Ricky Ponting has called for a greater effort from the Australia batsmen after his side was seriously challenged in their last two CB Series games. Michael Hussey carried Australia home in both matches after the top order struggled to chase small totals.At Brisbane last Friday, Australia were 4 for 48 chasing England’s 156 and two days later at Sydney, the score fell to 3 for 17 in reply to New Zealand’s 218. Although Australia won both games, the form of players like Matthew Hayden and Ponting himself was a worry.”I think we’ve got a bit of work to do, to tell you the truth, the last couple of games we’ve played we haven’t been chasing big totals and we’ve managed just to scrape across the line both times,” Ponting told . “Although we’ve been winning I think we’ve got a lot of areas for improvement, and all of that for us will start today.”Ponting was speaking ahead of Australia’s training session at Adelaide a day before they faced England in the seventh match of the CB Series. The players have had four days’ break in between games and Ponting said he hoped that would freshen them up and ensure they were at their best against England.”We’ve had a couple of days at home after the last game,” he said. “We’ve tried to tailor our training that way so we get some time at home, but when we hit the ground today it’s flat out getting prepared for a big game tomorrow and areas we’ve been deficient in.”
Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, dodged a question whether Sourav Ganguly’s name would be in the team list he would exchange with Inzamam-ul-Haq before the two players go out for the toss in the first Test starting at Lahore on Friday.Dravid told reporters, “We haven’t thought yet about the playing eleven. At present all the squad members are up for selection. We would wait till we see the wicket and then decide on the matter.”Greg Chappell, the coach, refused to comment on who would open the Indian innings but said it was a pleasant dilemma. He said, “We have three very good openers and it’s unfortunate one of them would have to be left out. But that’s a welcome sign. It’s always better to have a dilemma on who to leave out rather than who to include.”Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer and Parthiv Patel, all of whom are staging comebacks, hoped they would do well if given a chance.”I plan to contribute to the team’s success whether I’m playing or not,” said Zaheer, who was ignored for the three home Tests against Sri Lanka and 12 ODIs before being named in the touring party.Jaffer, who last played for India in 2002, said, “I am happy to be part of the team. Hopefully I can play a part.” Parthiv Patel also expressed his happiness to be back and said, “When I get an opportunity I will look towards making the most of it.”Anil Kumble expressed happiness at being back in Pakistan for another series and felt his counterpart in the rival team, Danish Kaneria was a much improved bowler now. Kumble dismissed the suggestion that the weather in Lahore might be a deterrent. “I have bowled in cold conditions in the past and after 15 years of international cricket, I don’t think it will be a handicap,” he said.
South Africa have named an unchanged squad for the last three matches of the Standard Bank one-day international series.Speaking to the media after South Africa’s comprehensive 108-run win in the fourth game at Newlands, Haroon Lorgat, the convener of selectors, said: “Our job as selectors becomes a lot easier when the guys perform as well as they have in the last three matches. With the players settling down well in their roles it is important to show confidence in them and maintain continuity.”The only possible change to the squad was the return of Charl Langeveldt, but that was ruled out by the fact that he was still unable to bat after breaking his left hand during the Test series.South Africa lead the seven-match series 2-1, with the next ODI to be played at East London on February 9.South African squad Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Bacher, Jacques Rudolph, Ashwell Prince, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Nicky Boje, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini.
Ricky Ponting stormed to the top of the 2003 batting charts, in the process becoming only the fifth player to score back-to-back double hundreds in Test matches. Wally Hammond was the first to do it, at this very ground, way back in 1928-29, and Sir Donald Bradman achieved the feat no less than thrice. By sheer coincidence, the last of that awesome threesome came at Melbourne (270) and Adelaide (212) as Australia came from 2-0 down to win the Ashes 3-2 in 1936-37.Ponting though wasn’t even aware of that, saying, “Tell me about the records, I haven’t got a clue … It’s nice to have your name mentioned alongside these past legends, but for me, all that matters is being part of a side that has a chance to win this Test match.”He said that his controlled 257- an effort defined as much by patience as by superb strokeplay – was a response to the situation that his team found itself in after India had dominated the opening day. “It was important that we get as big a lead as possible,” he said. “The bounce will be more variable as the game goes on, and the wicket’s slower too. If our bowlers can keep banging the ball into the wicket tomorrow, they should get a few bowled or leg before.”Ponting admitted that he had enjoyed a wonderful year, and attributed much of his success to the increased responsibility that came with batting at number three. “That was the biggest change in my game,” he said. “As a junior, I had opened the batting and batted at three, and I also used to bat at number four for my state [Tasmania]. When I came into the Test side, and batted at six, it took some getting used to.”There was also time for a veiled jibe at the Indians, who let Sachin Tendulkar stay in the dressing room at the fall of the second wicket this evening. “I was very surprised that Tendulkar didn’t come out,” he said. “He is under a lot of pressure and I suppose the team has certain thoughts regarding that … you probably wouldn’t see it happen in our side, but it’s not for me to say whether it’s the right or wrong decision. If he comes out and makes a lot of runs tomorrow, it’ll look like the right choice.”Ponting also paid tribute to Steve Waugh, who came out in the afternoon, and scratched out a gritty 19 despite having been struck a blow on the elbow by Ajit Agarkar. “He was struggling a lot,” said Ponting. “It was a big effort just to come out. It was a vital stage of the game, our lead wasn’t much. It was a great effort, but then you wouldn’t expect anything else from him.”Trefor James, the Australian team doctor, added that Waugh had been hit on the outside of the elbow, resulting in a large haematoma. But investigations had revealed no fracture, and the medical team would review his progress over the next few days. “Our expectation is that he will be able to continue here and also play in Sydney,” he said.Anil Kumble, who bowled with tremendous heart and discipline for his six wickets, said that it was a tough time for India. “It was important for us to get an early wicket today. We got Martyn, but it was hard work after that. Ponting batted really well.”Of Ponting’s knock, he said, “He took a calculated risk early on [a miscue off Kumble fell short of Tendulkar] but didn’t take many chances after that. For my part, I just had to keep plugging away, bowling the same line and waiting for the mistake from the batsmen.”Kumble insisted that the mood in the dressing room was still upbeat. “It would have been nice to keep all ten wickets in hand. But you have to remember that three of the batsmen [Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman] have made hundreds already, and the fourth [Tendulkar] is yet to fire.”There’ll need to be a lot of fire, and much luck, if India are to leave the MCG with that precious lead still intact. On a pitch where the ball will misbehave more and more, it would help their cause if umpires David Shepherd and Billy Bowden were to be as conservative with decisions as they were today, when India certainly copped the wrong end of the stick. Credit though to Ponting, whose magic carpet ride has left India with a sinking feeling.
There’s a thrilling climax in prospect at the Hampshire Rose Bowl, with five clubs still harbouring play-off hopes in the NatWest Bank Under-16 Indoor Cricket League.Havant threw their hat into the ring with back-to-back wins over Locks Heath and Basingstoke & North Hants – a handly 23-point haul from the evening’s work lifting them into third spot.Top place could be decided on Sunday when leading pair Fair Oak and St Cross Symondians clash. But Andover, BAT Sports and Havant are very much in contention for the April 14 championship showdown.Five-wicket winners over Locks Heath, albeit with only two balls to spare, Havant pulled off a thrilling six-run victory over Basingstoke.Defending a modest 108-1, Havant had the May’s Bounty youngsters on their knees – only for West of England Under-15 all-rounder Mitchell Stokes to produce a splendid solo performance.Stokes cracked 61, but was bowled at 102-5 with Basingstoke a mere seven runs away from victory, with two overs left.Basingstoke got themselves out of jail in their previous match, with last pair Alex Hughes (33) and Ashley Taylor (16) lifting their total from a desperate 32-4 to a victorious 106 against unlucky Locks Heath.
An otherwise lifeless fourth and final day of the Pura Cup match between Queensland and South Australia has been completely dominated by former Australian Test opener Greg Blewett. Blewett (260*) amassed his second highest first-class total, and equalled the highest score made by any player in clashes between the two states, as he guided the Redbacks to the safety of a tame draw.Having arrived at the crease yesterday at the fall of the first South Australian second innings wicket and with the total on just 1, Blewett was in a position where a big score was needed to save the game. To make matters more challenging still, he found himself aligned against an attack which was full of confidence after it had helped enforce the follow-on. Even when he went to stumps at the end of the third day with a magnificent unbeaten 123 to his credit, a monumental effort on the final day was still required to put the match out of the Bulls’ reach.What followed here today was indeed a display of patience and concentration in a pressure situation that is rarely seen in the modern game. The South Australian number three batted for ten and a half hours, during which he offered his opponents almost nothing. There was a half-chance offered off bat and pad early yesterday, and he survived a confident appeal at 34; apart from that, the Queenslanders rarely came close to ending his magnificent vigil.With Shane Deitz (106), Blewett had provided the Queenslanders with much in the way of frustration yesterday as his team began the follow-on from the hopeless position to which a 252 run first innings deficit had condemned it. And, today, he went right on with the job, first joining with Ben Johnson (45) in an eighty run partnership for the fourth wicket and then Jeff Vaughan (24) in another of seventy-nine to reel in, and leave well behind, Queensland’s first innings advantage. After killing off most hopes of outright victory for the home side, Blewett then went in search of personal glory. His innings was one of complete dominance and no bowler looked like penetrating his defences on a friendly batting track; any loose ball that was available was punished with ease. From the 579 deliveries bowled to Blewett in his astonishing stay the crease, thirty were confidently struck to the boundary, and two balls even cleared the ropes for six.Queensland captain Stuart Law paid tribute to Blewett in his post-match conference, arguing that”it is outstanding to be able to bat for ten hours or so and not even raise a sweat”.In talking about his innings – that was compiled in front of Australian Chairman of Selectors, Trevor Hohns, Blewett said that it was “good knowing that Trevor saw the innings, but he and I both know that there is still more work to be done”.”It is a load off my mind given that I have not scored a century in quite a while,” he added.Just over halfway into the day, Blewett was joined at the crease by his captain, Darren Lehmann (47*), and there proved to be no further way through for the Bulls. Even with a still badly strained hamstring, the left handed South Australian skipper looked at ease. His injury prevented any quick running between the wickets and many extra runs that may have been on offer were accordingly denied. But, as always, he hit the ball powerfully.At 4:20 pm local time, it was Lehmann who put the official seal on the game with an early declaration. This left the Bulls to take away two first innings points from the match – a result which allows them to retain their lead on the Pura Cup table heading into the Christmas break.
Wolves’ potential pre-season tour of America this summer is currently ‘in the offing’, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.
The Lowdown: Pre-season tour mooted
Wanderers are thriving on the pitch at the moment, sitting seventh in the Premier League table, but they also appear to be making good progress behind the scenes.
A recent claim from journalist John Percy suggested that Wolves are set to tour the USA for the first time in 50 years, with Bruno Lage and his players due to head out there in the summer.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, another update has also emerged regarding the club’s 2022/23 pre-season plans.
The Latest: Spiers provides update on USA tour
Taking to Twitter on Monday night, Spiers claimed that the tour looks likely, in what would be Wolves’ first trip abroad since 2019.
He revealed: “Not finalised or booked yet but been in the offing for quite a while now, they’ve been looking to go since Jimenez joined really, but went to China in 2019 and then obviously no tours since then.”
[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]
The Verdict: Exciting for Wolves
Given the manner in which football is growing in popularity as a sport in America, this has to be considered exciting news for Wolves, as they look to branch out as a club.
The likes of Liverpool and Manchester United have huge support across the pond, and while Wanderers will likely never reach the level of those two, it would still be an ideal opportunity to gain new followers across the Atlantic.
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With European football for next season a distinct possibility, and a US tour seemingly on the cards too, it seems an exciting time to be a Wolves supporter.
In other news, one Wolves player has suffered a suspected injury. Find out who it is here.
New Zealand romped to a 216-run win over a South African Invitational XI on the third day at Bloemfontein, with another impressive performance from their bowlers who dismissed the hosts for 91. But on a day which saw 20 wickets fall for 236 runs, their top-order has had little time out in the middle ahead of the first Test on November 8.Impressive though New Zealand bowled, they too suffered an ignominious batting collapse in their second innings. Ethy Mbhalati (3 for 53) and Lonwabo Tsotsobe tore into New Zealand’s top-order to leave them wobbling on 81 for 5. While wickets tumbled around him, Craig Cumming – who made 12 in the first innings – remained firm and stroked 14 fours in a stabilising 67.The introduction of Jon Kent, however, shifted the momentum with 4 for 45 to dismiss New Zealand for 145. This left the Invitational XI chasing a tough 308; perfectly achievable in theory, but not on a green-top and nor against Shane Bond who had his tail up. Bond removed Morne van Wyk, caught at slip, before dismissing Ahmed Amla, and again he bowled well in tandem with Jacob Oram, who picked up 2 for 14 from six overs. The hosts crashed to 68 for 6, and although they found temporary respite in Thami Tsolekile’s 30, it was too little, too late.Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, picked up the final two wickets. His batsmen have one final warm-up game in which to gain some form, against South Africa A in Potchefstroom starting Thursday.Vettori hoped a better pitch would be used in the next tour game. “We came here to win a game, but the conditions weren’t what we expected. It was one of the worst pitches I’ve played on,” Vettori told News24.com. “For us to get runs in the first innings was pleasing, but it was continually hard for the batsmen from both teams to get runs because the ball moved around late into day three. So it wasn’t the ideal workout for us, but we’re happy to get some runs and overs under our belt.”The most important thing about the match was getting out there and playing some cricket,” he said. “It’s a long time since the guys bowled more than ten overs, so that was very important.”We’re hoping for a flatter wicket [in Potchefstroom] so we can get a really good run out,” he said. “I know the bowlers want to bowl 20, 30 overs and get that under their belts, and the same for the batsmen – they want to build long partnerships and trust the bounce and movement on the wicket, because I think that’s what we’re going to get in the Test matches. We’re going to get good wickets there that the batsmen can dominate on, and they need that before they head into the Tests.”
Greg Blewett will consider moving interstate to extend his career after South Australia all but told him his days of playing for the Redbacks were over. Blewett was dropped from the one-day team on Monday after making 26, 16 and 10 in the first three Ford Ranger Cup matches of the season.Blewett, who has not played Pura Cup cricket since 2005-06, said being left out of the Redbacks’ limited-overs line-up was a shock. “I have certainly been disappointed with the way things have transpired over the last couple of days,” Blewett told the .”Last year I can understand getting dropped from the Pura Cup team as my season wasn’t great and I was injured a bit and basically saw it coming. This one hit me for six. I saw in the paper I was averaging 59 [in 2004-05] and last year 39 which in one-day cricket was pretty good.”Blewett, 35, said the South Australia chairman of selectors Paul Nobes had indicated it would be very difficult to regain his place in the side. “After talking to Paul Nobes it was pretty clear I am not in their plans going forward,” Blewett said. “Next year I am under contract but I am sure if I go through the right channels and talk to other states there might be something to look forward to.”Blewett made his debut for the Redbacks in 1991-92 and three years later was in the Australia Test team. He ended his 46-match Test career in 2000 with an average of 34.02.
Steve Harmison has emerged as a slight doubt for England’s crucial fourth one-day international against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, after missing Sunday’s training session with a bout of flu.”He’s not feeling too well today and we’ll be monitoring him through to tomorrow,” England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher, told reporters at the Pindi Stadium. “He’s got a sore throat and is feeling very fluey and heavy.”For England, Harmison’s absence would be a significant blow, seeing as they are already missing the services of several senior players, including Michael Vaughan, Ashley Giles and Kevin Pietersen. But Fletcher remained optimistic that his team, who are 2-1 down in the series with two matches to play, would be able to bounce back regardless.”We’ve just got to play the same way we did in that first game,” he added, harking back to a powerful performance at Lahore, in which England batted first and put the game beyond reach with a total of 327 for 4. “We need to show the same approach. If we win tomorrow, we’ll have a slight advantage going into the last game.”It’s all about doing the basics right,” added Fletcher. “We need to look to bowl in the right areas consistently, and when we bat we mustn’t worry about looking for too big a score up front, and forgetting how to get there. Instead our top three batters need to lay a good platform.”Despite a record-equalling 165-run defeat at Karachi, Fletcher denied that weariness was beginning to take its toll on the team, and pointed out that their fielding drill under the Rawalpindi lights had been as eager as ever on tour.”We said all along before we came out here, it’s going to be a difficult tour,” said Fletcher. “They are a very talented side, and they’ve played well and done their homework. We’ve got to make sure we put up performances like we’ve managed in the past.”
Fletcher cited England’s tour of India four years ago as an example of the spirit in adversity that his squads can summon. On that occasion they had been 3-1 down, but pulled level to 3-3 in a series best remembered for Andrew Flintoff whipping his shirt off and waving it around his head in celebration.”It’s going to be a difficult task,” he conceded. “Winning any game is a difficult task, but if we play properly we can get back to 2-2.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, was sounding upbeat on the eve of the fixture. “Tomorrow’s match is crucial for us because it could be a series decider,” he told reporters. “That’s the key to our success because we got good starts in the last two games.”Inzamam was still flushed with pride after his side’s performance at Karachi, in which they posted a massive total of 353 for 6. “I don’t think England had thought that Pakistan could perform like this” he said, having contributed a rapid 45 off 35 balls to the cause.Inzamam did not expect any changes to his matchwinning side, but brushed aside any suggestions that the team was creeping up the rails as the 2007 World Cup draws closer.”For me ratings count for nothing because I don’t think that the favorite team has always won the World Cup,” he said. “We need to perform consistently and play positive cricket to get ourselves tuned up for the World Cup.”England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick (capt), 2 Matt Prior, 3 Andrew Strauss, 4 Vikram Solanki, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ian Blackwell, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson, 12 Ian Bell.Pakistan (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Salman Butt, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami, 12 Yasir Arafat.