The 2008 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture will be delivered by Desmond Tutu.A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, Tutu will become the eighth Cowdrey Lecturer when he speaks at Lord’s on Tuesday June 10, the second South African to be invited to speak at the event and the first lecturer to be drawn from outside the circle of international cricket.The MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture was inaugurated in 2001 in memory of the late Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, a former president of MCC, who, together with another former president, Ted Dexter, was instrumental in the Spirit of Cricket being included as the Preamble to the 2000 Code of the Laws of Cricket.Tutu rose to prominence in the 1980s with his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in South Africa. As the chairman of the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), Tutu led a formidable crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was recognised in 1984, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, following a short stint as the Bishop of Johannesburg, Tutu was elected the first black Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, an office he held until his retirement in 1996 (he now serves as Archbishop Emeritus). In 1996, he was appointed by Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the body set up to probe gross human rights violations during apartheid. Following the presentation of the Commission’s report in October 1998, Dr Tutu has served as a visiting professor at several overseas universities and has been awarded over 50 honorary degrees from academic institutions around the world. He has published several books and collections of sermons and is widely known as a cricketing enthusiast.”Tutu is revered around the world as a moral voice and someone who speaks with gravitas on a range of issues,” Keith Bradshaw, the MCC’s secretary, said. “He’s an inspirational man who has spent a lifetime speaking out for truth and justice and I am sure that his views on the game – and the Spirit of Cricket in particular – will be hugely interesting to cricket followers around the world.”Over 500 invited guests and Members of MCC, together with many eminent figures from the cricket world, will gather in the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s to hear the lecture.
John Wright, the former New Zealand opener and India coach, is strongly tipped to become Tim Nielsen’s replacement as the head coach at the Centre of Excellence. reported that Wright was a late entrant in the race for the Brisbane-based role.The paper said that two weeks ago, Cricket Australia (CA) had trimmed their list down to Trevor Bayliss, the New South Wales mentor, and Tim Coyle, who guided Tasmania to the Pura Cup this year. However, Bayliss has reportedly dropped out of the race so he can stay with the Blues, while Coyle was crossed off the list last week.Wright was spotted in Brisbane speaking to CA officials around the time Coyle was eliminated. If he is given the nod, he will also take over as the coach of Australia A.Wright coached Kent from 1997 to 2000 and India from 2000 to 2005. He was considered a candidate for the vacant Pakistan and Sri Lanka positions but has apparently ruled himself out of the race to replace Tom Moody at Sri Lanka.
Michael Vaughan quietened speculation over his fitness and knee injury with a match-winning 67 for Yorkshire, in his first match since undergoing surgery on his right knee just before Christmas last year. Although it was an encouraging comeback for Vaughan, he remained understandably cautious over making any grand statements about his availability for England.Vaughan withdrew from England’s tour of India and, ever since, speculation over his availability for England this summer – not to mention his future as a Test batsman – has been rife, with ambiguous reports from physiotherapists, former players and coaches confusing matters. For the time being, at least, he appears to have come through his first serious test with flying colours.His run-a-ball 67 led Yorkshire to a convincing six-wicket win over Scotland in their C&G Trophy match at Headingley. Yorkshire were set a revised target of 158 from a maximum of 30 overs, and Vaughan was soon at the crease when Matthew Wood fell for just nine. After getting off the mark with a quick single, he soon found his touch, creaming nine fours and a huge six off Dewald Nel which sailed into the West Stand. Though he fell to an astonishing catch by Gavin Hamilton, his former team-mate at Yorkshire, Matthew Lumb and Anthony McGrath saw Yorkshire home comfortably with three overs to spare.Despite the encouraging news, Vaughan remained cautious at setting a date for his return to England colours. “I must stress that this is the beginning – I won’t be playing for England on Friday,” he said. “I need to get through a few games to test it out thoroughly over a two or three-week period.”I’ll try to play all the games I can for Yorkshire and see how it reacts to some four-day cricket. I felt good. In my own mind I’ve been confident over the last two weeks,” he said. “I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to then have another setback. I kept very quiet and told all the team who were helping me to keep quiet.”I wouldn’t have played today if I didn’t think I could do a good job for Yorkshire. You have to give this game a lot of respect. I’ve felt in tremendous form with my batting, doing a lot in the nets,” he admitted. “You know it’s only nets and you have to produce it in the middle. But I felt as good as I have done for a long time in the middle today.”His next match, assuming there are no adverse reactions to today’s game, is Yorkshire’s Championship game against Hampshire on Wednesday – against none other than Shane Warne, the Hampshire captain.
The 13 striking players have been left out of the seven-man squad for next month’s Hong Kong International Sixes.The board chose to stick with the players who at the weekend secured the draw which put Kenya through to the Intercontinental Cup semi-finals.Kenya squad Hitesh Modi (capt), Ravindu Shah, Rageb Aga, Lameck Onyango, Rajesh Bhudia, Kalpesh Patel and Abeed Janmohamed.
The four “rebel” Zimbabwean cricketers selected for the first Test against Sri Lanka, which starts at Harare on Thursday, have pulled out of the match after the Zimbabwe Cricket Union refused a request from the 15 disaffected players for independent arbitration.Heath Streak, Trevor Gripper, Sean Ervine and Ray Price had been named in a 17-man squad, but their decision to withdraw left Zimbabwe with a squad of only 13 to choose from. Mark Vermeulen and Vusumuzi Sibanda were later omitted from the final eleven – Vermeulen being ruled out on medical advice.”The ZCU did not accept our proposals and we do not accept theirs,” said Grant Flower, one of those to have initiated the boycott in April. “There is simply no agreement, and on that basis the four chosen for the squad are withdrawing. They have fully agreed to that.”Vince Hogg, the ZCU’s chief executive, said: “I am extremely disappointed by their decision. It is very sad that it has come to this.”With Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart and Andy Blignaut not considered for the squad, Zimbabwe now face the harrowing prospect of going into the Test series with more or less the same side that was routed 5-0 in the one-day series.”We’re back to square one, we are boycotting again,” said an unnamed player earlier, after they threw out the ZCU’s offer of non-binding mediation. “In effect, we’ve had three weeks of mediation, and we believe arbitration is the only route. We’re meeting at 10am tomorrow [0800 GMT on Wednesday] to write what will hopefully be our final letter, to say we’re rejecting this.”The players had resumed training as an act of good faith, and Streak – Zimbabwe’s former captain – had declared his willingness to play if the ZCU acceded to the rebels’ requests. But according to a report in The Guardian in London, a source was quoted as saying that the board was not going to be seen to be “bowing down to a bunch of whites – their egos won’t let them”.”It was unnegotiable that this matter had to go to arbitration to give it the seriousness and the respect it deserves,” said Chris Venturas, the lawyer representing the players. “Mediation doesn’t assist in any way. Regrettably, [the ZCU] feel they will pacify us with a mediation process. Even if the mediator finds in our favour on all three points, the ZCU don’t have to abide by his ruling.”The players have made it clear that they do not trust the ZCU to honour any assurances it gives. They have been given until May 7 – the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka – to end their boycott, but face being fired if they are still holding out at that time.”Most of us are almost at the point where we wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they just fired us,” one of the players is quoted as saying. “We’re not getting through to these guys. If they say they want to mediate, maybe they think we’re bloody fools. They’re just not getting us. Mediation is going to take another three weeks, and Zimbabwe cricket can’t afford that.”We’re all sick of this, but we’re standing strong together. It’s very simple: arbitration with those three points and we’re all back.”Zimbabwe team for first Test 1 Dion Ebrahim, 2 Brendan Taylor, 3 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 4 Tatenda Taibu (capt and wk), 5 Elton Chigumbura, 6 Alester Maregwede, 7 Prosper Utseya, 8 Mluleki Nkala, 9 Blessing Mahwire, 10 Douglas Hondo, 11 Tinashe Panyangara.
Bayswater-Morley captain Chris Mason capped a stellar season when he was crowned the WACA Pennant Competition’s Olley Cooley Medallist.In West Australian cricket’s ‘Brownlow Medal’ equivalent, Mason was named the fairest and best player in Perth’s premier cricket competition.Mason streaked clear of the field with 23 votes, well ahead of his nearest rival, Midland-Guildford’s Peter Worthington with 18.Mason was the league’s most damaging all-rounder. He made 656 runs at the excellent average of 54.67 (fourth best in the league) with two centuries and four fifties.He claimed 31 wickets at the sterling average of 12 (third best in the league) with best figures of 5-7.The 27-year-old’s Bayswater team was unbeaten during the first half of the season thanks to his match-winning form.He polled votes in nine out of 15 rounds and secured top votes on six occasions. Voting is done on a 3-2-1 basis.Western Warriors’ squad member Worthington earnt a first-class debut on the basis of his excellent form.He was second in the batting averages with 686 runs at an average of 57.16. He took 27 wickets at 23.03 with a best effort of 6-53.Subiaco-Floreat’s Steven Glew polled 13 votes and was the competition leading run-scorer with 883 runs at 55.19, including two centuries and five scores over 50.Joe Barnes, from Claremont-Nedlands, took the most wickets with 54 at 15.87 apiece. He polled 13 votes.Leader Board: 23 Chris Mason – Bayswater-Morley 18 Peter Worthington – Midland-Guildford 15 Dimitri Mascarenhas – Melville 15 Callum Thorp – Wanneroo 14 Steven Glew – Subiaco-Floreat 13 Joe Barnes – Claremont-Nedlands 13 Darren Maddy – Perth 13 Sam Howman – Subiaco-Floreat Olley Cooley was a senior WACA umpire in the post-war period. He umpired in 49 first class matches and was regarded by former Australian Test captain Richie Benaud as the best umpire WA ever produced.Bayswater-Morley’s Brett Johnson, with 19 votes, won the J.P. Robbins Medal for fairest and best in second grade.Paul McKenzie, with 14 votes from South Perth, won the Albert Richings Medal for best and fairest in third grade.Richard Catlin (15 votes) from Subiaco-Floreat won the Allan Mackley Medal for fairest and best in fourth grade.
Dominic Cork was taken to hospital for a precautionary x-ray after being hit on the finger while batting in the nets.The England all-rounder was hit by a beamer from a local net bowler on his left index finger, and was taken to hospital after a inspection from the team physio, Dean Conway.”Everything seemed pretty straight but you never know about these things, there could be a hairline fracture so we sent him off for an x-ray,” Conway explained.”We will have to check on it tomorrow before the game but we are hopeful it is only bruising and he will be able to play.”England will be awaiting news of Cork’s finger anxiously. They already have several injury worries with just two weeks to go before the start of the Ashes series.Conway also revealed the current situation with Graham Thorpe, Nasser Hussain, Ashley Giles and Craig White.”He’s continuing with his treatment and slowly rehabilitating and he will not be fit for Thursday,” Conway said about Thorpe. “With the start of the Ashes so close we’re looking at him to get enough cricket in before the first Test but we will have to review that on a day-to-day basis. We are trying to be careful with him so he doesn’t do too much too soon and suffer a setback."Of Hussain Conway said: “He’s practised and fielded and the plan is for him to carry on with that when he joins up with Essex at Old Trafford.”Hussain batted in the nets today. “He’s had one or two throw-downs and one very easy net so far but this was his first proper practice against top-class bowling,” Conway explained. “He’s progressing really well but we’re also trying to hold him back a little so he doesn’t do too much too soon.”Conway described White and Giles as “progressing nicely” and stated that: “we are hopeful of having a fully-fit squad to choose from when we assemble for the first Test.”
Ruben Amorim will have some interesting selection choices ahead of Manchester United’s post-Christmas fixtures.
The Red Devils lost their last game before Christmas Day, a 2-1 defeat away to Aston Villa. That game saw Bruno Fernandes pick up a hamstring injury, which will rule him out of the Boxing Day game against Newcastle.
United are certainly short on numbers in the middle of the park. Fernandes is not the only midfielder sidelined, with question marks over Kobbie Mainoo’s availability against the Magpies. It seems a guarantee that Casemiro will start, with the Brazilian set to return from suspension.
Who his partner will be is unclear at this stage, although there is no guarantee it will be Manuel Ugarte.
Why Ugarte is struggling at Man Utd
Uruguay international Ugarte has far from impressed at Old Trafford since his £50m move from Paris Saint-Germain. His last seven starts in the Premier League have all ended in defeat for United, including Sunday’s trip to Villa Park.
That was a showing that journalist Samuel Luckhurst described as “scandalous,” harsh words, maybe, but it was a poor performance.
He hasn’t ever been able to nail down a spot in the side, playing 57 times in total, but only averaging 36 full 90-minute games. In that time, the midfielder has chipped in with two goals and six assists.
It is hard to see what Ugarte brings to the United side in possession. That is certainly one of the weakest areas of his game, and something Amorim certainly needs in his pivot to have better central progression.
Indeed, his numbers from the Premier League last season show those limitations. For example, he averaged 3.08 progressive passes and 0.81 progressive carries per 90 minutes, placing him in the lowest 18th and 23rd percentiles for midfielders.
It does not seem like Ugarte is at the level required for this United side, and there could be a young player ready to step into his position in the coming years.
Man United's in-house Ugarte replacement
There are a few options in the Red Devils academy who could replace the United number 25 in the long term. One of those, Jack Fletcher, made his first-team debut last weekend, and Sekou Kone is another player who could break through.
However, another option for Amorim in the long term could be 17-year-old Cristian Orozco. The young midfielder will sign for United next summer for a reported £740k, joining from Colombian outfit Fortaleza.
This signing is certainly an investment for the future for United. The Colombian U17 international is yet to make his first-team debut, but has already garnered a big reputation and become known as something of a “destroyer” in midfield, as one analyst described him.
Another person who has been left impressed by Orozco’s short career so far is football scout Ben Mattinson. He described the youngster as “tidy on the ball” and “composed under pressure.”
Given Ugarte’s limitations in possession, this is undoubtedly a positive thing. If, indeed, the teenager becomes his replacement in the future, it is good to know he has the foundations of a strong midfielder in possession.
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Indeed, you get that impression when looking at some of his numbers from tournament football with Colombia U17s. At the U17 CONMEBOL Championship, he completed an average of 87.4% of his passes per 90 minutes, and averaged 0.8 dribbles at the U17 World Cup.
Orozco key stats at international tournaments
Stat (per 90)
CONMEBOL
U17 World Cup
Chances created
0.8
0.3
Dribbles completed
0.2
0.8
Pass accuracy
87.4%
78.3%
Tackles & interceptions
3.4
3
Aerial duels won
0.6
1
Stats from Sofascore
Of course, there is some time yet before the young midfielder moves to Old Trafford. However, it certainly seems like he has all the tools to make it to the top. United have struggled for depth in midfield, but he certainly has potential.
Whatever Ugarte’s future may be, Orozco might be the player to displace him from the squad and eventually end his United career.
Man Utd star was becoming like Onana, now he's undroppable
This Man Utd star has been impressive in recent weeks, and may now be undroppable.
Twelve months after the death of Bob Woolmer, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has admitted that he will never forget the inspirational coach.”Pakistan cricket will always be indebted to Bob Woolmer for his contribution to the game,” Inzamam told AFP. “I want to forget the tragedies of the World Cup, but I can never forget Bob. He was not only an excellent coach, but also a very good human being.”Woolmer, who had also coached South Africa, was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica on March 18, 2007, just a day after Pakistan had been sensationally knocked out of the World Cup following a shock defeat to Ireland. The tragedy was initially treated as murder but after the biggest manhunt in Jamaican history and following months of wild speculation, an inquest jury in October eventually returned an open verdict on Woolmer’s death.Inzamam was so shattered by the events that he quit one-day cricket in tears immediately after Pakistan’s last game in the World Cup.”He [Woolmer] was helpful to all and very accommodating. He always thought about the team and saw to it that we kept improving,” said Inzamam, who also quit Test cricket in October last year. “After the defeat to Ireland we were all depressed but Bob was trying to console everyone and was trying to convince us that it was just a bad day and things would improve for the team.”He asked me what were my plans. I told him that my mind was not working and we would talk the following day, but that opportunity never came and we got the shocking news of his death.”Mushtaq Ahmed, the former legspinner, said Woolmer was an inspiration for all those he coached. “Bob was successful at county level where he coached Warwickshire, then lifted South Africa and was hoping to build Pakistan into a great team before he met a cruel fate.”The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dedicated their indoor cricket school to Woolmer, which was inaugurated by both the Pakistan and South African teams. “Bob will be remembered in Pakistan cricket and hopefully his legacy will continue,” said PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf. “His memory is still fresh because his contribution to Pakistan cricket was immense.”Both Inzamam and Mushtaq said they were willing to help at Woolmer’s academy in South Africa.”I feel for his family because they are the real sufferers. Whenever they need me to coach at Bob’s academy, I will be more than willing to go,” said Inzamam. “Perhaps through this we can pay back for what he did for Pakistan.”
Sri Lanka’s captain, Mahela Jayawardene, has played down the decision to rest two of his team’s key bowlers during their seven-wicket defeat to Australia. The former World Cup winners, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, were both omitted along with the injured spearhead Lasith Malinga, although Jayawardene insisted the decision had been taken for fitness reasons, rather than tactical ones.”Those two guys have been playing throughout,” Jayawardene said, “and Murali has had a problem with his groin as well – he played with a strap for the last two or three games. Once we realised we’d got the semi-final spot, we realised we needed to give these guys a break. Obviously they have had [fitness] problems over the last six to 12 months, so we had to give them a break in the best interests of the team.”After touring New Zealand at the end of last year, Vaas, 33, rested a sore hamstring during Sri Lanka’s recent tour of India and also missed the team’s warm-up matches against Scotland and New Zealand in Barbados. Murali, who turns 35 on Tuesday, has long operated in spite of a shoulder problem. “You have to play at 100% against Australia,” Jayawardene said. “To play at 50 or 60% is no good for them or the team. We took the decision, but if you think that’s a tactical thing, that’s for you to think.”Up to now we have taken every game very seriously, and this game too. We just had to make a team decision. Obviously Australia haven’t [had a chance to see] Vaas and Murali, but we never thought about it like that. We purely wanted to make sure they didn’t burn out before the key matches.”Jayawardene said the players could be rested again when they face Ireland on Wednesday. “If they want to have a go at Ireland – maybe it won’t be that tough a game – they can easily come back into things,” he said. “But if they feel they need another break we will give them one.”Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, said that he “didn’t care” what tactics or otherwise Sri Lanka had used, but added that the decision to hide Muralitharan from his batsmen was a strange one. “That’s one thing I don’t understand,” he said. “This was a good opportunity for him to have a crack at our batsmen, but it doesn’t worry our batters at all.”We have played him a lot, and we’ve got lots of footage on him, so we know the way he goes about things. We play him as well as anyone around the world anyway. This would have been a good opportunity for him to get stuck into us and take some wickets.”Ponting did not expect New Zealand to employ similar methods in the teams’ final Super Eights game on Friday. “They’ll want to beat us and we’ll want to beat them,” he said. “They’ve got a good record against us of late, having won the three games in New Zealand just before we came away.”These sorts of conditions suit their game-plan. They’ve got guys who play spin bowling and slower bowling pretty well. They’ve got guys that take the pace off the ball and cut the ball a lot in their bowling options. We’d like to think we can improve in the New Zealand game, win it and go into the semis with a whole lot of momentum behind us.”