Eastern Cape 129 for 3 beat Western Province Boland 128 for 7 (Strydom 4-11) by 7 wickets ScorecardWestern Province Boland were asked to bat first by Eastern Cape, as the semi-final stage of the Standard Bank PRO20 Series got underway at Newlands. Graeme Smith and Andrew Puttick gave WPBOL the perfect start, adding 62 in the first eight overs. Both men then fell in the ninth, but a competitive total was still on the cards. Enter Pieter Strydom and Robin Peterson, Eastern Cape’s two left-arm spinners. Six overs later WPBOL were 83 for 6 and in tatters.Strydom had taken 4 for 11 and Peterson 0 for 12 in their four overs. The innings was salvaged by Jacques Kallis, who made 23 off 29, Rory Kleinveldt (18 off 15), and Thami Tsolekile (13 off 4), as WPBOL stuttered to 128 for 7. For Eastern Cape, Monde Zondeki left the field after only bowling four balls with an aggravated quad muscle.Eastern Cape also made a solid start to their innings, as Steven Pope and Peterson put on 61 in 10 overs before both falling within six runs of each other. Tyron Henderson was sent in as a pinch-hitter and scored 20 off 18 balls, before Mark Boucher and Strydom finished the chase. Both scored at better a run-a-ball to take Eastern Cape through to the final with a full over to spare.
In a two day pre season friendly match against Sussex at Hove, Worcestershire’s batsmen showed good form in reaching 342 for 6 off 85 overs. On a cold day interrupted by one shower, all the frontline batsmen reached double figures on a good batting track.Captain Ben Smith top scored with 76 off 89 balls, closely followed by Vikram Solanki with 74 off 93 balls. Other scorers were Stephen Peters with 55, David Leatherdale with 54n/o, Anuarg Singh with 31, Graeme Hick with 17 and Kadeer Ali with 15.The Sussex frontline bowlers all struggled except for Robin Martin-Jenkins who took 3 for 69 off 15 overs. Kirtley, Davis and Innes each took a wicket.The County’s bowlers will take centre stage today including new overseas signing Nantie Hayward together with Mark Harrity and Chris Liptrot. Hayward arrived in the Country on Tuesday morning for his first season in County Cricket.Worcestershire’s photocall will take place at New Road this Friday at 9-30am.The inter-squad match scheduled for Saturday at New Road has been cancelled. The inter squad match scheduled for Wednesday 16th April at Ombersley CC will go ahead.
Somerset skipper Jamie Cox, who has been missing from the team since sustaining a chipped thumb whilst fielding at Bath against Yorkshire, may well be fit to return to the side to face Essex in the four-day CricInfo Championship match that starts at Taunton on Wednesday.Coach Kevin Shine told me on Sunday: "Jamie is coming in for some tests tomorrow and will have a full net on Tuesday. If he comes through all of this then he will play on Wednesday."
Since their impressive 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal, Enzo Maresca’s side have dropped points in four of six games, two of which have been defeats.
However, while the overall team performances have left something to be desired, Reece James has been immense, be that at right-back or in the middle of the park.
In fact, there is a genuine shout for the captain being Chelsea’s best player, so fans should be delighted that Cobham might have already produced the next James.
Who's ready to follow in James' footsteps at Chelsea?
Cobham has long been a source of incredible talent for Chelsea, and with the current crop of academy gems on the cusp of regular first-team football, that doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon.
For example, one of the most promising youngsters who simply has to get more senior minutes in the coming seasons is Shim Mheuka.
Described as “the future of Chelsea and English football” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the young striker has been scoring for fun over the last year or so.
Mheuka’s youth record
Appearances
55
Goals
28
Assists
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.61
All Stats via Transfermarkt
This season alone, the 18-year-old has racked up an outrageous tally of 14 goals and three assists in 16 appearances, totalling 1276 minutes, which comes out to 1.06 goal involvements per game, or one every 75.05 minutes.
It’s not just at the club level where the teenager has been tearing things up, though.
For example, in 20 appearances for England’s U19 side, he has scored 14 goals and provided three assists.
Another young star in the making that fans should be keeping an eye on is Chizaram Ezenwata.
Another centre-forward, the 17-year-old has also been in incredible form this season, notching up nine goals and one assist in 12 appearances, totalling 965 minutes.
However, it’s not just forwards that Chelsea fans should be excited about, as Cobham might have already produced Maresca’s next James.
Chelsea's next Reece James
Now, it almost goes without saying at this point, but James is a genuinely world-class footballer.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Therefore, it would be unfair to expect a youngster from the academy to come in and start performing like him right away, or even within a few years of making it into the senior game.
However, there can still be exciting prospects who share a number of traits with the captain and possess the potential to become a player like him, which is the case with Harrison Murray-Campbell.
The 19-year-old gem joined the Blues at the under-8s level and, after making his way up through the academy system, was rewarded with his first team debut in the Conference League last year.
What makes him potentially the next James, though?
Well, firstly, like the captain, the youngster is a positionally versatile defender who has spent time playing at both centre-back and full-back.
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Moreover, he’s demonstrated real leadership qualities, captaining the club’s U18S and U21 sides.
As if that wasn’t enough, the “absolutely ridiculous” talent, as dubbed by analyst Felix Johnston, has also worn the armband for England’s U20 side.
Finally, on top of being a rock-solid defender, the Luton-born phenom has also shown real attacking quality, scoring four goals and providing two assists already this season.
Ultimately, there is still a long way to go in his career, but as things stand, Murray-Campbell looks like he could be Chelsea’s next James.
Forget Palmer: Chelsea star who's "out of this world" is their best player
This Chelsea ace shone in their 2-2 draw away to Newcastle.
Chappell: Lyon was the best of the Australian bowlers
For the first time in the series, West Indies batted on the opening morning of a Test. For the second time in the series, Kraigg Brathwaite fell just short of a century. And for the third time in the series, Australia went to stumps on day one on top, this time with West Indies at 6 for 207. Nathan Lyon led the attack with two wickets on a challenging day for the West Indies batsmen, who had to sit through two lengthy rain delays.Despite the wet weather Australia had no trouble with over rates: Lyon sent down 32 and Steve O’Keefe raced through 14, meaning that only 15 were lost to the rain. Australia had opted for two specialist spinners at the SCG for the first time in ten years and the evidence on day one suggested it was a wise move, as there was plenty of turn and bounce, and between them they picked up three wickets.As has been the case throughout the series, West Indies relied too heavily on one batsman. This time it was not Darren Bravo but Brathwaite, who was a picture of concentration in compiling 85 around meal breaks and rain delays. He had fallen for 94 in the second innings in Hobart and had the chance to push on for a hundred this time, but instead tried to dab a cut past slip off Lyon and succeeded only in gloving to Steven Smith.It was a disappointing end for Brathwaite, who earlier had put on 91 for the second wicket with Bravo, the first time in the series West Indies had found a half-century stand between two of their top six. They came together after opener Shai Hope, in for the injured Rajendra Chandrika, edged behind for 9 off a Josh Hazlewood delivery that nipped away off the seam.When Brathwaite and Bravo lifted West Indies to 1 for 92 at lunch it seemed the batsmen were backing up Jason Holder’s decision to bat first after calling correctly at the toss. However, soon after lunch Bravo fell for 33, having added just one to his score, when he hooked a quick, short delivery from James Pattinson to Usman Khawaja, who ran in from deep square leg to take the chance low to the ground.West Indies had lost their most in-form scorer and now had their most out-of-form batsman, Marlon Samuels, at the crease with Brathwaite. It did not end well. Samuels continued his wretched tour by contriving to run himself out, pushing a Lyon delivery straight to point and calling for a single that wasn’t there; both he and Brathwaite stopped mid-pitch, Brathwaite fell over in his desperate attempt to turn around, and the throw to Samuels’ end found him well short.To add to the frustration, it turned out to be the last ball before a long rain delay. When play finally resumed, Jermaine Blackwood managed 10 before he misjudged Lyon and left a ball that turned in and kissed the very top of off stump, the type of delivery that has been an impressive part of Lyon’s armoury this year. At 4 for 131, West Indies were in trouble.It became 5 for 158 when Brathwaite departed after a second rain delay, and 6 for 159 when Jason Holder fell for 1. O’Keefe, playing the second Test of his career, claimed his first home Test wicket when Holder squirted one off the inside edge that was brilliantly snapped up at short leg by Joe Burns, who snared the ball low down in his right hand, proving that he has improved significantly under the helmet since the start of the summer.Australia were dreaming of a quick finish as the evening grew near, but the West Indies lower order has shown some batting fight in this series, and Carlos Brathwaite was keen to rage against the dying of the light. His second ball was lofted down the ground for six off O’Keefe, and he ended up plundering two sixes and four fours off O’Keefe as he moved to an unbeaten 35 from 35 balls at stumps. Denesh Ramdin was on 23, having fought through 72 deliveries.
Cricket Europe has reported that Graeme and Chris Davey, Netherlands’ South African-born twin brothers, were forced to sit out the opening match in the European Under-19 Division 1 Championship in Bangor after the board (KNCB) failed to complete the documentary formalities in time.The KNCB did not provide documents to show that the Daveys had fulfilled residence and development criteria as required by the ICC. The board has been reminded several times that all players needed to meet the ICC regulations and so the oversight was unforgivable.Graeme, who was appointed captain ahead of the tournament, had to sit out the opening game, an eight-wicket defeat by Ireland alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Chris. The necessary paperwork had been sorted in time for them to play in the second match today.
Cameron White’s brutal 141 went in vain for Somerset who were beaten by Worcestershire with an over to spare thanks to an equally destructive 97 from Graeme Hick at New Road. White’s hundred broke the Twenty20 record which he himself had previously held, jointly, with Hick. It took White just 55 balls to register his hundred with 11 fours and three mammoth sixes; the other five Somerset batsmen made just 55 out of their total of 198.Though Worcestershire continued to lose wickets, the start Hick and Vikram Solanki – who belted 33 from 12 balls – gave the home side ensured they were comfortable winners by three wickets.Click here for the report from Lancashire’s game against Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford.
Rod Marsh, the ECB National Academy director and chairman of selectors for the Under 19 team, has named two squads for the upcoming Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka.Varun Chopra, from Essex, will lead both the Test and one-day teams, while Ben Harmison, the brother of Steve, is included in both parties. Worcestershire’s highly rated wicketkeeper Steven Davies continues his Under 19 career and Stuart Broad, the son of Chris Broad the former England batsman, is included after some promising performances for Leicestershire.Mark Footitt, the Nottinghamshire seam bowler who took five wickets on his Championship debut against Glamorgan, has earned himself a place in the Test squad.The team will play three four-day Tests and three one-day internationals starting on July 26. The one-day matches will be held at New Road and Old Trafford and the Tests at Shenley, Scarborough and Headingley.One-day squad Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Leicestershire), Varun Chopra (Essex, capt), Steven Davies (Worcestershire), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Harmison (Durham), Adam Harrison (Glamorgan), Nicholas James (Warwickshire), Kevin Latouf (Hampshire), Mark Lawson (Yorkshire), Andrew Miller (Lancashire), Steven Mullaney (Lancashire), Tom Smith (Lancashire)Test squad Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Varun Chopra, Steven Davies, Joe Denly, Mark Footitt (Nottinghamshire), Ben Harmison, Adam Harrison, Kevin Latouf, Mark Lawson, Tom Smith, Chris Thompson (Surrey)
The International Cricket Council has announced that it will oversee the appointment of a CEO for the United States Cricket Association.The news comes of the back of plans to organise a multi-national one-day tournament in the USA. The proceeds of the event would go towards furthering the development of the game in the country.”There is no suggestion that cricket is trying to take on the major American team sports in their own back yard,” Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said in a statement. “There are already over 500 active cricket clubs in the USA and the aim of this project is to build on this solid foundation to help increase the reach of the sport. The plan is to focus on developing cricket as a successful niche sport in a substantial market.”Earlier this month, the USA team won the Six Nations Challenge in the United Arab Emirates and so qualified for this September’s ICC Champions Trophy in England.The USA has also been proposed as a possible venue to stage games during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
MELBOURNE, Feb 26 AAP – Shane Warne’s statement announcing his decision not to appeal his suspension and responding to criticism of his evidence by the ACB doping committee.”After much advice from a lot of different and various people I have decided not to appeal the 12 month suspension.”Although I find this penalty very harsh and I am extremely disappointed that this has happened, I have decided that I no longer want to put my family under even more stress. Enough is enough.”This has been the toughest two weeks of my life and I have decided that it is best for all concerned to try and move on the best way we can.”I have made a simple and innocent error of judgement. I take full responsibility for my own actions and yes, I should have checked with someone, I should have known better.”Not appealing is a very, very tough decision for me to make because I have been a professional cricketer for the best part of 15 years and would love to be back playing as quick as possible. But in the end to go through this again every single day for possibly the next three weeks or so is just too much.”I have decided to accept the decision of the committee on the chin and try to move on and deal with it the best way I can.”I want to repeat again that I have never taken performance enhancing drugs and never will.”It was proved by expert evidence in the hearing that fluid tablets do not enhance performance. They would not have aided recovery from the type of shoulder injury I had and would not mask any other substances.”I am also disappointed that the committee has said that my evidence was vague and unsatisfactory. Both my mother and I gave honest accounts under oath to the best of our recollections. The fact that this has been brought into question is unfair.”As I said I have been playing professional cricket for the best part of 15 years and will now be looking at other work opportunities over the next 12 months.”Looking to the future I can say that I am definitely going to give it my best shot to get back to the top and will continue to train hard, work on my bowling and experiment with new deliveries.”One positive out of this situation is that I hope no other athlete makes the same innocent mistake as me.”I will try to get through the next 12 months the best way I can and try to move forward at this very difficult and tough time. The people who know my know what I am about and that I am strong enough to get through this. The support of my family, friends, team-mates and sponsors has meant a lot to me and I would like to express my gratitude and thanks.”