Scorecard A consistent batting performance, led by Graeme Hick, put Worcestershire in a promising position, although they were made to work by the Derbyshire attack who fought back well during the latter part of the day. A second wicket stand of 120 between Hick and Stephen Peters enable the visitors to reach 150 for 1 before three wickets fell for 25 runs during the afternoon session. That included Vikram Solanki, the new captain, who was bowled for a duck by Graeme Welch. But an aggressive 47 from Gareth Batty and obdurate 48 from Ben Smith meant the good start was not completely squandered. Welch was the pick of the attack, working his way through 22 overs for his 2 for 51. The oddest dismissal of the day was that of Stephen Moore who held his defensive pose during a shout for leg-before,, oblivious to Jon Moss who sneaked in behind him and ran him out. Scorecard Will Jefferson put the Yorkshire attack to the sword to make them regret their decision to field first. Jefferson, who was unlucky not to get an Academy place over the winter after averaging 52 in 2004, hit 24 fours in his 219-ball innings, until succumbing to the part time medium-pace of Michael Lumb three balls before bad light stopped play. It was his third Championship hundred in a row, after finishing last season with two consecutive tons and marked him out as another young Essex batsman of great potential. He had two early let-offs – he should have been easily run out on 0 but Richard Dawson missed the stumps from ten feet with Jefferson stranded, and then he was dropped by Chris Silverwood when on 6. Grant Flower was much more restrained, but played a valuable supporting role with a battling 55 off 203 balls. Alastair Cook, after his superb performance for MCC, fell for just 11 this time when he was caught behind off Ian Harvey. Scorecard After Muttiah Muralitharan failed a fitness test on his shoulder, Lancashire’s batsmen wasted a series of solid starts as Somerset showed it will be a hard fight to get of the second division and justified Marcus Trescothick’s decision to bowl first on a slow pitch which did a bit. The top five all played themselves in but could not convert into a really sizable score. Mal Loye struck nine fours in his 53 and Stuart Law reached 38 until he was undone by Andy Caddick. Loye’s dismissal triggered a slide in which four wickets fell 15 overs before Mark Chilton, the new captain, took the total past 200 before falling to Ian Blackwell late in the day but Dominic Cork played a useful innings to boost the Lancashire total. Scorecard Mike Hussey showed that a change of county has done nothing to quell his thirst for runs. He put Durham into a strong position by hitting a century on his county debut – and the first Championship ton of the season – sharing stands of 93 with Jon Lewis and 166 with former England U-19 batsman Gordon Muchall. Paul Collingwood missed the chance to impress the England selectors when he was caught off Ottis Gibson. Leicestershire’s bowlers struggled to make an impression – their new-ball pair of Gibson (36) and Phil DeFreitas (39) are hardly an advertisement for youth cricket – although Gibson worked hard through 30 overs and Claude Henderson did his best to keep a lid on the scoring rate with his left-arm spin.
The Indian delegation: satisfied with arrangements
The three-member BCCI team, currently in Pakistan to assess the security measures taken for the Indian cricket team’s tour in March, expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made after visiting the stadium in Peshawar.”We are satisfied with the (security) measures being planned by Pakistan,” said Ratnakar Shetty, joint secretary of the BCCI. He, along with Yashovardhan Azad, the Inspector General of Police, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Amrit Mathur, the BCCI media manager, will do the rounds of the venues in Pakistan, with special attention paid to security and the facilities available.Meanwhile, Tasneem Noorani, a secretary in Pakistan’s interior ministry, said that the Pakistani government was not aware of any specific threats issues against Indian cricketers. Reacting to news reports that Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly faced death threats from certain militant groups, Noorani said he was unaware of such a thing.”It appears that concerns were due to threats they might have received in the past,” he said. “There are no known threats from any of the groups. The whole thing is being exaggerated. It appears that someone is out to give ideas to unwanted elements.”No dates have yet to be announced for the tour, though it has been suggested that Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar will host the three Tests.
Officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board are expected to seek compensation from the government if they bow to pressure not to play their World Cup match in Zimbabwe.Several members of the government, including the Prime Minister, have called on the ECB to boycott their match against Zimbabwe, which is due to take place in Harare on February 13, as a protest against President Robert Mugabe’s regime and its record of alleged human rights violations.The ECB’s chief executive, Tim Lamb, has asked for an urgent meeting with the government to seek a solution to the matter. The Board faces huge financial penalties from the International Cricket Council if they refuse to take part in the match. It is also possible that Zimbabwe might pull out of their tour to England next summer.”If the ECB finds it is in danger of suffering a severe financial loss as a result of breaking its contract, or if there is any threat to our internationalprogramme next summer because of any retaliatory action on the part of theZimbabwe Cricket Union or the Zimbabwe Government, we want to make sure thatwe’ll be fully indemnified for going along with the Government’s wishes,” Lamb said today.”We haven’t had any direct discussions with the Government on this issue, butI’m quite sure during the discussions that we will be raising the potentialfinancial and contractual ramifications of us not playing the fixture.””What the politicians don’t seem to appreciate is that there are some quiteserious financial and contractual, as well as cricketing, ramifications of ournot fulfilling our commitment to play our World Cup fixture.”Quite apart from the obvious point that we would forfeit the two points if we don’t show up for any reason other than safety and security concerns, which from a cricketing point of view would be a huge disadvantage, I can’t rule outthe possibility that the ECB would have to pay substantial compensation to theICC or their commercial partners.”I’m certainly not an apologist for the regime in Zimbabwe, but we don’t believe it’s up to us as a sporting body to make political or moral judgements about regimes in different parts of the world. It’s quite clear no official economic or sporting sanctions have been applied to Zimbabwe either by the British Government or internationally.”If the regime is so repugnant, as many politicians are saying, then why hasn’t Britain cut off diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe, why haven’t sanctions been applied to Zimbabwe, and why is cricket regarded as an activity that has to make a gesture which will have potentially severe financial consequences on the game of cricket, internationally and domestically?”We believe it is unjustified and unfair for cricket to be singled out in this way and the people who will most be damaged by this is the Zimbabwe cricketcommunity.”The new chairman of the ECB, David Morgan, told the BBC this morning that he believes England’s match against Zimbabwe in Harare on on February 13 will go ahead.”I think it is probable that we will play the match,” said Morgan, who takes over in his new role tomorrow.Asked if he thought Government compensation was likely if England pulled out of the Zimbabwe match, and if Zimbabwe refused to tour England next summer, Morgan replied: “Probably not, but it isn’t just finance that is important. The World Cup has a schedule of matches that has been in place for a year, based on matches taking place in three countries – South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe.”
Punjab beat Haryana by five wickets at the Harbax Singh Stadium at Delhi toclaim two points in the Ranji One-Day championship. Winning the toss andopting to bat first, Haryana saw their best laid plans go wrong. Able tomuster just 203 before they were all out in 48.3 overs, the Haryana sidecould not stop the rampaging Punjab side. All the Punjab bowlers were amongthe wickets, with Harbhajan Singh (3/29) returning the best figures.In response to the modest total, Punjab suffered an early loss as SandeepSharma was dismissed with the score on 43. Skipper Vikram Rathour (49) andstumper Pankaj Dharmani (55) then forged a 64 run partnership that putPunjab in the driver’s seat. Although a few more wickets were lost, all theremaining Punjab batsmen chipped in and saw their team through to victoryby five wickets with more than seven overs to spare.
West Brom have seen many players come and go from the club over the past few years on loan spells and permanent deals.
As happens with many teams, some transfers don’t always go according to plan in terms of what happens when they arrive at the club.
One example of a transfer that falls into this category for the Midlands club is their move for defender James Chester back in the 2015 summer window from Hull City for a fee of £8m.
Throughout the 2015/16 season, the Welshman, who was reportedly picking up a weekly wage of £33k-per-week at the Hawthorns, made just 19 appearances across all competitions for the Baggies under Tony Pulis, starting just 14 of them.
Despite predominantly being a centre-back, the 33-year-old only played in his natural position on two occasions, finding himself being deployed on the left and right full-back positions more often than not.
In the 13 league appearances he made in a West Brom shirt, the defender managed to rack up five yellow cards and a rather uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.71 from WhoScored.
With just one season and 54 weeks as a Baggies player to his name, the club moved him on to their Midlands rivals Aston Villa in August 2016 before he then joined Stoke City in 2020, meaning that West Brom wasted a total sum of £9.7m on his transfer fee and weekly wages.
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the club wasted their time and a substantial amount of money on bringing Chester to the Hawthorns, who has since described his time there as “frustrating” due to his lack of regular game time.
Looking back over his disappointing stint with the Baggies, it begs the question of whether things would have been different had he have been given a consistent run in the team playing in his natural position rather than as a full-back every now and again.
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Either way, it’s hard to see the defender as anything other than a rather underwhelming signing from the club, who would have been better off saving their money or using it more wisely on a player better suited for what they needed at the time.
In other news: WBA surely having nightmares over “unbelievable” dynamo whose value has rocketed 2033%
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has downplayed reports of a rift that has emerged between the national selection committee and the team’s management over a number of issues, mostly revolving around the make-up of the team.The schism first emerged on Pakistan’s tour to India, with what appeared initially to be a miscommunication over the identity of a replacement player. The selectors, in apparent agreement with the coach and captain, had initially agreed on calling up Abdur Rauf as replacement for the injured Umar Gul.Having announced it officially during the second Test at Kolkata, the board changed tack later that evening and decided to send Rao Iftikhar Anjum instead. It is now understood that Shoaib Malik, the captain, and coach Geoff Lawson had wanted Iftikhar Anjum all along and convinced the board directly later, thus bypassing the selection committee.Since then, Cricinfo has learnt, there have been continuing disagreements over the playing XI in the current series against Zimbabwe. The selection committee has been keen to use the opportunity to blood new players in various positions. In particular, they were adamant that Nasir Jamshed should make his debut as opener; the team management, as well as Malik were instead eager to use Kamran Akmal as opener and play an extra bowler in place of Shahid Afridi.Before the series began, a heated debate is said to have taken place between Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of selectors, and Geoff Lawson, the coach, over the matter. But as a result of a recent policy shift, it is now the selection committee that decides on the final playing XI during a home series.Jamshed has thus played and made an immediate impact in his first twoODIs. But Pakistan have also appeared a bowler short in both games, struggling to bowl out Zimbabwe with only three specialist bowlers and five realistic bowling options in total.Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, didn’t deny the reports, but sought to play them down instead, claiming them to be nothing more than everyday professional tussles. “Everyone is operating within their sphere of responsibility,” he told reporters in Hyderabad.”Both the selection committee and team management have separately told me in the last few days that they have a good relationship. If they don’t disagree on matters during meetings, what is the point of having these meetings at all? This is healthy debate and not signs of a rift.”Sources close to the matter maintain, however, that the issue is swiftly developing into more than just professional differences in opinion. One source adds that there has been another run-in with Malik following Pakistan’s win in the first ODI at Karachi. The last selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, was widely thought to be little more than a rubber-stamp for Inzamam-ul-Haq’s choices while he was captain, particularly towards the end of its tenure. The current committee, the first in Pakistan’s history to employ full-time, paid selectors, is understandably keen to avoid a similar situation with Malik and eager to assert its authority.Ashraf also played down the contents of a report by manager Talat Ali following the tour to India, in which, according to a couple of local newspapers, the contributions of Younis Khan, Gul and Shoaib Akhtar have come under fire. The report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the board’s governing committee in Karachi on January 25.”We expect everybody to give an honest opinion in a respectful way,” said Ashraf. “We expect the manager and the coach to do this in their reports. The governing board is looking at the issue and the report will be discussed professionally. The idea of these reports is not to apportion blame but to learn from mistakes on future tours.”
Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, has refused to be drawn in to speculating about the World Cup pitches, most of which have been relaid for the tournament beginning on March 13, and has said that his team was “fully equipped” to deal with any conditions.India, he asserted, were motivated more towards winning their matches. “I don’t want to go there [to the Caribbean] with any pre-conceived ideas that wickets will be slow or fast. I believe that we’ve got the team that can do well in all conditions if we play to our potential,” he told reporters.Dravid said that the Indian team had the talent to take on the big challenge ahead: “Our chances in the World Cup are good. Hope we play to our potential. We have the talent and it’s only a question of our performance now. [The] World Cup is a unique event. If you get on a bit of a roll there you can crack whatever the opposition you are facing like we did the last time. It’s a question of performance in the two months that matters”.Questioned about a certain lackadaisical attitude in the side, Dravid replied: “Honesty is the best way to get the message across to a non-performer. I think we’ve to be honest to people. Not that we’re trying to find a solution for them. We always believe that we try to make every one a better player”.
England kick off their tour of India tomorrow with a three-day warm-up game at Mumbai and Andrew Flintoff says he’s now better equipped to play spin than he was on his last tour here in 2001-02.Flintoff aggregated just 26 runs in five Test innings on his previous tour and was dismissed by a spinner each time. “When I came in 2002, I had just got back into the England side. My bowling improved no end but the batting didn’t quite go according to plan. I think now I’ve got a better knowledge of my game,” he told reporters at the team hotel in Mumbai.”I’ve got a basic technique and method of playing now which I trust, slightly more patient and my shot selection is a lot better than it used to be. It’s by no means perfect but I feel I approach an innings or even practice a lot better. Yes, I’ll be keen to score a few more runs than I did last time. Twenty six won’t be too hard to beat.”Though he failed with the bat, as a bowler Flintoff matured in India. Prior to the 2002 tour, Flintoff averaged 66.42 per wicket and though he took just six wickets in three Tests in India, he conceded just 2.05 runs an over and since then, he averages 30.42. “Before I used to just run in and bowl quite negatively, just trying to bowl maidens and keep the runs down. Although I did that a little bit out here, I think in Bangalore I came in and bowled and took wickets and from there I think I kicked on as a bowler.”Citing how England had a varied and complete pace attack, Flintoff downplayed the absence of a proven spinner in their squad. “There’s the swing of Hoggard, the pace, bounce and movement of Harmison. We’ve got Simon Jones who is able to swing the new ball and reverse the old one and then what I do. So I think on the seam front we’ve got most bases covered. And on the spin front, you know we’ll have to wait and see, we have got two left-arm spinners and an offspinner. We’ve got every confidence in them as a side. And so we’ll just have to see what happens over the next few weeks.”
England last toured India in December when it is relatively cooler across the country but this tour coincides with the onset of the summer. “Coming from England where it is minus 2 to 38-40 degrees, it’s a bit of a shock,” said Flintoff. “But if you look at the side, I think most of us have played in conditions like this before. We’ve played in Sri Lanka, where in places like Galle and Colombo it’s 40-45 degrees so after the initial shock you kind of get used to it. We have been training now for five to six weeks, getting ready for the tough conditions ahead of us. So it might be uncomfortable but I don’t see it as a major problem.”England lost Andrew Strauss for the third Test in Pakistan in December 2005 because his wife was giving birth and they could face a similar situation with Flintoff in India. “My wife is four weeks away from giving birth again. It’s something I intend to be home for. But as I said before, with Holly, she was a month early so there is no plan at this stage. It could happen anytime. If it is halfway through the first Test match there is not a great deal I can do. I am not making any major plans at this stage. I’m going to see what happens.”England take on the CCI President’s XI tomorrow and will return to Mumbai for the final Test against India. The city will remember Flintoff for his shirt-waving celebration after his three-wicket burst in the final ODI helped England level the series. “It’s an amazing place to play. It was a one-day game, the last of six. I think I had a ten-second moment of madness. Coming back out here is great. Playing in front of 70000 people in a ODI was a great thrill. It’s a great place to be. It’s a great place to play cricket.”
Warriors 137 for 6 (Henderson 52) beat Lions 136 for 5 (van Jaarsveld 55) by 4 wickets Scorecard Tyron Henderson took the Warriors to their first PRO20 Series win of the season when they narrowly beat the log leaders, the Lions, by four wickets at Buffalo Port in Port Elizabeth.Sent in to bat the Lions innings never gained the momentum it required despite a quick 55 off 29 balls from Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Mfuneko Ngam and Robin Peterson, with two wickets each, were instrumental in keeping the pressure on the batsmen.Chasing a target of 137 nearly proved too much for the Warriors as they lost three wickets in the first five overs. Henderson’s 50 got them back on track while Pieter Strydom took them to the win in the 20th over.Eagles 132 for 2 (van Wyk 80*) beat Western Province Boland 129 for 8 (Tsolekile 52, Deacon 3-16) by 8 wickets ScorecardAt Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein Morne van Wyk played a captains innings for the Eagles as Western Province Boland again failed to impress, losing by eight wickets.Thami Tsolekile was the only WPBOL batsmen to come to terms with the Eagles bowlers, as he scored 52 out of a total of 129. The top order had failed miserably having been 10 for 4 after four overs.With a relatively small target of 130 the Eagles paced their innings well to score the winning runs with two balls to spare. Van Wyk was in a class of his own as he batted through the innings for his 80 off 69 balls.
Craig Wishart will undergo an MRI scan at Adelaide on Tuesday to determine the extent of damage to his knee after injuring it in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match against Western Australia at Perth. Wishart twisted his left knee while batting and was unable to resume his innings.Brad Robinson, the Zimbabwean physiotherapist, said that the extent of damage would be known only after the scan. "At the moment the knee is swollen and sore and Craig has trouble putting weight on the joint. He had surgery to repair a torn cartilage in the same knee about five years ago but at this stage we cannot determine if this is a related injury or something entirely different."Zimbabwe play their third warm-up game, against Australia A, on January 7 at Adelaide, before starting their VB Series campaign with a match against Australia on January 11.