All posts by csb10.top

Mike Colle, Ontario’s minister for citizenship and immigration, resigned last week in the wake of a report which slammed him for his handling of a Can$1 million grant to the Ontario Cricket Association (OCA).Colle was accused of making a series of grants to local organisations without going through the correct procedures.”I am not very privy to what transpired between the minister and the previous board of OCA,” Mike Kendall, the president of the association, told rediff.com. “What I heard was that we asked for Can$150,000 for infrastructure improvement, like improving the pitch, and other facilities. But members of the previous board had also spoken with the minister about various needs that put together amounted to several million dollars to take cricket in Ontario to the next level.”Had someone put some figures on paper, it would have been different, but that, as far as I know, didn’t happen. But the fact is Colle understands cricket. He understands that without the government help we can’t go to the next level and so he released that money.”The OCA has already spent Can$250,000 of the grant with the rest invested in the bank for future programmes.The report into the grants confirmed that the OCA had only requested Can$150,000.

India 157 for 5 (Gambhir 75, Gul 3-28) beat Pakistan 152 (Misbah-ul-Haq 43, Pathan 3-16, RP Singh 3-23) by 5 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Ten days earlier, India and Pakistan couldn’t be separated in Durban. Infront of a frenzied crowd at the Wanderers on Monday, they played outperhaps the best final ever seen in a major tournament. Once again, theice-cool Misbah-ul-Haq threatened to drag Pakistan back from the brink,but the Indians just about held their nerve to clinch a five-run victoryand the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.After scrapping hard to get to 157 for 5 in the face of some tigerishbowling and fielding, India were inspired with the ball, and Pakistanappeared to be well out of contention with 54 needed from 24 balls andjust three wickets in hand. But when Misbah thumped Harbhajan Singh forthree sixes and Sohail Tanvir chipped in with a four-ball 12, theimprobable became possible.With Misbah on strike, Pakistan needed 13 from the final over. After agreat deal of thought, Mahendra Singh Dhoni gambled on the inexperiencedJoginder Sharma. When he started with a wide, Indian fans groaned, and thesituation became even more desperate when Misbah pummelled a full tossmiles over long-off for six. But with victory in his grasp, his judgementfailed him. Moving across his stumps, he went for the scoop down to fineleg. He didn’t connect cleanly, and millions on the subcontinent heldtheir breath as Sreesanth came under the ball at short fine leg. When heheld it, the stadium erupted.The architects of the Indian triumph were the two left-armers, RudraPratap Singh and Irfan Pathan, both of whom scalped three wickets toscupper the chase. Singh struck in both his opening overs, having MohammadHafeez caught at slip and knocking Kamran Akmal’s off stump out of theground, but Imran Nazir played a blinder at the other end to keep his sideahead of the asking rate.Two sixes and two fours came in Sreesanth’s opening over, as Nazir cut andpulled with immense power. Sreesanth redeemed himself with a maiden toYounis Khan, but India still needed wickets as they sought to defend amiddling total. The inspiration came from Robin Uthappa, whose unerringthrow from mid-off to the keeper’s end ended Nazir’s blistering 14-ball33.Joginder’s lack of pace provided the next breakthrough, with Younismiscuing one to mid-on, and the onus was on Shoaib Malik to see his sidehome. But with Irfan bowling a impeccable line and length and the Indianvoices in the crowd growing louder, something had to give. And it wasMalik that cracked, dragging a long hop to midwicket.Pathan was euphoric, and moments later he and his team-mates were beyondthe clouds. Shahid Afridi came to the crease with a boom-boom reputation,but left with a whimper after a heads-up heave that found Sreesanth atlong-off. With the scoreboard showing 77 for 6, the match had seeminglyswung inexorably India’s way.But Misbah, supported brilliantly by Yasir Arafat and Tanvir, had otherideas. And even though Irfan, Sreesanth and RP Singh produced magnificentyorkers to take India to the brink, no one breathed easy until Misbahfluffed his final line.Gautam Gambhir and Umar Gul had shared the limelight in the Indianinnings, with Gul taking 3 for 28 in a splendid spell where he bowledyorkers almost at will. Gambhir’s scintillating 75 held the Indian inningstogether, and a late 30-run cameo from Rohit Sharma gave India them hope.India’s plans for the game had been rocked by the groin injury to VirenderSehwag, and his replacement, Yusuf Pathan, was nearly run out afterdawdling for the first one. Otherwise known as Irfan’s older brother,Yusuf came into prominence in domestic Twenty20, and he quicklydemonstrated his ability with a straight six off Mohammad Asif.With Asif bowling well below his normal pace, Yusuf then carved onethrough point for four before an ambitious pull landed in Malik’s hands atmid-on. That stemmed the early tide, and India were reliant mainly onsingles to up the scoring rate. Uthappa endeavoured to inject somemomentum into the innings, but his attempt to go over extra-cover landedtamely in the hands of the fielder.

With Malik quickly bringing on Afridi and Hafeez, India needed someone tofind the gaps. Gambhir was the man, lacing some lovely drives through thecovers and pushing the singles as Yuvraj Singh played himself in. Gambhirwas ruthless with the loose delivery, heaving Afridi over midwicket forsix as runs started to come too quickly for Malik’s liking.His response was to call on Gul, Pakistan’s most effective pace bowler inthis competition. Gambhir cut him behind point en route to a 38-ball 50,but Gul’s round-the-wicket line was soon to earn its reward. Yuvraj, inresplendent batting form in previous big games, didn’t ever get going anda miscued pull landed straight back down in Gul’s hands.With the fielders showing tremendous commitment in the outfield and Gulmixing short-pitched deliveries with perfect yorkers, the batsmen grewincreasingly frustrated. The pressure finally told on Dhoni, whose swipemet only with air as Gul produced another fast-and-straight special.Gambhir tried to break free of the shackles, and a massive six thatthudded into the scoreboard at midwicket had the Indian fans dancing, butGul’s retribution was swift. An attempted flick-paddle went straight toAsif at short fine leg, and Gambhir’s splendid innings was finally over.Sharma had shone against South Africa in a crunch game, and he came to thefore again in the final two overs, taking Arafat for two fours before helofted a slower ball from Tanvir in the direction of long-on. Hafeez gotthere, but could only tip the ball over the rope. On such incidents arematches between these two great rivals won and lost. On an enthrallingafternoon at the Bullring though, there were no winners or losers, just aresounding success for a format that is undoubtedly here to stay.

The Pakistan board is certain that the twin blasts that rocked Pakistan’s northern city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday will not affect either the ongoing Australia A tour or the forthcoming home series against South Africa later in September. The blasts occurred on Tuesday morning and killed at least 24 people”We have not had any concerns from either the Australian or the South African authorities so far and as far as things stand, both tours are still on,” Shafqat Naghmi, the board’s chief operating officer, told .Although there are no matches against Australia A scheduled for Rawalpindi, the one-day international between Pakistan and South Africa initially scheduled for the city was moved to Karachi last month. The Pakistan board cited the lack of cricket facilities in Peshawar and Rawalpindi as reason for the change. However, it was widely reported that the South Africans had expressed concerns over playing in Rawalpindi due to its close proximity to Islamabad where the standoff between the government and the radical mosque clerks took place in July.

ScorecardAfter skittling out Services for 91 to gain a first-innings lead of 72, Vidarbha added 237 for the loss of four wickets in their second, to end the day with a lead in a commanding position.Tottering at 37 for 5 at close on day one, Services lost another wicket on 39 before their innings was propped up by Jasvir Singh and Ashish Mohanty. The two added 44 runs before Mohammad Hashim struck, dismissing Jasvir, Mohanty and Arun Sharma to bag career-best figures of 7 for 26, also the best in the Plate League so far this year.Vidarbha seized the advantage in the second innings, with Faiz Fazal and Amit Paunikar putting on 168 for the first wicket. Fazal was first to fall for 80, while debutant Paunikar went on to score 102. Left-armer Rakesh Kumar took all four wickets to fall, to go with the three he took in the first innings.Gujarat 154 and 2 for no loss trail Kerala 340 (Prem 124, Vinan Nair 61, Chandran 61*, Parmar 5-77) by 184 runs
ScorecardPreambhastn Prem’s patient 124 helped Kerala take control of the game in Surat as they piled up 340 in reply to Gujarat’s first-innings total of 154. Prem put on 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Vinan Nair, who made a breezy 61 to gain the vital first-innings lead. Kerala then suffered a mini-collapse which saw them reduced to 206 for 9.Prasanth Chandran, the No. 11, stuck it out with Prem to add 134 for the last wicket, a Kerala record for the tenth wicket, surpassing the 95 runs that Satheesan Thampuran and P Mackey added against Hyderabad in 1974-75. Mackey’s 59 was the record for a Kerala No. 11 batsman, before Chandran’s unbeaten 61 today, which came off 89 balls, including 11 boundaries.Gujarat offspinner Mohnish Parmar added three to his overnight tally of two wickets, and ended the innings with figures of 5 for 77. Gujarat’s openers then safely played out the only over they were left to negotiate.Madhya Pradesh 109 for 4 (Ojha 45, Mishra 2-17) trail Haryana 302 (Lavasa 76, Vishwanathan 63, Pandey 3-58) by 193 runs
ScorecardResuming on 268 for 7, Haryana added 34 runs on the second day before picking up four Madhya Pradesh wickets to seize the advantage in Rohtak. Sunil Viswanathan, overnight on 47, was the last man out for the hosts, finishing on 63. Madhya Pradesh offspinner Sunil Dholpure ensured Vishwanathan got little support at the other end, dismissing two lower-order batsmen.Madhya Pradesh were off to a shaky start in their innings, with Sachin Rana trapping Jalaj Saxena leg-before in the second over. Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has represented India in one-dayers, then struck with the wickets of Jatin Saxena and Devendra Bundela, before offspinner Gaurav Vashisht removed opener Naman Ojha, who made a sedate 129-ball 45. Rahul Bakshi and Brijesh Tomar ensured there was no further damage, as the visitors ended the day at 109 for 4.Goa 104 for 4 (Joglekar 24*, Ratra 29*, Sharma 3-29) trail Jammu and Kashmir 147 (Bhatt 31, Bandekar 5-49, D’Souza 3-32) by 43 runs
ScorecardGoa were poised to take the first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir, finishing the day at 104 for 4 in reply to the hosts’ 147 in Jammu.Saurabh Bandekar and Robin D’Souza shared the final two wickets for Goa, Bandekar finishing with his second five-for in first-class cricket. Goa were soon in trouble as Vivek Sharma grabbed three wickets to reduce them to 42 for 4. Manoj Joglekar and Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, then put on an unbroken 62-run stand to take the visitors to a position of ascendency at stumps on day two.Assam 68 for 1 (Palash Das 35*) trail Tripura 460 (Shetty 165, Chanda 72, Tushar Saha 73*, Kushaljit Das 5-140) by 392 runs
ScorecardTripura consolidated on their overnight 285 for 4 to make 460 in the first innings in Guwahati. Nishit Shetty added only one to his 164 on day one, but Timir Chanda and No. 9 Tushar Saha scored seventies. Saha had 11 fours and a six in his 72, and added 82 runs for the final wicket with Jayanta Debnath, who made 36. Debutant Kushaljit Das took a five-for for the hosts, conceding 140 runs in his 37.1 overs.Assam then played out 30 overs before stumps, crawling to 68 for 1. Opener Palash Das remained unbeaten on 35.Railways 217 for 2 (Bangar 77*, Rawle 73*) lead Jharkhand 183 by 34 runs
ScorecardSanjay Bangar followed up his four wickets on the first day with an unbeaten 77 on the second, to give Railways a lead of 34 runs over Jharkhand, with eight wickets still remaining in their first innings.Railways lost their first two wickets for 61, but Bangar, whose knock included 13 fours, added 156 runs with Harshad Rawle to guide their team to 217 at close. Rawle was also unbeaten at stumps, having scored 73.

9.5
Anil Kumble
With twenty wickets in four Tests, 179 gritty runs, and a calm demeanour that helped India wade through a crisis, Kumble was India’s most vital member. Beginning with a five-wicket haul on the opening day in Melbourne, he led the attack manfully and fittingly notched up his 600th wicket in Perth, a Test he termed was his “best win”. He batted with gumption, shepherding the tail in crucial moments, and led with a statesman-like authority, guiding along a side through a turbulent phase.9
Sachin Tendulkar
Statistically he enjoyed his finest tour to Australia, averaging in excess of 70 with two hundreds and two fifties. He adapted brilliantly: attacking in Melbourne, accumulating in Sydney, and innovating in Perth, before rounding off with a complete innings in Adelaide, on Don Bradman’s homeground. He was accorded rousing ovations each time he walked out and showed that, at 34, was still India’s most consistent batsman.8.5
RP Singh
Leading the attack in Zaheer Khan’s absence, RP Singh rose to the challenge. Swinging the ball at a lively pace, he troubled the Australians with his awkward angles. He expertly used the old ball and didn’t flag in searing conditions. He tore through the top order on the first day in Sydney and mopped up the lower order within no time in Perth. He missed the final part of the Adelaide Test, a blow that was a big setback to India’s series-levelling prospects.8
Ishant Sharma
Undoubtedly the find of the tour, Ishant was feted by Steve Waugh as the “next best thing” in Indian cricket. Despite going wicket-less in Sydney, he did enough to suggest immense potential and his double-strike against Ricky Ponting in Perth played a big part in the victory. He moved the ball both ways and, displayed a great ability to lift himself when the conditions were most demanding.8
VVS Laxman
Opened up the Sydney Test with an awe-inspiring hundred before producing a guarded, eventually match-winning, half-century in Perth. He showed his ability to change his game according to the situation and proved, once again, that he reserved his best for Australia. He was an important member of the slip cordon and did a fine job when standing close-in for the spinners too.7.5
Virender Sehwag
Made an impact in all the four opportunities he was given, none more so than the polished 151 in Adelaide, a match-saving effort. Even when he didn’t go on to a big one he made confident starts to set a good platform, allowing the middle order to prosper. He made some good contributions with his offspin, including two vital wickets on the final day in Perth.7
Irfan Pathan
A fairytale comeback at Perth ended in a Man-of-the-Match award in one of the most memorable Indian wins in recent times. He did well with the bat but it was particularly heartening to see him generate alarming swing with the ball. He struggled on the flat deck in Adelaide but snapped up his 100th wicket in the same venue where he picked up his first, a good four years ago.

6.5
Rahul Dravid
Dravid struggled to strike the high notes through the series. Thrust into the opening slot for the first two Tests, he endured a mighty tough period. Often not able to get the ball off the square, he notched up dot ball after dot ball, never seeming like the run-machine that had come to these shores four years ago. His 93 was vital for the victory in Perth but, just when he appeared to be finding his groove, struggled again in Adelaide.6
Sourav Ganguly
Enjoyed a fine start to the tour but saw it fizzle out towards the end. He was undone by a couple of poor umpiring decisions but couldn’t match the consistency he had shown ever since his return in December last 2006. He fell to left-armers on seven of the eight occasions with Brad Hogg troubling him more often than one would have expected. His fielding didn’t inspire much confidence, a factor that went into his ouster from the one-day squad.6
MS Dhoni
It was a mixed series for Dhoni as a fine phase with the gloves coincided with an average one with the bat. His restrained knocks in Sydney and Perth were vital in the context of the match but Dhoni never really lived up to his reputation as an electrifying batsman. His wicketkeeping, though, improved with each match and displayed expert reflexes when standing up to the spinners.5
Harbhajan Singh
He ended the series as a better batsman than bowler. With two half-centuries in Sydney and Adelaide, he proved his ability as a lower-order batsman, capable of irritating the daylights out of the opposition. His bowling, though, was a disappointment. Apart from having Ricky Ponting’s number for the first two Tests, he was largely ineffective through the series. He will be forever associated with the tour, though, having been at the centre of the storm during the Sydney furore.4
Zaheer Khan
Played only one Test and had to return home with a heel injury. He contributed in Melbourne, though, hustling out batsmen on a flat pitch.2
Wasim Jaffer
Having cruised through 2007, Jaffer hit the ground with a mighty thud, managing just 49 runs in three Tests. He didn’t have an answer to Brett Lee’s pacy out-swingers and had lost his spot by the end of the series.1
Yuvraj Singh
With just 17 runs in two games and a string of poor fielding efforts, Yuvraj didn’t inspire much confidence through the series. He injured himself during practice in Perth and was side-lined for at least two weeks, putting his one-day chances in doubt as well.

Shane Bond has indicated he could join his team-mates Stephen Fleming, Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori in signing up with the officially-sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL). Bond said he received an attractive offer from the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which does not have ICC backing, but had decided against joining.Bond said his plans would be revealed soon. “It will all come out in a week or two, but there’s stuff going on behind the scenes,” he told the . In the meantime, Bond is focusing on New Zealand’s tour of South Africa, which will be followed by home series against Bangladesh and England.Bond is looking forward to a more productive trip to South Africa than his previous Test tour there last year, when he suffered a knee injury. He expects the pitches to be better than on that visit. “The wickets should be a lot better than last time,” Bond said. “They were up and down because they were tired. This time they should be good. We are not expecting much sideways movement but they should have a bit of pace.”Bond is hoping to generate more speed than he did at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. “It’s just a matter of getting bowling fitness. We came straight out of indoors and just had a couple of practices outdoors then were right into the matches. I didn’t quite have the timing right. Once you get the timing and bowling fitness, that allows you to bowl quick.”Despite some slight concerns with his back last season, Bond was confident his the major surgery he had several years ago had left him in a good position. “I still get some aches and pains, but they rescanned my back and it is really good in terms of the screws and the bolt holding the L5 vertebrae together,” he said. “With the way I’ve trained and the action I’ve got now, I’d be pretty disappointed if it goes wrong.”

Happy days are here again, at least until November.Such has been the desperation among West Indians and fans of Caribbean cricket everywhere that almost everyone is just relieved to be able to rejoice in a series victory. For most, issues of context and perspective will come later.The intensity, quality and uninhibited celebrations on the way to Saturday’s 93-run whipping of England to clinch the three-match limited-over duel are hailed as ample testament of the ability of our boys to lift themselves from the shadowy depths of embarrassing mediocrity to the sunlit summit of peerless excellence, all in a matter of a few days.Even if some of them may still be feeling the effects of what was expected to be some heavy-duty partying in Nottingham, the euphoria is expected to continue all of this week in Dublin.Matches against the Netherlands tomorrow, Scotland on Thursday and Ireland on Saturday should provide more opportunity for flamboyant batsmanship, incisive bowling and thrilling outcricket. Chris Gayle’s men may not be as sharp as on the last ten days of the England leg of the tour, but anything resembling the performances in the two Twenty20 matches and three ODIs against Paul Collingwood’s squad will be more than enough to brush aside the Associate Member nations.Then, of course, there is the chance for this good feeling to be sustained at the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in two months’ time.Such is their obvious enjoyment of the fast-paced, short-lived demands of the abbreviated versions of the game that the West Indies will inevitably be mentioned as a definite chance to be crowned inaugural champions of the sport’s latest and most popular international hybrid.Common among all of the assessments since Saturday is an appreciation of what has been termed the almost complete transformation of a side that looked so dysfunctional and disinterested while enduring a 3-0 hammering in the four-Test rubber. But is this anything new?The image of Gayle hoisting the NatWest Trophy in the midst of jubilant teammates is no different from the way the West Indies signed off on the last tour of England, when Brian Lara was the triumphant captain after a dramatic victory over the hosts in the Champions Trophy final eased the pain of a 4-0 Test series whitewash at the height of that 2004 summer.

In the intervening period, there has been a succession of “transformations” from looking almost hopelessly out of it in Test cricket only to battle neck-and-neck and frequently overcome the very best from the moment the coloured clothing is pulled on and the white balls appear.In Sri Lanka in 2005, a depleted team defeated the hosts and then came within eight runs of upsetting India, a victory that would have earned them a place in the tri-nations final in Colombo. Early last year in New Zealand, a bowl-off was needed to decide the one-off Twenty20 clash while the tourists squandered definite winning positions in two of the first four one-dayers before emerging victorious in the last match of the series.Back home in the Caribbean, confidence and competence in ODIs continued to soar upwards with a 4-1 dismissal of India, followed by strong showings in south-east Asia with appearances in the finals of the DLF Cup in Malaysia and in defence of the Champions Trophy in India. Subsequent limited-over series in Pakistan, India and then the World Cup on home soil were huge disappointments, but the fact of the matter is that contemporary West Indian cricketers are much better suited temperamentally to matches of shorter duration, as the unending succession of Test losses confirms.It is not so much an issue of transformation as sustaining the effort and maintaining intensity. Even during the recent Test series, the West Indies held sway on certain days and sessions, only to fall away the next morning or after an interval.They dominated the third day of the first Test at Lord’s with the bat, and bowled purposefully on day one and fought an excellent rearguard on the penultimate day of the third Test at Old Trafford. Even in the series finale at Chester-le-Street, England were on the ropes at 165 for six in their first innings, while a rain-affected match was still on course for a draw on the last afternoon with the redoubtable Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the effervescent Dwayne Bravo holding firm.Yet for all that, there was only disappointment and defeat at the end, simply because most lack the mental strength required to sustain a high level of performance over successive days. The shorter the game, the more competitive we are, as all that abundant talent and intuitive brilliance are only required for a few hours or a few minutes.The worrying corollary to that is the equally obvious reality that the West Indies will continue to struggle in Tests for the foreseeable future, especially with South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia looming as the next challenges in the traditional game. So like our excitable young cricketers, let’s enjoy the moment and leave concerns about the next Test series for a little later.The one thing we might want to consider, though, is adding a hypnotist to the already sizeable support staff. Brainwashing most of our players into believing that the first ball of every day and every session is the start of an ODI or Twenty20 could be the next short-term plan for ending the long drought in Tests.

Adam Gilchrist, who revolutionised the role of the wicketkeeper-batsman, has retired from Tests barely 24 hours after taking the world record for dismissals. The shock news means Gilchrist will depart on a global high at the end of the fourth match against India on Monday and his last ODI appearances will come in the CB Series, which finishes in March.Over the past couple of years Gilchrist, 36, has been worn down by the grind of international touring and has been desperate to spend more time with his wife Mel and their three children. Despite his family circumstances, Gilchrist’s announcement at the end of the third day came as a surprise after he had spent much of the previous evening denying he was close to walking away.”I’ll let people know when I’m going to retire,” he said on Friday, “whether it’s tomorrow or in 12 months. At the moment I’m going to keep focussing on giving everything I’ve got to this team.”He told his team-mates in the morning he was leaving and it was an emotional time. “I’ve come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me,” Gilchrist said before boarding the team bus. “My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career.”Gilchrist played 96 Tests, the same number as Rod Marsh, and has collected 414 dismissals, currently one more than South Africa’s Mark Boucher. However, his glovework, which has diminished over the past month, will not be why he is remembered as one of Australia’s most significant players.Matthew Hayden, who has been a team-mate of Gilchrist’s for the past eight years, called it “massive news” and said he would be “deeply, deeply missed”. “He is one of the greatest to have ever played the game,” Hayden said. “He was incredibly positive and his flamboyant nature equals the greats of Viv Richards and other calypso characters over the years.”He entertained everyone globally and has done it in a statesman-like way. He changed cricketers throughout the world and is a tremendous individual.”Gilchrist brought a limited-overs approach to Tests, becoming the first man to launch 100 sixes in the format, registering the most centuries by a wicketkeeper-batsman, and scoring at a phenomenal strike-rate in the low 80s. Apart from posting almost 6000 runs, he was also responsible for the more aggressive approach to a game where three runs an over was previously considered reckless.Growing up in New South Wales, he moved to Western Australia to collect a first-class opportunity and made his Test debut to a chorus of boos after replacing Ian Healy in Brisbane. He scored 81 against Pakistan and brought up his first century in the following match in a miracle chase in Hobart. From 1999 the Australia team was never the same, winning 16 Tests in a row under Steve Waugh, a streak that was matched by Ricky Ponting’s outfit over the past three years.One of only three players to have won a trio of World Cup titles, Gilchrist was picked to open on a Waugh hunch over a bowl of ice-cream and quickly became one of the most threatening limited-overs players of all time. Others have tried to adopt his style but none has managed it for a decade, which is a tribute to the traits developed by a country boy from northern New South Wales.”I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life, which will include much more time with Mel, Harrison, Annie and Archie,” Gilchrist said. He thanked his state and country associations and his team-mates for the “most enjoyable, fun career anyone could hope for”. Brad Haddin, the New South Wales wicketkeeper, has spent the past couple of years with the limited-overs team and should get his first taste of Test action if the March tour to Pakistan goes ahead.Two more wickets need to fall before Gilchrist will appear at Adelaide Oval and he will be celebrated like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer were last year. Adelaide has not been the normal place for farewells over the past decade, but Gilchrist has not been a traditional player.

Darren Lehmann has announced his retirement from first-class cricket, citing injury concerns and “other frustrations” as the reasons he is ending his 20-year career. Lehmann will make two farewell appearances for South Australia against Western Australia at the Adelaide Oval, in an FR Cup match on Wednesday and a Pura Cup game starting on Friday.Lehmann, 37, stepped down as the Redbacks captain at the end of last summer following the side’s disappointing Pura Cup campaign that resulted in only one win. Although he was keen to stay on as a player, he struggled with a persistent Achilles tendon injury during the off-season and hamstring problems have also kept him out of two Pura Cup games and one FR Cup match already this summer.”The past 12 months have not been easy,” Lehmann said. “Ongoing concerns and conjecture about whether I could remain injury free and finish the season as well as other frustrations have contributed to my decision to retire.”It was always my plan to retire while I was still performing well at first-class level. This goal was important to me and injuries aside I think I have been true to it.”While the injuries were his primary reason for quitting the game, there had also been reports that his frosty relationship with Rod Marsh, South Australia’s high performance director, had played a part. Lehmann did little to douse that speculation while announcing his decision.”Rod, as a player, was one of the guys I loved and idolised,” Lehmann said. “His views and I differ on the way to manage cricket teams and that’s probably all I’d like to say on that one.”Lehmann’s departure brings to an end of one of the most decorated careers in Australia’s domestic history. Since making his debut for South Australia at the age of 17 in 1987-88, Lehmann has become the highest run scorer of all-time in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup matches, with 13,468 runs at 54.52. He was also a prolific scorer at Yorkshire and in total he made 25,628 first-class runs at 57.79.Although his Test career was limited to 27 appearances, during which he made 1798 runs at 44.95, Lehmann was a goliath of the Australian domestic scene. He was named the State Player of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and was also a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2001.He had the honour of striking the winning runs in Australia’s World Cup triumph at Lord’s in 1999 and helped the side defend that title four years later. Lehmann was a key member of South Australia’s Sheffield Shield-winning side in 1995-96, having also played a part in Victoria’s title in 1990-91 during his brief stint in Melbourne.

Dr Kato Sebbaale, the new chairman of the Ugandan Cricket Association, has spoken about his plans for the future after ousting William Kibuuka Musoke at a heated AGM last weekend.”My victory wasn’t a surprise because it looks like everyone was looking for a change,” Sebbaale told the New Vision newspaper. “It’s like people were suffering deeply before and they are kind of happy that there is a change and that’s a challenge because I must really show them the change.”Musoke’s time at the helm ended in bitterness – at the AGM he unsuccessfully attempted to block votes from clubs supporting Sebbaale on minor technicalities and then is believed to have been behind an advertisement in a national newspaper immediately after his removal announcing “the death of Ugandan cricket”. He was also widely accused of squandering advances made in Ugandan cricket and there is no doubt that the sport’s image has suffered in recent months.”One of my major mandate this year is to try and clean up our image because without it you lose it all,” Sebbaale admitted. “Thankfully, I have got a strong team who are very big corporate people, are in business and know how to handle people.”I have travelled with Uganda for every tournament in the last five years and it’s clear it is highly talented but the issue is moving from one level to the next,” Sebbaale said, adding that he was not going to “rock the boat”.He also explained that a high-profile national coach was a priority, although that would take time and the existing behind-the-scenes team would remain in place for the high-profile tour by the MCC which starts this week. “If the team goes professional and money allowing I want to put a squad on a payroll but they will have to be accountable for being national players.”