Paul Reiffel has thrown his support behind a possible challenge rule, which would allow players to request a review of an umpire’s decision with the assistance of television replays. The ICC is considering trialing such a system, in which the teams would be able to ask for a limited number of referrals.Reiffel, who has regularly stood in first-class matches in Australia after retiring as a player, said the idea had merit. “You want the right decision to be made,” Reiffel told the . “It doesn’t bother me how you get it. If it’s there and available straight away, you [should] look at it.”The ICC trial will probably take place at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September. The reviewed decisions will be based solely on replays, not technological tools such as Hawkeye and the Snickometer, which Channel says are not 100% accurate and take too long to configure. However, Reiffel said technology should not be written off altogether.”You don’t want everyone to be waiting and waiting all the time,” Reiffel said. “It’d slow down the game too much. But let’s look to improve the situation and embrace the technology if it means less controversy and contention. The trouble in the past is that the technology hasn’t quite been in place and the players have said they don’t want it.”Umpiring has been in the news after several controversial decisions in the Sydney Test between Australia and India, and Reiffel’s former captain Steve Waugh said abolishing the neutral-umpire rule might be the answer. But Reiffel said the current system was safer. “I know having had 15 years’ experience [playing] with Victoria,” Reiffel said, “that I’m more comfortable standing in games interstate involving teams other than Victoria.”
Sialkot suffered a setback when they lost seven wickets for only 154 in their first innings against Karachi Harbour, at the National Stadium. After Karachi Harbour posted 293 yesterday, Sialkot were still 139 behind with only three wickets in hand.Anwar Ali scored his maiden first-class half-century, scoring 59 to take Karachi Harbour close to a total of 300. He scored seven fours and a six in his knock and his ninth-wicket partnership with fellow seamer Faraz Ahmed (16) was 63. Anwar then started Sialkot’s slump by trapping opener Atiq-ur-Rehman for a duck second ball. There were pockets of resistance later on, but none lasted long enough. Mohammad Ayub and Tariq Mahmood added 43 for the fifth wicket.With Shahid Yousuf having to retire hurt without scoring and seamers Faraz Ahmed and Uzair-ul-Haq bowling effectively, Sialkot don’t appear to have much of a chance to take the first-innings lead.Points for Karachi Harbour will help them hold on to their spot in the Gold League. They already appear to have avoided demotion to next season’s Silver League circuit.Karachi Urban held the upper hand with a first-innings lead of 154 after wrapping up Faisalabad for a modest 200 at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1. The only real resistance from Faisalabad came from their captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Coming in at 22 for 2, remained unbeaten till the end with 83, off 161 balls with nine fours and a six. He also added 63 for the fifth wicket with Naved Latif (39) was significant.Faisalabad were tied down by offspinner Tahir Khan who took 4 for 64 in less than 20 overs. Seamer Imran Javed took 3 for 40 in 11 overs and young left-arm spinner Azam Hussain 2 for 54 in 21.Karachi Urban are currently at second place in the Gold League table behind Sialkot, who too have an identical points tally of 24. Karachi Urban will now most probably join defending champions Sialkot in the final, if they go on to beat Faisalabad here.No play was possible for the second day running in the match between Peshawar and Lahore Shalimar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.
Just four days into the one-day series and both India and Pakistan have injury concerns ahead of the second one-dayer at Rawalpindi on February 11. Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh, who both missed the first one-dayer at Peshawar, appeared unlikely starters while India had further worries with Sreesanth and Greg Chappell, the coach, also rendered ill-disposed.Harbhajan, who is yet to play a one-dayer in Pakistan, had a brief knock with the bat at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and took part in fielding drills, but refrained from bowling. “Unfortunately, Harbhajan hasn’t bowled today and we’re monitoring the situation,” Dravid said after a nets session. “We’re keeping in mind the forthcoming series and need to handle the situation accordingly. It’s a sort of injury where it’s tough to put a finger on the time-frame of recovery. We will take a decision keeping in mind the future matches.”Sreesanth and Chappell also aren’t well. They’ve come down with a sore throat and are feeling feverish. We didn’t want other guys getting ill as well. As a precaution we decided it’s better for them to skip it.”Pakistan too may have a worry with regard to Shoaib Akhtar, whose ankle has been a worry since early December, limped off after a bowling stint during Pakistan’s practice session, and was visibly in pain. His problem began during the Lahore Test against England but wasn’t serious enough to stop him from playing all three games against India, though he was an unlikely starter for the Karachi Test. It was the first time in his career that he played six Tests on the trot but a need for rest, combined with the side’s rotation policy, kept him out of the opening ODI. There will be an advantage of playing on his home ground and Shoaib would no doubt be raring to help Pakistan carry on the momentum.The pitch, with a greenish tinge, might have encouraged him as well but Dravid felt that one could get a clear picture only tomorrow. “There’s a bit of cut grass and it’s been watered but there’s still 48 hours to go and anything can happen,” he said. “When we playedhere last more than 300 runs were scored and it could be a similar story here.”He added that India’s inability to defend a big total was a concern and hinted that there may be a few changes in the bowling line-up. “We could probably do a few more things with the bowling,” he said. “We have a young and inexperienced attack and are trying to improve in every game. It’s tough to bowl on these conditions and we’re looking to get better. Pakistan have a good batting side, they bat low down and are very effective in sub-continental conditions.”Both teams finished practice by 11:00am to avoid being held up by Muharram processions in and around Rawalpindi. The Indians had a relaxed schedule on Wednesday with a few members of the side playing some golf, while the others visited a Gurudwara near Islamabad. Pakistan had an optional net session yesterday with some players preferring to spend time in their homes.
With the first Test only three days away, the BCCI has finally concluded its immediate television-rights deals by awarding the overseas rights for the India-Pakistan series to Sony Entertainment Television. The company put up a winning bid of US$11.5million for the three Tests and six one-dayers.”I was authorised by the BCCI’s Working Committee earlier this week to take the decision on satellite rights,” said Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the president of the Indian board. “Since Sony was the highest bidder, it was given the rights.”While the procedure was seemingly a straightforward one, the head of Nimbus, a rival bidder, said that his offer had been higher. But Kunal Dasgupta, Sony’s chief executive, said that when the bids were opened, his company’s was the highest. Indiantelevision.com quoted him as saying, “There is no cause for any dispute in this matter.”
A five-wicket haul by Tasmanian left-arm paceman Andrew Downton today thwarted South Australia’s bid for a hefty first innings total in the Pura Cup cricket clash at Bellerive Oval.After a slow but steady start on the opening day, the Redbacks crumbled in the second session, losing 6-88 to be bowled out for 236 in their first innings.Downton claimed the prize scalps of Zimbabwe import Andy Flower and captain Greg Blewett in his impressive haul of 5-71 before Tasmania reached 1-39 by stumps on day one.SA’s opening partnership of David Fitzgerald (32) and Shane Deitz (40) yielded 67 runs in 117 minutes off 180 balls.Deitz fell LBW to Xavier Doherty, leaving the visitors at 1-68 at lunch.But the Tigers turned up the heat in the second session as Downton fired, vindicating his surprise selection over fellow paceman Gerard Denton for the match.Downton was picked ahead of Denton who was made 12th man despite bagging 11 wickets in the Tasmania 2nd XI match against Western Australia in Perth last week.Tigers captain Dan Marsh said it was a tough decision to leave Denton out, but Downton’s inclusion was “a good call”.Former Zimbabwe Test batsman Flower scored 20 runs – including one six and three consecutive fours – off six balls before being dismissed for 28.Michael Di Venuto held on to impressive left-handed catch at second slip to dismiss Flower and later caught Mark Higgs for 16 at the same spot.A slow-scoring Blewett (25) followed Flower, but not before he brought up 16,000 first-class runs with an on-drive for four off paceman Damien Wright (3-47) in the 51st over.Canadian World Cup hero John Davison – the team’s top scorer and man of the match in the ING Cup win against the Tigers on Saturday – went for a golden duck.Wright was on a hat-trick after dismissing Graham Manou (1) and Davison off successive balls, but was denied by Mark Cleary.Cleary again showed his ability as a late-order batsman by topscoring with a hard-hitting 58 from only 62 balls including eight fours and one six.But Wright didn’t go away disappointed as Manou gave him his 100th Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup wicket.In reply, the Tigers opener Scott Mason fell LBW to Shaun Tait for 13.Fellow opener Jamie Cox was on 23 at the close of play, with Shane Watson on one.Play resumes at 11am (AEST) tomorrow, with a break scheduled to coincide with the Melbourne Cup.
Nashua Western Province selectors have announced their team for Friday’s crucial Standard Bank Cup match against Griqua Diamonds at Newlands.WP have a difficult task ahead if they want to qualify for the semi finals in the Standard Bank Cup. They must win both their remaining matches against Griqua Diamonds on Friday and EP Jumbos in Port Elizabeth a week later.
NASHUA WESTERN PROVINCE VS DE BEERS GRIQUA DIAMONDSSTANDARD BANK CUP:18 January 2002Newlands Cricket GroundGraeme SmithAndrew PuttickNeil JohnsonHylton Ackerman ( C )Ashwell PrinceLloyd FerreiraThami TsolekileAlan DawsonClaude HendersonRoger TelemachusQuinton FriendCharl WilloughbyCricket Managers: Vincent Barnes; Eric Simons
An unbeaten stand of 100 runs between the Ranatunga brothers, Arjuna and Sajeevwa, for the third wicket, ensured Sinhalese Sports Club their first victory in the Premier League One-Day Tournament match against Bloomfield Sports Club at SSC grounds today. Both brothers scored 63 runs and the victort target was reached in the 36th over.Arjuna, who was making his first appearance since his retirement frominternational cricket in August, showed that there is still plenty of cricket leftin him. He scored his runs quickly, from just 57 balls, and hit four boundaries and four sixes.Sanjeewa, who narrowly missed a half-century yesterday, played a more sedate innings and faced 95 deliveries.Prasanna Jayawardene (46), who opened the innings, was also in the runs, for the first time for his new club, having recently left Sebastianites. His 46 came from 51 balls and included seven boundaries.Earlier, Bloomfield SC elected to bat first having won the toss. They started well as the openers, Chaminda Ruwan(42) and Pubudu Dassanayake(27), shared a 66-run partnership in 12 overs.However, they the lost two wickets with the score on 66 and never recovered thereafter. Only skipper, Kumara Dharmasena, was able to settle, scoring an unbeaten 57 runs from 90 balls.Off spinner, Suranjith Silva (4/40) was the chief wicket-taker while SSC’s inform fast bowler, Dilhara Fernando, chipped in with three for 22.Bloomfield having lost their two opening games in the tournament are lookingforward to the return of inform national skipper Sanath Jayasuriya to givethem a boost in next weeks matches. SSC will be boosted by the return of four national players.
This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s The Breakdown series, where we analyse the deeper impacts of every fixture.
Conte’s silverware dream shattered…
Tottenham’s imperious 4-0 Premier League victory away to Leeds United at the weekend was the ultimate remedy to what was a tame defeat at Burnley beforehand.
Following that convincing display, one which prompted manager Antonio Conte to shower plenty of praise on some members of the Spurs squad, the Lilywhites’ inconsistency was unfortunately laid bare again in the FA Cup last night.
The Italian’s side travelled to Championship promotion-chasers Middlesbrough as they aimed to maintain a run of form whilst also keeping their hopes of winning a trophy this season alive.
Alas, following a meticulously organised defensive display from the home side, young Boro forward Josh Coburn sank Conte’s silverware dream in extra time – holding off Cristian Romero to lash a brilliant effort into the top corner.
Tottenham’s two worst players statistically on the night (SofaScore), the recently rejuvenated duo of Harry Winks and Ryan Sessegnon, endured unconvincing displays – losing 13/20 of their total duels combined, coming in at an alarming 65%.
The latter man in particular will be disappointed after his phenomenal outing against Leeds and now we analyse what this could mean for the Spurs pair.
Ryan Sessegnon: Back down to Earth?
The wing-back’s dazzling display at Elland Road last weekend, one which drew much acclaim, has unfortunately been followed by what was an underwhelming outing on Teeside.
The 21-year-old finished just behind Winks as Tottenham’s second-lowest rated starting player according to SofaScore (6.4) as Conte opted to sub his left-back with just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Sessegnon cut a deeply isolated figure, even taking fewer touches than any Spurs starting player (42), including goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
He also gave the ball away on 12 occasions, won just 3/12 of his total duels and found a teammate with none of his crosses from out wide (SofaScore) – a far cry from his extremely effective display against Leeds just days ago.
As Conte searches for a degree of Spurs consistency, the ex-Inter boss may feel somewhat aggrieved by Sessegnon’s outing and it will be interesting to see whether he keeps his place ahead of Sergio Reguilon against Everton on Monday.
Described as the ‘perfect’ full-back by former Leeds forward Noel Whelan, Tottenham and Conte will be hoping this was just a small blip.
Harry Winks: Conte’s weak link?
Winks, after being heavily linked with a January move away from Spurs, worked his way back into Conte’s plans with the former Chelsea manager ultimately deciding he has a future in north London after-all.
In recent months, the Englishman has rewarded Tottenham’s faith with some fine displays, including an especially brilliant one in his first start under Conte near the end of last year.
Indeed, Winks’ performance in the 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool attracted real praise – with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher calling him Tottenham’s ‘main man’ against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.
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Ex-Lilywhites shot-stopper Paul Robinson, who rates the 26-year-old and believe he is an ‘amazing player’, appeared to be redeemed in that opinion – but there could now be some question marks again surrounding Winks.
According to SofaScore, the Three Lions midfielder ranked in as Conte’s worst performer with a 6.2 match rating and endured what was a regrettable outing going by the numbers.
Winks failed to win a single duel over the FA Cup tie, losing all eight of them, whilst also being dribbled past more than any Spurs starting player on the night (SofaScore).
After coming in for unavailable January signing Rodrigo Bentancur, questions may now be asked whether the player has what it takes to be a reliable option for Conte.
In other news: Tottenham senior official dispatched as Conte enters pole position for ‘elite’ attacker, find out more here.
Matthew Elliott just missed out on his second one-day hundred in a week, but his 94 against Queensland in Adelaide helped South Australia make it two wins in five days following their midweek success in Perth. Their seven-wicket win means they are now in second after beginning the week in fifth; an excellent Christmas bonus – and it was Queensland they leapfrogged.Elliott continued in a rich vein of form, his innings making him the leading runscorer in this year’s competition, and he was in super touch with some typical clean hitting. He also paced his innings well and picked the gaps with ease.He was particularly impressive through the on-side, both straight and square, until he holed out at deep midwicket by Clinton Perren off Aaron Nye going for a swept six trying to bring up his hundred and win the match. It wasn’t to be but he left his team-mates with little work to do.Daniel Harris provided an excellent support act in an opening stand of 94, and he made a solid 34 until edging through off stand-in skipper James Hopes. Daniel Christian followed soon after, a soft catch off Michael Kasprowicz to Aaron Nye at short midwicket, but the platform had been set, and Mark Cosgrove’s pacy, unbeaten 27 duly saw them home.The batsmen had been given room to swing following an excellent bowling and fielding display which tied Queensland in knots after Hopes, deputising for the injured Jimmy Maher, chose to bat on a good batting pitch. They slumped to 5 for 67, without Shane Watson, who had a virus, and under pressure from Paul Rofe and Ryan Harris, who each bagged two wickets, and Jason Gillespie, who grabbed one.Their 170 represented a mini-recovery: Ashley Noffke and Nye both helped out with 45, but the total was always going to be well short.Nathan Adcock’s bowling again proved useful and he was on a hat-trick after bowling Carseldine and taking a screaming return catch off Grant Sullivan. His third ball, to Kasprowicz, only just missed off stump. Dan Cullen also found good turn, and a wicket, as all the bowlers impressed.South Australia, then, will take great seasonal cheer from their fielding, too, with Cosgrove taking two lightning catches in the slips and Gillespie’s direct hit removing the unlucky Hopes who had made a good start with 39 until he ran in to Rofe. Noffke, who had begun to lead the recovery, was then also run out, another important wicket.It was unseasonally cold in Adelaide, but the home side’s performance was a heartwarming Christmas present for the Redbacks who have now won five of their last six games. It was Queensland who provided the only blip in among those wins, but that was in a rain-affected encounter at the WACA. On Sunday, however, nothing could stop them and they can already look forward to the new year.
Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, has criticised Pakistan’s international schedule, claiming that the team would be too tired before the World Cup in the West Indies begins in March. “Unfortunately, in today’s merry-go-round, I think you can call it, tour itineraries are just nonsensical,” he said.Pakistan’s current tour of South Africa includes three back-to-back Tests and five one-dayers, a cramped schedule compared to India’s tour which preceded this series. “They’ve got to sit down and really think it through. I’m particularly worried that the World Cup comes so soon after a three day Test series and five one-day internationals crammed into just over a month.”The modern coach is going to have to factor in a completely different way of structuring practices and structuring tours in order to cope with this situation. This all makes winning away from home very tough.”Woolmer hoped that all the individual cricket boards take player issues into consideration before drawing up itineraries, especially before important tournaments like the World Cup. With Pakistan’s final one-dayer scheduled for February 14, they have barely three weeks to recuperate before the World Cup warm-up matches get underway. Woolmer had requested that Pakistan play just one Test instead of three, mainly to avoid player fatigue.”I think it could be a bridge too far for a lot of our players and I’m really worried about it,” Woolmer said. “There’s so little time to prepare. In the past, you would have a couple of four-day games; you’d have 10 or 11 days in the nets, and then you’d walk into the first Test match. Now you have to adapt as best you can to the conditions.