Duncan Fletcher: his book would not have been covered by any gagging order
England’s players could face contractual gagging orders in the aftermath of Duncan Flecther’s warts-and-all autobiography.A number of other sports impose such conditions in contracts of international players and coaches, although, as shown by Mike Catt’s recent comments about the England rugby management, those are only effective while the player is still contracted.Speaking to Wales on Sunday, Hugh Morris, the ECB’s managing director, said that it was an issue he would be reviewing. “Part of my new remit is to look at all issues, weigh up both sides of the argument and come up with an agreement that is suitable to both the organisation and the player. Gagging orders raise all kinds of issues with freedom of speech.”Censorship is not on our agenda, but we don’t want players or members of the coaching staff, for that matter, fearing that anything they say or do in the sacred confines of the dressing room is revealed in a book months later.”While any gagging clauses would prevent current players and coaches from speaking out, they would make no difference to someone like Fletcher who was no longer bound by any contract when he released his book.Asked if he had read Fletcher’s observations, Morris said: “I’ve not read the book so I can’t comment on its contents.”
India’s Supreme Court has stayed the conviction of Navjot Singh Sidhu, the former opener. Sidhu was convicted last month of a charge similar to manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison, but was released on temporary bail. The charges related to an incident in 1988 when he dragged an elderly man out of his car and showered him with blows after a road accident.The unprecedented decision has opened a Pandora’s Box of sorts because it is the first time in 57 years that a conviction of this nature has been stayed by the highest court in the land.Sidhu had argued in his petition that under the People’s Representation Act only a stay on his conviction would allow him to contest the forthcoming by-election for the Amristar parliamentary seat.
The Victoria coach, Greg Shipperd, and assistant coach, David Saker, have been charged with dissent by Cricket Australia following a breach of the code of conduct. The charges relate to the ING match between Victoria and Tasmania at Launceston on December 18.However, after originally being reported for severe dissent the charges were downgraded to level one for both coaches. Shipperd has received a severe reprimand while Saker was fined $1000.The Cricket Victoria chief executive, Ken Jacobs, said everyone was pleased the charges had been reduced and that both coaches had received a fair hearing. “We were heartened by the downgrading of the charges for both Greg and David, but are naturally disappointed with the result.”
South Africa 340 for 3 (Smith 131, de Villiers 98, Kallis 54) lead Zimbabwe 54 (Kallis 4-13, Pollock 3-9, Ntini 3-23) by 286 runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Zimbabwe were routed for 54 in a little over a session on the opening day of the first Test at Newlands, nine runs short of their previous-lowest score in Tests, 63 against West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1999-2000. The pitch held few demons, and as if to underline the point, South Africa raced to 340 for 3 by the close. Their lead of 286 is the highest that a side batting second has established by the end of the first day in any Test.In the history of Test cricket there can rarely have been a day as obscenely one-sided as this. Zimbabwe had the look of a very average club side, and by and large the technique to match it. The wickets which they claimed both owed more to boredom on the part of the batsmen – all three fell trying to hammer the hapless Graeme Cremer over Table Mountain – than any cunning plan. If the first session was depressing as Zimbabwe’s batsmen succumbed, the last was embarrassing, as AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis hit boundaries at will – in all South Africa piled on 249 runs in 33 overs after tea.Although South Africa’s seamers bowled well in the morning, the batsmen’s techniques were largely to blame for the humiliation. This was Test cricket in name only. The paltry crowd – some 1600 imported schoolchildren more than doubled the attendance – showed that the locals knew that this was always likely to be a one-sided encounter. But even they must have been surprised and ultimately depressed at what they saw.
On a hot and sunny day, Tatenda Taibu won the toss and batted on a pitch which appeared to offer little to the bowlers apart from a hint of early moisture. But so fundamental were the flaws in his players’ techniques that the bowlers had to do little more than put the ball on the spot and wait. The muted celebrations – only Makhaya Ntini’s 200th Test wicket produced anything resembling delight – underlined that the South Africans knew the value of their achievements. Ntini, Kallis and Shaun Pollock took some of the easiest Test wickets they will ever collect. As if to underline the unevenness of the contest, Kallis, usually reluctant to bowl these days, has rarely been so keen.Heath Streak briefly showed that he was not out of his depth, one cracking cover-drive merely emphasising the inadequacies of what had gone before. But even other more experienced colleagues, such as Dion Ebrahim, were all at sea.Pollock started the rot when he turned Barney Rogers square and had him caught behind, and thereafter it was a procession. Ntini claimed two in his opening eight-over burst, Stuart Matsikenyeri fending to third slip (20 for 3) and Mark Boucher taking his 300th Test dismissal when he caught Brendan Taylor (22 for 4). Kallis snapped up 4 for 13 with no more than gentle outswing which was still too good for the middle order.
In comparison with what was to follow, South Africa started sedately, as Smith and de Villiers saw off the new ball and Streak, the only bowler who asked any serious questions. Smith twice drove loosely, edges narrowly missing his off stump, but that was as close as Zimbabwe got to the breakthrough.After tea, the floodgates opened and dot-balls became rarer than boundaries. Smith brought up his eighth Test hundred and look set to fill his boots before he wearily skyed Cremer to Hamilton Mazakadza for 131. de Villiers was also left ruing a missed opportunity when, two short of what would have been his second successive Test hundred, he tried to drive Cremer against the spin and lofted to Andy Blignaut in the covers.Kallis and Jacques Rudolph set off with all the gusto of children let loose in the sweet shop but who feared teacher would come in to spoil their fun at any moment. Kallis hammered three successive sixes off Cremer, and the usually circumspect Rudolph cracked four fours in five balls off Elton Chigumbura. Even Streak, was savaged and Taibu looked bewildered as he ran out of bowlers to stem the flow, or fielders to plug the gaps.Kallis’s fifth six brought up his fifty in 24 balls – the fastest-known in Test history – before he became Cremer’s third wicket, again courtesy of a top-edge attempting an even bigger hit. Cremer ended the day with the remarkable figures of 9-0-86-3.Kallis departed into the lengthening shadows. The integrity of Test cricket had disappeared some time before that.Martin Williamson is the managing editor of Cricinfo.
CloseAuckland 164 for 5 (Horne 16*, Young 3*) trail Pakistan 318 by 154 runs ScorecardPakistan could not get in too many overs against Auckland on the second day of their match at Eden Park’s outer oval. Morning rain prevented any play until 1.40pm, and the late start left Auckland in no man’s land at stumps.They were still 154 runs short of Pakistan’s total, and it may be that for any real benefit to come from the match, a declaration will be required early tomorrow so Pakistan can leave Auckland a target.However, Rob Nicol, another promising batsmen, scored 60, including three sixes and six fours, off 107 balls. Both overnight batsmen, Mark Richardson (23) and Tim McIntosh (32), were dismissed by Shabbir Ahmed, who ended the day with 2 for 24.Matt Horne dug his way to 16 not out in over an hour and a half. He was accompanied by Reece Young, the wicketkeeper, who remained on three not out. Mohammad Sami had a horror day, bowling 11 no-balls and ending wicketless from his 14 overs for 51 runs.
England are taking the view that they can still win the National Bank Series 3-2 as they head into tomorrow’s vital match at McLean Park in Napier.One man looking to make a difference for the side as it seeks a change of fortune is Ben Hollioake who has recovered from a nagging knee injury and is hopeful of taking his place when the final selection is made.Hollioake, who last week signed for another year with his county Surrey, said the loss in Wellington had been disappointing.”I’m sure the boys will hold their hands up and admit to that. It’s gone now and there’s still three games to play here and I suppose in New Zealand a lot of people will laugh but we think we can win 3-2,” he said.”One-day cricket is strange.”A month ago everyone was saying how brilliant New Zealand are. Two weeks ago they weren’t good at all, now they’re brilliant again.”With us after India everyone was saying we’re on the up and up and now, after two games, we’ve been written off a little bit. Yet I’m sure if we can turn it around,” he said.”We’ve been working very well together, there is a good team spirit, everyone likes each other, that’s not the be all and end all but it does help, everyone helps each other with the work load and gets on and does the business.”Hollioake said it had been an annoying tour for him with injury coming at just the time he felt he was cementing his place in the side.The knee injury had been looked at by specialists and revealed no serious damage but it was suggested he needed 10 days of proper rest, and not the bowling in the nets he had been doing at practice.”It just came on in India and got worse and worse,” he said.During games it had been fine as the adrenalin did its thing but once he cooled down the problems started.”It feels like it’s gone, it feels like it’s finished with now. It was a bit of a strange injury because I could run at a relatively full pace but every time I bowled and stamped my foot down I was getting a hyper-extension in my knee which was causing it to collapse,” he said.Hollioake said he was definitely available for tomorrow and was excited at the prospect of being selected, although that choice was up to the selectors ultimately.The World Cup next year was very much in Hollioake’s thinking and he felt the selectors and team management were 90% along the way in assessing which players they felt would be part of the campaign.”I’m sure if someone performs horrendously in the next three games it will have an effect on their selection in the World Cup. I can’t comment for sure but I’m pretty positive they’ve mainly got their mind made up,” he said.The tri-series in England next summer was another important step for him and it was part of the build-up of games that have greatly increased the number of internationals the English are playing now.”England have been a bit slow catching that up but they’re starting to do it now,” he said of his feeling that around 20-25 matches in a year would be more appropriate for the side.”If I’m selected and do well I want to get myself selected for next summer’s tri-series. If I wasn’t to be selected for that then my hopes of playing in the World Cup would be pretty severely dented,” he said.Hollioake said he had been very close to signing with Warwickshire for the county season but decided to stick with Surrey.
Bihar Under-19 scored a comfortable innings and 29 runs victory overAssam in their East Zone Cooch Behar Trophy Under-19 tie at the NFRSAStadium in Maligaon, Assam on Sunday.Resuming at the overnight score of 136 for 8, Assam lost their lasttwo wickets for the addtion of just 13 runs. The first to be dismissedwas B Baruah (0) bowled by Mihir Diwakar. Three overs later the finalAssam wicket fell, that of M Barman (15) when he ran himself out. Byvirtue of this outright win, Bihar earned eight points.
Alan Myers has dropped a significant Everton update on Jean-Philippe Gbamin after some news emerged involving Alisher Usmanov and his ties with Russia.
The Lowdown: Sponsorships suspended
The Goodison Park faithful have recently released a statement confirming that they have suspended all commercial sponsorship arrangements with Russian companies – USM, Megafon and Yota – following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
These companies all have strong ties to Uzbek-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who holds commercial ties with the Merseyside club.
This comes after the news that both FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from all football competitions.
The Latest: Gbamin situation
Of course, some Toffees fans may now be questioning whether any of these events will affect the loan deal of Gbamin, who joined Russian side CSKA Moscow for the rest of the season.
Respected news editor and journalist Myers has now given an update on his situation:
“My understanding is that Gbamin’s loan to CSKA Moscow is not affected by the Uefa and Fifa bans.”
The Verdict: Relief
It will surely come as a relief to hear that Gbamin should be able to continue to play as normal, despite what is going on around him, which is completely out of his control.
Unfortunately for the Ivory Coast international, he has only played a mere eight matches for the Blues over the course of the last three campaigns, and has been plagued by injuries ever since he arrived from Bundesliga team Mainz back in 2019.
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Thus, sending him out on loan will hopefully give him some consistent game time, and this latest update is good news if he wishes to come back fitter and ready to play for Frank Lampard in the summer.
In other news, find out which ‘gorgeous passer’ EFC are now eyeing for the summer here!
A desire to protect his bowlers convinced Ricky Ponting to bat again as Australia looked to seal a 14th consecutive Test win. The home team had a lead of 296 after dismissing Sri Lanka in the final session, but Ponting chose not to enforce the follow-on as early as the fall of the eighth wicket.”It was just the fact that it was back-to-back Tests and back-to-back innings,” Brett Lee said. “He was just making sure the bowlers were looked after.”Lee, who was again impressive as the attack leader, was one of the main beneficiaries of the break after collecting his third four-wicket haul of the series. “Without saying it or thinking it, I’ve stepped up to the mark and really enjoyed that role,” he said. “I’m really happy with way the ball is coming out.”He opened with two breakthroughs in his first spell of the morning to deflate Sri Lanka and finished off the innings by removing Dilhara Fernando and Mahela Jayawardene, who steered his team with 104. The most spectacular dismissal was his yorker to Michael Vandort that sent the middle stump tumbling.”It’s always nice when a plan comes off,” he said of his opening success. “You get to the top of your mark and visualise, and sometimes you can see it going through and missing the batsman. When it comes off it’s sweet.”At stumps Australia had reached 1 for 111, a lead of 407, and they are aiming to maintain their charge at the record of 16 wins achieved by Steve Waugh’s side in 2001. “It would be lovely to get 16 or 17 straight, but if we worry about the stats and the record it’s not going to be the best thing for us,” Lee said. “We’ve got to win here first, it’s going to take a lot of hard work, and it’s a pretty flat old track.”Andrew Symonds did not field today – Lee was hopeful he would return from an ankle problem in the morning – and there was also a problem with Stuart MacGill. “He fell on his arm and at some stages was finding it hard to grip the ball,” Lee said. “He bowled some great legspinners, the one he bowled to the left-hander was great.” Sanath Jayasuriya was beaten trying to sweep MacGill and he finished with 2 for 81 after picking up Chamara Silva when he edged to Adam Gilchrist.
Click here to have your sayThe ongoing mystery over the marketing deal agreed by the USA Cricket Association and Centrex continues, with the USACA refusing to provide stakeholders or the media with any information.It now seems that not even all the association’s board of directors are aware of what has been signed. “At a conference call on November 16 we were promised a copy of the deal,” one member told Cricinfo. “We were clearly told that it would not be in electronic form as “some” board members were prone to “leaking” such information and the executive was going to make it harder to “leak” such information.”He continued: “A marketing deal that is supposed to be beneficial to the organisation is not touted to the membership and press as the best things since sliced bread; instead we are concerned about the information “leaking” to the media and the membership. I know, I find that rather hard to swallow too.”The USACA has a long history of refusing to keep stakeholders informed, and for several years it has effectively shut out the media. Senior officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions put to them by Cricinfo.There is growing concern over exactly what the new deal, which according to some could earn US cricket millions of dollars, actually involves. Given that there is a continuing row over the USACA’s constitution, there have also been questions as to whether it is within the current leadership’s powers to agree to enter into such a major contract.