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.
Shoaib Akhtar is “going through hell” after failing to make it to the World Cup in the Caribbean. He was withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad on fitness grounds a week ago, after failing to recover from knee and hamstring injuries.”I can’t describe it in words what it means to miss an event like the World Cup,” Akhtar, the pace bowler, told AFP. “I am going through hell. I have been waiting for this event for two years and to play in a cricket-loving region like the Caribbean was my dream. Not being able to play in the World Cup is like taking all my dreams away.”Akhtar said he had played only one match in the West Indies in 2000 and was anxious to play because every paceman wanted to do well in the Caribbean, which is known as a fast bowlers’ paradise. Already 31, this is also likely to be his last World Cup, a fact he appeared to confirm. “I wanted to be in the Caribbean and I wanted to help my team win but unfortunately my injury forced me to miss the big event and the chance will never come again.”His new-ball partner Mohammad Asif was also pulled out of the 15-man squad due to an elbow injury, badly hitting Pakistan’s chances in the World Cup. Though injuries remain the official reasons for their withdrawal it is understood that continuing doping-related concerns clinched the issue. The pair tested positive last year for Nandrolone in internal dope tests conducted just before the Champions Trophy got underway, but their bans were eventually overturned, much to the chagrin of the global cricket community.But Akhtar said it was not new that people doubted his injury. “I have always played to the best of my abilities but people have doubted my integrity. My injuries are always doubted as if I am feigning it and I always had to prove that I am unfit. People don’t understand. Why would I not the play the game I love?”He has plans to start training again in two weeks, once the knee injury has healed. “My next target is the Twenty20 World Cup and then we have two good home series against South Africa and Australia, so I will gear up for them.”
Shane Warne’s career-best 7 for 100 could not stop Victoria from being overpowered by Queensland in the top-of-the-table clash at Junction Oval. The Bulls’ lower order rushed to 408 as they chased hosting rights for the final, and by stumps the legspinner Daniel Doran had dismissed the prolific Brad Hodge and Jason Arnberger.Warne has played only 43 Sheffield Shield-Pura Cup matches – Hodge is appearing in his 111th and Matthew Hayden in his 86th – and this was his seventh domestic five-wicket haul. He was the one bowler to trouble Queensland, who added 122 to their overnight 7 for 286, mainly through Andy Bichel and Ashley Noffke.Bichel moved to 436 runs for the season with his unbeaten 76 and he put on 87 for the eighth wicket with Noffke (49). Noffke became the fourth batsman of the innings to fall caught Cameron White bowled Warne, who then collected his seventh victim with the dismissal of Doran for 12. Warne’s previous best figures for his state were 6 for 42 against Western Australia 12 years ago.With a pitch offering little to the fast bowlers, Doran struck the two important blows of Hodge (20) and Arnberger (35) after Michael Kasprowicz collected Lloyd Mash for 37. James Hopes, the Australia one-day allrounder, struck late in the day to dismiss Nick Jewell and the Bushrangers ended at 4 for 155.
Guyana pushed home the advantage on the second day of their Carib Beer Cup match against Leeward Islands. Shivnarine Chanderpaul made sure his good form counted, going from an overnight 118 not out to 194. He was given good support by Neil McGarrell, who made 84 at No. 8. With these two contributions leading the way Guyana reached 448. In response Leeward Islands reached 82 for 1 at the end of the second day. ScorecardJamaica made Windward Islands pay for a first-innings batting failure as they piled on 385 for 4 in response to 212 and secured a lead of 173 at the end of the second day’s play. Chris Gayle helped himself to 88 at the top of the order but it was Marlon Samuels who read the scoring charts with an unbeaten 130. Carlton Baugh, the diminutive wicketkeeper, chipped in with a vital unbeaten 76 in the lower order. ScorecardBarbados eked out a 59-run lead against Trinidad & Tobago at the end of the second day of their Carib Beer Cup match at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Beginning the day on 6 for no loss, Barbados went to 303 thanks to 113 from Ryan Hinds and 71 from Dale Richards. Merv Dillon was the best of the bowlers for Trinidad & Tobago, and ended with figures of 4 for 47. In their second dig Trinidad & Tobago were put in a spot of bother as Corey Colleymore picked up three wickets with only 47 runs on the board when the day ended.
Reports that the International Cricket Council were going to refuse to pay out monies owed to countries in connection with the World Cup proved unfounded as its executive board meeting in Barbados said that funds would conditionally be handed over.The potentially explosive issue was diffused by some political cunning on the part of Ehsan Mani, president of the ICC. Several countries, spearheaded by India, had been demanding that the ICC hand over payments due from the tournament, but the ICC had been unwilling because of the possibility that it would be sued by the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), its commercial partner in the World Cup, for loss of earnings. The compromise means that the payments will be made, but only if the recipients agree to sign a guarantee that they will return whatever sums are needed by the ICC to settle with the GCC.The meeting also agreed that there would be 16 countries represented at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, with teams divided into four groups of four with each side playing all its matches on the same island. It is expected that up to ten different countries in all, including the USA, will host games.Another area of concern, that of cancelled tours, was also high on the agenda, and the meeting announced that from now on an independent panel will have to be consulted before any tour or match is called off because of player safety.Several such incidents, the most recent being South Africa’s refusal to play a Test against Pakistan following a bomb blast in Karachi, had forced the subject onto the agenda. The panel, which would be advised by a team of security experts appointed by the ICC, would then file a report and if concerns still existed then a consultation process would be undertaken to try and resolve the situation.”Introducing this protocol is a sensible step in dealing with this issue,” explained Mani. “It provides the opportunity for all the parties involved to get a clear and fact-based assessment of the security issues before a decision is made. It recognises the right of each Board to determine when and where its team plays and allows all parties to have their views considered in the decision making process. The ICC will continue to remain independent of the two parties and act as a mediator or facilitator in this consultation process.”The growing power of players was also acknowledged with the ICC’s decision to recognise the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA). From now on FICA will be consulted on various matters including player safety, clothing regulations and the amount of international cricket played. At the moment FICA only covers the interests of players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
It was a humdinger of a match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. Itall boiled down to the final ball and only a fantastic save at thecover point fence ensured that England won the one-dayer by two runs. TheIndians had been agonisingly close to sealing the series but their hopeswere finally doused.
I find it hard to reconcile myself to the manner in which SouravGanguly’s team lost this game. It was brittle batting under pressurethat was to blame for the defeat. Having said that, I was delighted tosee Agarkar make his runs in a pressure-cooker situation. The young manhas had a wretched run of form with the bat in recent times, but onThursday he proved his ability to fight it out when the chips are down.Agarkar nearly pulled off a miraculous last ball win for India withoutmuch support from his partners. Anil Kumble’s dismissal epitomised thedismal batting effort by the senior players in the side. When thesituation demanded a cool head, Kumble threw it all away, playing a rankbad shot to be bowled. I think that Kumble’s downfall cost India thematch. Five of the Indian batsmen gifted their wickets to left-armspinner Ashley Giles, whose bowling was not as menacing as his finalfigures suggested.Whenever India chases a stiff target, they obviously look to Tendulkarto show the way. It is as true as broad daylight that the Indian battingrevolves around the little master. Ganguly is not back to his best, andis finding it difficult to keep the momentum going during the initialphase of his innings. On Thursday, there were shades of the Ganguly weall have come to respect when he played a few scintillating shots offGiles. The Indian skipper, though, failed to stay till the end and seeIndia through to victory.Mohammad Kaif, for his part, gave enough evidence of his talent andtemperament for the shorter version of the game. The same, though, couldnot be said of young off-spinner Sarandeep Singh and there was nodenying the fact that India missed the services of Harbhajan Singh atthe Kotla.What Delhi also proved is that there has to be all-round improvement inthe planning as well as execution, if India are to seal the series.The England game plan, meanwhile, clearly revolved around taking quicksingles, knowing, as they did only too well, the limitations of theIndian ground fielding. Nick Knight played a brilliant hand and was wellsupported by Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain. As I have beenwriting in my columns, it is important for Andrew Flintoff to contributea few valuable runs to the English cause. The beefy all-rounder’sexplosive half century played a major part in the English win.
With the series currently 3-2 in India’s favour, it might be a shrewdmove for England to bring Graham Thorpe in at number three. Hussain’sattacking instincts should also help his resurgent side as they pursue aseries levelling win at Mumbai. I have a gut feeling that the Englishfast bowlers might cherish the opportunity to bowl at the WankhedeStadium which offers greater bounce than the wickets at Kanpur and NewDelhi.At the back of their mind, however, would be the thought that SachinTendulkar would be hoping to please his home crowd.
Bihar surprised fancied Andhra Pradesh, who finished third last year,by nine wickets in the quarterfinal of the CricInfo Trophy SeniorWomen’s National Cricket Championship at the Gymkhana Ground in Jorhaton Tuesday.Chasing a paltry 45 for victory, Bihar reached the target in 15.4overs. They lost Neetu Singh (3) with five runs on the board, but theother opener Kamini Kumari (5) and Geeta Samantrai (26) finished thematch quickly in Bihar’s favour.Earlier, electing to bat, Andhra Pradesh caved in meekly and were allout for 44 in 32.4 overs with only Sree Rekha (13) reaching doublefigures. Bihar’s Kavita Roy (2 for 9), Sanjeeda (2 for 12) and AshaKumari (2 for 2) ran through the Andhra side.
ScorecardNorth Zone wilted in their chase of 242 against West Zone, crashing to 121 inside 36 overs in Visakhapatnam. Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma struck half-centuries for West, before the seamers dictated terms. Only three of North’s specialist batsmen managed to get past double figures, with Rajat Bhatia top scoring with 35.North had immediate success after choosing to field first as seamer Manpreet Gony sent back Yusuf Pathan in the first over before claiming Ajinkya Rahane in the seventh. Jaffer and Rohit combined to add a brisk 138 for the third wicket at just over five runs an over. A double-strike brought North back into the match as Jaffer fell for 64 to the legspinner Amit Mishra, and Rohit followed suit for 78, stumped off Bhatia. Rohit was the more aggressive of the pair – his 78 coming off 97 balls with nine fours and two sixes – while Jaffer’s 64 came off 92 balls with seven fours.The middle and lower order failed to build on after making starts as Sehwag and Gony chipped away at the wickets. Gony finished with 4 for 35 off ten overs while Sehwag managed his four-wicket haul in less than three.Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel picked up early wickets to leave North at an embarrassing 2 for 3. Besides the partnership of 46 between Virat Kohli and Bhatia for the fifth wicket, there was no resistance to speak of as North lost wickets at regular intervals. Munaf dismissed Bhatia for 35 while Iqbal Abdulla and Abhishek Nayar took two wickets each to seal the deal.
When former Leeds United academy starlet Lewis Cook emerged on the scene at Thorp Arch, then manager Dave Hockaday raved about the teenage talent, saying: “if you chopped Lewis’ head off and put an older head on his shoulders, you wouldn’t be surprised”.
It was Hockaday who handed the midfielder his debut and first start for Leeds before he left the club, and Whites fans would surely have been thankful for seeing one of their own being given a genuine opportunity.
After eventually making 85 senior appearances for the Yorkshire club, Leeds eventually cashed in on their young prodigy, with Bournemouth paying a fee rising to £10m to lure him away from Elland Road back in the summer of 2016.
Despite being dubbed as a “special talent” by former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, Cook’s time at the Vitality Stadium has been absolutely marred by a wretched record of injuries – indeed, earlier last year, he suffered another long-term knee injury which kept him out of first team for the best part of 2021
It’s all meant that the midfielder has played just 140 times for the south coast club in his six years there, and new Bournemouth manager Scott Parker admitted he could empathise with the now 25-year-old.
He said: “I was a player a little while ago and I realise during injuries they’re the worst moments really, when you feel really low. Certainly long-term ones and to go and do the same injury like Lewis has, psychologically that probably would’ve been a big blow for him in that sense.
“I think I see that where he is currently as well. I’m sure it’s been some tough moments for Lewis, just in the nature of two injuries and long-term like they’ve been. But I’ve certainly been impressed with him where he is.”
Cook’s return in the back end of 2021 has coincided with an improved run of form for Bournemouth that has seen them firmly in the mix for an automatic promotion place, lying in second in the Championship at the moment.
The midfielder himself has now played 20 games in all competitions this season, becoming much more of a regular fixture in Parker’s starting line-up.
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But while Cook is now finally beginning to rebuild his career, Leeds will no doubt feel they cashed in on the former England international at exactly the right time.
AND in other news – Leeds must finally offload £15k-p/w outcast who last played at Elland Road in 2018
Rajshahi were in trouble from the start in Rajshahi after being put in by Khulna and lost their prolific duo Jahurul Islam and Farhad Hossain with 6 on the board. It didn’t get any better for them and despite opener Shakil Haider’s 61 they were all out for 188 after tea with Khulna’s quick bowlers and spinners all getting among the wickets. Khulna, now without captain Habibul Bashar who left for New Zealand to join the Test squad, also found batting difficult and ended day one on 21 for 2. Against the seam bowling of Delwar Hossain and the part-time spin of Farhad Hossain they crumbled before declaring at 151 for 9 to deny the home team the bowling bonus point. Rajshahi were firmly back in the match and with half centuries from Jahurul (61) and Anisur Rahman (64) and a plucky 48 from captain Khaled Mashud they set Khulna a challenging 322. The visitors required 266 on the final day and Mostafizur Rahman (57) and Jamaluddin (87) gave them hope before Saqlain Sajib, the left-arm spinner, ran through the order with 6 for 101 and ended a last-wicket stand that yielded 55 and pulled Khulna within 29 runs.Chittagong decided to bat in Chittagong and were ruing the decision at tea when they were bundled out for 98 by Dhaka. Paceman Mohammad Sharif took 3 for 11 and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny returned 3 for 28 to usher the Chittagong collapse. But Dhaka had too many cameos and not enough substance for comfort from the top order and seemingly squandered the advantage when the struggled at 212 for 8. It took an uncharacteristically steady 95 not out from No. 9 Nazmul Hossain Milon, who comes with the reputation of a six-hitter, to carry Dhaka to 316. Chittagong looked dead and buried when they finished the second day on 26 for 3 in their second innings but day three was a different story. Opener Masumud Dowla reached his first hundred of the season just before stumps and was involved in a 140-run fourth-wicket stand with Nazimuddin (80) in a Chittagong effort of 259 for 4. The next day Dowla (118) and captain Ehsanul Haque (117) stretched their fifth-wicket partnership to 196 and left Dhaka with just under a session to get an improbable 219. Dhaka batted for 21.4 overs and made 130 for 4.In Bogra Barisal took the field without captain Shahariar Nafees and pace spearhead Sajedul Islam, both on national duty, and Sajedul’s new-ball partner Talha Jubair who also had to pull out but it mattered little as they swept to an-innings-and 34-run win against Sylhet. Put in on a rain-interrupted first day Sylhet were on the back foot at 149 for 8 by close. Sylhet limped to 183 and Barisal were in charge when they finished the second day on 118 for 2. It became even better for them as Nasiruddin Faruque (77), Hannan Sarker (70), Imran Ahmed (70 not out) and Abul Bashar (82 not out) dominated the poor Sylhet bowling before stand-in captain Imran declared on 383 for 5. In the six overs available on day three Sylhet had lost 2 for 4. Imtiaz Hossain and Golam Mabud both made 57 but Sylhet were blown away on the last day for 155 giving Barisal a resounding innings-and-34-run win.
Team
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
Draw
Aban
Pts
Khulna Division
9
2
1
0
6
0
96
Rajshahi Div
9
5
2
0
2
0
94
Dhaka Division
9
3
1
0
5
0
87
Chittagong D
9
3
2
0
4
0
83
Barisal Division
9
3
5
0
1
0
75
Sylhet Division
9
0
5
0
4
0
53
NCL One-Day
With Rajshahi already securing the title the only interest remaining was with who would finish second. The champions elected to bat at Rajshahi but found Khulna too hot to handle as Ziaur Rahman (4 for 39), Monjurul Islam (2 for 32) and Robiul Islam (4 for 7) ripped through their batting order. Rajshahi were bundled out for 79 and Khulna eased home in 23 overs with six wickets in hand.Dhaka joined Khulna on 10 points after an exciting one-run victory against Chittagong in Chittagong. Sent in Dhaka managed 248 for 8 with No. 3 Mosharaf Hossain making 51 and useful contributions coming from Mahmudullah Riyad (45), Anwar Hossain (41) and Nadif Chowdhury (39). Chittagong were cruising towards the target with Nazimuddin (51) and Faisal Hossain leading the way before Mohammad Sharif (4 for 44) decided to step in. With Chittagong on 232 for 4 in 46 overs Sharif removed Dhiman Ghosh with the first ball of the 47th over. In his next over Sharif bowled Faisal for 86 and had Rezaul Karim lbw off successive deliveries before running out Mohammad Younus off the penultimate ball of the match.Alok Kapali’s 80 was the only innings of note in Sylhet’s 207 against Barisal at Bogra. Raquibul Hasan’s 78 and Arafat Salahuddin’s 57 kept Barisal on track before they made a hash of the chase and lost the last three wickets on 195.Player of the week – Arafat Salahuddin (Barisal)In the four-dayer Arafat’s bowling was instrumental in his team’s thumping win against Sylhet. Bowling his outswingers with great control he returned match figures of 8 for 92. Arafat was even more influential in the one-dayer where he took three wickets and then made a battling 57 albeit in a lost cause.