days of their match in Benoni and only 190.4 overs were possible overall.The Dolphins, sent in to bat, crashed to 45 for 6 but Daryn Smit, the wicketkeeper, and 17-year-old Khayelihle Zondo were not numbed by the crisis and added 64 as the Dolphins eventually reached 190.Smit tore into the Titans bowlers in his unbeaten 89, while Zondo’s debut was a big plus as he scored a gutsy 25 against the defending champions in two-and-a-half hours at the crease.The Titans enjoyed batting practice in their innings, but Farhaan Behardien and Albie Morkel answered the match’s dying request with some excitement, scoring fluent unbeaten half-centuries as they added 117 runs in 31 overs to take them to 299 for 6 at the close.The most important thing to come out of the match was that Morne Morkel, eyeing a return to international action after a stress fracture of the foot, was able to get through 16 overs, taking 2 for 48.Player of the week JP Duminy has enjoyed the occasional insert into international action this summer, appearing in five one-day internationals, without doing anything wrong. But the 23-year-old has yet to have any chance in Tests as other batsmen like Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla and Neil McKenzie have been ahead of him in the queue.But he ensured his name will still be on the national selectors’ lips with a match-winning century over the weekend for the Cobras. The selectors will be especially impressed because his 115 not out, a 265-minute innings of immense willpower and class, took the Cobras to a daunting victory target of 355 after they had been dismissed for just 80 in their first innings.The run-chase will be remembered for a long time by local supporters, but pundits have predicted that Duminy will enjoy a long and successful career in the international limelight. The left-hander has a classic technique with the touch of a surgeon. The cover drive is the stroke he plays most elegantly, but the short ball holds few terrors for him either.
A century from skipper Hasan Raza accompanied by some fine seam bowling from Rajesh Ramesh and Imran Javed enabled Karachi Urban to take full control of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League final against defending champions Sialkot at Multan Cricket Stadium. Raza’s hundred, the 28th of his first-class career, saw Karachi to 403, before Sialkot were reduced to 93 for five by day’s end.Honours began almost even on the second day, Karachi six wickets down with 249 on the board. But Raza, on a painstaking 56 not out overnight, switched gears early on. Though Karachi lost two early wickets, with less than 300 scored, Raza found a useful partner in Tanvir Ahmed. The two put on 97 for the ninth wicket, Ahmed’s share a not insubstantial 36.By the end, Raza had moved to an unbeaten 161, with as many as seven sixes and thirteen fours, a stark contrast to his go-slow yesterday. Sarfraz Ahmed took two of the four remaining wickets to finish with an admirable six-wicket haul.The momentum though had shifted by then and Sialkot, once hoping to face a total of under 300, were now left with a mini-mountain to overcome. They got off to the worst possible start, Ramesh dismissing Majid Jahangir and highly-rated Shahid Yousuf in successive balls when Sialkot were only on 14.Thereafter, it didn’t get much better; Tariq Mahmood, former Pakistan U-19 World Cup winner and offspinner with the Murali action, was promoted up the order and crawled to a 44-ball, 76-minute two. Javed eventually sent him back, as well as Atiq-ur-Rehman who provided solitary, futile resistance. When Ayub Dogar also fell, Sialkot were tottering at 71 for five. Ijaz Ahmed, captain and former Pakistan one-down legend, came out firing and was unbeaten on 19 as the day drew to a close.He will need to roll back the years if Sialkot are to have any chance of preventing Karachi from adding to their record Quaid haul of 17 wins.
Phil Tufnell has got under the skin of Australia’s cricketers with jibes about them losing the Ashes to England. Facing accusations of being too precious after dining out on English sporting misery for more than a decade, the Australians took exception to Tufnell’s teasing during a filmed segment of last night’s Allan Border Medal awards ceremony in Melbourne.The film was intended as a bit of harmless fun, by showing Tufnell perched at a bar having a shot at Australia’s costly blunders against England during last year’s Ashes series. But the move drew an angry reaction from the Australian team, with their captain, Ricky Ponting, warning: “Quite a few guys at my table were pretty fired up at that.”Tufnell was shocked at the reaction of a skit done “for a bit of fun”. “Good gosh … how on earth has it come to this? I thought Australians had a sense of humour,” he said in . “I’m sorry if I caused any offence … My advice to Ricky and the boys would be to enjoy life before it’s all gone.”Tufnell highlighted Ponting’s decision to bowl first in the second Test at Edgbaston despite having just lost their strike bowler, Glenn McGrath, to an ankle injury in the pre-match warm-up, and a crucial dropped catch by Shane Warne during the final Test at The Oval.Ponting, however, rejected claims he and his team were too thin-skinned in their reaction to Tufnell’s sledging. After being named Australian Cricketer of the Year for the second time, and becoming the first multiple winner of the medal, Ponting told the audience at Melbourne’s Crown Casino that Tufnell’s jibes would motivate him and his team against England in the Ashes series in Australia later this year.Ponting was still fuming on Tuesday morning, despite having a night to sleep on the words of Tufnell, who averaged 2.73 with the bat and 38.14 with the ball in 12 Tests against Australia. “Disappointment is probably the right word,” Ponting told reporters. “I’m not so concerned or angry over what he had to say. Looking back at a week or two’s time it will probably be quite funny, but on our night – the Australian cricket team’s night of nights for the whole year – I didn’t think the timing was that good.”He rejected any suggestion that he and his players lacked a sense of humour. “There’s no doubt that the Ashes loss cut pretty deep with all the players, but in saying that, we haven’t thought about it for a long time,” Ponting said. “We’ve been pretty focused and pretty positive on what we’ve been trying to achieve over the last few weeks, and to have it all re-hashed and brought up again probably touched a note with some of the guys.”But I don’t think that means we’re precious or anything like that,” he added. “It’s just we’re there to enjoy the night for what it is and we had to sit down and go through all of that sort of stuff.” Tufnell lampooned Warne for spilling a straightforward slips chance early in Kevin Pietersen’s innings in the final Test, allowing the England batsman to go on to score a century, save the match and secure a 2-1 Ashes win for his team.”Warney … just because you’re a mate of Kevin Pietersen’s, it didn’t mean on that last day at The Oval you had to drop him,” Tufnell teased. “Do you wake up in the middle of the night thinking you might have dropped the Ashes? I have got Herschelle Gibbs’ phone number here if you want some counseling.”Steve Waugh, Ponting’s predecessor as Australian captain, once famously sledged Gibbs for dropping him during the 1999 World Cup which gave Australia a lifeline on their way to winning the tournament. Warne said he was itching for another chance at England and shrugged off Tufnell’s remarks. “It didn’t really worry me whatsoever what he was saying,” he said. “You can take yourself too seriously, take it for a bit of fun.”Cos Cardone, Nine’s Melbourne director of sport, told no offence was intended and there was no need for the station to apologise. “We just tried to immerse a bit of comedy in the night,” he said. “Last year we had Hale and Pace. If we win the Ashes back next season we will fly Phil over and get him to the Crown Casino and Australia can get their own back.”
Gerald de Kock, Cricket South Africa’s media manager for the past two-and-a-half years, has resigned in order to return to broadcasting. His post will be taken up by Cricket South Africa’s communications officer, Moabi Litheko, a former SABC sports journalist.De Kock said it had been a difficult decision because he enjoyed working for South African cricket, and especially the national team. “But in the end,” he said in a statement, “I decided to take up an offer to return to broadcasting, my first love, and to spend more time with my family.”Cricket South Africa’s CEO, Gerald Majola, said de Kock’s resignation was a great loss as he had set extremely high professional standards. “However, in Moabi Litheko we have an outstanding replacement whose background is communicating to millions of South Africans on sport, and who has proved an asset as our communications officer.”