The Southern Electric Premier League annual meeting will be at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday 19 November 2003 at 7.30pm.Any club wishing to submit any alteration to the constitution, rules and playing conditions should do so, in writing, to Colin Savage by no later than Monday 15 September 2003.The Premier League is seeking player representation, particularly from Division 2 and 3 clubs, on its Management Committee and, again, nominations should be made by 15 September. These roles are not onerous.
In an hour-and-a-quarter of awesome power-hitting hereyesterday, Chris Gayle broke from the shackles of self-doubtthat have enmeshed him for the past five weeks and the realChris Gayle emerged.The tall, young Jamaican left-hander had been so transfixedby the rarity of failure that brought him a sequence of foursuccessive ducks he often stood at the crease with all themobility of Nelson’s Statue.For half-hour in the last and decisive qualifying roundmatch against Zimbabwe to see which would qualify forWednesday’s final of the LG Abans (the sponsors who are SriLanka’s equivalent of Courts) triangular One-Day series,there was no change.Gayle could hardly lay bat on ball and didn’t score hisfirst run until his 16th ball. Suddenly, out of a clear bluesky, a change in the bowling and a thumping off-drivenboundary led to an immediate transformation.TransformationClark Kent had become Superman and even Superman, fasterthan a flying bullet as he might be, would have been hardpressed to stop the missiles that began to fly from Gayle’sblade.Travis Friend, a lively but rookie 20-year-old, wasblistered for four fours in his first over on changing ends.Olonga, the mop-haired fast bowler who is Zimbabwe’s mostidentifiable black cricketer, went for three more throughthe off-side in the next over before the usually agilefielders had time to blink.Gary Brent’s first ball of the tournament was lashed, crossbatted, into the vacant seats at long-on for six.He had taken pain-killing injections in a shoulder to playand might have considered the sacrifice not worth it. Anover later, he was being despatched for three moreboundaries.By the time Gayle blasted off-spinner Doug Marillier toextra-cover and Olonga swooped to his left to hang on to ablistering catch, he had made 85 from 79 balls effectively63 balls, given his start with the six and 17, yes 17,fours. In other words, he collected 72 runs without needingto run.It was a reversion to the clean hitting that brought him somany runs in Zimbabwe and Kenya on the previous tour andover the past two seasons in the West Indies.Brian Lara, watching with his injured left elbow inplastercast but otherwise comfortable, would have done itwith more style. But he couldn’t have hit the ball harder.By the time he was out with the West Indies 121 for tworequiring 155, the match was all but over, and RamnareshSarwan and Ryan Hinds, the 20-year-old left-hander on debut,settled it with less spectacular methods.Given all the circumstances of a difficult tour, Gayle’sexplosive display, witnessed by no more than 1 200 or so atthe ground but appreciably more on television, was a joy.But it should be put into perspective. Only one of hisboundaries was off Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s leading bowler,and he was not as convincing against the off-spin ofMarillier and Trevor Gripper as against the medium-pacers.Different storyWednesday night will be different but if he gets going, theSri Lankans will be in for a shock. At least the West Indieshave the chance of going home with something to show andthey did beat the hosts at the same Premadasa Stadium, venuefor the final, under lights in an earlier match.Gayle finished yesterday’s contest off with his blitz. PedroCollins and Corey Collymore, the Bajans from Boscobelle, andDarryl Brown, the Trinidadian from McBean on hisinternational debut, set it up at the start of the day.Collins had two wickets and Collymore one in their sharpopening bursts and Brown followed up with the next threefrom ten controlled and consecutive medium-paced overs.Had it not been for the tactical timidity that is typical ofthe leadership of this team, Gayle would not have had theopportunity to score half as many as he did because Zimbabweshouldn’t have managed half their total.Sent in, they were 53 for seven and in retreat when captainCarl Hooper withdrew his assault troops and let theopposition regroup.No pressureTo deep-set fields, without a soul close to the bat, theexperienced Streak gathered his singles and twos under notthe slightest pressure from the straightforward slow stuffof Hooper, Gayle and Hinds.He scored 57 from 88 balls with a swept six off Hinds’ leftarm spin and four fours with simple methods and shepherdedFriend, the No. 9, through a partnership of 60 from 17 oversand Brent, the No. 10, through a further 29.It was, to use the analogy of an altogether more seriouscontest a few thousand miles off here, as if the Americanshad halted their bombardment of Kandahar, the NorthernAlliance pulled back once they had taken Kabul and theTaliban was given breathing space to recover.It was a lack of decisiveness and toughness. This wasZimbabwe, after all, not Australia or South Africa, and acouple of young lower order Zimbabweans at that.And it was as crystal clear as the day itself that Collinsand Collymore were itching to finish it off themselves whenthey were removed after seven overs each. What it toldZimbabwe was that the West Indies expected trouble so thetwo main bowlers had to be saved when it came.Collins forced an edge from Dion Ebrahim first ball thatHooper dropped low to his right at slip and then rattledGrant Flower’s off-stump with a full length inswinger.Collymore took care of Ebrahim with a sharp breakback andCollins did Stuart Carlisle with one run across him.Collymore was running hot as he rattled Craig Wishart’shelmet with a bouncer before Hooper’s underarm hit ran himout but that was soon the end of the blitz.Brown, who took over from Collins, got rid of his earlynerves by finding Gripper’s edge with eighth ball andfollowed up with the prized wicket of Andy Flower, lbw to aperfectly pitched delivery from round the wicket, andMariller to Hooper’s sprawling catch at short extra-cover.It was time to bring back the heavy artillery while theadrenaline was still pumping through their veins. Instead,Hooper, the pacifist, elected for more conciliatory methods.It was left to Gayle to resume the barrage on thebeleaguered opposition.
Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White could leave the club for a hefty transfer fee this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The Lowdown: Gibbs-Whites excelling on loan
The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, joining Sheffield United on loan in order to play regular football.
Gibbs-White is enjoying a superb spell at Bramall Lane, scoring nine goals and registering seven assists in the Championship, also being hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Barnsley manager Poya Asbaghi over the weekend.
While the youngster is expected to return to Wolves at the end of the season, it could be that a permanent exit materialises in the summer.
The Latest: Journalist backs permanent Gibbs-White exit
Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that Wolves could sell Gibbs-Whites for a higher amount than previously thought, given the quality of his performances this season.
The journalist said: “The loan move has raised his price tag, considering how well he has done at Sheffield United.
“If Bruno Lage doesn’t see Morgan Gibbs-White as being a long-term part of his plans, they might be able to get a decent fee for him in the summer if they do decide to cash-in.”
[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]
The Verdict: Keep hold of him
While it is understandable that Gibbs-White may be eyeing up regular playing time elsewhere, it would be an error for Wolves to sell him at this point in his career.
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Still only 22, the Englishman is showing what a talent he is while playing in a tough league this season. Also, with Joao Moutinho ageing and Ruben Neves’ future at Molineux potentially in doubt, opportunities could arise for the Blades loanee moving forward.
Gibbs-White’s current Wanderers deal expires in the summer of 2024, so giving him a chance to shine next season makes sense, with the opportunity to sell him in 2023 if it doesn’t work out for him in Old Gold by that point.
In other news, Tim Spiers is fuming about something Wolves did against Leeds United. Read more here.
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.
ScorecardThe result didn’t matter – India have already qualified for the Asia Cup final. But their dream run in the Asia Cup continued as they registered their fourth successive win, beating Pakistan by a whopping 103-run margin in the final league match at Jaipur. In an inconsequential match for either team, Pakistan crawled to 141 for 8 in their chase of 245 after being restricted by the Indian spinners.Sunetra Paranjpe and Rumeli Dhar were the main contributors in India’s innings. Paranjpe got the team off to a good start, adding 83 with opener Sulakshana Naik. Paranjpe’s 52 came off 67 balls with ten fours before falling to Sana Mir, who picked up three wickets. Dhar, who scored 42, took control in the middle of the innings while a quickfire 31-ball 30 from Anjum Chopra lifted India to 244.Pakistan struggled in their chase after opener after Urooj Mumtaz was dismissed for 33 with the score on 62. The spinners – Rajeshwari Goel, Nooshin Al Khadeer and Preeti Dimri – came into play and put the brakes on the scoring. Goel was especially hard to get away, conceding just 12 runs off 10 overs, picking up two wickets in the process.India and Sri Lanka have already qualified for the finals, which will be played on the same venue on Thursday.
Nathan Astle has been dropped from the squad for the final two ODIs against Sri Lanka in spite of his matchwinning innings at Christchurch, to make way for Stephen Fleming, who returns to captain the team after recovering from a broken finger.Kyle Mills, who underwent a test for a groin strain, and Jacob Oram, who had hurt his heel during the second match at Christchurch, were ruled out of the remainder of the series against Sri Lanka. They were replaced by Chris Martin and James Franklin.”Stephen Fleming will come back into the side as captain for the remainder of the series,” John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, was quoted as saying by a New Zealand Cricket media release. “Daniel Vettori has performed extremely well in the captain’s role and with his increased experience he now provides us with a much needed second leadership option.”Bracewell added that since continuing with Jamie How and Peter Fulton was the right path for New Zealand, Astle had to make way for Fleming. “We were pleased with how Nathan Astle played yesterday. However, one top-order player has to make way for Stephen and we believe continuing to play Jamie How and Peter Fulton is the right option for us at this time. Nathan will return to domestic cricket to continue to build on yesterday’s performance. Jeetan Patel has been selected as we look to develop further spin-bowling options for the World Cup.”Squad Stephen Fleming (capt), Daniel Vettori (vice capt), Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Hamish Marshall, Brendon McCullum (wk), Chris Martin, James Franklin, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent.
Victoria clinched their third straight victory in the ING Cup, notching up a comfortable five-wicket win against South Australia at Melbourne. Darren Lehmann, back in the state side after being left out of the Australian Test team, did his best to prop up the South Australians with a 96-ball 92, but Victoria easily reached their target with 28 balls to spare.The stars for them were Matthew Elliott and Brad Hodge, who put together 110 for the second wicket after the early loss of Jonathon Moss for a duck (1 for 4). Both fell within 11 runs of each other, though, and at 3 for 125 SA sniffed a comeback. However, David Hussey and Cameron White then added 64 for the fifth wicket to ensure that Victoria eased to victory. White remained unbeaten on 46.Earlier, Lehmann made the most of a rare opportunity to play for his state, leading from the front with 92. Lehmann’s innings, his first for South Australia this season, lifted his team to 227. Lehmann was comfortable against Victoria’s bowling attack, and struck ten boundaries in his innings, before being caught behind off a top edge in the 48th over off Michael Lewis. Lehmann shared in a 99-run partnership for the third wicket with Callum Ferguson after South Australia were in some trouble at 3 for 95.
As had widely been expected, Virender Sehwag’s contract with Leicestershire has been cancelled by mutual consent.Sehwag has been suffering from a sore back, and a scan revealed a disc problem which requires a few weeks rest in order for him to be fit in time India’s series against New Zealand."We have both agreed that it is in his and the club’s best interests that he returns home to link up with the Indian team’s medical people," Phil Whitticase, Leicestershire’s coach told the county’s website. “His long-term health and fitness are of paramount importance.”Latika Khaneja , Sehwag’s manager, said that the injury was not serious but that "Sehwag felt it will be better to heal in time for the forthcoming cricket season."Leicestershire are believed to be trying to sign Australian Matt Nicholson as his replacement.
John Crawley has asked Lancashire to release him with three years of his four-year contract remaining.Crawley was recently replaced as captain after a poor season at Old Trafford. Lancashire’s chief executive, Jim Cumbes, confirmed the England batsman’s request.”It’s never good to have a disaffected player, especially one so early in hiscontract,” Cumbes told The Daily Telegraph.”These problems can be discussed and, I’m sure, worked out. It’s sad and agreat shame, because John came to Old Trafford as a young lad and has been withus all through his career.”Cumbes added that the club chairman Jack Simmons and his general committee would now discuss the matter further.Crawley, 30, made his debut for Lancashire in 1990 and has earned 29 England caps. After the retirement of Michael Atherton he is the county’s most senior player. He would be eligible for a benefit in 2003, which could raise as much as £350,000. The reasons for his decision are not yet known.
Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has dropped a major update on Philippe Coutinho ahead of the trip to Leeds on Thursday night.
The Lowdown: Links elsewhere
Villa have reaped the rewards after signing the playmaker on loan from Barcelona in January, with the 29-year-old contributing to six goals in 521 minutes of Premier League action.
He starred in the clash with the Whites last month, scoring once and providing two assists, and he goes into the game at Elland Road in fine form after adding to both tallies in the 4-0 win over Southampton at the weekend.
As we know, Villa have an option to make his move a permanent one in the summer, although the likes of Arsenal and West Ham have been linked with Coutinho’s services in recent weeks.
The Latest: Preece’s claim
Preece shared a story on Birmingham Live on Monday, looking at a number of Villa-related topics.
When it came to Coutinho, he said that sources from Spain have informed the news oulet that Barcelona are keen to sell the 29-year-old, possibly for less than £33m.
They appear desperate to get the Brazilian’s £300,000-a-week wage off their books, with Coutinho currently on 65% of that salary in the Midlands, and a sale is expected to go through.
The Verdict: In Coutinho’s hands
Rumours over a move to either of the two aforementioned London clubs are just speculation for now, but Villa may well be cautious over a full-time move for the Brazilian.
Ultimately it will be Coutinho’s decision, should Villa’s Premier League rivals firm up their reported interest, but hopefully he is open to making his loan move permanent over the coming months.
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As Preece also mentioned, the 29-year-old has settled in extremely well in the Midlands due to being close friends with Douglas Luiz and has socialised with the likes of Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez away from Bodymoor Heath.
That could contribute to his thinking over the coming months, and his performances since returning to England suggest that he would be a major coup for Villa on a full-time deal.
In other news: Villa now set to share details of ‘devastating’ injury to ‘brilliant’ player; Gregg Evans gutted