A 53-year-old batting record broken, a maiden first-class double-century for a man back from the wilderness, a hostile spell that enthused life back into a dull affair, and two bowlers – one in his 20th Test, the other in his last – capturing 100 Test wickets: it all happened at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium. This also translated into another day of domination by South Africa who, backed by a total of 583 for 7, left Bangladesh limping at 60 for 3 by stumps.Statistically the highlight of the day will remain the record 415-run opening partnership between Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie but, from a purist’s perspective Shahadat Hossain’s three-wicket burst after lunch, and the ensuing contest with Jaques Kallis, provided the first glimpse of competitive Test cricket in Chittagong. Unfortunately for the hosts, their batsmen could not replace Shahadat’s enthusiasm and instead wilted against a hostile Dale Steyn.The day began with plenty of buzz around the impending achievement – whether Smith and McKenzie could break the previous best opening stand of 413, between India’s Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad, set against New Zealand in Chennai way back in 1956 . Another Indian duo, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, came close to breaking the mark in 2006 but fell just four runs short against Pakistan in Lahore. Having blunted Bangladesh for the entire first day, Smith and McKenzie were not about to miss this mark.Smith slapped Shakib Al Hasan for a boundary in the opening over, and then took a single to get back on strike. He took another risky single off Mashrafe Mortaza to take South Africa to within three runs of the landmark. Two hurried singles equalled the record and the landmark came at 10:13 am local time on a warm morning when Smith tucked Shakib to square leg. It was truly a historic moment.Smith fell soon after for 232, bowled around his legs trying to sweep Abdur Razzak. His inspired innings consumed just 277 balls and included 33 fours and a six.It would be easy to say that McKenzie played second fiddle to his captain but this was a man looking to cement his place in the side and build on his first Test century in seven years. With Hashim Amla picking up the pace immediately, McKenzie remained in his zone. He found the gaps easily on both sides – deep midwicket came to a conventional midwicket and McKenzie beat the man with effortless sweeps; three men hovered in the covers and he beat them by driving inside-out.About 30 minutes before lunch, another flowing cover drive for three brought him his first score of over 200 in any form of cricket. Off came the cap, up went the arms and there was a huge smile on McKenzie’s face. He proceeded to indulge in further boundaries.
Matters looked rather miserable for Bangladesh when South Africa went into lunch at 509 for 1 but Shahadat’s enthusiastic post-lunch spell breathed the contest. Having failed to take a wicket on day one, Bangladesh picked up four in quick time. Shahadat, who bowled just one over in the first session, used his ability to reverse-swing the ball quite well in an energetic spell. McKenzie (226) dragged back onto his stumps attempting a dab to third man, Amla was trapped in front of leg by one that bent in, and Ashwell Prince came and went for 2 with a poor attempt at a cut. For good measure, AB de Villiers misjudged Shakib’s length and was beaten by a skidder.South Africa had lost four wickets for ten runs in the most frenetic passage of this Test. Cue the first compelling contest of the game. In a gripping 25 minutes Shahadat bowled a telling spell to Kallis, who matched him shot for shot. Shahadat swung the ball off tight lengths and slipped in accurate yorkers and Kallis met each with the confidence of a 116-Test pro.Eschewing the big shots, Kallis used firm defence to deny Bangladesh any further wickets. He made sure to stretch well forward when working deliveries into the leg-side spaces and his back-foot technique was spot on. Apart from Shahadat the attack remained rather toothless but Kallis was determined to grind out the session. Mark Boucher, another warhorse with an appetite for a scrap, provided good support in a 55-run partnership. Mohammad Rafique snapped up the two wickets needed to become the first Bangladeshi to 100 wickets and South Africa declared on 583 for 7.Bangladesh’s openers were left to negotiate 17 overs till stumps and what a hostile time it proved to be. Junaid Siddique was peppered by Dale Steyn – clocking the early on three successive short ones – and even took one on the helmet. A snorter clattered into the back of Tamim Iqbal’s head and having wafted at the next two deliveries, a dazed Tamim fell to a stinger of a catch by de Villiers at third slip. Mohammad Ashraful gloved his first ball, a ripper down leg stump, and Bangladesh were left 523 runs in arrears.Under the canopy of a big total, Steyn ran in and completely rattled the top order. His hostility was in keeping with the domination of the batsmen, but what really stood out was the pace he generated on a lifeless surface. He denied the openers width and mixed short with full to keep them wary. This is a young fast bowler on the verge of greatness and his fiery spell was yet another stellar performance in a season of excellence. It summed up the difference between the two sides.South Africa have done enough to ensure they won’t bat again, and now the bowlers can look to maintain the pressure.
Antigua and Trinidad, two countries that will be hosting World Cup matches next month, were jolted on Tuesday by an early-morning earthquake.A quake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the open-ended Richter scale hit St. John’s just prior to 06:00 local time (10:00 GMT), around the same time that Port-of-Spain was rattled by a quake with a magnitude of 4.3. Disaster officials said there were no reports of injuries or damage.Antigua is set to host Super Eight matches at the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, and Trinidad is the venue for four warm-up matches at the Frank Worrell Oval, as well as Group-B matches involving India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bermuda.
Adam Gilchrist sounded the charge and the bowlers finally turned in a performance that befits their standing as Australia clawed their way back into this Test match. On a see-saw day in this amazing Test, Gilchrist’s stunning 144 and a good showing with the ball gave Australia their best day, though Bangladesh will still harbour hopes of an upset. It’s been that kind of match.Australia had begun the day needing to chalk off the 83 required to avoid the follow-on, something they have done just twice since 1988. Gilchrist, in a departure from his slam-bang affair with cricket, buckled down to play an innings that should draw comparisons with his death-defying unbeaten 149 against Pakistan at Hobart in 1999. To be reduced to a state of submission by Bangladesh was something Australia would not have expected when they arrived here. Gilchrist has played better, but never under such conditions and in this regard his innings was something else.He is a batsman who has flourished with a basic technique, two powerful shots – the cut and the pull – and a reliance on great bat speed. In this innings there was none of that and what was most impressive was how he made a conscious effort to play straight. Mohammad Rafique, who bowled a fine spell, was played with the deadest of defence and when Gilchrist drove through mid-off and mid-on it was not the usual chip; rather, it was a controlled drive with a higher follow-through. Another factor was his footwork. Feet and bat went together, whether it was back to the quicks or down the track to the spinners.Having seen Australia past the follow-on, he trained his sights on chipping away at Bangladesh’s lead in an exhilarating post-lunch session. Gilchrist upped the tempo brilliantly by clubbing three sixes off Enamul Haque jnr after the interval, but Rafique held his nerve to grab the remaining three wickets. Having set Jason Gillespie up with the previous ball that bounced and turned, Rafique cleverly threw a quicker one and Gillespie, playing for the turn, was cleaned up for 26 when the ball rocked through and hit off stump. Stuart Clark was then trapped lbw for 0 and when Gilchrist slogged him to Shahadat Hossain at deep midwicket all of Bangladesh rose in a tumultuous roar.
Rafique was a revelation today as he produced fine loop and turn to prove why he is a top-class left-arm spinner. He mixed his deliveries well: he pushed the quicker ones in and when he tossed it up he found that dangerous drift that was missing in the morning session. The tail was pushed on the back foot more than once while Gilchrist was made to miss more than one cut against the quicker floater. His return of 5 for 62 was just reward for the veteran, and he exemplified the never-say-die spirit of this Bangladesh outfit.Perhaps taking a cue, Australia’s bowlers came to the party. Any Bangladeshi hopes of a first-innings repeat with the bat came crashing down as the game received another flip after tea. Shahriar Nafees had given Bangladesh a rapid start with a 38-ball 33 – though he was dropped by Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden – but a fed-up Brett Lee picked up his first wicket of the match with a furious yorker. Gillespie then got Javed Omar to edge to Gilchrist before Michael Clarke pulled off a brilliant piece of fielding from square leg to send back Habibul Bashar. Rajin Saleh turned Lee fine and called for a sharp single, but Clarke’s throw caught Bashar just short of his crease. Stuart Clark then got into matters when he struck Mohammad Ashraful lbw for 4. Aftab Ahmed and Saleh added 47 in a gritty stand but an ugly swipe across the line to Stuart MacGill resulted in the demise on the stroke of stumps.Australia will be boosted by the performance of Warne, who finally returned to bowl and found the control that had left him on the first day, and MacGill. Warne was extremely unlucky not to pick up a wicket in a mesmerising spell in which he tempted, teased and turned the ball. More than one ball whizzed past the bat in a session in which Saleh and Ahmed were left to prod and plunk their pads forward against a deadly legspin duo that refused to give in.This match is far from over, however. This pitch will deteriorate and a target of 350 will test any side, not least one that was dismantled by a 35-year old spinner in his first appearance against them. Australia may have enjoyed their best day of this enthralling Test match, but Bangladesh still have plenty to say.How they were outAustralia Brett Lee lbw b Mortaza 15 (156 for 7) Jason Gillespie b Rafique 26 (229 for 8) Stuart Clark lbw b Rafique 0 (268 for 9) Adam Gilchrist c Shahadat Hossain b Rafique 144 (269 for 10) Bangladesh Shahriar Nafees b Lee 33 (48 for 1) Javed Omar c Gilchrist b Gillespie 18 (58 for 2) Habibul Bashar run out (Clarke) 7 (66 for 3) Mohammad Ashraful lbw b Clark 4 (77 for 4) Aftab Ahmed lbw b MacGill 17 (124 for 5)
ScorecardLameck Onyango took 6 for 21 as Kenya crushed Uganda by 161 runs on the final day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Kampala. Resuming on 86 for 6, Kenya made a poor start, losing two wickets for three runs before they finally folded on 116 to leave Uganda chasing 270 for an unlikely victory. It was more than enough.Martin Suji struck first ball to trap Michael Ndiko lbw to set Uganda on the back foot immediately. And then the medium-pacer Onyango ripped through a weak Uganda line-up as Kenya wrapped up victory. It was their first win of any kind since they beat Uganda in last year’s competition.”We batted badly in the second innings but the team bowled and fielded very well and I am glad we have come away with a win,” said Tom Tikolo, chairman of the selectors. Steve Tikolo, who top scored in both innings for Kenya, was named Man of the Match.
Murray Goodwin will return to Hove in 2004, ending months of speculation over who would be Sussex’s second overseas player alongside Mushtaq Ahmed.Goodwin’s future was uncertain when talks stalled over the length of the contract Sussex were prepared to offer. Gary Kirsten was close to signing, but he told the county last week that business offers outside the game meant that he had to turn down the offer.It has been a busy winter for the county champions. They have signed Ian Ward, Mohammad Akram, Jason Voros and Luke Wright, and disposed of Bas Zuiderent, Billy Taylor, Paul Hutchison and Shaun Rashid.
HOBART, Jan 26 AAP – Jason Gillespie made an eye-catching return from injury today but his presence failed to save South Australia from another batting embarrassment in its ING Cup match against Tasmania in Hobart.Just over a week after being routed for 83 in Brisbane, the Redbacks again reset their state’s lowest total in domestic one-day cricket as they were skittled for 51 to hand Tasmania a whopping 140-run win.It was also the smallest team score in interstate limited overs history, wiping out Western Australia’s mark of 59 in 1969/70 from the record books.”There are no excuses for being bowled out for 51,” lamented South Australian captain Darren Lehmann after the match.”We were totally outplayed. Our play was pathetic really.”In a match that was slow to take shape after Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox won the toss, the home team’s total of 191 had initially looked inadequate.But new ball bowlers Adam Griffith (3-14 from 10 overs) and Damien Wright (2-14 off 7 overs) quickly stepped in to ruin the contest and prolong an unbeaten record for Tasmania that stretches back to mid-December.Assisted by attacking fields, fine catching and a Bellerive Oval pitch that supplied sufficient variability in bounce to displease both sides, the pairs’ line and length proved irresistible.But they were also helped by impatient batting in a display that saw seven wickets tumble for the addition of just 12 runs in the middle stages of the innings.None of the Redbacks batsmen stumbled on the mix of graft and craft necessary for the situation and Greg Blewett’s 13 represented the only score in double figures.Gillespie, returning to action for the first time since damaging elbow ligaments three weeks ago, earlier claimed 1-28 from 10 outstanding overs as the South Australians made a promising start.His bowling was both economical and hostile and dispelled any lingering doubts about his readiness for next month’s World Cup tournament.But he was ultimately upstaged by his own batsmen whose meek surrender allowed Tasmania to rocket into second place on the ING Cup points table.
The CFX Academy this week intensified their preparations for the three-day warm-up match against India starting on Saturday at the Academy by training with the senior national team on Tuesday and Wednesday at the match venue.The Academy coach Dave Houghton was pleased with the way preparations had gone. “Preparations have been very good. We have been practising every day, which is part of our normal proceedings, and on Tuesday and Wednesday we trained with the Zimbabwe squad to give them a bit of practise as well as ourselves,” he said. “On Friday we’ll just have the morning session. We normally practise all day, as the India squad will be here in the afternoon for their practice.”The former national team coach said that he did not expect much from the tour match, the Academy’s first international match of more than one day. “I don’t expect a great deal from the Academy. They are only youngsters and for them to take on India is tough work. But it is a learning process first and it’s great experience.””I will expect the lads to go out there and give it 100 percent and get as much match experience as they can. This is how they learn what it is going to be like when they play international cricket.””I will be fielding three non Academy players. Mluleki Nkala is going to come in and captain the side. He is from last year’s Academy. Gary Brent from the first year’s Academy player is going to play and also Dion Ebrahim. Just to give us a little bit more strength because, otherwise, I don’t think we have enough strength to take on an international side. So we are only going to play eight of our squad of 15 here.”Houghton believes that the Academy is now much better than they were a couple of months ago when they participated in the expanded three-day inter-provincial first-class tournament, the Logan Cup. The Academy lost all its five matches against champions Mashonaland, Mashonaland A, Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland. They also played Bangladesh in a one-day tour match at Alexandra Sports Club on April 7 and lost by seven wickets.”We didn’t do well in the Logan Cup and we lost the game to Bangladesh. This was not unexpected. It’s very much a learning curve. We take guys from school and we try and grow them up, teach them about cricket. So the Logan Cup, in particular, came before we even had time to practise because of a lot of rain around. But we are a better unit now than we were a few months ago. So results are not what counts here because it’s about experience and they are getting good experience.”On who had impressed him so far this season, Houghton had four players for special mention.”We have the most up and coming players like Campbell MacMillan, our opening bowler. Sean Ervine is a great all-rounder who I think will soon be making his way to the ODI side. Barney Rogers is probably our best batsman. Blessing Mahwire I am hoping will be fit for the weekend match as he is suffering from a knee problem. He is one of our best all-rounders.”The rest of them are good players who are likely to be playing first-class cricket soon. I hope they will get a lot experience from the game against India. They are very excited about the game,” Houghton said.The Academy team is as follows, in probable batting order: Terry Duffin, Wisdom Siziba, Dion Ebrahim, Barney Rogers, Sean Ervine, Guy Croxford, Mluleki Nkala (capt), Gary Brent, Campbell McMillan, Leon Soma, Ian Coulson.Indian team (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), SS Das, SR Tendulkar, RS Dravid, J Srinath, A Nehra, DS Mohanty, S Ramesh, SS Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, AB Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman and HK Badani.
Leeds United supporters need to accept that Raphinha will move on at some point in the near future, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.
The Lowdown: Raphinha exit talk
Leeds-related news has been dominated by talk of the Brazilian’s future in recent weeks, with the player strongly linked with a move to Barcelona, and some reports that a deal has already been agreed with the Catalan giants.
The 25-year-old is Leeds’ top scorer in the Premier League this season, netting nine times and standing out as comfortably his team’s greatest attacking threat.
It remains to be seen if Raphinha will still be at Elland Road next season, and Hay has provided his thoughts on the situation.
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The Latest: Hay offers Raphinha insight
Writing in his mailbag for The Athletic on Monday, the reliable journalist said that the winger won’t be around forever, even though there has been hope over him signing a new deal. He stated:
“First things first, Barcelona are very much interested in him. In terms of future destinations for Raphinha, they were always a prime candidate – partly because of their standing and partly because of the very strong link between the Catalan club and his agent, Deco, who spent four years there as a player in the early 2000s. What we can say at this stage is that they have not submitted any offers to Leeds.
“Around Christmas, Victor Orta and Deco met at least twice and there was plenty of optimism about Raphinha agreeing new terms. Very little has been said since then and common sense tells you that both Leeds’ brush with relegation and the change of head coach at Elland Road will have dissuaded the player from rushing into signing a longer deal. He knows he is sought-after.
“I get the feeling that the club and the fanbase are realistic enough to accept that the 25-year-old Brazilian is a player who will move on to bigger things at some stage.”
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The Verdict: Expect him to leave
Some players simply come to the end of their cycle at a club, outgrowing it before moving to a team more suitable to the level that they have reached.
That appears to be the case with Raphinha, who has matured into a wonderful footballer, already scoring three times in his first seven appearances for Brazil and being hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by Rio Ferdinand.
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Should Leeds be relegated to the Championship, there is simply no doubt that Raphinha will leave, but that may well apply even if Jesse Marsch’s side remain in the Premier League.
In other news, Hay has also discussed Leeds’ chances of signing one player this summer. Find out who it is here.
Sachin Tendulkar has been found guilty of ball tampering and given a suspended ban from Test cricket. Match referee Mike Denness found Tendulkar guilty of “acting on the match ball” while bowling on the third day of the Second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.The Indian star appeared before Denness after footage of the incident had been viewed by the former England international. Tendulkar was banned for one Test match, though the sentence was suspended until 31 December 2001. He was also fined 75% of his match fee.Denness also disciplined five other Indian players. The most serious action was taken against batsman Virender Sehwag, whose excessive appealing attracted a fine of 75% of his match fee and a one-Test ban that will ensure that he misses the third and final game of the current series in South Africa.Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, like Tendulkar, was banned for one Test match, and also for two one-day internationals, for not appropriately controlling the actions of his players. These sanctions were suspended until the end of January 2002.Spin bowler Harbhajan Singh, opening batsman Shiv Sunder Das and wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta did not escape lightly either, also receiving suspended sentences of one Test match until the end of January 2002 and surrendering 75% of their match fees for excessive appealing.
Makhaya Ntini, the South African fast bowler, is likely to miss their first match of the World Cup against Netherlands at Basseterre on Friday. He has remained in South Africa to be present for the birth of his second child while the rest of the squad traveled to the West Indies.Ntini was scheduled to arrive in St Kitts on Wednesday but Graeme Smith, the South African captain, said that he would be given time to acclimatise and get used to the conditions.”With Makhaya arriving late we’ll give him some time to find his feet,” Smith told . “We wanted him to sort out his family business first, we don’t want him worrying about his wife and daughter. We wanted his mind fully focused and we feel he will have enough time to prepare before the game against Scotland [on Tuesday].”Smith said that South Africa would play their strongest XIs against Netherlands and Scotland. “We’ve played superb cricket for the past year-and-a-half in the one-day format of the game, and we know that if we perform to our ability we have the players, the team and the passion to perform well here. Hopefully in the games against the Netherlands and Scotland the guys can spend some time in the middle. We’ll definitely be putting out our first XI for those games.”