England cricketer Darren Gough has a secret admirer - guess who? - Russian tennis beauty Anna Kournikova. In the official handbook to accompany Darren Gough's benefit year, there is a tribute from Anna herself. It was just not the words of someone roped into a publicity stunt, the tennis star had clearly gone out of her way to compliment Gough, husband and father-of-two. She writes: "I can recognise the major contribution Darren has made to the sport, not only through his talent to play great cricket, but also through his compelling personality. "You just can't ignore Darren!"
Australian fast bowling sensation Brett Lee is out of this month's tour of India and is also doubtful of making the Ashes tour of England after seriously injuring his elbow. Lee will require corrective surgery on the medial ligament and flexor tendon in his right elbow. The injury occurred while fielding in the thrilling one-run win over Zimbabwe in Perth. Selectors will meet early this week to select the team for the India tour.
Leg-spinner Shane Warne and off-spinner Colin Miller are likely to be the only two slow bowlers Australia will bring on their tour of India starting in Mumbai on February 17. Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Australia would probably take a 14-man squad, which would mean leg-spinner Stuart MacGill misses out.
Australia's cricketers will wear ice vests during their forthcoming three-Test tour of India. Designed to beat the extreme heat and humidity on the sub-continent, they will match the Australian uniforms so they will hardly be noticeable on the field. Australian players are keen to prevent a repetition of the Test in Madras during the 1986-87 tour of India, when batsman Dean Jones became so dehydrated during an innings of 210 that he was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration and exhaustion. The vests have frozen liquid in strips of tubing that cover the torso. They were developed from similar ones worn by Australian Football League players during pre-season tournaments when weather conditions can be dangerously hot. Australian fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee wore the vests on a trial run during the tri-nations series one-day match against Zimbabwe. The bowlers said that the vests will be helpful especially when bowling long spells.
Despite watching New Zealand snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Sri Lanka in the second One Day International at Wellington on Sunday, convener of selectors Sir Richard Hadlee says there's no need to panic. However some new faces are being included in the form of Northern District's pace bowler Daryl Tuffey and Auckland wicketkeeper-batsman Lou Vincent have been included in the team for the third match against the tourists in Auckland. New Zealand's three-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in Wellington on Saturday, leaves them 0-2 down in the five-match series.
VVS Laxman will lead India A against Australia in the opening match of the seven-week tour.The squad: Sadagopan Ramesh (TN), SS Das (Orissa), VVS Laxman (capt, Hyderabad), Dinesh Mongia (Punjab), Hemang Badani (TN), Mohammad Kaif (UP), Nayan Mongia (Baroda), Debashish Mohanty (Orissa), Ashish Nehra (Delhi), Rahul Sanghvi (Delhi), Harbhajan Singh (Punjab), WD Balaji Rao (TN), Gagan Khoda (Rajasthan) and Javed Zaman (Assam). The three-day match will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur from February 17-19, two days after the Aussies land in India.
The conditioning camp for the Indian cricket team will now be held from February 7-11 at Chennai, followed by the NKP Salve Challenger Series from February 12-15. The team for the first Test at Mumbai will be announced at Nagpur on February 19.
It seems PCB will be monitoring Moin Khan's performances during the forthcoming tour of New Zealand. His future as a player and captain will solely depend on this tour, which will also include his relationship with the team coach Javed Miandad.
The introduction of a 10-year Test schedule and consideration of a world championship will be two of the major topics of discussion at February's ICC executive board meeting in Melbourne. This would be the first time a co-ordinated calendar of international Test cricket will been adopted, giving the opportunity for long term planning and preparation. It will also provide newer Test playing nations such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with regular games against all other teams. The tours programme is structured to allow all Test playing countries to play each other at home and away over a five-year period. However, long established and traditional fixtures such as the Ashes series would continue on a four-year cycle.
Sir Paul Condon will give a progress report to the ICC's executive board when they meet this week-end at Melbourne. Sir Paul has been conducting his inquiries into corruption in the sport in England, South Africa and India during the past two months.
Pakistan and India will put up in the International Cricket Council (ICC) sub-committee meeting in Melbourne on February 7 that their officials should be given more international appointments. Sunil Gavaskar, India's representative, will be making the same point on behalf of Indian umpires and match referees. Despite the differences between India and Pakistan at a political level, which filters through to cricket, the two countries will be submitting a joint proposal on this issue. The feeling in the sub-continent is that, despite there being a decline in the overall standard of officiating, Indian and Pakistan officials are not receiving their fair share of appointments when compared to English, Australian and South African officials.
Lawyers for Test batsman Mark Waugh are meeting with the Australian Cricket Board to settle a date for his interview by ACB anti-corruption investigator Greg Melick. Waugh and his legal advisers ruled out the ACB's request for an interview this week because it would clash with his preparations for Australia's Carlton Series finals. Waugh's manager Leo Karis said a decision would be made in the next 24 hours and that his client was "comfortable" about the proceedings. Melick is to interview Waugh about allegations contained in an Indian police report that he accepted money from the illegal Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta in return for team, pitch and weather information.
Former England opener Geoff Boycott said the "natural flair and talent" in Pakistani players had prompted him to take up a coaching job in the country. The 15-day contract with 60-year old Boycott, for which he will receive 30,000 pounds, has come under criticism from former Pakistani Test players who called it a "waste of money." "Despite criticism the Pakistan Cricket Board took a bold decision and I will fulfill the confidence reposed in me," Boycott said, following his arrival in Lahore. "Pakistan has a great talent and the only thing is to streamline it and this academy will do that." Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia defended Boycott's hiring. "The vision 2005 announced by the PCB will bring far-fetched results in Pakistan cricket and Boycott's hiring is the first step. "Whosoever thinks this is a waste of money can think so, we are sincere to Pakistan cricket and the results will prove that." General Zia said Pakistan's cricket structure would be modeled on Australia. "We sent our officials to Australia to ascertain their coaching process and its always good to follow the best setups," he said. However former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam questioned the decision, saying: "If Boycott is so good why has he never been offered a post in the England team?" Pakistan have lost their last four home series, three of them under coach and former Test great Javed Miandad.
The resumption of the King Commission in South Africa has been postponed again after Hansie Cronje's legal team hinted that they may attempt to challenge the position of Judge Edwin King. It follows a ruling by the country's Constitutional Court last November that a judge cannot be the head of a special investigative unit. The South African match-fixing inquiry was due to re-start on February 19.
England batsman Mark Ramprakash has signed a three-year contract with county champions Surrey. Ramprakash was released from his contract with Middlesex recently after arguing that only a move to a first division county would revive his England career. Ramprakash was dropped by England after failing as an opener in four Tests last year, making way for the debut of Marcus Trescothick. He is therefore unlikely to figure in the national side's initial plans for 2001.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram urged Indian cricket fans to pressure the government to allow matches between Pakistan and India and to keep the sport above politics. "I call on the Indian fans to urge their Government to change its anti-cricket stance and revive Pakistan-India cricket, just for the love of the game." The former Pakistani captain was reacting to India's refusal of a cricket series in Sharjah to raise funds for quake victims in the state of Gujarat. "I know the fans love Pakistan-India ties and get engrossed in them but they are starved, due to politics which should not be mingled in the game. "How can I forget the Chennai crowd that gave Pakistan a standing ovation when we won a Test there in 1999," Akram, also said. "I can safely say this on behalf of all the Pakistani players that they want to play India anywhere in the world." The cancellation of the series allowed Akram to leave for Ireland where his wife gave birth to their second son last week. Former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam said India should not be allowed to do whatever it chose. "Indians are doing what they like and it should not be this way. Pakistan is maintaining a positive stance all the time while India is negative," Alam said.
South African fast bowler Allan Donald may not tour the Caribbean this month end since he is down with tick bite fever. Although the doctors treating him feel he should recover in time, there is concern that the three-week recovery period may not allow him enough preparation. South Africa incidentally will not have the services of pace bowler Mfuneko Ngam and all-rounder Lance Klusener. Both are on the injury list.
Anil Kumble feels the need to introduce a contract system in Indian on the lines of what is done in England, South Africa and Australia. By doing so the players don't have to miss on match fees when they are injured. He said " When you are playing for the country for a long time and get injured… it becomes a bit difficult during those months when you have to miss out on your match fees."
Marcus Trescothick belted an unbeaten century in England's match against the Sri Lankan Academy side at Moratuwa. Having reached his century off 198 balls including 15 fours and one six, the Somerset left-hander then retired and could only watch on as the rest of the side struggled against the Sri Lankan youngsters, finishing 252 all out. Earlier in the day the Sri Lankan authorities refused to allow England to use 12 players in the match, forcing Ashley Giles to sit the game out. The move followed criticism in the Sri Lankan press that the Board had been too accommodating to the touring side.
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