The many chimneys of the steel plant in Jamshedpur, spewing forth fumes of various hues, provide a fine backdrop for the cricket. From some of those outlets come white, snowy emissions, which look like a fluff of clouds; others look altogether more venomous, dark and angry; all of them are the result of the steel-making process, the reason for the existence of the township of Jamshedpur.Set-up in 1908 by the Tatas, a huge corporate entity, the steel plant gradually attracted people from all over the country, many of whom stayed back over generations to create a quite unique cosmopolitan community. The Tatas pride themselves on putting corporate ethics and people over everything else – the entire upkeep of the township is their responsibility, roads, hospitals, electricity, parks and gardens; plus, they invest plenty in the upliftment of the tribals around the region – but this spirit of generosity hasn’t always rubbed off on the people of Jamshedpur, at least not when they come to see a cricket match. More than once, they have earned notoriety for their boorish behaviour against the visiting teams – England, West Indies and Pakistan have all borne the brunt of their ill humour earlier.Today, though, they were in a much better mood. The boundaries hit by Pakistan’s batsmen got reasonable applause, while there was generous hand-clapping in anticipation of Salman Butt’s century. When he reached the landmark, the cheers were, again, fairly generous.Obviously, the Indians got a much bigger round of applause for everything they did on the field, but among all the superstars in the Indian line-up, there was little doubt about who the fans wanted to see the most .Sample this conversation between two gents in the crowd: “First slip mein kaun hai?” (Who’s at first slip?) “Dravid.” “Aur second mein?” “Sehwag.” “Aur keeper?” “Arre woh to andhaa bhi bataa dega.” (Even a blind man can answer that one.) It matters not that Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag have together played 359 one-day internationals; Mahendra Singh Dhoni is only in his sixth. For the doting fans on his home ground, Dhoni the superstar towers above everyone else – when Dhoni gets into the act, the cheers, the whistles, the bugles, all seem infused with more energy.Dhoni didn’t get too much opportunity to show his skills with the gloves, though: he effected a regulation stumping, but not much else. Then the moment the entire Keenan Stadium has been waiting for – Virender Sehwag’s dimissal is never a happy occurence for Indian fans, but here it is laced with more than a silver lining. And soon the crowd is chanting “Dhoni, Dhoni” as the local hero launched into some vicious drives and cuts. After one particularly rasping upper-cut off Mohammad Sami, a young boy of about ten revealed the secret of Dhoni’s power: “Yeh sab chaar litre doodh ka kamaal hai.” (It’s all the effect of four litres of milk.) Dhoni’s dietary habits are soon becoming stuff of lore – here is a celebrity waiting to be picked up by an Amul or a Nestle to endorse their dairy products.It was all too good to last, sadly. Dhoni went for one adventurous stroke too many, the crowd was first hushed, then reacted with a more ugly piece of behaviour, which threatened to undo all the good work they’d done earlier. Indian hopes were going up in smoke, and suddenly the backdrop looked not only scenic, but also entirely appropriate.
East Zone 227 for 2 (Kiran Powar 79*, Gandhi 75*) beat North Zone 225 for 7 (Manhas 72, Sodhi 68, Sanyal 4-48) by 8 wickets Scorecard An unbroken 160-run stand between Devang Gandhi and Kiran Powar guided East Zone to a comfortable eight-wicket win with 12 overs to spare at Cuttack. After a solid 67-run partnership between Nikhil Haldipur and Mahendra Dhoni, both fell in quick succession to Sanjay Gill’s medium-pace. But Powar carried on his runscoring spree and along with Gandhi, his captain, ensured that the target was reached without too many hassles. Sandip Sanyal (4 for 48), the medium-pacer, was instrumental in keeping North Zone down to a modest 225. North were struggling at 53 for 4, before a 134-run stand between Mithun Manhas and Reetinder Sodhi bailed them out. It proved too little as East romped home to their second consecutive win of the tournament.West Zone 247 for 7 (Kanitkar 103, Ganesh 4-39) beat South Zone 245 (Sriram 54) by 2 runs Scorecard South Zone’s last five batsmen were run-out as West Zone won a humdinger at the Keenan Stadium at Jamshedpur. Chasing 247, Sadagoppan Ramesh(42) and Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (47) got them off to a steady start. But both fell in quick succession and South lost their way in the middle overs. Sridharan Sriram anchored the innings with a 62-ball 54 but the running between the wickets was far from assured as West scraped home by two runs. Earlier in the day, Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s 103 was the highlight of the West innings, and his important partnerships with Nishit Shetty (47) and Ranjit Khirid (34) ensured that they reached a competitive score.
Marlon Samuels’ promising start to his international career has been put on hold for at least three months and probably beyond the upcoming home series against India and New Zealand.Team manager Ricky Skerritt said yesterday original estimates that a knee operation here on Sunday would put the 21-year-old Jamaican out for between six and seven weeks had been amended.Unable to play in the two Tests here, he would still be recuperating during India’s tour of the West Indies for five Tests and five One-Day Internationals April 11 to June 2.Although New Zealand’s series of two Tests and three One-Day Internationals is not until June 5 to July 2, Samuels would have no chance to get match fit by then.The surgery removed a piece of bone after X-rays taken following his arrival here for the current series against Pakistan revealed a large defect on the inner part of the right knee.The part of the bone that required removal proved bigger than anticipated and three small incisions had to be made, rather than two, Skerritt said, quoting orthodpaedic surgeon Dr Deepak Bhajia who performed the keyhole operation.He said it had been a success and Samuels had reported feeling no pain in his knee for the first time in two years.Marlon is to have the stitches removed tomorrow and, to avoid putting pressure on the knee, is using crutches, the manager added. He will remain in Sharjah until the series is over and fly back with the team on Monday.As middle-order batsman and useful off-spinner, Samuels has played 12 Tests and 29 One-Day Internationals since he was suddenly pitch-forked into the series in Australia just over a year ago as a replacement for Shivnarine Chanderpaul.He made an immediate impression against the strong Australian attack but has not maintained his consistency since.Samuels joins another of the young band of batsmen sidelined by injury.Ramnaresh Sarwan, also 21 who has had 17 Tests since his debut against Pakistan in April 2000, was ruled out of the trip to Sharjah by a back complaint that has bothered him since the tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya last June and July.It is not known when he will return but he has not yet played for Guyana in the current Busta Series in the West Indies.While Samuels and Sarwan have been eliminated by injury, another young batsman gets his first chance at international level.Runako Morton, the 23-year-old Nevisian, arrived here Sunday after Samuels’ indisposition and Sherwin Campbell’s fractured finger that left the team short of two batsmen. He is expected to be in the 11 for the opening day-night One-Day International here tomorrow.Morton, who was not among the listed stand-bys for the tour, has been preferred to Leon Garrick, the little Jamaican who was.The selectors were clearly seeking a middle-order batsman, which Morton is, rather than an opener, which Garrick is.It is unlucky for Garrick who was on the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka last November and December but returned home before the One-Day Internationals because of a potentially serious heart problem.That has since been corrected and Garrick is enjoying a productive Busta Series, averaging 53.2 after three rounds.Morton was enjoying his best season when selected, averaging 73.5 for the Leewards from the first two Busta rounds.It marks a significant turnaround for the strongly-built Nevisian.He missed most of last season because of a broken hand and was expelled from the inaugural Shell Cricket Academy in Grenada last August on a disciplinary charge.He is a naturally gifted player, a stroke-playing batsman, fine, fast-moving fielder and occasional medium-pace bowler.Like Samuels, his opportunity has unexpectedly come knocking through someone else’s misfortune. It is there for him to take.
Surrey sit secure at the top of Division One of the county championshipafter defeating nearest rivals Yorkshire by 203 runs at The Oval. SpinnersSaqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury routed the batting of the northern county.Though leading by 304 round overnight Surrey batted on with Martin Bicknellgiving courageous support to Alistair Brown who finished on 140 n.o.Yorkshire needed to score 330 runs to win but the day was dominated by thebowlers.Bicknell dismissed both Michael Vaughan, batting with a runner after having injured his ankle the previous day, and David Byas. Thereafter Surrey surged to success on the strength of their spinners however well Yorkshire tried to hold them up. When Anthony McGrath and Darren Lehmann were out the innings folded.
Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez is reportedly now contemplating leaving the club this summer, in order for his 2022 World Cup dream not to be hampered.
The Lowdown: Gomez out of favour at Liverpool
It has been a hugely frustrating season for the 24-year-old, who has found playing time extremely difficult to come by under Jurgen Klopp.
Gomez has only started one Premier League game in 2021/22 to date, at home to Norwich City, and even that match saw him deployed as a right-back.
With Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate all ahead of him in the centre-back pecking order, it is hard to see how his current situation will change any time soon.
The Latest: Defender wants summer exit
According to 90min, Gomez is still worried about missing out on England’s World Cup squad, as was the case back in October, and will push for a move away.
Leicester City, Tottenham, Newcastle United and West Ham are all mentioned as potential suitors for the Englishman, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2024.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-23/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Need to keep hold of him
While Gomez wanting to leave is understandable given every player’s desire to play in big international tournaments, Liverpool should still do all they can to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.
Granted, he has suffered a number of serious injuries in recent years but he is still only 24 years of age and was recently hailed as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
With Van Dijk and Matip both turning 31 later this year, Gomez could still end up being a regular starter over time – whether or not he is happy to be patient could be the biggest stumbling block, though.
In other news, a Spanish source has made a Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.
A whirlwind century from Yusuf Pathan took West Zone to a strong 349 for 7 at stumps on the first day against Central Zone in Rajkot. Opting to bat first, West were off to a confident start as the Mumbai pair of Ajinkya Rahane (50) and Sahil Kukreja (72) forged a 124-run partnership. Central then fought their way back into the match as Sanjib Sanyal removed both of them before Sanjay Bangar dismissed captain Parthiv Patel. Pathan walked in at the fall of the fourth wicket on 174 and blitzed a 66-ball 107 to give West the upper hand. He carted 13 boundaries and five sixes during his 88-minute stay and made all his runs in a 136-run stand with Chetheswar Pujara, who made a sedate 44. For Central, Bangar and Sanyal finished with three wickets each, but Sanyal was expensive conceding five runs an over. Scorecard Fifteen wickets tumbled on a dramatic first day as North Zone seized the advantage in their encounter against South Zone in Ahmedabad. Medium-pacer Vikramjeet Malik tore through the top order while Delhi’s Rajat Bhatia cleaned up the tail as South were bundled out for 157. After being put in to bat, South were off to a solid start with openers Ravi Teja (41) and Swapnil Asnodkar putting on 37, before Malik snared five wickets, including the big one of captain S Badrinath, in a five-over burst, to leave them tottering at 69 for 5. South lost three more quick wickets before a 68-run partnership between Vinay Kumar (41*) and Kalyankrishna (31) brought in a semblance of respectability to their scorecard.North’s reply started with a 58-run opening stand before they had a collapse of their own: they lost four wickets for seven runs to Karnataka’s duo of Vinay Kumar and NC Aiyappa and lost Bhatia shortly before the close to finish the day on 104 for 5.
Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not travel to the Caribbean for the World Cup if they fail to take a dope test, according to Pakistan cricket officials. The Pakistan Cricket Board completed tests on 13 of its 15-man squad and five reserves this week but Shoaib and Asif have yet to feature, raising media speculation they might be forced out of the event starting on March 13.”PCB chairman Naseem Ashraf has a zero tolerance on the use of banned substances so any member of the team going for the World Cup has to pass the screening, the in-house dope testing,” Salim Altaf, the PCB’s director of operations, told AFP. “The chairman has directed that nobody can go on the tour if this screening is not done.”Shoaib was banned for two years and Asif for one year in November after they tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. But the new-ball pair’s bans were controversially overturned by a PCB appellate committee in December, on the grounds they did not take the banned substance knowingly. Experts have warned that Shoaib and Asif may still have banned substances in their systems after testing positive last year and face life bans if they test positive again.Altaf, however, brushed aside speculation over the dope tests on Shoaib and Asif. “Everybody will feature otherwise nobody can go and that is the instruction of the chairman and we hope all speculations die down after this,” said Altaf, a former fast bowler. He also rejected suggestions the PCB was risking life bans for the pair if they test positive a second time. “If they failed tests which took place in September 2006 and this is now February 2007, the process is the same for everybody.”Shoaib said he still hopes to be fit for World Cup despite battling to recover from knee and hamstring problems. “I am going for another reassessment of my knee and hamstring injury in England later this week and only after that I am able to know about my chances of playing in the World Cup,” he told AFP. Asked when he was due to appear for testing, Shoaib refused to comment and said his first priority was to get over his injury.”Right now I want my injury to heal and only after that I am going to think about anything else,” said Shoaib, who joined Pakistan’s pre-tour camp in Lahore on Friday but only took part in exercises. “My chances of playing in the World Cup are 50-50 and I will take a final decision only after having a reassessment of the knee. The doctor has stopped me from bowling until February 27.”Asif meanwhile also had an assessment in England last week after a recurrence of an elbow injury before returning home on Wednesday. “Both Shoaib and Asif are consulting the specialist over their injuries and once these problems are overcome they will feature in the tests,” said Altaf. Another paceman, Umar Gul, featured in the training camp and said on Friday that he “felt great” after recovering from an ankle injury sustained on Pakistan’s tour of South Africa last month.Altaf said all the squad members will have to pass fitness tests as well. “Before the departure of the team to the Caribbean all 15 players are going to subjected to a fitness test by a medical panel of the PCB,” he said. Pakistan has until March 2 to replace any injured player in their squad. After the deadline only the International Cricket Council’s technical committee is entitled to allow an injury replacement. Pakistan also has ICC permission to replace any player who tests positive.
Ricky Ponting added to his impressive collection of individual records in the second Test as Australia targeted a series victory by setting South Africa 410. With his twin centuries Ponting became only the second player alongside Sunil Gavaskar to achieve the mark in three matches, and he also stepped ahead of Don Bradman’s 29 hundreds to sit two behind Steve Waugh, the leading Australian.While his batting was superb, Ponting’s tactics of delaying the declaration, despite last-session problems with the light throughout the match and today’s murky weather, will be questioned as South Africa escaped to 29 for 0 in 7.1 overs before the players went off. Ponting closed the second innings half an hour before tea at 307 for 4 and Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers were not troubled in the first five overs.The conditions deteriorated during and after the break, and Andrew Symonds, who was bowling medium pace, and Shane Warne had delivered 13 balls when the batsmen were offered the light after a couple of umpiring conferences. Symonds’s offspin was not tried as de Villiers, who played an aggressive hook shot off Brett Lee, reached 17 and Smith 10.Australia’s chances of sealing the series now rely on them taking ten wickets on day five, but their main threats are a combination of a South African rearguard and more poor weather. Ponting experienced a selection of the possible conditions when he batted with blue sky, rain, wind and gloom, but the chances of a reduction in match time did not seem to affect his declaration plans.Starting the day with a 227-run advantage, Ponting set the pace of Australia’s target-setting next to Matthew Hayden as they both reached three figures in a 201-run stand. Play began with the lights on but they didn’t dim the batsmen’s outlook. Pulling was again a productive shot for Ponting, who slapped Shaun Pollock for six over midwicket, and Hayden was driving strongly as he overtook his captain and beat him to 100.Hayden, who picked off 12 boundaries in 102, replaced his stolid performance of day three with one of more power as Australia kept ticking off their goals. With a single to point Hayden moved to his 26th hundred and for two overs was within three of Ponting, who restored his four-century lead by picking up a one to mid-on from his 166th ball.South Africa’s fast men struggled for spark as they watched the total grow and they finally had a moment to cheer when Hayden nicked Makhaya Ntini to Mark Boucher with the score on 250. As the closure approached Ponting departed to a big heave to deep midwicket and Adam Gilchrist smashed Andre Nel for 22 in an over including five fours. Not that it shut the bowler up.There was regular talk on the field and Ponting ensured they would be more about his decisions and his batting records. He opened the Test series against West Indies in November with a couple of hundreds at the Gabba – the first time he reached the milestone – and he matched the feat in his 100th Test at the SCG in January to earn a 2-0 win against South Africa. In the first innings he sweated for 103 and today’s smoother 116 was his seventh hundred in a 2005-06 season of 1238 runs in nine matches.Ponting is in the middle of a remarkable batting streak and his side is now stuck in an intriguing race of ball, bat and weather. If the conditions allow expect an absorbing final day.
Australia Justin Langer c Pollock b Boje 37 (49 for 1) Matthew Hayden c Boucher b Ntini 102 (250 for 2) Ricky Ponting c Boje b Pollock 116 (278 for 3) Adam Gilchrist c Nel b Boje 24 (307 for 4)
Worcestershire have received assurances from the PCB that Shoaib Akhtar will be available for the entire second half of the season. But, given the PCB’s current relationship with their mercurial fast bowler, what this really means is anybody’s guess.Shoaib is due to arrive at New Road on July 1 to begin life with his second English county, after a previous stint with Durham where he enjoyed limited success. If any one-day tournaments spring up during the second part of the English summer, Shoaib is committed to Worcestershire’s cause – and Tom Moody, their former captain, coach and now director of cricket, is earmarking him for the role of finishing teams off.”He is keen to prove a point in county cricket and I think playing in a better side, with more experienced bowling and batting, will help him and he will be used purely as an impact bowler,” Moody told the . “That is what we need, someone who can knock over wickets early on and finish teams off, something that Nantie Hayward did for us a couple of years ago. We tend not to have trouble knocking over the first four or five wickets but someone who can also knock over numbers nine, 10 and 11 is also so beneficial.”Shoaib has had something of a controversial winter with questions raised over his commitment to the Pakistan cause and his fitness an ongoing topic of debate. He has been ruled out of the Test series against India with a hamstring injury, but hopes to be fit for the one-day internationals. Given his recent record Worcestershire may believe it when they see it as far as Shoaib on a cricket field is concerned.
The International Cricket Council is looking to hold discussions with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) with a view to implementing a world-wide code for the sport. Whether that involves adoption of WADA’s world policy, or a special version for cricket is likely to be the main point of discussion.Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC, said in Christchurch today during a whistlestop visit with ICC chairman Ehsan Mani, that he hoped a meeting could be set up by next month.Cricket does not have a world-wide drug protocol, and major cricket events have so far adopted the code applicable in the country where the event is being hosted. In last summer’s World Cup, the South African drug code applied to the tournament.Speed said a number of countries, including New Zealand, were tied to their government’s sports protocol which was part of the WADA policy. The ICC has sought a meeting with WADA because it had some issues with the WADA code and it was hoped that it might be possible to have a policy that was a little more specific to cricket. “We hope to meet over the next six months and make some progress on that.”He also said that it was up to individual cricket boards to decide whether they should play two, three or four Tests in a series. Two was the minimum requirement under the ICC Test Championship. “In an ideal world we would like to see more than two Tests and it may be that we see three and four Tests in a series as the competition evolves. That would give a better indication and be a better competition.”The problem of too little Test-match play for some countries had meant that India scheduled only five Tests this year. Speed said the ICC could go to the executive meetings with recommendations on the number of Tests they would prefer but it was for the boards to decide what suited them best. One of the negatives of the scheme was that there were some countries that would not wish to play more than two Tests against some other countries.Mani explained that the purpose of his and Speed’s visit to New Zealand was to get a better understanding of the way the board runs cricket in the country. He added that he hoped to have completed visits to all countries by next year.Speaking about his trip to New Zealand, Mani said: “There have been huge changes in New Zealand Cricket since the Hood Report which was not that long ago.” Those changes were reflected in the way the New Zealand team was performing and he said he and Speed would take a lot back from their trip here. Their visit has coincided with the latest brush experienced by New Zealand with security issues as the squad prepared to leave for their delayed tour of Pakistan tomorrow.”New Zealand has borne the brunt of security issues. They have been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said in reference to the three bomb blasts that have affected New Zealand tours, twice in Sri Lanka and once in Pakistan.”We are pleased the Pakistan tour is going ahead and we have been pleased with the spirit in which the boards involved are approaching this issue,” Speed said. One of the problems in defining a common approach to the security problem was deciding what was safe and what wasn’t.Mani had no problem with NZC giving players the right to withdraw from the tour. “You can’t force a player to go. The player has to be happy to go and New Zealand Cricket has handled it well.”Speed added that when professional cricketers made their career choice, they needed to remember that many of the cities in the world in which cricket is played are dangerous places. He said that he was very impressed with Stephen Fleming’s statement that he was happy to leave the matter of the Pakistan tour to the NZC management. “That is not a viewpoint we see very often.”Speed also spoke about the extension of his contract till 2005, something that Mani said had always been intended to happen. “There has been a good deal of stress but I didn’t think it would be a pleasant holiday. The only way to deal with that is to have the best people around you and not to be influenced by outside influences.”Speed said that he felt with all that had gone on in international cricket in the last few years, the organisation, with all the changes that had been implemented, was now better placed to handle crises than had been the case before.