Bangladesh win match with Canada -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
ODI - Bangladesh 278 runs for 5 wickets beat Canada 265 runs for 7 wickets
Bangladesh wins this Tri-Series with Canada second and Bermuda third.
Canada lost by 13 runs to Bangladesh in a match that could have gone either way but turned on a few overs in both innings. Canada will look back on a match where they conceded a lot of runs in the closing overs (when bowling) to established batsmen playing some unorthodox shots. Likewise, when batting a couple of wickets were lost soon after the major stand between Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff.
Barnett was out for 77, stumped going down the wicket to a slow bowler, with the total on 178 runs. He hit 6x4 and 2x6 in 124 balls. His stand with Billcliff was the first century stand for the Canadian second wicket in an ODI and the first 150-plus stand ever for Canada in one of these matches.It was Barnett's first ODI 50.
Billcliff had to resort to using a runner in the later stages of his knock. It was disappointing that he missed out on a century, but his innings of 93 runs deserved to bring Canada a win. Billcliff batted for 114 balls, he hit 6x4 and 2x6 before being bowled by Razzak.
Ashif Mulla tried hard to bring home the win but he perished attempting a second run after making 44 runs. He was out at 257 runs for 6 wickets with 22 runs needed off 9 balls.
Overall the fact Canada could make 250-plus against an ICC Full Member nation shows the progress made since last summer's home ODI international matches. So much hard work and so close. Closer than the valiant effort to beat the Dutch in the first ODI of November in Potchefstroom, South Africa, but against better opposition.
Eddie Norfolk
Canada v Bangladesh - update report -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
Canada 134 runs for 1 wicket after 26 overs. Need to score 279 runs to win.
Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff have added 133 runs for second wicket. Billcliff just moved to 66 runs not out with a 4 and 6 in 26th over off Aftab. Barnett is 56 runs not out (his first ODI 50). Mixture of good strokes, powerful shots and good running as this partnership progresses. Third century stand in an ODI for Canada.
This came after early setbacks with Abdool Samad retiring hurt after being hit on the hand and incoming batsmen Ashish Bagai being caught first ball on third-man boundary. Opening bowlers for Bangladesh today much livelier than the pairing on Sunday versus Bermuda.
Bangladesh are mixing up their bowlers in a bid to stem the flow of runs.
Saqibul's 134 runs not out would be a personal ODI best.
Eddie Norfolk
America boss calls fo 'All-Star" team -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
Colin Thompson, The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
28 February 2007
An All-Star or an elite cricket team comprising of players from the ICC Americas region competing against teams in places such as the West Indies could benefit smaller associate member countries like Bermuda in the long term.
That’s the opinion of ICC Americas Development Manager Martin Vieira who believes that a combined team from the region playing abroad in tougher leagues could go a long way towards bridging the gap between the Americas and Europe.
During the recent World Cricket League in Kenya, it became evident that the gulf between European and Americas associate members had widened considerably.
“I certainly think it could work and be beneficial to the better players in the Americas. It would be a good method of allowing the better players from several countries like Bermuda, the United States and the Cayman Islands to get experience playing among good competition on a more frequent basis,” Martin said.
“What the players need is more exposure. The European associates seem to be widening the gap because their better players are playing English county cricket. And so maybe this would be a way of keeping pace with the European associates. I think what this would do is improve the best players — they would become the core and leaders of your national team. They could then impart knowledge to the other players in the squad when they returned on just how international cricket is played and the mental toughness that is required at that level of cricket.”
Since qualifying for the World Cup in 2005, Bermuda have struggled at the next level. And one of the team’s biggest shortcomings, Martin believes, is the limited amount of players the Island has to choose from.
“I think Bermuda’s progress has maybe been disappointing to some in the sense that it’s not been as rapid as hoped. But when you look at the pool of players Bermuda has to select from . . . it’s somewhat limited compared to some of the other associates,” he said.
“Scotland and Ireland, for example, have thousands of players. And if they were to lose two or three of their top players it really doesn’t really affect them. But for Bermuda, any sort of injury or setback to maybe one or two of their players is a tremendous blow. And so the depth isn’t there as it is in other countries.”
Martin defended the ICC’s decision to increase associate member involvement in the World Cup in the wake of recent criticism from former West Indies pacer Michael Holding who believes that the cricket minnows will “devalue” the event.
“I know there’s been a lot said and written particularly about the World Cup. There are pros and cons as to whether all six associates or just one or two should or shouldn’t compete. But I think we must remember that it’s a World Cup and not a Champions Trophy where just the elite go,” he said.
“In the World Cup you only have four groups of four with only the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Eight. So it’s an excellent format . . . the so-called minnows will be eliminated if they are not good enough to beat the full member countries. And so there really shouldn’t be any concern about associate members being in the World Cup.”
The real challenge, Martin added, was getting amateur cricketers on even par with their professional counterparts in a short period of time once teams like Bermuda had qualified for the World Cup — hence the need for the ICC’s High Performance Programme designed to bring associate players up to scratch.
“The ICC High Performance Programme has pumped an awful lot of money and energy into the project and in time results will come,” Vieira added. “But those who are expecting amateur players to become professionals right away, I think they are being sort of narrow-minded in their thinking because it will take time. Basically what the ICC like to see is a chart of progression, both a learning chart of an upward trend and a performance chart with an upward trend. That’s what we are hoping to do by having this High Performance Programme. The World Cup is certainly the pinnacle of the programme, but it’s not the end of the programme. This is a continuous programme that should last for many, many years and bring the top six associate members up to a better standard of play.”
Former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd agreed that having an Americas team compete in a competitive league abroad could only benefit smaller countries in the future.
“When you are constantly playing against top sides you will always learn, picking up one or two things along the way. And I think this would certainly give the Bermuda players something to look forward to,” he said.
“There are so many things for Bermuda to look forward to now. But first they must realise that they can play the sport for a living because at the moment they are not thinking about playing for a living. They could be playing in a professional league instead of having a job and only playing cricket part- time. And this is what I think is lacking in Bermuda at the moment — a professional attitude."
“Bermuda are playing a lot of competitive cricket now and if you look at Sri Lanka . . . in 1975 they were in the same position. They were one of the so-called minnows. But now look at what they have achieved — they have already won the World Cup. And so I think constant competition, and having more passion for the game will only bode well for Bermuda cricket.”
Canada national coach Andy Pick would also like to see the plan come to fruition.
“The concept is a good one. And I am a firm believer that players need more exposure because in Canada at the moment we don’t play enough high quality games. And I also think all of the teams will improve from that,” the former English County cricketer said.
Former West Indies quickie Kenny Benjamin said the Island’s cricketers would get a “better understanding” for the game.
“I certainly would want to see them playing more cricket against tougher opposition,” he said. “They would get a better understanding as to how the game is progressing. The more they can play against teams like Barbados and Leeward Islands or any other opportunity they can get, the better. We need to go way back when there was only England and Australia playing Test cricket and then others started coming through and the West Indies eventually. And when you look at team like Sri Lanka, they were associate members but now they are a team to be reckoned with. They have won the World Cup already while Bangladesh are moving up quite nicely."
“So while it’s going to take some time for Bermuda to progress, if they continue to invest in cricket and development then I’m sure they are going to start to see the quality rise. It’s not easy to be an amateur and perform consistently well against the guys who are doing it for a living. But I’m sure if Bermuda continue to strive forward they are going to make good progress.”
Article sourced from:- http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000039/003919.shtml
Bangladesh v Canada interim match report -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
Canadian skipper John Davison won the toss and has put Bangladesh in to bat. My early morning review of Bangladesh information indicates their captain Habibul Bashar is making his 100th ODI appearance. He is 34 years old and has a highest score of 78 runs (right-hand bat)
Check CricketEurope or CricInfo for the latest score
Umar Bhatti opened bowling at Pavilloin end (4-0 off 1 over. Andy Cummins had Shariar Nafees caught behind by Ashish Bagai off his first ball as I typed these notes. 4 runs for 1 wicket (1.1 overs). Shariar made a century against Bermuda on Sunday.
Aftab Ahmed c Bagai b Cummins 0 (1.3 overs) He made 40 v Bermuda on Sunday.
Not all magic for Cummins, missed a catch off Umar Bhatti's 2nd over - should have been the end of Tamim Iqbal for 4. Sakibal al Hassan now batting with Tamim (both have number 29 but Sakibal has the name taped out).
14 runs fo 2 wickets off 5 overs.
Canada took a third wicket at 30. Tamim Iqbal steered the ball fine dowm the legside off Cummins, Bagai dived, stopped it and threw at the wicket with Tamim stranded down the wicket. Tamim made 11.
Sakibal al-Hasan and Habibul Bashar have steaded the innings for Bangladesh
Bashar survived a confident appeal for caught behind off Henry Osinde and a run out possibility when George Codrington hits the stumps on a quick single.
Sakibal 51 runs and Bashar 24 have added 65runs for 4th wicket. Davison and Sunil Dhaniram bowling for Canada..
Cummins 2-15 in 5 overs.
Match being played on same wicket as used in two previous matches in this series.
Bangladesh made 278 runs for 5 wickets in their 50 overs.
Captain Habibul Bashar was caught by wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai off Abdool Samad's bowling for 57 runs. This made it 162 runs for 4 wickets in the 37th over.Bashar hit 6x4 in his innings.
Saqibul Hasan batted well and went on to be 134 runs not out at the close of innings. Mohammad Ashraful was caught Bagai off Cummins bowling on the last ball of the 50 overs. Saqibul and Ashraful added 106 runs for the 5th wicket.
Saqibul hit 13 4's in his innings that included several flicks wide of or over the wicketkeeper. Ashraful hit 7 4's and 1 x 6. This 6 went to backward point and was a rare conventional shot to the boundary in the closing overs, compared with the wristy flicks and chips that were going to long- or fine-leg, or to thirdman.
Andy Cummins ended with 3 wickets for 60 runs from his 10 overs. Umar Bhatti bowled 9 overs for 35 runs, John Davison 9 overs for 42 runs, Henry Osinde 6 overs for 51 runs, Sunil Dhaniram 6 overs for 29 runs, George Codrington 6 overs for 37 runs and Abdool Samad took 1 wicket for 21 runs in 4 overs.
It will be an opportunity for Canada to see how well they can bat at a ground where several test match batting records have been set.
Eddie Norfolk
York U to host players from Legends match -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
The Cricket Club at York U is proud to present, and invite you, with Pakistan Student Federation at York University and M+D Community Corp.
Learn from Legends.
I believe most of you are already informed about the Legends Cricket Game between India and Pakistan on March 3rd at Rogers Center (Skydome). If you are not, M+D Community Corp. is holding a Legends Cricket game between India and Pakistan on March 3rd at the Rogers Center.
The very next day Sunday March 4th, 2007, all the players will come to Tait McKenzie Center main gym at York University to give tips about bowling and batting.
We are also trying to finalize the interaction session with the main event organizers.
Break down of event:
Doors Open : 9.30 a.m
Batting Tips : 10:30 a.m. - 11.15 a.m.
Refreshment break 11:15 a.m. - 11.45 a.m.
Bowling Tips 11.45 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
List of players who are attending and giving tips on the event:
Pakistan
Wasim Akram (C) Abdul Qadir Shoaib Mohammad Misbah-ul-haq Ijaz Ahmed Naveed Anjum
Rashid Latif Aaqib Javed Mohsin Kamal
Aamir Sohail Manzoor Elahi Tauseef Ahmed
Muddasar Nazar (Manager)
INDIA
Ajay Jadeja (C) Sandeep Patil Venketesh Prasad
Hament Badani Amit Bhandari Robin Singh
Atul Vassan Harvinder Singh Nayan Mongia
Narinder Hirwani Parveen Amre Sunil Joshi
Ashok Malhotra Madan lal (Manager)
Editors comment: Congratulations to the York U cricketers for this initiative, and I will be pleased to attend my almer mater for cricket and other reasons. (JH)
Canadian High Commission's gift to Antigua and Barbuda -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
Canadian High Commission's gift to Antigua and Barbuda.
Canada presented some Sports Medicine Bags to the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Committee in a ceremony at the new Sir Vivian Richards Cricket stadium on Tuesday. M. Fred Jacques, represented the Canadian High Commissioner for the East Caribbean, Mr.Michael Welsh, at this ceremony.
M. Jacques said, 'Canada is providing fully equipped sports medicine bags to Antigua and Barbuda for use during the Cricket World Cup and other sporting and crowd events thereafter. The bags are self-contained units that can be used to enhance medical services during disaster, emergency and crowd events.'
High Commissioner Welsh had been in discussions over what help Canada might be able to provide for the Cricket World Cup for the past year. He discussed the options with Katherine Dunlop, head of the Canadian International Development Agency and the decision was made to provide these sports medicine bags. The contents are items like bandages and splints, rather than any drugs.
Dr. Phimore Benjamin of the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Association expressed his gratitude for the gift. “These will enhace our efforts to support sports and sports medicine in the coming Cricket World Cup and in the future. Mr. Benjamin then presented the gifts on loan to Dr. Oritta Zacharia of World Cup Antigua, Inc, for the duration of the World Cup. She said “I am very grateful to the Canadian High Commission and to the (Antigua and Barbuda) Olympic Committee. This will help prepare for the World Cup in the next few weeks.
Canadian cricketer Austin Codrington and team manager Mike Henry attended this presentation, M. Jacques thanked
them for attending, mentioning his presence at Canada's win over Bermuda and wishing the team well against Bangladesh and in the World Cup itself. Codrington would love to repeat his 5 wickets for 27 runs haul against Bangladesh as the 2003 World Cup, a match Canada won.
Eddie Norfolk
St John's, Antigua
Canada Gives Gifts to Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Committee
Canada presented the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Committee with sports medicine bags in a ceremony at the new Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Tuesday.
"Canada is providing fully equipped sports medicine bags to Antigua and Barbuda for use during the cricket World Cup and other sporting and crowd events thereafter," said Fred Jacques, a representative for the Canadian High Commissioner for the East Caribbean, Michael Welsh.
"The bags are self-contained units that can be used to enhance medical services during disaster, emergency and crowd events," said Jacques.
High Commissioner Welsh had been in discussions over what help Canada can provide for the cricket World Cup for the past year. He discussed the options with Katherine Dunlop, head of the Canadian International Development Agency, and they finally decided to give sports medicine bags as gifts. The contents are items such as bandages and splints, and do not include any drugs.
Dr. Phimore Benjamin of the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Association expressed his gratitude for the gifts.
"These will enhance our efforts to support sports and sports medicine in the coming cricket World Cup and in the future," said Benjamin.
Mr. Benjamin then presented the gifts on loan to Dr. Oritta Zacharia of World Cup Antigua, for the duration of the World Cup.
Zacharia expressed her gratitude to the Canadian High Commission and to the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Committee and said the bags will aid in preparing for the World Cup in the coming weeks.
Also present at the ceremony were Canadian cricketer Austin Codrington and cricket team manager Mike Henry.
Jacques thanked the two for attending and wished the team well for the match against Bangladesh and the World Cup games.
Story sourced from:
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-3-1/52273.html
Europe is ‘coaching the coaches’ -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
Europe is ‘coaching the coaches’ as ICC Cricket World Cup approaches.
As the top Associate players gear up for a chance to show the world that there is quality cricket beyond the Test-playing nations, coaches from all across Europe are being given the opportunity to develop their own skills and inspire the next generation to reach for the stars.
ICC Europe is running a coaching and development conference as part of the European Development Program and it will be held at the MCC Indoor School at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London this week.
In all, there will be 27 participant coaches from 14 Associate and Affiliate member countries, who will witness a host of presentations and demonstrations from highly experienced coaches and cricketing experts. The occasion also provides an excellent opportunity for coaches to meet and discuss common practices, share fresh ideas and learn new skills.
The event has been put together by ICC Regional Development Officer Philip Hudson and this is the third time the event has been organised.
“The conference will provide all the attendees with an excellent opportunity to further develop the coaching skills they have already obtained,” said Mr Hudson.
“One of the main roles of the conference is to provide the coaches with fresh ideas that they can take back to their countries. We look forward to seeing the standard of European tournaments continuing to rise thanks to the effort of these coaches, many of whom are volunteers,” he added.
The event could not come at a better time for Europe’s top three Associate members (Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands) who are all competing in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies just one week later. The seven coaches attending the course from these countries will be hoping they can put their new skills to good use in a bid to develop the next breed of cricketers for global success.
The remaining 20 coaches come from a further 11 European countries including Cyprus, Finland, Guernsey and Spain. These coaches are all actively coaching junior national squads and will be working with their respective teams during ICC European tournaments in 2007.
The three-day schedule is made up of 16 different activity sessions and will offer a mixture of seminars, theory and practical sessions covering different areas of the game.
Sessions on batting and bowling are being held by John Abrahams (ECB National Academy assistant coach), Steven Seligmann (ECB Regional Performance Manager), Stuart Barnes (Gloucestershire CCC academy director) and Owen Dawkins (Gloucestershire CCC batting/spin coach).
Sports Psychologist Joce Brookes will lead sessions on mental skills and lifestyle management – areas which are becoming more and more important in today’s high-pressure sporting environment.
This year also sees the introduction of two relatively new concepts to the conference.
Dr Sherylle Calder, one of the world's leading authorities in visual skills coaching, who has worked with world-class athletes and teams including the England rugby union team, will be leading a visual skills workshop.
Another first for the conference is the introduction of a unique training system called Foot Sport Dynamics. Nino Severino, creator of the system, said: “The aim of the session is to create a totally new way of looking at cricket movement and to understand that cricket’s specific skills can be delivered through efficient movement. It is important that coaches can look beyond the skills and examine pure athletic movement and how it can be achieved.”
The conference continues to be an integral part of the ICC European Development Program. The number of qualified coaches in Europe (not including England and Wales) has increased by 78 per cent since 2002, with an 18 per cent increase being seen over the past 12 months alone.
Material sourced from ICC Press Release
Edotors comment:- When will the Canadian Cricket Association initiate a 'coaching the coaches' programme? Where will they find the funding for such an enterprise? Do the 'Executive' have this as part of their non-existent business plan for the development of cricket in Canada? (Jon Harris).
The following was recently posted on the Forum. (JH).
I know we all bash the CCA about how cricket is run in Canada. Some of us have alternatives, suggestions and thoughts how things shoudl be done.
I am just here to question and this is not only the CCA but to all the leagues as well.
If we are to take a look at cricket as a product and CCA a company, every company has a mission statement or an objective (evetually its profit maximisation or doing the same responsibly). Once that is said any organisation then draws up a plan saying this is the way in which we will reach our objective and this is the time line and as we go along we re-evaulate the goals and the time frame that one sets. The outside forces that help drive an organisation do well and keep it in check are a variety of people such as shareholders and so on.
Now I have a question, does CCA have a vision, an objective, a mission statement? And when I ask that I mean not the kind that they give lip serivce to and is not even worth the paper it written on.
If they do have one do they honour it?
Now if they are genuinly worried about reaching their objectives have they made a plan and put a time frame on it?
If yes then will they be willing to make it transparent to the share holders of Canadian cricket - which is any Canadian or anyone involed with Canadian cricket who supports and wants cricket to thrive in Canada.
Ideally this is how every league and club should fucntion. Considering the CCA as the apex body, they are the ones that give direction to provincial bodies, leagues and clubs around the country.
I am unaware of how the CCA operates and I am not sure if they do a good job of keeping cricket lovers of Canada informed on what they are doing.
I ask these questions genuinely. I mean do we have to get the right people in the right postions. I am sure there are marketing geniuses who would like to take the challenge of marketing the sport of cricket, and finding sponsors for different levels of cricket.
Considering that it is a niche sport in Canada we have to look at out of the box solutions for attracting money for sustenance to the sport.
I am sure we have good leaders and some good readers of talent who can be selectors. Or appointing players of repute to go around different parks when the games are going on and scout players over a period of time to recommend to the selectors.
There are so many thigns that we must look at, at the end of the day it depends on what vision of cricket do we have of cricket in Canada. Maybe in 50-100 years it could be a full fledged pro sport with a first class structure and so on.
I hope we can have an 'A' team primarliy of juniors with a few senior hadns to guide them through, to where they go one tours to different countries playing agaisnt first class teams, and so on, in Test nations. So much to do and can be done.
I hope people will listen at the end, we the shareholders of cricket in Canada have to make the administration accountable for how they operate.
Bashar wary of Canada -- Posted Wednesday, February 28 2007
ICC Tri-series, Antigua
Cricinfo staff
February 27, 2007
Habibul Bashar expects a tough test from Canada when Bangladesh play their second tri-series match in Antigua and also revealed that there are lingered fitness concerns around key strike bowler Mashrafe Mortaza.
"Mortaza had a minor foot injury before the last match and was rested," Basher told tigercricket.com. "That problem is gone but he is now complaining of back-pain. The physio feels it is not anything too serious but we have to wait and see whether he'll be available to face Canada."
Basher said his team won't underestimate the Canadians. "We haven't had a chance to watch [them] in action but from the information I have received they seem like a decent side," he added. "Gus Logie [Bermuda 's coach] told me that he thinks this Canadian team is better than the one that appeared in the 2003 World Cup.
"Also, they have won a practice game here against Antigua where they chased 231 with five wickets and more than seven overs to spare. Bermuda were okay but I believe Canada will be stronger."
Bashar said the return of Shahadat Hossain, Bangladesh's quickest bowler, is one certain change to their line-up for the second match, but he thought the team did well in all departments against Bermuda.
"We were playing without our two main fast bowlers [Mortaza and Shahadat] but the others did not do a bad job. The wickets here are excellent for batting and there is not much turn for the spinners so the bowlers did well in checking the runs. All the batsmen looked in good touch too."
Story sourced from:- http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-wi/content/story/281795.html
'The Cricket World Cup' by Faraz Sarwat -- Posted Tuesday, February 27 2007
Book: 'The Cricket World Cup' by Faraz Sarwat ($24.95 Canadian),
Publishers: Score Media, 370 King Street West, Suite 304, Toronto, Ontario
Canada's cricket book collection expands with an entertaining read on the Cricket World Cup by Faraz Sarwat. He is seen regularly on The Score Television Network and, more recently has become a cricket columnist for the Toronto Star, having also written for the Montreal Gazette.
The book will appeal to many in Canada as it includes a major section on the history of the World Cup since eight teams participated in inaugural event in England in 1975. The West Indies, under skipper Clive Lloyd, beat Australia in the Final by 17 runs in a competition involing eight teams. There are now ten ICC Full Status, or Test Playing, countries and the 2007 version in the West Indies in March sees a record 16 teams participating.
There is an overall review of each previous competition, together with reports and scorecards from the semi-finals and finals. This will bring back memories for many cricket followers, especially those in Canada who may have lost track of cricket in some of the years after migrating to the Great White North from traditional cricket playing countries.
Sarwat clearly has a love of great matches, players and achievements, further demonstrated in the section on 'The 25 Most Intriguing Moments in World Cup History'. He also has empathy for the likes of UAE captain Sultan Zarawani who batted against South African pace-bowler Allan Donald without a helment and was hit on the head, knocking off his sunhat. Empathy, but a concern about some of the players from the lesser nations not being equipped to play at the higher level. This is currently a burning topic in certain quarters. The microscope will certainly be on the six ICC Associate members in the West Indies (Kenya, Scotland, the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland and Bermuda).
There is a commentary on each country's record in the World Cup, accompanied by batting and bowling statistics. A summary of competition records concludes this interesting book. The introduction notes how a World Cup in cricket was not feasible until the advent of one-day matches. Originally, matches were played in the traditional white clothing with no names or numbers.
Coloured clothing, white balls and day/night matches with floodlights arrived with the 1992 edition of the World Cup. Cricket, and the world, has changed a lot since the first Final at Lord's. This is further illustrated in the supporting pictures that begin in black and white but transform into colour as the book unfolds.
And as for the minnows? They can dream of emulating Sri Lanka, moving from the fringes of the game to the success they enjoyed in winning the 1996 World Cup and a semi-final spot in 2003.
The book can be ordered online from The Score's website at www.thescore.ca/cricket
Note: There is a short intreview between Faraz Sarwat and James Sharman to promote the book:
http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/index.asp?name=sportsworld/2007/02/1_on_1_with_far.html
Eddie Norfolk
St John's Antigua
Samad sets up tight Canada victory -- Posted Tuesday, February 27 2007
A composed 83 from 86 balls from Abdool Samad - his highest score in 14 ODIs - set Canada up for a tight three-wicket victory over Bermuda in the second match of the Associates Tri-Series at St John's in Antigua, to leave the victors in high spirits ahead of their decisive showdown with Bangladesh on Wednesday - the side they defeated so famously on their last meeting in the 2003 World Cup.
Batting first, Bermuda made 206 for 8, just one run more than they made against Bangladesh in Sunday's opening fixture. And once again, they were indebted to their No. 7, Lionel Cann, who top-scored for the second match running with a remarkable 42 from 34 balls, including no fewer than five sixes. With Kevin Hurdle also teeing off to great effect with three sixes in his 10-ball 22, Bermuda recovered from a shaky 126 for 6.
The main man of Canada's attack was Umar Bhatti, who struck twice at the top and bottom of the innings to finish with 4 for 45 from 10 overs. But when Bermuda grabbed two early wickets in reply, Canada needed a steady third-wicket stand of 82 between Samad and Ian Billcliff (48) to get themselves back on track.
Even then, Bermuda weren't out of the contest, as the spinners Dwayne Leverock and, especially, Delyone Borden got in on the act. Borden dismissed both of the established batsmen en route to figures of 4 for 30, while Leverock dismissed the dangerous John Davison for 13. But Ashif Mulla was on hand to ease his side to their target with 31 from 41 balls, including four fours and a six.
Story sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-wi/content/story/281666.html
WC2007 ICC Press release -- Posted Tuesday, February 27 2007
Broadcast profiles of six Associate teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup will be available on SNTV from Tuesday 27 February
With the ICC Cricket World Cup due to start in less than two weeks, SNTV is building up to the event by profiling the six Associate teams taking part – Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland.
The first profiles will be run on Tuesday and will feature Bermuda which, along with Ireland is set to play in its first-ever ICC CWC.
Also featuring on Tuesday is Canada, which beat Bangladesh in the most recent tournament, in South Africa four years ago. Canada is captained by John Davison, the man who holds the record for the fastest hundred in the tournament’s history.
Tuesday’s profiles, available to all SNTV subscribers, will be run on the 1200 GMT bulletin and then repeated again on the 1700 GMT bulletin.
Broadcasters with editorial enquiries should contact the SNTV Sportsdesk on +44 20 8233 5770.
Email enquiries should be directed to Andrew Parkinson at aparkinson@sntv.com
The ninth staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup will get underway in Montego Bay, Jamaica on 11 March with the opening ceremony and the first match, between hosts the West Indies and Pakistan, will take place at Sabina Park, Jamaica two days later.
The tournament will involve 51 matches between 16 teams (the ten ICC Full Members and six Associate Members mentioned above) with the final to be contested at the Kensington Oval, Barbados on 28 April.
Australia is the defending champion having won the previous two tournaments, in 1999 and 2003. The 2007 edition will be the first time the tournament has taken place in the Caribbean.
Less is more - fact -- Posted Tuesday, February 27 2007
With Michael Holding the latest to question the merits of including eight complete no-hopers in a 16-team tournament, the ICC's desire to run cricketers into the ground is once again under the spotlight.
Tristan Holme has already backed the minnows' right to play in the World Cup. He also pinpoints the ICC's reason for letting them; money.
The ICC may crack on about raising the game's profile outside its traditional heartlands, but inviting half-a-dozen teams made up of 35-year-old West Indian has-beens and never-weres to get thrashed every four years is not the way to go about it.
Does Bermudan cricket really benefit from a journeyman county player like David Hemp trying to help them avoid three utter annihalations on their World Cup debut?
Even Scotland, one of the traditional powerhouses of the ICC Trophy have two players in their ranks - Gavin Hamilton and Dougie Brown - who have already been found desperately short at international level in England colours.
Ireland, at least, boast a couple of potentially top-class young batsmen in Eoin Morgan and William Porterfield. But how long before they follow erstwhile team-mate Ed Joyce's path across the Irish Sea to achieve their career goals?
The success of Sri Lanka, and to a lesser extent pre-implosion Zimbabwe, shows that avenues must remain open for teams to crack the Test elite. On the rankings used for this World Cup, a 12-team tournament would still include Kenya and Scotland and would surely make more sense than including seven non-Test nations in what should be the game's showpiece event.
The only reason these teams are in the Caribbean is to extend a month-long, 30-game tournament into an eight-week marathon with over 50 games, many of them utterly pointless.
Twenty extra games equals a lot more ticket sales, you see.
The ICC long ago stopped caring about the damage their insane schedule is doing to the game, despite constant complaints from players and coaches.
The folly of a bloated one-day tournament was shown to stunning effect by England in Australia. Despite losing five of their first six CB Series fixtures, they won their last four to win the series with a 50 per cent win ratio. Australia's was 70 per cent.
While getting up for the 'big games' is a part of any major sport, England's triumph must surely put to bed the ludicrous system the Aussies use for the season-ending one-day junket. It's been threatening to hurt them for years, and has finally caught up with them. The first final was played in front of rows and rows of empty seats as even the sport-loving Aussie public turned their noses up at yet another one-day international.
And it's seriously hampered the holders' World Cup chances as injuries mount and fatigue takes hold.
But the problem is not confined to Australia, or to one-day cricket, as more and more international cricket is played as traditional seasons blur into a never-ending 12-month cycle.
New Zealand's victory over Australia in Hamilton was the 2527th ODI since the shorter game's inception in 1971. Almost 1,000 of those (996 to be precise - around two-fifths of the total) have been played this decade.
Test cricket has been in existence for 130 years. But more than one in six of the 1830 Tests in that period have been played since 2000. Of the 43 members of Test cricket's 100-cap club, 25 played in this millennium; 16 of them have played Test cricket in the last 12 months.
When will the ICC learn that, in cricket as in life, less is often more? The evidence is there, and not just in the CB Series.
The Stone Roses recorded just two albums; The La's only one. To date, Westlife have released eight.
Fawlty Towers and The Office have fewer than 30 episodes between them. Yet there are 127 episodes of My Family and Two Pints of Lager clogging up the BBC archives.
By cutting four teams from the competition and leaving three groups of four followed by a Super Six, the World Cup could be cut to 33 games at a stroke. Ditch the semi-finals and you've got 31, a saving of 20 games.
Bermuda, Ireland, Canada and Holland have a lot to do in the Caribbean to convince me they are there for anything other than an extra 20 games' revenue in the ICC coffers.
Article souced from:-
http://worldcup.cricket365.com/blogs/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=cricket/07/02/21/manual_183555.html
Give the wee fellas a chance
By Tristan Holme, Cricket365
Plenty of people have been moaning about the inclusion of the minnows for cricket's greatest showpiece, wondering what is achieved by having them all there.
Latest of the lot is Michael Holding, who recently told the Royal Gazette in his deadly deep voice: "It does not make sense to me. What is gained by a team playing in the World Cup and getting absolutely hammered? In my opinion it is counter-productive."
Now I'll be honest and admit that until I looked at the World Cup fixtures a few months ago, I had no idea Bermuda even played cricket.
Holding feels that sides like this should not be able to earn a spot at the World Cup so easily, and that only the top ranked side from the minnows should join the Test nations in the tournament.
He may have a point, as the inclusion of seven sides without Test status has rendered the group stage almost completely unnecessary while extending the tournament's length to nearly two months.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out why this has been done though - obviously the ICC want to make as much money from their big showpiece as possible, even if the quality is degraded.
But the question is, does it serve the interests of cricket as a whole?
I feel that the expansion of the game should be encouraged as much as possible and that one must view this issue with a long term vision, something which Holding does not seem to be doing.
Sure, taking a hammering is not all that much fun, but the only way to learn is by playing the game, particularly at the highest level. Now I wouldn't recommend that the minnows play against the top guns on a regular basis, but allowing them into a tournament every four years doesn't seem like such a big ask.
If I think back to my beloved Zimbabwe and their fledgling years in Test cricket... Well, it wasn't too pretty. But only by playing against the big sides did the team make progress to the point of being able to compete.
(Pause as writer comes out of a dreamy haze involving memories of that emphatic first Test victory over Pakistan... it was by an innings, you know?)
Yes, so, anyway. I do believe that giving these sides a runout in the Caribbean will be beneficial to their cause in the long run and should therefore be encouraged.
Not to mention that every true sports fan enjoys backing an underdog, making them a vital subplot to any big event.
Their inclusion also means that the tournament will build in excitement as it progresses - the group games will be leisurely for the most part, but will lead up to a period of great drama in the Super Eights and then on to the semis and final.
Anyway that's what I reckon, but maybe I'm just glad to have an extra two weeks in the Caribbean thanks to countries I never even knew played cricket..
Article sourced from:-
http://worldcup.cricket365.com/blogs/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=none/07/02/21/manual_110110.html
Canada ease to victory in 2nd practice -- Posted Sunday, February 25 2007
Antigua & Barbuda v Canada, 2nd practice match, St Johns
Cricinfo staff
February 24, 2007
Canada, spurred by an efficient bowling and batting display, comfortably defeated Antigua & Barbuda by five wickets in their one-day practice match at the Antigua Recreation Ground on Saturday. Warming up for the tri-series that also involves Bermuda and Bangladesh, the Canadians restricted the Antiguans to 231 for 8 off their 50 overs and then replied strongly with 232 for 5 off 42.4 overs.
Canada's bowlers bowled with discipline as they maintained control over the Antiguan batsmen for most of the innings. Kerry Mentore, the wicketkeeper/batsman, top-scored with 55 off 96 balls but like the other Antiguan batsmen he was unable to get on top of the bowling.
Mentore and Austin Richards Jr, who hit a 37-ball 32, put on 42 for the first wicket and although Mentore but the scoring rate was not spectacular. A late flurry from Leewards all-rounder Justin Athanaze, who hit 30 from 21 balls with four fours and a six, gave the score some respectability after the Antiguans had been 158 for 5.
In reply, Abdool Samad made 64, Ashif Mulla 56 not out and Ashish Bagai 45, as Canada paced their chase well. Samad, who had also bowled well to take 1 for 45 in nine overs, set the tempo for the reply with a 70-ball innings. Edwin Richardson came Bermuda hope with a fiery spell, but was forced to withdraw from the attack after he delivered the second of two beamers in his spell of 5.2 overs.
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-wi/content/story/281533.html
A Model Club (Building a better club) -- Posted Sunday, February 25 2007
As with most things in life, business, education, athletics programs etc. some are better organized than others. The better organized entity will in most cases be more successful than a competitor with less structure.
My 2 years of exposure to BCMCL and its member clubs supports that basic principle. Not all clubs are equal, some are run better than others and in most cases the better managed clubs become stronger as others become weaker. What does that mean to the League?
At first glance those fortunate enough to belong to a strong club may say "we are doing fine and it's not our problem, let the opposition sink or swim". An understandable viewpoint perhaps but somewhat naive when we look at the big picture. We as a League are only as strong as the weakest links in our community. How does that impact you and your club you may ask? Unfortunately less organized clubs take up a disproportionate amount of resources, in time and administration, to keep within the cricket community. In short they are high maintenance and detract from all participants in the League. If we build stronger clubs it is not unreasonable to expect a stronger League.
This project is a work in progress and those who chose to participate can all learn something. I want to begin to map out the basic components as we understand them essential to building a stronger club. There is no one magic formulae but somewhere in our combined experiences we have learned some of the basic fundamentals which no good club can do without. This then is an attempt to share those basic building blocks for the benefit of all who participate in the BCMCL.
Some will say that these so called fundamentals are nothing more than common sense and for many clubs that may be the case. My two seasons with the BCMCL has revealed several clubs who lack the management skills and tools necessary for success. I believe a little participation and sharing of knowledge in this exercise has the potential to benefit all clubs in our League, weak or strong.
The building blocks:
1. All clubs must have a workable and enforceable Constitution. Why?
a) Without a Constitution you will not have a mechanism that allows the elected officials to govern, administer and organize a club.
b) The rights and aspirations of the general membership will not have a voice in the affairs of the club.
c) Without a formal structure of checks and balances any volunteer group of diverse personalities and egos must eventually result in conflict and chaos. That is human nature.
2. All clubs need at least 2 of the following, a strong President/Secretary/Treasurer. Why?
a) In order to organize and control a diverse group of individuals you must have strong motivational and organizational leadership.
b) You cannot please all the people all of the time, your decisions must benefit the club as a whole and they may be unpopular.
c) Also, get non playing interested individuals involved, they can help in the necessary details to running an efficient club as they are not hindered by time taken up playing cricket.
3. All clubs must have a clear and enforced subscriptions policy. Why?
a) The key too many of the most successful clubs is the collection of subscriptions. By all means have subsidized status within your club for students or unemployed etc. but eventually someone must pick up the tab. The bills have to be paid or you cannot play cricket.
b) Subs should whenever possible be collected before the season starts and in all cases before the individual has played three games for the club. The longer the season progresses the less chance a club has of collecting subs. Any club collecting subs from anyone but new players in July or August will not succeed.
c) Many clubs are reluctant to apply a "no pay no play" policy for fear of loosing players. If you have the courage to apply such a policy you will encounter resistance from many of the membership in the short term but experience shows that once a player has sat out a couple of weeks funds become available. Adopt the policy and stick to it for one season and your subscriptions will be paid on time in the future. If you loose a couple of players at least some other weak club is paying for their services, you and your club mates are not!
Example: The league has recently raised the team entry fee to $800 per season that may sound a lot but in fact it's the best bargain in sport. Working on the assumption that it takes at least 14 players to field a team every week lets look at the numbers but first let us look at a few facts.
Cricket competes for space with many other sports such as soccer, softball, field hockey, ultimate frizbie, etc. and in the greater scheme of things we are a very minor sport. In most municipalities each of those sports would outnumber us at least 10 to 1 in participants. Our particular sport takes up far more space than all of the competition and about three times longer to play a game. In many ways we are very fortunate to be able to play our game with the intense competition for playing fields.
Let's look at the cost. Most players in BCMCL are scheduled to play 18 games per season and an average game takes about 6 hours to play for a total of 108 hours of recreation. It is reasonable to assume that a team is made up of about 14 players.
$800 divided by 14 players = $57.15 per season. $57.15 divided by 108 hours = 0 .53 cents per hour to participate.
If you can find a better bargain in sport please let me know about it. These figures do not include practice time, 6 a side tournaments, friendies or play off games so in fact 53 cents per hour of entertainment may be on the high side. Anyone not willing to pay subscriptions for that kind of bargain should probably not be playing cricket.
4. All clubs should have fundraising strategies in place. Why?
a) The cost of playing cricket will increase in the future as user fees are introduced in all municipalities and access to gaming funds is reduced.
b) Apart from League dues you also have to buy equipment bats, balls, pads etc in order to participate. How much do you have to spend on cricket equipment and where does the money come from? I play for a club where the effective subscription per player is about $79.00 per season. I am told that some clubs charge up to $200 per season to players, why the disparity? Fundraising I believe.
The costs to field a team in the BCMCL should be about the same for all of us I assume so why would it cost more to belong to one club than another? Once again the answer must be fundraising, or the lack of it.
Fundraising can take many forms from Sponsorship through garage sales to 50/50 draws and most of these initiatives require a lot of work. Therein lies the problem for many clubs, if you cannot commit the membership to give up time and energy for fundraising activities then the funds must be raised by raising subscriptions. This is not difficult math here, you either raise money for your club or you pay more to play for that club. That is a choice to be made by the membership. Some individuals may say I have better things to do with my time I would rather pay more subs. Others may say this is a great way to cut the costs of playing cricket and at the same time creating a better club atmosphere, either way the club cannot exist without these revenues. If a club cannot collect these revenues in a timely manner your season will be long and frustrating and the future uncertain.
5. All club members must be available for umpiring assignment. Why?
As you know each team is tasked 10 assignments to fulfill its obligations to the League. If the club misses assignments then the club incurs penalties. Who pays? In some cases the individual will accrue debts to his club to be paid by the individual or his club. In some cases the entire club is penalized if the umpiring assignments slip below 75% Umpire assignments are part of the cost of participating in the BCMCL. If individuals are not prepared to fulfill this obligation a similar criteria as failure to pay subs should apply, they should not be available for selection. If the individual elects to pay for a substitute umpire to fulfill that assignment it is still his responsibility to ensure the assignment is filled.
6. All clubs must have a definitive selection process, understood by the membership. Why?
The selection process should be a function of the club goals set for that season and the wishes of individual players should be secondary to the goals of the club. The wishes or preferences of individual players can be taken into consideration by the selectors but the decisions of the selectors take precedence. The bottom line is do the players play for the club or do they play for a team within that club? If the latter is the case then a selection committee should quit the charade and let the team captains and players fight for their own personal agendas.
7. The workload of as club should be distributed amongst a manageable amount of the membership. Why?
As with many endeavours in life 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people and in a club environment that is not healthy. I know this is a problem common to many clubs/teams but that doesn't make it right. If you as a club do not get off field participation from a broad section of the club that club will stagnate and eventually fail. Once again this relates to strong leadership and motivational skills and the importance of getting broader participation in club affairs should not be underestimated.
8. No club should be based upon ethnic or religious guidelines. Why?
a) Apart from the Canadian Charter of Rights it is simply a stupid policy and runs contrary to the society we have chosen to live in.
b) Any club, group, body drawn upon ethnic or religious lines is destined to be inward looking and prone to paranoia of the outside world. There is enough of that kind of myopia in the world already without introducing such limiting factors and prejudices into the world of amateur sport. Get over it!
The opinions and ideas stated in this document are based upon my own personal experiences in local cricket. I am sure that many clubs and individuals within the BCMCL have different ideas and theories as to the fundamentals of a good cricket club. This is your chance to share them with your peers.
I would appreciate any feed back, positive or negative on this subject in an effort to improve our game for all its participants.
John McCabe
Article sourced from:-
http://www.victoriacricket.ca/season_stats.html
India vs. Pakistan: Cricket diplomacy -- Posted Sunday, February 25 2007
Next Saturday, the Rogers Centre hosts one of the game's most intense rivalries
APARITA BHANDARI
Special to The Globe and Mail
For cricket-obsessed South Asians in Toronto, it doesn't get any better than India and Pakistan doing battle on a local pitch.
Toronto has long served as neutral ground in a rivalry that has seen matches dropped in times of war and later resumed as gestures of goodwill. The rivalry continues next weekend when Legends of Cricket: India vs. Pakistan takes to the Rogers Centre. Fans will get to see veterans such as Pakistan's fast bowler Wasim Akram and India's left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi.
The friendly match -- cricket's version of old-timers' hockey -- comes two weeks after the Samjhauta Express train connecting New Delhi to Lahore was bombed, killing 68. Samjhauta means "understanding"; the train was part of recent peace initiatives.
Call it cricket diplomacy: Matches between Pakistan and India have been fraught with political overtones since partition in 1947, when Pakistan came into being.
But they have also captured the imagination of people on both sides of the border. Think 1970s Canada-Soviet hockey wars.
Brought to Indian shores by British sailors, cricket is now part of the subcontinent's psyche. It's a fever you have to catch to understand, says Gavin Barrett, 40, a Mumbai-born Toronto advertising director.
"It's our very special, non-lethal tropical disease," he says. "At school, our principal was an avid sports supporter. He played radio commentary of India-Pakistan cricket over the school's PA system. When India won the match, he came on right away and gave us the next day off. Pandemonium followed."
Cricket is a national mania in India, and a face-off between India and Pakistan brings out all its fervour. Past matches have formed a canon of myths, recounted with a mixture of liturgical reverence and unabated glee: Of the 108 one-day matches played from 1978 to 2006, Pakistan has won 68. India has beaten Pakistan in all their World Cup matches.
Memorable moments between the two include Javed Miandad knocking a "six" off of Chetan Sharma's last bowl in Sharjah in 1986, and Sachin "Master Blaster" Tendulkar hitting 18 runs off of Shoaib "Rawalpindi Express" Akhtar's 150 km-per-hour deliveries in a single "over" in the 2003 World Cup.
This rivalry is heightened by the fact that the 1947 partition, in cleaving two nations, also divided the former Indian cricket team.
Over the years, the sporting rivalry between India and Pakistan has become a contest for national pride, with politicians and religious extremists using the showdown to their own ends. In 1965 and 1971, India and Pakistan fought two wars, and cricket was suspended.
But Hasan Bozai, 74, a former Associated Press photographer in Pakistan now settled in Toronto, remembers the early matches from the 1950s as being friendly. "I had never seen so many crowds, especially in test matches. They really enjoyed the game," he says.
"There was no personal enmity. This [cricket] rivalry is a recent thing, as if they are fighting a war," Mr. Bozai says. "It's very sad."
When cricketing relations resumed in 1978, the sense of fun returned. Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, was a sports reporter for the Karachi Sun at the time. "India came to Pakistan, and it was as if the two countries had reunited," says Mr. Fatah.
"There was revelry, so much joy and dancing. Pakistan beat India, but the crowds were cheering for the Indian side. It was amazing to see people throwing flowers on the Indian team."
But the intensity between the two teams and the two countries was always there. Instead of war on the battlefield, it's war on the pitch, says Baqa Rashdi, 24, a Toronto law student.
"You're born with it -- nobody tells you these things," he adds. "Cricket is the sport to play, and India is your main rival. . . . It's all about heroes and villains."
The politicization of cricket led Sanjay Talreja to turn away from the game he grew up playing in Mumbai. Mr. Talreja, who made the documentary Cricket and the Meaning of Life, rediscovered his childhood love in Toronto, where cricket pitches are fast replacing baseball diamonds in Peel and Mississauga.
"I grew up in the seventies, when India and Pakistan weren't playing each other," he says. "We had no idea who these guys were. Pakistan had been defeated comprehensively by India at war.
"We got hammered [by Pakistan]. They were fantastic, guys like Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Zaheer Abbas. Suddenly, all these names exploded on our consciousness."
Former Pakistani president Zia ul-Haq used cricket matches as a venue for making speeches and announcing national holidays if the Pakistani team won. But, in 1987, when tensions were building up over the two countries' nuclear capabilities, President ul-Haq flew to India to attend a cricket match, a move that helped to smooth ruffled feathers.
India and Pakistan had signed a five-year contract to play the Sahara Cup in Toronto. The initial matches from 1996 to 1998 succeeded in bringing Indian and Pakistani fans together in the stands.
However, India refused to play Pakistan in 1999, citing the ongoing political dispute around Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of facilitating Muslim militants fighting for the secession of Kashmir. In 1999, the West Indies team was brought in so that India and Pakistan didn't play each other directly. In 2000, India pulled out of the Sahara Cup.
The series was also marred by scandals. In 1997, Pakistani star batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq swung a cricket bat against a taunting fan. As well, players on both sides were suspected of fixing matches.
Fast forward to 2007. Despite the attempt to derail the peace process with the train bombing earlier this month, the two countries are forging ahead, signing an accord to reduce risks of accidents linked to their nuclear arsenals and showing diplomatic maturity, say analysts.
Likewise, Toronto's Legends of Cricket match's purpose is to bring people together to watch good cricket, says organizer Melvin John, a former Pakistani league cricket player.
"If we can peacefully co-exist [in Toronto]," he asks, "why can't we do it back home?"
Cricket 101
Cricket is played by two sides of 11 players taking turns to bat and field on an oval
.
Two batsmen from the batting side stand at either end of the 20-yard-by-10-foot pitch in the middle of the oval, defending the wickets (two bails on three stumps).
A bowler from the fielding team bowls an over (six deliveries) to the batsman on strike.
The batsman makes runs by hitting the ball and then running between the wickets for single runs or by hitting boundaries (four or six runs).
The batting team's aim is to make as many runs as possible without getting out.
You can get a batsman out with:
A clean-bowl -- the batsman misses the ball, which knocks the bails off the stumps.
A run-out -- a ball in play touches the wicket before the batsman returns to the crease.
A leg-before-wicket (LBW) out -- a ball hits the batsman's shin guards on its way to the wicket.
A caught-out -- a batted ball is caught by the fielder before it touches the ground.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070224.CRICKET24/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/
Canucks aim for upsets -- Posted Saturday, February 24 2007
Cricket coach Pick fancies chances against Kenya
MORGAN CAMPBELL - SPORTS REPORTER
Ask Andy Pick, head coach of Canada's cricket team, how his squad will compete at the upcoming World Cup and he'll answer you honestly.
If they played 50 matches against England, he says Canada would lose at least 48.
But as his team prepared for next month's World Cup, which will take place at several venues in the West Indies, Pick remained hopeful, because a one-in-50 chance is still a chance. And, if Canada can beat Kenya, it would probably need one more win to advance to round two.
"We concentrate on trying to produce our best cricket," he said. "Our best game on any given day will certainly be enough to give those guys a few problems.
"We just hope the day we produce our best cricket they turn up a little bit below par. If that's the case then we've got every chance. Who's to say that (one win) can't be the first game?"
Last night the squad was scheduled to fly to Antigua, where they will spend a few days getting used to hot weather, outdoor games and grass pitches after spending the winter training indoors. After exhibitions against Bangladesh and Bermuda next week, the Canadians will head to Trinidad for pre-tournament matches against Ireland and Pakistan.
When the World Cup begins on March 14, Canada will play in a four-team group with Kenya, England and New Zealand.
Pick fancies Canada's chances of beating Kenya, but he's realistic about defeating either England or New Zealand and qualifying for round two.
"That would be a massive, massive achievement," Pick said. "That would be like winning the World Cup."
Pick can't set his sights much higher when only two of his players play cricket for money.
All-rounder John Davison, who set a World Cup record for the fastest century four years ago in South Africa, is a personal trainer and part-time cricket pro in Australia. Geoff Barnett plays first class cricket in New Zealand.
Naturally, Pick says, it's tough to compete against full-time pros when Canadian players have to schedule workouts and team camps around their full-time jobs.
At the 2003 World Cup, Canada defeated Test nation Bangladesh before losing to Kenya, Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa.
Report sourced from:-
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/184923
Bagai carries big bat for Canada -- Posted Saturday, February 24 2007
Young wicketkeeper will be 'looking to make some sort of impact' at the World Cup in the West Indies,
by Mary Ormsby
Feb 24, 2007 04:30 AM Mary Ormsby
Typical bedroom posters for sports-mad Canadian boys might feature Mats Sundin, Martin Brodeur or Sidney Crosby.
But it was the laminated visage of Sachin Tendulkar that, for years, stared back at Ashish Bagai, a young wicketkeeper aspiring to match the superb
skills of the Indian cricketer taped to his Scarborough apartment wall.
Next month, that star-struck boy and the legendary batsman become fellow competitors at the cricket World Cup, held in the West Indies.
"He is a big icon in Indian cricket and with me coming from India, it was only natural to look up to someone like that," said Bagai, the Canadian cricket team's 25-year-old vice-captain who once had a passing "hello" with Tendulkar.
"He was pretty young when he accomplished so much, he was like a role model. He was my favourite player growing up."
Canada, in a sense, is growing up on cricket's global stage. Considered a minnow in the 16-country tournament featuring powerhouses Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and defending champion Australia, Canada begins play on March 14 against Kenya in St. Lucia. England and New Zealand round out the pool, with the top two teams advancing to the next round.
Though Canada is a long shot, Bagai – who also competed in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa – will be watched with great interest by pro teams looking for post-Cup recruits. At a six-country event earlier this month in Kenya, the young investment banking analyst was named "man of the tournament" for a stellar batting performance, which included two centuries.
"I can't wait to get on the field," said Bagai, before the team left Toronto on Thursday for exhibition matches in Antigua.
"I think I got (the jitters) all out of me in 2003 when I was just happy to be there. This time, I'm looking forward to making some sort of impact."
Though he spent the first 12 years of his life in India, it was only after leaving the south Delhi district of Lajpat Nagar for Canada that Bagai's interest in cricket grew into a passion.
In Delhi, Vijay and Rita Bagai enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle with Bagai and his older brother Akshay attending private school, playing sports, travelling and spending time with their extended family in the neighbourhood. Vijay was a businessman and Rita, a teacher, founded and operated the first child development department the University of Delhi.
"To be honest, at first I was a little wary," said Rita, now a Ryerson professor, of the move to Canada. "The boys had such a wonderful life in Delhi ... but we had the safety net of my husband's job."
Or so they thought. Vijay had been sent to Toronto to open a branch office for his former company, but that failed to materialize. It took Rita four months to find work in her field with York Region as a children's special needs counsellor; Vijay was eventually hired by an Indian tire business.
Yet while the parents fretted quietly about the wisdom of leaving India ("There were times your self-esteem goes in the dumps," Rita says candidly), they always shielded their sons from their financial and career worries.
"It wasn't any trouble for us to assimilate because we were young enough," said Bagai, who attended R.H. King in Scarborough with Akshay, who's three years older. The brothers were excellent students – Akshay is a cardiology resident in Toronto, while little brother begins full-time banking work this June in Los Angeles – and athletes who'd swam competitively and played school cricket in Delhi. The first year in Canada, enterprising Akshay discovered the Toronto Cricket Academy, run in a school gymnasium during winter by Brian Hale. Akshay eventually persuaded his soccer-loving brother to tag along.
Hale, who calls Bagai "a good gift to Canada," couldn't believe how the young brother breezed through a series of tests to measure reflexes, foot speed and hand-eye coordination.
"Ashish's reflexes were unbelievable," said Hale, to whom Bagai pays a mentoring visit prior to each international competition. "His hand-eye coordination was exceptional and that's a key to being successful behind the stumps."
Being fearless also helps. Bagai points to where he's received stitches on his forehead and mouth, reminders of what can happen when the ball bounces off the pitch at 130 kilometres an hour and a batsman is swinging inches from his face. Hale said wicketkeepers decide how far back to stand when collecting a bowler's delivery and sometimes they'll pressure a batsman by creeping close. And aping some of hockey's anti-visor proponents, not all keepers wear a helmet and mask.
"In Ashish's case, it gets a bit dangerous when the wicketkeeper goes right up to the bat," Hale said. "It's very difficult to (catch) the ball there. Also, if a batsman takes a swing and misses, it can hit him. If (Bagai) doesn't use a helmet in these situations, I think he's crazy."
Bagai, for the record, does wear a helmet now. Also for the record, he's 5-foot-8 1/2 – "make sure you add the half," he said, laughing – and 150 pounds. In cricket, that's a good size for a batsman who can find gaps in the field as being a hulk is not an advantage when running between wickets in intense heat.
Bagai has represented Canada for more than a decade, blazing through youth teams (he was on the under-19 squad at 15, with Akshay as a teammate, and named to the all-world under-15 team at age 13) and cracked the senior national squad at 17.
He is also followed closely by the Indian media, frequently fielding calls from Delhi to his Richmond Hill home, inquiring about his game. That international attention is merited, says Akshay, who for 13 years has played on the same Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club team.
"His work ethic, to be honest, wasn't that good at the beginning, but in the last few years, he's worked so hard at his game and you can see that when he comes to practice and play," said Akshay between his hospital rounds this week. He, his parents and Hale will travel to St. Lucia to watch the Canadians compete.
"I'll certainly get nervous watching him play," Akshay continued. "When you're playing, you feel in control. But when you're watching somebody you care about, you actually get more nervous for their performance."
Though Bagai no longer has the tattered Tendulkar poster – a Wall Street scene is up instead – he wears the same number as his hero, No. 10, as he pays tribute to two countries that helped shape him.
"I'm an Indian person but I'm a Canadian athlete," Bagai said. "Playing for Canada has given me so much over the years. When I pull on the red and white, it's all about Canada."
Article sourced from:-
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/185337
India vs. Pakistan: Cricket diplomacy -- Posted Saturday, February 24 2007
Next Saturday, the Rogers Centre hosts one of the game's most intense rivalries
APARITA BHANDARI Special to The Globe and Mail
For cricket-obsessed South Asians in Toronto, it doesn't get any better than India and Pakistan doing battle on a local pitch.
Toronto has long served as neutral ground in a rivalry that has seen matches dropped in times of war and later resumed as gestures of goodwill. The rivalry continues next weekend when Legends of Cricket: India vs. Pakistan takes to the Rogers Centre. Fans will get to see veterans such as Pakistan's fast bowler Wasim Akram and India's left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi.
The friendly match -- cricket's version of old-timers' hockey -- comes two weeks after the Samjhauta Express train connecting New Delhi to Lahore was bombed, killing 68. Samjhauta means "understanding"; the train was part of recent peace initiatives.
Call it cricket diplomacy: Matches between Pakistan and India have been fraught with political overtones since partition in 1947, when Pakistan came into being.
But they have also captured the imagination of people on both sides of the border. Think 1970s Canada-Soviet hockey wars.
Brought to Indian shores by British sailors, cricket is now part of the subcontinent's psyche. It's a fever you have to catch to understand, says Gavin Barrett, 40, a Mumbai-born Toronto advertising director.
"It's our very special, non-lethal tropical disease," he says. "At school, our principal was an avid sports supporter. He played radio commentary of India-Pakistan cricket over the school's PA system. When India won the match, he came on right away and gave us the next day off. Pandemonium followed."
Cricket is a national mania in India, and a face-off between India and Pakistan brings out all its fervour. Past matches have formed a canon of myths, recounted with a mixture of liturgical reverence and unabated glee: Of the 108 one-day matches played from 1978 to 2006, Pakistan has won 68. India has beaten Pakistan in all their World Cup matches.
Memorable moments between the two include Javed Miandad knocking a "six" off of Chetan Sharma's last bowl in Sharjah in 1986, and Sachin "Master Blaster" Tendulkar hitting 18 runs off of Shoaib "Rawalpindi Express" Akhtar's 150 km-per-hour deliveries in a single "over" in the 2003 World Cup.
This rivalry is heightened by the fact that the 1947 partition, in cleaving two nations, also divided the former Indian cricket team.
Over the years, the sporting rivalry between India and Pakistan has become a contest for national pride, with politicians and religious extremists using the showdown to their own ends. In 1965 and 1971, India and Pakistan fought two wars, and cricket was suspended.
But Hasan Bozai, 74, a former Associated Press photographer in Pakistan now settled in Toronto, remembers the early matches from the 1950s as being friendly. "I had never seen so many crowds, especially in test matches. They really enjoyed the game," he says.
"There was no personal enmity. This [cricket] rivalry is a recent thing, as if they are fighting a war," Mr. Bozai says. "It's very sad."
When cricketing relations resumed in 1978, the sense of fun returned. Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, was a sports reporter for the Karachi Sun at the time. "India came to Pakistan, and it was as if the two countries had reunited," says Mr. Fatah.
"There was revelry, so much joy and dancing. Pakistan beat India, but the crowds were cheering for the Indian side. It was amazing to see people throwing flowers on the Indian team."
But the intensity between the two teams and the two countries was always there. Instead of war on the battlefield, it's war on the pitch, says Baqa Rashdi, 24, a Toronto law student.
"You're born with it -- nobody tells you these things," he adds. "Cricket is the sport to play, and India is your main rival. . . . It's all about heroes and villains."
The politicization of cricket led Sanjay Talreja to turn away from the game he grew up playing in Mumbai. Mr. Talreja, who made the documentary Cricket and the Meaning of Life, rediscovered his childhood love in Toronto, where cricket pitches are fast replacing baseball diamonds in Peel and Mississauga.
"I grew up in the seventies, when India and Pakistan weren't playing each other," he says. "We had no idea who these guys were. Pakistan had been defeated comprehensively by India at war.
"We got hammered [by Pakistan]. They were fantastic, guys like Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Zaheer Abbas. Suddenly, all these names exploded on our consciousness."
Former Pakistani president Zia ul-Haq used cricket matches as a venue for making speeches and announcing national holidays if the Pakistani team won. But, in 1987, when tensions were building up over the two countries' nuclear capabilities, President ul-Haq flew to India to attend a cricket match, a move that helped to smooth ruffled feathers.
India and Pakistan had signed a five-year contract to play the Sahara Cup in Toronto. The initial matches from 1996 to 1998 succeeded in bringing Indian and Pakistani fans together in the stands.
However, India refused to play Pakistan in 1999, citing the ongoing political dispute around Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of facilitating Muslim militants fighting for the secession of Kashmir. In 1999, the West Indies team was brought in so that India and Pakistan didn't play each other directly. In 2000, India pulled out of the Sahara Cup.
The series was also marred by scandals. In 1997, Pakistani star batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq swung a cricket bat against a taunting fan. As well, players on both sides were suspected of fixing matches.
Fast forward to 2007. Despite the attempt to derail the peace process with the train bombing earlier this month, the two countries are forging ahead, signing an accord to reduce risks of accidents linked to their nuclear arsenals and showing diplomatic maturity, say analysts.
Likewise, Toronto's Legends of Cricket match's purpose is to bring people together to watch good cricket, says organizer Melvin John, a former Pakistani league cricket player.
"If we can peacefully co-exist [in Toronto]," he asks, "why can't we do it back home?"
Cricket 101
Cricket is played by two sides of 11 players taking turns to bat and field on an oval.
Two batsmen from the batting side stand at either end of the 20-yard-by-10-foot pitch in the middle of the oval, defending the wickets (two bails on three stumps).
A bowler from the fielding team bowls an over (six deliveries) to the batsman on strike.
The batsman makes runs by hitting the ball and then running between the wickets for single runs or by hitting boundaries (four or six runs).
The batting team's aim is to make as many runs as possible without getting out.
You can get a batsman out with:
A clean-bowl -- the batsman misses the ball, which knocks the bails off the stumps.
A run-out -- a ball in play touches the wicket before the batsman returns to the crease.
A leg-before-wicket (LBW) out -- a ball hits the batsman's shin guards on its way to the wicket.
A caught-out -- a batted ball is caught by the fielder before it touches the ground.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070224.CRICKET24/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/
Holding comments 'a downer' for Associates -- Posted Saturday, February 24 2007
Former Bermuda captain hits back
February 21, 2007
Lionel Cann, the former Bermuda captain, has hit back at Michael Holding's comments about Associates taking part in the World Cup
I was surprised and appalled by Michael Holding's remarks that minnows 'devalued' the World Cup. He was brought in be the guest speaker at our first ever World Cup function and he says we shouldn't be there!
I was not at the function because I was ill, but I read his remarks in Monday's paper. He is obviously entitled to his opinion but there is a time and a place.
Hearing something like that from someone who has been such an ambassador for the game, put me in a real down frame of mind. It seemed like all that we have accomplished and worked towards was nothing in his eyes. With all the negativity that's been directed towards the team, it's just one more downer. It's something that will motivate us and make us want to succeed even more.
I actually feel, as someone who has played cricket his whole life, it was quite a selfish statement to make. I don't think he's looking at the big picture. It wasn't that long ago people were calling Bangladesh minnows, now they've beaten Australia. There are now 96 countries that are associates and members. The dream of playing in the World Cup is an incentive for all of them. The more competition there is internationally, the higher the standard will be worldwide.
Is he going to say Trinidad shouldn't have been in the football World Cup? I have a lot of respect for such a gentleman, but this is one occasion where I believe he has faltered in his comments.
We had a different kind of speech from the Minister of Sport, Randy Horton. He had a meeting with us and let us know he expects us to be ambassadors for this country. He reminded us that there were people before us that laid the foundations and now we have reached the pinnacle.
He told us to take this opportunity to get to know the other players off the field - take every little experience we can. He said he was proud of us and that the ministry and the government were behind us. He wished us the best and told us to play with heart and dignity.
We'll take another step forward when we play Bangladesh on Sunday - our first ODI against a Test-playing nation. They've beaten teams like Australia, Sri Lanka and India so we are going to have our hands full.
I'm currently at home with the flu, along with my daughter, and am not scheduled to fly out to Antigua until Friday but I'm hoping to play. It's a perfect opportunity to see where we are with all the training we have been doing. They have a lot of players that have been together for a long time and some talented youngsters.
Bermuda may have beaten Bangladesh in the past but that was before they became a Test playing country. They have taken their cricket to new heights. You can't compare Bangladesh then to what they are like now. You can't compare Bermuda now to teams of the past either, as we've had all this exposure. Bangladesh have sorted out their infrastructure and they have world class youngsters coming through. They are going from strength to strength.
Hopefully I should make it. I had the flu when I was in Kenya and I played with it through the tournament, so I didn't have time to recuperate. I caught it again when I came back to Bermuda and I've been suffering ever since. Now my daughter has it too, so I couldn't fly with her being sick. She's down and I'm down and we're helping each other through it. With regards to not travelling with the team, I had to put my family first. Family is more important than sports.
Reproduced with permission from the Bermuda Sun
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/story/281189.html
Cricket Hall of Fame to hold reception in Jamaica -- Posted Saturday, February 24 2007
A team from Hartford’s Cricket Hall of Fame, headed by director Michael Chambers, will be traveling to Jamaica for the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2007, which will be situated in the West Indies for the first time ever. The group, which plans to spend 10 days on the island, will host a cocktail reception designed to introduce the organization to as many new people as possible.
The anticipated and exciting event is set for Wednesday, March 14, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston. All former inductees and friends of the organization, who may be on the island at the time, are invited to attend.
The event will be highlighted with the auctioning of a Sir Vivian Richards’ souvenir clock and live entertainment. Finger food and a selection of wines will be served.
In the meantime, the Cricket Hall of Fame is inviting all interested individuals to visit ChambersCricket.com and join in the discussion on the World Cup. The CWC 2007 organizers are promising to put on a show that will be hard to surpass. So send us your pictures and let us hear of your experiences during your visits to the various islands for the historical event.
Cricket lovely cricket!
Canadian cricketers to watch in WC2007 -- Posted Friday, February 23 2007
BBC SPORT
Canada - Three to watch
JOHN DAVISON
Age 36, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Shot to prominence in the 2003 World Cup by scoring the fastest century in the history of the competition, a stunning 111 from 76 balls with six sixes against the West Indies.
For good measure he added the third-fastest fifty, smashing four sixes in 75 from 62 balls against New Zealand.
Also a regular wicket-taker with his slow bowling, Davison has played in Australia for Victoria and took over the Canada captaincy in 2004.
QAISER ALI
Age 28, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Born in the Punjab, the portly figure of Ali has played only a handful of one-day internationals for Canada, with little success.
But in December, in the longer form of the game he made a commanding 174 with 19 fours and two sixes in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match, although it was still not enough to prevent defeat by the Netherlands.
That followed a 91 against Kenya earlier in the summer, when Ali was widely praised for his expansive range of strokes.
GEORGE CODRINGTON
Age 40, right-handed, batsman, right-arm seamer
Senior statesman, who skippered the side in their latest match against the Netherlands.
Some stoic, if unspectacular, displays with bat and ball during his clutch of ODIs, he claimed a career-best 4-33 bowling third change against Bermuda in the ICC Tri-Series.
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/6256647.stm
Published: 2007/02/14 16:38:25 GMT
An early cricket tour of North America -- Posted Friday, February 23 2007
One of the rarest of all cricket books, 'The Log of the "Old Un" from Liverpool to San Francisco 1886', was "Printed for Private Circulation" at Exeter in that same year. It was reprinted in facsimile, with the addition of a preface by P. Wynne-Thomas, in 1994 in the valuable series of reprints by J. W. McKenzie of interesting but largely unobtainable cricket monographs. Due, however, to publishing delays copies have only recently become available.
Under the pseudonym of the "Old Un" lurks William Clulow Sim, who in retirement from the Indian Civil Service was the Honorary Secretary and chief benefactor of the Devonshire County Cricket Club. In 1886 he combined a visit to his son in California with one to Eastern North America in the capacity of scorer to the English Cricketing Eleven's tour that was arranged by his friend E.J. Sanders, a leading member of the Devonshire Club. Sanders chose County and University players, of whom the best known are K.J. Key and H.W. Bainbridge (later captains of Surrey and Warwickshire respectively). His captain was W.E. Roller of Surrey, the batting hero of Sanders' similar tour of the previous year. Nine games in all were played, two in Canada and seven in the U.S.A., of which the two in Philadelphia have been assigned first-class status. The team was victorious in all its matches except for a draw in Boston against a New England XV. The match in Toronto was won by eight wickets against an Ontario Cricket XI for which F. Harley scored 40 out of only 72 in the first innings and A.C. Allan and R.B. Ferrie (who also took three wickets) 45 and 38 respectively out of 111 in the second. At Montreal the England XII (including Sanders himself) easily beat XVI of Montreal C.C. by an innings and 117 runs after scoring 257. Sim gives scores for all the matches, but omits bowling analyses and, for four matches, details of the innings of the opposition. The 20 remaining pages of his "plain, unvarnished 'Iog'", as with so many descriptions of nineteenth-century tours to North America, do not decribe the actual cricket but revel in travel arrangements and the scenery. Sim actually left the tour after the second match (at Toronto) and expatiates on his journey to California and that state's prospects for future greatness. Inevitably he discusses the American love for baseball: "Cricket", he claims, "is more likely to take root and prosper in Canadian than in American soil. It is not fast enough for the go-ahead Yankee." He particularly notes the dangers to a baseball umpire: "If one meets a man in the street with his arm in a sling, one broken leg, and an eye out, it may safely be conjectured that this 'wreck of humanity' had been 'adjudicating' at some recent big base ball match, and had to run the gauntlet of some two or three thousand infuriated lookerson. .",
Wynne- Thomas writes a sober account (in contrast to Sim's pun-Iaden prose) of the history of earlier cricketing tours, briefly describes the one of 1886 (making the interesting point that many of the U.S. teams, but neither of the Canadian, were strengthened by visiting English professionals) and gives brief biographies of the members of the party, with a strange emphasis upon their deaths (but omits to say that Sir Kingsmill Key died of an insect bite and completely omits Hugh Rotherham, the Warwickshire all-rounder and well-known rugby football threequarter for Coventry who died in 1939). Some explanatory notes would have been useful. Many readers may not realize that the "Tristie" to whom Sim refers is the Somerset wicket-keeper F .T. Welman; and who is Handford (no initials given) who played for the English team at Boston ? Could this be the U.S. player Saunders Handford, brother of the Nottinghamshire professional Alick Handford, who was drafted into the team because of the injury or indisposition of Roller and Rotherham ?
Wynne- Thomas quotes the notoriously misguided prophecy from the New York Commercial Advertiser that "It is believed by some Americans that cricket will very soon supersede the game of baseball, especially as a gentleman's game. It is conducted in a quiet manner and without the usual howling that marks the game of baseball." But he concludes with the provocative observation that if cricket had forged ahead in popularity in the U.S.A. Sanders' two matches in Philadelphia may have been regarded to-day as Test Matches, since they were of a higher standard than those in 1888/89 between Major Warton's English team, captained by "Round-the- Corner" Smith, and the South Africans that were subsequently granted that status.
William Clulow Sim, The Log of the "Old Un" from Liverpool to San Francisco 1886 (with an introduction by Peter Wynne- Thomas, 16 + 30 pages) is available from J.W. McKenzie, 12 Stoneleigh Park Road, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 OQT, England at 15 pounds sterling.
AR Littlewood
June 24, 2000
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/89904.html
Professor Littlewood is a classical scholar at the University of Western Ontario. He has written extensively about cricket.
Edotors note:- I have received a copy of "The First West Indies Cricket Tour - Canada and the United States in 1886". This slim volume Edited and with an introduction by Professor McD. Beckles at the university in Barbados, is not currently distributed. (JH)
First report from one of Canada's ethnic press -- Posted Thursday, February 22 2007
13 from Kenya series retained in the world cup squad
Batsmen Ian Bilcliff and Geoff Barnett, both based in New Zealand, have been named for Canada's Cricket World Cup 15-member squad. Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand and was not available for Canada during the winter for contractual reasons.
The 13 players of the squad from the World Cricket League series in Kenya have been retained. Bilcliff and Barnett will replace all-rounder Don Maxwell and Sandeep Jyoti.
Meanwhile, Ashish Bagai, whose batting has flowered over the winter in South Africa and Kenya, is named vice-captain. Bagai was selected the player-of-the-tournament for the World Cricket League and captained Canada to win over Uganda in a warm-up match in Nairobi.
"It is a fairly well-balanced squad. We will have to work hard in the field in order to save 20-30 runs. We will practice and work on it", said national coach Andy Pick.
Pick hoped for at least one win in the team's four appearances against Test playing nations in the lead-up and first round of the World Cup.
"If we can win one of the group match, as well as beat Kenya and if we get everything right on a given day against England or New Zealand, we could win. The realistic target must be to get through to the second round." Pick said.
Canada went to South Africa in November with a 13-player squad that had nobody with an individual score of 50 runs in an ODI match. The 50 barrier was broken. This is the third time that Canada has made it the the World Cup.
The team selected for the world cup is as follows:
John Davison (captain), Ian Bilcliff, Geoff Barnet, Kevin Sandher (all from British Columbia); Ashish Bagai (vice-captain), Umar Bhatti, Desmond Chumney, George Codrington, Austin Codrington, Andy Cummins, Sunil Dhaniram, Ashif Mulla, Henry Odine, Abdool Samad, (all from Ontario) and Qaiser All (from Quebec).
Article sourced from CANADA NEWSLINE - THE INDIAN EXPRESS February 16, 2007 (with files from Eddie Norfolk).
Editors note:-
I am advised that the national team will be flying to the West Indies from Toronto International at midnight. (JH).
Davison the record-breaker returns -- Posted Thursday, February 22 2007
Record breaker returns
By Jamie Lillywhite
England have may have had a resurgence in one-day cricket, but a record-breaking batsmen is gunning for them at the World Cup.
John Davison smashed the fastest World Cup century in South Africa four years ago and will lead Canada's challenge in Group C.
"I'm pretty confident we'll knock off Kenya, then we've got two games and for us to progress we've got to win one of them," said the former South Australia all-rounder.
Davison, 36, was born in British Columbia but moved to Australia at a very young age and went on to play in the same academy side as Glenn McGrath.
"I reckon if we have a perfect day where four of five guys perform to the best of their ability and England or New Zealand have a poor day, you never know.
"I think one of the minnows will get through - but I'm not going to say which one. I don't think many people have booked the next month off work or anything, but you have to go with the attitude of trying to progress."
Their chances will depend heavily on Davison reproducing the sort of form that saw him blast six sixes in 111 from 76 balls against West Indies at Centurion in 2003 - his century coming off just 67 balls.
"I'd had a bit of a stand-off with the coach regarding the selection of the team for that game, and I was a bit fired up about that," he recalls of the build-up to that match.
"I got padded up and went out of the rooms to sit on my own.
"It was weird, I got into a really good space, determined, but with a clear head, conditions were really good, the West Indians didn't swing the ball - which is always a positive! - the wicket was fantastic and it was altitude so the ball travels further.
"If I was ever going to get a hundred against them it was going to be that day!"
In the wake of his exploits, there were rumours of a switch to English county cricket.
"Bob Woolmer oversaw the associate teams and he tried to sign me up with a county but the team I was talking to had an Aussie coach who had seen me and obviously didn't think I was as good!
"That would have been a nice experience, but the opportunities I've had for Canada, travelling the world playing reasonable cricket against other associate sides, have been great."
Having beaten Bangladesh in their opening match of the last World Cup, Canada lost their remaining five matches, but Davison is confident they can fare better this time.
"I think we're a better balanced team than we were.
"The wicket-keeper, Ashish Bagai, was player of the tournament at the World Cricket League [after two big centuries and a 74] and has really improved, so I'm expecting him to do good things.
"We've got another young guy, who plays his cricket in New Zealand, Geoff Barnett, has been opening the batting in first-class cricket for Central Districts.
"It will be good to have him in the field because we've got a few guys who are getting on a bit."
Fielding is a particular concern as Davison now skippers the side.
"It's a challenge, I find myself putting the bar pretty high and get a bit frustrated when people don't quite reach it, but it's rewarding when things come together and you have a good day," he says of his responsibilities.
"I've always been one who likes to be involved, coming up with ideas, so I always pretended I was captain even when I wasn't!"
Captaincy nowadays is not just deciding on who bowls and fields, there is the extra decision of when to use two five-over segments of powerplays.
"I kept forgetting to take them," he said. "I was talking to the Scottish captain and he was saying it was shrewd to use them in overs 32-37, and I said 'to tell you the truth I forgot about them!'"
Now England have regained confidence ahead of their match against Canada on 18 March by winning the series against Australia and New Zealand.
"I'm a bit disappointed with that, I was hoping they weren't going to win a game and they'd be shot ducks when we came up against them!" Davison quipped.
"Our coach Andy Pick coached Liam Plunkett in the England U-19s and we saw some highlights and he said: 'Plunkett's lost his outswinger', plus Mahmood wasn't bowling well, so we were licking our lips thinking we could get these guys!
"But the last few games Plunkett was swinging them - he can bowl extras but some wicket-taking balls, and wickets are the best way of slowing down the run-rate."
So is the secret of success in the Caribbean to have an argument with Pick before the matches?
"I get on too well with Picky - he's got a very similar philosophy.
"All of the guys have jobs and families and make huge sacrifices to play for Canada."
None more so than Davison, a personal trainer by trade, whose wife and young baby will stay in Sydney while the competition takes place.
"I sacrifice my time and income to go away but it's good fun - a lifestyle decision rather than a monetary one."
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6365085.stm
Supplementary information
JOHN DAVISON
Age 36, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Shot to prominence in the 2003 World Cup by scoring the fastest century in the history of the competition, a stunning 111 from 76 balls with six sixes against the West Indies.
For good measure he added the third-fastest fifty, smashing four sixes in 75 from 62 balls against New Zealand.
Also a regular wicket-taker with his slow bowling, Davison has played in Australia for Victoria and took over the Canada captaincy in 2004.
QAISER ALI
Age 28, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Born in the Punjab, the portly figure of Ali has played only a handful of one-day internationals for Canada, with little success. But in December, in the longer form of the game he made a commanding 174 with 19 fours and two sixes in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match, although it was still not enough to prevent defeat by the Netherlands.
That followed a 91 against Kenya earlier in the summer, when Ali was widely praised for his expansive range of strokes.
GEORGE CODRINGTION
Age 40, right-handed, batsman, right-arm seamer
Senior statesman, who skippered the side in their latest match against the Netherlands.
Some stoic, if unspectacular, displays with bat and ball during his clutch of ODIs, he claimed a career-best 4-33 bowling third change against Bermuda in the ICC Tri-Series.
The Canadians have just two professionals in their 15-man squad, but coach Andy Pick is confident the North Americans can make an impression.
"We've got six or seven players who can single-handedly alter the result of the game," said Pick.
"They're good enough players to put in a game-changing performance."
The squad includes a forklift driver, accountant, salesman, and teacher.
Canada are in Group C matches alongside England, New Zealand and fellow minnows Kenya.
Their only win in six matches at the 2003 World Cup was a 60-run victory against Bangladesh and they set the lowest score in the competition's history when they were dismissed for just 36 by Sri Lanka.
Canada start their campaign on 14 March against Kenya before playing England on 18 March and then New Zealand on 22 March.
The Kenyans defeated Canada by 158 runs in the recent World League tournament, but the Canadians know the first game represents their best chance at an upset.
"We have to be realistic," said Pick.
"Most times out of a hundred, our best chance at winning a game would be against Kenya.
"If England and New Zealand play their best cricket, that will be better than our best cricket.
"What we have to aim for is not to compete with those guys, but to compete with ourselves. If we produce our best game and they don't, that's when the underdog wins."
John Davison interviewed by BBC -- Posted Thursday, February 22 2007
The Canadian skipper was recenly interviewed by the BBC, who have an excellent article on their web site. John is quoted as saying on fielding
"We've got another young guy, who plays his cricket in New Zealand, Geoff Barnett, has been opening the batting in first-class cricket for Central Districts. It will be good to have him in the field because we've got a few guys who are getting on a bit. It's a challenge, I find myself putting the bar pretty high and get a bit frustrated when people don't quite reach it, but it's rewarding when things come together and you have a good day"
Read More
T&DCA Board Appointments -- Posted Wednesday, February 21 2007
T&DCA Board Appointments and other initiatives
A meeting to fill portfolios on the T&DCA board was held on 19th February 2007 at the Ontario Sports Alliance Centre, Toronto. The positions were filled as follows:
Mohammed R. Shaikh
President, Schedule Chairman/Webmaster
Shameer Ali
Vice-President, Constitutional Updates Committee, Fund Raising
Jim Persaud
Correspondence Secretary, Maple Leaf Representative
Kam Chari
Treasurer, Maple Leaf Representative
Leroy Grey
Statistician/Selection & Seeding, OCA Representative/Parks & Practice Committee
Thiru Suseenthiran,
Registrar, Scheduling Committee/User Administration
Wijay Senathirajah
Discipline Chairman
Nicholas Fincham
Parks & Practice Chairman, Umpire Liaison
Ranjit Saini
Fundraising Chairman, Constitutional Updates Committee
Maple Leaf Representative
Ragoobir Henry
Junior Coordinator, Scheduling Committee
Rajesh Sharma
Recording Secretary
Rashid Ahsan
Special Events Coordinator
The board unanimously appointed Mr. Austin Ward as Honorary Chairman. Mr. Ward has graciously offered to provide support to the new board. The board also agreed to meet on every 3rd Monday of every month as minimum to deal with league related matters. Code of Conduct for the board members will be developed along with streamlined purchasing process that will include competitive tendering and approved supplier processes.
Conflict of interest guidelines will also be developed and implemented. Revision of the constitution, Match play rules for seniors and juniors will be reviewed and approved in timely manner as applicable. Deadline for applications to participate in 2007 season is February 25, 2007.
Information submitted by Mohammed R. Shaikh.
Toronto Mayor to look at need for increased sports facilities -- Posted Wednesday, February 21 2007
Toronto's sporting facilities have been derided as "Third World" and Mayor David Miller is looking to do something about that.
The mayor will meet today with the heads of community and regional athletic and sports organization, seeking to identify the key gaps that need to be filled.
"We need to be more precise about the facilities we need and have a discussion on how to get there," Mr. Miller said.
City officials note, for example, that Toronto has only two Olympic-size swimming pools -- one of them, at the University of Toronto, is not open to everyone. There are other regular gripes heard from citizens, including soccer fields so overbooked that children must play very early or late in the day.
Earl Cochrane, spokesman for the Canadian Soccer Association, said his sport struggled to create in Canada the sort of pyramid structure needed to funnel promising players to the top level. This is in part because the facilities are lacking, he said. It's a far cry from Europe, where there are "fields all over the place, manicured and well taken care of."
"If you looked at it on a facility level, we're basically Third World," Mr. Cochrane said, adding that some of the poorest places in the world have better facilities than Canada.
As always, the biggest snag is figuring out who would pay for new facilities. Mr. Miller says the city is "at the table," but added that any funding issues would also have to include the provincial and federal governments.
More funding is definitely needed, said veteran cricket player Rohan Jagasar, who has also served as an umpire and coach.
The situation has improved vastly from the days when national team members paid their own airfare, he said, and the GTA now boasts a half-dozen cricket pitches where international-calibre teams can play. But one of these is at a private club and there isn't a single pitch in the area where the very highest-level competitions can take place.
Mr. Jagasar said that there are also a number of lower-level facilities and plenty of green spaces where amateurs can bash a ball around for fun. Because of that, he argued that instead of adding new pitches, the sport needs reduced user fees for facilities and steady funding to hire experienced team officials.
"There's such a vast influx of immigrants coming in, it's amazing the way the game has grown," the native of Jamaica said. "To help cricket [continue to] grow, we need professionals. You won't get volunteers, you need people who are paid to coach and umpire at that level."
Brenda Librecz, the city's general manager of parks, forestry and recreation, said Toronto ranks lowest in the province on public participation in physical activity.
She noted that the city is in a relatively good position for sports facilities at the national level, including the Air Canada and Ricoh centres. But in recent years changes in provincial government policy have reduced public access to school facilities, already in a declining state of repair.
As well, she noted, the city now has to pay property taxes on hydro corridors, potential sites for new sports fields and services.
Mr. Miller said today's consultation marks the latest step in discussions that have gone on for several months with school boards, sports groups, community representatives and governments.
But he emphasized that solutions to end the shortage of facilities, both for traditional sports such as hockey and others that appeal to newcomers, such as soccer and cricket, are in everyone's long-term interest.
"Sports helps create both safe and strong neighbourhoods and strong and healthy people who live in them," he said.
Story sourced from:-
http://www.sportmatters.ca/Groups/Infrastructure Media/January06/14-The Globe and Mail jan21-Miller to look at city's need for increased sports facilities.htm
News of Ashish Bagai -- Posted Tuesday, February 20 2007
Banker key to Canada's cricket Cup hopes
Next month's tournament like extended audition for UWO grad
Feb 20, 2007 12:59 PM
Neil Davidson
Canadian Press
Ashish Bagai has put his investment banking career in Los Angeles on hold for a year to play cricket for Canada.
If things go well at the World Cup starting next month, he may not be going back to Tinseltown any time soon.
Bagai is vice-captain and wicketkeeper on the Canadian team, which leaves Thursday for the Caribbean for a series of warmup games before the World Cup kicks off March 11. Canada's first game is March 14 against Kenya in Saint Lucia.
The World Cup, a 16-team tournament that decides the champion of one-day cricket, could be an extended job audition for Bagai.
A 25-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ont., Bagai was recently named player of the tournament at the ICC World Cricket League, a competition for second-tier cricket countries.
Bagai scored two centuries and one half-century, averaging 86.25 runs at the tournament, which also included Bermuda, Ireland, host Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland.
Canadian coach Andy Pick credits a stint late last year at a high-development camp run by the International Cricket Council for helping Bagai flourish.
"When I arrived in May, he was a talented cricketer who didn't make the best of what he's got. And he has now matured and learned a lot about the game. . . . He has now applied himself to the very best of his abilities," Pick said.
Other Canadians at the camp in Pretoria, South Africa, were Sunil Dhaniram, Abdool Samad and Kevin Sandher.
The 11-week camp drew players from each of the six so-called "associate" countries with top coaches like former Test players Rod Marsh, Kepler Wessels and Gary Kirsten. It was cricket from morning to night.
"I was there for three months and I worked pretty hard," Bagai said. "It's good to see results come out of that."
Bagai called it an eye-opening experience, one that has resulted in changes to his diet, lifestyle and mental preparation.
"The biggest thing I realized out of that camp was to be successful in sport or I guess in anything, it takes a lot of discipline and a lifestyle change."
"Every decision you make, you've got to think back to how it will affect you in the field," he added. "You do it consciously for a while and then it becomes lifestyle and habit."
Bagai, who studied finance at the University of Western Ontario, works at UBS Investment Bank in Los Angeles but was able to get a year off to concentrate on his cricket.
"I like it (banking) . . . but if I could play cricket, I would take that any day," Bagai said.
Bagai says he is not thinking that far ahead, preferring to concentrate on Canada's chances. But he knows a good performance could lead to a job offer.
Bagai was approached by a couple of South African cricket teams after the 2003 tournament, but he was in university at the time and not sure where his cricket future lay.
This time around, Canada is in a pool with England, New Zealand and Kenya. Only the top two teams will advance to the next round.
The Canadians' goal is to beat Kenya – something they did in January, although the Kenyans avenged that loss earlier this month – and steal a win against one of the other two teams. It promises to be a stiff challenge and there is no margin for error.
"That's what the World Cup is all about, I guess," Bagai said.
Bagai is one of six veterans of the 2003 tournament on this year's team. Other returnees are captain John Davison, Ian Billcliff, Austin Codrington, Desmond Chumney and Samad.
Canada went 1-5 in a roller-coaster ride at the 2003 World Cup.
Davison recorded the fastest century in World Cup history (off 67 balls) before being dismissed for 111 in a loss to the West Indies. He also clubbed 75 against New Zealand.
Also on the positive side, Canada beat Bangladesh by 60 runs for its first ever one-day international win. And opener Ishwar Maraj became only the eighth player to survive the full quota of overs in a World Cup match, finishing at 53 not out off 155 balls.
But Canada entered the record book on a different note when it was dismissed for 36 runs against Sri Lanka, the lowest one-day international total ever. And Maraj's showing against South Africa was also the slowest-scoring innings of more than 50 in a one-day international.
"A lot of positives came out of it," Bagai said. "We got our first World Cup win, which was huge for us."
Bagai has long been someone to watch in Canadian cricket. He competed at the first under-15 World Cup in England, where he was voted top wicketkeeper. He went on to captain the Americas team in the under-19 World Cup and was one of the youngest players at the 2003 World Cup.
Canada faces unique challenges in preparing to play with cricket's big boys. Extreme Cold Alerts – predicted weather of -15 C without wind chill – are hardly normal in a sport where players often lather zinc oxide over their face to fight off sunburn.
Instead, the largely Ontario-based Canadian team has had to practise inside during winter.
Plus almost all of the players have day jobs. And the team gets virtually no funding other than what it receives from the ICC.
Bagai acknowledges it is frustrating playing a sport that gets so little attention or help back home.
"We know we have so much more to give. It's just not possible with families and all that kind of stuff. I'm fortunate to get a year off. But people come to training right after the work, they've worked 10 hours.
"It's hard. But we love the game so we're doing it."
Article sourced from:-
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Cricket/article/183685
Kick out all but the best Associates from WC 2007 -- Posted Tuesday, February 20 2007
Holding slams World Cup minnows
Michael Holding has said that the World Cup will be devalued by the number of non-Test playing nations taking part.
Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler turned TV commentator, explained that only the top-ranked Associate country in the world should be allowed to take part as opposed to the top six as is the case now.
"I don't believe the World Cup should go on for as long as it does (almost two months) and that is partly because there are far too many teams in the competition who are not good enough to be there," he told Bermuda's Royal Gazette. "I've argued about this with the ICC for some time. I simply do not believe that if you come fourth in the ICC Trophy that you should be entitled to play in the World Cup.
"It doesn't make sense to me. What is gained by a team playing in the World Cup and getting absolutely hammered? In my opinion it is counter-productive. What I believe should happen is that all the non-Test playing nations should continue to play amongst themselves, to have their own competition where only the top-ranked country goes through to the World Cup.
"I see nothing wrong with giving the smaller teams the odd tour and a few games against the bigger teams from time to time. And I think the ICC should continue to invest in non-Test playing nations to improve their cricket and their infrastructure and things like that. But it's a big jump from that to having six non-Test nations all playing against the cream of the crop. It's not good for cricket."
Holding went on to say that he believed the tournament will be a success despite ongoing problems with stadium construction, soaring hotel prices, visa problems and reports of sluggish ticket sales. "There have been some problems in some aspects of the preparation, but the logistics of organising a World Cup which is spread out over a region made up of many sovereign nations, with different laws, governments and currencies, was always going to be hard.
"We tend to do things at the last minute in the Caribbean - it's part of our culture. Even on the morning of a Test match there's always people hammering in nails somewhere or somebody painting something. It's the same with tickets as well. People in the Caribbean don't buy tickets months in advance, they tend to do it on the day of the game or a couple of days before."
Cricinfo staff February 20, 2007
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/story/281062.html
Lesson to be taken from a true great -- Posted Monday, February 19 2007
Harry Eyres, Financial Times Published: Sep 02, 2006
My main reaction to the ball-tampering incident that brought the game of cricket on to the front pages of British and sub-continental newspapers has been one of disappointment. I was looking forward to the denouement of the Oval test when it was abruptly and farcically ended. All results were possible, including an unlikely England win and a fourth century in four tests by the stylish Ian Bell.
But beyond that I was disappointed by the way the noble game of cricket, not for the first time (remember the Kerry Packer circus), had shot itself in the foot. And then my feelings were brought into focus by the death of one of cricket's unquestioned greats, the most commanding of Barbados's and the West Indies' three Ws, Sir Clyde Walcott.
I don't have a clear view on the ball-tampering allegation itself. It seems prima facie unlikely that with 25 cameras trained on the pitch any Pakistan player could have got away with illegal scuffing of the ball. I don't even have an unequivocal verdict on the controversial umpire Darrell Hair, almost universally cast as the villain of the piece. While the tampering seems unlikely, it also appears improbable that Hair, one of the most experienced umpires of all time, would have made such a decision without good grounds.
Whether or not Inzamam-ul-Haq or Darrell Hair or anyone else has brought cricket into disrepute, these events have diminished the game. No one involved has exemplified the spirit shown by Clyde Walcott or his fellow W, Sir Frank Worrell, in their cricketing lives. Walcott devoted himself to the game until well into his 70s. When asked why he worked so hard when most men would have put their feet up, Walcott replied, "I can never do more for cricket than cricket has done for me. I can never give back what was given to me." This is far removed from Hair's request for a handshake (hardly golden, more tarnished copper) of $500,000.
But Walcott, though the most bludgeoning batsman among the three, was perhaps not the greatest of the three Ws. That honour goes to Frank Worrell, who was not just a great batsman (Richie Benaud once remarked he never hit a ball but "persuaded it" to the boundary and Neville Cardus said he never played "a crude or ungrammatical stroke") but a great man.
Worrell's achievement in melding together a West Indies team that could beat the world was not just a cricketing one but a historical one. The first black man to captain West Indies for an entire series, Frank Worrell, as C.L.R. James put it, "made West Indies and the world aware of what West Indians were capable of when their talents had full play . . . The West Indian could strike from his feet the dust of centuries."
Worrell, above all on the 1960-1 tour of Australia, established once and for all that the West Indies, a scattered "nation" formed out of a history of slavery and colonialism, could challenge the rest of the cricketing world on an equal basis. As it happened, he also healed many of the wounds that were afflicting the cricketing world at that time, including controversies over bouncers and slow over rates. No wonder half a million Australians turned out to give a ticker tape farewell to Worrell and his men when they left Melbourne at the end of the tour.
Worrell's life, which was cut short at the age of 42 by leukaemia, did not consist only of cricket. While playing Lancashire League cricket in the 1950s, he took a degree in economics at Manchester University. He became warden of the University of the West Indies and a senator in the Jamaican parliament. One could imagine him serving, if he had been given time, as a distinguished secretary-general of the United Nations.
If I linger over Worrell's life and career, it's because they recall a time when sport could inspire great things, not just on an individual but on a collective basis. But now sport, instead of inspiring people with the highest models of sportsmanship, seems to be doing the opposite and setting bad examples. We've just had result fixing in Italian football and English racing, and drug scandals in athletics and cycling. The other day I read a piece by a sports writer praising the impossibly high standards in sport and life set by the footballer and now manager Roy Keane. I could hardly believe my eyes. Was this the same Keane who in his autobiography admitted trying to cripple an opponent?
The saddest thing about the cricket scandal is that a game with the potential to heal historical traumas seems on the brink of exacerbating new ones. Cricket is a game that links Muslims and Hindus, the descendants of slaves and the descendants of slavers. Unfortunately the powers that run the game seem not always to have its best interests at heart - not least when the ECB made the unpardonable decision to sell the rights of this summer's Test matches to Sky.
Article sourced from:-http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=cricket+Walcott&y=10&aje=true&x=15&id=060902001049
Editors note: Whilst the above article does not have any Canadian content per se, it speaks to the issues and nature of Canada's multi-faceted and diverse community of cricketers. My attendance at the two most recent cricket meetings demonstrated for me again the privilege I have to mingle amongst you all. Thanks. Jon Harris.
Clean sweep for Toronto League - corrected -- Posted Monday, February 19 2007
Following an eight hour Annual General Meeting yesterday of the Toronto and District Cricket Association, at the Sports Ontario facilities, only five of the previous 'Board' survided the election.
President Austin Ward did not seek re-election.
The following were elected to the 2007 T&DCA Board of Governors:-
LEROY GREY,(re-elected)
THIRU SUSEENTHIRAN,(re-elected)
MOHAMMED SHAIKH, (re-elected)
KAM CHARI,(relected)
WIJAY SEENATHIRAJAH,(re-elected)
The following were newly elected:-
RANJIT SAINI,
JIM PERSAUD,
RAGOOBIR HENRY,
RAJESH SHARMA,
NICHOLAS FINCHAM,
SHAMEER ALI,
RASHID AHSAN.
The clean sweep, (minus five), was as dramatic as that which took place at the recent Ontario Cricket Association AGM, and just as unexpected. The results were greeted with much elation and enthusiasm.
One of the salient subjects of discussion was liability insurance. At some point the new 'Board' will have to address the issue of 'duty of care', on and off the field of play. Related to this matter, was a discussion about the repair and maintainance of facilities.
A Board Meeting will be held on February 19, 2007 to determine the portfolios. (JH)
A cloud over WC 2007 -- Posted Sunday, February 18 2007
A cloud over WC 2007 by Sir Ronal Sanders
At the risk of being slaughtered by every West Indian at home and abroad who is looking forward to World Cup Cricket 2007 being hosted in the Caribbean, I sound an alarm.
Throughout the region, people have been encouraged to build accommodation to house the tens of thousands of cricket fans from cricketing nations and their Diaspora in places such as the United States and Canada who are expected to swarm into the area for the series.
In building this accommodation, many persons are raising money from local banks and putting up collateral which they could lose if arrangements for the West Indies to host the World Cup series go amiss.
Equally, governments throughout the region -? all of them, with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago, strapped for cash ?- are also investing heavily in the necessary infrastructure that hosting the games requires.
Indeed, many of them are banking on the benefits of tourism as a result of the World Cup to boost their economies in 2007 and beyond.
The Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Sir Dwight Venner, pointed out recently growth estimated at 4 per cent of the member countries ? mostly the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) ? "was attributed to a sharp expansion in public and private construction activity, partly due to the preparations for Cricket World Cup 2007."
Sir Dwight anticipated an upturn in growth in 2007 from revenues predicated on the belief that the Caribbean will host the Cricket World Cup.
This extra spending by governments comes at a time when, for many of them, revenues are falling as they lose their preferential market in Europe for traditional exports of bananas and sugar.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Grenada?s Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell, told a news conference that a representative of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has indicated that there are four countries that are behind in their readiness to host the games.
Preparing to host World Cup games is a hard task. There are always cost overruns and failures to meet deadlines. Greece barely completed its main stadium for the Olympic Games in 2004, and, even as this is being written, the Wembley stadium in the United Kingdom, which is being reconstructed for the FA Cup Final in May, has faced cost overruns and is unlikely to be ready.
But, the United Kingdom has many other venues and it has already put Cardiff on notice to switch the venue if Wembley?s reconstruction is not completed.
For countries in the Caribbean, the luxury of switching grounds within the same territory does not exist.
Neither, does the capacity for absorbing cost overruns. And, at least one Prime Minister has already signalled that he has been presented with new estimates that show considerable cost overruns for his country?s arrangements to be World Cup ready.
We have to recall that being "World Cup ready" is not only about the venues in which the games will be played and the sufficiency of accommodation to house the tens of thousands of expected visitors. It is also about adequate medical facilities, proper road infrastructure for movement within countries, airports of an acceptable international standard, the ability to move people easily between countries, and security.
The logistics of the operation call for organisational capacity and skills, and for cooperation between several agencies across several countries, the like of which the Caribbean has never experienced.
And, while I have every faith in the capacity of our people to rise to the occasion, they will need resources for training, for experimentation, for putting systems in place and testing them, and for final implementation.
Where the money to fund all this will come from is the worrying question.
The news that the WICB has a hole in its finances of several million dollars further aggravates the worry.
There has been no shortage of critics and sharp criticism of the WICB; the latest of these being the reported assertion by former West Indian Cricket Captain, Sir Vivian Richards, that "what you hear about the financial situation, that can be classified nothing else more than failure."
The new president of the WICB, Trinidad businessman Ken Gordon, has been an innovator as well as a problem solver in several successful businesses of his own.
The trouble is that the WICB is not his personal business, and the freedom with which he acted to run his own operations successfully cannot be employed in a multi-country operation in which consensus has to be carefully garnered while seeking to move ahead swiftly.
He has appointed two advisors to the board in Sir Alister McIntyre, one of the Caribbean?s leading economists and a former Head of the CARICOM Secretariat and the University of the West Indies; and Texas billionaire, Allen Stanford, the owner of Caribbean Star airlines and several holdings in Antigua and Barbuda.
In these two men, the WICB can call upon experience the first in overcoming cross-border national rivalries and building regional consensus, and, in the second, on a strong capacity to make businesses work in the region and knowledge of where to tap for financing.
It must be recalled that there are others waiting in the wings to grab the World Cup if the Caribbean is judged as unable to host it.
Therefore, we must wish Ken Gordon and the WICB well. For much is riding on their ability to keep Cricket World Cup 2007 firmly in the Caribbean.
But, with both the prospects for Caribbean economies and the investment of many hundreds of West Indians in facilities for the expected tourists in 2007, this is not a matter for hope alone.
There is now a great urgency for governments, the Caribbean Hotels Association, the private sector organisations ? particularly the banking sector ? and the WICB to collaborate in unprecedented ways to ensure that the World Cup 2007 does not slip out of the Caribbean?s hands.
The cloud over World Cup Cricket 2007 has to be dissipated.
* Sir Ronald Sanders is a business executive and former Caribbean diplomat who publishes widely on Small States in the global community.
This column first appeared in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper and was sourced from:-
http://caribbeancricket.com/news/xxxx/xx/xx/2024
Editors note: The above was originally published one year ago. Following the annual visit of a retired engineer to Barbados over the Christmas of 2006, I was advised that in his opinion the Barbados Kensington Oval would not be complete in time for the scheduled matches. (JH)
Early Days of Canadian cricket teams -- Posted Saturday, February 17 2007
Early Days
It is generally thought that cricket was introduced to Canada by British soldiers after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, although the earliest confirmed reference to cricket is of matches played on Saint Helen's Island, Quebec in 1785 on what became the site of Expo 67.
The roots of modern Canadian cricket though come from the regions of Upper Canada, in particular Toronto, then known as York. During the early years of the nineteenth century, a schoolmaster by the name of George Barber encouraged the game there, and founded the Toronto Cricket Club in 1827.
Barber instigated a game played between the Toronto Cricket Club and the cricket team of Upper Canada College in 1836, a game won by the college team. [1] This game has been annually ever since. As already mentioned, Canada played its first international against the USA in 1844 in New York at St George's Cricket Club, now the site of the New York University medical centre.
Late 19th Century
George Parr led an English team to Canada in 1859, which was the first ever international cricket tour. A product of the tour was a book by Fred Lillywhite entitled "The English Cricketers’ Trip to Canada and the United States", published the following year.
On the tour, which also ventured into the USA, the team won all five official matches against a 22 of Lower Canada (by 8 wickets at Montreal, Quebec on 26 October-27 September), a 22 of the United States (by an innings and 64 runs at Holboken, NY on 3-5 October), a different 22 of the United States (by 7 wickets at Philadelphia on 10-12 October), a 22 of Lower Canada (by 10 wickets at Hamilton, Ontario on 17 October-19 October) and a further 22 of the United States (by an innings and 68 runs at Rochester, NY on 21 October-25 October). There were also some exhibition matches and two excursions to view the Niagara Falls.
When Canada became a nation in 1867, cricket was so popular it was declared the national sport by John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada.
Unfortunately, the influence of baseball from the United States saw a decline in the popularity of cricket, despite tours from English and Australian teams. The third tour by an English team in 1872 featured none other than the fanous W. G. Grace. The first Australian team to tour came in 1877, and they returned in 1893 beating Canada by an innings. [2] Three games were played against Ireland between 1888 and 1890, Ireland winning one, with the other two drawn. A tour of North America by the Australians in 1913 saw two first class games (both won by the tourists) against a combined Canada/USA team. [3] [4] The second of these, played at Rosedale, Toronto was the first first class match played in Canada.
1887 England tour
After an unofficial tour in 1880, which saw the Canadian captain arrested during a game against Leicestershire and the tour abandoned, the first official tour of the United Kingdom by a Canadian team took place in 1887. The tour started with two matches against Ireland, against whom Canada drew one game and lost the other, followed by two matches against Scotland with the same result. The tour then ventured into the north east of England with a defeat against the Gentlemen of Northumberland and a draw against Durham.
The tour then continuted with various matches against county sides and others, with wins coming against the Gentlemen of Derbyshire and the Gentlemen of Warwickshire. The Canadian team finished the tour with a win/loss record of 2/5 with the remaining twelve games all drawn.
1950s
The Marylebone Cricket Club visited Canada in 1951, the highlight of which was the first first-class game played by the Canadian national team, played in Armour Heights, Toronto, which was won by the visiting side. This was followed in 1954 by a tour to England on which Canada played eighteen games, four of which were given first class status, including one against Pakistan who were also touring England at the same time. [5] The MCC again visited Canada in 1959 under Dennis Silk, and played a 3-day game against a Canada XI in Toronto which they won by 10 wickets. They were undefeated throughout the tour, winning most of their matches by wide margins, but had a closely fought draw against the Toronto Cricket Club. However, it would be fifty years before Canada would next play a first class cricket match.
1960s
The annual series of matches between Canada and the USA continued, alternating between the countries. In the 1963 match in Toronto, Ray Nascimento scored 176, then a record for the series.
1970s
Canada drew a game against Ireland in 1973 [6], and the following year again embarked on a tour of England. The tour was a much lower profile than the 1954 tour, with the games being against club sides, county second XIs, and minor counties. Canada had a 4/6 win/loss record on the tour, with a further six games being drawn. [7] In 1979, Canada participated in the first ICC Trophy. They reached the final of the competition, which qualified them for the 1979 World Cup, where they played their first One-day internationals. The World Cup was not a successful tournament for the Canadians though, and they failed to progress beyond the first round, losing all three games.
1980s
Canada participated in the ICC Trophy again in 1982 and 1986. They could not repeat their success of 1979 though, and failed to progress beyond the first round on both occasions. Other internationals in the 1980s include a no result game against Ireland in 1981, [8] and a 3 wicket loss to Barbados.
1990s
The 1990s saw Canada progress up the international ladder, playing in three further ICC Trophy tournaments, their best being a seventh place finish in 1997. They also began competing in West Indian domestic one-day cricket in 1996, and competed in the Commonwealth Games cricket tournament in 1998, though they did not progress beyond the first round.
2000s
2000 saw Canada host the first ICC Americas Championship, a tournament which they won. The following year they embarked on a tour to Sri Lanka, but the highlight of 2001 was their hosting of the ICC Trophy. They finished third in the tournament, which qualified them for the 2003 World Cup. It was this ICC Trophy tournament that first saw the emergence of John Davison, who was to become one of Canada's most successful players.
Canada played various matches in the build up to the World Cup, visiting Argentina in April 2002, finishing as runners up to long time rivals the USA in the Americas Championship, swiftly followed by a fifth place finish in the ICC 6 Nations Challenge in Namibia. The West Indian A team toured Canada later in the year, and Canada won the one-day series 2-1, and drew a two day game. This was followed by Canada's best performance to date in West Indian domestic one-day cricket, winning two games in their first round group, just missing out on qualification for the semi finals.
The World Cup itself was a tournament of contrasting fortunes for the Canadians. They started with their first ODI win, over Bangladesh. Two games later saw them dismissed for 36 against Sri Lanka, then the lowest score in one-day international history. The next game against the West Indies saw John Davison score the fastest ever World Cup century, although Canada lost that game, and did not progress past the first round.
Present Day
2004 started badly for Canada, with a last place finish in the Six Nations Challenge in the United Arab Emirates after Canada lost all their games. They'd improved significantly by the time of the ICC Americas Championship in Bermuda, which they won. Also in 2004, Canada participated in the first ICC Intercontinental Cup, finishing as runners up to Scotland. The highlight of this tournament was the game against the USA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when John Davison recorded the best match bowling figures since Jim Laker's 19 wickets against Australia in 1956.
In 2005, Canada again finished third in the ICC Trophy, which gained them official ODI status from 2006 until the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier, as well as qualifying them for the 2007 World Cup. Their performance in the Intercontinental Cup that year was not as good as in 2004 however, as they did not make it past the first round.
So far in 2006, Canada have put in good performances in the four-day Intercontinental Cup, beating Kenya by 25 runs and Bermuda by nine wickets. Their one day form has been a complete reversal of that though, losing three times to Bermuda and Kenya, and a further loss to Zimbabwe.
In August, Canada took part in the first Division of the Americas Championship. They beat Argentina and long time rivals the USA, but lost to the Cayman Islands and eventual winners Bermuda, and finished third, their worst performance so far in this tournament.
Tournament History
World Cup
1975: Did not participate
1979: First round
1983 to 1999 inclusive: Did not qualify
2003: First round
Intercontinental Cup
2004: Runners up
2005: First round
Commonwealth Games
1998: First round
ICC 6 Nations Challenge
2002: 5th place
2004: 6th place
ICC Trophy
1979: Runners up
1982: First round
1986: First round
1990: Second round
1994: Second round
1997: 7th place
2001: 3rd place
2005: 3rd place
ICC Americas Championship
2000: Won
2002: Runners up
2004: Won
2006: 3rd place
Cricket in 2006/07
Canada will visit South Africa in November to play a one day international triangular series against Bermuda and the Netherlands, as well as a Intercontinental Cup game against the Dutch. This is followed in January by a tri-series against Kenya and Scotland in Mombassa, Kenya. The team then travel to Nairobi to take part in the Division One tournament of the ICC World Cricket League where they will play Bermuda, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland. Their World Cup build up continues with a tri-series against Bangladesh and Bermuda in Antigua just prior to the World Cup itself.
In the World Cup, Canada will play in the same group as England, Kenya and New Zealand. For this tournament, and indeed for all the matches mentioned in this section, they are being coached by Englishman Andy Pick.
Current Squad
ODI
Tri-Series in Kenya:
John Davison (Captain)
George Codrington (Vice-Captain)
Ashish Bagai (Wicketkeeper)
Umar Bhatti
Desmond Chumney
Austin Codrington
Anderson Cummins
Sunil Dhaniram
Sandeep Jyoti
Don Maxwell
Asif Mulla
Henry Osinde
Qaiser Ali
Abdool Samad
Kevin Sandher
Geoff Barnett
Ian Billcliff
Haninder Dhillon
Stewart Heaney
Nicholas Ifill
Surendra Seeraj
Durand Soraine
Sanjayan Thuraisingam
Steven Welsh
First class
Pubudu Dassanayake
Ravishankar Puvendran
World Cricket League - Americas Region
Trevin Bastiampillai
Kendon Ottley
Easan Sinnathamby
Canada Under 19s
The Canadian Under 19 team have competed in the Under 19 World Cup on two occasions. In 2002, they were eliminated in the first round, meaning they competed in the plate competition, in which they did not win a game. They repeated this performance in the 2004 competition.
Records
ODI Cricket
Highest team total: 292/5 v Scotland, 18 January 2007 at Mombasa, Kenya
Highest individual score: 111, John Davison v West Indies, 23 February 2003 at Centurion Park, South Africa
Best innings bowling: 5/27, Austin Codrington v Bangladesh, 11 February 2003 at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa
ICC Trophy
Highest team total: 356/5 v Papua New Guinea, 16 June 1986 at Walsall, England
Highest individual score: 164 not out, Paul Prashad v Papua New Guinea, 16 June 1986 at Walsall, England
Best innings bowling: 7/21, B Singh v Namibia, 14 February 1994 at Nairobi Club Ground, Kenya
Material sourced from:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_cricket_team
A Canadian cricketers profile -- Posted Friday, February 16 2007
1. Name – Nadeem N. Sheikh
2. Date of Birth – August 31 / 1969
3. Place of Birth – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
4. Current Location – Fremont, California, USA
5. Who do / did you play cricket for - Berkeley Cricket Club (North California Cricket Association) & Falcons Cricket Club (Bay Area Cricket Association)
6. In what capacity – Allrounder & Comedic commentating
7. Best Cricket feats – Captaining Gujarat C.C. to the John Ross Robertson Trophy Western Canada Championship in 1997 also scoring 164* in a opening partnership of 340 in 39 overs to win against Government College, Lahore.
8. Greatest Cricket moment / memory – Good fortune of sharing a field with almost all my childhood heroes (my dad, my uncles (Nayab & Sajjad) & some professionals (Imran Khan, Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram & Desmond Haynes). Representing my City (Edmonton), Province (Alberta), Western Canada and finally my country Canada.
9. Tell us little about your cricket history – Started as a permanent 12th man for my father's team and gradually was groomed & guided by various teammates & coaches (Tony Cordle, Rodan Singh). Consistently learned during my stay in Toronto, playing for Grace Church C.C. Learned from the best like Rohan C., Coops & Whaity. Fortunate enough to play in Pakistan, England, Canada & the USA.
10. Tell us a little about the cricket competitions you play in – At present I participate in both the Northern California Cricket Association (through my team Berkeley C.C. ) & Bay Area Cricket Association (through the team Falcons C.C.) standard 45 (NCCA) & 40 (BACA) over games prefer playing in the NCCA, better organized and the official ball is the Kookaburra.
11. Favorite Teams – West Indies from 1972 thru to 1980 Pakistan from 1982 thru to 1984. All of the teams that I have played.
12. Favorite Players – Vivian Richards (WI), Gordon Greenidge (WI), Imran Khan (PAK), Wasim Akram (PAK), Dean Jones (AUS), Rahul Dravid (IND), Hercules Grant (Common Wealth Cricket Club, Edmonton), Ken Arthur (Sportsman Cricket Club, Edmonton), Aziz Ullah (United Cricket Club, Edmonton)
13. Favorite Commentator – Geoffery Boycott and Navjot Sidhu
14. Favorite Cricketing Publication - Prefer reading the autobiographies of cricket players than reading monthly publications. The books provide more insight to their character.
15. Favorite Cricketing Website – www.Cricinfo.com and www.Stickcricket.com
16. Favorite Cricketing Brand – Stuart & Surridge, Bradbury, Laver & Woods & BAS Vampire Bats Morrant Pads and Slazenger for cricket clothing.
17. Tell us about the best bat you've ever had – Stuart & Surridge Turbo (purchased from Dixie Sports in Toronto) made almost all of my mistakes look great. Currently my Laver & Woods & Bradbury are shaping up really nice.
18. What is your most treasured cricketing item – First "Baggy Green" cap I received for representing Canada in 1987.
19. What ideas would you propose to improve the game of cricket – Limit the # of tests & one days that less capable teams (Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, etc) have to play against top 5 squads. Maybe only 2 tests & 2 one dayers, until a certain water mark is reached.
20. Rate the following three -
Test - No.1
One Dayers – No.2
Twenty20 – No.3
21. What are your thoughts on the sledging issue – Unfortunate part of the game that was always there, but I think it is getting out of hand now.
22. Who do you rate as being the best in the last 20 years -
Batsman – Sachin Tendulkar
If it was last 30 years then it would be Vivian Richards, head & shoulders above the rest.
Bowler – Wasim Akram / Waqar Younis
WK – Alec Stewart
Allrounder – Chris Cairns
Captain – Steve Waugh
23. Who do you rate as being the greatest cricketer of all time – Haven't seen enough of the old greats, but I would probably go with Sir Gary Sobers.
24. Have you ever had professional cricket coaching - Yes
25. What is the best tip you've had or given – Shadow practice for batting and too many to mention for bowling.
26. Is there are song you love that you relate to cricket - Nope
27. Best Cricket Video you've seen – Tough to say
28. Best Cricket Book you've read – Haven't read enough of them, really liked Fast & Furious, history of Fast bowlers from Ray Lindwall to Wasim Akram.
29. Best Cricket "After Dinner" speaker you've seen – Imran Khan
30. Best / Nicest cricketer you've met - Duleep Mendis at a cricket game in Toronto, very down to earth and non chalant about his success. Imran Khan at a net session in Lahore, gave some great tips and actually talked to me about Canada.
31. What other interests do you have outside of cricket – Reading & Badminton
32. How did you come across Kingsgrove Sports Centre - A friend in Calgary recommended going to the site for gear, service & advice I received from Hamish was a smash. Always recommend my friends to him.
33. Your Final say - ~~ Carpe Diem ~~
Item sourced from:-
http://www.kingsgrovesports.com.au/default.cfm?l1=12&l2=83&l3=99&l4=0&l5=0
Toronto Sun report Canadian cricket -- Posted Friday, February 16 2007
Forklift driver, accountant, salesman, teacher. The Canadian cricket team comes from all walks of life.
With just two pros on its 15-man roster, Canada is in tough at next month's World Cup in the Caribbean. The Canadians will be the underdogs in every match -- vast underdogs in most -- but coach Andy Pick says he has players who can make a difference.
"We've got six or seven players who can single-handedly alter the result of the game," Pick said. "They're good enough players to put in a game-changing performance."
Leading the way is John Davison, a veteran batsman who plays professional club cricket in Australia. Batsman Geoff Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand. And Toronto wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai is a rising star, named player of the tournament at the recent World Cricket League Division 1 competition in Kenya for second-tier cricket nations.
Canada, which will play its games in Saint Lucia, is in a group with England, New Zealand and Kenya at the 16-team tournament, which runs from March 13 to April 28. The top two in each group will advance to the Super 8, another group stage that will thin the field to a knockout final four.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2007/02/14/3616542-sun.html
CBC cricket report WC 2007
Forklift driver, accountant, salesman, teacher. The Canadian cricket team comes from all walks of life.
With just two pros on its 15-man roster, Canada is in tough at next month's World Cup in the Caribbean. The Canadians will be the underdogs in every match - vast underdogs in most - but coach Andy Pick says he has players who can make a difference.
"We've got six or seven players who can single-handedly alter the result of the game," Pick said in an interview. "They're good enough players to put in a game-changing performance."
Leading the way is John Davison, a veteran batsman who plays professional club cricket in Australia. Batsman Geoff Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand. And Toronto wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai is a rising star, named player of the tournament at the recent World Cricket League Division 1 competition in Kenya for second-tier cricket nations.
Canada, which will play its games in Saint Lucia, is in a group with England, New Zealand and Kenya at the 16-team tournament, which runs from March 13 to April 28. The top two in each group will advance to the Super 8, another group stage that will thin the field to a knockout final four.
New Zealand is currently ranked sixth in one-day cricket play, ahead of No. 7 England and No. 11 Kenya.
Defending World Cup champion Australia, as in five-day Test play, is the top team in the world.
Canada does not figure in the ratings of the sport's big boys. Instead it is ranked fourth out of the five so-called ICC associates - behind Scotland, the Netherlands, and Ireland but ahead of Bermuda.
The 2003 tournament was a roller-coaster ride for Canada, which exited after going 1-5 in the group stage.
Davison recorded the fastest century in World Cup history (off 67 balls) before being dismissed for 111 in a loss to the West Indies. He also clubbed 75 against New Zealand.
Also on the positive side, Canada beat Bangladesh by 60 runs for its first ever one-day international win. And opener Ishwar Maraj became only the eighth player to survive the full quota of overs in a World Cup match, finishing at 53 not out off 155 balls.
But Canada entered the record book on a different note when it was dismissed for 36 runs against Sri Lanka, the lowest one-day international total ever. And Maraj's showing against South Africa was also the slowest-scoring innings of more than 50 in a one-day international.
Canada has improved since then. But so has everyone else, warns Pick.
The Canadians leave for the Caribbean on Feb. 22, with official warmup games scheduled for March 6 and 8 against Pakistan and Ireland in Trinidad and Tobago after a stint in Antigua.
Pick, who took over the team last year, says the Canadians have become more consistent and points to the recent Kenya tournament as proof.
"We competed in pretty much all the games. Over the summertime when I had just arrived in May, we would either have a good day or we'd have a dreadful day. ... We've won more games. And the games that we haven't won, we've been right in the games until the last minute."
Pick is not involved in team selection, which is done by committee. While the Toronto-based coach understands that geography and finances restrict his ability to watch players across the country, he is still not happy at others picking his squad.
"That's the way it is set up in Canada," he said stoically.
Canada's opening batsman are likely to be Barnett and Abdool Samad. Pick likes to have Davison bat a little further down the order to protect him from the new ball.
"He is still a force," said Pick, who calls Davison the fittest player on his squad, the best fielder and one of the top batsmen.
Bagai will also be looked on to lead the way.
"Ashish has developed into a top-quality cricketer and would be a top-quality cricketer whichever country he was playing in," Pick said.
"When I arrived in May, he was a talented cricketer who didn't make the best of what he's got. And he has now matured and learned a lot about the game. . . . He has now applied himself to the very best of his abilities."
Pick credits much of that improvement to Bagai's time at an ICC high-performance camp in South Africa before Christmas.
Henry Osinde, Umar Bhatti, Andy Cummings and Austin Codrington provide the seam bowling with Osinde offering the most pace. Pick will likely play three at a time, with Osinde and the left-armed Bhatti probably opening up the bowling.
The spin attack will come from Davison, Sunil Dhaniram, Kevin Sandher and George Codrington.
Canada opens March 14 against Kenya before playing England on March 18 and New Zealand on March 22.
The Kenyans defeated Canada by 158 runs at the recent World League tournament. But the Canadians know the first game represents their best chance at an upset, given the calibre of teams that follow.
"We have to be realistic," said Pick. "Most times out of a hundred, our best chance at winning a game would be against Kenya."
"If England and New Zealand play their best cricket, that will better than our best cricket," he added. "What we have to aim for is not to compete with those guys, but to compete with ourselves. If we produce our best game and they don't, that's when the underdog wins."
Pick played professionally for Nottinghamshire for 15 years in his native England and was selected for England 'A' tours to Pakistan and the West Indies. Prior to coaching Canada, he spent for years in change of the England under-19 team.
Canada
John Davison (capt.), Sydney, Australia; Ashish Bagai (vice-captain), Richmond Hill, Ont.; Ian Billcliff, Auckland, New Zealand; Geoff Barnett, Blenheim, New Zealand; Kevin Sandher, Vancouver; Umar Bhatti, Toronto; Desmond Chumney, Pickering, Ont.; George Codrington, Courtice, Ont.; Austin Codrington, Toronto; Andy Cummins, Oshawa, Ont.; Sunil Dhaniram, Ajax, Ont.; Asif Mulla, Toronto; Henry Osinde, Toronto; Abdool Samad, Mississauga, Ont.; Qaiser Ali, Montreal.
Coach: Andy Pick.
Manager: Mike Henry.
Aricle sourced from::-
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/sports/070213/s021325A.html
Revisting CBC coverage of WC 2003 -- Posted Thursday, February 15 2007
Canada falls to West Indies at Cricket Worlds
Last Updated: Sunday, February 23, 2003 | 4:24 PM ET
CBC Sports
The West Indies took a seven-wicket decision over Canada Sunday at the Cricket World Cup in South Africa, although a Canadian did make history.
Canada's John Davision set a record for the fastest World Cup century ever when he scored 111 off 76 balls.
Full Coverage: CBC's World Cup of Cricket site
The 32-year old, who plays for South Australia in the Australian domestic first-class cricket league, hit seven fours and six sixes. His 111 came to more than half of Canada's 202.
"It was a great experience for me," said Davison. "I suppose that playing for Canada gives me an opportunity I wouldn't get in Australia.
"I didn't really have any plans of going out there and letting it fly. The batting track was great and I think the West Indies bowlers came at it hard and I got an opportunity to hit a few loose balls."
Report sourced from:-
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2003/02/23/cricket030223.html
Editors note: Send a message to CBC Sports to encourage WC2007 coverage - CBCNews@nm.cbc.ca (JH).
Canadian cricket on YouTube -- Posted Wednesday, February 14 2007
A posting on the forum noted the availability of some brief highlights of Canada's recent foray to Kenya on YouTube. The source of this video is puzzling, but it is great to see some fine batting, and good bowling. In fact, a few mniutes using the search facility on YouTube can find a surprising variety of Canadian cricket, ranging from 2003 World Cup highlights to cricket in Manitoba.
Highlights from Canada's World Cricket League games, Kenya 2007; where did this come from?
A link to highlights of John Davison's stunning century against West Indies, 2003 World Cup
Canada defeats Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup - Austin Codrington takes the final wicket
JD's stunning 75 against the WI in the 2003 WC
Sri Lanka bowl Canada out for 36 in the 2003 World Cup
One of a series of short videos showing Toronto schools cricket - is this Malton?
Highlights of the final of the H&D league between St Catherines and Crescent Cricket Club (Hamilton), Hamilton won by 1 wicket - 1st of 4 videos, somewhat spoilt by a watermark fron conversion software.
CITY-TV piece focusing on high school cricket in Toronto
A fragment showing cricket in Manitoba
A big six hit at Rideau Hall (?) Ottawa
Submitted by JSM
Scotland top ICC Associate ODI Rankings -- Posted Wednesday, February 14 2007
Scotland top of ICC Associate ODI Rankings after WCL Div. 1
Kenya all-rounder Odoyo is top-ranked Associate in LG ICC ODI Player Rankings
ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) finalist Scotland has established itself at the top of the ICC Associate ODI Rankings following a very successful period for the ICC Trophy champions.
With Kenya represented in the main LG ICC ODI Championship table, the ICC Associate ODI Rankings feature the next five sides in the world, all of whom play matches with ODI status.
Scotland lost to Kenya in the final of the WCL Div. 1 in Nairobi last week but had already beaten the Netherlands, Canada and Ireland in the tournament. In the qualifying matches against other Associates, Scotland can currently boast a 69 per cent win rate, compared to 50 per cent from next best team, the Netherlands.
Ireland finds itself in third place with a 44 per cent win rate after a relatively disappointing event for one of the pre-tournament favourites. Canada is fourth with 33 per cent and Bermuda fifth with 28 per cent.
Currently, the ICC Associates ODI Rankings does not include Kenya and it will continue to appear on the main LG ICC ODI Championship until 2009. Any ODIs played between Kenya and any of the other five top Associates will therefore have no rating impact on Kenya itself but will still count towards the others’ ranking.
These are still the early stages of the ICC Associate ODI Rankings. Following the ICC Trophy in 2005, ODI status was granted to matches involving the teams that came in the top five (Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands) as part of their preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
Once an Associate has played at least 10 matches in total, it has the opportunity to be promoted to the main LG ICC ODI Championship table (currently comprising the ten ICC Full Members plus Kenya).
To gain this promotion, the Associate must either achieve two wins against Full Members or achieve one win against a Full Member and also have won more than 60 per cent of its matches against other Associates on the rankings table.
The Associate would then have a ranking on the main table, initially based on its results in all ODIs played against any of the 11 existing rated teams, i.e. the ten Full Members and Kenya, during the qualifying period. Then, to progress to a rating, it would need to have played at least eight ODIs (over the previous two to three year period, updated every August) against teams who, at the time, were also rated on the LG ICC ODI Championship table.
Meanwhile, host team Kenya won the WCL Div. 1 and as a result many of its players are well represented in the LG ICC ODI Player Rankings.
Thomas Odoyo is the only Associate player to feature in the top 20 of any category. The 28-year-old is currently ranked 17th in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. Primarily a fast bowler, Odoyo showed during the WCL Div. 1 that he can bat too, most memorably when he scored an unbeaten 61 and shared a winning tenth-wicket stand of 55 with Hiren Varaiya to beat Ireland in a thriller at Ruaraka.
Odoyo is also currently in 36th place in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, just behind his team-mate Peter Ongondo, who is in 33rd position and is the highest ranked Associate bowler in the world.
Kenya captain Steve Tikolo is currently in 63rd position while Kenya spinner Varaiya is in 85th spot, giving the east African team four bowlers ranked above anyone else in the Associate world.
The others are closing fast, however. Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock is in 88th position while John Davison of Canada is 95th, Tim de Leede of the Netherlands is in 97th place and Scotland’s Craig Wright is 102nd.
Tikolo is the top Associate batsman according to the latest LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen in 63rd place although he is closely followed by team-mate Tanmay Mishra in 67th spot and Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands in 72nd place.
ICC Associates ODI Rankings table:
ODIs versus Full Members Other qualifying matches
Rank Team P W L % P W L %
1 Scotland 3 0 3 0 16 11 5 69
2 Netherlands 2 0 2 0 12 6 6 50
3 Ireland 1 0 1 0 9 4 5 44
4 Canada 1 0 1 0 21 7 14 33
5 Bermuda 2 0 2 0 18 5 13 28
Every August, this table will be updated to exclude ODIs played more than three years previously. The only matches other than ODIs that are counted as qualifying matches and included in the Associate rankings are the 2005 ICC Trophy matches played between the five teams during the course of the tournament.
The seedings for the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier (formerly the ICC Trophy) will take into account all ODIs played by the top six competing nations, including Kenya versus other Associates.
For more information go to:
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/odi/associates.html
Report sourced from ICC Media Release, Dubai, 13 February 2007
Dated - Dubai, 13 February 2007
Canada call up Billcliff and Barnett -- Posted Wednesday, February 14 2007
World Cup 2007
Eddie Norfolk
February 14, 2007
Batsmen Ian Billcliff and Geoff Barnett, both based in New Zealand, have been named in Canada's 15-man World Cup squad. Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand and had not been available for Canada during the winter for contractual reasons.
Thirteen of the squad from the World Cricket League series in Kenya are retained, the two unlucky players being Don Maxwell and Sandeep Jyoti. Both are allrounders.
Ashish Bagai, whose batting has flowered over the winter in South Africa and Kenya, is named as vice-captain behind skipper John Davison. Bagai was named Player of the Tournament for the World Cricket League and captained Canada to a win over Uganda in a warm-up match in Nairobi.
Andy Pick, the national coach believes it is "a fairly well balanced squad.". He felt "deeply sorry for Maxi (Don Maxwell). The makeup of the squad was likely to dictate that two players who were in Kenya would miss out. I believe this is a reflection on the strength of Canadian cricket that there are 17 or 18 players who could expect to be very close to the (World Cup) squad.
"We will have to work hard in the field in order not to give up 20-30 runs (that the better teams prevent). We will practice and work on it."
Pick hoped for at least one win "in our four appearances against Test playing nations (in the lead-up and first round of the World Cup). If you can win one of those in the group match, as well as beating Kenya, that must be our target." He does not dream of Canada winning the World Cup, but "if we get everything right on a given day against England or New Zealand, we could win. The realistic target must be to get through to the second round."
In parallel with wishes for a win over a Test-playing side, Pick said "I hope we can carry on with the progress made over the last three months." Canada went to South Africa in November with a 13-player squad that included nobody with an individual score of 50 runs in an ODI match. The 50-barrier was broken.
In Kenya, Davison returned as captain - he already had a century and a couple of fifties to his name in ODI cricket, mostly from the 2003 World Cup. Bagai scored two centuries and there were the first two century partnerships for Canada in ODI matches. The 300-run barrier was crossed in a win over Ireland, the current European champions.
This is the third time that Canada has made it to the Cricket World Cup.
Canada squad John Davison (capt), Qaiser Ali, Ashish Bagai, Geoff Barnett, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff, Desmond Chumney, George Codrington, Austin Codrington, Anderson Cummins, Sunil Dhaniram, Ashif Mulla, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad, Kevin Sandher.
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/280327.html
Editors note: Andy Pick was interviewed by CBC Radio yesterday. His responses to questions were clear, concise and well presented. (JH).
Review of Canadian World Cup Side -- Posted Tuesday, February 13 2007
Batsmen Ian Billcliff and Geoff Barnett, both based in New Zealand, have been named in Canada’s World Cup 15-man squad. Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand and had not been available for Canada during the winter for contractual reasons.
Thirteen of the squad from the World Cricket League series in Kenya are retained, the two unlucky players being Don Maxwell and Sandeep Jyoti.
Both are all-rounders.
Ashish Bagai, whose batting has flowered over the winter in South Africa and Kenya, is named as vice-captain behind skipper John Davison. Bagai was named Player-of-the-Tournament for the World Cricket League and captained Canada to a win over Uganda in a warm-up match in Nairobi.
Andy Pick, the National Coach believes it is “a fairly well balanced squad.”. He felt “deeply sorry for Maxi (Don Maxwell). The makeup of the squad was likely to dictate that two players who were in Kenya would miss out. I believe this is a reflection on the strength of Canadian cricket that there are 17 or 18 players who could expect to be very close to the (World Cup) squad.”
“We will have to work hard in the field in order not to give up 20-30 runs (that the better teams prevent). We will practice and work on it.”
Pick hoped for at least one win “in our four appearances against Test playing nations (in the lead-up and first round of the World Cup). If you can win one of those in the group match, as well as beating Kenya, that must be our target.” He does not dream of Canada winning the World Cup, but “if we get everything right on a given day against England or New Zealand, we could win. The realistic target must be to get through to the second round.”
In parallel with wishes for a win over a Test-playing side, Pick said “I hope we can carry on with the progress made over the last three months.” Canada went to South Africa in November with a 13-player squad that included nobody with an individual score of 50 runs in an ODI match. The 50-barrier was broken.
In Kenya, John Davison returned as captain – he already had a century and a couple of 50’s to his name in ODI cricket, mostly from the 2003 World Cup. Bagai scored two centuries and there were the first two century partnerships for Canada in ODI matches. The 300 run barrier was crossed in a win over Ireland, the current European champions.
This is the third time that Canada has made it to the Cricket World Cup.
Canadian Squad: John Davison (captain), Ian Billcliff, Geoff Barnett, Kevin Sandher (all British Columbia); Ashish Bagai (vice-captain), Umar Bhatti, Desmond Chumney, George Codrington, Austin Codrington, Andy Cummins, Sunil Dhaniram, Ashif Mulla, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad (all Ontario) Qaiser Ali (Quebec)
The support team remains the same as in Kenya. Coach is Pick, Manager is Mike Henry, Physio is Dan Kiesel and video analyst Geoffery Crosse.
Naming note: Ashif Mulla is his name on his passport. He is commonly called Asif.
The squad is listed on the Canadian Cricket Association web-site (www.canadiancricket.org).
Eddie Norfolk
Candian World Cup squad announced -- Posted Tuesday, February 13 2007
The Canadian Cricket Association have announced the 15-player squad to contest the World Cup.
DAVISON John BC - Captain
BAGAI Ashish Ontario – Vice-Captain
ALI Qaiser Quebec
BARNETT Geoffery BC
BHATTI Umar Ontario
BILCLIFF Ian BC
CHUMNEY Desmond Ontario
CODRINGTON Austin Ontario
CODRINGTON George Ontario
CUMMINS Anderson Ontario
DHANIRAM Sunil Ontario
MULLA Asif Ontario B
OSINDE Henry Ontario
SAMAD Abdool Ontario
SANDHER Kevin BC
PICK Andy Coach
HENRY Mike Manager
KIESEL Dan Physio
CROSSE Geoffrey Match Analysis
Ireland defend title against Canada -- Posted Tuesday, February 13 2007
Intercontinental Cup
James Fitzgerald February 13, 2007
After several months of waiting, Canada now know that they will be playing defending champions Ireland in the final of the Intercontinental Cup after Adrian Birrell's side defeated the United Arab Emirates inside three days this week to make sure they topped Group A.
After what had been a relatively disappointing set of results in the recent World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi, Ireland were determined to set the record straight and return to winning ways. And they did it in style, taking the game by the scruff of the neck on the first morning and never relinquishing their grip. They eventually won the game by an innings and 170 runs, demonstrating that although they did not perform in Kenya, Ireland are still very much a force to be reckoned with at this level.
This sets up a final between Ireland and Andy Pick's Canada, at a date and venue yet to be decided but most likely it will be at a neutral ground some time towards the end of May.
Ireland's bowlers had received criticism for their performances in Nairobi so it was telling that they were able to take 20 UAE wickets with a day to spare on what were excellent conditions for batting.
"I was delighted with how the players responded after Kenya," said Ireland coach Adrian Birrell, who was using the extra day in the UAE to work on his golf swing. "I have never seen a team more determined to win than we were in Abu Dhabi. We were disappointed after Kenya but not disheartened and we took control of the match, more or less from ball one.
"The tournament in Kenya wasn't all bad. We lost by the narrowest of margins and in cruel circumstances. These days we are expected to beat Kenya and Scotland every time we play them. But they are very good sides. They were desperately close games and I believe we were unlucky."
As for the Canadians, they will not fear Ireland despite its fine record in this competition. John Davison and his team beat the Irish during the WCL and will be confident they can do the same in the longer form of the game.
In topping Group B, Canada won their first two matches outright before losing to the Netherlands in the final game in Pretoria, which by that stage was effectively a dead rubber. Qaiser Ali, Geoff Barnett, Davison, Ian Bilcliff and Abdool Samad had all been in the runs as Canada proved too strong for Kenya and Bermuda at King City, near Toronto last August.
The new global format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in the tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally-based rather than global.
This is an edited version of an ICC media release
James Fitzgerald is ICC Communications Officer
Article sourced from:-http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/icccont/content/story/280188.html
Montreal cricket -- Posted Tuesday, February 13 2007
Cricket is huge internationally, but in Quebec it isn't even an official amateur sport.
So what's a local cricketer to do, especially in winter?
Practise in a gym, for starters, if he can find one that allows it.
After that, take the game on the road, to anywhere in the Commonwealth it's played.
Qaser Ali manages to do both.
A Pakistani immigrant who lives in Montreal, he's one of the best batsmen on Canada's up-and-coming national cricket team.
One recent Wednesday, he and five other local cricket players of South Asian origin practised from 10 p.m. to midnight - the only time they could get - in a vacant Park Extension gym.
Then Ali, a deputy captain of the Canadian team, flew to Kenya for two international tournaments that are a prelude to the sport's top event: the once-every-four-years Cricket World Cup, organized by the International Cricket Council.
The 2007 Cup will be played from March 13 to April 28 in the eight Caribbean nations hosting matches. About 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the matches on TV. Another 200,000 are travelling to the Caribbean to see things first-hand.
Ranked 14th out of 16 teams participating, Canada isn't expected to move beyond the first round in the tournament, which it will play in St. Lucia against Kenya and top-ranked England and New Zealand.
But the Canadians do expect to surprise their international audience with the quality of their play, thanks to newcomers like Ali, who joined the team 18 months ago.
Since beating higher-ranked Bangladesh at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Canada has stepped up recruitment of immigrants like him, as well as Canadians living abroad, to play on the team.
And with organizers spending more money on the sport - paying for cricket classes in high schools and colleges, building indoor arenas in Ontario and investing in such specialized training equipment as automatic bowling machines - the future of Canadian cricket looks bright.
In Quebec, though, it's still a marginal sport. Though the players and fans are here - hundreds turn out for matches across the city in the summer - the money simply isn't.
Unlike Ontario, which subsidizes cricket with $1 million a year, Quebec doesn't recognize it as one of the province's 52 amateur sports and so doesn't fund it at all, complained local organizer Subrata Mandal.
This, despite the fact that cricket has its roots in this part of the country.
The first cricket matches in Canada were played right here in Montreal, on Ile Ste. Helene in 1785. British soldiers had introduced the game to Canada in 1759, playing it on the Plains of Abraham. Half a century later, in 1844, the sport had grown to the point that Canada played the world's first international cricket match, against the United States.
By confederation, cricket was so popular that Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, declared it the country's national sport.
Dwarfed since then by hockey, baseball, football, basketball and more recently soccer, cricket now appears set for a comeback, thanks to rising immigration from the Commonwealth, especially South Asians and West Indians flocking to Toronto, Vancouver and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
The 2007 World Cup will be played from March 13 to April 28 in the eight Caribbean nations hosting matches. About 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the matches on TV. Another 200,000 are travelling to the Caribbean to see things first-hand.
Ranked 14th out of 16 teams participating, Canada isn't expected to move beyond the first round in the tournament, which it will play in St. Lucia against Kenya and top-ranked England and New Zealand.
But the Canadians do expect to surprise their international audience with the quality of their play, thanks to newcomers like Ali, who joined the team 18 months ago.
Since beating higher-ranked Bangladesh at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Canada has stepped up recruitment of immigrants like him, as well as Canadians living abroad, to play on the team.
And with organizers spending more money on the sport - paying for cricket classes in high schools and colleges, building indoor arenas in Ontario and investing in such specialized training equipment as automatic bowling machines - the future of Canadian cricket looks bright.
"It's an immigrant's game in Canada, and there's a lot of new talent coming in," said Ali, who plays locally for the Adastrians - one of the city's oldest and largest cricket clubs - and is also a member of Pakistan's national baseball team.
"I think, in the next 15 or 20 years, cricket can become as big as soccer is now in Canada," Ali said as he suited up for practice at the William Hingston Centre gym on St. Roch St.
It's one of the few public facilities in the city that allow cricket to be played, usually only outside peak hours. Indoor hockey and even baseball are permitted in others, but cricket - with its willow bats and hard baseball-size balls whizzing by at 130 kilometres an hour - is considered too dangerous by most.
"They say we'll knock out their light fixtures," said Mandal, the organizer, originally from Nairobi.
"As if you can't do that with a puck or a baseball."
Article sourced from:-
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=d3035773-d3ca-4427-b866-4a65a88355b2&p=1
If you thought of cricket as a marginal sport, here in Montreal, you're wrong. Every summer, 1,200 cricket players sign on to one of the 50 teams spread over six divisions of competence and take to one of 17 local cricket fields tucked away in places like Jarry Park, the Douglas Hospital grounds and Wagar High. Cricket has been thriving here for over a century, with some teams, like Verdun's, boasting historical figures like former Dominica PM Rosie Douglas.
Players are expected to devote 15 hours a week from spring till fall, as they play two games a week, which last at least seven hours each. Newcomers from all over - particularly South Asians - join in droves, which anybody can do as long as they bring $100 and their equipment. The league is considered semi-pro, with some teams, like the championship squad of local Grenadians, displaying scary skills. League organizer Subrata Mandal, a computer engineer who moved here from South Africa, says he loves cricket almost as much as he loves his adopted city of Montreal.
"Cricket's the father of baseball. You toss the ball to the batter but it has to bounce," he says as a part of a longer, futile attempt to explain the rules.
Story sourced from:-
http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2004/041504/sports_leisure1.html
Yarmouth Cricket Club, Nova Scotia -- Posted Tuesday, February 13 2007
In western Nova Scotia, there is rarely any frost in the ground before January and it is gone by the end of March. It is never a metre deep, more like a few inches.
Halifax is a little colder but the ground is usually frost free mid December to mid April. Unfortunately there is not lot of cricket in this environementally favoured region, but even in Yarmouth we are trying to get a team going.
The name of our club would perhaps be an exageration. There are however a dozen of us, mostly but not all, expats from South Africa and India. We get together in a school gym once a week and use indoor equipment from SA, so we don't need pads and the like. We are looking for a field for the summer and our ages range from the late 20's to 69. Sort of like gentlemen's hockey. We are not likely to appear in the world cup, but we are keeping the sport alive in an inhospitable place.
Most matches take place betwen Nova Scotia Cricket Club and thier main rivals Fredricton Cricket Club. Saint John Cricket Club, has been formed and now has enough members to field a side.
The above submitted to www.canadacricket.com by Peter Loverage who can be reached at peter.loveridge@ns.sympatico.ca
For a photograph of Digby's cricket team in Nova Scotia circa 1900? - go to
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000215&sl=3923&pos=1
For an historical article about NS cricket go to:-
Moss, Robert. "Cricket in Nova Scotia during the nineteenth century," Canadian Journal of History of Sport and Physical Education. volume 9, #2, 58-74 (JH)
M.C.C Canadian Tour 2000 -- Posted Monday, February 12 2007
Middlesex right-hand all rounder Keith Dutch was a star performer on the 2000 Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Canada. He scored a blazing 156 against British Columbia at Brockton Point on October 1 and in addition made scores of 42 against the Ottawa Valley-Quebec Combines XI at Ottawa. 81 against the Canada U-25's and 63 against Canada at Toronto. In the bowling department he bagged 3 for 37 against the Ottawa Valley-Quebec Combined XI and 3 for 24 against Canada.
The two match series between the M.C.C. and Canada was tied. The M.C.C. easily won the first match at the Ajax Cricket Club on September 24. Canadian captain Joe Harris having won the toss, decided to bat. They were quickly bundled out for 89 runs in 27.4 overs. England right-arm medium Dougie Brown who captured 6 wickets for 19 runs, set a new bowling record against Canada in one-day cricket. The M.C.C replied with 3 for 93 off 28.4 overs with former Surrey batsman David Ward leading the way with 37 not out.
The second match at the Toronto Cricket Club on September 26 resulted in a thrilling 2-wicket victory for Canada. On this occasion M.C.C. skipper Richard Cox won the toss and elected to bat and the visitors scored 190 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted overs. Keith Dutch scored 63 and David Ward notched up 39. Main bowler for Canada was left-arm leg spinner Kevin Sandher with 3 for 42.
Canada found the going a little difficult early but solid efforts by Captain Joe Harris 41, Desmond Chumney 41, Brian Rajadurai 39 and Sanjay Thuraisingam 35 not out, carried the home team to victory. Right arm spinner Keith Dutch once again excelled for the M.C.C. with 3 wickets for 24 runs.
Asif Mulla, a young Canadian U-25 wicketkeeper-batsman, scored a stylish 105 not out against M.C.C. at the Toronto C.S.&C.C. on September 22, and shows promise. During the match Keith Dutch again showed his fine form scoring 81 as the M.C.C. won comfortably by 3 wickets.
Match Summaries of 2000 M.C.C. Tour of Canada:
September 20 at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario.
M.C.C. 8/222 (49.2 overs) (P. Wellings 63, K. Dutch 42, R. Turner 34, P. Hepworth 32, A. Patel 2/29, Q. Ali 2/33, T. Russell 2/41) defeated Ottawa Valley-Quebec XI 157 (50 Overs). (Q. Ali 33, R. Woods 4/27, K. Dutch 3/37) by 67 runs.
September 22 at Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club, Ontario
M.C.C. 7/219 (47.3 overs) (K.Dutch 81, O. Dawkins 24*, R. Cox 22, Akshay Bagai 2/31) defeated Canada's U-25 XI - 7/215 (50 overs) (A. Mulla 105*, Z. Surkari 35, A. Samad 28, D. Brown 3/23) by 3 wickets.
September 24 at Ajax Cricket Club, Ajax, Ontario.
M.C.C. 3/93(28.4 overs) (D. Ward 37*, N Shaikh 2/13) defeated Canada 89 (27.4 overs) (D. Mills 18, D. Brown 6/19) by 7 wickets.
September 26 at Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club, Ontario
Canada 8/191 (47.2 overs) (D. Chumney 41, J. Harris 41, B. Rajadurai 39, S. Thuraisingam 35*, K. Dutch 3/24) defeated M.C.C. 8/190 (50 overs) (K. Dutch 63, D. Ward 39, D. Brown 24*, K. Sandher 3/42) by 2 wickets.
September 28 at Calgary, Alberta
M.C.C. 7/237 (50 overs) (P. Wellings 60, S. Barnes 29*, P. Hepworth 27, D. Ward 26, R. Patel 3/30) defeated Prairies XI 141 (46 overs) D. Persaud 31, P. Wellings 4/39, J. Barrow 2/8, R. Woods 2/18) by 96 runs.
September 30 at Brockton Point, British Columbia
M.C.C. 213 (50 overs) ( T. Robinson 46, R. Johnson 43*, D. Ward 40, K. Sandher 2/59) defeated British Columbia President's XI 175 (44 overs) ( G. Smee 34, R. Johnson 4/40) by 38 runs.
October 1 at Brockton Point, British Columbia
M.C.C. 9/273 (50 overs) K. Dutch 156, R. Cox 28, A. Donaldson 3/51, M. Drydgen 2/40) defeated British Columbia 178 ( 46 overs ) (R. Hawes 47, Brian Seebaran 36, J. Barrow 2/9, D. Brown 2/22, P. Hepworth 2/27, R. Woods 2/36) by 95 runs.
October 3 at Beacon Hill, British Columbia
M.C.C. 7/242 (50overs) (P. Hepworth 88, R. Turner 46, S. Paul 3/42, H. Wilson 2/45) defeated Victoria & District C.A. President's XI 90 (26.2 overs) (R. Zwicky 24*, D. Brown 7/20) by 152 runs.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/93200.html
Cricket 'an immigrant's game in Canada' -- Posted Sunday, February 11 2007
Cricket is huge internationally, but in Quebec it isn't even an official amateur sport.
So what's a local cricketer to do, especially in winter?
Practise in a gym, for starters, if he can find one that allows it.
After that, take the game on the road, to anywhere in the Commonwealth it's played.
Qaser Ali manages to do both. A Pakistani immigrant who lives in Montreal, he's one of the best batsmen on Canada's up-and-coming national cricket team. One recent Wednesday, he and five other local cricket players of South Asian origin practised from 10 p.m. to midnight - the only time they could get - in a vacant Park Extension gym.
Then Ali, a deputy captain of the Canadian team, flew to Kenya for two international tournaments that are a prelude to the sport's top event: the once-every-four-years Cricket World Cup, organized by the International Cricket Council.
The 2007 Cup will be played from March 13 to April 28 in the eight Caribbean nations hosting matches. About 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the matches on TV. Another 200,000 are travelling to the Caribbean to see things first-hand.
Ranked 14th out of 16 teams participating, Canada isn't expected to move beyond the first round in the tournament, which it will play in St. Lucia against Kenya and top-ranked England and New Zealand.
But the Canadians do expect to surprise their international audience with the quality of their play, thanks to newcomers like Ali, who joined the team 18 months ago.
Since beating higher-ranked Bangladesh at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Canada has stepped up recruitment of immigrants like him, as well as Canadians living abroad, to play on the team.
And with organizers spending more money on the sport - paying for cricket classes in high schools and colleges, building indoor arenas in Ontario and investing in such specialized training equipment as automatic bowling machines - the future of Canadian cricket looks bright.
In Quebec, though, it's still a marginal sport. Though the players and fans are here - hundreds turn out for matches across the city in the summer - the money simply isn't.
Unlike Ontario, which subsidizes cricket with $1 million a year, Quebec doesn't recognize it as one of the province's 52 amateur sports and so doesn't fund it at all, complained local organizer Subrata Mandal.
This, despite the fact that cricket has its roots in this part of the country.
The first cricket matches in Canada were played right here in Montreal, on Ile Ste. Helene in 1785. British soldiers had introduced the game to Canada in 1759, playing it on the Plains of Abraham. Half a century later, in 1844, the sport had grown to the point that Canada played the world's first international cricket match, against the United States.
By confederation, cricket was so popular that Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, declared it the country's national sport.
Dwarfed since then by hockey, baseball, football, basketball and more recently soccer, cricket now appears set for a comeback, thanks to rising immigration from the Commonwealth, especially South Asians and West Indians flocking to Toronto, Vancouver and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
"It's an immigrant's game in Canada, and there's a lot of new talent coming in," said Ali, who plays locally for the Adastrians - one of the city's oldest and largest cricket clubs - and is also a member of Pakistan's national baseball team.
"I think, in the next 15 or 20 years, cricket can become as big as soccer is now in Canada," Ali said as he suited up for practice at the William Hingston Centre gym on St. Roch St.
It's one of the few public facilities in the city that allow cricket to be played, usually only outside peak hours. Indoor hockey and even baseball are permitted in others, but cricket - with its willow bats and hard baseball-size balls whizzing by at 130 kilometres an hour - is considered too dangerous by most.
"They say we'll knock out their light fixtures," said Mandal, the organizer, originally from Nairobi.
"As if you can't do that with a puck or a baseball."
"It's an immigrant's game in Canada, and there's a lot of new talent coming in," said Ali, who plays locally for the Adastrians - one of the city's oldest and largest cricket clubs - and is also a member of Pakistan's national baseball team.
"I think, in the next 15 or 20 years, cricket can become as big as soccer is now in Canada," Ali said as he suited up for practice at the William Hingston Centre gym on St. Roch St.
It's one of the few public facilities in the city that allow cricket to be played, usually only outside peak hours. Indoor hockey and even baseball are permitted in others, but cricket - with its willow bats and hard baseball-size balls whizzing by at 130 kilometres an hour - is considered too dangerous by most.
"They say we'll knock out their light fixtures," said Mandal, the organizer, originally from Nairobi.
"As if you can't do that with a puck or a baseball."
Story sourced from:-
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=d3035773-d3ca-4427-b866-4a65a88355b2&k=16072&p=2
Cricket for Dummies -- Posted Saturday, February 10 2007
It's a lot like baseball. Except that it's profoundly different. (Matthew Engel)
When I lived in Washington a few years back, my favorite spot in America was Section 336, high above home plate at the Baltimore Orioles' stadium, Camden Yards. My special delight was to take along our English visitors—all baseball virgins, all keen on cricket—and explain the American game by analogy with the English one. I never had a failure. They all grasped baseball, and they all relished it.
Notoriously, this process does not work in reverse. Thousands of Americans have gone to Lord's, cricket's London headquarters, and retreated in bewilderment. The most eloquent was Groucho Marx, who reputedly watched for an hour, and said: "This is great. When does it start?"
For sure, cricket seems inaccessible. But the superficial differences mask the essential truth: both cricket and baseball operate on the same principles. Someone hurling the ball—the pitcher in baseball, the bowler in cricket—is attempting to defeat an opponent wielding a bat to defend a target—the invisible strike zone or the visible wicket—and score runs.
The pitcher/bowler (using speed, swerve, spin or guile) is assisted by fielders while the batter's teammates await their turns. These fielders can remove the batter either by catching the ball or returning it to the batter's destination before he can get there. The batter's jackpot is hitting the ball in the air out of the field: a homer to you, a six to us. And the team that scores the most runs wins. Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?
Grasp the similarities, and you can start to understand the differences. In cricket, two bowlers and two batsmen operate in tandem. One bowler has six throws from one set of wickets; another has six goes at the other. The bowlers' primary objective is to hit the wickets, in which case the batsman is out. When the onfield captain (not a manager) is fed up with the bowlers, they remain in the game as fielders and may try again later. The batsmen, for their part, are not obligated to run when one of them hits the ball, but they score runs when they run from wicket to wicket without being put out. And they stay at bat until they are out.
This can sometimes mean all day, or even longer: a batsman's aim is to score a hundred or more runs. But cricket is elastic. Games comprise either one or two innings, and can last five full days or be as short as a few hours. And yes, the players normally stop for lunch and tea. But that means the fans also get to eat during the breaks, instead of missing the best bits while lining up for hot dogs and pizza.
Cricket has other virtues. Because the cricket bat is wider and the ball can be successfully hit through 360 degrees, there is an infinite variety of shots, ranging from the bludgeoning to the elegant. And because the ball is meant to bounce en route to the batter, each game takes its character from the turf underfoot: wet or dry, fast or slow, flat or bumpy.
Of course, hardly anyone watches for five days solid, except the umpires. But the game must have something going for it. For the five-day Test between England and Australia scheduled for Melbourne on December 26, all 95,000 tickets were sold out for each of the first three days more than six months in advance.
Matthew Engel is editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, which has recorded every important game since 1864.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2006/october/howtocricket.php
Ontario Cricket Association Junior selection -- Posted Saturday, February 10 2007
Junior Selection for Cricket in Ontario
I wish to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Junior Selection Chair in the newly elected governing body of the Ontario Cricket Association. You have been very kind and supportive in my activities as Junior Coordinator with the Malton Cricket & Sports Club for the past 2 years.
I am now seeking your help and guidance in developing a transparent, fair and accessible selection system for the Junior Cricket Selection process in Ontario. This message will also be sent to other provincial associations. I am inviting comments and other suggestions for developing a written procedure that will be presented to the Executive of the Ontario Cricket Association for review and approval. When sending me your replies, please be objective and thoughtful.
We are engaging in a positive step which should resolve many of the negative issues from the past. While we may not be able to resolve everything to our own needs, an acceptable and workable system is our objective. Outlined below are a few objectives. Please feel free to add some more if you feel there is a need for it.
1. Transparency: Everyone should know how the process was developed and will support the selection.
2. Selection Criteria: Description of what is needed to be selected for each position on the team?
3. Access: Are the venues for selection easily accessible to all aspirants? For example, how does a poor child, whose parents either does not have a car or cannot spend 3 to 5 days off work to drive the young cricketer to King City. Also how is the equal access ensured for young cricketers coming from other regions such as Hamilton, Ottawa, and SOCA?
4. Selectors: How are the selectors chosen, what should be their qualifications?
5. Selection Chair: Should the selection Chair be a selector, or should the main duty be to make sure that approved procedures are being followed? We should also know what has been done in the past and what is being done in other jurisdictions. Can we develop a better subsystem? For example, should the Chair cast a deciding vote, if required? Should the Chair monitor the function of process and audit, as well as selection of selectors, and have a deciding vote if necessary?
6. Appeal Process: Should there be an appeal process against the selections made?
7. Coaches: Should coaches be allowed to effect the selections?
8. Accountability: Should records be kept, and for how long, that support the decision of the selectors.
9. Compliance: Should an audit be done prior to announcing the selection to ensure that all requirements per the written process/procedure were completed
.
10. Safety: How do we ensure the safety of the young cricketers during and after the process? School boards and other jurisdictions have strict rules: what are we going to do about it?
You are welcome to send me any documents that would help us to advance the cause of a fair and competitive selection process. You are welcome to forward this policy outline to anyone who you know may help us advance this cause and add positively towards the development of a process that is second to none and is applicable to our demographic and geographic conditions.
While you develop your replies please keep in mind that the process has to ensure that no young cricketer is declined a place in the team due to his/her economic status and/or bias. We need to ensure that there is no favouritism or other type of bias in the favour or against a young cricketer. We have no intention of excluding anyone. Any omissions in this invitation is purely accidental or for the lack of not knowlege of addresses. Please forward to all those persons you think should have been invited to comment. It will be a pleasure to hear from everyone. It is going to take the whole country to select a winning proces, and your support is being requested humbly and respectfully. Please reply by 20th February 2007. It is my intention at this time to complete a draft document by the end of February 2007. I will send copies of the draft document to you again for review and additional input before presenting it to the OCA board.
Ranjit Saini
Junior Selection Chair,
Ontario Cricket Association.
P.S: To officials from other provinces:
Please send us your comments as they will add value to our efforts. Ranjit Saini
Ontario Cricket Academy -- Posted Saturday, February 10 2007
The Ontario Cricket Academy is dedicated to:
Youth Cricket Development
We strongly believe that through participation in sport, specifically cricket, our youth can and will reap great benefits with respect to fitness, self-esteem, concentration, focus and other great attributes! We are committed to producing the cricket stars of tomorrow, but will always keep our programs fun and exciting!
Elite Cricket Training
We will provide the best and most up-to-date coaching and training for those cricketers who want to take their game to the highest level. We realize that each player is first and foremost an individual- and therefore cannot be treated like everybody else. Our highly qualified coaching staff will also use the most current trends and tools in the world of Sport Science to help give you that winning edge!
Bringing the World's best cricket minds to Ontario
Throughout the year we will be hosting various coaches and players who have coached or played cricket at the Test level, to help in the development of our Academy players.
Playing Internationally
Through various OCA programs such as Youth Cricket Tours or Individual Scholarships and International Club Contracts, Academy players can have the invaluable experience of playing cricket in another country- to aid in the development of their game and character!
Head Coach
Born in Brampton, Canada, Derek Perera has enjoyed an illustrious cricket career, in Canada and abroad. Derek has played both International and First-Class cricket- a feat very few ‘born’ Canadians can lay claim to! Under the guidance of his father and Mr. Hale, (Toronto Cricket Academy) at the young age of 13, Derek made his debut in the Toronto & District Premier Division for Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club, where he was later awarded a scholarship.
Derek went on to represent Canada at every level, from Under 19 to the Senior Team, all before he was 19 years old. At the age of 18, he made his senior international debut against Bangladesh in Toronto, and was selected to represent the National Senior team against India in the same year. With the various Canadian teams he has toured Denmark, Holland, England and Malaysia.
Derek was also awarded many scholarships, in 1996 by the ICC- where he was selected to undergo coaching and training by the MCC, and represented the ICC U-21 Select Team. Later that year he was awarded a scholarship in conjunction with Queensland Cricket in Australia where he played Grade Cricket and trained under the watchful eye of Bennett King at the Queensland Institute of Sport.
Derek played in the national U-23 competition and first class in Sri Lanka in 1994/95 for the Nondescripts Cricket Club. Among his peers were noted players Aravinda DeSilva, Hashan Tillekeratne and Russell Arnold. In addition, he has played in England for 3 seasons as a Professional Player/Coach, gaining invaluable experience. In Devon Derek was one of the first players to score 1000 runs in the season- finishing with a top score of 134*.
Currently, Derek has excelled in coaching, utilizing his knowledge gained through his degree in Kinesiology and Health Science (Sport Science). In 2004, he was appointed the Canada U-23 Player/Coach and coached the Ontario 1st XI in the National U-19 Championships.
Material sourced from:-
http://www.ontariocricket.com
W.G. Grace and the Australians -- Posted Friday, February 9 2007
The image of cricket, more than any other, has become associated with fair play, unselfishness and high ideals.
But at vital stages in its history the game developed under the impetus of the profit motive. Such was the case with the first English tour to Australia, sponsored by the Melbourne catering firm of Spiers and Pond. Furthermore, during the important formative years the gambling nobility in England used the game as a vehicle for massive wagers.
Once upon a time Reverend Lord Frederick Beauclerk, in a public oration, emphasised that cricket is a fine character-building game, “unalloyed by love of lucre and mean jealousies”. On other occasions he boasted that the game was worth 600 guineas a year to him, gained in side-bets. A tidy sum in the early l800s when a labourer had to work for three weeks to earn a guinea.
In the early days of cricket the gambling lust provided the material base that the game needed to progress beyond the level of a country yokel’s diversion to become a self—supporting part of the entertainment industry. So, like a beautiful flower growing from a dungheap, the great and noble game survived a precarious infancy to become the joy and delight to flannelled fools the world over.
Particularly important were gambling members of the upper classes who had plenty of time and money to waste and in this respect Oliver Cromwell’s rule was a critical period. He banned Sunday cricket and one of his strategies to subjugate the unruly and turbulent Irish was to order that all the cricket bats and balls in Ireland be collected and burnt by the common hangman. But he unwittingly fostered the game because large numbers of the nobility quit London during the puritan administration to pass the time on their country estates waiting for the restoration of a good old—fashioned monarch. There they discovered that their gardeners and ploughmen had a jolly good game going in their spare time.
And although a moralistic tract of the times listed cricket as a pastime of ‘the common sort’, on a par with ‘lying in ale houses’, the gentry acquired a taste for the game and after the restoration it became quite the thing in London to organise clubs and cricket matches, not devoid of financial interest, of course. Later the game received vice— regal patronage from Frederick, Prince of Wales (father of George III) who died in 1751 as a result of a tumor precipitated by a blow from a cricket ball.
This was probably a moral victory for the puritans. It was also a sad loss to the Surrey team (which he financed) and an equally sad loss to the gambling fraternity at large (he lost up to 2000 pounds on some games).
This was the era of the feudal lords of cricket who ran the game by promoting matches between teams of their own choice partly for the sport and partly for massive wagers. Outstanding players were not originally paid as such but were employed by their patrons. Sir Horace Mann lured a fine young batsman away from the Hambledon club with the offer of a bailiff ‘s position on his country estate and the Earl of Tarikerville employed ‘Lumpy’ Stevens as a gardener.
Stevens’ nickname has aroused quite a deal of learned controversy; it may have had something to do with his bowling action, or his once eating a whole apple pie at a sitting, or, as an exponent of underarm shooters, his liking for a wicket pitched on uneven ground. Stevens had the distinction of being the first lower class cricketer to have his portrait painted. Some patrons of the game were immortalised in oils because they were noblemen, but Lumpy was painted because his crafty shooters made such an impact on the game.
In view of the modest remuneration for players and the large sums of money hanging on the major games there was obviously great scope for bribery and corruption of the players by patrons, backers and the bookmakers who began to divide their time between the racetrack and the oval. Some of these unscrupulous ‘legs’ went down into Hampshire in the spring to try to buy up the players early in the season. The wretched bookies even set up their tables and called the odds in front of the pavilion at Lords; the moneychangers were at work in the very temple of cricket. Eventually they disappeared as the game ceased to attract bettors and, as it happened, the sheep lasted longer at Lords than the bookies. The M.C.C. was extremely loath to defile the sacred sward with a newfangled contraption like a mower. Rumor has it that when the first such engine appeared a gentleman passing by recruited a nearby gang of roadworkers who beat it to death with sledge hammers.
Not surprisingly, betting was a vital part of the early game in Australia. An early single-wicket contest in Tasmania was played for five pounds and a bottle of wine, and on the Sydney domain when negotiable currency in the form of coin and folding money was in short supply, wagers on early matches were laid in such items as sawn timber, fat pigs, boots, butter and salt fish.
During the first contest between Victoria and N.S.W. the odds started at 3 to 2 on Victoria but after various New ‘South Welshmen ‘lowered their flags’, ‘had their stumps unsettled’ and ‘declared the wicket vacant’, the betting firmed to 3 to 1. However, the northerners eventually won, no doubt to the financial embarrassment of the Victorians.
When one of W.G. Grace’s teams looked like losing to Victoria, W.G. allegedly used the newly installed telegraph to warn his friends in London to lay off some of their bets. Bookmakers in the main stand at the S.C.G. in 1879 were blamed for a riot which almost ended cricketing relations between Australia and England. The English captain, Lord Harris, claimed that the bookmakers urged a mob of larrikins to invade the field when a Sydney batsman was controversially given out.
Nowadays commercial sponsorship, including the opportunity to advertise crunchy breakfast cereal (like a cricket bat with holes in) is taking the part once played by the gambling feudal lords. Money flows into the game from purveyors of cigarettes and razor blades (a rich irony in view of the facial adornment of the early players). No doubt the players will respond energetically to the new incentives, after all, Lumpy Stevens would have bowled his heart out for a good helping of apple pie.
The game assumed a new dimension with the advent of international tours. The first would-be tourists planned to travel from England to Paris in 1789 at the invitation of the British Ambassador, the Duke of Dorset, a great patron of the game who organised many matches in England for the Hambledon Club. When the players arrived at Dover to board ship they met the Duke on his way home, fleeing from the French Revolution. And so the first international tour was abandoned for political reasons.
The records do not indicate who the tourists would have played when they reached Paris. They may have put on single wicket games, or split up to play five a side, or they may have gone into the field with local players. People played cricket in France as early as the fifteenth century and French colonists took the game overseas to Canada and the French West Indies. Enthusiastic cricketers among the lace—makers from Nottingham who settled in northern France established local competitions in Dieppe and Calais, as did a number of English residents in Paris.
Over fifty years elapsed before the next international tour. This occurred in North America in 1842 when eighteen players from the St. Georges Club in New York traveled to Toronto, in Canada. Early English colonists carried the game to New York where- the first recorded game, in 1751, was played between ‘London’ and ‘New York’. In Toronto the local side comfortably beat the tourists in a one day game, played for a prize of fifty pounds, not counting side bets. A pickup game followed and in the evening the visitors wined and dined in a riotous celebration with innumerable toasts.
Some years later Canada and the United States played the first recognised international game between representative teams. A prize of a thousand pounds was at stake, a massive sum by today’s standards, and enthusiastic supporters made side bets of many thousands of dollars. Canada won the game with scores of 82 and 63 against the United States’ scores of 64 and 58. No bowling analysis was recorded in the second innings the U.S. opening batsman, George Wheatcroft, did not arrive at the ground until the game was over. His negligence is surprising in view of the prize money, but the delinquent batsman may have been bribed by a Canadian or he may have had his own money on the opposition.
In the following year two international matches occurred but the fourth game, in 1846, produced an ugly incident which halted the series for seven years. A Canadian batsman charged down the bowler as he accepted a caught-and—bowled opportunity. In the very early days it was a legitimate tactic, provided that the batsman did not leave the vicinity of the pitch. When the bowler regained -his feet he threw- the ball at the batsman and despite apologies from the U.S. team, including the bowler, the Canadians refused to continue the game.
The series resumed in 1853. The United States won the match and harmonious relations were sealed after the game when the Canadians were entertained lavishly at Delmonico’s Restaurant. Up to 1970, 48 games have been played in the series. The United States had won 27, Canada had won 16, and 5 were drawn.
In 1859 North America featured in another milestone in cricket history when the first intercontinental touring party arrived from England. The Montreal Cricket Club sponsored the tour, helped by the proprietors of the St. Lawrence Hotel in Montreal. The players were guaranteed 50 pounds plus expenses. Twelve professionals sailed from Liverpool in September, rather late in the year as it turned out by the time they reached the end of their itinerary. George Parr from Nottinghamshire, ‘The Lion of the North’ was captain but at sea he was anything but a lion. He frequently had recourse to gin and water to settle his nerves during heavy weather.
Among the other players were John Wisden the leading allrounder, H.H. Stephenson who captained the first tourists in Australia, and William Caffyn, ‘The Surrey Pet’ who toured Australia with Stephenson and settled in this country. They played five games, all against teams of twenty two players. This allowed the bowlers to return some spectacular figures. George Parr captured 16 wickets for 25 runs in one innings and in another Caffyn took 16 for 26. Despite their disadvantage in numbers the tourists won all their matches, some by an innings. The local players were competent and keen in bowling and fielding but they could not cope with the English bowlers. The slow lobs delivered by Parr and Caffyn were particularly effective and in a game against XXII of U.S.A. the fast bowler Wisden took six wickets in six balls.
The first game was a two day affair against Lower Canada in Montreal. The tourists won by eight wickets and after a splendid banquet at the St. Lawrence Hotel they proceeded to Hoboken, New York. The local populace greeted them with extraordinary enthusiasm. A great crowd waited at the station, the streets were packed and a band at the hotel played ‘Rule Britannia’. The day before the game started over 2,000 people visited the ground, just to see what it looked like, and over 25,000 saw the game.
In Philadelphia equally large crowds turned out, including a thousand ladies, dressed in the height of fashion, who occupied a special stand reserved for the fairer sex. Winter was setting in by this time and the wet ground required several wagon loads of sawdust to allow the play to proceed.
The first English cricket tour of Australia in 1861 came about because the novelist Charles Dickens was not inclined to travel. The Melbourne caterers, Spiers and Pond, invited the great man to tour Australia for mutual profit. He declined the offer, and their second choice was a cricket team. Only twelve players came, with seven from Surrey including the captain H.H. Stephenson and William Caffyn, two of the North American tourists of 1859. A crowd of 10,000 waited at the docks when their ship berthed in Melbourne on Christmas eve, and the sustained Interest and hospitality of the locals forced the tourists to travel some miles out of town to practice in peace.
They played against teams of twenty-two in all their games except the first. Stephenson pleaded that they had not recovered from the voyage and only eighteen Victorians went into the field. The Melbourne ground at Richmond was even then the best cricket arena in the world for spectators. The grandstand held 6,000 and there were banked seats for the general public. On the first day 15,000 people came to the ground. The Englishmen wore hats resembling helmets to protect them from the fierce colonial sun. They also wore sashes in various colours, identified on the score cards, so that spectators could tell one from the others.
The tourists won the first game by an innings and In their twelve games they only lost two. One was against a combined twenty-two of Victoria and N.S.W., the other against twenty-two of Castlemain. The second defeat may sound surprising but several things made life difficult for the Englishmen. Apart from the odds against them the team had no reserves, the programme was hectic, traveling was slow and tiring, and everywhere the hospitality was overwhelming. Caffyn wrote “Scarcely a day passed without our being entertained to champagne breakfasts, luncheons and dinners”.
Apart from the games on the programme there were light-hearted diversions. In Melbourne ‘Surrey’ played ‘The World’ and won. At Beechworth, where the local twenty—two made only 20 (twelve failed to score), Griffith played and beat eleven locals in a single wicket game. After the main fixture at Castlemain, Griffith, Lawrence and Iddson salvaged some prestige by beating eleven of the locals in a single wicket match.
Spiers and Pond made so much money from the tour that they allowed the Englishmen to share half the profits from the last game. The promoters could well afford this generosity because the tourists received only £150 plus expenses and bonuses. S piers and Pond cleared £11,000 all told. When the touring party returned to England, Charles Lawrence stayed behind in Sydney to coach for the Albert Club.
Two years later, in 1863, George Parr brought a stronger team to Australia. Again they played against teams of twenty-two but they went through the tour, including three games in New Zealand, without any loss. Dr. E.M. Grace, oldest of the three formidable brothers (all three played for England), was the only amateur in the party of twelve. Other players included Caffyn, ‘Tear-Em’ Tarrant the fast bowler who a young Australian called Spofforth adopted as a model, Julius Caesar the brilliant batsman and fielder, and John Jackson, the other fast bowler, called ‘Foghorn’ because he blew his nose loudly whenever he took a wicket.
Their only anxious moments in the field occurred in a game against N.S.W. The tourists escaped with a one wicket victory after the renegade Englishman, Charles Lawrence, took six wickets cheaply for N.S.W.
The team suffered the usual indignities of traveling long distances in horsedrawn vehicles but their worst experience came at sea when their steamer ran down a small vessel off Sydney Heads. The incident occurred in the dark, adding to the confusion. George Parr, ‘The Lion of the North’, was petrified with fright. Tarrant panicked and tried to jump into the boat being lowered to rescue the crew of the other craft. Julius Caesar remained calm and helped the crew while Jackson slept through the whole drama.
Nine years elapsed before Dr. W.G. Grace brought out the third touring party. The Champion demanded a fee of £1,500 plus expenses for himself. Not bad for an amateur although he had to pay a locum to look after his medical practice.
The professionals in the party received £170 plus expenses. The team played fifteen games, including two in South Australia. They lost three, including the first of the tour, an innings defeat by a Victorian eighteen.
At Ballarat W.G Grace and his younger brother Fred each scored centuries in stifling heat. The Victorian fast bowler Sam Cosstick complained that there seemed to be a whole family of Graces batting against them. A local journalist wrote ‘The sun shone infernally, the eleven scored tremendously, we fielded abominably, and all drank excessively’. Drinking was partly responsible for the defeat at Stawell, although leading players such as Cosstick, Allan, Cooper , Wills and Conway repeatedly turned up to play for the country teams.
In a special exhibition at the M.C.G. Dr. Grace and partners batted against eleven Victorians to show how he could perform against a normal contingent of fielders. He scored 100 in 58 minutes. Sam Cosstick became disgruntled with his part in the proceedings, and let fly three ‘beamers’. The press reported ‘the missiles passed near enough to the. Leviathan’s body to make him wince’. The game stopped forthwith and Sam was placated with the aid of liquid refreshments.
Friction between the professionals and amateurs in the party marred the tour. The amateurs traveled first class, the professionals traveled second. They also complained of inferior accommodation and entertainment. Feelings ran high in an exchange of letters in the Argus between the tour promoter and James Lillywhite, spokesman for the professionals. Lillywhite’s final letter had expletives deleted from it. Despite this bone of contention, Lillywhite captained the next touring team in 1876—77, the tour which started the continuing series of test matches between England and Australia.
Historical piece sourced from:-
http://www.the-rathouse.com/Revivalist4/cricketessay.html
York University winter cricket -- Posted Friday, February 9 2007
York University Cricket Club
We are resuming the Tate Mckenzie Gym bookings for this semister, We are going to continue the Thursdays and Saturdays routine from Feb.08.
Those who have not been involved as yet, we play in the Upper Gym on Thursdays from 8.30 till 11.00 PM. On Saturdays in the Main Field house from 7.30 PM onwards which is usually for two hours, but if we are lucky and if no one has booked the gym after us then we can go longer as well.
For those who have not paid their membership I remind them to get $10 for yearly membership and for those who paid it back in fall do not need to pay anything.
For any questions or concerns please contact cricyork@gmail.com
Hope to see you there.
Chirag Shah.
Queen's University Cricket Club -- Posted Thursday, February 8 2007
Whether you enjoy playing cricket, watching it or want to learn how to play this sport - this club - is for you.
Running for the 5th consecutive year, QCC executives have strived to improve the club and are offering even more events this year! Our brand new website provides information about upcoming events,pictures of weekly games, tournament updates, rules of the Cricket and much,
much more!
This year we hope to provide our members with the following events/sessions:
- Coaching & tutoring sessions for beginners (NEW - due to excessive demand)
- Weekly cricket matches played between teams, made on the spot! (Fall term)
- Queen's Cricket Tournament (Winter term)
- Showing live cricket matches with FOOD!
Join our mailing list or just e-mail one of the executives if you have ANY questions whatsoever. No question is a stupid question, and we've even had members join just because of their curiosity about the sport. We accept members from all years at anytime during the Fall term.
For the first 3 or 4 weeks in September, cricket is played outdoors on Kingston Cricket Field, right next door
to campus. From then on, cricket sessions continue in Bews Gym @ the Physical Education Centre.
Thanks for your interest.
Queen's Cricket Club
Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
qcricket@ams.queensu.ca
http://www.myams.org/qcricket
World Cricket League Report Card -- Posted Thursday, February 8 2007
Considering everything that went on for Canada at the World Cricket League tournament in Nairobi, we basically got what we expected. We beat Bermuda, picked up another close win, and were reasonably competitive overall. We ended up missing the finals, but picking up some valuable experience heading into the World Cup in just over a month from now.
As a team, I've got to give Canada a B-minus: they did well, but not quite well enough to earn a top grade. A record of 2-3 over the tournament could just as well have been 4-1, with a few edges going the other way against Scotland, and a different situation against Kenya. That being said, they didn't, and we have to consider the results as they are. Now you'll see my evaluation of the individual players' performances.
Qaiser Ali - C - His high score of 60 against Ireland was an integral part of Canada's win, but he only managed 9 additional runs in 3 innings. He will be in the competition to stay in the lineup with the return of Barnett and Billcliff for the WC, and did nothing to distinguish himself here.
Ashish Bagai - A+ - It's pretty easy to evaluate a player when he is given the player of the tournament award at the closing banquet. He averaged 86.50 runs, with a high score of137, and was as good as ever whilst wearing the gloves. Hopefully he can continue with this form into the future, as he is becoming a star. Also a candidate for the captaincy in the future.
Umar Bhatti - B- - A difficult tour for Umar, he battled injury throughout and bowled decently when he had the chance. He could have been better, but could also have been much worse. I can't help but think he was hurt by the inclusion of Anderson Cummins as an opener, as his tandem with Osinde seemed unstoppable in the summer.
Desmond Chumney - D- - Only charity stopped me from giving an F here. When you are selected as a batsman, you cannot have a high score of 8. I have heard a lot about his potential, but he needs to show me (and the selectors) something if he wants to keep wearing Red and White.
George Codrington - B - Big George had a decent tour, doing his thing as an all-rounder. He bowled tight lines, made some runs, and served as a strong vice-captain to Davison. His years are likely coming to a close soon, but he is still able to produce an innings with the best of them.
Austin Codrington - C - This Codrington didn't get much playing time, only appearing in one match in the tournament. When he did, it was not memorable, as he went for plenty of runs and no wickets. It seems the powers that be favour the older Cummins, and that is bad news for Codrington, seeing as Bhatti and Osinde are shoo-ins.
Anderson Cummins - D - Eyebrows were raised when this man was named to the squad, and my eyebrows were on the back of my head when I noticed how many chances he was given. His bowling was erratic, he gave away heaps of extras, and he was just not good enough.
John Davison - B+ - Davison continues to do his thing as jack-of-all-trades for Canada. He captains well, he bats elegantly, and he bowls tightly. He also made a move many of us have been calling for for some time - moving himself down to the 4 spot in the order. Hopefully he will continue to have success from there; and give batsmen fits with his spinners.
Sunil Dhaniram - A - It was a great tournament for Dhani, especially with the ball. He was on fire, picking up 8 wickets at 15.38, and chipped in with the bat as well. Along with Davison, he will be the man to get us through the middle overs in ODIs without giving up runs.
Donovan Maxwell - D - Had trouble with bat and ball when he had the chance. He will have a tough time retaining his spot on the team at the World Cup with the readdition of the Killer B's.
Asif Mulla - B - Batted decently enough, averaging 23.80 and maintaining a run rate near 100. Also served as a decent backup for Bagai with the gloves, which could prove important as Bagai takes on a greater batting role. He may be better off batting at 5-6, as he can give the ball a mighty whack.
Henry Osinde - A- - He was Canada's leading wickettaker, grabbing 9 at 26.56. The only downfall of his game was that he was not as economical as he would have liked. Still, he is probably Canada's top strike bowler and a valuable commodity.
Abdool Samad - C+ - Batted well against Ireland and Scotland, poorly against the rest. Nothing more to be said here.
Kevin Sandher - B- - Got limited playing time as he had to split time with George Codrington. Really didn't get to see enough of him to give him a real rating here, but he did decently enough when given a chance.
In totally unrelated news, I'm starting a new blog which will be my discussion of all manner of sports. Cricket may creep on there at times, but I'm sure you'll all find my musings interesting. Check it out, and let me know what you think.
Analysis sourced from:-
http://www.canadacricket.blogspot.com/
Ireland desperate for ICC Intercontinental Cup success -- Posted Thursday, February 8 2007
Ireland “desperate” for ICC Intercontinental Cup success after World Cricket League heartache
Victory over the UAE will secure final spot against Canada for Trent Johnston’s defending champions
Ireland coach Adrian Birrell has admitted his side is “desperate” to beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final group match of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, the first-class tournament for the top Associate sides, which starts in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (10 February).
Reflecting on Ireland’s performance in winning just one match in five in the recent ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div.1) tournament in Kenya, Birrell said: “This match is a good opportunity for us to get back on track after a difficult couple of weeks.
“We lost some very close matches in the World Cricket League and I don’t think we deserved to finish fifth overall.
“We played better than that but sometimes your performance is not always reflected in the results.
“We are desperate to get something from this tour and if we beat the UAE it will be a big boost for us.
“Not only will it put us in the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup but it will help us psychologically as we make our final preparations for the West Indies.”
Ireland is the defending champions after beating Kenya in a thrilling final in Namibia in late 2005 and it must win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in order to pip European rivals Scotland to a place in the final against Canada.
But that will be easier said than done. Trent Johnston’s side is understandably low after its losses in Kenya, especially as the failure to reach the final of the tournament for the top six Associates has cost it the chance to play in the ICC Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa later this year.
Qualification would have earned the Irish Cricket Union US$250,000, boosted its profile at home and abroad and left everyone on a high ahead of the side’s first ever appearance in the ICC Cricket World Cup (ICC CWC), in the West Indies next month.
But now the players need to pick themselves up and perform against a UAE side that has already shown it can be a tough side to beat on its own turf.
Last month it came close to beating the Scots in Sharjah, and although its failure to do just that means it is playing for pride rather than a spot in the final after a previous defeat to Namibia, Emirates Cricket Board Administrator Mazhar Khan said the players would try to make full use of the Ireland game.
“I know we are out of the final race but we want to carry over our good performance against Scotland into this game, although it will be difficult against a side that has recently played some tough cricket,” he said.
“We would not only try to win the game (against Ireland) but would like to take it as our preparations for the next season which will be a long and tough one.
“The next ICC Intercontinental Cup is likely to start for us in June and after two matches in the tournament we will head to Pakistan to take part in the Asia Cup.
“Ireland is the better team and we are keen to learn from anyone who is better than us. The Ireland game certainly provides us an excellent chance to develop into a more competitive team,” added Mazhar Khan.
There are plenty of positives for Ireland to take into this must-win game, despite the recent setbacks.
The batting was the main plus in Kenya as the side notched up five of the ten hundreds that were compiled in the WCL Div 1.
William Porterfield led the way with two of those three-figure scores and his tally of 332 runs was bettered by just one man, player of the tournament Ashish Bagai of Canada, who made 345 runs.
Ireland could boast two other players with more than 250 runs in Nairobi, Kevin O’Brien (264) and Eoin Morgan (261), and both of those also notched up hundreds, as did Jeremy Bray.
So runs should not be a problem, even allowing for the absence of wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O’Brien, who is missing through suspension after an ICC Code of Conduct violation during Ireland’s match against Scotland last year.
But the real issue is whether Ireland can take the 20 wickets it will almost certainly need if it is to give itself the best chance of victory.
The Ireland bowlers struggled to achieve control and penetration at vital times in Kenya and those failings may prompt some shuffling of the pack in Abu Dhabi.
Tall seam bowler Boyd Rankin, also on the books of English county Derbyshire, may get the chance to show his worth while Kevin O’Brien’s left-arm wrist-spin, something he worked on during the recent ICC Winter Training Camp in South Africa, may also get an airing.
One advantage some of the Ireland players have is that the venue for this match will be familiar. Five of the squad– Kenny Carroll, Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, John Mooney and Rankin – played there last year in a tournament that also included sides from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, the Netherlands and the UAE.
The home side has made two changes to the squad that played Scotland with right-arm medium-pacer Ali Asad, one of the side’s leading bowlers, replaced by Wasim Bari, while off-spinning all-rounder Rameez Shahzad makes way for Fahad Usman.
Asad is absent with a groin injury while Shahzad has been dropped after scores of 0, 10, 6 and 2 in the previous two games against Namibia and Scotland.
One certainty is that under Johnston’s positive leadership, Ireland will be at full throttle to make amends for the disappointments of Kenya as the players look to put the smile back on the face of coach Birrell, who is quitting his post at the end of the ICC CWC.
However, whether the players’ efforts will be enough against a determined UAE outfit only time will tell.
Apart from Ireland and UAE, the other sides in Group A are Namibia and 2004 champions Scotland.
Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played. Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.
The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
UAE (from): Mohammad Iqbal, Arshad Ali (captain), Gayan Silva, Saqib Ali, Khurram Khan, Kashif Khan, Fahad Usman, Ahmed Nadeem, Wasim Bari, Qasim Zubair, Ahmed Raza, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ausaf Ali, Shadeep Silva.
Ireland (from): Trent Johnston (captain), Kyle McCallan, Andre Botha, Peter Gillespie, Kenny Carroll, Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, John Mooney, Paul Mooney, David Langford-Smith, Eoin Morgan, Andrew White, Boyd Rankin.
Umpires: Tyron Wijewardene (Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires) and Shahul Hameed (ICC Associates and Affiliates International Umpires Panel).
For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup as well as the latest group tables, go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
Item sourced from ICC Media and Communications press release.
Canada's fixtures from February 26 to March 19 2007 -- Posted Thursday, February 8 2007
Monday February 26 2007 Bermuda v Canada
Venue TBC
Wednesday February 28 2007 Bangladesh v Canada
Venue TBC
Tuesday March 6 2007 Canada v Pakistan
Venue - Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St Augustine, Trinidad
Thursday March 8 2007 Canada v Ireland
Venue - Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St Augustine, Trinidad
Wednesday March 14 2007 World Cup
3rd Match, Group C - Canada v Kenya
Venue - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Sunday March 18 2007 World Cup
11th Match, Group C - Canada v England
Venue - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Thursday March 22 2007 World Cup
19th Match, Group C - Canada v New Zealand
Venue - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
World Cup 2007 = A whole new ball game -- Posted Thursday, February 8 2007
How much has the limited overs game changed from the time of the first World Cup tournament in 1975?
Consider that colour television was introduced in Australia at about the same time and think of the changes in communications in the intervening period and you're on the right track.
There were only eight teams competing in 1975 and now there are sixteen. The tournament was "a wham bam thank you ma'am" affair lasting only a fortnight, while now it is a two month long extravaganza. In 1975 there were no field restriction circles, no Powerplays and bouncers weren't an afterthought; in one match West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharran hooked and cut five successive Dennis Lillee short-pitched deliveries to the boundary.
The players wore white, the ball was red and the games were sixty, not fifty, overs a side contests. There was no Super Eights, just semi-finals and then a final and no lights at the grounds, as the only hint of a night game came in the tournament's thrilling climax at Lord's, when the last wicket fell at 8:40 pm on the longest day of the year.
And there is the "night and day" difference between the way teams prepared then and now for the most prestigious one day tournament on the cricketing calendar.
The first World Cup match was held on June 7th 1975 and there were only three ODI's played in that year prior to the tournament. This time a minnow like Scotland will have at least nine matches in 2007 before they even get to the warm up games. In 1975 New Zealand was one of the lucky teams as they had two games in March, three months before the tournament started; this time India will play in two separate series in the final weeks before the World Cup gets underway.
In 1975 Australia played an ODI on New Year's Day and then nothing was planned until the tournament commenced. However, we convinced the Cricket Board a Canadian stop over on the way to the UK would be a good way of getting some lead up cricket. The Board weren't happy the players were billeted in Canada and their worst fears were confirmed when an abundance of hospitality led to a loss, not against the National XI, but one from Ontario.
The Australian squad of sixteen [four Tests followed the tournament] arrived in the UK on June 1 and we had to cull two players to meet the World Cup requirement of fourteen. Because our squad was larger than the rest we refused a warm up game against Gloucestershire and instead played an eight-a-side intra-squad practice match at the Bank of England grounds in London.
All went well until my heavily loaded bowling team came to bat. Because the opposition was batsmen heavy, Doug Walters opened the bowling with Dennis Lillee and he commenced to run through our line-up with his outswingers. Annoyed that we weren't getting enough practice, I sent the dismissed top-order batsmen back in again. When I walked out for a second time facing a Walters hat-trick, our smart aleck new-ball bowler called out from the top of his run, "Batsman, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Despite all the hiccups and the bizarre nature of the lead up matches, Australia still made the final only to be beaten in a thrilling, high-scoring match by West Indies.
The current England side should take heart. Their preparations might be in disarray, with the losses mounting and half the prospective World Cup squad under an injury cloud but at least they are losing to tournament favourites Australia, not a team of unknowns from Ontario. And their crushing losses to New Zealand aren't in vain; the Black Caps could be lulled into a false sense of security by the time the two teams meet in the first round of the 2007 tournament.
But wait; is that Canada I see lurking in the England section of the draw? The same Canada that beat Australia in 1975 on the way to the World Cup; surely England couldn't lose to Canada?
No, it couldn't happen; things might have changed dramatically since 1975 but not that much. And neither have things changed so much that England will cause a huge upset and win the World Cup for the first time.
Ian Chappell
February 4, 2007
Story sourced from:-
http://contentusa.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/current/story/278561.html
Editors note:-
Ian Chappel's comment "we convinced the Cricket Board a Canadian stop over on the way to the UK would be a good way of getting some lead up cricket. The Board weren't happy the players were billeted in Canada and their worst fears were confirmed when an abundance of hospitality led to a loss, not against the National XI, but one from "Ontario" resonates with this editor.
The match against 'Eastern Canada' was in fact an Ontario XI and was played at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club ground.
On the evening prior to the match there was very serious hospitality at one of the residences adjacent to the cricket facilites.
The host was John Benson, and I recently reflected with his widow, Joan, about the 'abundance of hospitality'.
None of the Australians had slept before 'the match', (and I was there), as was a member of 'the club' who is very close to the current executive of the Canadian Cricket Association.
One by one the Aussie contingent was led over to the clubhouse for a shower and a lot of black coffee. It was no surprise to me that the Wizards of Oz were invited to bat first by the Eastern Canada XI captain, 'Cookie'.
Also present was the purveyor of Kookaburra cricket balls, and he and I have reflected about that day, and the night before the match. In order that the match proceed on schedule, the home captain graciously invited the visitors to bat first. (Jon Harris)
P.S. My first experience of Canadian cricket was in 1963, and that is another story.
P.P.S. Eddie Norfolk has advised that he will be on the same flight home as the national team.
Kenya win ICC WC League -- Posted Wednesday, February 7 2007
Cricket: World Cricket League Division 1 Final - Kenya v Scotland
Good morning, the game is at the Gymkhana Ground in Nairobi. Kenya, lost to Scotland in the group stage.
Sun is shining. Both teams are exercising on the outfield.
Umpires are Darrell Hair (Australia) And Gary Baxter (New Zealand)
Reserve umpire: Subhash Modi (Kenya)
Eddie Norfolk (8.20am Kenya time)
Message received 2.45am Toronto time
Scotland won the toss and elected to bat. Two youngsters who have each had AIDS from birth accompanied captains Steve Tikolo (Kenya) and Craig Wright (Scotland) to the toss. All players are wearing red AIDS ribbons as part of the ICC's partnership with UNAIDS.
The Canadian Universities Tournament for 2006 was recently named as the Americas regional winner of the annual ICC Development awards for Spirit of Cricket/UNAIDS awareness support. Players at the final, held on the same day as the last day of the Toronto International ADIS conference.
(Will send more details separately at a later date. Canada actaully won three regional develpoment awards.).
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 3.05am Toronto time
Scotland 105 runs for 7 wickets, collapsed from 59 runs for 1 wicket to 66 runs for 6 wickets. Recovery between captain Craig Wright and Dougie Brown just ended in a run out to make it 105 runs for 7.
Hope this gets through - Cricinfo has ball-by-ball coverage.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 3.55am Toronto time
Scotland have scored 134 runs for 8 wkts from 44.5 overs
4.20am Toronto time
Scotland was all out for 155 runs. The last pair of Ross Lyons and Paul Hoffman hit outto add 19 runs for the last wicket.
Nothing seems to be wrong with the wicket in terms of ball movement but it might be a bit slow (ball not coming on to the bat). One ball from leg-spinner Jimmy Kamande jumped a bit. Scotland's bowlers are out for some trial balls.
Wouldn't put my money on Scotland winning and I'm not a betting man.
(That was the message at close of innings but connection had gone down - again!).
At Lunch Kenya 11 runs for 0 wickets. Need 140 runs to win off remaining 45 overs.
Eddie Norfolk
At drinks break - Kenya 81 runs for 1 wicket off 23 overs. David Obuya shows on board as 48 runs not out. He has started to open out (score runs faster).
Kenya needs another 75 runs with 27 overs remaining, 9 wickets to fall. Crowd increased due to presence of various schoolchildren.
Eddie Norfolk (3pm)
Message received at 6.55am Toronto time
Cricinfo report
It ought to have been the series showcase but Scotland's batting capitulated against Kenya, wickets tumbling with alarming ease, in the final of the World Cricket League at the Gymkhana Ground in Nairobi.
Rightly choosing to bat first - under blue skies on a firm, easy-paced pitch - Scotland lost Majid Haq to the first poor shot of the day, edging Thomas Odoyo to Steve Tikolo at second slip.
But Fraser Watts and Ryan Watson soon made the most of the excellent batting conditions with Watson looking in particularly good touch, crashing Odoyo down the ground and twice carting Lameck Onyango through cover.
It didn't last. After registering their fifty partnership Watson fell to a lazy shot, trying to hook Onyango. A skier was easily snaffled by Peter Ongondo and the gates were open. Watts fell to to Kenya's best fielder, Tanmay Mishra, stationed at short midwicket who was floored by a fierce pull shot but parried it up in the air, taking it expertly at the second attempt and Gavin Hamilton edged one behind to leave Scotland in a perilous state on 62 for 4.
It got worse, too, when Neil McCallum was farcically run out when, defending Hiren Varaiya, he hit it straight to Collins Oboya at silly point who threw down the stumps leaving him a foot short. It summed up Scotland's morning and the tail was left with plenty to do
.
Some solid resistance from Craig Wright stopped a complete collapse while Ross Lyons made 23 off 47 balls. However, the Kenyan spinners kept the scoring rate down and only some late blows from Paul Hoffmann lifted Scotland over 150. Given Kenya's batting form in the tournament, they shouldn't be stretched in claiming the trophy.
Kenya scored 158 runs for 2 wickets to win the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division One in Nairobi. Man of the match was David Obuya who scored 93 runs and was second man out at 145 runs for 2 wickets.
Eddie (4.20pm local time)
Interim report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/279225.html
Top players inspired by children -- Posted Tuesday, February 6 2007
Top players inspired by children staying positive about HIV and AIDS
Players from three countries taking part in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) in Kenya took time out of their schedules today to visit a primary school in a part of Nairobi seriously affected by HIV and AIDS.
The players, some of whom will be playing in tomorrow’s WCL Div. 1 final, visited Ayany Primary School in the Kibera district of the city and held a coaching clinic for more than 500 children. Many of the children are either HIV positive or have been orphaned by the virus.
Two children from the school will be present at tomorrow’s final to assist with the coin toss before Kenya and Scotland do battle for the WCL Div. 1 title.
“There are a number of initiatives in place at this school to help combat HIV and AIDS,” said teacher Leah Asego. “We are trying to empower these children with life skills, how they can care for and support a sick parent or how they can learn to live with HIV themselves,” she said.
“It is great for us that these top cricketers have given up their time the day before a big game to give something very precious to our school,” added Ms Asego.
This activity was the latest in ICC's long-term partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF, which aims to educate and reduce stigma associated with the virus around the world.
“It was a very humbling experience for me,” said Scotland batsman Neil McCallum. “To see these children so happy, so enthusiastic and so friendly has been the highlight of this tour for me,” said the 29-year-old, who scored a match-winning century against Ireland on 30 January.
It was a sentiment echoed by Canada left-arm slow bowler Kevin Sandher, who also took part in the coaching clinic.
“I get hit for a six and I stress out about it. Others in the team get a duck and have long faces but really in the grand scheme of things, none of that is important compared to what some of these kids are going through. I see them so happy and it is an inspiration to me. Everything is put into perspective,” said Sandher (26).
Also present at the clinic were Dougie Lockhart (Scotland) and Umar Bhatti (Canada) as well as several members of the Kenya squad including Jimmy Kamande, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Rajesh Bhudia, Malhar Patel and chief executive of Cricket Kenya Tom Tikolo.
“We at Cricket Kenya will come back here to Kibera so that the taste you have got for cricket today will not be wasted. I want some of you to play for Kenya some day,” Mr Tikolo told the assembled children after the coaching clinic had concluded.
“We have many programmes in place here in Nairobi and throughout the country,” said Julie Mwabe of UNICEF (Kenya).
“Our partnership with the ICC is very important to us. Sport is such a great way to break down barriers and the work that cricket has done in recent years has helped change the way HIV and AIDS is viewed around the world. That is very important when trying to combat stigma and discrimination,” she said.
In September 2003 the ICC became the first global sporting body to enter into a partnership with UNAIDS to help raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Over the following three years many of the sport's top players have been active supporters of this cause with special activities taking place throughout the cricket world on a regular basis.
During tomorrow’s WCL Div. 1 final the players and umpires will all be wearing red ribbons as a sign of their support for the work that UNAIDS and UNICEF do to combat the global epidemic.
A range of activities, involving all 16 teams, has been organised to coincide with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, starting next month.
Item sourced from ICC Media release
Bagai - player of the Tournament -- Posted Tuesday, February 6 2007
Canada's wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai has won the inaugural World Cricket League player of the tournament award after dominating with the bat for his country in Kenya.
Bagai, 25, has been hugely impressive during the tournament, scoring two centuries and one fifty at an average of 86.25, including a top score of 137 not out in his side's thrilling seven-run defeat to finalists Scotland.
Bagai compiled eight player of the tournament points in five matches, as decided by the two on-field umpires in each game, putting him two clear points ahead of his next rival, Ireland's opening batsman William Porterfield.
At the end of each game, the on-field umpires elected their top three players in order. Three points went to the player of the match, two to the second best player and one to the third. The player of the tournament was decided by adding together all the points.
Bagai picked up his award at the closing ceremony in Nairobi on Monday night. It was presented to him by tournament referee Roshan Mahanama.
"It is a great thrill for me to win this award," said Bagai. "I am really psyched and it is great for my confidence ahead of the World Cup. I had no idea I had won the man of the tournament. David [Obuya of Kenya] and Porterfield did very well. I knew I was close but those guys had great tournaments too."
With attentions now turning towards the World Cup, Bagai said he could not be happier with his preparations. "It has been perfect. I was at the winter training camp in Pretoria [late last year]. That was perfect for me - I really felt I improved. And then we had a hard-fought ODI series in Mombasa and then the World Cricket League. It has been ideal preparation."
Report souced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/279151.html
ICC Press release
Canada’s Ashish Bagai is named WCL Div. 1 Player of the Tournament
Canadian wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai has won the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) Player of the Tournament award after dominating with the bat for his country.
The 25-year-old has been hugely impressive during the tournament, scoring two centuries and one fifty at an average of 86.25, including a top score of 137 not out in his side’s thrilling seven-run defeat to finalists Scotland.
Bagai compiled eight Player of the Tournament points in five matches, as decided by the two on-field umpires in each game, putting him two clear points ahead of his next rival, Ireland opening batsman William Porterfield.
At the end of each game, the on-field umpires elected their top three players in order. Three points went to the player of the match, two to the second best player and one to the third. The Player of the Tournament was decided by adding together all the points.
Bagai picked up his award at the WCL Div. 1 closing ceremony in Nairobi last night. It was presented to him by tournament referee Roshan Mahanama of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, himself a veteran of 52 Test matches for his country, Sri Lanka.
“It is a great thrill for me to win this award,” said Bagai today. “I am really psyched and it is great for my confidence ahead of the (ICC Cricket) World Cup,” he said.
“I had no idea I had won the man of the tournament. David (Obuya of Kenya) and Porterfield did very well. I knew I was close but those guys had great tournaments too.”
With attentions now turning towards the ICC Cricket World Cup, Bagai said he could not be happier with his preparations.
“It has been perfect. I was at the ICC Winter Training Camp in Pretoria (late last year). That was perfect for me – I really felt I improved. And then we had a hard-fought ODI series in Mombasa (with Kenya and Scotland) and then the World Cricket League. It has been ideal preparation.
“Our first game in the World Cup is against Kenya. That is a big game for us and one we really want to win. After that we play England and New Zealand. We are not expecting to come top of the group. Our goal is to put in consistently good performances against all the teams we play. If we do that we will be happy."
“Playing at that level will be a big step up for me. It is going to be a challenge and a way to test myself. As a team we are where we want to be mentally and we are really looking forward to it now,” he said.
The final of the WCL Div. 1 will take place between Kenya and Scotland tomorrow (Wednesday) in Nairobi Gymkhana. Both finalists have now qualified for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships which will be held in South Africa in September.
Editors note:-
Ashish Bagai was originally coached by Brian Hale, who operates the Toronto Cricket Academy. Ashish is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where he was awarded an M.B.A. He further pursued his education by accepting a one year Fellowship at the University of Singapore.
New OCA Executive take charge -- Posted Tuesday, February 6 2007
A meeting scheduled for taking charge from the former executive took place as scheduled on February 4th 2007 at the Ontario Sports Alliance Centre.
Attendees:
Errol Townsend, OCA Immediate Past President.
MRanjit Chaudhri, Senior Vice President, New Executive, OCA
Mr. Mohammed Shaikh, Secretary, New Executive, OCA
Mr. Ranjit Saini, Treasurer, New Executive, OCA
Absent:
Mr. Mohan Kendall, OCA President, New Executive.
(He is on a trip to India. He had made arrangements with Mr. Chaudhri to attend)
Mr. Austin Ward, Treasurer from the outgoing Administration due to sickness.
Mrs. Petra Pompey, Secretary from the out going Administration.
Mr. Townsend was well prepared and very helpful in giving detailed explanations of the financial accounts and commitments that were in place at the end of the previous administration. All members of the new executive were very impressed and expressed respect and gratitude for Mr. Townsend’s cooperation and help. Mr. Townsend offered his continued help to the new administration. The transfer of the banking authority will take place within a week.
Until such time that Mr. Ward passes over all financial instruments to the new executive, the OCA is not in a position to write any cheques from the account that Mr. Ward is a signatory to. The Secretary has been asked to contact Mr. Ward for an urgent transfer of the records to the new executive. In the meantime the new Executive wishes Mr. Ward a speedy recovery from the illness. The Secretary will also request Mrs. Pompey to handover all information ASAP.
Other matters:
Mr. Wilbert Plummer, Mr. Courtney Gonsalves, Mr. Leroy Grey, Mr. Ragoobir Henry. Mr. Rashid Ehsan and Mr. Wijay Senathirajah were present to discuss matters related to various coaching and developmental programs that are currently in progress, or are in the planning stage. Several good ideas and potential streamlining opportunities were discussed. OCA representatives will be making contact with the CCA counterparts to discuss streamlining of the several programs for better efficiency and other improvement opportunities. The executive members requested that the current coaches continue with all programs except the under 30 winter program until further communiqués from the OCA board.
(Ranjit Chaudhri)
Senior Vice President
Ontario Cricket Association
Canada roll the dice and lose in WCL -- Posted Tuesday, February 6 2007
Match summary:
Match played at Jaffrey's, February 5, 2007
Kenya 250 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs; Tanmay Mishra 61 runs, Collins Obuya 48 runs, Henry Osinde 4 wickets for 33 runs in 10 overs)
Canada 92 (14.5 overs; George Codrington 24 runs, Peter Ongondo 5 wickets for 51 runs, Thomas Odoyo 4 wickets for 39 runs)
Report
Canada's cricket team lost the toss in their final World Cricket League group match against Kenya and the Kenyans opted to bat first. Canada restricted the hosts to 250 runs for 9 wickets in 50 overs but then calculated they needed to score the runs in 31.3 overs in order to overtake the Kenyans on net run rate. Net run rate is the difference between Canada's rate of scoring runs and its rate of conceding runs.
The Canadian run chase posted quick runs but 3 wickets were lost for 27 runs by the end of the third over. The bowlers were bouyant and took two more wickets in the next two overs to leave Canada struggling on 35 runs for 5 wickets.
Earlier, Canada had contained Kenya in the early going, only 32 runs being conceded in the first ten overs. This for the loss of two wickets. Henry Osinde and Andy Cummins kept the runs down in this phase, each taking one wicket.
Veteran batsmen Ravi Shah and Steve Tikolo carried the total to 76 runs, when Shah was out to a catch by John Davison off Sunil Dhaniram, who caught and bowled Tikolo
Tanmay Mishra and Collins Obuyu progressively moved the Kenya score to 203 runs where Obuya became Dhaniram's third wicket.
Mishra was then caught by Davison for 61 runs. There were some defiant blows in the closing overs and Canada had done well to restrict the Kenyans to 250 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
Dhaniram ended with 3 wickets for 51 runs from his ten overs. Regular opening bowler Umar Bhatti was missing due to an injury.
Canada had hoped to win the toss and bat first with a view to scoring 300 runs or more and then bowling Kenya out fairly cheaply, possibly in the 150-170 run range in order to improve net run rate. The possible place in the World Twenty/20 championships and accompanying $250,000 US participation fee drove the desire to try and gain the available spot in the top two, Scotland had qualified on Sunday.
The Canadian team returns home for about two weeks. There is a send-off dinner at the Toronto Skating, Curling and Cricket Club on Sunday February 11th. The team depart for Antigua for a Tri-Series in late February, move on to Trinidad and Tobago for World Cup warm-up matches and reach St Lucia for their World Cup group matches.
The winter schedule and preparations, both at home and overseas, has placed a lot of demands on the individual players. Overall the work is showing rewards on the playing field. The progress made by many in the elite group now needs to filter through into the premier levels of play in domestic cricket. That will be a challenge and will require funding, with enhancements to the cricketing infrastructure.
World Cricket League Division 1 - Final Standings
P W L Pts NRR (Net Run Rate)
Kenya 5 4 1 8 1,355
Scotland 5 4 1 8 0.354
Netherlands 5 3 2 6 0.12
Canada 5 2 3 4 -0.843
Ireland 5 1 4 2 -0.062
Bermuda 5 1 4 2 -1.31
Kenya v Scotland
Final match to be played on Wednesday February 7
CANADA'S ASHISH BAGAI TAKES MAN-OF-THE TOURNAMENT AWARD
Canadian wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai was named Man-of-the-Tournament at the closing ceremony on Monday night of the World Cricket League in Nairobi.
Bagai won two Man-of-the-Match awards in this event, scoring 137 runs not out against Scotland in a 7-run loss and then 122 runs in the win over Ireland. Bagai also scored 74 runs against the Netherlands.
Eddie Norfolk
Scots cricketer officially reprimanded -- Posted Monday, February 5 2007
Scotland’s Omer Hussain officially reprimanded for breach of ICC Code of Conduct
Scotland player Omer Hussain has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his country’s ODI against Bermuda in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi today (Monday).
At a hearing that took place following the conclusion of the match, tournament referee Roshan Mahanama of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees found that Hussain had committed a Level 1 offence by breaching clause 1.3 of the Code.
The clause refers to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision,” and the offence occurred after Hussain was given out LBW. When the umpire raised his finger the player appeared to gesture with both hands, indicating his unhappiness with the decision.
Hussain pleaded guilty to the charge and apologized for his actions at the hearing attended by the two on-field umpires who brought the charge – Nadir Shah and Shahul Hameed – Scotland’s manager Richard Auchinleck and captain Craig Wright, as well as the ICC match referee.
Explaining the decision, Mr Mahanama said: “Although the player had a previously clean disciplinary record in ICC events, pleaded guilty and showed remorse for what happened, it was still important he – and everyone who witnessed the incident – understands that what happened was not and is not acceptable.
“Mr Hussain is a young player with potentially a long time in the game at a high level but he will find that if he acts in this way in future then some of that time will be spent in disciplinary hearings.
“The bottom line is that the umpire’s decision is final and has to be accepted without question – that is one of the pillars of our sport.
“With the game set for a period of intense scrutiny during the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup this reprimand is a timely reminder of that fact,” he added.
All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and/or a fine of up to the equivalent of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee.
With all Level 1 offences the player does not have a right of appeal and the ICC match referee’s decision is final and binding.
Report sourced fom ICC Media Release
ICC World Cricket League -- Posted Monday, February 5 2007
ICC World Cricket League has been ideal preparation for the Cricket World Cup, says ICC’s Global Development Manager
Top Associates now well placed to make mark at the highest level; WCL an outstanding success for ICC and Cricket Kenya
The ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) has been the ideal preparation for the six Associate teams taking part in next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup according to ICC Global Development Manager Matthew Kennedy.
And he added the players from those sides – Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland – are now key figures in a new era for cricket on a global level.
Speaking at the event’s closing function in Nairobi tonight (Monday), ahead of Wednesday’s final between Kenya and Scotland, Mr Kennedy told the players that they each had the opportunity to become a major story in the Caribbean.
“Bearing in mind that in your countries the sport is not yet fully professional, your dedication and desire does not go unnoticed,” said Mr Kennedy.
“In this respect, you are not unlike the pioneers of the past, the cricketing greats of the major Test nations of the 1970s and even ’80s, who faced similar challenges and helped to create what the game is now in their respective homelands.
“It is clear you are already successfully setting a new standard for those that will follow you,” he said.
“To be selected to represent your country at your chosen sport – especially at this level of competition – is an outstanding achievement of which you should all be very proud.
“Now you have the opportunity now to shake up the world of one-day cricket and you should face that challenge with confidence and enthusiasm. Please enjoy every moment because you have truly earned it,” he added.
Mr Kennedy paid tribute to Cricket Kenya and the local organising committee for staging what he described as an “outstanding” tournament.
“The tight results, the progression, the learning, the team performances and the individual heroics we’ve seen within it, go to show just how hard the players have worked and how far they have come,” he said.
“Cricket in Kenya has made some great strides in the past 18 months and the eyes of the cricketing world have certainly been on Nairobi over the past week or so. The organisers have pulled out all the stops, despite several challenges, to be superb hosts.”
The WCL Div. 1 is part of the ICC’s commitment to introducing more international competition and exposure to the Associates to help them close the gap between the top teams in the world and the next best through its High Performance Program.
Apart from the WCL Div. 1, the enhancement of the ICC Intercontinental Cup to a four-day competition, introduction of an intensive Winter Training Camp and several other key building blocks have been in place as teams prepare for this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.
The final of this inaugural WCL Div. 1 takes place between Kenya and Scotland at the Nairobi Gymkhana on Wednesday. By reaching that stage, both teams have now qualified for the ICC Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September.
Information sourced from ICC Press release
Canada had done their calculations -- Posted Monday, February 5 2007
Nick Deverell
5 February 2007
Kenya this afternoon booked their place in the WCL, and hence the 20-20 World Cup as they rolled Canada for 92 to win by 158 runs at Nairobi Jafferys. It was a frenetic few overs after lunch that decided the match. Canada had done their calculations in the break and had decided that to have a chance of overtaking Kenya on net run rate, they would have to knock off the runs required in 30 overs. Just in case any of the Kenyans were unaware of their intentions, they were signaled loud and clear as Mulla sent Odoyo's second ball crashing to the boundary. Kenya's vice captain struck straight back two balls later and Canada were 1/4.
Any thought that a minor setback would slow the Canadians was dispelled in the second over which cost Peter Ongondo 18 as Abdool Samad and Des Chumney sent the ball crashing to the fence three times. Canada were off to a flyer and despite the wicket looked confident. It took two balls of Odoyo's next over to put the breaks on as he sent first Chumney and then Samad back to the pavillion in quick succession. Canada were suddenly 3/27 and the wisdom of the attempted run rate looked shaky.
Despite the losses, Canada persisted in throwing the bat and Peter Ongondo cashed in off the 2nd legal ball of the 4th over when he had Bagai edging to Shah in the slips. When Odoyo picked up his fourth wicket in the next over - Qaiser Ali clean bowled, there looked little doubt that Canada had shot themselves in the foot. At no stage did they let up and try for the win, but continued in a vain attempt to do the impossible. Kenya persisted with line and length and Peter Ongondo reaped the rewards as he won the race to 5 wickets - the first time he has reached such a milestone in ODIs. Lameck Onyango was the only other bowler used, and he too got into the action in his first over as he removed George Codrington lbw for 24 to see Canada all out for 92 in 14.5 overs.
Earlier in the day, sensible batting by Tanmay Mishra and Collins Obuya helped Kenya to a total of 250. Aware of the need to defend their net run rate, Kenya batted first looking to set Canada a big total. It was a tactic that very nearly backfired on the hosts as first Henry Osinde, and then Anderson Cummins struck in the early overs to have both Kenyan openers back in the pavillion with only 14 on the scoreboard.
Steve Tikolo and Ravindu Shah then came together for a watchful stand that took Kenya to 76 before Shah fell to the spin of Dhaniram, caught by Davison for 39 just as he was looking set for a big score. Tikolo perished caught and bowled 20 runs later as the spinner put the squeeze on Kenya and initially looked to trouble Collins Obuya who joined Mishra on the fall of his captain. Obuya survived however and the two youngsters then set about pushing the score along.
Once again Mishra showed maturity well beyond his years, as he worked his way to 50 and then began to hit out. Obuya followed a similar patter, except that he fell 2 runs short of his half century to become Sunil Dhaniram’s third wicket. Mishra followed soon after in the 42nd over, caught by the Canadian captain off George Codrington for a well made 62 off 76 balls. He looked disappointed to have lost his wicket, but can hold his head high after a very useful knock for Kenya.
Kenya were now on 5/207 and it was again up to the tail to carry them through to a defendable total. Four more wickets fell as the Kenyans swung the bat, but they did succeed in taking the total up to 250 as Odoyo, Kamande and Onyango each made over a run a ball, the latter assisted by a typically gritty Hiren Varaiya.
After successfully chasing 308 yesterday against the Irish, Canada obviously backed themselves to chase this total down in the overs required to overtake Kenya's net run rate. Unfortunately for them, they could not contend with the Kenyan bowling and, though the runs were scored at the rate required, wickets fell too soon and too easily and too regularly to give them a realistic chance. Kenya for their part stuck to the job in hand and were rewarded for their discipline with another big victory. Thomas Odoyo, unable quite to take his first 5 wicket haul, but none the less a clear man of the match in the umpires for his demolition of the Canadian top order. Kenya can now look ahead to Wednesday and a chance for vengeance against the Scots.
Report sourced from:-
http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000037/003777.shtml
Kenya crush Canada to book final place -- Posted Monday, February 5 2007
A superb performance from Kenya's new-ball bowlers put the hosts through to Wednesday's final with a crushing 158-run victory over Canada at Jaffrey's Sports Club. They will meet Scotland in the final but, far more importantly, they will qualify for September's Twenty20 World Championship and a cheque for $250,000. In the world of Associate cricket, that's like winning the National Lottery.
Set a target of 261, Canada had to get the runs inside 37 overs to overtake Kenya's tournament run-rate, and that proved their undoing as they looked to throw the bat at everything from the off.
Within five overs of their reply, the game was as good as over as they crashed from 26 for 1 to 35 for 5, losing four wickets in 15 balls as Peter Ongondo (5 for 51) and Thomas Odoyo (4 for 39) blasted through the top order. While John Davison remained, Canada, who had to win themselves to have an outside chance of making the final, had a glimmer of hope. But he was clean bowled by Ongondo for 10 in the eighth over, and that was that.
Under leaden skies and on a damp pitch offering help to the seamers, Kenya also made a shaky start after winning the toss, losing both openers before Steve Tikolo and Ravi Shah engineered a recovery. But it was Tanmay Mishra (62) and Collins Obuya (48) who really kick-started an innings that was rather drifting, adding 107 in 22 overs for the fifth wicket, and then some late hitting saw the Kenyans to 250. In a week where the bat has generally dominated, there were concerns that the score was not enough - but they were unfounded.
Netherlands started the day needing to beat Ireland and hope that their run-rate would be good enough to see them past Kenya and Canada (assuming Canada had won). After a delayed start at Nairobi Gymkhana caused by the rain, they were stuck in by Ireland but Darron Reekers set them on their way to 260 for 7 with 104 off 83 balls, building the platform for Eric Szwarczynski to smack runs in the closing overs.
Scotland versus Bermuda was a low-key encounter between the finalists and the tournament's whipping boys. Ryan Watson and Gavin Hamilton both made fifties as the Scots eased to 268 for 9 at Ruaraka.
Report sourced from:-
"http://contentusa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278951.html"
Supplementary report from Eddie Norfolk
Kenya 250 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs) beat Canada 92 runs all out (in 15th over) by 158 runs. Kenya qualify for the World Cricket League Final against Scotland on Wednesday.
Problems at the ground with the Internet - game ended 1 hr 30mins ago. Canada needed to score the 251 runs in 31.3 overs to overtake Kenya in the standings was the team's calculation.
My understanding of the game plan was the first three batsmen would hit out and when they were out early, the theory was the rest of the batting would play for a regular (50 over) win.
The ball sailed through the air early and Canada was 27 runs for 3 wickets at the end of the 3rd over. The Kenyan opening bowlers were fired up and took a couple of what might be described as 'genuine' wickets, soon followed by the dismissal of John Davison, who offered several chances on the way to 10 runs.
George Codrington hit a few defiant blows and was last out - leg before wicket advancing down the track. Peter Ongondo and Thomas Odoyo shared the wickets.
There is a dinner tonight. Will try and send a formal report later this evening.
Eddie Norfolk
WCL Canada v Kenya -- Posted Monday, February 5 2007
Good morning from Ruaraka - outfield damp again but sun is out and it is expected it will dry out before play begins.
Canada would need to win with a big run rate differential to have a chance of making the final.
Kenya won the toss and chose to bat.
Canada will hope to restrict Kenya' total and then score as fast as possible to improve the relative run rate and have a chance of making the final.
Umar Bhatti has an injury and is replaced by Austin Codrington. Rest of side is unchanged from Sunday. Sandeep Jyoti, Don Maxwell and Kevin Sandher do not play.
Scotland batting v Bermuda 72 runs off 15 overs. Netherlands v Ireland match delayed start.
Ball-by-ball available via Cricinfo.
Kenya 59 runs for 2 wickets in 15 overs. Ravi Shah is 30 not out, Steve Tikolo 9 not out. Henry Osinde and Andy Cummins each took an early wicket. David Obuay caught Ashish Bagai for 3 runs and Maurice Ouma caught Ashif Mulla (second slip) at 14 runs for 2 wickets.
Scotland batting v Bermuda 72 runs off 15 overs. , Netherlands_Ireland delayed start.
Ball-by-ball available via Cricinfo.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received at 3.55 am Toronto time
Kenya 140 runs for 4 wickets - Tanmay Mishra 23 runs not out, Collins Bouya 25 runs not out. Sunil Dhaniram took the wickets of Ravi Shan for 39 runs (76 runs for 3 wickets) and Steve Tikolo 23 runs (96 runs for 4 wickets).
George Codrington and John Davison, both off-spin currently bowling.
Message recived 4.10 am Toronto time
Kenya 250 runs for 9 wickets, innings closed. Tanmay Mishra made 61 runs and Collins Obuya 48 runs.
Calculations being done to estimate how quickly Canada would need to score the runs to stand a chance of qualifying for the WCL Final. Will advise of the estimates ASAP.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 5.10 am Toronto time
WCL standings and final match report- Canada v Ireland -- Posted Sunday, February 4 2007
World Cricket League Division 1
Standings after 4 of 5 rounds
P W L Pts Net Run Rate
*Scotland 4 4 0 8 0.481
Kenya 4 3 1 6 0.898
Netherlands 4 2 2 4 0.111
Canada 4 2 2 4 -0.186
Ireland 4 1 3 2 -0.045
Bermuda 4 0 4 0 -1.76
* indicates Scotland has already qualified for the final.
Last round robin matches on Monday February 5, 2007
Scotland v Bermuda (Ruaraka)
Kenya v Canada (Jaffrey's)
Ireland v Netherlands (Gymkhana)
Final is set for Wednesday February 7th
Cricket: Canada beats Ireland and hopes for place in WCL Final
February 4, 2007, Ruaraka, Nairobi;
Scoring summary; Ireland 308 runs for 6 wickets (50 overs: Eion Morgan 115 runs, Kevin O'Brien 52runs, Trent Johnston 44 runs)
Canada 312 runs for 4 wickets (49.4 overs; Ashish Bagai 122 runs, John Davison 57 runs, Qaiser Ali 60 runs not out, Abdool Samad 42 runs)
Report
Canada pulled over an amazing 6 wicket win over Ireland on Sunday in the World Cricket League. Ireland was put in to bat by Canada and continued a trend of scoring freely but then failing to defend a big total. Some thought the prospect of Canada making 309 runs to win might be beyond the current side, after all, Canada had yet to reach a total of 300. The previous best was the 292 runs scored against Scotland in Mombasa. During the summer of 2006, Canada had struggled to break the 150 barrier in ODI matches.
But the team has been working hard over the winter under coach Andy Pick. New heights were being reached by individuals and the team in South Africa and this trend has continued in Kenya. Ashish Bagai scored a fine 122 runs, batting at number 3, that set the stage for victory. He took part in a stand of 82 for the second wicket with Abdool Samad, before Samad was run out for 42 runs. Skipper John Davison then entered the scene. Gradually Davison and Bagai began to increase the scoring rate. Davison survived a dropped catch in the early stages of his innings but mostly continued the way he batted against Bermuda last Friday.
He was starting to dominate the bowling, hitting sixes in consecutive overs that helped bring up the century partnership for the 3rd wicket with Bagai, and then the 200 mark was passed at the start of the 36th over. He played across the line of the ball at the end of that over and was bowled. Some in the Irish camp had been starting to fear the Bagai-Davison partnership would power Canada home with overs to spare. Canada needed a further 107 runs to win with 14.1 overs remaining.
Some Canadian camp followers feared the worst, but Bagain kept going and Qaiser Ali batted steadily at first. The pair took the singles where they could and posted the occasional boundary.
Bagai survived an appeal for leg-before wicket when on 97 but reached his second century in this tournament at the end of the 38th over. His fine innings came to an end at the start of the 45th over. He moved across to make room to play the ball on the leg side and was bowled by Andre Botha for 122 runs.
Ali and Desmond Chumney mostly scraped up a few singles in the 45th and 46th overs before Ali hit Botha for 3 fours during the 47th over. He powered a 6 over square leg in the next over by John Mooney and 2 runs off the next ball took Canada to 300 runs for the first time in an ODI.
Seven runs were needed in the last two overs and Ali pulled the ball to square leg for 4 to seal the win with 2 balls to spare. He ended on 60 runs not out. He and Chumney added 52 runs in the closing overs to seal the win.
Earlier, Ireland's prolific opening batsmen, William Porterfield and Jeremy Bray made a brisk start before Porterfield was caught by Henry Osinde off Umar Bhatti's bowling for 21 runs. Bhatti struck again to have Bray caught by substitute fielder Austin Codrington for 35 runs, then George Codrington removed Niall O'Brien for a duck (no score). Ireland was now 71 runs for 3 wickets and Codrington bowled some economic overs in this initial spell.
Eion Hand, who plays for Middlesex in the English County Championship, began to show his class, with Kevin O'Brien serving as a solid partner. Ireland moved to 120 runs for 3 wickets at the mid-way point of their innings and passed 150 runs at the end of the 31st over.
Umar Bhatti opened the bowling from the volleyball court end. He bowled his ten overs in a straight spell, taking 2 wickets for 35 runs. George Codrington was bowling well from the fitness building end but was replaced by Davison. Davison bowled an economical spell, given the fast outfield and friendly wicket. He took 1 wicket for 44 runs in ten overs. Codrington ended with 3 maiden overs but 63 runs from his other six overs. He did have Trent Johnston dropped by Samad at long on to end the 46th over.
Some of the other bowling spells had a variety of some good overs and some near disasters. Andy Cummins had problems with wides and no-balls. These lead to extra balls from which further runs can be scored. He conceded 74 runs in 9 overs and regular opening bowler Osinde came on as first change. He took two wickets in his last over but conceded 53 runs in 7 overs. Sunil Dhaniram bowled 5 overs that cost 34 runs.
Skipper Davison said afer the game ”We have done very well in the other games. Today, when we won the toss, we wanted to chase the runs (bat second) because of (Ireland's) past couple of games (where they have failed to defend big scores). Bagai has been brilliant for us. His fitness has improved after the Winter Training Camp from where he had been.”
At the half-way point in the game, Davison thought “we would just have to bat well.” He admitted 'I wouldn't have put money on us to win” but he thought Bagai and himself then 'put Canada in a position to win the game. Ali came in at the end and played well.”
Davison added, “If we beat Kenya convincingly we can get through to the final.” A repeat along the lines of the win in Mombasa is needed, if not more for Canada to meet Scotland in the final. The Netherlands, who plays Ireland in their last round-robin game, also have hopes of reaching the final. It should be an interesting day of cricket in the Nairobi area.
* Some of the players named for this match were not in the best of health. Two of Canada's players had bouts of illness after being named in the team - Ali and Samad. In the first drinks break of the Canadian innings about 5 of the Irish side rushed for the washrooms, along with one of the umpires.
Regards
Eddie Norfolk
Nairobi, Kenya
Having just spoken with Eddie, he advised that he will be staying through to the final match. (JH)
Photo shows Bagai driving on his way to a fine hundred
Canada win by six wickets -- Posted Sunday, February 4 2007
Canada v Ireland WCL Jaffreys - Canada win - Ireland close at 308 runs for 6 wickets; Canada 312 runs for 4 wickets (49.1 overs)
Canada beat Ireland by 6 wickets with 2 balls to spare as Qaisr Ali pulled a ball to square leg for the winning boundary. Ali ended on not out. Man-of-the-match went to Ashish Bagai for a fine 122 runs. He added 106 runs for the 3rd wicket with captain John Davison. Davison made 57 runs. Earlier Abdool Samad made 42 runs and took part in a 2nd wicket stand of 82 runs with Bagai.
Ireland must feel shattered after they failed to defend a high score for the 3rd time in this tournament.
Scotland beat Kenya today and have 4 wins. Canada has a chance of qualifying for the final if it scores a heavy enough win in terms of run rate over Kenya. Canada did beat Kenya in Mombasa.
Ali had been sick earlier in the day, as had Samad. Ireland had a few players who were suffering. About 5 of them ran off the field for the washrooms at the first drinks interval in the Canada innings, as did one of the umpires.
Full report to follow.
Eddie Norfolk
Jaffreys, Nairobi, Kenya
Canada win v Ireland in WCL -- Posted Sunday, February 4 2007
The match of the day was at Jaffery's Sports Club where Canada kept their hopes of reaching the final alive with a remarkable six-wicket win over Ireland, chasing down a formidable target of 309 with balls to spare. It was the 14th-highest chase to win an ODI and the best by an Associate country.
Canada's batting, which had been threatening to come good for several matches, finally exploded into life faced with a seemingly impregnable ask. The chase was kick-started by Ashish Bagai, whose hundred earlier in the week had almost upset Scotland. After a solid start, Bagai and John Davison hammered 106 in 16 overs, but when Davison fell for 57, Ireland were still favourites. As Bagai tired, Qaisar Ali took up the attack, reaching his fifty off 35 balls. They needed 49 off 35 balls when Bagai departed for 122, but Qaisar Ali was unstoppable and he smashed the winning boundary with two balls remaining.
Eoin Morgan looked to have done enough for Ireland with 115 off 106 balls in their score of 308 for 7 Hisinnings was perfectly paced as his side recovered from a mini-wobble which left them 71 for 3 in the 14th over. He added 152 with Kevin O'Brien (52) for the fourth wicket. Morgan's ton was his first in ODIs, beating his previous best of 99, and the total was handed a late boost by Trent Johnston's 44 off 27 balls.
So while Canada can still qualify if they beat Kenya well tomorrow, Ireland are out. They will wonder how, but they have three times failed to defend large scores.
Cricket: Canada v Ireland World Cricket League
Jaffrey's ground, Nairobi
Picturesque ground. Outfield currently damp due to overnight dew (I think). Both sides are here and starting to warm-up on the outfield. Canada arrived first.
Ireland have been scoring runs but have lost twice and won once.
The local liaison officer helping the Canadian team has gone off to another ground to get towels.
Eddie Norfolk
2nd message
Canada won toss and put Ireland in to bat. Ireland have posted at least 2 big scores batting first and failed to contain the opposition. Canada hope to both win and improve net run rate in this game, upping the scoring rate.
Morning dew has dried up.
Austin Codrington, Sandeep Jyotie, Don Maxwell and Kevin Sandher do not play. Ashif Mulla is keeping wicket.
Qaiser Ali and Abdool Samad temp off field at the start.
Eddie Norfolk
3rd message
DRINKS INTERVAL - 34 overs Ireland 163 runs for 4 wickets. Canada bowling quite well on a wicket that should yield a lot of runs. Spinners doing well. Canada hit Ireland with score going from 66 runs for 0 wickets to 71 runs for 3 wickets. Bhatti 1 wicket, George Codrington 2wickets. Batsmen out include the prolific William Porterfield 12 runs and Jeremy Bray 35 runs.
Dangerman Eion Morgan who plays for Middlesex in England is 59 runs not out (in 37th over)
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 4.11am Toronto Time
4th message
Ireland 308 runs for 6 wickets - Eoin Morgan made 115 runs and their captain Trent Johnston hit out for 44 runs in the closing phases. Both fell in same over (49th) off Henry Osinde's bowling.
It is now pretty hot, possibly the warmest of the week in Nairobi. Ireland has conceded quite a lot of runs in tournament so far. Canada could bat well, keep the ball on the ground and has a reasonable chance of a win, if not better.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 5.20am Toronto time
Canada 97 runs for 2 wickets (20 overs)...Bagai 4 to bring up
Abdool Samad just run out for 42 runs. Ashish Bagai is 40 runs not out.
John Davison has just come in to bat. Ashif Mulla made 10 runs opening the batting.
Eddie Norfolk
5th message received 8.35am Toronto time
Canada now 199 runs for 2 wickets at 35 overs, drinks.
Ashish Bagai 86 not out, John Davison 55 runs not out.
Canada need 109 runs in 15 overs with 8 wickets left.
Eddie Norfolk
World Cricket League round-up
Flying Scotsmen pegged back
Cricinfo staff in Nairobi
February 4, 2007
Kenya fought back to limit Scotland to 254 for 8 in their crucial match at Nairobi Gymkhana. With the winner guaranteed a place in the final - and a cheque for US$250,000 - this is a vital game, and Scotland made a flying start after winning the toss and batting. Fraser Watts (58) and Majid Haq (71) put on 103 for the first wicket, and then Haq and Gavin Hamilton took the score to 174 for 2 in the 37th over. But then Kenya struck back, with the gentle offspin of Steve Tikolo bemusing the middle order, and the innings never regained any momentum. On a pitch which looks full of runs, Kenya will fancy chasing down this target, especially after their remarkable win on Friday.
Eoin Morgan smashed 115 off 106 as Ireland racked up 308 for 7 against Canada at Jaffery's Sports Club. Morgan's innings was perfectly paced as Ireland recovered from a mini-wobble which left them 71 for 3 in the 14th over. He added 152 with Kevin O'Brien (52) for the fourth wicket. Morgan's ton was his first in ODIs, beating his previous best of 99, and the total was handed a late boost by Trent Johnston's 44 off 27 balls. The loser of this match is out of contention for the final while the winners keep their slim hopes alive.
Another substandard batting performance from Bermuda put Netherlands in the box seat at Ruaraka. Bermuda, without a win, slumped to 12 for 3 after being stuck in, and although Janeiro Tucker (32) and David Hemp (58) staged a recovery of sorts, and Hemp and Lionel Cann (48) continued that with a sixth-wicket stand of 63, the damage had been done. Netherlands need to win to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final, although even then they will need to beat Ireland in their last game and hope other results go their way.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278826.html
Junior Selection for Cricket in Ontario -- Posted Sunday, February 4 2007
Subject: Junior Selection for Cricket in Ontario
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007
Dear Colleagues:
I wish to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Junior Selection Chair in the newly elected governing body of the Ontario Cricket Association. You have been very kind and supportive in my activities as Junior Coordinator with the Malton Cricket & Sports Club for the past 2 years.
I am now seeking your help and guidance in developing a transparent, fair and accessible selection system for the Junior Cricket Selection process in Ontario. This message will also be sent to other provincial associations. I am inviting comments and other suggestions for developing a written procedure that will be presented to the Executive of the Ontario Cricket Association for review and approval. When sending me your replies, please be objective and thoughtful.
We are engaging in a positive step which should resolve many of the negative issues from the past. While we may not be able to resolve everything to our own needs, an acceptable and workable system is our objective. Outlined below are a few objectives. Please feel free to add some more if you feel there is a need for it.
1. Transparency: Everyone should know how the process was developed and will support the selection.
2. Selection Criteria: Description of what is needed to be selected for each position on the team?
3. Access: Are the venues for selection easily accessible to all aspirants? For example, how does a poor child, whose parents either does not have a car or cannot spend 3 to 5 days off work to drive the young cricketer to King City. Also how is the equal access ensured for young cricketers coming from other regions such as Hamilton, Ottawa, and SOCA?
4. Selectors: How are the selectors chosen, what should be their qualifications?
5. Selection Chair: Should the selection Chair be a selector, or should the main duty be to make sure that approved procedures are being followed? We should also know what has been done in the past and what is being done in other jurisdictions. Can we develop a better subsystem? For example, should the Chair cast a deciding vote, if required? Should the Chair monitor the function of process and audit, as well as selection of selectors, and have a deciding vote if necessary?
6. Appeal Process: Should there be an appeal process against the selections made?
7. Coaches: Should coaches be allowed to effect the selections?
8. Accountability: Should records be kept, and for how long, that support the decision of the selectors.
9. Compliance: Should an audit be done prior to announcing the selection to ensure that all requirements per the written process/procedure were completed.
10. Safety: How do we ensure the safety of the young cricketers during and after the process? School boards and other jurisdictions have strict rules: what are we going to do about it?
You are welcome to send me any documents that would help us to advance the cause of a fair and competitive selection process. You are welcome to forward this policy outline to anyone who you know may help us advance this cause and add positively towards the development of a process that is second to none and is applicable to our demographic and geographic conditions.
While you develop your replies please keep in mind that the process has to ensure that no young cricketer is declined a place in the team due to his/her economic status and/or bias. We need to ensure that there is no favouritism or other type of bias in the favour or against a young cricketer. We have no intention of excluding anyone. Any omissions in this invitation is purely accidental or for the lack of not knowlege of addresses. Please forward to all those persons you think should have been invited to comment. It will be a pleasure to hear from everyone. It is going to take the whole country to select a winning proces, and your support is being requested humbly and respectfully. Please reply by 20th February 2007. It is my intention at this time to complete a draft document by the end of February 2007. I will send copies of the draft document to you again for review and additional input before presenting it to the OCA board.
Best Regards
Ranjit Saini
Junior Selection Chair,
Ontario Cricket Association.
Cell: 905 452 2624
sainir@sympatico.ca
P.S: To officials from the other provinces:
Please send us your comments as they will add value to our efforts.
Slogging The Slavs -- Posted Saturday, February 3 2007
Slogging The Slavs is a new book from author Angus Bell, which tells the tale of a remarkable cricketing journey around Eastern Europe.
Synopsis
Scotsman Angus Bell is innocently working for the Montreal Mafia when a Canadian psychic tells him an infant ghost is feeding him ideas. He's told he'll be leaving North America to embark on a travelling media project.
When the words "cricket" and "Ukraine" pop into his head, he uncovers a hidden cricketing world across central and Eastern Europe. From tournaments on ice in Estonia to university leagues in the crumbling Crimea; from a Croatian military island to communist Belarus, Slavs are playing the Englishman's game. 24-year-old Angus sets off in his Skoda to smack them all for six.
With fingerless 'Tamil Tigers' in Prague, a bomb plotter in the Austrian Alps, mafiosos and an MI6 secret agent making the teamsheets, Angus soon discovers a shadowy side of Slavic cricket. He becomes the first man to hit a ball between continents, and ends up captain of an international cricket team.
Between games, he is pursued by KGB, becomes embroiled in a drugs-bust on the Midnight Express and seeks emergency treatment from a Romanian dentist. His passengers include a Guatemalan anarchist, a Ukrainian chicken and an Irish tobacco farmer who played cricket and rugby for Rhodesia.
Slogging The Slavs is a hilarious and unique traveller's tale, taking the reader through Balkan minefields, border bribes and Sarajevo graveyards at 2 a.m. It redefines the spirit of cricket, and will make the game's most sworn enemy a fan.
About The Author
Angus Bell is a 26-year-old Scotsman with a First-Class Degree in English, Flying Saucers and Space Studies. He has visited 38 countries, and has written for the South African Sunday Times, Inside Sport in Australia, the US Student Traveler, Cricinfo in India, The Wisden Cricketer, Fat Controller Magazine and All Out Cricket.
Slogging The Slavs is his first book. He now plays cricket in Montreal, Canada, where he lives with his girlfriend Candy and pet rabbit Usagi. For more articles and photos from his travels and misadventures, visit www.angusjjbell.com.
You can order Slogging The Slavs direct from the publisher at www.fat-controller.com, and receive a whopping 10% discount (ONLY £8.99!), plus FREEPOST in the UK! Your copy can be shipped to any address, in almost any country.
The book is also available (with the discount) on amazon.co.uk. If you want to order 5,000 copies anonymously through your local bookshop, or library, please quote ISBN: 0955433207, and spend your weekend in-store, tactically re-shelving.
The Cricket World Review will follow shortly; if you have read the book and would like to submit your own review, please email jp@cricketworldmail.com.
http://www.cricketworld.com/new_products/article/?aid=8605
Too close for comfort - a cricketers perspective -- Posted Saturday, February 3 2007
Paul Hoffmann - Scotland cricketer
3 Feb 07, 11:57 AM
For the best part of 73 overs in our World Cricket League match against Holland, I was the grumpiest man on earth - I was suffering from a severe dose of the famous Glenn McGrath strops.
We arrived at the Jaffery’s venue in Nairobi to find water had seeped under the covers overnight. As a result, the start was delayed by over three hours and the game was reduced to 37 overs each.
I’m not great at sitting about and waiting around for something the happen but unfortunately, we had no choice.
Finally when play got under way we were sent into bat after our skipper Craig Wright had lost the toss for the 11th time in a row - surely that must be some sort of record.
I struggle to watch games under that sort of pressure. The nerves tend to get the better of me, my stomach cramps up, my fists clench and I wander about looking for something to take my mind off the game.
We managed to score 207, a decent enough total considering the conditions, but soon after the Dutch had smashed their way to 50 within six overs. Their pinch-hitter, Darron Reekers, is built like a brick outhouse and hits the ball as hard as anyone in international cricket. John Blain, Craig Wright and myself all suffered to some extent, until Craig managed the crucial breakthrough.
Most of the Dutch batsmen like to be aggressive early on and look for the boundary as often as possible.
If it comes off, it's great to watch. Luckily for us though, their positive style of play proved to be their undoing and their middle order collapsed, leaving the tail with the improbable task of chasing down our total.
Little by little though, all-rounder Billy Stelling chipped away at the target, stealing singles and hitting the bad ball to the fence. It came down to the last over and Craig asked me to bowl, something I was desperate to do as there’s nothing worse than not being in control of a situation like that.
As I stood at the top of my mark, he was trying to give me advice, but was more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, so he wasn’t making any sense. I told him to trust me - I knew exactly what I was doing.
With five runs needed and three wickets in hand, the Dutch seemed to have the game won but when Stelling holed out to John Blain, we sniffed an improbable victory. A run out from the next ball took the game right to the wire.
Holland needed two runs off two balls with one wicket in hand. Eddie Schiferli was on strike, a player I respect and admire as much as anyone in the game but I managed the perfect yorker that crashed into the base of off stump, the type of delivery any bowler dreams about.
An incredible and memorable victory was achieved and as a result we gave ourselves a good chance of making the final next Wednesday.
Report sourced from :-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/2007/02/too_close_for_comfort.shtml
ONTARIO CRICKET ACADEMY -- Posted Saturday, February 3 2007
THE Ontario Cricket Academy is dedicated to Youth Cricket Development
We strongly believe that through participation in sport, specifically cricket, our youth can and will reap great benefits with respect to fitness, self-esteem, concentration, focus and other great attributes! We are committed to producing the cricket stars of tomorrow, but will always keep our programs fun and exciting!
Elite Cricket Training
We will provide the best and most up-to-date coaching and training for those cricketers who want to take their game to the highest level. We realize that each player is first and foremost an individual- and therefore cannot be treated like everybody else. Our highly qualified coaching staff will also use the most current trends and tools in the world of Sport Science to help give you that winning edge!
Bringing the World's best cricket minds to Ontario
Throughout the year we will be hosting various coaches and players who have coached or played cricket at the Test level, to help in the development of our Academy players.
Playing Internationally
Through various OCA programs such as Youth Cricket Tours or Individual Scholarships and International Club Contracts, Academy players can have the invaluable experience of playing cricket in another country- to aid in the development of their game and character!
Head Coach
Born in Brampton, Canada, Derek Perera has enjoyed an illustrious cricket career, in Canada and abroad. Derek has played both International and First-Class cricket- a feat very few ‘born’ Canadians can lay claim to! Under the guidance of his father and Mr. Hale, at the young age of 13, Derek made his debut in the Toronto & District Premier Division for Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club, where he was later awarded a scholarship.
Derek went on to represent Canada at every level, from Under 19 to the Senior Team, all before he was 19 years old. At the age of 18, he made his senior international debut against Bangladesh in Toronto, and was selected to represent the National Senior team against India in the same year. With the various Canadian teams he has toured Denmark, Holland, England and Malaysia.
Derek was also awarded many scholarships, in 1996 by the ICC- where he was selected to undergo coaching and training by the MCC, and represent the ICC U-21 Select Team. Later that year he was awarded a scholarship in conjunction with Queensland Cricket in Australia where he played Grade Cricket and trained under the watchful eye of Bennett King at the Queensland Institute of Sport.
Derek played in the national U-23 competition and first class in Sri Lanka in 1994/95 for the Nondescripts Cricket Club. Among his peers were noted players Aravinda DeSilva, Hashan Tillekeratne and Russell Arnold. In addition, he has played in England for 3 seasons as a Professional Player/Coach, gaining invaluable experience. In Devon Derek was one of the first players to score 1000 runs in the season- finishing with a top score of 134*.
Currently, Derek has excelled in coaching, utilizing his knowledge gained through his degree in Kinesiology and Health Science (Sport Science). In 2004, he was appointed the Canada U-23 Player/Coach and coached the Ontario 1st XI in the National U-19 Championships.
Material sourced from:-
http://www.ontariocricket.com
Editors comment: It is my understanding that Derek Perera is the only certified cricket video analyst in Canada. (JH)
“Geezer Day” proclaimed -- Posted Saturday, February 3 2007
LATE BREAKING NEWS…LATE BREAKING NEWS
BY WILLIAM WIARTON, Our Parliamentary Correspondent
OTTAWA: Okay, Mister Ground Hog, move over. You’ve had your Day.
February 2 has been established in Canadian folklore as Ground Hog Day, the day when the shadow—or absence thereof--- of one shy, celebrated animal carries unchallengeable portents of the length and severity of winter.
But after a raucous day of cheers, jeers and desk-thumping in the House of Commons yesterday, Ground Hog Day has been officially replaced by “Geezer Day”-------- in honour of Canada’s experienced cricketers who thrashed Bermuda in a World Cricket League match in Nairobi, Kenya.
Leading the charge was Sunil Dhaniram (38 years/108 days) who led off with 20 runs and then ensnared four Bermudan batters in his web for 10 runs, a career best. Before that Anderson Cummins (40 years/271 days) had the Bermudan opening pair rocking and rolling, bobbing and weaving in a fiery spell that brought him 2 wickets for 9 runs, arguably the best figures of his 20-year career. They were backed by offspinner George Codrington (40 years/ 68 days) who removed the dangerous David Hemp, the England-based expat batsman, the only pro in Bermuda’s band of happy wanderers.
The foundation was laid by skipper John Davison, who at 36 years/269 days is classified as a Wannabe Geezer. His 69 runs off 49 balls paced Canada to 162-8 in a game reduced by rain to a 21 overs slog.
But the Bill received rough passage as the proclamation of February 2 as “Geezer Day” was vehemently opposed by fringe parties of The Religious Right.
MP John Wilcox of the fundamentalist Youth-for-Cricket party was forced to eat humble pie on the floor of the Commons after The Speaker cited him for unparliamentary language. Under Canada’s arcane, ever-so-polite parliamentary rules, use of words such as “old” or “has-beens” is forbidden. He was forced to withdraw them .
”Okay, then Mr. Speaker, I withdraw. Perhaps “mature” is a more appropriate terminological exactitude.”
But the MP’s woes were not yet over. He faced a gauntlet of angry placard-waving protesters from the SPCG (Society for the Protection of Cricket’s Geezers) as he tried to sneak out of the House after calling, under parliamentary privilege, for the “axing of geezers”.
There were loud guffaws when he proferred his explanation for the outstanding performance of Canada’s experienced players.
“Mr. Speaker, it was only a 21 overs game. If they had been playing under former ICC rules, where 25 overs constituted as game, I dare tell this Honourable House, they would not have lasted those extra four overs. They would have croaked.”
In this he was supported by the Kanga Ball Party, another extreme religious fringe group whose leader Marvin Wilhelms, the son of a high priest on the Pacific island of Nauru, is one of 275 ex-pats in the 300-seat multicultural, multilingual, polyglot pizza-n-perogies Parliament. He offered a different explanation.
Appearing to confuse his geezers with his ganders, he told the House: “This game should never have been played. There was a deluge in Nairobi the night before. There were pools of water on the ground. The geezers were in their natural habitat. On dry land they would have flopped.”
The Bill is expected to have an easy passage in the Senate where sprightly 73-year-olds are known to show their agility by crossing the floor. It will be proclaimed when signed by Haitian-born Governor General Michaelle Jean whose lawns at her Rideau Hall residence has been the home of cricket in the national’s capital for decades.
Meanwhile, buoyed by its first win in three starts, Canada’s brains trust is searching for “a secret weapon” for Sunday’s game against Ireland. Although firmly denying reports about the discovery of a young, brave fast bowler from one of the First Nations reserves, a spokesman for the local board would neither deny nor confirm a move to fly out a 58-year-old South American expat for Sunday’s encounter.
Remembering the great Indian spin quartet (Bedi-Prassana-Venkat-Chandra) that mesmerized the world’s best batters in the 1970s, the copycat selectors have opted for a FIVE-prong spin attack. These instructions have been communicated, appropriately enough, by carrier pigeon and telegram to the team management in Nairobi. The 58-year-old left arm spinner, whose speciality is the dipping “chinaman” (named after the 1930s West Indian spinner Ellis “Puss” Achong from Trinidad) has been bamboozling batters in the local league for decades. He cast his own tall, slim shadow over the snows of G. Ross Lord Park on Friday, Ground Hog Day, as he limbered up in winter boots and overcoat.
Meanwhile, in Nairobi, Irish eyes, watery after two heartbreaking losses to Scotland and Kenya, are not smiling.
Canada wins in World Cricket League -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
Canada beat Bermuda in the World Cricket League (WCL) on Friday by 56 runs in a match reduced to 21 overs per side. Heavy overnight rain had left parts of the outfield with surface water. The pitch had been well covered and was dry. The significance of this competition - described as the 'Associate Countries mini-World Cup' earlier in the week - saw reserve days included in the schedule. Some at the Nairobi Gymkhana Ground wondered why there was such a rush to play the match. But play began at 3.05pm and the match was unbelievable.
Bermuda won the toss and predictably put Canada in to bat. Ashif Mulla hit 20 runs in 9 balls and some others started quickly but were soon out. It may be hard for cricket lovers to comprehend, but captain John Davison batted with commendable restraint to ensure his side batted the full 21 overs. He ended on 69 runs not out, including 5x4 and 1x6.
Malachi Jones bowled 5 economical overs for Bermuda, taking 2 wickets for 25 runs.
Canada's total looked vulnerable against a hard-hitting Bermuda side, especially with the boundary rope brought in on the wettest part of the ground. It looked to be a possible canter for the Bermudians as Lionel Cann powered his way to 41 runs in 19 balls. He survived a dropped catch when two players went for a lofted ball when Cann was on 12. He had made his runs out of 64 at the 6.4 over mark. One of his 4x6s went out of the ground. Bermuda should have been able to coast home.
Instead, Canada turned to their spin bowlers. George Codrington bowled David Hemp at 79 runs. Irving Romaine was run out. Sunil Dhaniram dismissed Janeiro Tucker leg-before wicket with his first ball and four balls later Malachi Jones was caught by wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai. Davison took a diving catch off the first ball he bowled and the collapse was completed in the next over - the 16th - with two leg-before dismissals off Dhaniram's bowling. Dhaniram ended with career best figures for an ODI match in taking 4 wickets for 10 runs. He only bowled 2.5 overs.
The top two teams in the WCL qualify for the new ICC World Twenty/20 championships later in the year. Each side would gain $250,000; a significant amount for these countries. Match officials seemed insistent the game should go ahead. It had 'plenty of action' but couldn't a full 50-over game have been played on Saturday? The Canadian players were clearly happy to win but some of their reactions as wickets fell seemed almost disbelief. It does keep the possibility of being in the top two alive. Canada plays Ireland on Sunday.
Bermudian players were left stunned by what unfolded. They had been optimistic about winning, especially after winning the toss.
Eddie Norfolk
Nairobi, Kenya
Canada overcome Bermuda -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
John Davison again showed his hitting power as Canada easily overcame Bermuda in a match reduced to 21 overs per side at the Gymkana ground. His 69 came off 49 balls as Canada reached 162 for 8, although Bermuda's attack did manage to pull the innings in with late wickets. However, their batsmen found the task well beyond them as Sunil Dhaniram took 4 for 10 as Bermuda were bowled out in under 16 overs. Only Lionel Cann prospered, his 41 taking just 19 balls with four sixes.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278586.html
Building a better club -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
As with most things in life, business, education, athletics programs etc. some are better organized than others. The better organized entity will in most cases be more successful than a competitor with less structure.
My 2 years of exposure to BCMCL and its member clubs supports that basic principle. Not all clubs are equal, some are run better than others and in most cases the better managed clubs become stronger as others become weaker. What does that mean to the League?
At first glance those fortunate enough to belong to a strong club may say "we are doing fine and it's not our problem, let the opposition sink or swim". An understandable viewpoint perhaps but somewhat naive when we look at the big picture. We as a League are only as strong as the weakest links in our community. How does that impact you and your club you may ask? Unfortunately less organized clubs take up a disproportionate amount of resources, in time and administration, to keep within the cricket community. In short they are high maintenance and detract from all participants in the League. If we build stronger clubs it is not unreasonable to expect a stronger League.
This project is a work in progress and those who chose to participate can all learn something. I want to begin to map out the basic components as we understand them essential to building a stronger club. There is no one magic formulae but somewhere in our combined experiences we have learned some of the basic fundamentals which no good club can do without. This then is an attempt to share those basic building blocks for the benefit of all who participate in the BCMCL.
Some will say that these so called fundamentals are nothing more than common sense and for many clubs that may be the case. My two seasons with the BCMCL has revealed several clubs who lack the management skills and tools necessary for success. I believe a little participation and sharing of knowledge in this exercise has the potential to benefit all clubs in our League, weak or strong.
The building blocks:
1. All clubs must have a workable and enforceable Constitution. Why?
a) Without a Constitution you will not have a mechanism that allows the elected officials to govern, administer and organize a club.
b) The rights and aspirations of the general membership will not have a voice in the affairs of the club.
c) Without a formal structure of checks and balances any volunteer group of diverse personalities and egos must eventually result in conflict and chaos. That is human nature.
2. All clubs need at least 2 of the following, a strong President/Secretary/Treasurer. Why?
a) In order to organize and control a diverse group of individuals you must have strong motivational and organizational leadership.
b) You cannot please all the people all of the time, your decisions must benefit the club as a whole and they may be unpopular.
c) Also, get non playing interested individuals involved, they can help in the necessary details to running an efficient club as they are not hindered by time taken up playing cricket.
3. All clubs must have a clear and enforced subscriptions policy. Why?
a) The key too many of the most successful clubs is the collection of subscriptions. By all means have subsidized status within your club for students or unemployed etc. but eventually someone must pick up the tab. The bills have to be paid or you cannot play cricket.
b) Subs should whenever possible be collected before the season starts and in all cases before the individual has played three games for the club. The longer the season progresses the less chance a club has of collecting subs. Any club collecting subs from anyone but new players in July or August will not succeed.
c) Many clubs are reluctant to apply a "no pay no play" policy for fear of loosing players. If you have the courage to apply such a policy you will encounter resistance from many of the membership in the short term but experience shows that once a player has sat out a couple of weeks funds become available. Adopt the policy and stick to it for one season and your subscriptions will be paid on time in the future. If you loose a couple of players at least some other weak club is paying for their services, you and your club mates are not!
Example: The league has recently raised the team entry fee to $800 per season that may sound a lot but in fact it's the best bargain in sport. Working on the assumption that it takes at least 14 players to field a team every week lets look at the numbers but first let us look at a few facts.
Cricket competes for space with many other sports such as soccer, softball, field hockey, ultimate frizbie, etc. and in the greater scheme of things we are a very minor sport. In most municipalities each of those sports would outnumber us at least 10 to 1 in participants. Our particular sport takes up far more space than all of the competition and about three times longer to play a game. In many ways we are very fortunate to be able to play our game with the intense competition for playing fields.
Let's look at the cost. Most players in BCMCL are scheduled to play 18 games per season and an average game takes about 6 hours to play for a total of 108 hours of recreation. It is reasonable to assume that a team is made up of about 14 players.
$800 divided by 14 players = $57.15 per season. $57.15 divided by 108 hours = 0.53 cents per hour to participate.
If you can find a better bargain in sport please let me know about it. These figures do not include practice time, 6 a side tournaments, friendies or play off games so in fact 53 cents per hour of entertainment may be on the high side. Anyone not willing to pay subscriptions for that kind of bargain should probably not be playing cricket.
4. All clubs should have fundraising strategies in place. Why?
a) The cost of playing cricket will increase in the future as user fees are introduced in all municipalities and access to gaming funds is reduced.
b) Apart from League dues you also have to buy equipment bats, balls, pads etc in order to participate. How much do you have to spend on cricket equipment and where does the money come from? I play for a club where the effective subscription per player is about $79.00 per season. I am told that some clubs charge up to $200 per season to players, why the disparity? Fundraising I believe.
The costs to field a team in the BCMCL should be about the same for all of us I assume so why would it cost more to belong to one club than another? Once again the answer must be fundraising, or the lack of it.
Fundraising can take many forms from Sponsorship through garage sales to 50/50 draws and most of these initiatives require a lot of work. Therein lies the problem for many clubs, if you cannot commit the membership to give up time and energy for fundraising activities then the funds must be raised by raising subscriptions. This is not difficult math here, you either raise money for your club or you pay more to play for that club. That is a choice to be made by the membership. Some individuals may say I have better things to do with my time I would rather pay more subs. Others may say this is a great way to cut the costs of playing cricket and at the same time creating a better club atmosphere, either way the club cannot exist without these revenues. If a club cannot collect these revenues in a timely manner your season will be long and frustrating and the future uncertain.
5. All club members must be available for umpiring assignment. Why?
As you know each team is tasked 10 assignments to fulfill its obligations to the League. If the club misses assignments then the club incurs penalties. Who pays? In some cases the individual will accrue debts to his club to be paid by the individual or his club. In some cases the entire club is penalized if the umpiring assignments slip below 75% Umpire assignments are part of the cost of participating in the BCMCL. If individuals are not prepared to fulfill this obligation a similar criteria as failure to pay subs should apply, they should not be available for selection. If the individual elects to pay for a substitute umpire to fulfill that assignment it is still his responsibility to ensure the assignment is filled.
6. All clubs must have a definitive selection process, understood by the membership. Why?
The selection process should be a function of the club goals set for that season and the wishes of individual players should be secondary to the goals of the club. The wishes or preferences of individual players can be taken into consideration by the selectors but the decisions of the selectors take precedence. The bottom line is do the players play for the club or do they play for a team within that club? If the latter is the case then a selection committee should quit the charade and let the team captains and players fight for their own personal agendas.
7. The workload of as club should be distributed amongst a manageable amount of the membership. Why?
As with many endeavours in life 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people and in a club environment that is not healthy. I know this is a problem common to many clubs/teams but that doesn't make it right. If you as a club do not get off field participation from a broad section of the club that club will stagnate and eventually fail. Once again this relates to strong leadership and motivational skills and the importance of getting broader participation in club affairs should not be underestimated.
8. No club should be based upon ethnic or religious guidelines. Why?
a) Apart from the Canadian Charter of Rights it is simply a stupid policy and runs contrary to the society we have chosen to live in.
b) Any club, group, body drawn upon ethnic or religious lines is destined to be inward looking and prone to paranoia of the outside world. There is enough of that kind of myopia in the world already without introducing such limiting factors and prejudices into the world of amateur sport. Get over it!
The opinions and ideas stated in this document are based upon my own personal experiences in local cricket. I am sure that many clubs and individuals within the BCMCL have different ideas and theories as to the fundamentals of a good cricket club. This is your chance to share them with your peers.
I would appreciate any feed back, positive or negative on this subject in an effort to improve our game for all its participants.
John McCabe.
Canada v Bermuda - update -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
At 2.15pm we are advised the match is 21 overs a side starting at 3.05pm.
The latest official start time was 3.17pm.
I am not alone in thinking this game should not start today. The boundary was brought in by a few yards at the media end of the ground on what would be third-man for a right-handed batsmen facing bowling from the media end. It still seems wet for about 8-10 yards in on that side.
There is a pool/swamp of water about 1-2 yards after the boundary rope under the shadow of the Media stand on the 'fine leg side'. The surrounding boards are metal.
We will see how it goes.
Bermuda won the toss at 2.35 and put Canada in to bat.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received at 8.30 am Toronto time
World Cricket League round-up -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
O'Brien and Porterfield savage Kenya
Cricinfo staff in Nairobi
February 2, 2007
After two matches where they dominated, Kenya were brought back down to earth with a bump by Ireland who reached 284 for 4 in 50 overs at Ruaraka thanks to hundreds from William Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien. Ireland were stuck in on a pitch left damp by heavy overnight rain, and Peter Ongondo struck twice with the new ball to leave them wobbling on 18 for 2. A recovery was just underway when Steve Tikolo ran-out Niall O'Brien with a direct hit, but then Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien took centre stage, circumspectly at first and as batting got easier they cut loose. Porterfield was put down twice before he really got going, the easier chance being spilt by David Obuya in the deep, and Kenya's fielding, which had been so good in the previous matches, disintegrated with overthrows, missed run-outs and more drops. The pair brought up their hundreds off successive balls, O'Brien reaching his with a straight six before launching a brutal late onslaught which may well have put the match out of Kenya's reach.
There was a delayed start at Jaffrey's Sports Club where a 37-over-a-side game finally got underway in the afternoon. Netherlands won the toss and stuck Scotland in on a very wet track.
The rain has prevented any play so far in the game between Canada and Bermuda at Nairobi Gymkhana. With both sides without a win in the opening two rounds, shared points here will eliminate both from the tournament.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278586.html
Canada v Bermuda -- Posted Friday, February 2 2007
From 11am local time inspection decision by umpires to take early lunch. Due to large area of outfield being saturated, will re-inspect at 1pm local time.
Area about 30 yards by 20 yards at 'third-man' for right hand batsman is being worked on. There are reserve days if game has to be called off. Minimum of 20 overs per side must be bowled, based on the Scotland-Canada game ending in darkness, play would need to start by 2.30pm in my opinion - some think 3pm.
Can't recall if I advised in writing that for last ball Canada v Scotland none of the people in the Media Centre (c 5) saw what happened. It was dark and ball was bowled towards them. Sandher offered limited stroke (couldn't win game with 1 shot based on scoreboard) and it went to wicketkeeper.
FYI - Bowled a few balls in a soggy net at back of ground, one ball made a big dent and I slid a foot or so walking to pick it up. Ball coated in mud after only 10-12 trial balls. It would be difficult in the field - slipping and sliding around. Sun is out.
Eddie Norfolk (11.30am local time)
Message received 5.57 am Toronto time
Canada's match with Bermuda at the Gymkhana ground in Nairobi has a delayed start. There was heavy overnight rain, the wicket was well covered and is dry but the outfield is very wet and there are some amsll pools around the boundary edge.
Neither side has gone out to attempt their warm-ups and the umpires are having a look around the ground at the moment.
There are people using large sponges (3ft x 6 ft or so) to try and mop up the water and one person is working on removing a pool at the media end using an empty paintcan.
I gather starts will be delayed at the two other matches.
Eddie Norfolk (9.15 am local time)
Message received 2.20 am Toronto time
Start may be noon at best. Inspection thought to be 11 am. Very damp and a bit boggy at Media end of the ground. extends in by about 20 yards so they couldn't bring in the boundarues. Both teams doing some hitting of balls.
More mats being iused for mop-ups, squeegee in use.
Eddie Norfolk (10.30 am)
Message received 2.51am Toronto time
Some comments about The Forum postings -- Posted Thursday, February 1 2007
The five national selectors, none of whom are in Kenya with President Ben Sennik and 2nd Vice-President Ramesh Jagoo, are not involved in selection for final game day team.
It is my understanding that they never have been.
Even if the national selectors had been allowed to be involved in game day selection, given that Internet connections with Nairobi are challenging, they would not be able to do any more than sit as bewildered as everyone else as to why the non-performing (with bat and ball) Anderson Cummins continues to be selected game after game, while the ever reliable vice-captain George Codrington cannot get a game.
It does not take a rocket scientist to deduce that the two CCA officials in Kenya would appear to be overriding the national coach, and his team captain.
Do we know why?
Is it because they have to to justify the selection of the very expensive 'Wizard of Oz'.
Or will there will be a posting on the Forum which will suggest that the on site non-selectors are expressing a reverse form of agism. Cummins is a few days older than George !!! Jon Harris.
