Sharad Ghai, the ousted Kenyan Cricket Association chairman, has said that he will not go to court to try to overturn the government’s decision to dissolve the board and replace it with an interim committee. There had been reports that he was intending to take the matter to court, as he successfully did in 2002 when the government attempted a similar manoeuvre.On Saturday, the embattled Ghai dismissed the government’s action as being unconstitutional, and insisted that the board was still in charge. But less than 48 hours later, he said that he would respect the government’s decision and hand over office to Ochillo Ayacko, the sports minister. “If you are out, you are out,” he was quoted as saying in a local newspaper. “But this should have been done in a dignified manner.”One senior administrator said that the he believed Ghai had decided to accept the move because, unlike in 2002, he had almost no remaining support within Kenyan cricket. Nevertheless, he admitted that it came “as a big surprise to me as Ghai is a person who would never cave in”.On Sunday, police visited the offices of the KCA at Ruaraka and put locks on all the doors. Employees of the board were unable to gain access when they reported to work on Monday.About the only voice to have spoken out in support of the old regime has been Joshua Okuthe, the chairman of the Kenya National Sports Council, but opponents have dismissed his involvement as being little more than cronyism.It has also emerged that last week the KCA was refused permission to use Nairobi’s Gymkhana ground, the country’s one international-class venue, for the forthcoming visit of the Nertherlands. The move came after months of disputes between the Gymkhana Club and the KCA over non-payment of debts. The venue was only freed for use during last summer’s A-team tournament after Ghai issued a personal cheque to pay for some of the arrears. The KCA has repeatedly refused to respond to request for arbitration, and one club official admitted: “I don’t see how Gymkhana will recover their money, as I do not think there would be any left in the bank during the handover.”The KCA is reported to be in serious debt, and with no sponsors and its only income coming from the ICC, he might well be right.
Two members from each side spoke to the press at the end of the day and it was the one who hadn’t taken the field all day who caused all the mirth. Ravi Sawant, the vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association who is currently the manager of the Indian side, came out and said that Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan weren’t dropped but “rested”. Even before the giggles had died down, he added that VRV Singh was in no way inexperienced and had played several times for India A.There are different ways to view this statement. Either Sawant was just coming to terms with his managerial role, having joined the team only for the Tests, or India were in fact adopting a rotation policy. If the first is true, can the Indian board realise it’s high time it had a full-time media manager? If not, will the team management have the courage to continue the process despite defeat? Some of these questions will be answered during the course of this Test, others will remain mysteries. As for VRV, even he will admit that he’s inexperienced. Let’s leave it there.Now to the cricket. Despite having a good day in the office, Brian Lara was a tad disappointed. “After the first few balls, I thought it was a 200 wicket,” he stated. “It was good to have them at 180 for 7 but it was a good stand between Anil [Kumble] and Sreesanth. They batted really well. We had a good day. But we kept them to below three runs an over. It was not good to give 50 runs in the first ten odd overs, and the bowling in the last part of the day was also not professional on our part. We did well in between to pull things back. We didn’t let the likes of [Rahul] Dravid to get away. [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni came in to get some runs going, and we were able to hold him as well.”Lara added that the pitch suited his set of bowlers but added that he’d ideally like his side to bat only once. “It was a very good toss to lose,” he continued. “I looked at the pitch and knew that there was something in it for the fast bowlers upfront. As the match goes on, there’s going to be some wear and tear and it’s a bit of a worry for the last innings. But if we make full use of our first innings and put the pressure on India and get in front in a big way, we can actually get an advantage.”I think it [the pitch] is going to play best over the next two days, so that’s when we’ll get a chance to bat. We need to take the responsibility and bat well. I think it’s going to gradually get tougher – there’s a lot of grass, lot of roots there – so it’s not going to be easier. I expect that to come to the surface and play a part. If we can settle our problems in the first innings itself, it will be good for us. As you can see, Dravid batted a lot of overs but never looked in. It’s that kind of pitch. We need to gain the psychological advantage and get ahead of them.”
Canada are unsure whether John Davison, their captain and senior player, will be released to play for them in next month’s ICC Intercontinental Cup semi-final against United Arab Emirates in Sharjah.It had been assumed that Davison would be allowed to fly straight to Sharjah from Adelaide, where he plays for South Australia. But Ron Aldridge, an administrator at the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA), admitted that the situation was “up in the air”.Although Davison still hopes to join the squad, the CCA have been told by the South Australia Cricket Association that he will not be released.Canada squad John Davison (capt), Ashish Bagai, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff Desmond Chumney, Austin Codrington, Sunil Dhaniram, Haninder Dhillon, Don Maxwell, Ashish Patel, Jason Patraj, Kevin Sandher,Zubin Surkari and Sanjayan Thuraisingam.
Ricky Skerritt has resigned as West Indies team manager following the defeat in the second Test at Port-of-Spain.Skerritt, who was appointed in March 2000, said he made his decision to resign following the first Test in Jamaica and informed the West Indian board of his decision on Saturday, confiming it in writing the following day.”Events following the first Test match in Jamaica have led me to review my role as manager,” Skerritt explained, referring to an incident in which four members of the team were spotted partying in the stands following West Indies’ embarrassing collapse to 47 all out. “I regret that, despite my best efforts, I have been unable to instill in the entire team the fullest understanding of their obligations on and off the field to the people of the West Indies.”Brian Lara admitted that the news took him by surprise. “He said he felt the team needed new blood and new energy,” he said. “All the guys appreciate his hard work and we wish him well. Now we need to focus on the cricket, though, and not worry about things happening off the field, like with the manager or whatever.”Skerritt emphasised his continued commitment to West Indies cricket and hiswillingness to support whoever succeeds him to ensure a smooth transition. In accordance with the terms of his contract Skerritt’s resignation will take effect from the end of June 2004.
Ryan Hinds returned to the Caribbean yesterday in high spirits and vowed to put behind him the disappointment of having to be withdrawn from the West Indies World Cup squad on the eve of the tournament in South Africa.The 21-year-old Barbadian all-rounder, a last-minute replacement following injury concerns over Marlon Samuels, took the news in stride when he was informed last Friday that the International Cricket Council had accepted a request from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the Jamaican batsman to be reinstated."Obviously you feel disappointed, but at the end of the day, the situation is beyond my control," Hinds told NATIONSPORT at Grantley Adams International Airport."There is nothing I could have done about it. I am happy to be back home to play for Barbados."It is the second time in recent months that Hinds has had to cut short a trip with the West Indies team.Last November, injury ended his participation on the twin-tours of India and Bangladesh ahead of the second leg of the tour.This latest setback would have been more distressing, bearing in mind he was set to appear in the game’s most prestigious cricket competition."In life, you have got to accept change," Hinds said."This is one change I am willing to accept. I just have to get over it."There was initial speculation that following his withdrawal from the World Cup, Hinds might have been given the option of remaining in South Africa in the capacity of a spectator.That option, he said, was never put to him, and even if it had, he would have declined.Hinds feels he would be better off representing Barbados in the Carib Beer Series which moves into the third round this weekend when the local side meet defending Cup champions Jamaica at the North Stars Cultural and Social Club in Crab Hill, St Lucy."As the [West Indies] manager said, I am a cricketer and I’ve come home to play cricket," the Barbados vice-captain said."I’ve got to be positive. I am looking to play against Jamaica this weekend, get a good start and set the tone for the rest of the series."It is very important for me to get back into form as soon as possible and get a couple of hundreds under my belt."Samuels was pulled out of the West Indies team on January 26 after a report on his troublesome left knee was received from Dr Akshai Mansingh, but was cleared to play on February 3 following further reports from American-based doctors, Answorth Allen and Michael Mont.He left the Caribbean last Friday and only arrived in South Africa a few hours prior to Sunday’s opening match and was not selected for the final XI."Marlon is a good player. Once he gets his chance to go out there in the middle, I know he is going to give 100 per cent," Hinds said.Hinds did not attend the West Indies’ match against South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday, and said he was given encouragement from the players to stay focused.
The Cheltenham and Gloucestershire quarter final match against Glamorgan at The County Ground on Wednesday is “Somerset’s last chance to gain one-day recognition this season,” Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me after seeing his side lose to Nottingham Outlaws.”Our team did not play with confidence today, and the crowd at Taunton have seen another disappointing home defeat. Confidence is a mystery, and despite all of the training we can’t get that extra bit of confidence that will help us to win games like today. A few wins however will rectify that situation.”With regard to Wednesday’s big match his advice is to arrive early.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed a huge boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership Old Firm clash.
What’s the latest?
That’s according to a claim made by Rob Page (via STV News), who suggested that, after playing the full 90 minutes in Wales’ 2-1 World Cup qualifying semi-final victory over Austria last week, Aaron Ramsey is now a doubt for the Czech Republic friendly on Tuesday – as the midfielder appeared to be struggling with a muscle injury following the win at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Speaking about the current condition of the 31-year-old, the Wales manager said: “[Gareth Bale and Ramsey] both struggled towards the end of the game. You could see both of them were holding their groins and hamstrings.
“They both had a tough 95 minutes. But we’ll have another night and we’ll make that decision in the morning whether we involve them in the 23. They’re not going to start.”
Postecoglou will be buzzing
While it is true that, since his move from Juventus to Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window, Ramsey has somewhat struggled to reach a decent level of match fitness – so far playing just 113 minutes of Premiership football – it is undeniable that, on his day, the Welshman is an extremely dangerous player.
Indeed, over his 371 appearances for Arsenal, the £4.5m-rated playmaker scored an incredibly impressive 65 goals and registered 65 assists, with arguably the 31-year-old’s best campaign for the Gunners coming back in 2013/13, when he bagged 16 goals and provided ten assists over just 36 fixtures in all competitions.
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As such, while the man who is reported to be earning around £45k-per-week at Ibrox is yet to demonstrate this level of form at Gers, following the news that Alfredo Morelos is now a doubt for Sunday’s season-defining Old Firm clash, should Ramsey also be ruled out this weekend, it will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to Celtic’s chances of leaving Govan with all three points – an outcome that would leave Ange Postecoglou buzzing.
AND in other news: Celtic handed huge summer boost on “outstanding” £42k-p/w dynamo, Ange will be buzzing
As of the English persuasion ourselves, it is sometimes hard to gain a perspective of our own identity looking inwards on the world stage. We are certainly a charismatic, dedicated and proud nation. Perhaps too proud? If you are a Chelsea fan and the mere mention of Tom Henning Ovrebo makes your blood boil or you were a volunteer in aid of the England 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids only to be beaten by the outposts of Russia and Qatar, you may be short to frustratingly exclaim FIFA, UEFA and all the authorities hate us.
But we really don’t help ourselves do we? The Independent reported recently how FA member Sir Dave Richards went and attended a press conference in Qatar, only to irk the locals through criticising the country’s anti-alcohol stance and brashly, perhaps stupidly stating that FIFA and UEFA indeed ‘stole’ the game from this country’s governance.
The brave Richards may have got a few issues of his chest, but again embarrassed our nation with the tired old school ground notion that ‘it was ours first’. Unsurprisingly, the Premier League acted quickly to distance themselves from the personal quotes of Richards, and a collective sigh was aired that we went and made yet another blooper. Richards’ outburst is set to live long in the memories of the authorities and will only serve to hamper relations between England and FIFA even more past the astronomical levels they already resemble.
Indeed, it was a massive disappointment for all connected to miss out upon hosting the World Cup, but our attitude in response to the news was one a screaming toddler would be proud of. Richards remarks are excruciatingly cringing to recall and his all guns blazing approach definitively contributes to the already prevalent stereotype that the English are sore losers, loud and trouble.
The only credence in Richards argument was his statement of fact in that we did indeed forge the game that we know today, but to claim FIFA stole the game away is ludicrous. Some may already feel an ‘us and them’ concept in relation to England’s relationship with football’s governing bodies but to criticise Qatar’s traditions and cultures surrounding alcohol was a move a genius would be turning in his grave about.
What is certain is that Richards’ archaic attitude that England should rule the world in football terms is one that isn’t rare. Although the Premier League and influential bodies may want to ‘play the game’ with FIFA, most average people perhaps believe Richards has a point that England aren’t liked internationally, and are paying some sort of punishment in not receiving lucrative hosting of competitions.
We have to accept that the English empire ideal is one that is old-fashioned, ancient and non-valid. No longer is the game played exclusively amongst industrial working men. The game is now an international product and better relations between this country and the bodies that run it are imperative in terms of forging future opportunities.
Did Richards have a point and just presented it badly or are we too proud and arrogant as a nation? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
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If you got a spare 5mins then watch the latest episode of ‘The Football Coffee Break’
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been warned about his future behaviour after making comments about referee Howard Webb.The Scot made comments about Webb ahead of his team’s crucial 2-1 English Premier League win over Chelsea on May 8.
The Football Association (FA) said on Tuesday that Ferguson had broken the rule that forbids manager’s from talking about referees prior to a match.
“It was a minor breach but a breach nevertheless,” an FA statement said.
The chairman of the commission said Ferguson’s minor breach should act as a warning to all managers.
“This rule was brought in at the start of the 2009/10 season and this was reiterated formally to all clubs again on 21 October 2010,” the chairman said.
“This is a clear breach of the rule and it is the first such a matter has been placed in front of a commission.”
“As a result of this charge, the commission were aware of other occasions where pre-match comments were made by other managers.”
“In this case, it was considered to be a minor breach and it should be taken as a warning to all managers in the future that any such breach, even positive comments, are likely to result in a charge by the FA.”
United clinched their 19th league title with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn on Saturday, but it was the win over Chelsea on May 8 that put them well-clear in the title race.
Ferguson had made comments about Webb two days before the game, but was not critical of the official.
“We are getting the best referee. There is no doubt about that,” Ferguson said in the lead-up to the Chelsea clash.
“But (getting a bad decision) is definitely our big fear.”
Ferguson also received a five-game touchline ban and 30,000-pound fine for criticism of referee Martin Atkinson earlier in the year.
Prior to the start of this Premier League season many pundits opined that this could be Arsenal’s year. After all their young squad is maturing, are desperate for silverware and have a manager keen to seek vindication for his unwavering devotion to an attacking, fluid style of play. Yet with the new season barely two months old will their fans continue their five year wait for a trophy and be forced to recalibrate their aspirations? For some their failings have been all too familiar once more, succumbing to the efficiency of Chelsea, dropping points at home, being defensively naïve and exhibiting goalkeeping errors. Following Sunday’s London derby the Gunners are now seven points behind the reigning champions. Should their fans be despondent or optimistic that their hopes seem contingent of being more clinical offensively?
Part of Arsenal’s enigmatic appeal is their ability to mesmerise, as they did in the Champions League against Braga, and then flatter to deceive when Saturday comes. The club retained the services of their talismanic captain this summer and have integrated Jack Wilshere into the first team picture with consummate ease. Their early season form, with Theo Walcott shining, was exemplary and featured an away win at the perennially troublesome Ewood Park. It seemed that the Gunners were no longer merely footballing purists for others to admire and imitate. However the home loss to West Bromich Albion refocused attention on recurring deficiencies which have been well documented in previous seasons. The recasting of the defence is yet to pay dividends, the case for a new goalkeeper is stronger than ever and the team can be profligate in front of goal. Tomas Rosicky missed a penalty which would have given the team a 2-0 lead at Sunderland, a match that eventually finished in a draw.
Radio phone-ins have been a remarkably interesting forum for discussing their apparent predicament. A popular view is that the squad lacks some English steel and determination or that they require a Mark van Bommel figure to cynically disrupt opposition play. Alternatively it is said that Arsenal need more big game players who can reliably handle the pressure and expectation in the absence of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. The squad have been beset by injury this campaign, having recently been without the aforementioned duo in addition to Walcott and Thomas Vermaelen. An article on this site last week explored the argument that their defensive frailties, especially on the left-hand side had been exposed by the Belgian’s absence.
For all the conjecture Arsene Wenger knew that there would be no sterner early season test than a trip to Stamford Bridge. “It is vitally important to win the big games and the confrontation will certainly give an indication of the strengths of the two teams,” he said. Chelsea won 2-0 through Didier Drogba’s clever finish and Alex’s rocket free-kick. The final result may have been predictable but invariably with Arsenal it failed to capture the whole story. Wenger pledged to dominate possession and not be bullied by a team with a patent physical advantage. By using Abou Diaby high up the field the away side pressed Chelsea unremittingly, denying the supply chain to their forwards. But in conforming to stereotypes, their superior possession was not clinically despatched. The team created two excellent opportunities within the first few minutes, as Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny missed headers. Their new Moroccan striker additionally missed a chance to level the scores with ten minutes to play.
In his post-match press conference a downbeat Wenger commented, “We showed you can play well and lose a game. We missed too many chances and at this level, you have to be more clinical offensively and defensively.” He was correct to reply when asked of Chelsea’s physical stature that Barcelona and Spain have triumphed with diminutive, skilful players. This style is embodied by Arsenal but both of these teams are predicated on an unyielding defence and forward players who can be refreshingly direct and proficient when bearing down on goal. In the absence of van Persie and Fabregas, Arsenal may not have the personnel to make their imposing possession count.
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