ScorecardAdam Voges and Peter Worthington made it a day to forget for New South Wales, adding 136 for the seventh wicket, and enabling Western Australia to extend their score past 600, and their lead past 300. The bowling attack, lacklustre and short of bite, could only take one wicket all morning, that of Voges for 128. Worthington battled on to 73, adding 57 for the eighth wicket with Steve Magoffin, who made 29 not out.Taking a lesson from these lower-order batsmen, Greg Mail and Phil Jacques added 112 for the first wicket, but New South Wales lost four quick wickets after that, three of them to Marcus North. They finished the day on 4 for 184, still 118 behind. Jacques had fallen for 73, but Mail was not out on a stodgy 63.
Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP) has named the Australia-A squad, that will play against the Indians, in a three-day game beginning at Hobart, on December 19.Michael Hussey, a Western Australian batsman, will captain the side, which includes representatives from each state, and three Australia A debutants – Paul Rofe and Shaun Tait, from South Australia, and Cameron White, from Victoria.Trevor Hohns, chairman of the NSP, said the team represented a blend of experience and emerging young talent. “With the Australian side being so successful in recent years, it’s difficult for those players on the cusp of selection to break into the national team. The side represents a good mix of senior experience and young talent, and reflects our approach of developing players capable of performing at the international level.”Hohns also added that the selection of Hussey as captain was testament to his impressive start in domestic competitions. He said, “Michael’s a highly thought-of player who has demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities with Western Australia in recent months. He’s an experienced and talented performer, and is widely respected by his playing peers around the country. He’ll no doubt play a role in helping point some of the younger guys in the right direction.”Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has announced that the NSP has reviewed its selection criteria for Australia A’s limited-overs engagements against India and Zimbabwe in January. The selectors have chosen to adopt a youth policy for the two limited-overs games, with a greater emphasis on developing players for the future.Squad 1 Michael Hussey (capt), 2 Michael Clarke, 3 Chris Rogers, 4 Martin Love, 5 Brad Hodge, 6 Cameron White, 7 Wade Seccombe, 8 Matthew Nicholson, 9 Damien Wright, 10 Paul Rofe, 11 Shaun Tait
Karachi Whites chalked up their sixth victory in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I Cricket Championship Thursday despite a gallant century by Sargodha skipper Misbah-ul-Haq at KCCA Stadium here.Misbah, who made a solitary Test appearance at Auckland on the tour of New Zealand last year, played a flawless knock of 108 on the final day of the four-day tie.The 27-year-old right-hander, this season’s leading batsman with a tally of 1386 runs, looked a class apart on a wearing track and completely neutralised Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria’s attempt to dominate him.Misbah, about whom Geoff Boycott had made some unsavoury comments during a coaching assignment at Lahore last year, played such an innings of which the former England opener would have been proud of. In fact, such was the quality of Misbah’s masterful display Thursday even Boycott would have struggled on this pitch to bat on for one minute short of five hours.Misbah was eighth out at the score of 311 after completing his third century in the current championship and the fourth of the season, when he was bowled by paceman Tanvir Ahmed.In all, Misbah faced 249 deliveries and struck 13 exquisitely-timed boundaries during the course of his first-class career’s eighth century despite the fact that the KCCA outfield, as usual, was horribly sluggish and uneven.Play was held up twice by light showers in the first session. The second stoppage forced the umpires to call for early lunch 10 minutes before schedule.Sargodha were eventually all out 20 minutes before the tea break for 334 in their second innings, leaving the Whites just 53 for victory.Kaneria claimed the first six wickets, including four Wednesday, to end up with six for 117 in 47 overs and a match haul of nine for 173.Mohammad Masroor again found batting difficult in the role of a makeshift opener and perished for a first-ball duck. But Hasan Raza and Saeed bin Nasir made light work of the target with the latter striking the winning boundary.
After a predictably disappointing batting collapse in the first innings, Victoria regained the momentum through great bowling and solid batting on the second day of its Pura Cup match against South Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Having claimed first innings points earlier in the day, the Bushrangers are now well in contention for an outright victory that will see them escape the bottom of the domestic ladder.Jason Arnberger (56) and Matthew Mott (71*) did exactly what their team needed them to do in the final session, building up a century stand from 159 balls in just over four hours. After the early loss of Shawn Craig (5 off seventeen balls) with the score on 12, the pair steadied the side, adding 109 runs before Arnberger was dismissed.Arnberger, who struck four boundaries and lasted 143 deliveries, will be disappointed with the way he was dismissed, cutting Ben Johnson straight to point. He did have room for a six in his patient knock however, hooking Brett Swain approximately twelve rows back into bottom of the Great Southern Stand.Mott also attacked the bowling at every opportunity, striking seven fours in his first Pura Cup fifty of the season. Having worked at a few starts this summer only to be dismissed before really establishing a good score (he has 12, 22, 31, 19 and 18 in firstclass innings), Mott must have been happy with his unbeaten seventy-one. The fact that Victoria did not need to score quickly today suited Mott’s style and he will be looking to continue the fine work tomorrow.After being worn down by the home team’s resolve today, the South Australian bowlers will be desperate for an early breakthrough in the morning. Captain Darren Lehmann tried eight bowlers in the final session, but only one wicket fell. The Redbacks will be hoping Paul Wilson (0/28), who claimed four Victorian batsmen in the first innings, will be fit to start tomorrow, after having to come off the field in the second last over of the day because of a leg injury.With first innings’ century maker Brad Hodge (3*) at the crease, and their lead already up to 273 runs with eight wickets in hand, Victoria will be keen to score quickly in the first couple of sessions tomorrow before allowing themselves just over a day to bowl out the Redbacks.Dismissing the Victorians will only be the start of the hard work for the visitors, who were routed for just 96 in their first innings earlier today. The total was South Australia’s lowest against Victoria since scoring 84 in the 1996-97 season, and a mere twenty-eight runs greater than their all-time Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup low, achieved in the summer of 1931-32.Twenty-two year old Mathew Inness was the star of the Bushrangers’ attack, returning career-best figures of 6/26 for the second time in five days. Inness, who surprised the West Indies with his burst on Sunday, snared the key wickets of Greg Blewett (1) and Lehmann (0) with his first two balls.He was aided in his efforts by captain Paul Reiffel (1/28) and Colin Miller (1/13), while Damien Fleming (0/27) went wicketless.
They returned to the top of the table with a 3-0 win over their rivals at the beginning of February and have increased their lead over Rangers to three points.
All of the club’s focus is now on domestic football after being dumped out of the Europa Conference League by Bodo/Glimt, with the Hoops still in the Scottish Cup too, where they face Dundee United in the quarter-finals on Monday.
The Latest: Hutton’s comments
Former Ibrox man Hutton, who contributes for BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider in a story shared on Wednesday.
He was asked for his thoughts after Ange Postecoglou said his side will be a “hard team to stop” following the win over Livingston on Sunday. This is what Hutton had to say in reply, admiring the Celtic boss but predicting more twists and turns.
“There are only eight games left, that is it. It’s not like there are loads to go. There are only eight games to go and two of them are Old Firm games.
“It may come down to that. I’ve still got a feeling both teams could possibly drop points elsewhere, which is obviously a worry.
“What I like about Ange Postecoglou is he’s very open and honest. He doesn’t try and pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. If they get beat, he tells it how it is, if they win, he tells it how it is.
“He feels his team are a winning team, a team that’s capable of probably going eight games unbeaten. He’s confident of that and it’s good to hear that but I think Rangers are very similar at the moment.
“Yes, their form’s been a bit up and down but they’re more than capable of going on a winning run.”
The Verdict: Rangers games key?
With just eight games to go, you’d expect the two Glasgow derby fixtures will have the major say in the race for the Premiership title.
However, the Hoops are three points clear and have a better goal difference than Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, so Postecoglou’s side could even pick up just one point from a possible six against Rangers and still possibly lift the title.
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They won’t want to do it that way of course, but it looks set to go down to the wire over the coming months.
In other news: ‘Oh my god…’ – Celtic pundit fuming at ‘unbelievable’ news he’s hearing from Parkhead.
The ICC has engaged a top firm of management consultants in its bid to find a successor to Malcolm Speed who steps down as chief executive in July.Egon Zehnder International were appointed after six companies were interviewed by senior ICC officials. An ICC recruitment committee, made up of Ray Mali, David Morgan, Sharad Pawar and Creagh O’Connor, Cricket Australia’s chairman, will oversee the process.That process will see the recruitment committee make a recommendation to the ICC board for approval, and it is envisaged the successful candidate will take up the role vacated by Speed at the conclusion of ICC annual conference.”Malcolm Speed has helped spearhead the growth of the organisation to the point where we can now boast 101 members with the game buttressed by a long-term broadcasting agreement covering our major events,” said Morgan. “Now, with Malcolm stepping down after seven years in the role, we need a person to continue cricket’s positive momentum in what will be an exciting and challenging future.”We are looking for a candidate who can continue to help us deliver on the objectives of the ICC’s strategic plan, someone who understands the major issues confronting the game, and someone who can ensure continued unity among our diverse membership to help our strong sport grow even stronger in the years to come.”
A day after refusing to confirm his retirement, Glenn McGrath has decided to walk away after the World Cup. McGrath will join Shane Warne in playing his final Test at his SCG home ground starting on January 2 to end a spectacular career that has been crucial in pushing Australia to the top of the Test and one-day trees.McGrath, the leading Test fast bowler with 555 wickets, has endured a week of speculation that he will step down and he made it official at the MCG after Australia’s training session and team meeting for the Boxing Day Test. The scene was not as hectic or dramatic as it was for Warne on Thursday, but he will also be sorely missed.”The plan I had come up with Shane was he would go before Melbourne and me before Sydney, but with the hearsay and the scrutiny we wanted to get it out of the way,” he said at the MCG’s indoor nets. “Trying to deny about retiring is a bit tough, I’ve always been honest.”McGrath will step down from all forms of cricket and came to the conclusion it was time to go during the Ashes series. “It’s the perfect or fitting ending to play my last Test at Sydney, my favourite ground in the world,” he said. “It’s only in the last couple of games I made the decision to hang up my boots. It’s been a tough decision and an easy decision. The body feels great and I couldn’t be happier with my bowling, but it’s made by easier by all the training and the travel, especially with Jane and the kids growing up.”In two weeks Australia will have lost two bowlers with more than 1250 wickets between them. Regaining the Ashes at Perth on Monday has meant a number of Australia’s senior players have achieved a significant goal after they were responsible for handing over the urn at The Oval in 2005. McGrath was injured in both the matches that were lost, but he has gained revenge over the past month.McGrath will now aim to reach the World Cup and collect his third consecutive trophy after being part of the 1999 and 2003 successes. In South Africa he earned a career-high 7 for 15 against Namibia and he has appeared in 230 matches. His 342 wickets are the most by any Australian bowler and he is sixth on the overall list.”I still place more importance on Test matches, but I still enjoy one-dayers,” he said. “It would have been tough to have walked away mid-season. To win the World Cup for the third time would be amazing. I intend to finish my duties under the current contract, purely because I enjoy it.”Having returned from an 11-month Test lay-off to start the current series, McGrath opened with 6 for 50 at the Gabba, but even though he has produced some important spells he has been below his best. Aged 36, McGrath has spent 13 years in the Test set-up after making his debut as a stringbean fast man against New Zealand at Perth.He started with match figures of 3 for 142 and was immediately dropped and it wasn’t until he was part of Australia’s first series victory in the West Indies for 32 years that he became an essential team member. In the 1994-95 Caribbean campaign he refused to be intimidated by the home side’s bowlers and fearlessly bounced them despite his limited ability with the bat. Australia sealed the series and McGrath’s reputation continued to be enhanced.Employing a simple action and applying regular check-ups, he was able to nag away with an unrelenting line and pick up kitbags full of wickets with movement off the seam. A shy and calm man off the field, he had no problem firing up when bowling and his behaviour often came under scrutiny. In the West Indies in 2002-03, when he arrived mid-tour after his wife Jane was diagnosed with cancer, he had an angry, finger pointing exchange with Ramnaresh Sarwan. He admitted to “carrying on like a pork chop” at times but Australia would not have changed anything about their long-term spearhead.McGrath passed Dennis Lillee’s 355 Test wickets – it was the most famous Australian bowling milestone until Shane Warne overtook it – at The Oval in 2001 and became the country’s first fast man to play 100 Tests when he achieved the mark at Nagpur in 2004. It was a particularly satisfying record as he was out for a year with a serious ankle problem requiring two bouts of surgery. He briefly considered retiring and there were questions over whether he could return to his best. It became a repeated theme during the past couple of years.Following his long break to care for his family when his wife experienced another relapse of the disease in January, McGrath’s comeback ability was doubted again. He started slowly in the Malaysia tri-series and was part of Australia’s first Champions Trophy victory in India before re-setting his sights on England.
Supporters in the United Kingdom did not understand the McGrath fuss when he first toured England in 1997 and Australia lost the opening Test at Edgbaston. He stepped in quickly to assure them he was a player of the highest quality. In the rain-ruined second Test at Lord’s he was responsible for knocking England over for 77 with his incredible 8 for 38.Michael Atherton was a victim, one of 19 times in his career, and they were McGrath’s best figures until he produced 8 for 34, the second-best haul by an Australian, against Pakistan at the WACA in 2004-05. When it comes to wickets he has an almost photographic memory and his removal of the opposition’s best players are recalled proudly. Brian Lara was taken 15 times in Tests while Alec Stewart was also high on the list at 10. His comedic 61 against New Zealand two years ago also showed the hours of work he put into his often-ridiculed batting.McGrath beat Courtney Walsh’s fast-bowling world record of 519 wickets during the one-off Super Test against the World XI in 2005-06. It was suitable company for such a wonderful competitor. A country boy from central New South Wales, McGrath has grown from a spindly adolescent who was told he couldn’t bowl into one of the most durable men in Test history. His record over 122 matches is amazing and will always be treasured.
Bangladesh U-19 210 for 6 (43.5 overs, Saqibul Hasan 82, Mehrab Hossain jnr 62*) beat England U-19 208 (49.4 overs, Ali 70) by four wickets ScorecardA superb 62-ball 82 from 15-year-old Saqibul Hasan guided Bangladesh to a four-wicket win over England in the opening match of the tri-nation Under-19 tournament at Savar.Hasan came in with Bangladesh struggling on 19 for 2 chasing a target of 209, but the next six overs produced 60 runs as he cut loose. Although Mehdi Hasan was then dismissed for 28, Hasan was joined by Mehrab Hossain jnr , and they added 85 for the fourth wicket at a little over four an over. By the time Hasan, who hit 13 fours and two sixes, fell in the 28th over, Bangladesh were almost home and dry. Although two wickets in successive balls by Moeen Ali caused a few jitters among the home crowd, Bangladesh eased home with more than six overs in hand.England won the toss, but Varun Chopra, the captain, must have questioned the wisdom of his decision when he edged the first ball of the match to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim. The innings never really gathered any momentum against some good bowling, although Ali’s 70 did ensure that they passed 200.It was another setback for the England side who came into this tournament on the back of a whitewash in a five-match series against a BCB High Performance side.The next fixture will be between England and Sri Lanka on Friday. Sri Lanka will be confident as they beat Bangladesh when the sides met in the Afro-Asia U-19 tournament in India earlier this month.
Shane Warne will fulfil a promise to Muttiah Muralitharan by flying to Sri Lanka today to help the rebuilding process after the Boxing Day tsunami. Warne, who took 2 for 20 in Victoria’s ING Cup win over Queensland at Ballarat yesterday, will return in time for the crucial clash against New South Wales on Sunday as they push for a place in the final.Warne is scheduled to travel to some of the worst hit areas including Galle – "where one of my favourite cricket grounds in the world was washed away" – and he will direct money from his children’s charity to Sri Lanka. Warne said he was also dealing with the Melbourne City Council in a bid to restore the ground at Galle."Right after the tsunami tragedy I promised Murali I would do whatever possible and while my Foundation was set up to aid Australian children in need, through our friends we will channel funds into this worthy cause," Warne wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.Warne, who played in the charity match at the MCG and the three-game series in New Zealand, said he "just wants to help" and will travel with Brad Grapsas, the chief executive of the Shane Warne Foundation, to see where the money raised by the organisation will go."Murali and I have always got along okay, I have huge respect for him, but fate and its tragedy has thrown us together in this and no doubt it has brought us closer," Warne wrote. "Our head-to-head battle for the world Test-wickets record is a terrific joust on the sporting field, but on this issue I’m proud for us to be brothers in arms for such a cause."
Lower Grade scores from last Saturday were:Inter CitySenior 2: Brooklyn 365-7d ( D O’Driscoll 150*, C MacDonald 71, S Dahya 62) met U Valley 27-0; J’ville 162 ( S Worthington 46, R Ellis 4-50, A Wellings 3-22) met Karori 13-1; Taita 238 ( J Peters 131,H Templeton 3-38, A Corliss 3-70) met Well Coll 56-3; Onslow 181 ( Williams 64) met Hutt 73-1Senior 3: E’bourne 200-6 ( C Reed 89, C Stock 38,S Adrian 3-62) met Hutt 65 ( J Mitchell 4-37, D Reed 3-21) & 23-2; Pet/Riv 196 ( S Watkins 73, D Monteith 32,J Bhula 4-17, D Ranchord 3-70) met Indians 83-2 ( A Ranchod 45*)Colls 192 ( N Palmer 30, D Kershaw 32, B Green 5-41) met Univ 50-2Sup 8s Section One: Naenae defaulted to Upper Valley; Pet/Riv 180-3 beat Colls 69-5; Taita 108-4 ( S Moore 50) beat J’ville 103 ( C Howard 40)Hutt Valley2A: N Park 127 ( S Edmonds 60,,S Williams 3-52. C Billmore 3-22) met S Valley 109-6 ( S Williams 34, B Eastham 3-12); Taita Red 196 ( M McGavin 58, A Tait 37*, C Butler 34, McMichael 5-78, Hewson 4-32) met U Hutt 76-6( C Butler 3-22); Taita Black 117 (T Wilson 4-19.M Williams 4-18) met Wainui A 115-4 ( T Wilson 52*, J Gilbert 36); Tokelau 201 ( K Butterfield 3-28, W Myers 3-39( met Wainui B 50-1 ( C Mathews 35)2B: U Hutt 194-8 ( C Gamble 54, B Orriss 47, C Muller 4-65) met E’bourne 31-2; Wainui 68 & 74-4 met S Valley 208-2 ( B Smith 109*, S Wilson 71)4A: S Valley 120-4 ( G Reid 57) beat Pet/Riv 119; Taita 55-1 beat Hutt 52 ( B Roina 5-5); U Hutt 112-5 beat Te Aroha 108 ( M Stratford 28)4B: S Valley 182 ( M Rennie 50*) met Pet/Riv B 135-4( J Nippert 52*)’; E’bourne 104-4( S Patel 54)beat Naenaer Soccer 103 ( C Kelly 3-29); Hutt B 125-9 ( M Wozniak 35,) met Pet/Riv A 124( A Davis 42*, J Bingham 30,C Priest 3-24)4C: Naenae Green 110-8 ( E Chatfield 50) beat Naenae Silver 92 ( V Allan 3-12);Wainui A 193-6 ( A Martin 66) beat Pet/Riv 19 ( B McCoy 7-13Wellington2A: SLS 187-6 Martin 4-57) metUniv 77-3Onslow 143-6 ( G Larsen 52, Riley 3-26) met Tawa 79 ( G Larsen 3-6, C Shanks 3-17); Easts Roosters 179-8 (C Dry 122*, Davies 3-31) met Mana 131-3 (Rajpal 57*, Havill 43*,);2B: Tawa 171( R Cubin 4-43, A Monk 3-13) met Tawa 94-7 ( A Cameron 41); Onslow 321-6 ( S Mataira 111, M Willis 97, A Young 31) met Easts B 84-3( P Bishop 36); Indians 294-7 (W Bicknell 107, M Patel 91) met Easts A 90-32CKarori 184 ( S Kirkland 4-13, R Willis 3-21) met Brooklyn 28-4.2D: Indians 164 ( P Gandhi 61) met SLS 46-33A: Newlands 219-6 ( G Fowler 68*, P Lankershire 40) met Univ B 80-5; Brooklyn 117( A Goldie 39, R Parry 4-24) met Univ 62-6( H Southall 3-22)4A: Mana met Karori; Sikhs 132-4(R Singh 50) beat Onslow B 179-7 (Keelty 50);Univ 186( Manning 57, Cameron 31, Heather 3-29) met Colls 77-1( M Reed 37*); Onslow A 69-2 ( L Bray 40*,) beat Thorndon 68( C Paterson 4-16, M Patterson 3-9)4B: Onslow 169 met J’villa A 144-3; Tawa 178 (Deng 3-43) met Karori A 115-5; Onslow B 147-4 ( E Meachen 79*) beat Easts A 146(A Ness 3-220; Univ B 149 ( A Scott 30, D LeBreton 3-14) met J’ville B 97-9( A Scott 4-13, A Sagato 3-6) ; Univ A 163 ( A Johnson 59*) mer Karori B 134-7).