All posts by csb10.top

Pat Crawford, the fast bowler who played four Tests for Australia in 1956, has died at the age of 75 after several years of ill health. A tall and wiry right-armer, Crawford collected seven Test wickets at the excellent average of 15.28 before his career was cut short by injury.He made his first-class debut for New South Wales at 21 and in his first season topped the Sheffield Shield averages with 25 victims at 12.96. His form earned him a place on the Ashes tour in 1956 and he made his Test debut at Lord’s in the second Test.However, Crawford broke down during his fifth over and did not bowl again in the match. The Australia captain Ian Johnson later described Crawford’s injury in his 1957 book .”Pat Crawford, who looked like making a promising debut, broke down after five very good overs,” Johnson wrote. “Pat possibly over-exerted himself on his big occasion and it was rotten luck when he suddenly pulled up short, his face contorted in a moment of anguish as a leg muscle went, a moment that his skipper felt just as sharply.”He won back his spot for three more Tests on the tour of India later in the same year and bowled impressively in Madras and Bombay, where he was dangerous and economical. But after collecting a Test best 3 for 28 at Brabourne Stadium, Crawford again succumbed to injury during the third Test at Calcutta, where he managed only five overs for the game.It was to be his final Test and within a year his first-class career had ended due to injury, with 110 wickets at 21.02. Crawford went on to play in the Lancashire League.

Scorecard
Points table

Andrew McDonald did his chances of a South African trip no harm with a six-wicket haul that helped Victoria claim first-innings points despite Graham Manou’s first century of the summer. At the close, Victoria had extended their lead to 281 thanks largely to 93 from another Test aspirant, the opener Chris Rogers.Rogers and Nick Jewell, who made 60 from 74 balls, increased Victoria’s advantage quickly, although Daniel Christian’s four wickets stifled their progress and at the close McDonald was on 7 with Adam Crosthwaite yet to score. Both sides were hoping to push for a final-day win after Manou’s declaration at 9 for 348 made it clear South Africa were only interested in an outright victory.Manou’s 124 was virtually a lone hand for the Redbacks after they lost Callum Ferguson for 81 in the second over of the day, having added two to his overnight total. Manou then combined with Matthew Weeks for a 70-run stand, of which Weeks contributed 14, as the last-placed South Australia tried to force themselves into a position to take some points from the game.But McDonald, Victoria’s stand-in captain, led from the front and collected all five South Australian wickets to fall on the third day. He finished with 6 for 88 and it was a timely performance for a man who played Australia’s most recent Test and will be considered for next month’s tour of South Africa.It was the first five-wicket haul of the season for McDonald, who picked up a pair of lbws with his stump-to-stump line and was well backed by the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who caught Mark Cleary while standing up to the stumps. A win to Victoria would tighten their grip on a home final, although there is a chance of rain and storms on Monday.

In cricket, the line between hero and zero is infinitesimally fine, and nowhere is that truth more accentuated than in India. Rahul Dravid, who has endured the slings and arrows of a fickle sport for more than a decade, knows this better than almost anyone. But after a sapping day in the field, England’s cricketers also have a much greater understanding of what it takes to succeed in a country that has long been regarded by visiting teams as the ultimate challenge.Test cricket is a cruel game. Had it not been for England’s last-gasp meltdown at Chepauk, where they failed to defend an Indian record-target of 387, today’s diligent and disciplined performance might well have laid the groundwork for their first series victory in India for 23 years. Instead, they were locked out of the day’s honours by an indomitable alliance of the in-form and form-less – and hard as they might try, their hopes of regaining that lost ground are, to judge by their recent history in India, slim in the extreme.One-hundred-and-nine Tests and more than 9000 runs separate the careers of Dravid and Gautam Gambhir, but today they batted as equals – the junior elevated by the sheer weight of runs he has accumulated in 2008 (964 from eight matches to date), and the senior brought low by the plague that has beset his game in the same period. Since his recall for the Sri Lanka tour in July, Gambhir hasn’t made less than 19 in any of his 15 visits to the crease. Dravid, by contrast, had fallen for 14 or less in 11 out of 16.And to judge by the awkward whispers in the media and selection corridors, Dravid’s slump was becoming more than just an aberration on a mighty career. The Wall, to use the popular image, was crumbling, but today he was not too proud to stoop to his knees, and pile the pieces back into place, brick by brick. The net result was a fluster-free stand of 173 that demonstrated just how freakish that first Test result had been. India did all their chasing, to spectacular effect, in Chennai. Today all that was required was a confident stroll.Confidence, however, is precisely what Dravid’s game has lacked all year, and who knows what might have happened, both to his career and India’s innings, had a loose top-edged pull off James Anderson not landed in no-man’s land at midwicket when he had made just 1 run from 17 balls. Dravid did not permit himself a similar extravagance until he had crept along to 7 from 45 balls. Then Anderson dropped short again, and a well-set batsman whistled him ferociously through the leg-side for a nerve-soothing boundary.Once upon a time, 11 from 46 balls would have been a more than acceptable starting point for an innings, and Lord knows, Dravid has been there or thereabouts often enough in his long and illustrious career. And yet, something strange has happened to his game this year, as has also been the case with the other great stonewaller of the modern era, Jacques Kallis. Perhaps it is the proliferation of Twenty20s – both men endured abject seasons in the IPL – but somehow graft isn’t appreciated as it once was.To be accused of being boring by opponents is one thing, but to be shown up by one’s peers must be something else entirely. Perhaps it is significant that Dravid has not made a Test century since Chennai in March, a performance in which even a man with more than 10,000 runs to his name must have wondered at the futility of his existence. In almost the identical number of deliveries that Dravid needed to grind to 111, Virender Sehwag at the other end belted an Indian record 319, with more than three times as many boundaries and infinitely more accolades.Speed is everything in the modern game, and even the greats must feel slip-streamed from time to time. Today, however, was much more to Dravid’s liking. Maybe Sachin Tendulkar felt a similar sense of catharsis last week, when he resumed the Chennai run-chase safe in the knowledge that Sehwag’s inimitable hurricane had already blown itself out, and he needed only to do what he does best to win the day for his side. Dravid’s first instinct has always been survival, an echo of a former era when India were not habitual victors in Test matches and had to dig deep for their triumphs, as at Headingley in 2002 or Adelaide in 2003-04.More recently, at The Oval in 2007, Dravid responded to a second-innings scoreline of 11 for 3 with a hugely maligned go-slow that forfeited India’s prospects of a second victory in the series, but ensured they would not squander their ultimate series triumph. Much of that mindset was in evidence today. Having won the toss, India’s only realistic prospect of defeat was to push too hard and risk being bowled out cheaply. So they did not. The upshot was not pretty, and the din of 35,000 fans at Chepauk felt like a distant dream as the murmurs of maybe a tenth of that number echoed around Mohali. But, as it always is when Dravid is undefeated at the close, it was undoubtedly effective.England did not bowl badly. With Stuart Broad back in place of Steve Harmison (whose appetite for the struggle was tacitly questioned by Kevin Pietersen at the toss), they found seam movement off a full length, handy reverse swing late in the day, and stifled the tempo throughout thanks to Sehwag’s hasty departure. Had it been they who held the 1-0 series lead, that alone might have been sufficient to turn pressure into wickets. Instead, where Sehwag had used brute force to grasp the match momentum at Chennai, Gambhir and Dravid used stealth and application. By the close, they had slammed the door on England’s prospects of a share of the series, and were a couple of good sessions from turning the key as well.

Marcus Trescothick’s autobiography Coming Back to Me has been named as the winner of the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.Trescothick and his ghost writer Peter Hayter were widely praised for dealing with the taboo subject of mental illness which caused Trescothick’s much-publicised withdrawal from two tours and subsequent international retirement.”This is only the second autobiography to win the award,” said Graham Sharpe, the founder of the prize. “The judges felt it fearlessly tackled one of the great taboos of elite sport.””It felt all a bit strange,” Trescothick said. “I nearly started to cry a bit.”Click here for the book review.

Leading international news agencies, Reuters, the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France Presse (AFP), are set to boycott coverage of all Cricket Australia events, including next week’s first Test between Australia and New Zealand, after a fresh dispute over accreditation terms with the board.The agencies have said they will not provide coverage of matches, training sessions or commercial events in Australia across any of their text, photographic or TV platforms because of the terms and conditions laid down by CA. The first Test in Brisbane starts next Thursday.Reuters, AP and AFP are suspending coverage of all CA events, while picture agency Getty Images will only fulfil their commercial obligations and will not provide editorial coverage of the games.”Reuters is regrettably unable to cover the upcoming cricket events in Australia, following unacceptable accreditation terms for journalists imposed by Cricket Australia,” Christoph Pleitgen, global head of news agency for Thomson Reuters, said. “As in previous instances, this decision compromises our ability to report independently and objectively, and comes at the expense of global fans and sponsors.”We would like to resume our timely, premium coverage as quickly as possible, pending a solution to the current situation.” The major issue for the agencies is CA’s policy of imposing limits on the number of updates allowed on the internet and further restrictions on distributing material to websites not owned or attached to newspapers or sports magazines.There are also concerns about some of the terms of the accreditation, which the agencies believe don’t safeguard the rights of organisations to criticise or comment. Among them is a general clause that nothing should be written which could bring the game into disrepute.This isn’t the first time the agencies have come into conflict with CA. The same situation occurred during the first Test against Sri Lanka, at Brisbane, last November when the three agencies boycotted coverage of the entire match. Last month, Reuters suspended coverage of Australia’s series in India as a result of similar “unacceptable” conditions imposed by the Indian board.Peter Young, the general manager of public affairs for CA, said negotiations were ongoing but added the majority of media outlets had signed the terms and conditions. “We’ve reached agreement with 99.9% of the media who cover cricket in Australia,” he told .”We’re comfortable that they can distribute information to the rest of the world so no cricket fan will have to miss out on anything if the agencies don’t want to cover it. In saying that, we’re still negotiating in good faith and we hope a common sense and pragmatic solution will be found. You never say never.”

Phil Jaques will miss Australia’s entire home summer of Tests after having surgery on a bulging disc in his back on Thursday. Jaques will be out of action for several months and the earliest possible chance for an international comeback would be on Australia’s tour of South Africa next February, but even that is an ambitious goal.It is a cruel blow for Jaques, 29, who during the past year had settled into the Test opening role alongside Matthew Hayden. Although he was overtaken by Simon Katich on the current tour of India, Jaques had performed well at Test level and in his nine matches since Justin Langer’s retirement he had averaged 50.37 with three centuries.The long-standing back injury affected his ability to prepare for games in India and he was sent home last week to seek specialist treatment. The problem was discovered to be more serious than first thought and Jaques will be unavailable for Australia’s home Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, most of the Sheffield Shield season and potentially the visit to South Africa, depending on his recovery.”The specialists advised me this is a very serious back injury and my only option was to get it operated on as soon as possible,” Jaques said. “I am hoping that with the correct rehabilitation I can play the last few matches of the interstate season, get some batting under my belt and push for selection on Australia’s tour to South Africa next year.”While this is incredibly disappointing at the moment, my sole focus is on getting back to playing for Australia as soon as possible.” The injury has opened the door for Katich to cement his place as the full-time opening partner for Hayden.It has also allowed Shaun Marsh to slip into calculations for the Test line-up having already made a success of his promotion to the opening role in one-day internationals. Marsh was added to the Test squad in India as a replacement for Jaques.

Rob Ferley, the left-arm spinner, has declined Nottinghamshire’s offer of a new two-year deal, and is expected to sign with a county “closer to London” in the next few days.”I enjoyed all aspects of my time at Notts and if I was playing regularly then I would have committed my future to the club,” Ferley said. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I’m not going to be the No. 1 spinner with the likes of Graeme Swann and Samit Patel around.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, praised Ferley’s contribution to the club. “Rob would have had more of a role to play next year but he feels he is joining a club where he can be a first-choice spinner,” said Newell. “He played a big part for us in the Twenty20 Cup and Pro40 and never let us down but his opportunities were limited by Samit Patel’s development. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Four teams can still claim the County Championship going into the final round, and another four are battling to avoid the drop. That’s not bad for a nine-team division. The county season is set for a thrilling finale over the next four days and although Nottinghamshire – at home against Hampshire – are in pole position, any slip-ups could open the door for another side to sneak through.The extraordinarily tight nature of the table is partly due to the wet summer that has finally abated in time for the final two rounds of matches. Teams have been so bunched together that one win or defeat has sent them rocketing either up or down the standings. The perfect example was last week’s match between Lancashire and Kent when Kent’s defeat sent them from Championship hopefuls to relegation candidates.Whoever wins the Championship this season will need to win their final match to do so, and that can only be a good thing. Safety-first cricket has been an issue in county cricket for some time, especially when teams have found themselves building a lead at the top of the table. If Somerset nip in for the crown they will have done it with the lowest percentage of wins in history – just four victories from 16 matches. No-one, though, can afford to take a backward step this time.”As professional cricketers, this is the type of game that you want to be involved in and we will approach it with clear minds,” said Ashwell Prince, who will line-up for Nottinghamshire. “We’ve got four seamers, right and left-hand spinners and we bat very deep so the balance of the side couldn’t be any better.”The pitches will play a key role. Trent Bridge has been a result surface all season with swing also playing a major part. Somerset can’t afford to produce a featherbed at Taunton so will have to gamble on a track with some life, which will make the toss an interesting decision. Teams batting first have been shot out on occasions this summer. Durham need plenty of help from other teams to claim their maiden title, but with an attack including Steve Harmison they have the firepower to dismantle a fragile Kent line-up.Below are the permutations for the teams aiming for the title.

At the other end of the table, five points separate four teams. Sussex and Yorkshire – minus Darren Gough and Michael Vaughan – face each other at Hove in a potential relegation dogfight. However, both could still survive depending on what happens at Taunton and Canterbury.For Sussex, being led for the final time by Chris Adams, it will be an experience they haven’t had for a while, scrapping it out at the bottom of the table. They have felt the absence of Mushtaq Ahmed and 11 draws shows the impact of not being able to bowl sides out twice, as well as the weather.Lancashire gave themselves a lifeline with their victory against Kent at Aigburth, but it could all come to nothing if they suffer a heavy defeat at Taunton. However, their fate is in their hands and a good victory, with at least 17 points, will put them safe.In Division Two the scenario is very simple. If Warwickshire take four points against Glamorgan they will claim the title ahead of their Midlands rivals Worcestershire. Both are already promoted, but who’ll they be playing against in 2009 is still anyone’s guess.

Division One

Liam Dawson doesn’t turn 19 until next March, but an impressively composed performance for Hampshire gave his side a tight 26-run win over Middlesex at Lord’s. Hampshire, who batted first, were stumbling at 61 for 4 before Dawson combined with Sean Ervine in a counterattacking partnership worth 100. Ervine stole the show with a brilliant 103 from just 76 balls, coping confidently with Middlesex’s spin pairing of Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal, but Dawson’s 45 from 59 represented an innings of growing maturity from a highly regarded young allrounder. Chasing 229, Middlesex lost a couple of early wickets but Andrew Strauss set them on course with an authoritative fifty, combining nicely with Eoin Morgan. Until, that is, Dawson found one to bite on Strauss who completely misread the line and was trapped in front for 71. At the other end, Imran Tahir responded to the breakthrough to rediscover his length and he soon had Morgan bowled around his legs for 36. Dawid Malan enhanced his growing reputation with a six and three fours, including two remarkable reverse sweeps, but when Dawson had him caught for 26, it spelled the end of Middlesex’s fight and they were bowled out in the 39th over. Dawson finished with the admirable figures of 4 for 45 from his eight overs.Paul Collingwood turned in a superb allround display with bat and ball, but it was Michael di Venuto’s unbeaten 101 that provided the cornerstone of Durham’s comprehensive eight-wicket win over Worcestershire at New Road. Steven Davies continued his fine form for the home side, cracking 49 from just 43 balls, but wickets tumbled at the other end as Durham’s seamers probed consistently. Graeme Hick provided support with a brisk 35, and though there were 20s from Moeen Ali and Gareth Andrew, Collingwood (2 for 26) and Paul Wiseman (2 for 27) limited any late-order slogging as Durham were set 184. After losing his opening partner, Phil Mustard, di Venuto was in complete command, smacking 18 fours and a six and sharing in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 141 with Collingwood who was unbeaten on 65 from 55 balls. It was Durham’s third win in five matches.

Division Two

A fine allround display from Essex trounced Glamorgan by the convincing margin of 130 runs at Colchester. Essex’s dominating 231 for 9 was set up by their captain, Mark Pettini, who smacked 70 from just 61 balls – an innings that included seven fours and two big sixes. Essex’s two players returning from England duty, Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook, only managed 12 and 11 respectively but Pettini was given excellent support by Grant Flower whose 53 came from 71 balls. Glamorgan’s chase began poorly, losing Robert Croft to the fourth ball of the innings and David Hemp followed in the next over, edging Graham Napier behind. Glamorgan could never recover from the position of 5 for 2, as Napier (2 for 15), Chris Wright (2 for 24) and Bopara (2 for 18) shared the wickets around. Jamie Dalrymple, who revels in such situations, struck a defiant 51 but was the ninth man out as Glamorgan were dismissed for a paltry 101 in the 31st over.

Match facts

Monday August 18, 2008
Start time 10.45 (9.45GMT)

Big Picture

This is the first time the Auld Enemy have met in a one-day international and it’s the biggest match staged north of Hadrian’s Wall. It’s an occasion which Scotland have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It shouldn’t be a contest with the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff going head-to-head with a collection of county and club professionals. However, these matches can do funny things to the so-called ‘big boys’ as they attempt to avoid an embarrassing banana skin. In 2006 England made hard work of beating Ireland and if the dank, damp weather of recent weeks hangs around the conditions will be ideal for Scotland’s motley crew of honest seamers. For England, though, this should be useful preparation for the one-day series against South Africa and allow the players to switch from first-class cricket into limited-overs mode. If Scotland can pull off an upset, expect the mother of all parties in Edinburgh. It’s just a shame there isn’t television coverage of the match.

Form guide

England LLLNRW
Scotland NRLWLW

Watch out for…

Matt Prior After being dumped following his spate of dropped catches in Sri Lanka, Prior has earned another chance after a prolific season for Sussex. Firstly his opportunity is in the one-day game, but the signs are pointing towards a Test recall if all goes to plan over the next three weeks. He will probably open, although given the revolving door that is the top order for England in one-day cricket nothing is certain. However, Prior’s ability to hit through and over the infield with proper, orthodox batting make him the perfect man to give England the rapid starts they have been craving.Gavin Hamilton It’s often easy to forget, but Hamilton has an England Test cap to his name, although his appearance at Johannesburg in 1999 amounted to a pair and no wickets. His returns for Scotland during the 1999 World Cup earned him that chance and since his first-class career, taking in Yorkshire and Durham, ended he has became a valuable source of experience. He doesn’t bowl anymore, but his solid batting in the top order often provides the ballast for Scotland and he’ll be key against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.John Blain Another with county experience having played for Yorkshire and Northamptonshire, England will underestimate Blain at their peril. He has been in good form recently, taking consistent hauls in one-day, Twenty20 and first-class cricket. He can set the tone with the new ball and a couple of early wickets will boost confidence through the Scotland team.

Team news

Scotland are boosted by the availability of their county batsmen – Kyle Coetzer of Durham and Navdeep Poonia of Warwickshire – who will add strength to the top order when coupled with the experience of Gavin Hamilton and captain Ryan Watson. They have a good hand of seam bowlers, with the final decision likely to come down to between Richie Berrington, Gordon Drummond and the left-arm spin of Ross Lyons. One of Scotland’s most experienced players, Fraser Watts, hasn’t been able to find a place in the squad.Scotland (from) Ryan Watson (capt), Gavin Hamilton, Kyle Coetzer, Navdeep Poonia, Colin Smith, Neil McCallum, Richie Berrington, Craig Wright, Calum MacLeod, John Blain, Dewald Nel, Gordon Drummond, Ross LyonsEngland have injuries among their pace attack with Ryan Sidebottom missing and Chris Tremlett doubtful with Tim Bresnan being called up as cover. The most interesting aspect will be the make-up of the opening pair. Matt Prior is back and the most likely combination would be him with Ian Bell, who took that position against New Zealand. The other options include Luke Wright and Owais Shah, the latter opening in one match for the Lions against the South Africans. With Paul Collingwood serving his four-match suspension there is a middle-order place available which could hand Samit Patel a debut.England (possible) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Owais Shah, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonUmpires: Peter Baldwin (Germany) and Simon Taufel (Australia)

Pitch and conditions

Predictably, given the weather in recent weeks, the forecast is poor for Monday with rain forecast throughout the day. With all the rain the pitch is likely to favour the seamers and could play fairly slowly.

Stats and Trivia